Chapter 35

"Fourteen thousand!" Deputy Director Qu frowned, not that he was determined to win the jade belt buckle inlaid with tourmaline, but he couldn't afford to lose face in front of this clerk!

"Fifteen thousand!" Yang Bo smiled slightly, unhurriedly. Even if he bought it, he didn't mind, as he wouldn't be able to get it in the end anyway!

"Sixteen thousand!" Deputy Director Qu was getting angry, his eyes looking in Yang Bo's direction.

Luo Yaohua pulled Yang Bo, "Just play around, don't take it too seriously."

Yang Bo, who had set a trap for Deputy Director Qu, was naturally unwilling to let go easily, "Eighteen thousand!"

Deputy Director Qu hesitated. He had heard about the auction and managed to get an entry ticket after much effort. Because he didn't have enough money, he had even brought Jia Huairen, hoping to make a big profit. Clearly, Yang Bo was blocking his path to wealth, and he couldn't give up easily, or Yang Bo might become even more arrogant!

"Twenty thousand!"

Yang Bo laughed, not speaking again. This was just a test.

Old Mei quickly announced the result. In the past, he would have been delighted by the bidding, but now he was somewhat impatient. Arguing over a few thousand dollars would waste too much of his time. Now, as long as he could sell, it would be money in his pocket, and he didn't care whether he sold more or less!

He wanted to quickly take the money and escape!

After Deputy Director Qu won the jade belt buckle, he couldn't help but look at Yang Bo, chin raised, with a look of disdain.

Yang Bo smiled lightly, saying nothing.

Luo Yaohua was also an excellent actor, playing the role of a wealthy young man so convincingly that it was hard to tell if he was real or not. During the auction, when a beautiful red jadeite pendant was presented, he shamelessly acted like a rascal.

"My mother will be fifty in September, and I've been thinking about buying a suitable pendant. This red jadeite pendant is very beautiful, just right. I'll bid one thousand more than the base price, fifty-one thousand!"

Yang Bo, sitting next to Luo Yaohua, couldn't help but applaud his shamelessness. This was not the first time he had heard such a reason, and the others in the room clearly had twitching mouths, but considering the nature of the underground auction, no one dared to offend this young master from the legitimate world!

No one in the room bid, and Luo Yaohua's despicable strategy succeeded.

At market price, the red jadeite pendant would cost at least a hundred thousand, but Old Mei showed no dissatisfaction, smiling as if relieved by Luo Yaohua's participation, as if his involvement made the auction safer.

Yang Bo didn't participate much in the subsequent auctions, but whenever Jia Huairen or Deputy Director Qu bid, he would always interfere. Each time he raised the price, he kept it from getting too high, ensuring a profit but not a large one, perfectly gauging the balance, which made Jia Huairen and Deputy Director Qu grind their teeth in frustration.

The audience, initially watching for entertainment, gradually saw through Yang Bo's intentions, secretly laughing and mocking Jia and Qu for their lack of foresight, now getting their comeuppance!

Another Qing Dynasty silver and jade inlaid eight-treasure dragon-patterned teapot was presented, with a base price of seventy thousand.

Jia Huairen, feeling aggrieved, looked at Yang Bo provocatively and bid, "Ninety thousand!"

Yang Bo laughed. His goal was just to frustrate the other side, but his ultimate aim was more than that, so he didn't take the provocation to heart and ignored it.

Jia Huairen glared at Yang Bo, finally unable to hold back, "Yang Bo, you're just a clerk in an antique shop. Do you really think that finding a couple of bargains makes you my equal? You're far from it!"

Yang Bo shook his head, "Mr. Jia, we are indeed far from it, but you've got it backwards!"

Jia Huairen snorted, "Ask everyone, who's got it backwards!"

Old Mei quickly intervened, "Please don't discuss topics unrelated to the auction. Alright, Mr. Jia's bid is ninety thousand. Is there a higher bid?"

After the third count, Jia Huairen won, his look at Yang Bo filled with disdain!

By three in the morning, the auction pace had clearly accelerated. Everyone was no longer concerned with bidding, and most items were sold at the base price. Even the rule of inspecting items on the stage before bidding was abandoned, as everyone was focused on grabbing items, regardless of their authenticity!

Yang Bo and Luo Yaohua exchanged a glance and laughed. This was Old Mei's final frenzy. He must have sensed something and wanted to finish the auction and leave that night. If they had come a day later, Old Mei might have escaped with the money!

By five in the morning, the sky was gradually brightening, and everyone in the room was exhausted. The number of items auctioned was large, and the intensity was high. Yang Bo roughly estimated that over two hundred items were auctioned overnight, with more than half being genuine, a very high probability!

Old Mei's face was drenched in sweat, his voice hoarse, "The last item is a small bag of coins. Because there are too many, we won't auction them separately. Whoever is interested, just bid, and it's yours!"

Yang Bo glanced at the bag, which was a common supermarket shopping bag, about half full, with a cluster of light circles visible.

Of course, the value of coins cannot be determined by their age. The "Ming Dao" currency from the Yan State during the Warring States period, which has a history of 2,300 years, is worth only about 100 yuan. The Han Dynasty "Wuzhu," Tang Dynasty "Kaiyuan Tongbao," and Northern Song Dynasty "Xuanhe Tongbao" coins, which are 2,000, 1,000, and 1,000 years old respectively, are even more astonishing, with each coin costing just a few yuan.

Coins from the Qing Dynasty, such as the "Tian Guo Tongbao" and "Qixiang Chongbao," which were minted over 100 years ago, and the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" coins, can be worth tens of thousands of yuan. After the Xinhai Revolution, the silver dollars issued by Yuan Shikai, known as "Yuan Datou," are also very expensive, with each coin costing several thousand yuan.

Yang Bo just looked and had no intention of buying, as he already knew the ultimate destination of these items.

The bag of coins was eventually bought by an antique shop owner for a mere twenty thousand, an absurdly low price, of course, based on the possibility of valuable coins inside.

The transaction was quickly completed, and everyone took turns to count their items and pay.

Yang Bo stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the noisy scene. He saw Luo Yaohua go to pay with a card, noticing Jia Huairen's resentful look as he paid, and wondered when the operation would begin.

"Don't move! Police!"

As Yang Bo was thinking, a loud command echoed through the room!