Chapter 621 - The Butterfly Sword
Chapter 621 The Butterfly Sword
Daniel continued, “All of you should be aware that this auction is held by Sir Owen and all the items are also provided by him.
“If you attend auctions regularly, you must have heard of Sir Owen. He is very reliable and all the items provided by him are genuine.”
“Therefore, please don’t worry about the authenticity of the auction items. If you like it and can also afford its final price, please put in your bid.”
“Sir Owen has put up a total of 20 items for the auction. Now let’s get started.”
Daniel waved her hand and a hostess walked onstage with a tray in her hand.
“The first auction item today is a brush-washer, made of an ancient Huaxia porcelain, which has the official seal from the Southern Song Dynasty. It’s said that Li Shishi, a great beauty, once used it…”
Daniel was very familiar with the ancient culture of Huaxia. After giving a detailed introduction about the brush washer, she then announced, “The asking price of this item is 600,000 yuan and the price will be increased by 100,000 yuan each time. Now the bidding will begin. Those who are interested should put in your bids now.”
Porcelain items from the Southern Song Dynasty were always in high demand, especially if they had the official seal on it. Its value would then be doubled.
“800,000…”
“I’ll pay a million…”
“1.5 million…”
The price of the brush washer soared and was finally bought by a Hong Kong businessman at the price of 8 million yuan.
The auction continued and most of the items Sir Owen provided this time were antiques from Huaxia, including blue and white porcelain, famous paintings and calligraphy works. All of them were valuable items.
Daniel was an excellent auctioneer and the auction got livelier under her management. She found buyers for every item and not a single one remained unsold.
Qin Haodong sat still and did not raise the bidding card in his hand. He was not interested in antiques at all.
Yi Chenzi was sitting quietly next to him and he also did not use his bidding card. It was as if he was waiting for something special.
Bao Mingyu, who was sitting behind them, raised his bidding card several times and bought an ancient painting.
He glanced at Qin Haodong from time to time and was waiting for the right moment to humiliate this man. If Qin raised his bidding card, he would definitely give a much higher price in order to defeat him and humiliate him. At that time, Nalan Wushuang would realize that her boyfriend was just a nobody compared to him.
Then another item was brought onto the stage. Daniel uncovered the tray and it was a very beautiful ancient sword.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is an ancient sword from Huaxia. According to our expert’s appraisal, it was made in the Ming Dynasty about 400 or 500 years ago.
“I’m awed by the ancient civilization of Huaxia. I can’t believe that they could make such a beautiful sword at that time.”
She lifted the ancient sword so that the audience could see it more clearly. Its sheath was red and studded with gemstones of various colors. The handle was shaped like a butterfly. It looked like a weapon made for women.
Daniel continued, “This is called the Butterfly Sword. It’s still sharp despite being hundreds of years old. Please take a look. It is indeed a rare and valuable item.”
Then she drew the sword from its sheath. Under the light of the venue, it flashed with a cold light and there were no signs of rust on it.
“Please look at it carefully. This is one of the best ancient swords in Huaxia and is definitely a collector’s item for you. Now the bidding will start. The asking price is 1.2 million yuan and will be increased by 100,000 each time.”
Daniel announced the start of the bidding for the Butterfly Sword.
“I’ll pay 1.5 million…”
“1.8 million…”
Obviously, many people were attracted to the sword. They raised their cards and started bidding fast and furiously.
After careful observation, Qin Haodong found that the sword, which had been made hundreds of years ago, was not of high quality. But it was quite beautiful and was suitable for women.
Realizing that Nalan Wushuang did not have a suitable weapon yet, he turned his head and asked, “What do you think? Do you like it? I can buy it for you.”
Nalan Wushuang replied, “I like everything you give me. By the way, this sword is really beautiful.”
“Well, I’ll buy it for you first. We can replace it with better weapons in the future.”
The price of the sword had reached 3 million yuan now. Qin Haodong raised the card and said, “4 million yuan.”
Three million yuan was already very high for an ancient sword, so everyone fell silent upon hearing the price offered by Qin Haodong. No one offered a higher price.
More and more people noticed this young man sitting in the front row. They were very curious about his background.
Daniel glanced at Qin Haodong and gave him a bright smile. Just like men loved beautiful women, beauties were also attracted to handsome men. She said with a smile, “This gentleman is offering 4 million for the sword. Does anyone want to offer a higher price?”
Bao Mingyu was excited to find Qin Haodong participating in the bidding process. He was not interested in the sword, but since this man wanted to get this item, he would definitely get involved.
Moreover, it was the first time Qin Haodong raised his card and offered a bid for an item in this auction, which indicated that Nalan Wushuang must love this sword. If he got it and offered it to her as a gift, they might be friends later.
Daniel raised her mallet and was about to confirm the sale. At this moment, Bao Mingyu raised his card and said, “I’ll offer 5 million yuan!”
He wanted to show off his wealth and defeat Qin Haodong publicly. Therefore, he also increased the price by 1 million yuan in an attempt to outbid Qin.
Qin Haodong knew clearly why Bao Mingyu offered a higher price at this moment. So he raised his card once again and said, “6 million yuan…”
“7 million…”
Bao Mingyu followed suit.
“10 million…”
Everyone present was shocked by the price. Qin Haodong did not care about the money since the Li family would pay for him anyway.
Bao Mingyu hesitated for a moment. He did not expect that Qin was so reckless and would raise the price by 3 million yuan at a stroke.
But he did not want to eat his words and retreat from this competition. Everyone was watching now and it would be a shame to give up at this critical moment.
He continued and said through gritted teeth, “15 million yuan…”
The price had now far exceeded the value of the ancient sword. Qin Haodong looked at Bao Mingyu with a mocking smile. This guy was such an idiot. Since he wanted to show off, he would give him the opportunity.
Qin raised his card and said, “I’ll offer 20 million…”
In fact, Qin wanted to give up now. No matter who won the game and got this beautiful sword finally, he would definitely be laughed at for spending 20 million yuan on such a low-quality antique.
Although Qin Haodong was determined to quit the game, he still offered a higher price. After all, the Li family would pay for him and Sir Owen could also make more money if Bao Mingyu got the sword.
“What…”
Bao Mingyu hesitated and did not raise the card in his hand this time.
He had thought that it would cost him at most 10 million yuan to scare Qin Haodong off and get the ancient sword.
But now the price had far exceeded his expectations. It was stupid to spend more than 20 million yuan just to save his face.
At this moment, Daniel, who was standing on stage, broke the silence. As a top auctioneer, she understood the psychology of people from all kinds of life. After observing the situation for a while, she clearly knew what Bao Mingyu was thinking.
“20 million yuan. Mr. Qin is offering 20 million yuan to buy this sword. I’m sure he is buying it for the beautiful lady sitting next to him. I’m deeply impressed by his generosity and love for his girlfriend.”
Daniel did not even look at Bao Mingyu when she said this, but she was smart and skilled in the art of talking. Although she was praising Qin Haodong, Bao Mingyu felt that he was being humiliated in public. He suddenly raised the card and shouted, “I offer 30 million yuan…”
Qin Haodong looked back at him with a mocking smile, as if he was an idiot. Then he put the card on the table.
He had already figured out that 30 million yuan was Bao’s utmost limit. If he offered a higher price once again, this guy would definitely give up.
Daniel smiled and said, “Mr. Bao is offering 30 million yuan. Is there anyone who wants to offer a higher price? 30 million once, 30 million twice…”
After asking twice in a row, she raised the mallet and then said, “Congratulations, Mr. Bao. This beautiful ancient sword belongs to you.”
“Ah…”
Bao Mingyu was the winner, but there was no trace of a smile on his face. 30 million yuan could fund the filming of a small-scale movie and it was a waste to show off, using so much money.
He had offered the price on impulse and regretted it when he calmed down. But he had already spent the money and it was useless to say anything else. He looked back at Nalan Wushuang and wished she would talk to him.
He had spent so much money to buy the sword for her and she must be impressed. But Nalan Wushuang did not even look at him and her eyes were gazing adoringly at Qin Haodong. Although Qin did not get the sword, she still loved him.
“Fuck…”
He cursed and seethed silently.
No matter how depressed he was, the auction would not stop for him. Daniel continued and introduced the next auction item.
“This is the centerpiece of today’s auction. I believe that many of you are here because of it. It can even be regarded as a national treasure.
“Maybe some of you have already realized what it is. Yes! It is a precious cultural relic of our country: the snake head sculpture from the twelve signs of the zodiac.”
Daniel’s words caused an uproar in the crowd. There were indeed many people who were here specially to bid for the sculpted snake head.
At this time, two hostesses brought a tray covered with a red cloth to the auction stage. Daniel uncovered the tray and they saw a bronze statue of a snake-head that had an ancient bronze glow.