Auctions have always been something in Zhang Menglong’s understanding that only high society had the privilege to attend. Wouldn’t anything that made it to auction be worth at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions?
And for an auction like this that happens only once every ten years, even the cheapest items wouldn’t go for less than a million Euros, right?
Regarding this, Zhang Menglong was still full of anticipation.
"Mr. Zhang, the formal wear you requested has arrived!" the butler placed two boxes in front of Zhang Menglong, "These are prepared for you and Miss Lu to attend the auction tomorrow."
"Is there some mistake? You have to wear formal attire to an auction?" Zhang Menglong hadn’t thought that far ahead.
"You don’t get it," Wang Ling said, "These Europeans fancy themselves as gentlemen; they certainly can’t do without such etiquette!"
Wang Ling’s luggage had long been equipped with two sets of formal attire.
"All flash and no substance, thinking they’re gentlemen just by dressing to the nines?" Zhang Menglong complained. Real gentlemen and nobility never display their prejudice so overtly, and clearly, these people weren’t genuine gentlemen.
But when in Rome, do as the Romans do, he still had the suit brought into his room. As for the style, he didn’t even take a look; if it was designed by his personal studio, Zhang Menglong was never dissatisfied.
At that moment, Zhang Menglong’s phone rang.
"Oh? Is that Poladi?" Zhang Menglong glanced at his phone. Since that dinner, they hadn’t been in touch, and it seemed Poladi had heard about his arrival in Europe.
"Mr. Poladi, it’s been a long time," Zhang Menglong greeted politely.
"Mr. Zhang, I’m so excited, I didn’t expect you to come to Europe as well!" Poladi said, "Are you here for the auction too?"
"Mr. Poladi, you’re here too?"
"How could I miss such an event that only happens every ten years?" Poladi laughed, "This time I’ve prepared quite a bit of money, and I must buy some good items to take back."
"It seems Mr. Poladi’s business hasn’t suffered due to my business." Zhang Menglong said. He himself had been criticized so badly; a public figure like Poladi must have had an even tougher time.
"It was certainly difficult at the beginning, my company’s stock fell by nearly a third! I took that opportunity to buy back all the shares I could from the market," Poladi explained, "But ever since you dealt with Qingqiu Country, all those online criticisms fell apart on their own. The company’s stock soared to twice its original value. My net worth is now more than double what it was two months ago!"
He was even a little self-satisfied as he said this.
"You’ve got some nerve; weren’t you afraid of going bankrupt?" Zhang Menglong couldn’t help but admire Poladi’s audacity.
"Heh heh, others might not know the extent of Mr. Zhang’s power, but could I be unaware? I figured that you must have considered the economic ripple effects that would impact Huaxia, so you decided to take action against Qingqiu Country. Otherwise, even America might not have been able to withstand your cleanup."
"Hahaha, you do have an eye for people!" Poladi had actually managed to analyze Zhang Menglong’s mindset.
"But my little bit of money is nothing compared to yours, Mr. Zhang," Poladi has never been deluded by his achievements. Not to mention anything else, just the money Zhang Menglong had in Qingqiu Country far surpassed his entire fortune.
"Let’s save the business flattery," Zhang Menglong laughed, "What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, the formal auction starts tomorrow, but there will be a banquet tonight. I have some friends who would like to meet you and learn some tips on making a fortune."
"Are you serious?" Zhang Menglong was startled.
"Mr. Zhang, let’s agree on that then. I will find you at the venue tomorrow!"
"Fuck, let me finish!" Zhang Menglong just wanted to refuse, but Poladi seemed to have predicted his prediction and cut the call right off, leaving Zhang Menglong with a mix of laughter and tears.
It’s not that Zhang Menglong didn’t want to teach, but as someone who studied polymer materials, he knew jack shit about making money. However, if you asked him how to spend money or show off, Zhang Menglong might have quite a few insights.
To become a friend of Poladi’s, you’d probably have to be a luminary of the business world. Discussing economics in front of them would be asking for trouble.
"Click!" The dressing room door opened, and Lu Yiyao, dressed in a gown, slowly walked out.
This was the most beautiful gown Zhang Menglong had seen to date. Even the million-dollar gown Lee Ji-eun wore to the Qingqiu Country President’s banquet paled in comparison.
On Lu Yiyao’s swan-like graceful neck hung the "Heart of the Ocean" that Tian Haigen had given her, making her look like a princess straight out of a fairy tale at that moment.
"Beautiful! So beautiful!" Zhang Menglong couldn’t help but be transfixed.
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As Zhang Menglong’s woman, Lu Yiyao’s status was above all other women around Zhang Menglong, even if the gown Lee Ji-eun wore last time was just tailored to Zhang Menglong’s "ordinary woman" specifications.
Compared to them, Lu Yiyao was like the difference between an Empress and concubines; her clothing standard wouldn’t be even a notch below Zhang Menglong’s!
"Fuck! Are you two going to an auction or ascending to the throne?" Wang Ling and his girlfriend had just changed their clothes and came out of the dressing room as well.
In front of this gown, Wang Ling’s girlfriend’s custom dress worth 800,000 US Dollars immediately seemed lackluster.
"This thing can’t be made of diamond, can it?" Wang Ling pointed at the colorful decorations on the gown.
"Yes, Mr. Wang," said the designer in charge of dressing Lu Yiyao, "this gown is adorned with a total of 1720 ordinary small diamonds."
Wang Ling pointed at a diamond that was almost a carat in size, "You’re telling me this is called a small diamond?"
Wang Ling wasn’t unfamiliar with diamonds; the size of these diamonds was roughly around one carat each, their cut, luster, and clarity almost perfect. In the market, you couldn’t get one for less than tens of thousands of US Dollars.
Just the diamonds used for embellishing the gown were worth over ten million US Dollars!
"Forget it, I won’t ask further, I’m worried about damaging my self-esteem!" Wang Ling decided not to look at Lu Yiyao’s gown anymore.
"How are we getting there?" Wang Ling asked, since the venue was located on a private island with no specialized dock for ferrying guests.
"No shit, of course by boat," Zhang Menglong said, "Helicopters are too small, not spacious enough."
...
"Shit! I knew it wouldn’t be that simple!" However, when Wang Ling saw the "boat" Zhang Menglong mentioned, he couldn’t help but curse!
This thing was hardly a boat—it was a fucking destroyer!
The destroyer was over 250 meters in length and had a displacement of over 25,000 tons. What was key, though, was that its weapons hadn’t been removed—the sight of those 4.5-inch caliber main guns and dense anti-aircraft guns made Wang Ling’s scalp tingle!
"I borrowed it from the President of England to play around for a couple of days," Zhang Menglong said. "Tonight’s banquet will surely gather the wealthiest from all over the world. In the midst of so many rich people, arriving in a helicopter or yacht would just make me, Zhang Menglong, seem too tacky, wouldn’t it?"
"You’re planning to blow up the whole island, aren’t you?" Wang Ling was speechless, he could even imagine the stunned faces of the people on the island hosting the auction upon seeing this destroyer, "Could you be any more flamboyant?"
"One must make a cool entrance!" Zhang Menglong smoothed his hair back, "If a man isn’t flamboyant, what’s the difference between him and a salted fish?"