"Three hundred and sixty million!"
Another hidden tycoon, who had traveled from afar, raised the bid. He was the chairman of Deep City's Baise Technology Group. After seeing Wan Yunting's wild cursive calligraphy at the Lanting Award calligraphy competition, he was deeply captivated. Upon hearing that Wan Yunting's calligraphy would be featured at the charity auction that evening, this influential figure, Lin Baisi, flew in directly by private jet. Now, he excitedly placed his bid with an air of determination.
"Three hundred and sixty million, that's too high."
"Indeed, these nouveau riche are too crazy..."
The price shocked everyone present. People were whispering to each other, discussing animatedly, completely stunned.
Even Zhang Huamao and Kang Hongwen were taken aback by the price of three hundred and sixty million. Wan Yunting frowned, unable to fathom how this round of bidding was even more frenzied than the previous auction for the slender-gold script calligraphy. The host on stage, Jiang Xiaoying, was dumbfounded, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.
"Three hundred and eighty million!"
Just then, a young man sitting next to a middle-aged man dressed in casual white attire raised his paddle, calling out calmly.
"Good heavens, three hundred and eighty million..."
Upon hearing the price, Lin Baisi immediately turned his head and stared intently at the middle-aged man in the white casual wear. The man was lounging with his legs crossed, idly playing with a pair of white beads, each as large as an egg, made of unknown material. Wearing glasses, he narrowed his eyes, gazing at Wan Yunting's wild cursive calligraphy displayed on the stage.
"Four hundred million!"
Lin Baisi's eyes widened as he loudly increased his bid to the elder.
"Four hundred million..."
The price left the surrounding onlookers speechless, utterly astonished.
The young man beside the middle-aged man glanced at him before raising his paddle again and calmly stating, "Four hundred and fifty million!"
"Oh my god..."
A foreign guest, upon hearing this price, wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Other collectors shook their heads and sighed. Four hundred and fifty million had shattered everyone's perceptions, also revealing the immense fascination and fervor people had for Wan Yunting's calligraphy.
Wan Yunting, seated between Kang Hongwen and Ling Wei, also gaped, unable to say a word.
At this moment, Lin Baisi finally calmed down. His brows furrowed deeply, as the price of four hundred and fifty million had far exceeded his own perceived limit. Pushing it any higher would be meaningless, so he regretfully shook his head and sat down.
Others exchanged glances and whispered amongst themselves. The venue fell into a brief silence for ten seconds before Jiang Xiaoying, recovering from the frenzied atmosphere, gestured towards the middle-aged man and announced, "Four hundred and fifty million once, four hundred and fifty million twice, four hundred and fifty million thrice. Sold! Congratulations to gentleman number 90..."
"Bang!"
With the resounding strike of the gavel, Wan Yunting's wild cursive calligraphy was ultimately sold for a staggering four hundred and fifty million, marking a historic moment.
Those in the front row, such as Huangfu Hongfang, Gao Jiaxu, and Liang Hongda, along with other literati, were stunned, their mouths agape as if wanting to speak but unable to articulate. Their hearts were filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Huangfu Xueyi smiled and remarked, "Truly, the student surpasses the master..."
Wan Yunting also turned to look at the middle-aged man in the white casual attire seated a row behind them. Seemingly sensing his gaze, the man turned back, smiled, and nodded in greeting.
"He must be from out of town; we don't know him."
Kang Hongwen and Wang Jun also sized up the man, not recognizing him as a local from Huadu City.
"Four hundred and fifty million, that's quite insane."
Zhang Huamao sighed, and the others also shook their heads.
Initially, Wan Yunting's calligraphy was only rumored to be worth over a hundred million, giving some people false hope.
However, the frenzied bidding in the past two rounds had completely rewritten everyone's understanding. The term "almost crazy" could only describe these tycoons, but it had to be said, they were indeed genuinely wealthy.
Jiang Xiaoying personally walked over to Wan Yunting, handed him a microphone, and asked with a smile, "Mr. Wan, are these record-breaking prices for your two calligraphy works within your expectations, or beyond them?"
Taking the microphone, Wan Yunting stood up, faced the attendees, paused, and finally shook his head with a laugh, "All I can say is that the bosses present are truly wealthy. Thank you."
"Haha..."
His witty response elicited laughter from everyone in the hall.
Jiang Xiaoying smiled at him, then turned back to the stage, saying, "Alright, time is pressing. Next, please welcome the highlight of our auction tonight!"
Instantly, a professional auction model in a qipao, exuding an outstanding temperament, walked up holding a scroll. Another qipao model followed, and together they carefully carried the scroll from both ends, slowly unfurling it for the audience. It was the latest painting by the esteemed Mr. Huangfu Xueyi, an ink wash painting titled "Harbor Sentiment."
The painting depicted a small fishing harbor, with brushstrokes outlining the boats, busy figures, and the joyous smiles of fishermen who had just made their catch. Rendered in monochromatic ink, it showcased the vibrant scene of the harbor, evoking a beautiful imagery.
"Truly worthy of a contemporary master of the Lingnan School of Painting. Mr. Huangfu's 'Harbor Sentiment' is simply magnificent. While we are not qualified to critique the technique, in a word, it is a masterpiece!"
Liang Hongda stood up, speaking with deep emotion and fervent enthusiasm, lavishing praise on the elderly Huangfu Xueyi.
However, his words were not mere flattery. For Huangfu Xueyi, a representative figure of the contemporary Lingnan School of Painting, his artworks were undoubtedly collector's items, highly sought after by countless individuals in the art world.
It was a pity that as Huangfu Xueyi aged, his output diminished, making his works increasingly valuable.
Just two years prior, one of his paintings had been auctioned in Hong Kong for a high price of eighty million yuan!
While that was certainly a considerable sum, compared to the current auction prices of Wan Yunting's two calligraphy works, eighty million yuan was insignificant.
Huangfu Hongfang, seated beside Huangfu Xueyi, was feeling anxious.
He hadn't anticipated that Wan Yunting's two calligraphy pieces would fetch such an astronomical price of four hundred and fifty million for the highest bid.
If his grandfather's painting, "Harbor Sentiment," failed to surpass Wan Yunting's four hundred and fifty million yuan price, the news would undoubtedly spread that the acclaimed contemporary Lingnan School master Huangfu Xueyi's work was outbid by a young calligrapher, Wan Yunting.
For an artist, reputation was everything. If this reputation were tarnished, who would support him in the future?
At this moment, Jiang Xiaoying handed the microphone to Huangfu Xueyi, who shared his inspiration and thoughts behind "Harbor Sentiment." Everyone listened attentively, also harboring concerns about this very issue.
If Huangfu Xueyi's painting ultimately sold for less than Wan Yunting's, wouldn't it, in a sense, mean he had lost to a younger man?
"Mr. Huangfu's 'Harbor Sentiment' has a starting bid of ten million, with increments of one million!" Jiang Xiaoying announced into the microphone, addressing the audience. "Bidding starts now..."
"Twenty million!"
In the next second, someone immediately bid an additional ten million.
"Thirty million!"
"Thirty-five million!"
"Forty million..."
After a round of intense bidding, Kang Hongwen couldn't hold back and raised his paddle, exclaiming, "One hundred million!"
"Wow, it's reached a hundred million! This surpasses all previous auction prices for Mr. Huangfu's works..."
"One hundred and ten million!"
A collector from out of town increased the bid.
Kang Hongwen continued to bid, "One hundred and fifty million!"
The out-of-town collector regretfully shook his head. Bidding one hundred and fifty million for Huangfu Xueyi's "Harbor Sentiment" seemed to render further increases meaningless.
Indeed, the surrounding attendees exchanged glances, as if the price had exceeded their individual bottom lines.
For a moment, the venue fell into a brief silence. This time, the bidding stopped at one hundred and fifty million, a stark contrast to the bidding for Wan Yunting's calligraphy pieces.
"Brother Hongfang, what should we do..."
Gao Jiaxu, looking at Huangfu Hongfang, appeared anxious.
Liang Hongda and Wang Fuyi also looked at each other, filled with worry, but they were powerless. If Mr. Huangfu's "Harbor Sentiment" only sold for one hundred and fifty million, less than Wan Yunting's, then Mr. Huangfu would have lost face completely.
However, Huangfu Xueyi, seated in the center, placed his hands on his cane, his ruddy face beaming with a smile. He seemed unfazed by the prospect of his work fetching a lower price than a young man's.
Huangfu Hongfang, seated to his left, subtly signaled to a middle-aged man seated at the edge of the rows behind them.
"One hundred and fifty million once, one hundred and fifty million twice..."
"Two hundred million!"
Just as Jiang Xiaoying was about to conclude the count, a middle-aged man raised his paddle and shouted, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Kang Hongwen and Wan Yunting also turned to look. They had expected Mr. Huangfu's "Harbor Sentiment" to be secured by Kang Hongwen, but now someone else had increased the bid, causing Kang Hongwen to raise an eyebrow slightly.
Zhang Huamao shook his head, "Two hundred million is already an exorbitant price; bidding further would be pointless."
"Yes, Old Kang, you should let it go," said Wang Jun.
Although Mr. Huangfu was a contemporary master of the Lingnan School of Painting, his works were generally valued at just over a hundred million. Two hundred million was clearly an overvaluation, as he was not yet a grandmaster like Fan Liren!
"Two hundred and twenty million!"
Kang Hongwen raised his paddle and bid again. Wan Yunting glanced at him, seemingly understanding why he was bidding again.
Huangfu Hongfang, watching Kang Hongwen increase his bid, felt a surge of excitement, appearing to have secured victory.