“Please answer my question!” the student continued to repeat.
“I’ve already answered it, because I thought their designs were very ugly!” Huang He said plainly.
“If you don’t like the designs of my classmates, then you don’t have to pay attention to them. Why use such methods to humiliate them?” the student pressed.
“Classmate, what is this occasion?” Huang He retorted.
“It’s a graduation show and a charity gala!”
“That’s right. First, the graduation show is a runway for designers, a place for your classmates to showcase their design results. The purpose is to let others evaluate their beauty or ugliness. Am I wrong to express my opinion?”
“At the same time, this is also a charity dinner, a venue to provide financial assistance to children who have been harmed by inferior milk powder. Is there anything wrong with me buying clothes for these children and donating funds?”
“You have bid the most times among everyone here, but you have only donated less than 300 yuan in total, which is less than the cost of one of your meals. Do you still have the nerve to talk about doing charity!”
“Could this Huang He be a miser like Grandet!” some people speculated in their hearts. “Some people become more stingy as they get richer. Perhaps this Huang He doesn’t care about beauty or ugliness; he simply doesn’t want to spend money!”
Many guests present grumbled in their minds, but clearly, no one dared to say it aloud.
Huang He’s two consecutive questions left the student speechless. Yes, this occasion was meant for wealthy patrons to express their judgment on clothing designs through bidding and to help children. Huang He’s actions were perfectly natural and blameless.
“But you used such methods to humiliate my classmates…” The reporter, unable to find a logical flaw in Huang He’s argument, gritted his teeth and said.
“I did not humiliate them. Their works genuinely struck me as ugly, so I commented on them. Everyone in the world has to endure both positive and negative feedback. Every day, tens of thousands of negative comments are generated about me online, and netizens have given me dozens of different, malicious titles, such as ‘Huang Paopao.’ Is this not humiliation? Should I retaliate?” Huang He countered.
“…” The reporter was left speechless.
“Alright, don’t disrupt the charity gala further. We’ll discuss everything after the event concludes!” Huang He waved his hand. The student reporter had to leave in a somewhat disheveled state.
“Next, please welcome the 89th designer and her work!”
Amidst the apprehension backstage, the 89th model took to the stage.
Clearly, the atmosphere on stage had greatly affected those backstage. As this model appeared, her legs trembled slightly.
However, this did nothing to diminish the radiance she exuded.
Although the model herself was not tall, only about 1.65 meters, placing her among the bottom five in terms of height among all the models who had appeared, her entrance captivated the entire audience.
Firstly, upon her appearance, the model’s countenance conveyed a sense of quiet coolness.
Yet, this coolness did not stem from her demeanor but from her skin, which was as exquisite as that of a porcelain doll, even more stunning than Liu Fei at her peak.
At first glance, the makeup on her face seemed minimal, almost absent. However, upon closer inspection, it was evident that this was a rare "no-makeup" look for this era, emphasizing the facial contours to showcase the model’s natural beauty.
In particular, two subtle eyeliners made the model’s already large, watery eyes appear even more luminous.
She was adorned with a snow-white shawl and a dress the color of tender green willows in early spring. On her head, she wore a headdress crafted with gold and jade threads, shaped like a phoenix and clouds, with butterflies nestled among them. She swayed with each step.
“She’s truly a fairy from the forest!” Many of the local magnates exclaimed, with many owners even harboring indecent thoughts.
“What do you think?” Huang He continued to ask.
“Not bad, I’d give it an 80!” Qu Wei smiled, immediately awarding the highest score of the evening. “This outfit shows a lot of thought in its design. At first glance, it appears to be a Hanfu, but it actually incorporates only certain characteristics of Hanfu, along with a butterfly-dancing golden hair ornament. Essentially, it’s a modern long dress!”
“However, the combination is excellent, and the model chosen has a perfect aura. The makeup is also superb. This designer is very innovative and very talented. I even want to recruit her into our company. If she continues to grow for a few more years, she might even qualify to be the lead designer at Caiwei!”
“Good!” Huang He nodded. As the model finished her walk, the host brought out the designer. However, everyone present looked fearfully towards Huang He’s seat, as if anticipating him standing up to bid again.
To everyone’s surprise, Huang He actually stood up.
“No way, even with such a beautiful woman and dress, Huang He still thinks it's ugly!” Many of the magnates felt extremely displeased seeing Huang He stand up.
It was understandable when Huang He had called the previous few bids ugly, as they themselves had found them unsightly.
But this number 89 was arguably the best of the show. Every man present, accustomed to seeing beautiful women, couldn't help but feel their blood stir. And now, Huang He was going to call it ugly again?
Some magnates even felt the urge to challenge Huang He. If he were to bid low again, they would bid high, just to enrage him.
The designer of this outfit, upon seeing Huang He stand up, was already preparing to cry. This was the result of a year’s meticulous preparation, reaching the pinnacle of what she could achieve. If even this was deemed ugly, she truly intended to jump to her death on the spot.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please place your bids!” the host said, with a hint of fear and apprehension, uttering the inevitable words.
“100,000!” someone immediately said, a few steps ahead of Huang He.
The intention behind this was simple: to bid before Huang He, thereby preventing him from bidding a lower price and blocking his path.
However, Huang He smiled slightly and then said calmly, “8,000…000!”
“8,000 yuan, this price is higher than before, but it’s still humiliating…” the guests present instinctively mused, then felt something was amiss. It seemed Huang He had added an extra word when stating the price.
“Mr. Huang, your bid… could you please repeat it?” The host gasped, his head buzzing. Even though Huang He had made the bid just seconds ago, he seemed to have forgotten what price was stated.
“I said 80 million, in RMB!” Huang He chuckled. “This dress is beautiful, and I like it very much. I will pay 80 million to purchase this work for my personal collection!”
The venue fell into absolute silence. Everyone stared at Huang He in shock.
There was no need to mention the academy leaders. Buying a dress for 80 million yuan, even these teachers, who dealt with various expensive garments year-round, were stunned by the price.
A dress costing 80 million yuan might even contend for the Guinness World Record for the most expensive garment. At least, in their understanding, they had never heard of any clothing exceeding this price.
Of course, items like the golden thread jade garment were not included; those were antiques, not fashion designs.
It wasn't just the teachers from these schools; even the magnates present were deeply impressed.
At most, fewer than three companies or magnates present could afford to shell out 80 million yuan in cash. Half of these magnates had their entire net worth less than 80 million yuan, and at least one-fifth of the companies had a total valuation of less than 80 million yuan.
This price was considered astronomical even for these magnates.
“What? Aren’t you inviting me on stage for a photo? I spent 80 million!” Huang He said with a smile. The host finally reacted, incoherently inviting Huang He onto the stage to stand with the equally stunned designer and model.
It took the photographer a full 20 seconds to steady his hands; otherwise, the camera couldn't even focus properly.
Later, when the photos were developed, the designer and the model regretted immensely, as their appearances in the pictures were like those of wooden dolls, utterly embarrassing. Only Huang He wore a bright, radiant smile.
Of course, with the announcement of the 80 million yuan price, no one present questioned Huang He’s frugality anymore. After all, the combined funds of all the other magnates present only amounted to slightly over 5 million yuan.
It was truly less than a tenth of the price he paid.
And with Huang He's 80 million, the designers who appeared next faced a difficult situation. Although their designs were also quite good, with 80 million yuan as a benchmark, the magnates seemed too embarrassed to call out their bids. Consequently, the last few designers could only watch their works go unsold with wry smiles.
In such a scenario, it might have been better if Huang He had bought them for a few dozen yuan.
Then, when the final showstopper, designer number 98, and his model appeared, Huang He once again unceremoniously offered a price of 79 yuan.
Well, from this price, it could be seen that Qu Wei's score was not low, only one point less than number 89. Unfortunately, the model’s eyes were also drawn in a slightly closed manner.
This number 98 seemed to have accepted his fate. After all, with so many unfortunate souls before him, he was not the only one.
However, even though this number 98 was the final act, there were still three student representatives who followed. They nervously brought their works and models on stage, looking at Huang He with dread.
In their eyes, the capable senior students had seen seven or eight of their peers rejected by Huang He, so they were sure to suffer the same fate.
Of course, Vivian’s expression was feigned, as she knew the reason for Huang He's anger. And the three of them, following her advice, had chosen models with large eyes; the slightly closed eyes had nothing to do with them.