Chapter 115: Credibility
"President Lin, I know you must think I'm all talk with nothing to back it up. How about this? I'll offer three hundred million. What do you say?"
Liu Yunfei looked at Lin Feng, his eyes filled with hope. Although he didn't know who Lin Feng was, he didn't care. The only thing he wanted was the piece of jade in Lin Feng's hand!
"Sorry, but it's not for sale."
To his disappointment, however, Lin Feng returned the check to him again, and without a moment's hesitation!
"What? How is that possible!"
"Three hundred million! That's a hundred million over the original price! What in the world is going on!"
"Exactly. I could believe it if a young man like Lin Feng misjudged its value, but President Liu has been in the jade business for half his life. How could he be wrong?"
Having been rejected by Lin Feng again, the joy on Liu Yunfei's face vanished, replaced by annoyance and a dark gloom. He was clearly displeased with Lin Feng's attitude.
Lin Feng ignored him and, taking Su Yanxue with him, turned to leave.
"Stop right there! What's the meaning of this? Are you making a fool of me?!"
Liu Yunfei could no longer contain his anger. He took a step forward, blocking Lin Feng's path.
"I have no intention of messing with you, but my jade really isn't for sale."
Lin Feng glanced indifferently at Liu Yunfei and explained.
It wasn't that he was afraid of Liu Yunfei; he just couldn't be bothered to deal with such trash.
"Haha, messing with me? I, Liu Yunfei, have been in this circle for decades, and this is the first time I've been humiliated like this! Tell me, who exactly are you!"
Liu Yunfei sneered, his gaze fixed icily on Lin Feng.
"Oh, I'm just an ordinary person."
Lin Feng said calmly. But how could Liu Yunfei believe him? 'An ordinary person who doesn't bat an eye at three hundred million, drives a Rolls-Royce Phantom, and comes all the way to a jade carving exhibition just for fun?'
Just as he was about to fly into a rage, a sudden cry rang out.
"The auction is starting!"
The shout immediately drew everyone's attention. On the auction stage, various rare jade artifacts were already on display, each one shimmering with a soft luster. A single glance was enough to tell they were of the highest quality.
Even the lowest-grade items among them were imperial-grade pieces from the Ming Dynasty, their value simply inestimable.
This made everyone present rub their hands in anticipation, eager to compete for the items.
At some point, Elder Li had also changed his clothes. His scholarly and elegant demeanor made people subconsciously want to approach him.
"Esteemed guests, welcome to the Jade Carving Craft Exhibition.
What we are about to present is the finale auction for this exhibition—a collection of jade and jadeite!
As today marks the opening ceremony of our craft fair, we are holding the jade and jadeite auction as our grand finale!
Now, please take a close look!"
As the auctioneer's voice echoed through the hall, the once noisy and chaotic crowd instantly fell silent, their eyes fixed on the neatly arranged jade artifacts on the stage, afraid of missing a single detail.
Jade and jadeite of this quality were incredibly rare, and such large pieces were as rare as a phoenix's feather.
In ancient times, the jade used by emperors had to be of the purest quality, guaranteed to be crystal clear and translucent. But in today's society, items made of such high-quality jade were no longer in vogue.
This was even more true for pure, raw jade. Any piece with the slightest flaw would be rejected by the market. Therefore, if one truly came across a fine piece of raw jade, it was the kind of thing that had a price but was never for sale.
Furthermore, the shapes of jade were incredibly varied. There were beautiful pieces that were round and smooth, others with sharp angles and clear patterns, and even some that were vibrant in color and soft to the touch...
But no matter the type, not a single piece at this jade and jadeite exhibition was anything less than exquisite. They were all stunningly beautiful. Some artifacts even had patterns with proportions that could be called perfect.
"Wow, so this is jade and jadeite? It's beautiful!"
"Yeah, this must be the pinnacle of jade craftsmanship."
"Jade like this is truly a work of art!"
Gasps of amazement erupted from the crowd. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the jade and jadeite, their eyes filled with delight.
Even for them, merchants who specialized in jade, it was rare to see so much high-quality jade and jadeite in one place.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the host gave a slight bow to the audience. "First, thank you all for your support. Now, let's begin the auction."
Before his voice had even faded, the host gestured to a seat in the front row, on the left. "I announce the first treasure of this auction, personally appraised by the vice president of the Jiangnan Province Jade Association, Elder Li! Please give him a round of applause!"
As he finished speaking, the entire hall erupted in thunderous applause.
Elder Li slowly rose and walked up the steps. He went to the auction table and picked up a piece of jadeite the size of an egg.
The jadeite was a vibrant green, its surface smooth and lustrous. At first glance, it looked like a piece of amber.
"Everyone, you can examine it closely. See if you notice what's different about this piece of jade."
Elder Li said with a chuckle.
Hearing this, the crowd quickly examined the large screen and the information packets in their hands, their expressions turning to ones of amazement.
"Huh? I think I really did feel a sense of warmth just now. Could this be... warm jade?"
"Holy shit, this is mutton-fat warm jade! It's the king of warm jades!"
"As expected of Elder Li! To think he could get his hands on such a top-grade piece of jade!"
Hearing the crowd's exclamations, the corners of Elder Li's mouth curled up in a satisfied smile.
His expression was filled with pride; this piece of jade had indeed been mined from a deposit of mutton-fat warm jade!
"The starting bid for this top-grade warm jade is one million!"
As Elder Li's voice fell, the crowd broke into a flurry of discussion, clearly stunned by the piece of jade.
"Tsk tsk, it seems this jade and jadeite isn't just famous in our country, but is well-known abroad too!"
"I'll bid two million!"
"Five million!"
"Eight million!"
"Nine million!"
"Ten million!"
The price shot up higher and higher, steadily climbing to ten million—an unbelievably astronomical price.
After all, ten million was far beyond what an ordinary person could afford.
Of course, everyone there knew very well that the jade's true value was far greater than this.
If one had a professional workshop and designers, they could still turn a profit even after buying it for ten million. For most, however, that was simply not an option.
In the end, the piece of jade sold for twenty-two million, acquired by a certain jewelry company.
As more and more jade pieces were brought onto the display stage, the many wealthy tycoons in the audience couldn't help but click their tongues in amazement.
Each piece of jade was worth a fortune. While they certainly didn't lack the money, such a lavish spectacle was a rare sight indeed.
"Alright, next we will begin the fourth round of the auction."