Chapter 323 - Bid

Detian Auction Company was the largest auction company in the capital, and all of the objects shown at today’s auction were expensive. Only two or three of them were worth less than several million yuan, and most were worth over ten million yuan. There were even two objects which were worth over a hundred million yuan.

“The sixth auction item to be auctioned is Xu Beihong’s The Injured Lion. This picture was created in 1938, when invaders from Country R occupied most of our country. Our country was mourning, and our people suffered. Xu Beihong was in great grief and anger when he painted The Injured Lion. The lion in the painting looks back and contains infinite depth of meaning. He wrote on the back of the painting: When our country was in trouble, I met Mr. Lin Ruo and his guests. I painted this to express my sadness. This painting is a combination of realism and romanticism. Our country is known as the ‘Sleeping Lion’ of the East, and it had been invaded by Country R. Afterwards, the ‘Sleeping Lion’ had become a wounded male lion. From the painting we can see that the injured lion that is glaring backwards is ready to fight.”

Speaking of that, everyone shared the same hatred against Country R. The grudge between this county and Country R could never be solved.

“The starting price for The Injured Lion is five million yuan, and the minimum addition is one million yuan. Now let’s begin!” The minute that Zhao Xiyuan finished many started to raise their paddles to bid.

Leng Shaoting also had to buy this painting of Xu Beihong for his grandpa.

Coincidentally, Tang Yaxin was one of the bidders for the painting.

Leng Shaoting didn’t raise his paddle yet, because he planned to wait for the end.

“No. 39, twelve million yuan.”

“No. 57, thirteen million yuan.”

“No. 62, twenty-six million yuan.” No. 62 was Tang Yaxin.

At this moment, nobody followed, and it was time for Leng Shaoting to raise his paddle.

“No. 32, twenty-nine million yuan.”

No. 32 was Leng Shaoting.

Tang Yaxin was determined to win The Injured Lion, but to her surprise, No. 32 suddenly joined the bidding. Nevertheless, it was the rule that the most generous buyer got the auction item, so she couldn’t stop him.

A few rounds later, Tang Yaxin’s face started to change, because No. 32 had no intention to stop. Leng Shaoting raised his paddle without delay, as if he didn’t care about money at all.

Tang Bingsen had ordered Tang Yaxin to buy this painting as a gift for an important figure, but now it seemed hard for her to fulfill her assignment. A few rounds later, Tang Yaxin had to give up, because its price was thirty-eight million yuan now. She knew that it was almost the highest price of the painting, and it wasn’t worth making a higher bid. Although the Tang Family didn’t lack money, they didn’t want to lose it either.

In the end, Leng Shaoting got The Injured Lion at the price of thirty-eight million yuan. Gu Ning of course was happy to see Tang Yaxin fail. Leng Shaoting unconsciously helped her revenge herself.

Before long, the ninth auction item, Xiangyun Antique-store, was ready for bidding.

“Xiangyun Antique-store is the ninth auction item,” Zhao Xiyuan said. “It’s a well-known antique store with 70 years of history in the capital. If its owner’s family hadn’t been killed in a terrible accident, its owner wouldn’t put it up for auction. In other words, accidents are unpredictable, so we have to cherish the ones we love. Never regret in case you lose them.” Saying that, Zhao Xiyuan stopped for a second, and there was sadness in the air. People were all touched by her description.

Yang Jianping asked himself. Do I regret? He indeed regretted now, but he would probably make the same decision if he went back to two years ago, because he still disliked the Zhao Xiyuan from then.

Soon, Zhao Xiyuan opened her mouth again. “Alright, there are 583 objects in Xiangyun Antique-store. Seven are real, 23 are replicas and the rest are all crafts. Its starting price is twenty million yuan and the minimum addition is one million. Let’s begin!”

The prices of the seven real antiques in Xiangyun Antique-store varied, but the foundation property of Xiangyun Antique-store was worth at least ten million yuan, so its starting price couldn’t be low.

“No. 48, twenty-one million yuan.”

“No. 62, twenty-two million yuan.”

…..

Gu Ning would also wait for the end.

“No. 56, thirty-three million yuan.”

When nobody followed up, Gu Ning started to raise her paddle. When Gu Ning raised her paddle, Leng Shaoting and the others looked at her confused, but no one asked why she did it.

“No. 31, thirty-four million yuan.”

“No. 56, thirty-five million yuan.”

“No. 31, thirty-six million yuan.”

…

“No. 31, forty-six million yuan.”

In the end, Gu Ning acquired Xiangyun Antique-store at the price of forty-six million yuan. And the auction went on. Finally, it was time to bid for the last auction item.

“Alright, we’ve successfully sold the previous 12 auction items, and now it’s time to show the last auction item, the Official Kiln Writing-brush Washer from the Song Dynasty.” The minute that Zhao Xiyuan finished, the Official Kiln Writing-brush Washer was placed at the front. “Great, now it’s time to bid for this Official Kiln Writing-brush Washer from Song Dynasty. Its starting price is two million yuan, and the minimum addition is five hundred thousand yuan. Let’s begin!”

Many people raised their paddles without delay.

“No. 3, 2.5 million yuan.”

“No. 26, three million yuan.”

“No. 2, twelve million yuan.”

“Twelve million yuan going once; twelve million yuan going twice; any more bids? Twelve million yuan going thrice. Sold!” Zhao Xiyuan announced, “Congratulations! No. 2 gets the washer.”

The Official Kiln Writing-brush Washer wasn’t one of the most expensive items among the auction items; the most expensive one was sold at the price of over a hundred million yuan.

The auction finished after Zhao Xiyuan made a short closing speech.

“Come on, let’s go dine at the Fenglin Mountain Villa. I already made the reservation yesterday,” Xu Jinchen said.

There were many famous restaurants under the name of the Xu Family, but Xu Jinchen wanted to take Gu Ning to a new place. In addition, Fenglin Mountain Villa was located halfway up the mountain and had a beautiful view.