48: Chapter 47, About Face!
48: Chapter 47, About Face!
The bidding conference officially began.
Actually, to call it a bidding conference was a bit of a misnomer; it was more like a grand auction.
This time around, the event was not initiated by the government to lease out land but rather by a wealthy businessman looking to sell property.
This businessman was a big shot, a name Fang Yi had faintly heard mentioned earlier—the tycoon was one of the three richest businessmen from Moon City.
Fang Yi naturally had no interest in buying land; he wasn’t into business, nor was he looking to make a fortune.
Besides, even if he wanted to, he’d have to pry the money out of the old man’s hands first, considering all the cash he had snagged over the years was under the old man’s control.
“Hey, I want to discuss something with you,” Fang Yi said.
“What is it?” Shen Binan didn’t even turn around.
can I borrow some money?” Fang Yi asked.
Shen Binan silently turned to face him and said, “Weren’t you bragging about being tall, rich, and handsome with lots of money?
Why do you need to borrow from me?”
“Well…” Fang Yi felt especially frustrated at that moment and cursed the old man silently in his heart a hundred times over.
But for the sake of the Dragon Blood Ginseng, he was ready to go all out.
“I am rich, but all that money is controlled by a damned old man.
Just lend me some, don’t be so stingy.
After all, I am your personal bodyguard, throw me a bone here,” Fang Yi urged.
A flicker of surprise appeared in Shen Binan’s eternally unchanged eyes.
“How much do you want to borrow?”
Fang Yi immediately took out the brochure, flipped to the Dragon Blood Ginseng’s photo, and smiled, “Not much, just enough to win this at the auction.”
“Ginseng?” The flicker of surprise in Shen Binan’s eyes deepened.
“What do you need it for?” Shen Binan asked, puzzled.
With a secretive air, Fang Yi replied, “I won’t hide it from you, I’ll tell you the truth—I’m sick.”
Shen Binan said without expression, “I can see that, you definitely are sick, and quite severely at that.”
Damn, this woman really knew how to insult someone.
But Fang Yi had no choice; as they say, beggars can’t be choosers.
Swallowing his pride, he said, “Director Shen, please have some consideration.
Lend me a million or so.
I’ll be your workhorse in the future, and if you want me to pledge myself to you, I’ll do it without a second word.”
No matter how touching Fang Yi’s plea was, Shen Binan only indifferently replied, “We’ll see.”
Fang Yi couldn’t quite figure out this woman’s temperament and whether she was willing to lend him the money or not.
Just then, someone approached the stage—a clean, middle-aged fat man dressed in a wealthy fashion.
“Hello everyone, I am Ying Zheng.”
At that announcement, a buzzing arose from the crowd below.
Fang Yi listened attentively and realized that the fat man on the stage was indeed one of the wealthy businessmen; looks can be deceiving after all.
But Fang Yi noticed that although this tycoon named Ying Zheng had a fair complexion, it was excessively so, and his eyes slightly numb and vacant, which made Fang Yi suspect the fat man had some issues in a certain department.
Ying Zheng made some remarks on stage before the auction officially started, with a plot of land as the first item up.
Most of the attendees were here for this piece and began to bid energetically.
“By the way, I need to ask you something,” Fang Yi said.
“I remember that Longtu Group is involved in the food and apparel industries but also seems interested in the construction industry.
How come you’re not interested in this land?”
Shen Binan replied calmly, “It’s not that I’m not interested, it’s that I dare not take it.
Do you think Ying Zheng is selling this land out of the goodness of his heart?
The pollution there is severe, and it has even caused death.”
“Damn, that fat man is a crook!” Fang Yi said, unable to believe that the kind-faced fat man on stage had such a dark heart.
Shen Binan sneered, “Crook, crook, always the businessman; what did you expect?”
The plot of land quickly found a buyer, and the auctioneer brought down the gavel, announcing, “Congratulations, Mr.
In the audience, Wang Mingqi held a glass of white liquor, dressed formally like a gentleman, remaining composed amidst the congratulations from nearly everyone in the hall, but without any sign of self-congratulation.
“The young master of the Bai Family is truly extraordinary; he retains his composure under any circumstances,” Shen Binan commented.
“Yeah, compared to him, your admirer seems pretty lousy,” Fang Yi said.
Wang Mingqi was accompanied by Lin Mengyan, who looked as proud as if he himself had won the bid, basking in reflected glory.
After the land was sold, the auctioneer announced, “Next up for auction are items from Mr.
Ying’s private collection, with all the proceeds from these items being d to poor disaster-stricken areas…”
Lively applause immediately erupted from the crowd, and journalists snapped photos.
Onstage, Ying Zheng had the smile of a Cheshire cat, his plump face beaming with joy, filled with the slyness of a businessman.
In today’s society, some wealthy individuals a small portion of their money for charity.
Some are genuinely heartfelt, while others do it to gain fame, but the purpose of this fat man remains a mystery.
Considering his reputation as one of the three richest merchants in Moon City, he surely doesn’t need any more fame, or could he be genuinely heartfelt?
To say that would make even a three-year-old child disbelieve that this fat man is a good person.
Soon it was time for the ring that Shen Binnan favored to be auctioned.
The starting bid for this historic ring was two hundred thousand, but none of the people present were interested in it, except for the women.
Even with a starting bid of two hundred thousand for a ring, some women of high society hesitated, some bid to please their female companions, but the offers were not very high.
The bidding rose to around three hundred thousand, and just as the auctioneer was about to finalize the sale, Shen Binnan spoke slowly, “Four hundred thousand!” Her voice was crisp, cold, soft, yet enough to attract the attention of everyone present.
Even from a corner, Shen Binnan immediately became the center of attention.
Like a phoenix, even if it is in a thorny forest, as soon as it makes a sound, it would be noticed.
Such was the charm and aura of Shen Binnan herself.
“It’s actually Shen Binnan!”
“Moon City’s Ice Mountain beauty.”
“The current president of the Longtu Group is interested in this ring?”
Amidst the buzzing discussions, Shen Binnan drew more attention than the ring itself.
“You are very popular,” Fang Yi said.
Shen Binnan did not respond.
At the same time, another voice rang out: “Five hundred thousand!”
Upon hearing this, the attention shifted, equal to that given to Shen Binnan.
Fang Yi looked bemused and muttered, “What is this woman doing, meddling in the fray!”
This woman was none other than Lin Mengyan.
“Isn’t that the Lin Family’s eldest daughter?”
“She’s interested in the ring too?”
“She’s considered the second beauty of Moon City.”
“I heard she and Shen Binnan don’t get along, could it be that this sudden bid is because of that?”
Once the gossip exploded, it attracted more attention than any other news, especially the gossip concerning these two women, which was far more sensational than any celebrity tabloid gossip.
“Six hundred thousand,” Shen Binnan said with a cold expression.
“Seven hundred thousand,” Lin Mengyan bid again, appearing to want to compete with Shen Binnan.
“Eight hundred thousand,” Shen Binnan was, of course, not intimidated.
Consequently, what happened next shocked everyone there; the two women kept raising their bids, each increase starting at a hundred thousand, giving the crowd the illusion that at this rate, the auction would not conclude in a few hours.
Damn it, this won’t do!
Fang Yi had a headache and, just as Shen Binnan was about to bid again, he preempted her, “One million five hundred thousand!”
As expected, Lin Mengyan stopped bidding and even seemed to have a smug smile.
“This woman…” Fang Yi sighed internally, knowing that Lin Mengyan did it on purpose.
Seeing no further bids, the auctioneer began to announce the result: “One million five hundred thousand the first time!
One million five hundred thousand the second time, one million five hundred thousand the third…”
Just then, a voice interrupted, belonging to Ying Zheng from the Bai Family.
He glanced over to Fang Yi with a smirk at the corner of his mouth, laced with mockery and provocation.
Fang Yi frowned slightly.
His previous bid was merely to give Lin Mengyan an out and to let Shen Binnan foot the bill, thinking it would end there.
But unexpectedly, Ying Zheng intervened.
Fang Yi knew that Ying Zheng was doing this on purpose – what did he expect after pretending to be Lin Mengyan’s boyfriend that day?
I don’t really need this ring,” Shen Binnan suddenly said.
“You might not need it, but I can’t afford not to,” Fang Yi replied, “It’s a matter of my reputation.”
“Can reputation be eaten?” Shen Binnan asked.
“Reputation can’t be eaten, but I can’t just let someone slap me in the face !”
Fang Yi could be very petty and sensitive at times.
If Ying Zheng from the Bai Family had bid from the start, Fang Yi wouldn’t have minded, but now he had no choice but to react.
Thus, under everyone’s gaze, Fang Yi spoke slowly,
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