Chapter 64 Auction Begins_1

Translator: 549690339

“Dammit, can’t you take a hint!” Qin Haowen’s facial muscles twitched as he roared internally.

“Bitch, showing me no respect like that, wait until you’re writhing under me, then watch how I teach you a lesson.” Qin Haowen thought savagely, then wrapped his arm around Luo Yongtai’s shoulders and said, “Then, Chairman Luo, let’s sit in the front row together, and get ready for the auction.”

“Alright,” Luo Yongtai nodded and sat down with Qin Haowen on the most luxurious sofa in the front row.

On the stage at the front of the hall, the lights changed slightly, and a host in a suit walked up to the stage gracefully.

There was a table on the stage with information about the items being auctioned that day and a small wooden hammer for finalizing the auction prices.

The host cleared his throat and explained the auction rules to everyone below before the auction officially began.

A group of staff members handed out numbered bidding signs to everyone in the audience, which they could raise to make a bid.

The first item up for auction was a Tang Sancai from the Tang Dynasty donated by Qin Corporation. Although this antique wasn’t extremely famous, it was genuinely a thousand-year-old artifact, worth at least 200,000.

Many people in the audience didn’t know much about antiques, but at this level, many liked to use them to decorate their presence. Thus, this Tang Sancai, with a market price of about 200,000, reached a bid of 320,000 at the auction, more than double the market price.

The bidder was a real estate tycoon who had business dealings with Qin’s enterprises. By bidding on this, he was not only giving face to Qin Corporation but also hoping to meet Qin Haowen, the young master of Qin Corporation, at the auction.

After the host delivered the congratulatory speech, the slightly chubby businessman went onstage to sign his name on the auction certificate. As he stepped down, he humbly greeted Qin Haowen.

Qin Haowen lazily shook hands with him, encouraged him a couple of sentences, then dismissed him back to his seat.

The previous items were just embellishments. Qin Haowen was waiting for the next few items to be auctioned off so he could move on to his Heart of the Ocean. He had a surprise prepared for Xu Yixue, so he was a bit impatient inside and didn’t pay much attention to the real estate boss trying to curry favor with him.

The auction continued with the second item, a painting called “Drunken Shrimp in Spring” by the master of traditional Chinese painting, Zhang Daqian. This painting was more valuable than the Tang Sancai; after all, in recent years, Zhang Daqian’s calligraphy and paintings repeatedly set new auction price records and were highly sought after in the collecting world.

Many people bid on this piece, as it had considerable room for appreciation in value. The price rose from 500,000 to 900,000 and was ultimately acquired by an executive from Zhonghai Ark Petrochemical Group.

Chairman Chen of Ark Petrochemical Group was an avid fan of Zhang Daqian. Although his annual income was just over a million, he resolutely spent 900,000 on this painting.

With this painting, promotion and salary raise, and reaching the pinnacle of his career would just be a blink of an eye. Although 900,000 was nearly a year’s income for him, no pain, no gain. Without this painting, how could he stand firm in the company’s senior management and take another step upward based on his ability alone?

The executive also happily went onstage to sign the auction certificate.

The auction went on for another half an hour. Eight more items were sold, and finally, it was time for Qin Haowen’s Heart of the Ocean to make an appearance.

The ten items previously auctioned off each sold for prices ranging from several hundred thousand to over a million, with the most expensive item being a second-hand Ferrari sports car that went to a young man who had been shamelessly flattering Qin Haowen earlier in the hall for 1.8 million.

The total auction value of the ten items had already exceeded six million. Chairman Luo sat on the sofa with a smile, truly not expecting such a large lineup at today’s auction. Usually, the most a charity auction could raise was between one and two million, but today’s finale hadn’t even begun, and six million had already been raised.

Just this charity money was enough to build several Hope Schools in impoverished mountain areas and provide all impoverished students with five years of free tuition and dormitory fees for elementary school education. Thinking of this, Chairman Luo couldn’t help feeling some comfort.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen, please hold your breath and welcome our final showpiece of the evening,” the host signalled the staff to bring out the last item to be auctioned.

“This piece is an extremely precious jewel, owned by only five people in the world, including the queen of the Daying Empire, a princess from the Dubai Federation, the world’s most famous actress, and the hottest actress in China. The remaining one is the last piece available globally.”

The host spoke mysteriously, pointing with gloved fingers toward a box brought out by a staff member. A layer of silk covered the box, preventing the audience below from seeing what was inside.

Qin Haowen wore a nonchalant expression, knowing that only he and Xu Yixue were privy to the item’s identity, so he turned his head to catch Xu Yixue’s reaction.

Xu Yixue maintained her serene demeanor, revealing no sign of perturbation, even after knowing the contents inside, which annoyed Qin Haowen while simultaneously deepening his resolve to win her over.

This girl seemed to carry an ethereal aura unlike the flock of women who had shamelessly clung to him in the past.

What he couldn’t have was always the most desirable. Unknowingly to himself, Qin Haowen had become firmly captivated by Xu Yixue’s aloof personality and her beauty, as aloof as an iceberg.

Therefore, he regarded this auction with even greater importance than Luo Yongtai sitting nearby.

“Now, let me unveil the final piece for everyone…” The host paused, heightening the audience’s anticipation, then continued, “The Heart of the Ocean sapphire necklace.”

The host pulled off the silk cloth from the glass box, revealing a flawless sapphire necklace.

This necklace, crafted entirely of 999K platinum, was capped by a pigeon egg-sized sapphire of such a pure, flawless blue, it resembled the tranquil expanse of the ocean, filled with a mysterious allure that captured your gaze at first glance.

“Wow…”

All the women in the audience let out a gasp of admiration.

“The legendary Heart of the Ocean worn by the queen? How did it end up here?”

“Isn’t the Heart of the Ocean priced at 800,000 Euros? That’s 8 million in Yan Country Currency. At this auction, the price could double.”

“Yang Mi, that flaunting Jezebel, has been showing off ever since she bought the Heart of the Ocean, strutting around in the entertainment circle—I’ve been sick of her for so long. Today, I must win this necklace and deflate her arrogance.”

“Honey, I want that necklace. If you can win it for me, I’ll meet any request of yours for this entire week—anything at all.”

The women below fixated intently on the Heart of the Ocean on stage, barely blinking. If not for the security guards, they might have jumped up and grabbed it.

Only Xu Yixue and Ye Xiaoning pursed their lips slightly, showing a hint of disdain.

It wasn’t that she disliked the gorgeous necklace; she was well aware that this was bait from Qin Haowen. If she took the bait, she would eventually be led by him.

Therefore, from the start, Xu Yixue sternly reminded herself never to entertain the thought of owning it.

Yet, as she looked at the Heart of the Ocean projected on the large screen, Xu Yixue still felt a tinge of affection for it.

After all, she was a woman, and it was hard to resist such a beautiful ornament.

If this gift hadn’t come from Qin Haowen, she would definitely wish to wear that necklace around her swan-like graceful neck.