Chapter 628 - Auction Starting
Chapter 628 – Auction Starting
As the sun shifted towards the west inch by inch, Hanzhou City’s guests arrived one after another. Aside from bodyguards, there were staff all around in the courtyard. All of them had a walkie talkie hanging on their uniforms while paying attention to the activities here.
The Qihuang Charity Funds’ auction event was initially planned to be held in No. 5 Building, but it was shifted to No. 2 Building. The conference hall here was spacious with all the latest technology. All important meetings in the city were held here.
This was the government building in the city meant for organising activities, allowing the Qihuang Charity Funds to cut down on a huge expenditure. As a charity foundation, they might seem to have strong funding, but every single cent was meticulously used. After all, they’re all donations, and they’re meant to be used to help others.
With that, they managed to save ¥10,000 on the venue, and at the same time, the money could be used to help three families.
The County Mayor, Du Ping entered and instantly felt admiration for Su Tao. Back then, who could’ve imagined that a young divine physician from back then would become a household name to everyone in Hanzhou City? Not only did he create numerous miracles, he even managed to attract so many well-known entrepreneurs in the nation.
Despite having a huge location, the decorations were simple. There weren't any luxurious decorations like those high-end balls, but it’s filled with warmth and serenity. On the right, there was information on Qihuang Charity Funds’ upcoming charity plans, including the Charity Industry Proposal that received attention all over the internet, showing their sincerity.
Lu Shimiao took the role of the host for this event, standing on the right side of the stage and getting familiar with the script while wearing a solemn expression. When the auction starts later, she would be responsible for hosting the event and making a speech.
As for Su Tao, he was surrounded by a group of people, to which all of them seemed friendly from their expressions.
Standing to the side, Du Ping sighed. He might be a department-level official, but he’s being neglected in this auction. After all, the entrepreneurs here were all experienced, and they naturally couldn’t be bothered with a small fry like him.
“Mr. Du!” Su Tao saw Du Ping from afar and walked over as he introduced, “This is a good friend of mine, Du Ping. He’s an outstanding County Mayor. Didn’t you guys mention your intentions to invest in Hanzhou City? I think that you can talk to Mr. Du about this matter in the future. He’s familiar with the real estate and procedures in Hanzhou City, and I believe he will give you the best support.”
Du Ping never expected that Su Tao would pull strings for him and immediately smiled, taking out his name card and humbly giving them out. When the entrepreneurs saw that Du Ping was young and also seemed to have a good relationship with Su Tao, they briefly exchanged a few words with him and also gave their name cards.
Holding onto the name cards, Du Ping felt butterflies in his stomach. After the auction comes to an end, he could try and follow up to keep in contact. Occasionally, one had to be thick-faced.
As long as these entrepreneurs were willing to invest in Hanzhou City, he would try his best to get them to settle down in his county.
Su Tao had a high EQ, so he naturally knew how to give out favors. Zhang Ping wouldn’t care if the investment was in Hanzhou City or the county since it’s the same to him anyway.
Putting it in a nutshell, the Qihuang Charity Funds’ job was to be a robin hood by robbing the rich to help the poor. However, they’re just using a legalised method to do it, and using this method, they would be able to make the tycoons hand over their money willingly.
When Su Tao saw Asaka Ochi walking in, he smiled and walked over. Standing beside her was the owner of the Japanese-styled hotel that he met before, Lin Kun. This time, he had learned his lesson and did not initiate a handshake with Su Tao. Looking at the simple decorations, Lin Kun inwardly sighed. He was initially holding a high expectation for the auction, but he was utterly disappointed. It was even pale in comparison to high-end clubhouses that he went to.
Lin Kun rarely watched the news, so he had no idea that the entire nation had their focus directed on the Qihuang Charity Funds.
This wasn’t because he’s not willing to spend money and effort in this sort of venue, but he didn’t feel the need to do it. If he wanted to do charity, he would naturally use it on the source, and not on this sort of fickle venue.
“The auction will start in half an hour, so why don’t you rest for now?” Su Tao smiled. At the very least, this woman has donated tens of millions to the Qihuang Charity Funds. As a huge customer, he naturally had to receive her well.
Typically speaking, Lin Kun couldn’t be allowed in here, but Su Tao ignored it for Asaka Ochi’s sake.
“You can focus on your matters, please don’t mind me!” Asaka Ochi pursed her lips. She called Kohei Koizumi yesterday, and even her husband had heard about the auction back in Japan. Hence, one could tell the commotion caused by this auction.
Entering the venue, Asaka Ochi was instantly the focus of attention.
Her charm lies in her innocent appearance with a tint of affectionate passion. It was as if she was born to ripple the hearts of others. Her pupils were bright, with smooth and pearly white skin. She did not have a tall stature, but with a height of 5’2” and heels of ten-odd centimeters, she was akin to a crane in a flock of chickens.
The most charming factor about her would be her dimples when she smiled, which instantly left a good impression on others. Her feminine sweetness lies in her every frown and smile.
After Su Tao left to attend to the other guests, Lin Kun noticed Asaka Ochi’s eyes were glued on Su Tao. Instantly, he felt unhappy in his heart and commented, “I don’t think there’s any meaning in this charity auction. In my impression, this sort of auction is just a procedure. The buyers for all the items are already determined, and it’s just a procedure to put on a show.”
Shaking her head, Asaka Ochi smiled. “Perhaps for other auctions, but this isn’t the same!”
“Let me see how different it is, then!” Lin Kun smiled in disdain.
Pointing at the bald man not too far away, Asaka Ochi smiled. “Do you recognise that man?”
“I don’t.” Lin Kun was baffled as he looked at Asaka Ochi. He was curious why she would suddenly ask such a weird question.”
“He’s the Chairman of Golden Seas Corporation, Gong Hai.” Asaka Ochi sighed and patiently explained, “In terms of wealth, the Golden Seas Corporation isn’t inferior to the Fuji Group. However, Gong Hai is a low-profile person, and no one knows how much wealth he possesses. He’s a low-profile tycoon outside the Forbes List.”
Lin Kun wasn’t unfamiliar with the Fuji Group. After all, he studied abroad for years, and the Fuji Group had their hands stretched out to many industries.
Lin Kun was a little surprised since he never expected that he would see such a distinguished guest in such a low standard event.
“Perhaps he’s also here for the procedures like us!” Lin Kun explained in an unnatural tone.
Glancing at Lin Kun, Asaka Ochi smiled. “I’m not here to go through the procedure. I’m naturally here to participate in the auction, but judging from the situation, there are so many tycoons here, and I don’t hold any advantage.”
Seeing that Asaka Ochi was interested in the auction, Lin Kun slapped his chest and promised, “I’ll bid anything you like and give it to you.”
“Thank you, but there’s no need.” Asaka Ochi smiled when she saw Lin Kun’s sincerity.
However, Lin Kun was determined to bid for whatever item Asaka Ochi wanted to express his sincerity. He would prove to her with his action that he could do anything for her.
The two of them knew each other for years, but Lin Kun was deeply hurt when Asaka Ochi suddenly married Kohei Koizumi. Lin Kun also did not manage to walk out of this knot in his heart. Even after he returned to China, his heart was in Japan.
But he heard from his friend that Kohei Koizumi seemed to be seriously ill, and he didn’t have many days left. Hence, the extinguished spark in Lin Kun’s heart reignited once more.
He’s no longer the youth who relied on his family. He had his own hotel, and he’s somewhat accomplished amongst all his classmates and friends. Most importantly, his parents possessed authority in Hanzhou City. As long as Asaka Ochi was willing, she could marry over to China and put down her previous unhappy marriage to start a new life.
Lin Kun started to imagine the beautiful future and was only waiting for the right time to tell Asaka Ochi about it.
He wanted to tell Asaka Ochi that he didn’t mind her past marriage. As long as she’s willing, he could do anything for her.
In his view, Asaka Ochi’s trip to Hanzhou City must be partly because of official business and to meet him, and this was why he felt fluttery in his heart.
However, Lin Kun was filled with hostility for Su Tao. For some reason, he could sense that there’s something peculiar about Asaka Ochi’s gaze when she looked at Su Tao, and this was also what made him feel pressured.
Lin Kun instantly knew that Asaka Ochi treated Su Tao differently. Due to the fact that Asaka Ochi was a reserved woman, she didn’t have many friends of the opposite gender. Even he had persisted for a long time before he managed to get close to Asaka Ochi. In open-minded Japan, there weren’t many people like Asaka Ochi who had self-respect and self-discipline.