Chapter 33
The comments didn't have time to float around for long.
The gavel had already been struck three times quickly during the auction.
"Number 7, 50 million, three bids, sold!"
With the sound of the hammer falling, the deep red ruby ring was given to Hu Zhenzhen, who then smiled.
What do people need money for? Naturally, it's to buy happiness.
Hu Zhenzhen is now experiencing the joy of being rich.
These small auction items can be handed over to the buyer on the spot.
Hu Zhenzhen asked Chen Kai to swipe the card, and the ring was quickly delivered to her.
Hu Zhenzhen nodded to Madam Li and unceremoniously put the ring on her index finger, becoming happier the more she looked at it.
The item being auctioned on stage is number 12, the same one that Hu Zhenzhen was just fighting over for the ring with.
A piece of porcelain.
Blue and white porcelain.
Hu Zhenzhen frowned slightly as she listened to the auctioneer's introduction.
This porcelain piece is not very old, but it is exquisite, with a starting price of two million.
Although she didn't want to see such a thing at an auction, she couldn't care less what others thought, so she simply lowered her head and started playing with her ring.
This isn't the first time porcelain has appeared at an auction.
The viewers watching the live stream weren't too surprised; the comments scrolling by were still savoring the afterglow of the super-double broadcast.
Xiang Yu was immediately displeased upon seeing this.
Now that they've arrived at their Xiang family's place, why are these people still discussing that woman from earlier?
Xiang Yu didn't care how rich she was or how many generations she had been wealthy. All he cared about was the small world of the live stream chat. At least in this place, he wanted to give his sister some face.
The golden bullet comments reappeared.
He showered the live stream with gifts worth two million yuan, and then left a comment.
[Today's best auction item.]
Normally, if he left a message like this after sending gifts, he would be showered with compliments.
That's how he earned the nickname "Shower Sprinkler Guy".
But today, the tried-and-true method of throwing money at something seems to have failed.
Perhaps it's because the amount of money involved in the auction was so large, or because netizens had heard so much about money, that they momentarily had the illusion that two million yuan wasn't much when it came to Xiang Yu's two million.
That rich woman just bought a ring and it cost her 50 million.
Two million is merely the starting price for this blue and white porcelain piece.
Only a few sycophants who used to fawn over "Shower Bro" were praising Xiang Yu's taste in the comments.
[As expected of a rich guy, he has great taste.]
Blue and white porcelain is the best! And Chinese pop culture is the best too!
Blue and white porcelain is truly to my aesthetic sensibilities; in fact, my taste is practically identical to that of the "showerhead guy"!
There were quite a few such comments, but they didn't achieve the effect Xiang Yu wanted at all.
What he wanted was a screen full of blue and white porcelain images.
With a disgruntled glance at the comments discussing the gemstone ring, Xiang Yu patiently prepared to flood the screen with more comments when the older sister was on camera.
Although Hu Zhenzhen, who was sitting in the front row, was pretty, her sister was just as good-looking.
Xiang Yu was determined to save face for his sister.
In just a short while, the situation on the screen changed.
It's nothing more than the people bidding have changed.
When the ring appeared on Hu Zhenzhen's hand, contestant number 24 also tried to compete for it, but was deterred by Hu Zhenzhen's doubled price and failed to win it.
This time, for the blue and white porcelain, bidder number 24 also raised their paddle after three bid increases.
"Number 24, 2.5 million per time."
The live stream director gave a shot of number 24, and the viewers then realized that number 24 was actually a foreign businessman.
This is a normal thing to do.
But this foreign businessman didn't play by the rules.
After raising the price several times on the 18th, he started thinking of following Hu Zhenzhen's example.
"Six million!"
The auctioneer's gavel fell. "Number 24, 6 million, once."
Number 18 really loves blue and white porcelain and doesn't want to give up, so he held up the sign again.
"Number 18, 6.1 million, once."
They probably didn't expect that a price of 6 million wouldn't be enough to acquire the blue and white porcelain, and expressed their frustration on the 24th.
“Cunning monkey”.
He spoke loudly enough that many people heard him, and their expressions immediately turned cold.
Hu Zhenzhen heard it too.
Number 24 clearly had no intention of giving up, and raised the bid to 6.5 million.
He learned his lesson and didn't double his money this time, but the price was enough to deter number 18.
It wasn't that he didn't want to prove himself; it was just that he only had 6.5 million yuan in cash prepared for the day, and even if he wanted to add more, he didn't have the money.
The scene quieted down.
The actual value of this blue and white porcelain piece was only three million, but now it's worth six and a half million, more than double its original price. Even if you like it, there's no need to buy it.
"Number 24, 6.5 million for the second time."
Finally, no one was competing with him anymore. Number 24 smiled excitedly and cheered in the stadium.
In a foreign country, this might be called freedom and liberation, but at the banquet, the people around just found the sound jarring.
The originally peaceful barrage comments also started to sense something was amiss.
What was that foreigner saying just now? Can someone translate it? I don't think it sounded like a nice thing to say.
Don't doubt it, you're right.
[That cunning monkey! Isn't this blatant insult? Are these people just going to put up with it and let him buy the goods?]
[I'm getting angrier and angrier. This is supposed to be a fair bidding process, so why are we getting yelled at for raising our bids?! Why?]
This is something you shouldn't think about too much; the more you think about it, the angrier you get.
People online don't like to control their emotions to begin with, and it's even harder for them to do so in this situation.
But they couldn't rush to the scene and beat up buyer number 24, nor could they raise the price to snatch the blue and white porcelain from him. They could only hold their breath and listen to the auctioneer strike the gavel a second time.
[One more tap and it's gone!! Can't someone raise the price and snatch the blue and white porcelain back?]
[I'm so angry! Anyone will do, make an offer!!!]
There were tons of anxious people in the live chat, and quite a few people at the scene were also anxious.
Director Wang was probably the most anxious one.
He sat next to Chairman Feng, and his only task was to go on stage to express his gratitude after the auction.
But after hearing what No. 24 said, he couldn't sit still any longer.
“Chairman Feng, why don’t you go and negotiate with No. 12 and tell her not to bid on this item, we don’t want the money.”
"How can this be allowed? Wouldn't that ruin our reputation?"
Chairman Feng immediately rejected the idea, and understood why Director Wang had said that, so he reassured him.
"Don't worry, curator. This blue and white porcelain comes from a folk kiln and isn't worth that much money. If a foreigner buys it, he's the one who loses out."
Director Wang looked aggrieved. "I don't care whether he suffers a loss or not, I just feel uncomfortable that he bought this."
"Either you, Chairman Feng, make an offer and prevent this person from buying it."
Chairman Feng coughed, his mind racing as he considered whether to agree.
Selling Director Wang for a few million seems like a bad deal...
Auctions wait for no one. Even if the auctioneer deliberately slowed down the hammer strike by a few seconds, it was time for the third strike.
[It's over, he's really going to buy it.]
[Damn it, I'm so angry! How can these rich people have no backbone at all?!]
[I'm so angry to see people insulting me like this! If they really buy it on the 24th, I'm going to go and yell at the Feng family on Weibo!]
Amidst anxiety and anger, when everyone was almost in despair.
A number plate was held up in the first row of seats.
"Number 7, 10 million."
The person holding up the sign was Hu Zhenzhen.
The dark green skirt swayed slightly in front of the camera. Hu Zhenzhen nodded to the auctioneer, and the diamond earrings on her ears swayed and shone brightly.
【Ahhhh! Sister Hu, you're my goddess!】
[Who understands? Tears are falling!]
[Damn, that's more like it! We need to make sure that discriminatory pig can't buy it!]
Hu Zhenzhen, who was praised by the barrage of comments, didn't initially intend to buy this item.
But who can blame them when number 24 is just too annoying?
Using the same tactics as her is one thing, but failing means resorting to insults.
Hu Zhenzhen didn't have such a good temper; she endured being scolded to her face without getting angry.
"Number 7, 10 million per transaction."
The auctioneer's gavel fell much faster than before.
"Number 7, 10 million twice."
Hu Zhenzhen heard the man's agitated voice in the back row. He seemed to have stood up, and a waiter rushed over to persuade him to sit down.
Hu Zhenzhen didn't turn around; she simply listened.
As the auctioneer brought down the third gavel, she clapped modestly, stood up, and turned around.
Of the guests present, only Hu Zhenzhen and No. 24 were standing.
She wore a confident and arrogant smile, while number 24 was being dragged along by a waiter in a disheveled state; the difference was obvious.
This enraged Number 24, who opened his mouth to curse again.
The waiter who was pulling him from behind heard this and immediately covered his mouth, saying, "Please calm down, sir!"
Hu Zhenzhen didn't say anything, her face still full of smiles.
She raised her hand, and the ruby ring had somehow ended up on her middle finger.
Hu Zhenzhen folded up her other four fingers and showed him the beauty of the ruby.
The man suddenly lost control and tried to break free from the waiter's grasp.
He seemed really agitated. Chairman Feng gestured to the security guards in the corner, and several men immediately stepped forward and forcibly persuaded the man to leave.
[Ah, that's great! The eyesore is finally gone!]
[Sister Hu is too civilized. If it were me, I would stick my middle finger up his nostril.]
[The stuff from before was a bit disgusting; the nostrils were so dirty! And Sister Hu's hands are so beautiful, how could you bear to let them do that!]
[This should have been done a long time ago. This thing must be from the 12th, right? If I were from the 12th, I wouldn't have sold it to him when he started swearing.]
Xiang Yu caught a glimpse of those words, and his feelings became even more complicated.
But his fingers remained honestly on the keyboard, explaining on behalf of his older sister.
The items have all been handed over. Don't you have any sense of contractual obligation? Of course, we can't just say we won't sell them on the 12th.
Xiang Wei, who was inside the venue, also had mixed feelings.
She loosened her grip on the number tag, gave Hu Zhenzhen a deep look, and smiled with relief.
They are both wealthy individuals.
How come other people live so freely, while she has to be hesitant and indecisive here, daring to think but not daring to act?
Now only Hu Zhenzhen is still standing.
Before she sat down, Xiang Wei stood up and clapped her hands at Hu Zhenzhen, saying, "Miss Hu, you have good taste."
Hu Zhenzhen looked at her in surprise, noticed the number 12 on her hand, and nodded slightly as a greeting.
Hu Zhenzhen sat down.
Xiang Yu, watching from outside the screen, was startled and stood up.
"No way, my sister actually stood up and praised someone?"
The patriarch of the Xiang family passed away early, leaving behind three children, two of whom were raised single-handedly by Xiang Wei.
In Xiang Yu's memory, his elder sister was always serious.
Every decision she makes is carefully considered; she makes no mistakes, and she has absolute authority.
To support the Xiang family, she started working at the company early.
Xiang Yu was still young at that time and couldn't remember too much. He only remembered that it was too difficult to see his older sister. He could only see her in the study at home on occasional weekends.
Even on her days off, she is busy.
The moment Xiang Yu saw Xiang Wei's smile on the screen, he realized with a daze that he hadn't seen his older sister smile in many years.
He sat down obediently and deleted all the sarcastic remarks he had made about Hu Zhenzhen.
Since she made my older sister laugh, let's let her steal the spotlight today.
The auction lasted too long, and the audience kept changing.
The live stream wasn't as popular as before, but it still remained at a relatively high level.
Hu Zhenzhen was a little tired, so she covered her mouth with her hand and yawned.
Why isn't it her turn yet?
She was puzzled and glanced at Chairman Feng.
That glance happened to meet Chairman Feng's, who then gave Hu Zhenzhen a smile that seemed particularly greasy.
Hu Zhenzhen immediately looked away.
It's an eyesore.
Hu Zhenzhen didn't have to wonder for long before she heard a familiar name from the auctioneer.
"The next lot is the last one, from Ms. Hu Zhenzhen (lot number 7), one of Picasso's authentic works, starting at 55 million, with a minimum increment of 2 million..."
Those who remained in the live stream all picked at their ears in unison.
[I didn't mishear, what did Sister Hu donate?]
[Pisoka's original work, I'm blown away!]
[Wait, shouldn't this be kept as a family heirloom? Why are you donating this?]
Even Xiang Yu, who was born into a wealthy family, couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"On a night of wandering, she even donated the original of such a famous painting."
He was speechless for a moment, and after a long pause, he managed to utter, "Awesome."
Suddenly, those outrageous rumors online seemed much more believable. If their ancestors hadn't been wealthy for five generations, how could they bear to give away such things so casually?
What happened next surprised Xiang Yu even more.
His sister actually held up a sign.
Moreover, each time the price was increased, it was by 10 million, directly raising the price to 65 million.
That's 65 million! Even his bonuses don't reach that much!
The matter is not over yet.
Because Picasso's painting was so valuable, many wealthy people wanted to buy it, and even Mrs. Li made an offer. The price quickly exceeded ten million and broke through to one hundred million.
"Number 12, 110 million once."
Upon hearing the price, Xiang Yu downed a whole bottle of ice-cold cola to calm himself down.
"Number 8, 120 million each time."
"Number 12, 130 million once."
Although the auctioneer said the minimum bid increment was 2 million, these people all agreed that each bid would be no less than 10 million.
The comments section was stunned; all that remained was a sense of awe.
Is this the world of the rich?
[Hilarious! Now when I hear about a million or two million, I almost feel like a few million isn't much. Who gave me this illusion?!]
[Does nobody care? This is Picasso, and it's an original! Sister Hu just donated it like that!]
[It breaks my heart. Watching Sister Hu all night, I felt so sorry for her spending so much money. Attending this auction must have been such a financial blow to her.]
[What do you mean "your sister"? Don't try to get close to her, she's clearly my sister!]
The barrage of comments and jokes lasted for a while before the bidding slowed down.
The price stopped at 210 million.
The decision was final; the item belonged to Xiang Wei, number 12.
Hu Zhenzhen turned around thoughtfully and just happened to see Xiang Wei looking at her.
The two looked at each other, and Xiang Wei smiled first, then picked up her phone and waved it at Hu Zhenzhen.
Hu Zhenzhen didn't understand what she meant at first.
Before he could think about it, Chen Kai from the back row handed him a note.
"Boss, Miss Xiang handed it over on the 12th."
The note was a shopping list, with a string of numbers written on the clean back.
Can we be friends?
Hu Zhenzhen raised her eyebrows in surprise, she really hadn't expected this sentence to be on the paper.
She has lived in this world for so long.
Thinking about it carefully, excluding those subordinates, there really aren't any same-sex friends I can call friends.
Hu Zhenzhen entered the number into her phone.
Xiang Wei's WeChat profile picture, like herself, is extremely simple and neat.
A cloud cleaved the sky.
It looks simple, but it actually reveals one's personality.
The moment the friend request was sent, a chat window popped up saying we were friends.
The message Xiang Wei sent was also very concise, just two words.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
Hu Zhenzhen stared at the screen for a while, then suddenly smiled.
Is this the beginning of our friendship?
【certainly. 】
Xiang Wei replied quickly and firmly.
Hu Zhenzhen turned her head and glanced at Xiang Wei, who was also paying attention to her.
Her new friend also seems to be an interesting person.
As the auction drew to a close, the number of viewers watching the live stream should have decreased significantly compared to the beginning.
However, due to the appearance of Picasso's original work, many netizens followed the trend, which greatly increased the popularity of the live stream and made it the top-rated show in the same time slot.
It was time for Director Wang to give a speech.
Hu Zhenzhen put away her phone and gave Chen Kai a look behind her.
Chen Kai immediately stood up and left the venue nimbly.
"Thank you all for your support of the museum renovation. The museum holds the nation's memories, including pain and a past that makes us proud..."
Hu Zhenzhen planned to use the live stream as an opportunity to boost her reputation.
If any netizens are curious and search for her on Weibo, they will see the dog castle on her homepage.
Unwittingly, this generated a wave of publicity.
The painting, which she had originally intended to give to Dean Wang privately, now had a greater use, and Hu Zhenzhen planned to personally deliver it after he finished speaking.
Although this might seem like a publicity stunt, she needs public attention right now.
What Hu Zhenzhen didn't expect was that Director Wang, who was giving a passionate speech on stage, glanced at her and suddenly took the initiative to thank her.
"I want to especially thank one person, Ms. Hu Zhenzhen. She alone donated 60 million yuan in cash for this auction. In addition to Picasso's painting, Ms. Hu donated a total of 270 million yuan."
As Director Wang spoke, he became so moved that he took off his glasses and hastily wiped his eyes.
"In addition to this, she even wants to donate a precious artifact to the museum. I really don't know how else to thank Ms. Hu."
The curator cried as he spoke.
The expressions on the faces of Chairman Feng and Hu Zhenzhen in the audience were quite interesting.
Hu Zhenzhen was embarrassed. All the things she had prepared had already been said by Director Wang. What should she say when she gave the painting to Director Wang later?
Chairman Feng was also embarrassed. He held a charity auction and donated a lot of money to the museum, but Hu Zhenzhen stole all the limelight.
His smile froze, and he turned to look at Hu Zhenzhen.
But I noticed that the smile on her face was just as stiff.
Indeed, in this situation, if an old man were to thank her with tears streaming down his face, who wouldn't feel embarrassed?
Chairman Feng felt much better, and his expression softened. After all, he could still go on stage to give a speech later and bring the public's attention back to himself.
"There are very few authentic works by Wang Baishi in the world, and Ms. Hu is actually willing to donate them to us—"
Director Wang on the stage was very emotional.
Hu Zhenzhen, sitting in the audience, awkwardly picked her toes.
After a long wait for Chen Kai to return, Hu Zhenzhen took the box containing the authentic Wang Baishi painting that he was holding and rushed onto the stage.
"Director Wang, please stop thanking me and take a look at the painting."
Her interruption startled Director Wang, who blinked twice while holding the microphone before realizing what Hu Zhenzhen had brought.
painting.
Authentic work by Wang Baishi!
His hands trembled with excitement. He quickly took the box from Hu Zhenzhen's hands and carefully placed it on the table.
"Gloves, do you have any gloves?"
This scene also excited netizens to no end.
[I got really excited when they mentioned that Sister Hu donated a painting by Wang Baishi. Just how many paintings does Sister Hu have in her collection?! How can she so easily donate works by such great painters as Picasso and Wang Baishi?!]
[Sister Hu, you're a tough one! She'll throw a painting at your face.]
[Enough said, friends. I've never seen a painting by Wang Baishi before, so this is quite an eye-opener.]
The comments section was lively, and the atmosphere at the scene was just as vibrant.
Wealthy people also enjoy watching the excitement, but they are a bit arrogant and don't like watching low-level spectacle.
They were still willing to join in the excitement of Wang Baishi's painting debut in Kaifeng.
Many people took out their phones to take pictures.
Others, not caring about saving face, stood up and strolled over to the vicinity of the stage, wanting to see the painting for themselves.
It's okay if they stand up, but it's okay if they stand near the stage.
[Hey, hey, hey, don't you have any public decency? Why are you blocking the camera?!]
[It's no longer visible!!!]
Not only were the viewers annoyed, but the other people sitting in their seats waiting for the filming to begin were also annoyed.
"Chairman Feng, shouldn't we be able to prevent people from leaving freely?"
Someone uttered this complaint, which immediately drew agreement from others.
Chairman Feng was forced to restore order at the scene.
On stage, Director Wang put on gloves and opened the well-sealed wooden box.
Upon seeing the ancient painting, I couldn't help but burst into tears.
He was afraid his tears would fall onto the painting, so the moment he realized he was about to cry, he turned his face away in a fluster and wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve.
"National treasure! National treasure—"
He carefully unrolled the scroll, stepped aside, and burst into tears.
"As long as the camera is filming, everyone must stay close!"
Even as he cried, Director Wang didn't forget to stop people from getting closer.
The audience watching on screen were also moved by his emotions, laughing and crying at the same time.
[It's truly a national treasure, so beautiful.]
[I burst into tears along with her. I completely understand how the curator feels. Thank you so much, Sister Hu.]
[That's Wang Baishi! She donated it for free! Sister Hu has such a generous heart!!! I want to be Sister Hu's biggest fan!]
[This is even more exciting than buying the blue and white porcelain! I cried like a dog! The splendor of a thousand years ago! Sister Hu is awesome!!!]
A Picasso auction has already propelled Hu Zhenzhen to the top of trending searches.
Donating Wang Baishi's painting propelled Hu Zhenzhen to new heights, and online discussions about her were no longer limited to marketing accounts; official accounts and influential figures also joined in.
[Renren Daily: The generous businesswoman Hu Zhenzhen donated an authentic work by Wang Baishi, bringing this long-forgotten national treasure back to the light of day. A salute to her!]
[Central News: Outstanding daughters of the motherland, businesswomen with conscience. Today, Ms. Hu from City S donated her long-treasured painting by Mr. Wang Baishi, along with 60 million yuan in donations, for the renovation of a museum. We urge people from all walks of life to learn from her and pay more attention to public welfare.]
Among them, the official Weibo account of City S used the most exaggerated language.
[S City Daily: With a grateful heart, thank you for your donations of money and goods. You love the citizens and the environment. Thumbs up for Ms. Hu Zhenzhen!]
The following list not only details Hu Zhenzhen's past donations to public toilets, but also includes the Xijingmen Hospital currently under construction.
Netizens who saw this Weibo post were stunned.
Hu Zhenzhen only stayed in S City for two months, yet she did so much for the city!
Netizens, unable to vent their excitement, showed great interest in her only currently open dog castle amusement park, with tickets on the official website selling out every day for a week straight.
Amidst the public discourse, one question elicited laughter from the masses.
[Question: What exactly did City F do to make such a wealthy woman move to City S?]
The F City officials, who were bombarded with tagged comments by netizens, were both amused and exasperated, and responded accordingly.
We'd like to know too.
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