The host smiled and introduced, "...This pair of wedding rings comes from a European royal marriage in 1721. After being passed down through generations, it was preserved by Mr. Greco, a well-known Italian collector. It has witnessed the happy marriages of many couples and was therefore named 'Eternal Heart'."
Upon hearing about European royalty, the guests' eyes lit up even more.
"The diamond on the women's wedding ring weighs 18 carats, and the diamond on the men's wedding ring comes from the same piece of raw material. It has been cut using top-notch techniques and certified by the European Gemological Institute of Europe with a clarity of VS1 and a color grade of F."
Due to limitations, the images in the auction catalog did not fully showcase the diamonds' purity.
In addition, these wedding rings have never been seen on the market and are not well-known, so not many people are interested in them.
Upon seeing the actual items and hearing their origins, the men and women present were all captivated. European royalty holds a revered position in the hearts of many, let alone rings that have witnessed generations of happy marriages; to them, these rings held extraordinary and wonderful significance.
The host then said, "The starting bid for this pair of Eternal Hearts is ten million yuan, with each bid increment being one million yuan."
In the huge banquet hall, the sounds of bidding rose and fell.
The price of the Heart of Eternity was quickly bid up to forty million.
Eighty percent of the guests fell silent, gazing longingly and disappointedly at the pair of dazzling rings.
Qiao Zhen was also feeling down.
The previous owner of the Heart of Eternity was her father, who spent a fortune to buy it back. It was a stunning piece of art at their wedding, and he made a promise to his wife to stay with her for life.
Unfortunately, they were unable to walk the path of life together.
The Qiao family went bankrupt and had to sell all their assets to pay off debts. In the end, the father took out the wedding ring and handed it to the buyer. Because he was in a hurry to sell, the seller bargained down the price, only willing to offer eight million, which was already the highest offer among all the buyers.
After that, my father was in a daze and depressed. One day, on his way to visit an old friend, he was killed in a car accident.
My mother couldn't bear the blow and fell ill from then on.
Looking at her parents' wedding rings, she pictured them wearing the rings, their hands clasped together, the four of them laughing and talking happily. Her parents had also said that when she got married, they would give her the wedding rings, a kind of happy inheritance and blessing.
There's no going back.
Qiao Zhen felt sad and couldn't help but rub her sore eyes.
"Forty-seven million."
A familiar female voice reached my ears; it was Song Ruyi, swaying her hips and holding up a number plate with captivating charm.
The bespectacled man smiled gently, his face full of doting affection.
Amid gasps of amazement, the remaining guests shook their heads and left.
These wedding rings are worth 47 million, or even more, but for most people present, that price is not something they can easily afford.
No one has the guts and the extravagance to spend 48 million at a charity auction.
The host picked up the gavel, "Forty-seven million, for the first time..."
The thought of these wedding rings being worn by Song Ruyi, flaunted everywhere, made Qiao Zhen feel extremely uncomfortable. She clutched her skirt tightly, repeatedly telling herself that the wedding rings already belonged to someone else and had nothing to do with her Qiao family, so she didn't need to care.
But the more I try to convince myself, the more I care.
She managed to speak, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably, "Mr. Lu, my stomach isn't feeling well, I'm going to the restroom."
"Forty-seven million, for the second time!"
Song Ruyi flashed a triumphant smile, reached out and hugged the bespectacled man's shoulder, snuggling against him affectionately.
The surrounding guests were ready to applaud and congratulate her.
She couldn't take it anymore and, without waiting for Lu Zheng's reply, tried to get up.
"Stop." In Lu Zheng's magnetic voice, the number plate was tossed into Qiao Zhen's arms. "Hold up your sign."
"Huh?" Qiao Zhen was stunned.
Lu Zheng emphasized, "Raise your sign!"
"Four thousand seven..." the host called out one last time.
Before Qiao Zhen could think of anything, she had already raised her hand high.
Lu Zheng leaned back lazily in his chair, his eyes cold and deep, his majestic and aloof aura like that of a supreme emperor.
His thin lips parted slightly, “Fifty million.”
The entire audience was shocked.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qiao Zhen felt alternating sensations of cold and heat, and her heart was trembling.
She hadn't expected Lu Zheng to make a move at the last minute, and while she was thrilled by his actions, the thought of why he bought the wedding ring sent a chill down her spine.
Song Ruyi raised her eyebrows and smiled.
Lu Zheng is deliberately going against her, isn't he?
Actually, she originally planned to put Lu Zheng down in the bidding and deflate his arrogance. Unexpectedly, first, the painting that Lu Zheng was determined to get was extorted by that little bitch Qiao Zhen, and then, out of the more than ninety items in the entire auction, not a single one caught his eye.
Now it's just the two of them fighting over these wedding rings, what can I say?
Oh, what a damn coincidence.
Song Ruyi smiled and whispered a few words in the bespectacled man's ear. The bespectacled man looked a little reluctant, but still gestured for her to raise her sign.
"Fifty-two million." Song Ruyi's charming voice echoed throughout the banquet hall as she provocatively cast a flirtatious glance at Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng, supporting Qiao Zhen's arm, steadily held up the number plate without looking up and said, "Sixty million."
The entire process caused another uproar.
As expected of President Lu, he easily made 60 million, as if it were just a game for six dollars.
People glanced at Song Ruyi, seemingly unintentionally, hoping she wouldn't shout anymore.
These diamond rings are worth around 60 million; anything more would be a complete waste.
Song Ruyi calmly sent a text message, leading everyone to believe she was asking her family for money. Sure enough, when the host announced, "Sixty million, the first time!" her sweet, captivating voice rang out once again.
"Sixty-one million."
At the same time, Qiao Zhen received a text message.
It was Song Ruyi who said, "Stop Lu Zheng from bidding again, or you know what will happen."
Qiao Zhen's eyes darkened, and as she hesitated, she caught a glimpse of Song Ruyi raising her chin arrogantly, her intention to intimidate clearly evident.
She couldn't drag the Yan family into this, so she whispered to Lu Zheng, "Mr. Lu, as far as I know, the diamond on the men's ring has fallen off before, and there's slight wear on the bottom. It's not as flawless as it appears on the surface..."
Lu Zheng tilted his head slightly towards her, appearing to value her opinion.
Qiao Zhen mustered her courage and continued, "Although the focus is usually on the large diamond in women's rings, you... probably wouldn't want to spend a lot of money to wear a flawed diamond ring, would you?"
Lu Zheng's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even make a move after listening to her opinion, his gaze remaining fixed on the Eternal Heart from beginning to end.
Qiao Zhen couldn't see through his thoughts and called out, "President Lu?"
The host waited and waited, but seeing that Lu Zheng didn't speak, he looked at Song Ruyi with some disappointment and began to make the final decision.
Qiao Zhen looked at table number three.
Song Ruyi smiled and made a "sucking" sound as if rewarding her good dog with a bone.
"Sixty-one million, the first..."
Just as the word "three" was about to be uttered, Qiao Zhen's heart sank into an abyss, and at that moment Lu Zheng gripped her wrist tightly.
Qiao Zhen stared in astonishment, her heart rising high along with her arm as Lu Zheng lifted her up.
"Seventy million."
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