Chapter 54: The Auction Is About to Flop

Museum Curator Qin has gone abroad for an exchange and has not yet returned.

The photos were sent to his assistant.

Very quickly, the assistant gave a reply.

"This is a Tash Horse, a purebred at that, and its skeletal structure and appearance are both perfect."

"The Tash Horse is an ancient and precious horse breed in the world; the price for each horse should be between 1.5 million and 3 million."

Director Wu looked at his phone, his expression surprised.

He never expected that the two horses Bai Wei sent could actually sell for over a million!

Just how many treasures does this young woman have in her hands?

He immediately replied to Bai Wei, asking her to transport the two horses to the city for auction.

Bai Wei was holding a bag of forage to feed the horses when her phone received the message sent by Director Wu.

She took a look and was also stunned.

The two horses she had sent offhand could actually sell for over a million!

Originally, Bai Wei was just being perfunctory with Director Wu, but she never expected these two horses could really be auctioned.

She could not go back on her word, so she had to call a truck, put bridles on the two horses the next day, load them up, and take them to participate in the auction.

The next day.

Bai Wei sat in the truck and arrived in the city.

The location of the auction was a five-star hotel in the city center.

This hotel is a property under the name of the "Jialide International Auction Company" in the Imperial Capital.

Jialide International Auction Company is one of the earliest established auction companies; its auction business is extremely vast, its assets rank in the top three in the auction industry, and the company has cross-border operations in many countries.

This time, it was an auction co-hosted by Director Wu in conjunction with the "Jialide Auction Company."

Staff members waited at the entrance, helping Bai Wei unload the two horses from the truck and sending them to the backstage area.

The auction venue was on the top floor.

Bai Wei had never attended an auction before; she walked through the main entrance, not knowing where to go.

Just at this moment, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Bai Wei, why are you here?"

"Professor Zhou?" Bai Wei turned her head in surprise.

Zhou Yuchuan had changed into a suit and was standing behind her, a look of surprise also appearing on his face.

"Are you here to sell antiques?"

"To sell horses."

Bai Wei let out a soft sigh of relief in her heart.

She never expected to run into an old acquaintance; fortunately, she wasn't selling antiques this time, otherwise, if she kept selling antiques, Zhou Yuchuan would be suspicious again.

She asked back, "Are you here to buy antiques?"

Zhou Yuchuan smiled, just about to speak.

Suddenly, Director Wu walked up with a smile, "Miss Bai, I was just waiting for you..."

He caught sight of Zhou Yuchuan, was stunned for a moment, and then his face was full of smiles.

"Miss Bai, I didn't expect you to know President Zhou."

"President Zhou?" Bai Wei widened her eyes upon hearing this, looking incredulous, "Aren't you an archaeology professor at the university?"

Could it be that he had a hidden identity?

Director Wu looked at Bai Wei, then glanced at Zhou Yuchuan.

"He... he is the boss of Jialide Auction Company, you didn't know?"

"The boss?" Bai Wei was even more shocked.

Did she hear that right?

Zhou Yuchuan frowned and immediately explained.

"I am not the boss; the auction company is managed by my older brother. He has something to do today, so he asked me to attend the auction on his behalf."

Bai Wei was simply speechless, clicking her tongue in her heart.

She had dealt with Zhou Yuchuan several times, and she simply hadn't noticed!

He was actually a second-generation member of the "Jialide" family!

No wonder last time Zhou Yuchuan spent 300 million to buy the Chicken Blood Stone and even said he wanted to donate it to the museum.

She had thought Zhou Yuchuan was just joking.

How could there be something worth 300 million that someone would just donate like that? It wasn't 300 yuan.

She never expected that he was a hidden rich second-generation, and he really had the ability to splash money to donate to the museum!

Zhou Yuchuan immediately emphasized, "My job is archaeology; I don't participate in any of the company's affairs."

Bai Wei smiled politely.

That remark was just something to listen to.

This was what people called a hobby; he was not in the same circle as her, so it was better to keep her distance.

The auction was about to begin.

Bai Wei hurriedly walked away in a few steps and quickly took her seat.

Watching Bai Wei walk hurriedly toward the front, Zhou Yuchuan revealed a helpless smile.

Aside from his family, he really was just an Archaeology Professor.

He usually didn't mention his identity because he didn't want the people around him to keep him at a distance.

In less than half an hour, the auction had already sold several antiques, with transaction prices all over one million.

It was Bai Wei's first time attending an auction, and she watched with great interest.

However, none of the auction items were from the Daliang Kingdom.

It seems that this dynasty is indeed difficult to trace in history.

On the screen, projections of two Tash Horses appeared, displaying the horses from all angles.

Although the news about auctioning horses had already been released, it still caused a stir of exclamation.

The auctioneer wore a smile, introducing the information about the two horses to everyone.

The first to be auctioned was the white Tash Purebred Horse.

The starting price was one million, and the increment for each bid was fifty thousand.

Someone raised their paddle immediately.

"One million and fifty thousand."

Following closely, someone else quickly raised their paddle.

"One million and one hundred thousand."

After several rounds, the price had already reached one million and four hundred thousand.

At this point, no one was willing to increase the bid anymore.

The buyers also had their own little calculations.

Horses are not the same as antiques; they don't fetch high prices domestically, and only by shipping them abroad can they be sold for a higher price.

Just as the auctioneer was preparing to strike the gavel.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the back.

Director Wu walked over hurriedly, his expression showing rare panic.

He lowered his voice, "Ms. Bai, the labeling of the horses is wrong!"

"What?" Bai Wei was stunned.

Cold sweat broke out on Director Wu's forehead, "The message Museum Curator Qin just sent back says his assistant made a mistake; this is not a Tash Purebred Horse, but the Daliang Gao-Han Horse, which has been extinct for over a thousand years—it is a priceless treasure!"

Bai Wei was startled and became anxious as well.

If the priceless Alpine Horse was auctioned off by someone else for one million and four hundred thousand, she would be suffering a huge loss!

"Then what should we do? Hurry and withdraw the auction item."

"I am truly sorry, I... I will think of a way."

Director Wu's brows were tightly locked.

To mislabel an auction item and then try to withdraw an item that has already been bid on.

Such a major blunder would severely damage the reputation of the Tianbao Auction House.

Furthermore, if the buyer decides to sue, he will also face a lawsuit.

When running an auction house, the most important thing is reputation.

If this matter spreads in the collection world, he won't be able to survive in the circle anymore.

The auctioneer also received instructions through her earpiece, and she also looked nervous.

It was her first time encountering such a situation as well.

An item worth ten million was actually labeled as one million!

It was a complete and major blunder!

Seeing the auctioneer delaying the strike of the gavel, the buyers in the audience grew impatient.

"What's going on? Why haven't you struck the gavel to close the deal?"

"Isn't there no one bidding anymore? What exactly are you waiting for?"

Director Wu had no choice but to bite the bullet and stand up to apologize with a smile.

"I'm sorry, there was a small temporary situation, it will be handled immediately."

The buyer who bid on the horse was an impatient person.

"How much longer do we have to wait?"

Low murmurs also broke out in the audience.

Director Wu was covered in sweat.

It looked like this auction was going to be ruined in his hands.