Chapter 702: Chapter 699: Twining Plum Bottle

Upon the man’s call for a bid, others in the crowd reacted as if they had been spurred, each shouting out their bids in turn. Even Liao Song’s friend seemed eager to join, but was subtly gestured by Liao Song to hold back, which left his friend bewildered, resisting the urge to shout out a bid.

At that moment, a deep voice from the periphery of the crowd called out, “Two million!”

The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent, everyone turned to look at the person who had made the bid, and involuntarily, a path was cleared.

A middle-aged man in his forties stepped forward, followed by a man of about twenty years old and a woman in her thirties.

Seeing those three people, Huo Sining’s expression paused for a moment. She thought to herself that enemies really do cross paths.

These were none other than Liang Jinhong, Hattori Keiko, and Watanabe Yasu, who had previously had a conflict with Huo Sining in Tengchong.

As for the Liang Family, Huo Sining didn’t really care; whether in her past life or in this one, she had always been a stranger to the Liang Family and had no intention of getting involved with them.

But her feelings towards Hattori Keiko and Watanabe Yasu were different. These two Dongyang individuals made Huo Sining feel extremely uncomfortable, especially after the several incidents that had occurred before, which had deeply tarnished her impression of them. Now encountering them here, her mood was naturally not so pleasant, her gaze toward the two sharpening.

Ji Kun, standing beside her, followed the gaze of the speaker and couldn’t help but frown when he saw Hattori Keiko and Watanabe Yasu, clearly remembering the unpleasantness with these two Dongyang people back in Tengchong.

“Boss Wu, for this pair of Twining Plum Bottles, my friend bids two million!” Liang Jinhong said with a smile as he walked into the crowd, hands clasped behind his back.

Huo Sining had not intended to participate. Knowing that the pair of Twining Plum Bottles was fake, she naturally lost interest.

It was only when she heard Liang Jinhong bid that she realized the person who wanted to buy the bottles was not Liang Jinhong himself, but Watanabe Yasu.

Seeing that Liang Jinhong’s bid of two million had stunned the crowd, a spark of unwillingness ignited within Huo Sining.

As Liang Jinhong stared at the Twining Plum Bottles with a smile, suggesting he was determined to have them, a mischievous idea flashed through Huo Sining’s mind; if she made trouble now, intentionally driving up the price, wouldn’t Watanabe Yasu also have to raise his bid?

Back in Tengchong, Watanabe Yasu had also deliberately pushed up the price, forcing Huo Sining to spend five billion to acquire the Jade Clothing. Now that she finally had the chance to make Watanabe Yasu lose face, Huo Sining wouldn’t waste such a perfect opportunity.

With this thought, a sly smile curled the corners of Huo Sining’s lips.

She was just about to call out a bid when, unexpectedly, the handsome man opposite seemed to sense she was going to compete and preempted her by shouting, “I bid two million five hundred thousand!”

After calling his bid, the man tilted his chin up at Huo Sining, revealing a provocative smile as if highly pleased with himself for having taken the lead.

Huo Sining was briefly stunned before she couldn’t help rolling her eyes at the handsome man and obediently closed her mouth.

To suddenly add five hundred thousand, the man was either a nouveau riche or a prodigal–heir, Huo Sining thought scornfully: What an idiot! Spending two million five hundred thousand on a pair of fake bottles, has he got money to burn?

Although she thought this, Huo Sining couldn’t hide a feeling of pleasure inside. No matter what intention that handsome man had, his shout meant that Liang Jinhong surely couldn’t feel comfortable!

As expected, the moment the bid reached 2.5 million, the Buddha-like smile on Liang Jinhong’s face also condensed into a cold expression, and he glanced at the peach blossom man before saying in a deep voice, “2.6 million!”

Such a stingy offer! I thought you would call out a much higher price!

Huo Sining mumbled, yet she tensely watched the peach blossom man.

Although she didn’t know the peach blossom man and found him rather tacky, if someone had to be at a disadvantage, Huo Sining would rather see Liang Jinhong lose out than the peach blossom man buying those lousy goods.

Unfortunately, the man couldn’t guess what Huo Sining was thinking. Hearing Liang Jinhong compete with him in bidding, he shouted like an enraged lion:

“I bid 3 million! Could the other boss please just be straightforward and say your maximum bid? It’s getting late; let’s settle this quickly!”

This remark hit home for everyone. With only the peach blossom man and Liang Jinhong left in the bidding, the final price of that vase depended entirely on these two. The crowd simply wanted to watch the excitement. The process didn’t matter to them. Coming straight to the conclusion would save everyone’s time.

But to the peach blossom man, money clearly meant nothing. He casually bid 3 million, and the nouveau rich’s demeanor made Liang Jinhong’s face turn utterly somber, his eyes cold as blades when looking at the peach blossom man.

Three million was not a lot, but to many onlookers, it was still an astronomical number, and the price of 3 million was already very close to the market value of a genuine pair of Twining Plum Bottles.

Liang Jinhong was no fool; bidding any higher meant they would be at a loss, so he didn’t plan to bid anymore and intended to explain this to Watanabe Yasu before withdrawing from the auction.

Unexpectedly, just at that moment, Watanabe Yasu, who stood beside him, spoke up: “To compete with him.”

As he spoke, the man extended his hand, making a gesture for five.

A Dongyang person? The crowd was stunned when the man began to speak, only then carefully observing him.

To tell the truth, Dongyang faces lack distinctive features and their facial structures are not very three-dimensional, making them hard to recognize. So, if Watanabe Yasu hadn’t spoken, no one would have guessed that he was Dongyang.

Seeing Watanabe Yasu extend five fingers, Liang Jinhong was initially shocked, but after confirming repeatedly that the other man was insistent, Liang finally nodded.

Though reluctant at heart, since the other party was resolute, Liang Jinhong could only continue bidding with a sense of helplessness: “My friend here offers 5 million RMB!”

The moment Liang Jinhong spoke, the surrounding crowd gasped in shock, looking at that Dongyang man as if he were a fool.

Yet the Dongyang man looked provocatively at the peach blossom man, his eyes showing contempt and disdain, as he uttered three words: “Chinese dog.”

Watanabe Yasu was brought over by Liang Jinhong, as the Liang Family intended to discuss a cooperative project with the Dongyang Watanabe Consortium, therefore Watanabe sent Yasu to represent them in these negotiations.

Liang Jinhong knew Watanabe Yasu enjoyed collecting Chinese antiques, which is why he indulged his interest by bringing him to the Ghost Market to experience it first-hand.

Coming down from upstairs, Watanabe Yasu didn’t see a single item of interest, until he caught sight of the pair of Twining Plum Bottles and stopped in his tracks. A few signs of excitement appeared on his face, and after examining them hands-on, his eyes lit up, evidently very interested in the pair of bottles.