191: An extraordinary auction
Hearing those people's complaints, Qin Yun didn't take them to heart at all.
Nor would he stir up trouble with Liang Lejia.
In his view, this was merely a rather interesting experience.
While broadening his horizons, he also took the opportunity to understand the thoughts of contemporary young artists.
When they arrived at the second floor, the dozens of round tables were almost full.
It was mostly one boss accompanied by two antique appraisal dealers and a beautiful female companion acting as window dressing.
Two familiar bosses were sitting at a round table.
Everyone was chatting and laughing while exchanging business intelligence.
Seeing Boss Liang enter, almost everyone stood up to welcome him.
"Long time no see, Boss Liang, how have you been lately?"
"Boss Liang, please don't sweep the board; leave some soup for me to drink."
"I'm Li Fugui from Building Materials. Boss Liang, business has been good lately, hasn't it?"
"I heard the demolition in the East District is going well. If there's an opportunity for cooperation, don't forget your brother here."
"This must be Boss Liang's junior; he's quite handsome and truly extraordinary!"
"This the young man is very spirited; he must be quite talented."
...In response to the compliments, Liang Lejia chuckled and cupped his hands in greeting to everyone.
"It's all thanks to everyone's support. If there's a chance to cooperate, I'll definitely contact you all."
After saying that, he declined the invitations and led Qin Yun to an empty table at the front to sit down.
Qin Yun hadn't expected Boss Liang to have such high prestige.
He was popular not only among those young artists but also among these powerful bosses.
It seemed Liang Lejia's strength and network were much higher than he had imagined.
Qin Yun didn't have many thoughts about this.
He had met Liang Lejia with the intention of just making a friend.
He didn't expect to gain any benefits from Boss Liang.
He relied on his own abilities to make a living.
He would be returning to the United States soon, so there was nothing to worry about.
Liang Lejia saw that Qin Yun remained calm throughout.
He nodded inwardly.
Not showing any stage fright in such a grand setting, it seemed this young friend's background was quite extraordinary.
"This auction is jointly organized by the six largest antique shop owners in the capital."
"Each boss is worth at least a hundred million. They guarantee that not a single auction item is a modern counterfeit; otherwise, they'll pay ten times the price!"
"This is very rare in the antique trade, which is why it attracts so many powerful bosses."
Fearing Qin Yun might not understand the situation, Liang Lejia whispered an introduction to him.
Qin Yun nodded, feeling deeply impressed.
The organizers of the auction had perfectly captured the mindset of the Tycoons.
They have a huge demand for antiques but don't want to be swindled by buying counterfeits.
The water in the antique industry is truly deep.
Forgery is rampant, and even many Experts can be fooled.
This guarantee is very attractive to Tycoons.
The auction was very grand, with many artists present to enhance the atmosphere.
Privacy was high, and there was a high threshold to enter the second floor.
Here, bosses could communicate with peers of similar wealth.
It could be said that every aspect was considered from the Tycoon's perspective.
To be able to hold an auction of this scale, the organizers must be quite capable.
"Is there anything different about this compared to other auctions?"
Qin Yun was a bit curious about how just fifty or sixty bosses could support such a grand auction.
He had experience organizing Warehouse Auctions in Bolton City.
He knew that holding an auction cost a lot of money.
A very high turnover was needed to break even.
It seemed the auction items here were very popular, with each boss buying at least one on average.
"Yes, this auction is different from others. There are no introductions for the items, and close-up appraisal is not allowed; you can only judge their value by looking from a distance."
"So it really tests everyone's ability. Expert appraisal skills don't play much of a role, and luck carries a significant weight. It has the excitement and surprise of opening a blind box, which is why it's so popular with the bosses."
Liang Lejia hadn't expected Qin Yun to grasp the key point so quickly.
While surprised, he gave Qin Yun a brief explanation.
"Isn't this just a simplified version of a Warehouse Auction?"
This thought immediately surfaced in Qin Yun's mind.
The organizers' various maneuvers simplified the process while ensuring the quality of the items.
It was exactly a variant of a Warehouse Auction designed specifically for Tycoons whose time was precious.
"The organizers of this auction are very smart. I'd even like to meet them."
Qin Yun soon felt relieved; this kind of auction had high requirements for both the collection and social networks.
It simply couldn't proceed without enough items in the collection.
It wasn't something he could consider for the time being.
He had a Secondhand Store, and his collection could be sold through it.
Although there wasn't much of a premium, it could drive the sales of other items in the shop.
Both methods had their pros and cons; there was no need to overthink it.
Liang Lejia didn't know Qin Yun's identity.
Hearing Qin Yun speak with such confidence, with his words vaguely suggesting he was on equal footing with the organizers here.
He became even more curious.
But he didn't ask what Qin Yun actually did.
Liang Lejia no longer had many surprises in his life.
Making friends with people whose identities were unclear was more interesting.
There were also no business dealings between the two.
This could be considered a form of relaxation after the deceitful business world.
Therefore, he highly valued this new friend of his.
"There will be a chance."
Liang Lejia smiled and spoke somewhat enigmatically.
As the television Host took the stage, the auction officially began.
"I am Liu Xin. I'm very happy that everyone could come. I am honored to stand here and Host this auction. I hope everyone will be patient with any shortcomings."
Seeing the celebrity Host, the young artists on the first floor cheered incessantly.
The bosses on the second floor also had smiles all over their faces.
Being able to invite a television Host showed that the organizers had put in a lot of effort.
This meant there would be good items at the auction.
"I declare the auction officially open. Will the Staff Members please bring out the first batch of auction items."
Just as Liu Xin's crisp voice fell, ten boldly dressed models each carrying a tray came onto the stage.
After setting down the trays, the models sashayed away.
The trays were silver, each with a twenty-centimeter-high black cover on top.
There was a transparent window on the cover.
One could barely see what was inside from the outside.
But judging the specific condition of the auction items inside was asking for the impossible.
Although they couldn't see clearly, the eyes of many Experts remained fixed on the collection items on the stage.
After observing for a while, they whispered to the bosses beside them.
The second-floor venue began to get noisy, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
At this moment, a fat man in his fifties and a the young man in his twenties arrived late, accompanied by six Experts.
As soon as the fat man entered, he cupped his hands to greet those around him.
the young man also expressed his apologies with a respectful look.
When Qin Yun saw that the young man was Liu Yuanhua, he was momentarily stunned.
The contest at the Warehouse Auction the day before yesterday...
...was just a small test of skill.
He hadn't taken it to heart.
Liu Yuanhua was different; seeing Qin Yun and Liang Lejia sitting at the same table...
...his face turned cold, and he gave Qin Yun a threatening look.
Qin Yun smiled.
Liu Yuanhua wanted to challenge him at the auction.
He was really overestimating himself!