Jin Xiaoyuan has a wide network of local contacts. He was warm and considerate to Tan Muxing, but when he met other people, he was very imposing and led a group of people in.
When the auction manager heard that Jin Xiaoyuan was coming, he hurried out to greet him politely, running around asking about his well-being, but neither party was very satisfied.
Jin Xiaoyuan looked around, patted his big belly, frowned and asked, "Where's Ah Ming? Why don't you see him?"
The manager said cautiously, "Mr. Zhang is on a business trip and is not in City G recently. If you need anything, I can contact him for you."
"Forget it, forget it. I'll call him myself. I originally wanted him to take us around." Jin Xiaoyuan took out his cell phone and looked up the number.
Tan Muxing immediately dissuaded him, saying awkwardly: "Uncle Jin, there's really no need. Let's just bid for one and don't trouble him..."
"Oh, Muxing, don't worry about it. I know Ah Ming very well. He is in charge of the auction house of Rossya in G City. It won't be a problem!" Jin Xiaoyuan answered the phone and said loudly, "...Hello? Ah Ming? I'm at the auction house!"
"Yes, yes, yes, you're out of town, and I wanted to get together with you. Okay, then let's go directly to the VIP room? They will make arrangements, right?" Jin Xiaoyuan paced while talking on the phone, his loud voice wanted to be heard by everyone around him, as if the auction was his own home.
Chu Qianli has seen a lot of worldly affairs. She watched Jin Xiaoyuan's performance and said pertinently, "It is indeed a reserved performance item for middle-aged uncles. No matter where they go, they first show how many people they know."
Tan Muxing lowered her head in embarrassment: "...but I feel a little ashamed."
After Jin Xiaoyuan finished calling Mr. Zhang, he waited for the management staff to make arrangements.
On the way to the VIP room, the group unexpectedly ran into Li Like, whom they met yesterday.
"Hey, we meet again..." Li Like was about to greet Chu Qianli with a smile, when he suddenly noticed a group of people around the two of them, including the well-known local CEO Jin. He asked in surprise, "...Who is this?"
Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing didn't bring many people with them yesterday. Uncle Qi just followed from a distance, but it wasn't such a big show.
Jin Xiaoyuan glanced at the newcomer, raised his eyebrows, and spoke first: "Long time no see, Lao Li!"
"Mr. Jin, long time no see." Li Like noticed that Jin Xiaoyuan had a slightly cold face, so he was naturally confused and didn't know why. He was not a local of G City, but he often came here to do business. He didn't have many opportunities to deal with Jin Xiaoyuan, and he didn't know how he had offended him.
Chu Qianli noticed Li Like's doubts and comforted him softly, "Don't take it to heart, he is just jealous." Who made them have such a pleasant conversation with Li Like yesterday.
Li Like: “?”
Jin Xiaoyuan discovered that the two were secretly communicating, and he pretended to be open-minded and said, "Lao Li, come with us. You don't know much about gems, so I need to learn a lot from you."
Li Like hesitated and said, "...It's okay."
Jin Xiaoyuan didn't know professional knowledge. He originally wanted to ask Mr. Zhang to introduce him, but he didn't expect that the other party was not in G city. Now he had to resort to the next best thing and call Li Like, so as not to show his cowardice in front of Tan Muxing later and no one could save him.
A moment later, Li Like sat in the VIP room, listening to Jin Xiaoyuan directing the auctioneers to serve tea and water, and he also had a new understanding of Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing. He was stunned and said, "I didn't expect you knew President Jin."
The two people's temperaments were completely different from Jin Xiaoyuan, which naturally left Li Like confused.
Chu Qianli nodded in understanding: "Who would have thought that we were the villains in the fish-and-meat village?"
Tan Muxing: "..."
The VIP room of the auction is located on the side of the second floor of the venue. It provides a superior view of the overall situation. Not only can you see the auctioneer and exhibits, but you can also browse the large screen on the stage and the audience seats on the first floor.
The appearance and identity of the guests in the private room will not be exposed, and they don't even need to raise cards to bid. Just press the bidding button in the room and the small screen outside the private room will light up to inform the auctioneer on the stage.
There will be two VIP rooms for each auction. Chu Qianli and others are in VIP room 1, and VIP room 2 is also open for use.
In VIP Room 2, Shi Zhuoqu glanced through the auction brochure and finally stopped at the page with the rough stone No. 1134. He folded a corner at the bottom right of the page and waited for the auction to officially begin.
Shi Zhuoqu asked people around him: "Hasn't it been found out who the seller who commissioned the auction house is?"
"Yes."
"So you don't even know the reserve price?" Shi Zhuoqu was very familiar with the auction process. The seller would set a reserve price for the item. If the auction price did not reach the reserve price, the item would fail to sell.
"...Yes, but there won't be many bidders."
Shi Zhuoqu thought for a few seconds and said, "Let them focus on the internal situation in Russia. The seller should contact the auction house recently. I don't want to make any mistakes in this matter."
"OK."
Not long after, the lights suddenly came on and the auction officially began.
Under the spotlight, the beautiful female auctioneer Pingting came on stage. Her voice was soft but clear, and she slowly explained the rules: "Good afternoon, guests. Welcome to the Rossya Auction House. I am very happy to serve you. There are 89 items in this auction. You can study them through the materials in your hands. Bidders who have not received the manual can contact the staff nearby..."
"Next, I will read out the auction rules. To ensure the smooth completion of this auction, please consciously abide by the precautions. Thank you for your understanding and support of our work."
The female auctioneer began to introduce the rules on stage. The bidders could raise their cards and bid continuously. When there were more than two customers raising their cards, the auctioneer would confirm the person who raised his card first. The people on the first floor bid by raising their cards and calling out the price, while the people in the VIP room would have the auctioneer call out the price on their behalf.
“If the highest price is reached, other bidders will have three more chances to raise the price. If no one raises the price and the item reaches the reserve price, I will strike the gavel to indicate the deal is done. The price is legally binding. Anyone who changes or overturns the price without reason will be held legally responsible.”
This auction is mostly for rough stones, and the various items are listed in numbered order.
"The first item is the ruby rough stone numbered 1100, with a starting price of 10 million..."
Photos and specific information of the raw stone were displayed on the big screen, and bidders in the venue began to raise their cards and bid.
"28 million..." The female auctioneer looked around the venue, looked at the new number plate, and shouted, "30 million! 30 million!"
"30 million for the first time, 30 million for the second time, 30 million for the third time. Congratulations on winning lot 1,100!" The female auctioneer made the final decision, and the surrounding staff rushed over to sign the confirmation letter with the bidder.
Chu Qianli was sitting in the VIP room on the second floor. She looked down at the venue and said with emotion, "It feels very lively down there."
The female auctioneer mobilizes the emotions of everyone present, and her passionate tone stimulates the desire to buy.
Jin Xiaoyuan suggested earnestly: "Why don't we go down?"
Tan Muxing was afraid of disturbing the people on the first floor, so he waved his hand and said, "No, no, Uncle Jin, please stop."
The auction proceeded in an orderly manner, with several pieces of raw stones of different shapes being sold in succession.
Li Like said, "There aren't many people who want that piece, so just bid a little more than the asking price. Don't let the auctioneer lead you astray."
Li Like has extensive experience in auctioning rough diamonds and does not want Chu Qianli and others to waste money.
Tan Muxing quickly thanked him: "Okay, thank you."
Various types of rough stones were auctioned off one by one, and Li Like briefly introduced them. Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing benefited a lot from listening to them, but Jin Xiaoyuan was a little distressed because he couldn't get a word in and always felt that he was being overshadowed.
"Next is the rough mineral with number 1134. The starting price is 10 million. Bidding starts now!"
Jin Xiaoyuan heard the sound and hurriedly reminded: "Here they come!"
"Okay." Tan Muxing followed Li Like's instructions. He pressed the button in his hand and completed the bidding for the first time.
The small screen outside the VIP room lit up with a price quote. After the female auctioneer saw the number clearly, she said, "Okay, 10.5 million..."
Jin Xiaoyuan was quite surprised: "Muxing, why is it that you only give a small amount?"
Tan Muxing: "Ah, but Uncle Li just said..."
Li Like touched his chin and said, "This should be enough. This piece is worthless. It would be strange if it could enter tens of millions of games."
Chu Qianli righteously said, "Eat frugally! Live a hard and simple life!"
Li Like thought that No. 1134 could be easily bought, but who knew that there were people bidding on the spot.
"10.5 million..." The female auctioneer saw the small screen on the other side light up and said hurriedly, "11.5 million! 11.5 million!"
The customers on the first floor had basically no interest in Room 1134, but the two VIP rooms actually started bidding for it, which naturally surprised the others.
"Is this the happiness of rich people? No matter what it is, just take a picture first?" Someone sitting in the audience seats on the first floor joked with amusement, saying that the VIP rooms are usually not occupied, but today they were all occupied.
"What is this? I have no recollection of it after seeing it yesterday."
"I don't remember, it seems to be of similar quality."
Inside the house, Jin Xiaoyuan glared at Li Like angrily: "Look, I told you that the price was too cheap!"
Li Like was confused and said, "But it's really worthless according to the market price? Could it be that someone wants to buy it for fun?"
Li Like is an expert in analysis, and he really didn't see the value.
Chu Qianli took the button and tried to raise the price for the first time: "Then I'll try something less dainty."
The female auctioneer saw the small screen and said, "13 million! It's 13 million now!"
Jin Xiaoyuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Isn't this still pretty?!"
On the other side, Shi Zhuoqu noticed that the small screen opposite him was lit up. He became suspicious and asked, "Who is sitting in room one?"
Others rushed to get information, and soon came back to report: "It seems to be Jin Xiaoyuan."
Jin Xiaoyuan's ancestors were well connected with both the black and white parties in G City. They have become quite clean in the past decade or so, but they are still deeply rooted and powerful in the local area.
“Why is he filming this?”
"It is said that it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea to play."
"?"
Shi Zhuoqu pursed his lips impatiently. He thought it would be over soon, but who knew that a bidder would suddenly appear.
The small screen in VIP room 2 lit up again.
"15 million!" The female auctioneer paused for a moment and continued to ask, "Is there anyone else bidding? It's 15 million now!"
Jin Xiaoyuan anxiously encouraged the children, expectantly: "Be brave! Be brave, look how fast they are adding!"
Chu Qianli tried the button: "How about this?"
Li Like saw the number she entered. As a jewelry merchant, he said with regret: "Oh, this is a bit of a loss..."
"20 million! 20 million!" The female auctioneer turned her head and saw the small screen on the other side. She didn't wait too long and excitedly said, "30 million!"
VIP Room 2 seemed to be competing with everyone, and kept raising the price of Room 1134, which suddenly soared by 10 million!
Jin Xiaoyuan scolded: "Old Li, do you understand? I can't stand your petty look. What if I don't get the photo?!"
Li Like rubbed his head anxiously, his face panicking: "It's definitely not worth it according to the market price..."
When Chu Qianli heard the price soar, she also backed off and whispered, "Forget it. Wouldn't it be better to buy gold with this money? It feels like a waste to buy a piece of stone."
She was indeed interested in the red crystal, but she was not sure what the rough stone No. 1134 was used for. In addition, Li Like insisted that the price was too high, so she did not want to be taken advantage of.
Tan Muxing was stunned: "But don't you want it very much?"
Chu Qianli doubted: "But I don't like the feeling of being a leek. Could it be that the person on the other side is a stooge?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Xiaoyuan immediately took the bidding button and said decisively: "Hey, this is just a small amount of money. This one is on me. Just consider it as a meeting gift for Muxing's girlfriend!"
"Isn't it just to please the pretty girl?" Jin Xiaoyuan said generously, "It's a rare opportunity for you to come here, so why bother about whether it's worth it or not!"
Jin Xiaoyuan directly entered a high price.
"50 million! Number 1134 is now 50 million!" The female auctioneer's eyes flashed with shock, and her voice also fluctuated. She had indeed auctioned off many high-priced items, but she had never seen a price that exceeded the market price by so much.
Everyone present was suddenly shocked, and no one understood the value of No. 1134.
"What kind of stone is this? Did I see it wrong yesterday?"
"What? It is said that the person sitting on it is Lao Jin..."
"Hey, why is he here messing around in the stone circle again? What's his new way of showing off his wealth?"
Jin Xiaoyuan has always been a nouveau riche. He has been arrogant and domineering in G City for too long, often doing incredible things, which have become commonplace for people around him. It's not that other people can't afford the money, but they won't buy stones for no reason and show off their wealth in such an exaggerated way.
This may seem a bit vulgar.
But Jin Xiaoyuan enjoys the feeling of being surrounded by vulgarity.
Jin Xiaoyuan found that the other party did not immediately raise the price this time, and said smugly: "Buying a big brand does not mean buying the poor quality? What you buy is the brand, what you buy is the value, who really takes things seriously!"
Chu Qianli suddenly realized: "I've learned something. It turns out that bullies... no, it turns out that rich people all think this way."
Inside the house, Shi Zhuoqu saw the outrageous bidding. His face was cold and his heart was irritated. He said in a cold voice: "Did he team up with Rossiya to deliberately raise the price?"
He now suspected that Rosya had learned of this and was looking for someone to bid against them. The higher the price of the auction item, the higher the profit of the auction house, so the auctioneer would sometimes deliberately bid a high price.
"No, if it was Jin Xiaoyuan, he might think we were provoking him."
"What do you mean?" Shi Zhuoqu frowned, "He thinks our offer is a slap in his face?"
“…I understand.”
“…”
Shi Zhuoqu was tasked with recovering the rough diamonds, and he didn't understand how he got involved in the unfortunate incident of showing off his wealth with the nouveau riche. Although bidders paid a deposit when entering, if the price was too high, they would need to provide proof of additional funds midway, and now 50 million is just around the corner.
He could indeed continue bidding, but if the transaction price was too high it would show that he was incompetent. How would it look if word got out that someone working in an auction house was being ripped off by other auction houses?
Shi Zhuoqu became cautious and the amount he increased the price by became smaller.
"55 million! Anyone else want to bid? 55 million for the first time..."
Jin Xiaoyuan stretched out his hand to press the key. He had to save face in front of Tan Muxing. He taunted, "Why not?!"
"60 million! 60 million!"
Tan Muxing saw that Jin Xiaoyuan was too excited, so he advised him kindly: "Uncle Jin, it's good enough, it's good enough..."
Chu Qianli: "That's right, don't be a leek."
Jin Xiaoyuan: "I'm not a loser, I just want to see if he dares to add more!"
“…Even leeks say they are not leeks.”
"62 million! 62 million!" The female auctioneer's voice became louder and louder. She seemed to have seen her commission and could hardly suppress the excitement in her heart.
Jin Xiaoyuan sneered: "How dare you add this!"
"70 million! It's 70 million now!"
In VIP Room 2, Shi Zhuoqu bid in a confused manner while telling the people around him, frowning, "We can't go on like this. Let's just make it unsold. Don't let him bid again."
If he could buy the sample with 70 million, he wouldn't have to work in the group anymore.
The others immediately took orders and hurried to operate.
The female auctioneer stared at the small screen on the second floor. With a smile on her face, she reminded again: "Is there anyone else bidding? The current bid for lot 1134 is 70 million."
The screen in VIP room 2 did not light up again for a long time.
"70 million for the first time, 70 million for the second time, 70 million for the third time. Congratulations on winning lot 1134. The staff will contact you to sign the confirmation letter later!"
The female auctioneer slammed the hammer down, announcing that the bidding for this round had come to an end!
Inside the house, Li Like's face was full of confusion. He shook his head repeatedly and sighed: "What do you buy this for?"
Li Like didn't quite understand the nouveau riche's thinking, and he couldn't think of what kind of jewelry No. 1134 could make.
Chu Qianli also didn't expect Jin Xiaoyuan to bid so fiercely, and was stunned and said: "This one piece is worth a lot of Hun Tianyi..."
Tan Muxing said softly, "Uncle Jin, I'll pay for it. Don't spend any money."
Jin Xiaoyuan said hurriedly: "Oh, no, we just agreed that I gave you a chance to show off yesterday, and today this is my gift to the little beauty!"
"This is inappropriate..."
"What's inappropriate about it? I think it's perfect!"
Tan Muxing and Jin Xiaoyuan started pushing each other away, starting a Chinese-style order-grabbing process, with neither of them giving in to the other.
Li Like was not seeing the staff for a long time and asked in confusion: "It's so slow today? Usually the confirmation letter is brought over immediately."
A moment later, the staff knocked on the door with an apologetic look on their faces. She entered the room, bowing repeatedly and saying with embarrassment, "I'm really sorry, our auctioneer was negligent just now, and the auction price did not reach the seller's reserve price. The lot No. 1134 you bid on was not sold and failed to sell..."
Chu Qianli's eyes widened, and he asked blankly, "What do you mean? What do you mean by reserve price?"
"This is the price the seller writes when entrusting the auction house. If the reserve price is not reached, there is no transaction and the auctioneer cannot strike the gavel," Tan Muxing explained.
Li Like was surprised: "The deal was not completed even at 70 million?"
"Yes……"
Jin Xiaoyuan was furious: "But the auctioneer just dropped the hammer!"
The other party bowed and apologized: "I'm really sorry, it was indeed our negligence at work. I'm sorry for causing you trouble..."
Jin Xiaoyuan was surprised to encounter such a mistake. He was so angry that his face turned red. He said angrily: "What is this? I have already taken the photo. You are deliberately embarrassing me. I have guests waiting for me here!"
If it were any other time, Jin Xiaoyuan might have let it go, but he came here in all the arrogance and swagger, but now he was slapped in the face in public, and it was a great shame and humiliation for him and Tan Muxing to suffer setbacks at the auction house where his friend worked.
"I'm going to call Ah Ming. What kind of crappy service do you have? You're fooling me while he's not around. I'm going to take that stone!"
"Mr. Jin, the auction house can only accept the commission from the seller. If the reserve price is not reached, we cannot force the sale of the item. Mr. Zhang is also helpless..."
"Then can you tell me who the seller is? I'll go buy it from him in person, right?!"
"I'm very sorry. Due to the confidentiality agreement, we cannot disclose the client's private information. The auction house will bear the legal responsibility..."
"Then let's use a method that has no legal risks." Chu Qianli told the fortune on the spot and muttered, "See what the seller thinks."
She counted on her fingers, but her face froze, and she said hesitantly, "Eh, but I feel like the seller is willing to sell it?"
Judging from the hexagram, the seller should be satisfied with the transaction price, but now it seems more like someone is interfering.
On the other side, Shi Zhuoqu came out of VIP Room 2. He and his companions took the elevator downstairs and asked, "Is it handled?"
"Yes, but those people are useless. Rossya will find out sooner or later."
"As long as we can recover the sample, these are minor problems." Shi Zhuoqu frowned and said, "Today's matter has delayed the progress too much. If this continues, we will be delayed for another two days."
If Jin Xiaoyuan had not bid wildly, Shi Zhuoqu might have raised his bid quickly. Now that the pace has been disrupted by the nouveau riche, the time for recovering the sample stones will be postponed again.
Of course, Shi Zhuoqu had some misunderstandings about Jin Xiaoyuan. He was not a nouveau riche, but more like a local tyrant.
The elevator door slowly opened, and Shi Zhuoqu and others saw the crowd of big men outside, and suddenly realized something was wrong.
The men in black rushed into the elevator with expressionless faces. They did not let Shi Zhuoqu and others get out at all. They simply closed the elevator door and let the elevator go to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor of the auction house is not open to customers, and few people set foot in this area.
Shi Zhuoqu was suddenly blocked by strangers in the elevator. He couldn't understand the sudden development of the plot and said in a daze: "Who are you? I want to call the police!?"
"Call the police? What police? You are suspected of violating trade secrets. I hope you can cooperate with us and the police in the investigation."
In the fifth floor reception hall, after Chu Qianli's reminder, the Rossya Auction House discovered that someone had changed the reserve price of No. 1134. The reserve price that the auctioneer initially received did not match the price stored in the computer. It was obvious that someone had tampered with it, and it inexplicably became unsold.
When the auction house management learned about this, they apologized profusely. Even Mr. Zhang, who was far away from home, was extremely panicked. He had never expected such a major loophole to occur within the company. It was obvious that there was a business spy in the company.
"Ah Ming, we helped you find a big problem, shouldn't you show some appreciation when you come back?"
"Okay, okay, I'll fly back tomorrow. Brother Jin, just be patient. The things you want are definitely in stock. I can help you contact the seller when the time comes..." Mr. Zhang said hurriedly, "We can also discuss the price!"
Jin Xiaoyuan and others encountered such a thing, and the bid was strangely unsuccessful. It was indeed inappropriate to pay another 70 million.
Jin Xiaoyuan said dissatisfiedly: "It's not a matter of money. This matter is so terrible!"
"Yes, yes, I know. I will make amends when I return..."
When Chu Qianli heard that the price could be reduced, she immediately became cheerful and said frankly, "It's not that bad actually. I can come a few more times."
Tan Muxing knew exactly what she was thinking. He guessed that she wanted to be upset a few more times so that she would have an excuse to continue to bargain down the price.
"Don't even mention that it was the auctioneer's negligence. It's not good for us to just pass the problems on to our subordinates." Chu Qianli said confidently, "We are not bullying others. Before the auction, we said that we would bear legal responsibility after the hammer fell. We are all law-abiding people!"
"That's right, that's right..." Jin Xiaoyuan agreed flatly, "Ah Ming, this time I'm being magnanimous and don't want to bother with you!"
"Okay, I understand, I understand. This is a problem on our part. I will definitely not ask for blame when I come back."
Jin Xiaoyuan hung up the phone with Mr. Zhang. He looked at the door impatiently, crossed his legs lazily, and complained, "It's so slow. It takes them so long to attract some people."
Li Like had already taken the lead in saying goodbye to everyone, and now only Tan Muxing and others were left in the room.
Tan Muxing was stunned and asked in astonishment: "Uncle Jin, who did you go to meet?"
Chu Qianli and others were investigating the failure to sell the property, and they had no idea when Jin Xiaoyuan would send anyone.
"Of course it's someone from the VIP room opposite. This matter is definitely related to that room. I can't stand this kind of bird-like attitude. I must teach him a lesson..." Jin Xiaoyuan opened his mouth to curse, but he suddenly couldn't reveal his true face in front of the ignorant children, so he quickly changed his words, "No, he must learn to obey the rules and laws!"
Chu Qianli continued indignantly, "We originally intended to get along with them as socialist builders, but what we got in return was the mockery of capitalist price-changing privileges! We won't pretend anymore. We are the big villains. We are showing our cards!"
Jin Xiaoyuan: "That's right! That's the truth!"
Tan Muxing: "..."