"What score would you give this outfit?" Huang He suddenly asked.
"I'd give it 50 points..." Qu Wei actually felt it deserved at least 60, but she knew Huang He detested people with small, squinting eyes. So, she involuntarily lowered the score by ten points to avoid displeasing him.
"Good!" Huang He nodded. After the model on the runway finished her walk, Qu Wei, along with the model, walked onto the stage, ready to accept bids from the bosses in the audience.
The designer was a very pretty young girl. Although not tall, only around 1.50 meters, her eyes were large, giving her the appearance of a girl who had stepped out of a manga.
Her style of dress was also Japanese-inspired and exceptionally delicate, making her a delightful sight.
"Gentlemen, please place your bids for the work of graduate Wu Kexin, number 9!" the host announced. Many in the audience stirred. Although the clothes themselves seemed ordinary, the young designer was quite cute and met their aesthetic standards.
Some bosses even planned to bid a high price and then invite her out for dinner later. After all, she was so cute and pretty, a university student, and moreover, a Tsinghua University student – that would surely be a different kind of experience.
However, before many bosses could even open their mouths, a voice declared with extreme coldness, "Fifty!"
"What?" Many bosses were startled. While this was a charity auction and the organizers hadn't set a minimum bid, it was also a charity auction, meaning everyone started bidding from 10,000 yuan upwards. This was the first time they'd heard such an absurdly low bid of fifty yuan.
Many bosses wanted to see who this ridiculous person was, and then they saw a figure standing in the corner of the front row.
Although this spot was a bit secluded, it couldn't hide the person's tall and handsome stature. Especially since his entire being seemed to emanate a golden glow.
"It's him!" All the bosses trembled inwardly, and their various thoughts vanished. Some bosses who had intended to bid immediately abandoned their plans.
What a joke! This person was Huang He, the biggest legend in China's business world today. It was rumored his personal assets had already surpassed ten billion US dollars. This was beyond their league.
They dared not offend him.
Although everyone present was from the dairy industry, it seemed offending Huang He wouldn't be a major issue, and they weren't afraid he could truly retaliate.
But the problem was, they were all businessmen who valued harmonious prosperity. They had no prior conflict with Huang He, so there was no need to offend him over a piece of clothing and a graduate. That would be the most foolish thing.
Someone might ask, didn't Huang He expose the Fuyang milk powder issue? Didn't that offend the entire dairy industry?
Quite the contrary. Since the Fuyang milk powder incident wasn't the one from 2008, the perpetrators this time were essentially small workshops engaging in fraud. These workshops had been snatching business from many branded dairy companies.
When the incident broke out, the entire nation launched a severe crackdown. Countless small dairy companies lacking formal production licenses or producing shoddy quality products essentially disappeared. Branded dairy companies seized this opportunity to aggressively expand into villages and towns, markets previously dominated by cheap, inferior milk powder. They were grateful to Huang He, not resentful.
So, when they saw it was Huang He who bid fifty yuan, they had no reason to offend him. The bosses wisely kept silent, leaving only Huang He standing there calmly.
The young girl named Wu Kexin was stunned. She also recognized Huang He. A significant reason she had dressed so beautifully today was to attract Huang He's attention.
If she could establish some connection with Huang He, Wu Kexin felt she could ascend to heaven.
Currently, it was rumored in society that Qu Wei, China's top designer, was originally a useless person on the verge of bankruptcy. If she hadn't seduced Huang He with her body and been "promoted" by Huang He's astonishing ten billion dollars, Qu Wei wouldn't have her current status.
Therefore, if any designer could also seduce Huang He, they could similarly enjoy the thrill of reaching the heavens overnight.
What Wu Kexin hadn't expected was that her plan seemed to have succeeded because Huang He had noticed her and bid on her work.
However, the success felt somewhat off. After all, the richest man wouldn't find fifty million too much, so why would he bid fifty yuan for her clothes?
The host also felt the figure might be incorrect. With a smile, he asked, "Mr. Huang, did you perhaps forget to include the unit in your bid?"
"Oh, I did forget the unit!" Huang He nodded, and smiles appeared on everyone's faces. Huang He then continued, "Let me reiterate, I bid fifty Renminbi! Is that clear now?"
Everyone was surprised again. Huang He was really only bidding fifty yuan. This meant his intention was intriguing.
His bid seemed to indicate interest in the outfit, but offering only fifty yuan was a form of humiliation. Did Huang He hate or like this outfit?
"Yes... yes..." the host said awkwardly, then looked at the audience, asking if any other bosses were willing to participate in the bidding. The result was naturally silence. No one wanted to incur Huang He's displeasure.
Even the teachers from the academy fell silent, making no further remarks. Finally, the host could only announce the successful bid, with Huang He purchasing the work for fifty Renminbi.
"Mr. Huang, please come onto the stage for a photo with our designer, model, and the artwork to offer them encouragement!" the host said, his demeanor lacking conviction.
"No need. It's too ugly!" Huang He said coldly, and an instant chill swept through the venue, lowering the temperature by more than ten degrees.
If anyone had been wondering about Huang He's attitude before, it was now very clear: Huang He genuinely detested the outfit and intended to humiliate it by bidding fifty yuan.
Moreover, it was extreme disgust. Just using a number wasn't enough for humiliation, so he directly uttered the word "ugly."
For a fashion design, ugliness was the greatest form of malice.
"Waa!" The cute designer on stage couldn't help but burst into tears. The teachers from the academy also couldn't help but look at Huang He. A few teachers sitting behind Huang He almost spoke up, but seeing Huang He's icy demeanor, no one dared to say a word. The host could only support the designer, who lacked the strength to walk, as she left the stage.
The fashion show continued, but after Huang He's incident, the atmosphere of the entire venue changed drastically. All the models and designers who came on stage carried a sense of trepidation, and even their walks were somewhat distorted.
However, fortunately, Huang He seemed to have no further intentions. The next dozen designers narrowly escaped any further incidents.
Furthermore, Huang He was smiling when he spoke to Qu Wei, appearing to be in good spirits, which helped the atmosphere in the venue to warm up slightly.
When everything gradually returned to normal, and it was the turn of the 27th designer to appear, a small, squinting eye, clearly created by makeup, emerged. The same story repeated itself.
As soon as the designer appeared, the host announced that bidding could commence, and Huang He immediately spoke, giving other bosses no chance to bid.
And this time, the price was even more outrageous: a bid of 37 Renminbi, down to the last yuan.
Then, one designer cried profusely. This designer couldn't take the blow and fled the stage. Most importantly, this heavily made-up designer was a man.
From then on, Huang He completely controlled the atmosphere of the entire venue. Designers number 36, 39, 61, 71, and the very auspicious number 88, a total of five designers, were successively given bids in the single digits or low double digits by Huang He.
Such actions completely extinguished any trace of happiness or joy from the originally cheerful charity gala.
However, there were some happy people: the reporters covering this charity gala.
This charity gala was a semi-public event. Although many reporters wanted to attend, they couldn't get in because they weren't on the invitation list. Only a few media outlets with good relationships with the dairy association, along with Tsinghua's own journalism department's news agency, were present.
Regarding Huang He's behavior at the venue, although everyone present was very awkward, the reporters were ecstatic. This was big news! They frantically took photos of Huang He, contemplating how to write their news reports later.
However, there were unhappy reporters too, specifically those from Tsinghua University's journalism department. They were students of the school themselves and had a strong sense of pride for their institution.
In their view, Huang He's actions were undoubtedly an insult to their great university. Finally, one journalism student couldn't stand it. Gritting her teeth, she walked to the front row, in front of Huang He, and in front of everyone, forcefully restraining her anger, she asked in the calmest tone possible, "Respected Mr. Huang He, have our classmates offended you in any way? Why are you humiliating them like this? Do you know how much harm this will cause them?"
"Finally, someone dares to ask me this question! I just didn't expect it to be a student like you!" Huang He chuckled and uttered an unrelated sentence, causing all the teachers present to stiffen.
Indeed, these teachers, seeing Huang He's behavior that clearly harmed his students, feared his status and dared not speak up.
Instead, it was a journalism student who finally stepped forward to question him. This was truly embarrassing!