48: 48. Thirty million
Because it was in a public place, unlike a serious auction, the scene was a frenzy, with the clamor almost tearing off the roof.
The shopkeepers shouted themselves hoarse, and the onlookers listened with excitement.
From time to time, some wealthy tourists, caught up in the atmosphere, enthusiastically joined in the bidding.
At this point, the current bid had reached twenty million, shouted out by the manager of Baochangxuan, his voice hoarse.
He was holding a cell phone, and on the other end of the screen, Baochangxuan's big boss was watching.
As the man in charge behind a national chain of antique shops, upon hearing from his subordinate that a top-tier collectible had appeared on Xiantao Street, he immediately ordered that it must be acquired, no matter the cost.
So when twenty million was announced, the entire scene erupted again, filled with gasps of cold air, but the bidding also came to an abrupt halt.
Because this was already the highest price these antique shops could offer, and the limit of the price they had collectively assessed.
Seeing no one else bidding, Baochangxuan's manager immediately held up his phone and excitedly said, "Boss, it's definitely ours."
Two thousand yuan turned into twenty million in the blink of an eye—that's a… ten thousand-fold increase.
Yu Tianxiong's heart pounded like a drum. He looked back at the second floor of the teahouse not far away.
Lu Feng was holding a teacup, watching the auction with interest. Seeing Yu Tianxiong look back, he shook his head slightly.
Yu Tianxiong understood, and he couldn't help but admire Mr. Yu in his heart. This was twenty million, yet he remained unmoved.
What courage, what boldness!
But at this moment, no one else would bid. Could the price really reach thirty million?
"Twenty-five million!!"
Just as everyone thought the blue and white palace bowl was about to fall into Baochangxuan's hands, an old voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, piercing through the clamor.
Everyone turned back in shock, not expecting someone to continue bidding!?
A passage automatically opened in the crowd. From behind, an old man in a wheelchair was pushed in. His left leg was in a cast, and his forehead was bandaged, looking quite miserable.
"Old… Old Wu?" Baochangxuan's manager froze, unaware that his phone had dropped to the ground.
At this moment, Old Wu's face was filled with anxiety and regret. If he hadn't accidentally fallen and gotten injured, this blue and white palace bowl would have been picked up by him as a bargain long ago. How could this situation have occurred?
Thinking that the thing he had been dreading during his hospital stay had still happened, his entire old face was filled with extreme frustration.
This was over twenty million yuan! He had been confident he could acquire it for under three thousand yuan!
"This is… Old Wu! I'm not mistaken, am I? Old Wu is here too?"
Everyone present was from the antique world, so they naturally recognized the identity of this old man—a doyen of the antique world! They had completely not expected him to suddenly appear!
Although no one knew when Old Wu had been injured, the fact that he came straight to the scene despite his injuries to buy the blue and white palace bowl… showed just how precious this bowl was!
"Oh my god, Old Wu is here, and he's offered twenty-five million? Have we misjudged it again?"
"Definitely. There must be something we haven't seen through. Hiss, hiss, hiss… What exactly is the origin of this bowl?"
"With Old Wu's endorsement, I even want to join in, but… how can we compete with this price?"
"It makes my blood boil! Is this the charm of antiques?"
"..."
Twenty-five million had already exceeded everyone's bottom line and capability, and with Old Wu's renowned name, everyone could only watch eagerly, without speaking again.
Yu Tianxiong observed the old man in front of him, a strange premonition in his heart, feeling that Mr. Yu was waiting for this person to appear.
Old Wu had canker sores all over his mouth from anxiety these past few days. Fearing that further delay would lead to more complications, he said impatiently, "How about it? I'm offering twenty-five million, but as long as you agree, I'll write you a check immediately. Don't worry about me defaulting; my name, Wu Yaosan, is a brand in this circle."
Looking at the blue and white palace bowl he had longed for, Old Wu's withered fingers gripped the armrest of his wheelchair tightly, awaiting the other party's answer.
Yu Tianxiong shook his head, his voice like muffled thunder: "Not enough."
As he said this, he was somewhat worried that if he asked for too high a price, and the other party got angry and left, the result would be for naught.
This did not align with his negotiation tactics, unless… Mr. Yu was absolutely confident that the other party would agree… Boom!!!
Hearing him say "not enough," even the onlookers were shocked and incredulous.
"What? That's still not enough? No, what does this guy mean? Isn't he too greedy?"
"Yeah, he actually thinks twenty-five million is too little. If it were me, I'd quit while I was ahead, lest I lose everything."
"Ridiculous. Old Wu must have thought carefully to offer over twenty million. This guy is simply asking for an exorbitant price."
"Old Wu, don't indulge him! He's ruining the market!"
"Right, let him lose everything!"
Facing the increasingly agitated crowd, Yu Tianxiong showed no reaction. He trusted Mr. Yu's judgment, so his gaze was fixed on Old Wu.
Old Wu also met his gaze without flinching.
The atmosphere solidified at this moment, as if neither side was willing to back down.
Finally, Old Wu sighed deeply and said in a trembling voice, "The blue and white palace bowl has traces of bumps and cracks. It cannot reach the price of a perfect item. My final offer is thirty million. This is my bottom line."
Even with a premonition in his heart, when he heard thirty million, Yu Tianxiong's pupils couldn't help but contract, and cold sweat seeped from his back.
He was right, he was truly right.
Thirty million, not a cent more, not a cent less!
Yu Tianxiong suppressed the shock in his heart and said, feigning composure, "Deal."
The owners of the major antique shops looked dejected, like defeated generals. Even Old Wu couldn't get a good deal from this guy, could he?
Yu Tianxiong walked towards Old Wu and directly handed him the blue and white palace bowl, still wrapped in newspaper.
Old Wu held the blue and white palace bowl with a complex expression, sighed, took out a checkbook from his pocket, wrote thirty million on it, signed his name, and handed it to Yu Tianxiong.
Yu Tianxiong reached out to take it, but Old Wu's fingers gripped it tightly, not letting go.
"Tell me, how much did you acquire this bowl for?" Old Wu's voice was low, like a ghost's.
Yu Tianxiong chuckled, "Two thousand five hundred."
!!!
His fingers loosened, and Old Wu slumped back against the wheelchair, as if he had aged ten years, shaking his head and sighing, "Young and promising, truly young and promising."
"You're mistaken. It's not me who is young and promising, but my boss."
After explaining, Yu Tianxiong, holding the thirty-million-yuan check, walked out of the crowd, under the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of everyone.