"Long Dan Jun! I don't want anyone questioning my choice! This horse head is extremely important to us!"
Yamano, the elderly man, had a sharp look in his eyes as he stared at Long Dan Jun and said, "The Siheyuan might just be a successful investment product, but the horse head is different, with it we can accomplish a lot!"
"But, we can't just keep raising the bid following the other party's lead!"
Long Dan Jun shouted with agitation, "That would make us look like idiots!"
"You're right, we need to be the leader. If we let the other party lead us by the nose, we'll only end up in a passive position!"
Yamano's eyes lit up as he shouted with his bidding paddle, "Three billion!"
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"Holy shit! Have you lost your mind!"
Long Dan Jun sprung to his feet, pointing at Yamano's nose as he cursed, "Three billion! To buy such a worthless thing! I'm going to call and impeach you right now."
"Whatever."
Yamano waved his hand as if Long Dan Jun in front of him was an annoying fly.
Seeing this, Long Dan Jun could only leave in a huff.
"Three billion! The esteemed guest from the Land of Cherry Blossoms has bid three billion!"
Wu Rou's eyes widened as she exclaimed in surprise, "And there's a higher bid... wait... a guest has called in a bid of three point two billion!"
"The latest bid for the horse head is now three point two billion!"
The digits on the giant screen behind Wu Rou changed dramatically, the string of numbers dizzying to behold!
"Three point five billion!"
"A bid of three point five billion from a guest in the private room!"
Wu Rou was now like a ruthless bidding machine. Normally during an auction, she would have to personally adjust the atmosphere, leading the crowd's bidding.
But today was completely different, with prices already absurdly high, only three parties remained, each with their own gambits.
"Three point six billion!"
"The esteemed guest from the Land of Cherry Blossoms has offered the newest bid!"
"Mr. Song, this seems to have exceeded our expectations. Last year, at the Zurich auction, the rabbit head sold for only one point four billion..."
Zhao Lu looked at Song Yun's calm expression and couldn't help but speak out and advise.
"Four billion!"
Song Yun announced the latest bid, "Mr. Zhao, and the result? The rabbit head was bought by outsiders. That auction happened because I wasn't there, otherwise I would have definitely kept up until the end."
"There's no need to try to dissuade me. No matter the cost, the horse head must stay!"
"Zhao Lu, there's nothing here for you to deal with, you may go."
Old Master Ouyang said.
After Zhao Lu left, the old master fell silent for a while before trying to reason, "Song Yun, this is already a significant amount of money, if we continue and damage the foundation, it will be a loss not worth the gain."
"Old Master, we're not there yet."
Song Yun said with a smile, "Moreover, I plan to place a bid on that Siheyuan later."
"Do you really have that much liquidity?"
Just as Old Master Ouyang asked the question, a mechanical voice echoed in Song Yun's consciousness.
"Ding! Host has a new mission, accept?"
The system's voice rang out, and Song Yun's spirits suddenly lifted.
He quickly opened the mission list to find that the system had just released a task.
"Latest mission: Retrieve the horse head!"
"Mission rating: A!"
"Mission Brief: As a witness to those dark times, the horse head is no longer just a simple antique; it represents the obsession of many! Charge! Welcome it back home!"
"Mission Reward: Prestige +100, Shopping Mall Points Reward +50w, Title Acquired: 'Light That Drives Out Darkness'"
Seeing the generous reward, Song Yun knew he had to complete this mission!
He picked up the bid panel and entered a new price on top of the existing one.
"Let's see the latest bid, which is from a distinguished guest in a private room, four billion... wait, the bid has been updated, the newest bid from the distinguished guest in the private room, five billion!"
Wu Rou's voice was already a bit hoarse from shouting, and this might be the only professional highlight of her entire life.
Forget about protecting her voice, managing her expressions, maintaining elegance and restraint, all that can go to hell!
Wu Rou's eyes were slightly red, with a mist of tears. It was too damn exciting!
She really wanted to know who the distinguished guest inside the private room was!
While others were still cautiously upping their bids, he had already started to widen the gap by a large margin!
Five billion!
Just looking at that string of zeros was enough to take one's breath away!
"Yamano! This is the Union President's call!"
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Long Dan had just entered the venue with a cell phone when he heard the latest bid. Seeing Yamano about to raise his placard, he rushed up to him like a madman and held down his arm.
"Yamano!"
"Mr. President, we must acquire the horse head, it's crucial for a part of our future plans!" Yamano spoke urgently, "I suggest we give up on the siheyuan project and invest all our funds into the horse head!"
"You're possessed!"
The powerful voice of the President came through the phone, "As of now, abandon the bidding for the horse head and convene all funds to participate in the siheyuan project. This siheyuan holds an extraordinary significance for us as well!"
"..."
"Yamano! I hope you will heed my words, or I'll be forced to strip you of all your rights until the auction ends!"
"Yes..."
Yamano's gaze held a trace of reluctance as he looked at the horse head on the stage, then he passed the phone to Long Dan, "You've done it. From now on, you're in charge of all financial decisions; I'm leaving first."
The elderly Yamano clenched his cane, refusing anyone's support, and left the auction hall alone.
"Five billion! Is there any new bid?"
"Five billion, once!"
"Five billion, twice!"
"Five billion, thrice!"
"Sold!"
"Congratulations to the distinguished guest in the private room for securing the precious horse head!"
Wu Rou shouted with all her might.
Suddenly, a wave of applause erupted from the audience, not for anything else, but just for the fact that someone had spent five billion, which alone was worthy of everyone's respect!
"Our final item is not a painting, an antique, or a rare treasure, but a siheyuan located within the Second Ring!"
"As everyone knows, in our era, high-end siheyuans are known for their rarity and value and are generally priceless in the global market. Today, we are honored to conduct such an auction!"
"This siheyuan was formerly a princely mansion of the Qing Dynasty and has since passed through several hands before landing in the possession of Mr. Luo. After continuous renovation by Mr. Luo, this siheyuan has become a rare treasure of the world!"
"Now, let's turn our attention to the big screen and take a look inside this siheyuan!"
As Wu Rou finished speaking, the lights in the hall went out, and images of the siheyuan's interior began to scroll on the big screen.
The exquisite decoration and perfect layout revealed the meticulousness of the siheyuan in every detail.