"Oh, brother Qin, sorry to keep you waiting."
Ten minutes later, Chen Zhongping and Ye Shuliang arrived at the hotel side by side.
Seeing Qin Xuan's displeased expression, they thought it was their fault and chuckled, apologizing to Qin Xuan.
Qin Xuan felt even more depressed upon hearing this, "My elder brothers, you're flattering me too much."
"I'm not depressed because I waited too long, but because while waiting for you, I encountered two dogs."
Qin Xuan recounted his resignation from Hu Lai Network and how Hu Hao had mocked him earlier, which made the two men burst into laughter.
"Alright, don't be depressed."
"It's just that kid from the Hu family, isn't it? We'll find a chance to mess with him at the auction later."
Putting an arm around Qin Xuan, the three of them entered the auction hall arm in arm.
They took their seats according to the arrangement and quietly waited for the auction to begin.
"Brother, take a good look at the people here."
"They are all influential figures in Jiangcheng. At the very least, they are billionaires with assets in the tens of billions."
"This auction might be commonplace for us, but for you, it's definitely an opportunity."
After Chen Zhongping finished speaking, Ye Shuliang took over.
"Old Chen is right."
"After the auction, the Fang family will also invite everyone present to a banquet. We'll take you to meet some people then."
"Like us, they are all players who are extremely fond of collecting. With your abilities, you'll definitely be able to get along with them!"
Hearing their words, Qin Xuan nodded gratefully.
Although at the beginning, the three of them might have had a simple employer-employee relationship, now, he could clearly feel it.
The two elder brothers truly considered him one of their own.
"Huh? Elder brothers, who is that woman?"
Scanning the entire venue, besides Hu Hao and Liu Ying who caught Qin Xuan's special attention, a stunning woman also entered his sight.
She was dressed in a black dress, black skirt, and a black fedora. Her languid demeanor combined with her exquisite beauty made her stand out from the balding middle-aged men around her.
Chen Zhongping and Ye Shuliang followed the direction Qin Xuan was pointing, their expressions immediately turning serious as they sternly warned Qin Xuan, "You should stay away from that woman."
"She started her criminal career from a young age and became one of the top figures in Jiangcheng's underworld before she was even twenty. She has countless lives on her hands."
"Although she has gone legitimate now, she is fundamentally different from ordinary businessmen."
Ye Shuliang nodded, "Exactly."
"She is like a spider filled with deadly poison. Whoever gets close to her, she bites them, without any mercy!"
The two men's cautious attitude towards the woman piqued Qin Xuan's interest.
He wondered how a seemingly delicate woman could achieve such a status.
Unable to resist, Qin Xuan looked at her again with curiosity.
As if sensing his gaze, she was also looking at him with a smile.
When their eyes met, Qin Xuan felt as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake, a chill running down his spine.
But in the next moment, this feeling receded like a tide, and a warm current surged through his body.
A moment later, Qin Xuan withdrew his gaze.
The auction officially began at this moment.
After the melodious music, an auctioneer in a red qipao elegantly took the stage.
As her lips moved, her pleasant voice spread throughout the venue.
"Welcome, distinguished guests, for attending this auction amidst your busy schedules. I am Yi Ruo, your auctioneer for today."
"Now, I will be presenting the items for auction."
"I will now read out the auction process and rules..."
As the procedures and rules were read out, the first auction item was slowly pushed out by the staff.
On the large screen behind Yi Ruo, detailed images of the item were displayed.
"The first item is a Zisha Su Dai pot made by the famous Zisha artist Chen Mingyuan from the previous dynasty."
"As you can see: the pot is spherical in overall shape, with a rounded and full body that tapers downwards, naturally forming three feet."
"Two string patterns adorn the circumference of the pot's belly, adding a touch of dynamism to its stability, which is the finishing touch."
"Looking at the whole piece, the patina is thick and the aura is ancient and elegant."
"The base of the spout is inscribed with Chen Mingyuan's regular script signature and a seal in positive relief of seal script, with vigorous and free-flowing calligraphy."
"It is truly a rare and precious Zisha teapot."
"Now, let the bidding begin."
"The starting bid for the Zisha Su Dai pot by Chen Mingyuan from the previous dynasty is 8 million Long Coins."
"Each bid must not be less than 5,000 Long Coins."
"Please bid!"
As Yi Ruo extended her delicate right hand forward, the first item of the Fang family's auction officially commenced!
"8.5 million!"
"9 million!"
"9.5 million!"
As soon as the auction began, fierce competition ensued.
The price of the Su Dai pot quickly surpassed the 10 million mark from the initial 8 million Long Coins.
Chen Zhongping and Ye Shuliang glanced at Qin Xuan, their intentions evident.
"The item is fine. Bid if you want to."
After carefully listening to the inner voice of the Su Dai pot, Qin Xuan confidently gave his conclusion.
"Alright, if brother Qin says it's real, then there's no problem."
"I bid 15 million!"
Having received Qin Xuan's affirmation, Ye Shuliang excitedly placed consecutive bids.
Chen Zhongping already owned his Zisha teapot, but he was still missing one for his home.
Now, this Su Dai pot, with its ancient aura and rounded shape, was perfect for his collection room.
However, things did not go as planned.
After several rounds of intense bidding, Ye Shuliang's first auction of the day ended in failure.
He sat in his chair, dejected and somewhat unhappy, while Qin Xuan couldn't help but click his tongue and think to himself, "This is just the first item, and it's already fetched 32 million Long Coins. Won't the subsequent items be sky-high?"
Soon, the second item was brought out.
A Kangxi Emperor-made enamel-colored rose-red ground peony bowl, with a starting bid of 10 million.
Imperial treasures from the previous dynasty, this was Ye Shuliang's area of expertise.
After viewing the large detailed images, he began bidding without even asking Qin Xuan's opinion.
Although he knew Ye Shuliang knew a lot about treasures from the previous dynasty, for the sake of caution, he focused his gaze on the peony bowl.
Peony Bowl: This small scene is far from the princes and nobles of the past. Thinking back to those times...
Good heavens, it's even preparing to enter the fray?
So, this one has also heard and seen things.
Having confirmed the item was genuine, Qin Xuan naturally let Ye Shuliang continue bidding.
In the end, this Qing Dynasty imperial enamel-colored piece was successfully purchased by Ye Shuliang for 35.65 million Long Coins.
The third item was a jade necklace, which was also a genuine piece.
The entire necklace was strung with thirty-three glass-type imperial green jade beads, in perfect condition.
Adorned with top-grade diamond-encrusted rubies, it looked valuable just at first glance.
However, neither Qin Xuan nor the others were interested in jade, so this item was naturally bid away by someone else.
After the auction of three items, the auction entered a brief intermission.
During the auction process, what Qin Xuan found rather noteworthy was that neither the imperial peony bowl nor the perfect imperial green jade seemed to have attracted Hu Hao's attention.
He was merely amusing Liu Ying in his seat, as if the normal auction had nothing to do with him.
Could it be that he was really just here to play?
Or did he have some other objective?