680: Chapter 675 Where is the bidding? It's clearly burning money!

In their eyes, it was nothing more than a stubborn piece of trouble that couldn't be shaken off.

Shen Yan, dressed simply in casual clothes, sat down in an inconspicuous corner in the back row.

He looked like a college student who had wandered into the wrong place, completely out of place among the fat, local bosses surrounding him.

His appearance did attract some attention, but no one took him seriously.

Perhaps he was just a young subordinate sent by one of the bosses to run an errand.

At ten o'clock sharp in the morning.

The auctioneer walked onto the stage and tapped the gavel.

"Good morning, distinguished guests."

"The judicial auction for today officially begins."

The procedure was tedious and dull.

Several shops and a few used cars were quickly sold off at low prices.

Just as everyone started to feel bored and prepared to leave.

The auctioneer cleared his throat.

"Next up is the final item of this auction, and also the most 'watched' item."

He deliberately emphasized the word 'watched,' causing a low chuckle to ripple through the audience.

"The former Hongxing Steel Plant Third Branch, industrial land, total area of three hundred thousand square meters."

"Starting bid: eighty million."

The auctioneer paused, then added:

"This plot has a certain degree of soil and groundwater contamination, and the creditor relationships are complex. Bidders are advised to bid cautiously."

These words completely extinguished the last sliver of hope in the room.

Everyone watched with little interest, as if observing a joke.

Just then.

The doors of the auditorium were suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Wu Heng strode in with seven or eight subordinates trailing behind him.

His left wrist was encased in a thick plaster cast, suspended by a sling around his neck.

As soon as he entered, the conversations among the people present immediately died down.

Evidently, he had a fearsome reputation here.

Wu Heng surveyed the room, his gaze like that of a vulture, quickly locking onto Shen Yan in the corner.

He grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth, his eyes filled with undisguised malice and provocation.

He did not walk over, but instead sat down boldly in the very center of the front row.

It was as if he were announcing his dominance in this manner.

The auctioneer clearly knew Wu Heng as well, forcing a slight smile onto his face.

"Mr. Wu, you've arrived."

He tapped the gavel again.

"The Hongxing Steel Plant plot, starting bid eighty million. The bidding starts now."

The entire hall fell into a dead silence.

No one raised a paddle.

Wu Heng looked smug. He didn't even raise a paddle, merely leaning back in his chair and nodding toward the auctioneer on stage with his chin.

His meaning was clear: this land was already reserved for me.

The auctioneer understood immediately, sweat beading on his forehead, and picked up the gavel, preparing to go through the motions.

"Eighty million, first time."

His voice sounded somewhat weak in the empty hall.

"Eighty million, second time."

Everyone's gaze simultaneously turned toward Shen Yan in the corner, tinged with sympathy and ridicule.

They were all waiting to see how this naive newcomer from out of town would retreat in humiliation.

The smile on Wu Heng's lips grew even more arrogant.

He even made a throat-slitting gesture toward Shen Yan.

However.

Just as the auctioneer's gavel was about to fall.

A calm voice carried clearly throughout the entire auditorium.

"One hundred million."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a stone tossed into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand ripples.

The entire auditorium fell silent in an instant.

Every eye immediately focused back on Shen Yan.

This time, their eyes held no contempt, but shock and disbelief.

The smile froze on Wu Heng's face.

The auctioneer's hand, holding the gavel, stopped mid-air.

He was stunned for a few seconds before reacting.

"This gentleman bids one hundred million!"

Wu Heng's face instantly flushed the color of liver.

He abruptly stood up from his chair and turned back to stare fiercely at Shen Yan.

This was no longer just about money.

This was him being publicly humiliated in front of all the influential people in Qi City!

"One hundred and ten million!"

Wu Heng almost spat these words out through clenched teeth.

His subordinates behind him also stood up, glaring menacingly at Shen Yan, attempting to overwhelm him with sheer presence.

However, Shen Yan didn't even lift an eyelid.

He simply raised the paddle in his hand again.

"One hundred and fifty million."

A wave of uncontrollable gasps erupted from the crowd.

He's crazy!

This outsider is absolutely insane!

To increase the bid so much for a piece of unwanted industrial wasteland?

This isn't an auction; this is burning money!

"You damn..."

Wu Heng trembled with rage, pointing at Shen Yan, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Mr. Wu, please maintain order in the venue."

The auctioneer nervously reminded him.

Wu Heng took a deep breath. He knew if he backed down today, he wouldn't be able to show his face in Qi City anymore.

"Two hundred million!"

He announced a figure that made even him feel a jolt of fear.

This was all the liquid capital his company currently had available.

He refused to believe this pretty boy would dare to follow!

He stared fixedly at Shen Yan, his eyes seeming ready to devour him.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Shen Yan's reaction.

In their view, this farce should end here.

Spending two hundred million on a piece of wasteland was already unbelievable.

Shen Yan finally made a move.

He slowly raised his head, looking directly at Wu Heng for the first time.

His face showed no anger, no tension, not even the slightest emotional fluctuation.

Only a calmness that bordered on pity.

His thin lips parted, uttering three words.

"Three hundred million."

Boom!

The crowd completely erupted.

"Three hundred million? Did I hear that right?"

"Who is this person? Did his money grow on trees?"

"Idiot, a pure sucker! Wu Heng has run into a deity!"

Wu Heng felt struck by lightning; the entire man was stunned.

He stood there blankly, his mind a complete void.

Three hundred million?

Even selling his entire company wouldn't raise that amount.

He couldn't afford to keep up.

He had lost.

On his most familiar turf, in front of everyone, he had been utterly crushed in the simplest and most humiliating way.

Shen Yan didn't spare him another glance.

It was as if, from beginning to end, this so-called 'local tyrant' was merely an ant in his eyes.

The auctioneer's voice trembled with excitement.

If this transaction went through, his commission would be an astronomical figure.

"Three hundred million! This gentleman bids three hundred million!"

"Are there any higher bids?"

He looked toward Wu Heng.

Wu Heng's face cycled through red and white, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Three hundred million, first time!"

"Three hundred million, second time!"

"Three hundred million, third time!"

Clang!

The gavel fell, sealing the deal.

"Sold!"

"Congratulations to this gentleman for successfully acquiring the Hongxing Steel Plant Third Branch plot!"

A sparse round of applause broke out in the hall.

But most of the audience looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Shen Yan stood up, adjusted his collar, and under the guidance of the staff, walked toward the contract signing room backstage.

From beginning to end, he never gave Wu Heng another look.