27: One shot to fame

"Distinguished leaders of the industry, this charity auction officially begins.

The first item is a Ru Ware Brush Washer, provided by Chief Inspector Huang Jinrong."

As the host explained, Huang Jinrong stood up and gave a symbolic greeting to everyone.

While the venue erupted in thunderous applause, Lu Fan calmly sized up the item on stage.

He had heard much about the great reputation of Ru Ware.

According to records, there are fewer than a hundred surviving pieces of Ru Ware in the world.

Every time one appeared, it caused a massive stir in the antique auction market.

To put it simply, it was incredibly valuable.

As the auction officially began, the price of the Ru Ware Brush Washer rose rapidly.

It wasn't until the price broke 10,000 silver dollars that the bidding slowed down.

By the time he finished a cigarette, only two bidders remained, with the price surging toward the 20,000 mark.

Lu Fan wasn't in a hurry to bid; instead, he asked nonchalantly, "Fourth Young Master, what's the background of those two?"

Tang Jifeng glanced over and recited their backgrounds as if he knew them by heart: "Number 13 is Fu Sinian of the Fu Family, the former Chamber of Commerce president.

Number 21 is Rong Linshan from the family of the Flour King."

"The Fu Family? The one with Fu Xiao'an?"

Lu Fan was slightly taken aback.

In his memory, after the fall of Shanghai, this Fu Xiao'an immediately donned the mantle of a Traitor.

This seamless transition undoubtedly showed he had already defected to the japanese.

"Exactly. This time, the Fu Family probably wants to use this opportunity to cling to Huang Jinrong's coattails.

To see if they can take the chance to let Fu Xiao'an return to Shanghai."

Tang Jifeng pointed out the logic behind it with piercing insight.

A smile played on Lu Fan's lips; he had to make sure this wishful thinking came to nothing.

"Brother Fan, what is it? Are you interested in jumping in and playing?"

"Mhm... might as well play a bit!"

As Lu Fan spoke, he withdrew his gaze from Fu Sinian.

Seeing that the price of 20,000 silver dollars had left the Rong family in deep thought, he raised his bidding paddle.

"30,000!"

He spoke, unreasonably raising the price by ten thousand silver dollars in one go.

Instantly, everyone in the venue cast searching glances, all wanting to see who was so arrogant.

Fu Sinian's brow furrowed deeply; he clearly hadn't expected an unexpected interloper to jump out halfway, let alone a fresh face.

With a gloomy face, he gritted his teeth and raised his paddle again: "31,000!"

As he bid, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, as if warning Lu Fan not to compete with him.

Seeing the price soar to this point, Rong Linshan shook his head and gave up on the auction.

Lu Fan's lips curled up as he raised his paddle again, saying calmly, "40,000!"

This move caused an uproar; the price had already far exceeded the antique's value.

Anyone could see that this wasn't a normal auction bid, but a deliberate targeting.

Fu Sinian's face became extremely unsightly.

Veins popped on his forehead. After hesitating for a moment, he still shouted, "41,000!"

Lu Fan sneered inwardly. This young master was so poor he only had money left, and he was just looking for a place to spend it.

A dog of a Traitor fighting me? Watch me humiliate you to death.

He unhurriedly raised his paddle again: "70,000!"

The entire venue fell into silence as everyone watched for Fu Sinian's next bid.

A dilemma lay before Fu Sinian: to raise or not to raise?

If he didn't, the Fu Family's reputation would be dragged through the mud, and the plan to cling to Huang Jinrong would completely fail.

If he did, the opponent would surely keep pressing. Even if he won the Ru Ware Brush Washer, he would lose nearly half of his operating funds.

This would severely impact his subsequent plans.

Because relying on Huang Jinrong alone wouldn't be enough to realize his family's plan to return to Shanghai.

His hand trembled slightly. For the sake of the overall plan, he finally gritted his teeth and lowered his paddle, his eyes full of resentment.

"70,000 once, 70,000 twice, 70,000 three times—sold!"

The host brought down the gavel: "Congratulations to Table 77, Mr. Lu Fan!"

By now, Lu Fan had become the focus of the entire room.

Spending 70,000 silver dollars in one go was definitely a grand gesture.

What did 70,000 silver dollars mean? It could directly buy two fighter jets.

After a brief moment of focus, various discussions broke out.

"Damn! This guy is so fierce. Whose junior is he?"

"Lu Fan? Never heard of him. What's his background?"

"Ru Ware is rare, but buying a Brush Washer for 70,000—that's more than double the premium. Does he have too much money and nowhere to spend it?"

"He's a new face. He's clearly making a grand gesture to gain fame."

"Not necessarily. He might just be a spendthrift who doesn't know his stuff!"

"I think so too. This Little Bastard didn't give any face at all, going straight for the Fu Family right from the start. He's a pure hothead."

"He's ruthless. He's going for the Fu Family's throat."

"It's not that simple. Looking at his stance, he wants to step on others to rise. Everyone be careful later, don't let yourselves be used as a stepping stone."

As the second item came on stage, the hall quickly quieted down.

This was also a Ru Ware Brush Washer, provided by Du Yuesheng of The Three Tycoons.

Lu Fan saw that these Brush Washers were clearly a pair, being sold separately.

Compared to the first item, the competition for the same Brush Washer was even more intense.

Because Du Yuesheng's current influence in Shanghai was the greatest among The Three Tycoons, naturally, many people sought to curry favor.

After the price broke 30,000, Fu Sinian made his move.

Seeing Fu Sinian join the fray, Lu Fan raised his paddle without hesitation, instantly pulling the price up to 70,000.

After bidding, under everyone's gaze, his bidding paddle pointed directly at Fu Sinian.

"Punk, fight me if you're not convinced!"

The entire room was shocked.

Just now, both sides were merely competing in financial strength during the auction process.

But now, it was a blatant and official declaration of war.

Although the Fu Family's wealth was not what it once was, the family's connections and prestige still existed.

A stranger so brazenly challenging a deep-rooted great family.

This was clearly a powerful dragon crossing the river.

Such a big shot had appeared in Shanghai, yet they hadn't heard a single whisper.

How could they not be shocked?

Fu Sinian's face turned livid with rage. He hadn't expected this stranger to be so arrogant, openly tearing off the mask and provoking him.

He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and raised his paddle: "80,000!"

He thought to himself that this guy was clearly trying to step on the Fu Family to rise; he couldn't lose again.

Lu Fan's lips curled into a mocking smile as he raised his paddle again: "80,001 silver dollars!"

Once again, the entire room was shocked.

Everyone felt Lu Fan was simply insane. Killing someone is one thing, but this was overkill.

This was a calculated humiliation to crush the spirit, creating a blood feud.

The veins on Fu Sinian's forehead throbbed, his hands clenched into fists.

In his heart, there was no longer any need to weigh the pros and cons. He stood up and responded directly: "100,000"

Lu Fan spoke airily, "100,001 silver dollars!"

"150,000!"

Fu Sinian's face instantly turned deathly pale. At this moment, he had no time to think about his subsequent plans.

His mind was filled only with regaining face, so he went all-in.

"150,001 silver dollars!"

Responding to him was that cold, heartless number. Fu Sinian slowly lowered his paddle.

He was out of money!

The host loudly announced that Lu Fan had won again.

The new auction high of 150,000 left everyone in the room stunned and numb.

Just how much money did he have to pay an eightfold premium for an antique?

Two bids, 220,000 silver dollars spent without even blinking—was he insane?

Shock aside, there was no denying that Lu Fan had become famous in a single battle.

His name was deeply etched into the minds of everyone present.