Chapter 51

"Wow, these two cheapest broken bottles actually sold for 1.38 billion, it's unbelievable!" Seeing the Indian tycoon's beauty auction off the phoenix vases, Li Ting cheered and hugged Lin Ruxue, unable to contain her joy.

"Xiao Ting, come give your brother a hug too!" Li Yi said from the side.

"Get lost, I don't have time!" Li Ting shot Li Yi a sidelong glance.

"You really have no sense of family!" Li Yi sighed.

Lin Ruxue said excitedly, "Xiao Yi, those exhibits just sold for over 600 million, and with these two, we already have 2 billion. It's truly unbelievable!"

Li Yi corrected her, "Not that much, we still have to pay the auction house's commission and taxes. We'll be left with just over 1 billion."

"Ah, really? We use their platform to auction, and we have to give them two or three hundred million?" Li Ting frowned.

"Of course not. This exhibition attracted famous artists, and the auction commission is only 5%, which is very reasonable. You won't find such a low rate anywhere in the world!" Li Yi explained.

"Five percent? We have to give 100 million to the auction house out of our 2 billion? They're making a fortune!" Li Ting's eyes were full of greed.

"Even more goes to the state. Just the personal income tax is 20%, which means we have to pay 400 million..." Li Yi said calmly.

"My God, I'm going to die of heartache!" Li Ting covered her face as if she were about to cry.

"What's the point of being heartbroken over such a small amount? When we start a business here, we'll be pouring money into the state continuously. This 400 million is just a drop in the bucket." Li Yi gently comforted his sister.

Li Ting's face crumpled, "Brother, I suddenly realize that starting a business is a terrible idea. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Li Yi laughed, "You can't catch a wolf without risking a lamb. To advance the entire civilization, we can't be so petty about money."

"Brother, I know you're lying. You must be more heartbroken than I am." Li Ting opened her eyes wide.

After a brief rest, the host returned to the stage. This time, the auction was for the last set of items at the exhibition—the celadon Ru porcelain tea set!

"Clouds part after the rain, revealing the sky," this phrase describes the exquisite beauty of this tea set!

One teapot and four teacups, with the inscription "Shoucheng Hall Queen's Pavilion" on the bottom. The body is fine and smooth, the glaze is naturally lustrous, like the blue sky reflected in a lake.

The host first auctioned one of the four teacups. When he placed the teacup on the stage, Mr. Bryant of the American Rockefeller Group, watching from the other end of the internet, opened his eyes wide.

He had only participated in the previous porcelain bottle auction for fun; this tea set was his real target!

Individually, the tea set was not as valuable as the porcelain bottles. The bottles had more intricate craftsmanship and were adorned with phoenixes, making them very beautiful.

However, the tea set consisted of five pieces, including a teapot and teacups, all with a consistent and harmonious color. If he could collect the entire set, its value would far exceed that of the porcelain bottles. So, Bryant was determined to get the entire set!

"The teacup should be around 200 to 300 million, and the teapot around 600 million. The entire set should be about 2 billion RMB."

Bryant calculated, waiting for the host to start the auction.

The auction house's estimate for the teacup was lower than that of the porcelain bottles, so the first teacup started at 70 million.

As soon as the host announced the start, Mr. Li from Taiwan immediately bid, "100 million!"

"120 million!" another domestic tycoon called out.

"130 million!"

...

Bryant didn't rush, listening quietly to the other bidders. He believed the value of a single teacup should be similar to the celadon lotus washbasin auctioned a few years ago, which sold for over 200 million. So, he planned to bid when the price reached 200 million.

Sure enough, the domestic collectors quickly drove the price up to 200 million, and the bidding slowed down.

"210 million!"

After Mr. Li said this, no one responded, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

If he could get a teacup for 200 million, he could buy another one. As for the teapot, he knew he couldn't afford it and had never expected to.

"220 million!"

Bryant didn't wait for the host to count down and bid, thinking it was time to close the deal.

"Damn American!" Mr. Li glared at Bryant through the camera, "230 million!"

"240 million!" Bryant quickly responded.

"250 million!" Mr. Li was not to be outdone.

"260 million!"

...

The two of them bid back and forth, driving the price up, quickly breaking 300 million.

"Over 300 million, it's a bit overpriced!" some collectors whispered, "After all, this is just a teacup, not comparable to the porcelain bottles."

"It's about 300 million, it can't go any higher." Some collectors nodded in agreement.

"350 million!"

Mr. Li paused after bidding 350 million. If the other party bid again, he wouldn't follow. After all, there were three more teacups, and if he couldn't get this one, he could get the next one.

"360 million!" Bryant added another 10 million.

The room fell silent, with only the murmurs of the crowd.

Seeing no one bid again, the host said, "360 million once, 360 million twice..."

"370 million!"

A voice suddenly rang out, it was Mr. Ni from the capital. If Mr. Li had bid 360 million, Mr. Ni wouldn't have raised the price, but seeing that Bryant was American, he felt indignant.

Since the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China and burned the Summer Palace, how many treasures from China have fallen into foreign hands. He didn't want this Ru porcelain to be lost overseas!

People strive for a breath of fresh air, and even Buddhas strive for a stick of incense. Although I don't have much money, I'll still bid up the price!

(Note: Due to the prevalence of censorship, I can't write real place names. I was warned last time when I wrote that Wang Xizhi wrote the Orchid Pavilion Preface in a certain region of the country, so everyone knows where ** is.)

Seeing Mr. Ni still bidding, Bryant was a bit frustrated but immediately said, "380 million!"

Mr. Ni was not to be outdone, "390 million!"

Bryant gritted his teeth, "400 million!"

"400 million, over 400 million! Just one teacup for 400 million!" some collectors discussed.

"It's the first one, so it's normal to be a bit more expensive!" another collector replied.

Mr. Ni, angered by Bryant, bid without hesitation, "410 million!"

"420 million!" Bryant followed closely.

At this point, Mr. Li's brow furrowed. This American seemed determined to get a teacup, and Mr. Ni clearly wanted one too. There were only four teacups, and if another bidder appeared, the situation would be dire!

"Who cares, I brought 500 million, I'll spend it all. At least I'll get one teacup!"

With this thought, Mr. Li's spirit soared, and he shouted, "450 million!"

"Wow, it's up to 450 million!" the crowd exclaimed.

Bryant couldn't help but curse inwardly. You bid a teacup up to 450 million, is it worth it? The exquisite porcelain bottle, which was several times more valuable than this teacup, only sold for 600 million!

But he was determined to get the entire set, so he couldn't lose on the first teacup. He bid without hesitation, "470 million!"

"500 million!" Mr. Li bid his entire stake.

Mr. Li's thinking was simple: I only have this much money, if I can buy it, great; if not, so be it!

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