When Chen Fan called out his bid, even the auctioneer hosting the event was shocked.
The elites of Hong Kong attended and hosted such auctions pretty often so the auctioneer was quite versed in the price of different kinds of Dharma Artifacts. This Jade Gourd was effective in balancing the energy inside of the user’s body and lightening the user’s mood by adjusting the electromagnetic waves around the user. This kind of Dharma Artifact would be worth around ten to twenty million. Even twenty-five million was a bit of an overshot for this item, much less thirty million. The bidder had to be a super-rich guy who didn’t care about squandering money to be able to put down such an outrageous offer.
Zheng Anpin hesitated. However rich the Zheng family was, he was only one of the Zheng family’s branch that was not in power. Most of the family wealth was in control of Zheng Anqi’s father, Zheng Haochang, his ninth uncle. Zheng Anpin’s parents only run a jewelry store for the family can and Zheng Anpin’s total wealth was only a mansion and a few luxury cars. He had to nag his parents to lend him some money before he came to the auction. If not because he was going to use the money on his grandpa’s birthday present, his father would never give him that much money.
However, if his father knew that he had squandered thirty million on a Dharma Artifact, he would not let him get away with it.
Seeing Zheng Anpin didn’t counter the new bid and neither did any other competitors, everyone looked to Chen Fan.
“Sir, can you please show us your bank account?”
It was evident that the auction house was suspicious of Chen Fan. After all, he looked like a teenage boy. However powerful his family was, no teenage boy would throw away thirty million without sweating about it. In 2008, thirty million was able to buy ten houses in Hong Kong.
Chen Fan didn’t say a word and produced his bank card.
The card looked very ordinary. It wasn’t as flashy as the premium bank accounts. The auctioneer took the card and ran the account number through their system.
It wasn’t long before the manager of the auction company come over to Chen Fan and handed the card back respectfully.
He was shocked by the string of zeros in his account and reckoned that the bank account held over a hundred billion.
“Thirty million once!”
“Thirty million twice!”
“Thirty million trice! Deal! This Dharma Artifact is bought by Mr. Chen from the mainland.”
When the gavel landed on the wooden plate the entire room boiled over.
They watched as an ordinary-looking young man from mainland defeated the Young Lord Zheng in a bidding war. A lot of people were also shocked by the outrageous price this item had fetched. This was a small auction house, so thirty million was not a small number. People would be less amazed by the price tag if it was an auction held by Sotheby’s or Christie’s.
“My love, our Hong Kong tour was such an eye-opener.”
“Just so! There are so many badass rich people in mainland nowadays, even a young kid could outbid Young Lord Zheng. I wonder which family clan is he from? Could he be the heir of one of the super-rich families in the mainland?”
The other attendees chatted with each other about the development.
Qian Lulu and her friends could only stare. They would feel guilty for buying a thousand yuan handbag. Chen Fan never wore expensive clothing but he didn’t even blink when he paid thirty million yuan for a trinket. Qian Lulu had finally seen the rich heir in Chen Fan this time.
Even Qiu Yilun couldn’t hide his admiration for Chen Fan despite his efforts to hide it. Although his family owned a hundred million in assets, that money all belonged to his father. The highest amount of pocket money he could get was about a hundred thousand, a far cry from Chen Fan.
Qi Wangsun was the only one who still kept calm.
A light flickered in Zhou Qinya’s eyes as if the development had confirmed one of her suspicions.
By then, the auction house had already placed the Dharma Artifact carefully in a suitcase and handed it over to Chen Fan. Everyone looked to the silver suitcase and hoping to see the treasure that was worth thirty million up close.
Chen Fan didn’t want to waste a minute, so he picked up the suitcase and was about to leave the room. Suddenly, a group of men came over to him and blocked his path. The leader of the group was a young man in fashionable clothing.
“What a deal, young man! Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Zheng Anpin.”
The secretary beside him put in. “Boss Zheng is the CEO of the Meng Dafu Jewelry Company. He is the grandson of Lord Zheng, Zheng Zhongming.”
Zheng Anpin put on a smug smile as his secretary filled in the important details.
Although he has lost the bidding, he was still the Young Lord Zheng of the prestigious Zheng family, one of the top ten families in Hong Kong. Even the richest man in a mainland province would have to show some respect before him.
“Oh?” Chen Fan offered a distracted reply and asked: “Is there anything you need?”
“Boss Zheng wishes to talk to you in private about the Dharma Artifact you have just bought.” Zheng Anpin’s secretary replied for Zheng Anpin.
“I don’t have the time.”
So saying, Chen Fan turned around and started off.
The name of the Zheng family might have been able to impress others, but not Chen Fan. After all, the Zheng family still owed him a trillion yuan. Zheng Anqi had promised him that even if she couldn’t afford it, her entire family will help her with the cost.
“Hold on, sir.” Zheng Anpin shouted. Despite the displeasure in his eyes, he plastered on a smile and said: “Mr. Chen must be new to Hong Kong and is unfamiliar with things such as Dharma Artifacts. I have a famous Feng Shui master working for me, why don’t we ask him to identify the item you have just bought?”
Zheng Anpin’s offer had piqued Qiu Yilun’s interest.
“Yea, boss. You spent so much money on this Jade Gourd, how do we know if it’s the real deal or not? Why don’t we take it to someone who can identify it for us?” Qiu Yilun suggested
Qi Wangsun also put in.
“Dharma Artifacts are even more difficult to identify than antiques. It requires years of experience and expertise.”
Chen Fan’s other friends also chimed in. They didn’t want to see Chen Fan playing ducks and drakes of his money and get nothing in the end.
Hearing everyone’s suggestions, Chen Fan furrowed his brows slightly and then unfurrowed them right away. He replied readily: “Fine, I will go with you.”
The group filed out of the hotel, trailing behind Zheng Anpin. They shared a ride in the hotel’s car to the most famous restaurant in Hong Kong, the Vasco.
“This restaurant has some of the best Spanish food in Hong Kong. Their chef was a Michelin rated chef, a student of Martin Berasetgui. This place is well known for its Iberian porchetta, Cochinillo, and Arròs Negre.”
As a local Hong Konger, Zheng Anpin knew the restaurants very well.
His knowledge and demeanor spoke loudly of his elite upbringing. He looked and sounded just like a gentleman.
The education system and culture in Hong Kong were heavily influenced by the British and therefore, most elite families educated their children like the royal family of England would to their heirs. However sordid their minds were, they always kept the appearance of gentlemen. After seeing such a well-bred chinless wonder, Qian Lulu’s eyes turned into hearts. Even Zhou Qinya couldn’t help but be impressed by the young man’s manners.
Compared to Qiu Yilun and the other brusque young boys at school, Zheng Anpin was much more mature and charming. No wonder he was able to date one of the most popular actresses in Hong Kong.
“I know the chef, and have requested him to cook for us personally.” Once they entered a reserved private section, Zheng Anpin pulled the chairs out for all the girls. He then looked to Chen Fan and said: “Master Yuan won’t be here for a while, would you be so kind as to indulge us and show us the Dharma Artifact?”
He had been coaxing Qiu Yilun and the other members of the group into thinking that he was warmhearted localhost, so everyone around Chen Fan agreed with him and asked Chen Fan to show the Dharma Artifact.
Chen Fan didn’t mind the game Zheng Anpin played. These mortals wouldn’t really understand the real power of the Jade Gourd anyways.
He opened the suitcase and took the Jade Gourd out. Upon close inspection, they noticed that the surface of the palm-sized Jade Gourd was covered by inscriptions. The quality of the Jade itself was rather poor and was ridden with imperfections. However, the carvings on its surface were very intricate and meticulous. Despite the inferior appearance of the Jade’s texture, it felt smooth and silky to the touch just as a top-grade mutton fat jade would.
However, after looking close-up, people still couldn’t find out why would it be worth that much money.
Qiu Yilun couldn’t help but ask:
“Boss, you spent thirty million on this? Are you sure that’s a good idea? It looks cheap.”
Before Chen Fan could reply, Zheng Anpin put in with a smile. “Yilun, I don’t think you understand the value of a Dharma Artifact. Even the most common Dharma Artifact would cost over a few million. This Jade Gourd has a calming and refreshing effect on its user’s mind and body, so it would be worth around ten to twenty million. But Thirty million is a little bit too much for it indeed.”
Zheng Anpin shook his head as if he was lamenting Chen Fan’s overpaying the item.
Chen Fan was unaffected by the remark. He put the Jade Gourd slowly back into the suitcase. Concern and displeasure surfaced on Zheng Anpin’s face seeing Chen Fan was unaffected by his words at all. A few moments later, Master Yuan finally arrived.
Everyone was surprised to find out that Master Yuan was not a skinny white-haired white-bearded old man. Instead, he was a middle-aged man in a suit.
“Young Lord Zheng. I heard you want me to identify a Dharma Artifact that you just acquired?”
Master Yuan laughed and asked.
“You have heard wrong, Yuan Hen. I didn’t buy it, it’s this young man here. He beat me in a bid and bought this item for thirty million.” Zheng Anpin said with a smile. He sounded like he regretted his unsuccessful bid.
“Oh? thirty million for an ordinary Health Enhancing Dharma Artifact? That sounds a bit too much.” Master Yuan furrowed his brows and then said: “If you don’t mind, can I identify this item for you?”
Zheng Anpin hurried to put in: “Master Yuan is a reputable Feng Shui master in Hong Kong. He is a board member of the International Feng Shui Institution. He works for many Feng Shui consulting companies and was a student of Master Zhou, Zhou Daoji.”
“Ah-haha. Thank you for the flattering introduction.” Yuan Hen smiled humbly, but the pride in his eyes had betrayed him.
Zhou Daoji was the number one Feng Shui master in Hong Kong. His Dharma Spells, Feng Shui, and Dao Spells were unrivaled in southern China for fifty years. Yuan Hen has all the reason to be proud of being his student.
Qiu Yilun and the others were not sure what to think of Zheng Anpin’s introduction of Master Yuan, after all, they knew nothing about Feng Shui.
However, Chen Fan registered that Yuan Hen was indeed a Dao-Reaching Level cultivator. He had reached the mid-stage of the Dao-Reaching Level, and his power should be on par with Wu Shanhe when he first met him. However, Chen Fan wagered that Wu Shanhe must be far more powerful now than he had been half a year ago.