Chapter 48: Chapter 46: Find a Cover
“Damn that sharp-tongued man, do I look that ugly? To say he likes me because he has a strong taste, is he blind? If I had known it was , I should have never saved him and let Lord Yama take him away, so he could go and poison other people with his words!”
Huo Sining, still filled with righteous indignation, couldn’t help but turn around and glare angrily at Gu Xu on the other side of the venue.
Su Jinyuan, sitting beside her, looked at Huo Sining with some bewilderment:
“What are you mumbling about by yourself? People couldn’t find you earlier, where did you go?”
“Nothing, I was just over there eating,” Huo Sining replied, her mood sullen and huffing with irritation.
Seeing this, Su Jinyuan immediately laughed: “Most people come here to network with others in the circle, there aren’t many who come to eat like you do, you really are an odd one out.”
Being called an odd one out made Huo Sining even more upset.
The term ‘odd one out,’ no matter how you hear it, doesn’t sound like a compliment.
Moreover, hearing Su Jinyuan call her an odd one out, Huo Sining couldn’t help but think about being labeled by Gu Xu as having a strong taste, which immediately made her forehead burst with black lines and her face darken.
Soon, the auction began, and as each exquisite item was presented, many people stepped forward to observe and appreciate it.
Huo Sining didn’t understand antiques, and though she would go on stage to see something interesting, most of the time she struggled to find enthusiasm.
However, watching the businessmen raising their bid paddles and shouting out prices as if money was no object, Huo Sining watched with great interest, clicking her tongue in admiration.
When it was nearly time for the final item, Huo Sining’s piece of ambergris was brought onstage.
As the large box was brought onto the display table and the workers opened it, the stench that emanated from the contents instantly permeated the entire venue.
Many people covered their noses and frowned, asking, “What is that awful smell?”
Of course, those who had never encountered ambergris wouldn’t understand, but those who knew what it was had their eyes light up instantly.
A few even stood up eagerly from their seats, their eyes blazing as they stared at the box on the display table.
Huo Sining felt a bit nervous too, as the owner of the ambergris, she naturally hoped that it would fetch the highest price possible.
“Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems, I checked in advance. Among the people attending this banquet, three are the general agents in China for luxury brands from France, I can’t promise about the others, but these three companies compete in the perfume industry, and seeing such high-quality ambergris, they certainly won’t pass it up. As long as they bid against each other, your item won’t have trouble fetching a good price,” Su Jinyuan assured her as he saw Huo Sining getting anxious.
Huo Sining was somewhat surprised, she had originally thought that this private auction dealt mainly with antiques and jewelry, and she had been a bit worried that her ambergris might not sell. Now, hearing Su Jinyuan’s words, she understood instantly.
No wonder Su Jinyuan agreed to the organizer’s request to bring the ambergris; he was targeting those three luxury brands.
Ambergris is indeed a prime material for scent products, a key ingredient for making precious fragrances.
The substance is not only popular domestically, but also greatly adored by the upper class in the West.
Some major world cosmetics companies use ambergris in their perfumes as a fixative or blending agent, with their high-end products being sought after globally.
However, in recent years, as the number of sperm whales has drastically decreased, the annual trade volume of ambergris is less than a hundred kilograms.
Thus, the large luxury brands of France have a massive demand for ambergris, causing the price to surge sharply.
As Su Qingqing had said, if Huo Sining could stockpile that ambergris, the price might increase several times over in ten years.
Su Jinyuan’s business acumen and foresight were, of course, far beyond what a small fry like Huo Sining could compare with. Fearful that the representatives of the three luxury brands might collude privately to deliberately suppress the price, Su Jinyuan hadn’t let the auction house disclose anything about the ambergris beforehand.
That was also why he agreed to let Huo Sining take out the ambergris from the bank on the day the auction started.
Not just that, he had Secretary Lin invite a private collector to the auction in advance to act as a shill bidder.
If those three tried to intentionally push down the price of the ambergris, the collector would bid up. These people would definitely not be content to watch such fine ambergris fall into someone else’s hands.
The luxury brand companies were competitors, with conflicts of interest; if one of them faltered in their unity, their alliance could be shattered in an instant.
In fact, Su Jinyuan’s considerations were not unfounded; upon seeing such a massive piece of ambergris, the three agents stood up simultaneously.
After examining the quality of the ambergris on stage, all three representatives showed expressions of surprise and shock on their faces.
Soon, the trio gathered quietly to discuss, and after about half a minute, they reached an agreement, each wearing a smug expression of assured victory.
After the auctioneer announced a starting bid of two million, the three started bidding very low, raising the price by increments of thirty to fifty thousand, seemingly in no hurry.
There weren’t many in the audience who understood the value of ambergris. A few collectors were indeed interested in it, but the piece was so large that the starting bid of two million deterred many. After a few bids, they fell silent.
Seeing this, the three agents were secretly delighted. One of them quietly gestured to his companions, preparing to make a final bid and secure the deal.
Unfortunately, it seemed their plans were about to be thwarted. Before they could open their mouths, a voice suddenly emerged from another corner of the room.
“Three million five hundred thousand!” an elderly man raised his paddle, startling everyone with his bid.
“Three million five hundred thousand? Is ambergris really that valuable?”
The room was abuzz; some began questioning their neighbors, unable to contain their curiosity.
Others might not understand the value of ambergris, but Su Jinyuan, who had been following news about ambergris, couldn’t help but laugh as he explained:
“I don’t know about its worth, but I saw in the news a few days ago that a man in Australia found a 14-kilogram chunk of ambergris by the beach, reportedly sold for a sky-high three hundred thousand British Pounds.”
“Three hundred thousand British Pounds? The piece up there weighs thirty-seven pounds, larger than the 14-kilogram one—wouldn’t it be even more expensive?” The person sitting beside him was astonished.
The three agents were caught off guard. If the ambergris was priced on the market by the gram, it would only be around four million.
But such a gigantic piece of high-quality ambergris, if acquired, could bring profits of over a hundred million to their companies.
With such a deal at stake, they had no reason to simply hand it over to someone else. The three representatives clenched their teeth and raised the bid again: “Three million eight hundred thousand.”
They assumed that as long as the price wasn’t far off from the market value, the elderly man would stop bidding. Unexpectedly, he raised his paddle again, smiling as he explained while raising his bid:
“Four million five hundred thousand! Even if I incur a loss now, what does it matter? Such a fine item will double in value after a few years of collecting, much faster than earning interest at the bank!”
Indeed, that was the reality; but with four hundred fifty thousand, one could invest in other things—why hoard a useless chunk of rock and dryly wait for several years?
Moreover, not many seated there were willing to spend four to five million on a stinky stone.
With the price surpassing the market value by five hundred thousand, one of the agents began backing out, waving off and indicating he was no longer interested.
Another hesitated, but one looked unwillingly at the massive piece on the stage, gritting his teeth as he raised the bid: “Five million!”