"Mr. Chen, please!"
When Chen Xiaobao arrived, He Jiasheng was already waiting in the underground garage of the China World Trade Center and took Chen Xiaobao upstairs in the elevator.
The auction was held on the top floor of the China World Trade Center.
The top floor of the China World Trade Center is several thousand square meters, with a conference hall in the middle and two open-air stands in front and back. A group of well-dressed men and women are holding red wine glasses and gathering in twos and threes to socialize.
Inside the venue, many guests had already entered before the auction started.
The men were dressed in suits and the women were dressed up in fancy clothes, competing with each other in beauty. The various high-end evening gowns were dizzying to look at.
This is Jiangcheng’s upper class society.
"Mr. He!"
"Master He!"
"Mr. He, long time no see!"
As soon as He Jiasheng appeared, many people immediately stood up and greeted him with smiles on their faces.
He Jiasheng smiled and nodded slightly.
I didn't exchange too much pleasantries with these people.
Instead, he took Chen Xiaobao forward and sat in the best seat.
Many people looked at Chen Xiaobao with curiosity, and some familiar people whispered to each other, asking about Chen Xiaobao's identity.
Almost none of them knew Chen Xiaobao and suspected that he was a rich young man from the provincial capital.
Otherwise, why would He Jiasheng follow around so attentively?
However, most people, after asking around, still could not figure out Chen Xiaobao's identity.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this auction. I am the host, Liang Sheng!"
A man in a tuxedo and with slicked-back hair walked to the center of the venue and bowed slightly to the many guests.
"Today's auction will be held by Sotheby's. Sotheby's is a world-renowned auction house with an excellent reputation. I'm sure everyone knows it, so I won't introduce it in detail!"
“I hope everyone will have a worthwhile trip and take photos of their favorite collections!”
Liang Sheng smiled slightly, gave a brief introduction, and then without further ado, quickly entered the auction process.
Chen Xiaobao sat next to He Jiasheng and was not very interested in the auction.
In previous auctions, there were indeed a large number of rare items circulating.
But now, many auctions have become tools for money laundering. An item worth three million is directly auctioned for three hundred million. Two hundred and ninety-seven million of this becomes legal income, and there are even tax payment receipts, making the money laundered cleanly.
Antiques, calligraphy and paintings, these things don’t have exact prices.
If you say it's worthless, it may be worthless.
If you say it's priceless, then even three or five hundred million might not be enough to buy it.
Auctions have long become the most convenient place for money laundering, and are difficult to monitor because the prices of antiques and paintings are often estimated by experts.
Experts are the easiest to bribe.
After an auction, it is difficult to guarantee that no one will use it to launder money.
"Everyone, now the auction officially begins. Let's take a look at our first collection. This is a Tang tri-colored glazed pottery in excellent quality. It is in excellent condition and has bright and elegant colors. There is also a certificate of appraisal from Mr. Zhou Sanli next to it!"
"This Tang Sancai has also been authenticated by our auction house and is undoubtedly authentic!"
"It should be from the Tang Xuanzong period. Its starting price is five million, and each increase in price must not be less than two hundred thousand!"
“Start shooting now!”
Liang Sheng pointed to an item on the stand next to him. The cheongsam beauty next to him reached out and lifted the red cloth covering it, revealing a Tang Sancai (a type of ceramic ware) inside.
"Five million!"
"Five hundred and five!"
"Six million!"
At the auction, everyone was given a long number plate in their hands. Raising the number plate meant participating in the auction. During the auction, you could bid your own price or not. Not bidding meant the default minimum bid.
"Mr. Chen, this piece of Tang Sancai is also a genuine piece. Are you interested in this antique?" He Jiasheng took a closer look and asked Chen Xiaobao with a smile on his face.
Some people like antiques, which are also great gifts.
If Chen Xiaobao is interested in these things, he can take pictures of them and give them to Chen Xiaobao.
"Master He, take the photos yourself if you like. I'm not interested in these!"
Chen Xiaobao said casually.
He really wasn't interested, and he didn't understand why those rich people collected these things, probably to appear different from others.
"Eight million times!"
"Eight million twice!"
"Is there anyone else bidding higher? Eight million twice, is there anyone who wants to bid higher?"
"If no one raises the price, eight million for the third time, deal!"
“Boom!”
Liang Sheng made the final decision and the deal was done right away.
The first exhibit was auctioned for eight million, which was a good start.
But this was just an appetizer, just a warm-up. Then, one by one, antiques, porcelain, calligraphy and paintings, and jewelry began to be auctioned.
The atmosphere quickly became lively.
However, in just over an hour, one exhibit after another was auctioned off, and the most expensive painting was even sold at a sky-high price of 30 million yuan.
Chen Xiaobao didn't know much about antiques and couldn't tell whether these things were real or fake.
However, under the eyes of a hundred ghosts, Chen Xiaobao could see the aura of these things.
Because of their age, real antiques always have some special smell, such as the smell of decay, the smell of yin, the smell of treasure, etc., while fakes are no different from ordinary items.
The aura it carries is also ordinary.
Chen Xiaobao can basically use this method to tell whether these items are real or fake.
"Huh?"
After a while, Chen Xiaobao saw an exhibit and was suddenly surprised.
Because he saw that this exhibit actually revealed a strong precious light, but the light did not cover it up, so not much was revealed.
"Mr. Chen is interested in this sword?"
He Jiasheng noticed Chen Xiaobao's expression and glanced vaguely at a place not far away.
Sitting there was a middle-aged man with an ordinary face and ordinary clothes. He was not wearing a suit, but casual clothes like Chen Xiaobao and He Jiasheng.
In such an occasion, wearing casual clothes itself shows one thing: one's status is extraordinary.
"This sword looks great!"
Chen Xiaobao nodded, and at the booth, the host began to introduce the origin of the sword.
"This sword should be a precious sword from the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. The blade is heavy and different from the swords used for performances nowadays. It's just that it's not well preserved, so it's a little rusty!"
"Fortunately, the sword body and scabbard are a set, and swords like this are extremely rare nowadays!"
"According to our experts' research, this should be a special sword. Perhaps it once belonged to a chivalrous knight, or perhaps it belonged to a military general. In short, it must have an extraordinary origin!"
"The starting price for this sword is 10 million. Everyone is welcome to bid!"
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