Chapter 84
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Chapter 84: This guy is also here.
Soon, the car arrived at the exhibition center.
The exhibition center is a circular domed building, with a ring of shops selling floral and bird-themed cultural items on the outside, while the auction hall is in the center.
This exhibition center, newly built last year, is grand and has an antique charm.
Ye Chen followed Song Wanting into a glass elevator, ascending to the sixth floor.
As the elevator doors opened, an art-filled exhibition hall appeared before them, with ancient-style paintings hanging on the walls; this was the auction hall.
In front of the auction stage, a red carpet was laid out, and below it were rows of sofa booths, with tables filled with foreign wines, drinks, and fresh fruits for the distinguished guests to enjoy.
Compared to the last auction, it was clear that the Treasure Pavilion had put in a lot of effort this time; just the rental and setup of the venue probably cost nearly a million.
Song Wanting’s booth was in the very front row, right in the center. As the group was about to move forward, they suddenly heard a commotion behind them.
Ye Chen barely had time to turn his head before several people squeezed past him, forcing him to step aside.
Frowning slightly, he watched as a group entered through the passage, led by several bodyguards.
“Master Yu is here too?” Song Wanting exclaimed softly, looking up at the crowd.
The newcomers were all distinguished guests attending the auction, but at that moment, they were all surrounding a middle-aged man in a blue long gown, who had a cold and proud demeanor, and they looked at him with utmost respect.
Ye Chen glanced over and said, “So this is Master Yu; he certainly knows how to make an entrance…”
Master Yu was being escorted forward by the crowd, casually pulling out a light yellow triangular talisman and handing it to the most flattering businessman beside him, saying lightly, “Today we are fated to meet, so this safety talisman is a gift for you. It will ensure your safety and prosperity at home.”
“Thank you, Master Yu.”
The businessman, with a face full of surprise, accepted the talisman as if it were a treasure, tucking it into his bosom and saying to those around him, “Master Yu’s safety talismans are very effective. I go to ask for one every year, and thanks to Master Yu, my business has been thriving these past few years.”
The crowd looked envious, and some shamelessly approached Master Yu for a talisman, but he ignored them completely.
The assistant beside Master Yu scoffed and said in a Hong Kong-style Mandarin, “Do you think Master Yu’s safety talismans are just for the asking? Those who come to our Xuanji Hall to request a talisman have to pay at least two hundred thousand each!”
The crowd snapped back to reality, and someone immediately shouted.
“It’s rare for Master Yu to come to Jinling City; I’m willing to pay two hundred thousand for a safety talisman. Please grant me one, Master!”
“I want to buy one too! Please, Master, grant me a talisman.”
“Master Yu’s safety talismans are priceless; two hundred thousand is nothing. I’ll buy five!”
The scene became lively, with many businessmen transferring deposits on the spot to purchase Master Yu’s safety talismans.
“Form a line, one at a time.”
The assistant impatiently registered them one by one, and the atmosphere was electric.
Ye Chen couldn’t help but say, “What kind of safety talisman is so expensive? It seems too easy to make money off this.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but Master Yu suddenly looked up, frowning as he stared at him.
Master Yu pushed through the crowd and strode up to Ye Chen, sizing him up and saying, “Friend, from your tone, it seems you have an opinion about my safety talismans?”
Ye Chen replied calmly, “I think this safety talisman isn’t worth that much money.”
Immediately, someone in the crowd chimed in, “What do you know! Master Yu’s talismans are worth every bit of two hundred thousand!”
“Exactly! There are many people fighting to buy talismans worth two million!”
“This kind of loser probably can only afford the two-dollar talismans from temples!”
Master Yu looked at Ye Chen, scoffed coldly, and said, “You can eat whatever you want, but you shouldn’t speak carelessly. The reason people have brains is to think before they speak; it’s best not to pretend to understand what you don’t.”
After saying that, Master Yu disdainfully curled his lip and was the first to walk into the exhibition hall.
Ye Chen remained unfazed, not taking Master Yu seriously at all.
Beside him, Song Wanting awkwardly said, “Mr. Ye, don’t take it to heart; Master Yu has quite a temper.”
Ye Chen shrugged it off and said to Song Wanting, “Let’s go in.”
The guests entered one by one, and the host was the head of the Treasure Pavilion, Bao Fugui, who gave a few routine opening remarks before moving into the auction segment.
The auction officially began!
Due to the last auction being canceled at the last minute, this time there were more items for auction, and the number of guests had doubled.
Two hostesses pushed the first item onto the stage with a cart: an antique purple copper incense burner, with white mist curling and a fragrant aroma wafting through the air.
The auctioneer introduced, “This is a Song Dynasty pine crane reverse-flow incense burner, one of the treasured items given by the Song Emperor to the famous calligrapher Su Dongpo. The two boxes of dragon’s saliva incense that accompany it were used in the Song Dynasty imperial court and cannot be used by the public; the method of making it has been lost. Its scent refreshes the mind and has a slight stimulating effect!”
After finishing, he signaled the hostess to light the incense.
A hostess in a qipao carefully scooped a small pinch of incense with a silver spoon and lit it.
The pure white smoke flowed down the incense burner like a waterfall, and amidst the swirling smoke, the pine crane on the burner appeared lifelike, as if it were about to take flight.
A faint, exotic fragrance immediately filled the auction hall, invigorating the senses and bringing a sense of tranquility.
Ye Chen nodded and said, “This is indeed authentic dragon’s saliva incense, made from sperm whale oil, and this handmade incense-making technique is now practically unavailable.”
The auctioneer tapped the small wooden hammer twice and said, “The starting bid for the pine crane reverse-flow incense burner is eight hundred thousand, with increments of one hundred thousand.”
This incense burner was exquisitely made and had certain collectible value, and the starting price was reasonable, prompting many to raise their paddles.
Before long, the incense burner was sold to a bidder for one million six hundred thousand.
Next, several more items were presented, all high-quality antiques.
The atmosphere in the hall was lively, with guests eagerly bidding.
Xiao Changkun watched with great interest, but he was financially constrained; otherwise, he would have been itching to bid.
However, Ye Chen had little interest in these collectibles.
Although these auction items were precious, they were only for collection and held little value for him.
At that moment, a hostess brought out a white porcelain plate, which held a string of purple beads that sparkled under the lights!
The auctioneer introduced, “Natural purple pearls from the East China Sea; it takes a thousand shells to find one. This strand of pearls is round and uniform in size, making it a rare gem.”
The starting price for this strand of purple pearls was not high, only four hundred thousand.
Ye Chen raised his head and immediately called out a bid.
“Five hundred thousand!”
Xiao Changkun’s eyelids twitched, and he quickly said, “What are you bidding for? A pearl necklace is only worth a few thousand at most; this four hundred thousand is a trap for fools! Don’t bid!”
Ye Chen looked at the strand of pearls, thinking of Xiao Churan, and smiled as he said, “I think it would suit Churan perfectly. Pearls are calming, and she’s been under a lot of stress lately and hasn’t been sleeping well.”
Upon hearing that he was buying it for his daughter, Xiao Changkun wanted to say something but wisely kept his mouth shut.
The necklace had little collectible value, so no one else bid.
Just as the auctioneer was about to finalize the sale, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Six hundred thousand!”
Ye Chen turned to look in the direction of the voice.
He saw Qin Aodong from the Qin family, who had a smug smile on his face, saying to Ye Chen, “Sorry, but I also have my eye on this necklace!”
Ye Chen frowned; why was this guy here? Wasn’t he grounded by Qin Gang?
