Chapter 85 Auction of Temporarily Replaced Items
Chen Moxin took a step forward, seemingly ready to strike. Dai Xigang attempted to step in front of Chang Xile to block her attack, but she took a step forward first. This shift of position left only a hand's length between Chang Xile and Chen Moxin. Despite her relatively short stature, she remained unfazed by the aggressive Chen Moxin and his raised hand.
Her eyes were cold, as if she were looking at something dead. "You just got out on bail. If you hurt someone again, and the victim is still the same, do you think your dad can still get you out?"
Chang Xile curled up the corners of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes: "Is life in there easy, Chen Moxin?"
Chen Moxin seemed to have thought of something. He smiled, pointed at Chang Xile, and repeated, "Hello, you're doing well."
Seeing Chen Moxin enter first, Chang Xile and Dai Xigang also came in and took their seats. She crossed her arms and asked Dai Xigang, "Who has more money, his family or yours?"
"In terms of assets, it's naturally the Dai family. However, what the auction is comparing is liquid capital."
The real estate industry isn't simply about selling a single block of properties. Thanks to the pre-sale system, developers use existing funds to purchase more land and create new projects for sale, thereby continuously accumulating wealth. Consequently, some developers worth over 100 million yuan often have less than 2 million yuan in working capital, and even run out of funds at the slightest mistake.
But Dai Xigang felt that discussing this issue was meaningless: "Who dares to steal from the Dai family?"
Moreover, how much money could a powerless young man like Chen Moxin have to squander? He and Dai Xigang were not comparable.
Dai Xigang was more concerned about another issue at the moment. He leaned forward slightly and stared at Chang Xile's face without blinking. Chang Xile took a step back uncomfortably, touched her face, and asked him, "What are you looking at?"
"What were you talking about?" asked Daisy Port. "He hurt you and then was arrested. Did I understand correctly?"
"Yeah." Chang Xile pointed to the scar on his face and said, "It was cut with a knife. He was only detained for a few days and then released."
Dai Xigang glanced deeply at Chen Moxin, who had not yet left. He pulled out a chair for Chang Xile and asked her, "Do you want him to go to jail? How many years?"
"How long can he stay in jail for just how long he says?" Chang Xile said coldly, "Then I hope he stays in jail for the rest of his life."
Dai Xigang smiled and said, "How many people in this circle have clean hands? It's just a matter of who can clean up the mess better at home. As long as he has committed a crime, there's no need to worry about not having a reason to arrest him."
When Chang Xile heard this, he didn't rush to sit down. Instead, he looked at him seriously and asked, "Are your hands clean?"
Daisy Port looked at her gently and raised his hands to show her: "Why not come and see for yourself."
Their seats were at the very front of the auction, attracting a lot of attention even before they were seated. Before Chang Xile could say anything, a paunchy man in his forties, dressed in a suit, stepped forward and interrupted them.
"Mr. Dai, I've heard of you for a long time." The man said this before looking at Chang Xile, a smile on his face. He asked, "Is this your sister, Miss Dai? I've heard of you for a long time."
The woman next to him pinched him quickly. Dai Xigang's face turned very bad. He didn't even give the man a look, but just gestured for Chang Xile to sit down.
After the two of them left in a huff, the woman whispered something to the man out of sight of Daisi Port. He was horrified, realizing he had offended the Dai family. This was a wealthy businessman who had recently arrived in Shancheng and was unfamiliar with the city. He only knew a little about the Dai family's name, but knew nothing about the funeral that had taken place there not long ago.
Seeing this person unable to judge the situation, the other dignitaries present knew whether they wanted to make friends with him or not.
Meanwhile, the woman in the blue cheongsam beside Dai Xigang also attracted considerable attention. Dai Xigang had recently returned to China and had already taken control of over half of the Dai family's assets, yet he had never been associated with any other woman. This woman looked unfamiliar, likely not one of the heirs of a wealthy family. Furthermore, she had clearly come with Dai Xigang, not a relative of the Dai family. Coupled with her striking appearance, the relationship between the two was intriguing.
Chang Xile could feel the scrutinizing gaze coming from behind her, but she only looked at Daisy Port with some concern. His face was gloomy, just like when they first met.
But he noticed Chang Xile's gaze, quickly adjusted his attitude, smiled, and said, "I'm fine."
As a clear female voice sounded, Chang Xile saw a woman in a white satin dress walking onto the stage. She had a small and exquisite headset hanging on her ear. She was probably the host of the auction.
The first few items were probably some jewelry and porcelain. Chang Xile found it very novel at first. He saw that in addition to the bidders who came in person, there were also some people sitting there communicating by phone.
Perhaps some people are interested in this auction but are not convenient to come in person, so they participate in the auction by phone.
At first, Chang Xile was shocked by the millions of starting bids and the half-million-dollar bids. But after hearing these numbers for so long, she became numb to them. Not only could she not bid, but the money wouldn't even go into her pocket.
Chang Xile held his face in his hand, feeling a little sleepy towards the end. He only remembered Dai Xigang occasionally raising his hand to bid. However, whenever he did, no one would bid, no matter how much.
During the break in the auction, Chang Xile looked at Daisy Port, wanting to say something but stopping himself after thinking about it.
But Daisy Port had been keeping an eye on her, and seeing this he asked, "What's wrong?"
Since he asked, Chang Xile had nothing to hide. She asked softly, "Why does no one dare to bid against the Dai family? Could it be that you...?" She daintily wiped her neck with her wrist, wondering if the Dai family would take any "cold weather, broken king" measures against those competing with them.
"It's not that exaggerated." Dai Xigang couldn't help laughing. He leaned slightly closer to Chang Xile and said, "They are just giving me face, but if they find something they really want, they will naturally continue to raise the price."
"Then your face is quite valuable." Chang Xile yawned and asked, "What number is Prosit's painting?" She had been waiting for a long time.
"Go to sleep first. His painting will be the finale, if not the last one." Daisy Port imitated her, propping up her head with her hands and said, "I'll call you when the time comes."
Chang Xile nodded, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes for a nap. The air conditioning was on full blast, and sleeping easily felt cold. Chang Xile couldn't help but curl up. She seemed to hear something moving beside her in a daze. She opened her eyes and saw a waiter handing her a thin blanket.
"Thank you." Chang Xile nodded to her politely, took the thin blanket and covered his legs, thinking that the service here was quite thoughtful.
Daisy Gang looked at the waiter's back for a long time. He turned his head and looked behind him. Some people also seemed to feel that the air conditioning was too strong, but they did not receive the same treatment.
An unknown amount of time passed before Chang Xile was gently nudged awake. She opened her eyes, and before Daisy Harbor could whisper a warning, she saw the breathtaking painting on the big screen.
Then the host introduced: "Lot 36, also the last lot of this auction, Prosit's 'Blue Eyes', starting price: 40 million."
Although there may be some differences in the colors of the paintings displayed on the big screen, it does not prevent people from feeling the beauty it brings.
The painting unfolds in the form of a scroll, a rectangular structure. Oval, glass-like crystals transition from lake blue, smoky blue, and sky blue from the outside to the inside. In the center of the painting, at the pupil, a wooden window is faintly depicted, as if through frosted glass. Lying on the windowsill, a short-haired girl, her face indistinct, lies, her hands flat on the windowsill, looking up with a bright smile at the outside world.
The entire painting should be in blue tones, originally exuding a sense of coldness. However, through the careful combination of multiple colors, one can faintly see a hint of warmth seen by the blue pupils.
Chang Xile was lost in thought, feeling strangely familiar with the scene. Daisy Gang frowned and whispered, "Strange."
"What's wrong?" Chang Xile asked.
"This wasn't the painting originally scheduled for auction today. This means the seller may have made a last-minute change, and the auction house agreed. This requires a lot of confidence in Prosit's work." Most auction attendees know the lots in advance, and some even come specifically for a particular lot. This means many of the pre-listed lots have already been locked in by one or more people. Changing lots at the last minute could result in a sale failing to sell.
However, this painting by Prosit marked a significant milestone in his career, a departure from his previous style, which emphasized realism and technique, and shifted towards a more expressive style. Some have seen this painting, but it is said to be of great significance to Prosit himself, and therefore will never be put up for sale.
Chang Xile's attention was elsewhere: "Are you saying that Prosit might have been here recently?"
The last time Daisy Harbor confirmed the final auction item was yesterday. He thought for a moment and decided, "Today. But it might not be him in person; it could be his agent."
Chang Xile had already sat up straight and started listening to the host. In just a few seconds, the reserve price of 40 million changed rapidly in increments of 500,000, and suddenly reached 45 million.
Dai Xigang looked at Chang Xile's almost obsessed expression and raised the sign. When the host saw them, his eyes lit up and he said, "Fifty million."
The five million increase silenced everyone present for a moment, but soon someone raised the price again: "Fifty million and a half million."
Daisy twirled the ring on his index finger and was about to raise the sign again when she heard the host's lingering gaze shift. She said again with a hint of excitement, "This gentleman has bid 55 million. Does anyone else want to add to the bid?"
Everyone looked in the direction she pointed. Chang Xile's eyes widened, while Dai Xigang felt very strange: "Where did his family get 50 million in liquid funds for him to allocate?"
Auctions are a psychological warfare game. You should never tell anyone how much you want an item, just as Daisi Port won't reveal how much liquidity the Dai family has on hand. Some unregulated venues even hire people to drive up prices, just to coax a high-ranking customer into paying.
At this moment, Daisy Gang thought that Chen Moxin was just provoking him.
He raised the sign again. At this price range, the price increase request was narrowed down to 100,000 each time, and he offered 55.1 million.
Chen Moxin calmly raised the sign again and added another 100,000.
This time, when the host shouted "55.1 million for the second time", Daisy Port chased for another 100,000.
Not only was he testing whether Chen Moxin could really afford it, but the funds he could allocate were indeed almost reaching their limit.
But what made Daisy Gang's heart sink was that Chen Moxin really wanted it, and he quickly raised the sign again.
Chang Xile couldn't participate in this auction, but she sincerely hoped that the person who won the bid for "Blue Eyes" was not Chen Moxin. If such a fine painting ended up in the hands of someone like him, it would be a complete waste.
There were only these two people present, bidding continuously, to see who would reach their peak first.
When Chen Moxin offered 58 million, Dai Xigang waited for a long time without raising his bid.
He looked at Chang Xile again, as if he was thinking about something.
To be fair, he did not have much accomplishment in art. Only he himself knew how much of his desire to take a picture of the painting was for the painting itself, how much was for a fight of pride, and how much was for the beauty to smile.
But he should also consider the Dai family.
Chang Xile kept thinking about various ways in her mind. She should never pin her hopes on letting Daisy Port take the picture. But relying on herself, at least for now, she had no ability to change the situation.
Just as Daisy Gang was about to raise his bid again, and Chang Xile was almost about to accept that the painting would fall into the hands of someone who didn't deserve it at all, someone who hadn't bid on anything the entire time raised his bid.
She held the phone, her expression serious and determined.
The host's expression was truly remarkable. She somewhat lost her composure and shouted, "Sixty-eight million! A phone commission from Eric in Germany!"
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