A hostess gracefully approached Lin An with a card reader:
"Mr. Lin, please swipe your card."
Zhao Gancheng sneered, "I'll see if you have five million."
Everyone stared at Lin An with curiosity, and some people were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Lin An calmly took out his bank card, entered six eights, and the password was that simple.
"Beep, payment successful." Card swipe complete.
"Tsk tsk tsk, this guy's got money."
"Which young master is he? He seems to be really rich."
Amidst the murmurs of the guests, the hostess handed the bill printed out by PoS to Lin An.
Public opinion shifted instantly; spending five million to buy a broken jade carving—that takes guts!
After paying, Lin An turned to look at Zhao Gancheng and waved the bill in his hand.
Zhao Gancheng felt like he had been slapped in the face by Lin An, but he was helpless because Lin An was truly capable.
Some people who disliked Zhao Gancheng joked:
"Young Master Zhao, hurry home and have a good cry with your father, and ask him for some money to spend."
"Could it be that the Zhao family has fallen on hard times and is broke?"
"Oh, how can you say that? Maybe Young Master Zhao has become more sensible and learned to be frugal."
"Ha ha ha ha......"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Young Master Zhao's dignity was trampled on by the crowd, and he was so angry that his face turned red.
He couldn't bear to lose face in front of Zhou Ya, so he forced himself to save face: "I'm waiting to film something even better later."
Lin An cheekily replied, "Okay, I'll take pictures with you."
Soon, a jade pot was put out, with a starting price of 450,000.
This item is exquisitely crafted and beautiful; it would be a pleasant sight to have in the home. Young Master Zhao felt that his chance had come; he was sure he wouldn't be scolded if he bought it.
"One million!" Zhao Gancheng immediately raised the price by 550,000, and everyone around him thought he was crazy.
Lin An smiled faintly and raised his sign as well: "One million five hundred thousand."
Zhao Gancheng was secretly delighted. "Damn it, they're broke now. They only dare to raise the price by 50,000. Let me show you how Grandpa can regain his face."
"One million three hundred thousand!" Zhao Gancheng raised the price by another two hundred thousand.
"One million three hundred and fifty thousand."
......
Three million!
No matter how much money Zhao Gancheng offered, Lin An would add another 50,000.
Zhao Gancheng knew the other party was challenging him, so he immediately raised the price by two million: "I'll offer five million!"
Lin An saw that the price was about right and didn't raise his paddle again.
"Hey Lin, make an offer. What's wrong? No money in your account?" Zhao Gancheng said smugly.
Lin An repeated his words, mimicking him: "I'm waiting to film something even better later."
For the next hour, whenever Zhao Gancheng raised his paddle, Lin An would follow suit, adding 50,000 each time, driving up the price before stopping. Zhao Gancheng was provoked by Lin An and bought three items, spending over ten million. He was now extremely anxious, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, with a thorn in his side and a fishbone stuck in his throat. He was terrified of being beaten when he got home.
Zhou Ya saw through Lin An's shady tactics. As the organizer, the Zhou family naturally wanted the highest possible sales. She whispered, "Lin An, thank you."
"It's nothing, just a small favor."
Lin An looked at Zhao Gancheng and smiled meaningfully. "Grandson, how about that? You pay up, and your sweetheart comes to thank me. That's what you call skill."
At this point, a piece of vermilion ink with a dragon design from the Wanli era was displayed, with a starting price of two million.
Lin An's eyes lit up immediately. This was a great thing. It could ward off evil spirits and disasters, and it was perfect for drawing talismans. It could enhance the effectiveness of the talisman paper.
Lin An raised his paddle and bid: "Two million five hundred thousand."
Few people in the room were interested in calligraphy and paintings, and there was an unspoken agreement that as long as Zhao Gancheng and Lin An made a move, everyone would just wait and watch the two of them fight it out without getting involved. Lin An was about to win the bid at the starting price, while Zhao Gancheng was still debating whether to compete with him.
I can't swallow this insult if I don't fight back.
After arguing, Lin An drove up the price and ran away, ultimately paying the bill himself and making himself look like a sucker.
"Young Master Zhao, make your bid."
"Young Master Zhao, don't whine! You need to stand up for yourself, or we'll look down on you."
"Weren't you quite the show-off? Why aren't you arguing with that Lin guy anymore? Are you scared now?"
Zhao Gancheng became the focus of attention, his face flushed as he struggled for a long time before reason finally prevailed over impulse.
"I don't like this one, I'm giving it up!"
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head to avoid everyone's gaze.
"Tch! Coward."
"You've really brought shame to the Zhao family."
"A coward who doesn't even dare to ask for a price."
The surrounding laughter was incessant. Zhao Gancheng stole a glance at Zhou Ya. She and Lin An were very close, talking and laughing, and the two of them were talking about something.
Zhao Gancheng regretted coming today. He had spent a lot of money and lost face, but all he got was a bellyful of jealousy.
Lin An acquired this treasure at the starting bid, thanks in large part to Zhao Gancheng.
As the auction drew to a close, everyone eagerly awaited the unveiling of the grand finale.
A slender hostess walked up carrying a white porcelain plate covered with a layer of red silk cloth.
The hostess moved with a light step, so it seemed that the item was not heavy.
The auctioneer made a mysterious tug at the red silk, and everyone held their breath. The red silk was lifted, revealing two charred wooden beads inside an exquisite ceramic box.
The guests showed expressions of disappointment one after another, and there was a lot of discussion. They couldn't understand why an auction of this level would choose two beads of unknown material as the final treasure.
When the auctioneer announced the starting price, everyone gasped in disbelief. What could possibly be priced at 9.99 million?
Lin An stared wide-eyed; the auction was truly eye-opening and worth the trip!
Xu Mo looked puzzled, leaned over Lin An, and asked Zhou Ya:
"Miss Zhou, what is this? It's so expensive."
Zhou Ya looked embarrassed and said with an awkward smile, "My dad said it's wood struck by lightning."
Xu Mo was even more puzzled: "Lightning-struck wood is formed when lightning strikes a tree, right? It's not common in the city, but it shouldn't be hard to find in the mountains."
Zhou Ya nodded shyly: "Probably."
Coming to his senses, Lin An spoke:
"This is no ordinary lightning-struck wood. Look at those two beads, they are purplish and shiny. They should be made from the heartwood of a hundred-year-old jujube tree. Jujube wood can ward off evil and bring good luck, so it is very rare. What is even rarer is that the beads are charred black like jade, which means that the temperature was extremely high at the moment of the lightning strike. It was a huge lightning strike."
Lin An sighed again, "Only when the right time and place are combined can this thing be born."
The book records that this item can withstand heavenly tribulations, attract heavenly lightning, and help one ascend to immortality.
The auctioneer explained that these beads were made from lightning-struck wood from the Qing Dynasty.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned cold. So what if it's from the Qing Dynasty? Lightning-struck wood isn't some rare treasure, nor is it a bead that Empress Dowager Cixi handled. Even if it were from the Tang Dynasty, it wouldn't be worth much.
This thing is only extremely attractive to people like Lin An. Taking it back to draw talismans and set up formations would be excellent.
Just as Lin An was about to raise his sign, a deep and resonant voice rang out.
"Eleven million!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com