199: Winning the first place

No one could have imagined that an inkstone could sell for the astronomical price of twenty-seven million.

In the Auction House,

inkstones similar to this one usually go for around twenty million at most.

This price far exceeded everyone's expectations.

"Boss Zhang is indeed a wealthy man!"

"Twenty-seven or eight million... Boss Zhang truly has deep pockets!"

"This is more than one of my company's projects earns; Boss Zhang's strength is truly extraordinary!"

"Congratulations to Boss Zhang on acquiring a famous inkstone."

...Many bosses stood up to compliment Zhang Deben on securing the inkstone.

Zhang Deben felt very uncomfortable in his heart.

Not to mention taking the inkstone at a high price,

he had also been played by Liang Lejia.

These people were saying nice things, but who knew how they were mocking him in their hearts?

"Boss Zhang, well done! Your strength is indeed superior to Boss Liang's!"

Liu Yuanhua cupped his hands in congratulation.

He was truly touching a sore spot.

Zhang Deben was already fuming, and hearing the person he brought say such a thing,

his anger soared to the heavens!

He even felt the urge to kill.

"Shut up! If you don't understand, don't speak!"

Zhang Deben couldn't say much in public, so he snapped a rebuke and stopped talking.

Was Liu Yuanhua confused about the situation?

Didn't Zhang Deben overpower the crowd to secure the jiangzhou chenni inkstone?

Why did he look unhappy?

He felt completely bewildered.

Seeing Boss Zhang's face covered in frost, he didn't speak further.

The next few antiques returned to normal.

The prices were mostly between three and four million.

The final antique was a teapot.

Qin Yun immediately took an interest.

This was the remaining antique with purple treasure light.

Based on the previous several bids,

if the price stayed below five million, there was still a profit to be made in acquiring it.

The bidding went on for a while, and when the price reached 2.3 million,

he raised his hand. "Three million."

Qin Yun's price increase wasn't particularly large.

However, it still caused quite a stir on the second floor.

This the young man had used over two million to secure Wang Zhaojun's Gilded Buddha Statue.

It could be said that so far, he was the person who had gained the most.

Now he was bidding once more.

Could that teapot be something good?

"That man has good luck; I've decided to test the waters."

"It's never wrong to follow the bids of someone with good luck!"

"Which antique family does Qin Yun actually come from? He's too incredible."

"Could that teapot also belong to some famous person?"

...While the bosses discussed with the Experts beside them, their willingness to bid grew much stronger.

The price quickly reached 4.3 million!

Qin Yun hadn't expected this.

The bosses were so enthusiastic as soon as he placed a bid.

His brow furrowed slightly.

He pondered whether to increase his bid.

Qin Yun estimated that this teapot was worth between five and six million.

If he increased his bid, there wouldn't be much profit left.

And it wasn't even certain he would get it.

He might very well just become a stepping stone for others.

He shook his head and decided to give up.

Liang Lejia saw all of Qin Yun's expressions.

Seeing his good friend show negative emotions for the first time at the auction,

he felt like laughing.

Wasn't this kid usually so calm and composed?

Yet here he was, hitting a wall in front of this group of bosses who didn't play by the rules.

"Six million."

Having benefited greatly from Qin Yun, Liang Lejia decided to help Qin Yun secure this teapot.

The bosses were all watching Qin Yun's reaction.

Seeing that the young man's momentum died out after just one bid,

their interest in the teapot instantly diminished.

Then they heard Boss Liang bid a high price.

They began to suspect in their hearts.

Was this something the two of them had planned together?

Considering Boss Liang's net worth and character,

he wouldn't stoop to such a low-class act of deceiving everyone.

They guessed that Boss Liang saw Qin Yun liked it but lacked the funds to buy it,

so he bid to help Qin Yun purchase it.

Thinking of this level, the bosses' interest in bidding vanished instantly.

They believed in Qin Yun's eye and luck,

but they absolutely did not believe in the eye of this wealthy Boss Liang,

nor were they willing to compete with him.

Zhang Deben had intended to compete with Boss Liang,

but he had just suffered a hidden loss.

He had used far more money than it was worth to buy a jiangzhou chenni inkstone.

He felt depressed in his heart.

He was also afraid of being embarrassed further.

Besides, that teapot didn't look like anything special either.

So he didn't bid.

In the end, this teapot was secured by Liang Lejia for six million.

"Qin Yun, since you like it, I'll give this teapot to you."

After securing the teapot, Liang Lejia spoke very calmly.

"This... this isn't right, is it?"

Qin Yun was startled and momentarily stunned.

He didn't understand Liang Lejia's reason for doing this.

"There's nothing wrong with it; it's just a teapot. Consider it our meeting gift."

"You've helped me a lot at the auction, and I should repay you. Otherwise, I'll feel uneasy!"

Liang Lejia waved his hand and explained casually.

He didn't care about six million at all.

Qin Yun smiled helplessly.

In his heart, he didn't want to accept this gift.

He didn't like owing favors to friends.

But since Liang Lejia had put it that way, refusing would be ungrateful.

"Then, thank you."

Though he hadn't known Liang Lejia for long, Qin Yun had already acknowledged him in his heart.

So he accepted Liang Lejia's gift.

It was just six million.

He would just find an opportunity to return the favor.

Seeing Qin Yun accept, Liang Lejia also laughed happily.

In the private room, the six managers of the antique shop had mixed feelings of joy and worry.

The joy was that the jiangzhou chenni inkstone had sold for an incredibly high price.

The worry was that after being stimulated by the twenty-seven million, the bosses' interest in antiques had diminished significantly.

Their willingness to bid was no longer very strong.

If this continued,

the auction would gradually decline until it was abandoned by the bosses.

The few of them realized they had to bring out something good to stimulate the bosses' senses.

Even if they had to lose money, they had to do it.

Otherwise, the auction they had spent so much effort on over the years might become a white elephant—

a pity to discard, but useless to keep.

"That young man Qin Yun really has something; he saw that the final teapot was a good item."

"It's a pity Qin Yun only bid once. We couldn't see what his actual valuation of the teapot was, so we can't judge his true strength."

"His strength is definitely greater than everyone here. We couldn't even see through that Gilded Buddha Statue, yet that kid discovered it was Wang Zhaojun's from such a distance."

"If Qin Yun has truly reached a master-level standard, he'll sweep everything at our auction!"

"Should we take measures then?"

"I think not. Right now, restoring the bosses' trust in the auction is more important. The most crucial thing is to see what kind of high-quality item we can bring out!"

...The managers began to discuss which treasure of the shop to bring out.

Something that could cause a big sensation and let the bosses see it was worth a fortune.

Ideally, they'd even earn back the cost price.

The second round of antiques had all been auctioned off and were brought to the owners' tables by models.

The Experts' appraisal speed was very fast this time.

They unanimously agreed that the jiangzhou chenni inkstone bought by Boss Zhang and the teapot bought by Boss Liang were the best.

But selecting the top spot fell into a deadlock.

The prices of the two antiques were similar.

Antiques aren't like other things; valuations are inherently imprecise.

Neither Boss Liang nor Boss Zhang could be easily offended.

The Experts discussed for a long time.

They determined the top spot was Boss Liang's teapot.

Because it was bought for relatively little money.

In the antique trade, this is called 'picking up a leak.'

Relying on one's own eye is a method everyone admires.

Hearing the Expert's announcement, Zhang Deben's face instantly turned green.

This slap to the face was loud and clear.

When everyone came forward to congratulate Boss Liang,

Liang Lejia shook his head.

He pointed at the calm-faced Qin Yun.

"I bought this teapot on behalf of Qin Yun. It is Qin Yun who has won the top spot twice in a row!"