Chapter 499: with translation of chapter title

A broken watch worth 188 yuan, its starting bid is actually ten million!

Crazy!

This world is truly crazy in all colors!

Even if you, Mr. Lin, have the director's position backing you, everyone is just trying to make friends and give you face by buying this watch, you can't be so greedy.

Nobody's money blows in from the wind; do you really think money lies on the ground waiting to be picked up?

A boss downstairs couldn't help but joke: "The starting bid for the Sea Blue Chain is ten million, and your watch's starting bid is also ten million. Director Lin, you're trying to stand on equal footing with the medieval English queen!"

"Boss, you got it right—I just want to stand on equal footing with the English queen."

Today, Ordinary Dad really embodied the essence of the two words 'overbearing'—as the saying goes, the bolder one is, the greater one's estate!

Lin Dongfan again said: "A foreign old lady's necklace, worn by her, can fetch a sky-high price. My watch, worn by me, Lin Dongfan, why can't it fetch a sky-high price?"

"She's the English queen, what are you?!' Liu Qingmei sneered: 'You're just a petty director, really taking yourself for somebody? Want to pull this act? Wait till you become emperor to say that—afraid your ancestral grave isn't buried in an auspicious spot, so no green smoke will rise. I think you should consult a feng shui master and first go move your grave.'

Cough cough!

Lin Dongfan cleared his throat twice, to prevent anyone in the crowd from joining in the clamor.

The effect was not bad.

At a glance, although many of the wealthy folks downstairs were laughing, it was clear they weren't mocking maliciously like Liu Qingmei.

To be precise, they were treating this as a skit, enjoying themselves.

Great!

Not following Liu Qingmei's lead in stirring up trouble, today's affair has promise.

Lin Dongfan collected himself and, with reason and evidence, told the wealthy folks downstairs: "Outside the Fifth Ring Road, there's a children's welfare institute in poor condition, housing over a hundred wailing orphans. Starting at ten million, this isn't excessive, is it? Anyway, I think it's not excessive at all."

Not excessive, not at all excessive—this is charity beyond price, great love boundless.

The one who responded was Manager Liu.

Uh!

This is a Manager Liu who understands worldly affairs; shortly after stepping down, before even finding a seat, he hastily raised his hand and bid: "I offer 11 million."

As soon as his words fell, the venue was again filled with shocked gasps.

Those wealthy regulars at the auction basically all know Manager Liu. Among them, a balding man wondered: "Manager Liu, did you get kicked in the head by a donkey today?"

Before the balding man could figure it out.

Xu Jijun, sitting in the front row's prime C seat, raised his number plate again: "I bid 12 million."

'1300.'

Manager Liu raised his hand again to bid.

At that moment, the auction official lady who had just finished a phone call raised her hand: "14 million." She wasn't bidding for herself, but for a bigwig who couldn't attend in person.

The bigwig said on the phone that today they must secure this watch.

Xu Jijun raised his plate again: "I bid 15 million."

Manager Liu: '1600.'

Auction official lady: '17 million.'

……

The three of them took turns raising the bid, and in a short while it reached 38 million, leaving the bigwigs in the audience dumbfounded.

The smart balding man also caught a whiff that something was off.

He felt it wasn't that Manager Liu and the others had been kicked in the head by a donkey, but that his own mind was half a beat slow. Are we bidding on a watch? Clearly we're bidding on favors and social graces!

This Director Lin's background is probably not simple.

Now not only is Manager Liu willingly playing the green leaf to him, even Xu Jijun, a red-third-generation of that stature, is acting as his foil.

This is promising!

Having thought this through, the shrewd balding man also raised his number plate: "Since Director Lin means to do charity, I, Zhou, will also join the fun—I bid 39 million."

"Thanks for the face, Chairman Zhou."

Lin Dongfan simply said thanks.

He then continued asking the attendees: "Is anyone else bidding? Our Chinese people's jewelry, worn by us, surely isn't inferior to a foreign old lady's trinket, is it?"

"Director Lin makes sense."

The one who responded was a bigwig from the IT industry.

Seeing Chairman Zhou's bid, this IT bigwig also raised his number plate, showing off: "I, Ma, will also join the fun, just a token—50 million. Gentlemen, sorry, my bid is a bit high. Haha, I'll treat you to a meal later to make up for it."

"Thanks for the face, Chairman Ma."

Lin Dongfan, as usual, expressed thanks and then continued scanning the crowd.

The auction official lady, not wanting to be outdone, said: "51 million."

Manager Liu: "52 million."

Xu Jijun laughed and raised his number plate: "Regarding the showdown between the Chinese director and the foreign queen, I have something to say—I'm Chinese, I side with the Chinese director, 100 million!"

"Young Master Xu, so overbearing!"

Lin Dongfan gave a thumbs up, grinning so wide he couldn't close his mouth.

Chairman Zhou, the balding man, gritted his teeth, raised his plate again, and bid: "I'll add another million."

Chairman Ma followed with his plate: "I'll add two million."

"I can't keep up, my strength is limited." Manager Liu helplessly shook his head and sighed, then firmly muttered: "But my heart is red—I firmly support the Chinese director."

"I'll add three million," the auction official lady shouted.

Xu Jijun raised his plate again: "I'll add four million."

Suddenly, a slightly plump lady who had never raised a paddle before floated over and said: "I bid 150 million—can I suppress the whole field?"

"150 million just wants to dominate the scene, treating us as air?" Ma Zong loves to show off; people in the underworld call him Show-off Ma! Saying that, he raised his placard and rushed to the front of the show-off line: "200 million, sprinkle some water. Let me tell you, the richest take turns sitting; this year it's my turn. Today I've secured this limelight, no one else should compete with me."

"I'll add another one million." The auction official miss wasn't the slightest bit intimidated.

This bid finally shocked Zhuangbi Ma. Zhuangbi Ma looked at the auction official miss in surprise: "Miss, this is two hundred million RMB, not hell money, are you sure you can cover this?"

The auction official miss politely smiled: "Ma Zong, if you're not satisfied, you can keep bidding."

"Fine, I'll play along, I'll add two million." Ma Zong raised his placard, straightforward and swift,

Liu Qianmei arrived here, completely dumbfounded; a broken watch worth over a hundred actually attracted so many bigshots to bid fiercely, even Zhuangbi Ma personally jumped in.

Crazy!

These lunatics are absolutely crazy!

Liu Qianmei, unable to bear it any longer, stood up and shouted: "You people, your brains are waterlogged! That sea-blue chain, I bid one hundred million and felt it a loss! Lin Dongfan's broken watch, you've bid it up to over two hundred million, a sky-high price! If you really want to do charity, just donate the money to the welfare institute—why are you putting on an act?"

Ma Zong sized up Liu Qianmei up and down: "Where did this little cutie come from? You can't speak properly—where's the security? Throw her out."

Hearing that, Manager Liu broke out in a cold sweat: "Ma Zong, there's no security arranged inside; … perhaps you could bear it a bit longer?"

The implication is that you're meddling too much—how can you chase my guests on my turf? Although this Liu Qianmei is indeed annoying, our Auspicious Treasure Pavilion auction has never had a precedent of driving away guests.

Someone as smart as Ma Zong would surely understand Manager Liu's meaning.

But Ma Zong didn't hesitate, raising his middle finger: "Manager Liu, your vision is too grand—I can't see the end of it, I can't even see where you are."

Meaning, I look down on you.

Manager Liu laughed embarrassedly, tears in his eyes: "This is my fault, I'll fix it, Ma Zong—please sit down first."

He then warned Liu Qianmei again: "Miss Liu, please sit down and stop being rude. Otherwise, we'll have to ask you to leave the auction—please conduct yourself properly."

Hmph!

Liu Qianmei sat back down in her chair, fuming.

She stared fixedly at Lin Dongfan on the stage, thinking: "I really want to see what you're up to with this catnip! If you think this is how you take bribes, just watch me report you to your death!"