Chapter 101 - 101: The Eldest Son of Yun Family_l
Chapter 101: The Eldest Son of Yun Family_l
Translator: 549690339
“Ye Hui has changed so much in just four years. Captivating with a single kiss, huh? How about I splash some cash and buy it?” Yang Anbang tapped his tongue at his side, feeling a bit like this society was changing too fast and he was somewhat behind the times. Nie Zhenbang chuckled. He hadn’t even heard of Ye Hui in his previous life. He guessed she had been living abroad all along, which is a common lifestyle for the children of nobility, with many people emigrating.
Observing Yang Anbang’s reaction, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but find it amusing. In his previous life, Yang Anbang was a well-known playboy, but now? Nie Zhenbang smiled and said, “Brother, don’t blame me for not warning you. Miss Xiao is going to be here soon. Then…”
As the host, Li Lixue stepped onto the stage. A restrained smile on her face, she gently said, “Ladies and gentlemen, friends, welcome to Dynasty Club’s Night of Celebrity Charity. This is the first-ever Celebrity Night Dinner in Dynasty’s history. It’s a completely new concept. Now, I would like to invite the planner of this event, Miss Ye Hui, to the stage to explain the rules of the charity auction. ”
As Ye Hui finished her explanation, the atmosphere soared. Those invited here were all influential figures in Jingcheng’s circles, even those who were usually rowdy were now behaving as gentlemen, because all the VIPs were here. Imagine offending a Golden Dragon Card member, that would be like shooting oneself in the foot.’
The first item. This was provided by Ye Hui, a 50-year-old special Maotai.
Although, some people in the audience didn’t consider it a rare commodity.
But a charity auction’s real focus is the charity itself, not how much the items are worth. It could be a brooch or some ordinary item, but everything depends on the provider and their background.
At this moment, Ye Hui took her place as auctioneer. The auction adopted the English auction format. The organizer set a minimum price and increments for each bid. The highest bidder would win after no one else placed a bid three times in a row.
At the side, a professional auctioneer specially invited from Hong Kong took the stage, glanced around, and in a Hong Kong-style Mandarin said, “This
40-year-old special Maotai is a drink reserved for officials at the central level. There were originally two thousand bottles of this liquor. After some preliminary estimates and consumption, there should be no more than ten left, making it extremely scarce. An excellent choice for your collection or enjoyment. Bidding starts at RMB 100,000. Each bid increase is RMB 10,000. Is anyone willing to bid 100,000?”
Since it was the first round and people were still getting used to it, the atmosphere wasn’t heated. Notwithstanding, as the host Nie Zhenbang raised his hand, “I bid 100,000. I certainly want to support Hui’s charity.”
Nie Zhenbang said this on purpose, making known the real theme of the auction which wasn’t about buying things but for charity instead.
In the end, Nie Zhenbang bought the Maotai for 200,000. Its high selling price for the first item was a good start for Ye Hui.
The next dozen or so items were practically sold at similar prices. At this point, it was already the penultimate item.
A waiter walked up with a red tray, Ye Hui personally came forward to take it, lifted the red cloth covering it to reveal a pair of ear tassels. She smirked mysteriously and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is not an ordinary pair of ear tassels. It is the personal ornament of a top beauty who is present here tonight. Perhaps, one of the handsome gentlemen could win the beauty’s favor.
Seeing Ye Hui’s look, Nie Zhenbang knew something wasn’t right. Sure enough, Ye Hui continued, “This pair of ear tassels comes from our lovely icy beauty, Dong Wan. This was designed by the famous Italian jewelry designer Pia Mariani. The value of the piece itself is substantial. Moreover, there is a chance of winning a beauty’s heart. Gentlemen, please seize this opportunity. This item will be auctioned off with no base price. Now, let the bidding begin.”
In fact, even among people from Yu Ying School, very few knew about Dong Wan’s background. But there were many people who knew Dong Wan because she used to be the recognized school beauty.
With Ye Hui’s exciting introduction, a lot of men with ulterior motives started to stir. Even though it was a no-reserve auction, the first bid quickly rose to 50,000.
Keep in mind, this was just a pair of platinum earrings. Considering both the ruby on the earrings and the identity of the designer, the price was basically fair, given that the designer was just a young man who had graduated only ten years ago.
“Ha-ha, fifty thousand? You think you can get them for that? They would be dirt cheap then. Let’s say one hundred and fifty thousand!” At this moment, a boisterous voice rang out less than five meters away from Nie Zhenbang.
Looking side by side, a man in a white shirt and western suspenders, sporting a well-cropped flat-top haircut, expressed a look of nonchalance, hinting at a carefree attitude.
Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows furrowed as Yang Anbang next to him chuckled,
“Zhenbang, you’ve met your match. This man should be your rival today.”
Hearing these words, Nie Zhenbang paused for a moment. Given Yang Anbang’s status and power, he would never have made such a statement if it had not been a really formidable character.
Then, Nie Zhenbang became interested, asking, “Oh? When did such a person come to Jingcheng? I would like to see him for myself.”
“Zhenbang, don’t underestimate him, he’s from the Yun family. His lineage should be the same as that of the domestic Yun family. When Old Jiang retreated, the Yun family was also split into several parts. The current vice-chairman Yun stayed in the country, and he is considered a top-notch Red capitalist. Another batch went abroad. This man’s name is Yun Zhiguang, and he represents the younger generation of the Yun family’s direct line. He has now come to the country and seems set on making a big move. He is a diamond member of my Tang Dynasty Club.”
Unlike Nie Zhenbang’s membership grading, Yang Anbang’s system has many levels, the most common being Bronze. Then there’s Black Iron, Silver, Gold, Diamond, and the highest, Emerald.
If Yun Zhiguang could become a diamond member as soon as he arrived in Huaxia, it indicated his unusual abilities. However, this was a moment when Nie Zhenbang had to step up.
Looking at Yang Anbang next to him, Nie Zhenbang laughed bitterly, “Second
Brother, do you think, at a time like this, I can’t support it?”
With that, Nie Zhenbang also raised his hand, calmly saying, “Eight Hundred Thousand!”
Money really wasn’t an issue for Nie Zhenbang at that moment. The Soviet affair had resulted in nearly all of the wealth accumulated by the Soviet Union over the years being divided between Nie Zhenbang and the Soviet officials. Just by playing the foreign exchange market in the Soviet Union, Nie Zhenbang was already enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life and ensure the security of his future generations. In this case, if Nie Zhenbang withdrew, he probably wouldn’t be able to face Dong Wan.
“One Million!” Yun Zhiguang’s face also lost its initial arrogance at this point. He glanced at Nie Zhenbang, and then shouted out this number.
As a businessman, Yun Zhiguang was very rational. One million was already quite the limit. For a woman, for vanity, this was the highest price.
Sure enough, after Nie Zhenbang shouted a price of 1.5 million, Yun Zhiguang casually said, “A gentle lady is for a gentleman. One million, in my opinion, just for a meeting, no matter whether it’s Daji or Xishi, seems to be more than enough. More would not be worthwhile. I’ll wait for the final items..”