Chapter 77

(Thank you to the book friends Feng Ying Sheng Han, Milan and Manchester United for your donations.)

In the final auction segment of the youth calligraphy and painting exhibition, an unusual scene suddenly unfolded.

One party boldly made a move, while the other remained mysterious and unpredictable, raising the price of Lu Li's "Ink Lotus" to nearly ten million in just three minutes.

To most people, even for charity, a youth artist's work exceeding ten million seemed a bit exaggerated.

Of course, their sense of exaggeration was not about the amount being too high, but rather that no matter how high the bid, people would only remember the artist, not the bidder.

This act of spending money without gaining any recognition naturally did not appeal to them.

Lu Li was also somewhat surprised. If the painting were by Fang Gang, a price over ten million would not be high, but it was not the case. He had a thought and sent a text message to Xue Weijun.

Xue Weijun was about to bid again when his phone vibrated. He looked at the message impatiently and then gave Lu Li a strange look, suppressing his urge to bid further.

"Nine million five hundred thousand, nine million five hundred thousand, any higher bids?"

Not hearing Xue Weijun bid again, the auctioneer jumped up excitedly, staring at him with fiery eyes, almost shouting, "Brother, the atmosphere is up, come on and be the big spender!"

Xue Weijun was greatly embarrassed by this, glaring at the auctioneer and closing his eyes to avoid the trouble.

Seeing Xue Weijun close his eyes, the auctioneer quickly understood that he had given up. As for the others, forget it!

"Lot number eighty-five, 'Ink Lotus,' sold for nine million five hundred thousand."

The auction hammer finally fell, and Lu Li could even feel that many people nearby breathed a sigh of relief.

Clearly, the bizarre events at the auction had made even the witnesses tense.

After the excitement of the "Ink Lotus" auction, the final calligraphy piece was auctioned off without much fanfare.

Of course, this was only in comparison to Lu Li's "Ink Lotus." In fact, the calligraphy piece also sold for a high price of five million, with the bidder being Xue Weijun. He chose to bid on the calligraphy piece at Lu Li's suggestion.

After the auction, Fang Gaizhi, representing the Calligraphy and Painting Association, took the stage again, promising that all proceeds would be collected in the association's account and that a dedicated team would be sent to the northern drought-stricken area to ensure every cent was used properly and published on the official website.

With the promise made, the calligraphy exhibition officially concluded.

The guests stood up one by one, chatting with acquaintances as they walked out.

Lu Li and Fang Zhen Ting stood up at the same time. Lu Li looked at the auction stage, a glint of light in his eyes, and asked meaningfully, "Zhen Ting, do you think if I create a few more paintings, I could quickly become a billionaire?"

"Huh?" Fang Zhen Ting was taken aback, "Maybe, maybe!"

"Ha ha, I'm not that naive."

Lu Li laughed, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man approaching from the corner. The man was in his thirties, refined and courteous. He walked straight to Lu Li, extending his hand and saying, "Mr. Lu, I am Wang Rong. It's a pleasure to meet such a young and talented calligrapher."

"I don't dare to call myself a genius, but I do thank Mr. Wang for your generous contribution to the drought-stricken area." As soon as Wang Rong spoke, Lu Li recognized him as the one who had bid the high price for the "Ink Lotus."

"It's all thanks to Mr. Lu. If I didn't like your painting so much, I wouldn't have bid even a single yuan." Wang Rong smiled at Lu Li and added, "Mr. Lu, it's getting late, and everyone hasn't had dinner. Why don't we have a meal together?"

Lu Li was about to agree when he saw Xue Weijun hurrying over and politely declined, "I'm really sorry, but Mr. Xue and I are old acquaintances, and we already have plans."

"That's fine, we can meet tomorrow."

Upon hearing that Lu Li and Xue Weijun were old acquaintances, Wang Rong nodded in understanding, exchanged phone numbers with Lu Li, and then left.

Lu Li watched his back, frowning slightly, wondering what Wang Rong's intentions were. Could he be planning to cultivate him? Could such a good thing happen?

"Zhen Ting, who is Wang Rong?"

Fang Zhen Ting thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "If I'm not mistaken, he should be the CEO of the top three auction companies in Yanjing, the Universal Auction Company."

"Auction company?"

Lu Li was curious. What did an auction company person want with him?

Fang Zhen Ting continued, "Apart from his public identity, he is a bit mysterious. Many suspect he might be involved in cultural relic smuggling, but there's no evidence."

Lu Li chuckled, "Interesting!"

Whether or not it was about cultural relics, Lu Li didn't care much; he was simply intrigued by Wang Rong. However, since Wang Rong hadn't revealed his intentions, he didn't want to speculate.

Xue Weijun had already approached Lu Li. Hearing Lu Li's muttering, he frowned and said, "Don't be fooled by Wang Rong's appearance. He's known in the industry as a tightwad, unwilling to spend a single cent. For him to bid over nine million this time, he definitely has ulterior motives."

Lu Li gave Xue Weijun a strange look, "Whether his intentions are good or bad, I'm more worried about him deliberately seeking death. If that's the case, I'll have no choice."

"Ha!"

Xue Weijun laughed and changed the subject, "Mr. Lu, I've already booked a private room. Let's have a meal together."

"Zhen Ting, come with us."

Lu Li thought for a moment and didn't refuse, turning to ask Fang Zhen Ting.

"Right, right, Mr. Fang, please."

Xue Weijun quickly reacted and invited him.

With both Lu Li and Xue Weijun extending the invitation, Fang Zhen Ting readily agreed. After all, both Lu Li and Xue Weijun were influential figures, and it was best to cultivate good relations with them.

The three of them soon arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel. Including the driver, Wang Kai, the four of them drank and chatted, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

Taking the opportunity to go to the restroom, Xue Weijun specially told Lu Li that the incident from last night had been resolved, and the construction site had not even stopped work.

Clearly, the matter had been contained within a very small circle.

Lu Li had already received Song Wengui's promise, so he was not surprised. However, his calm demeanor made Xue Weijun feel a sense of awe. To be able to suppress even a murder, he was indeed a remarkable person!

After a satisfying meal, Fang Zhen Ting was the first to take his leave. Xue Weijun saw Lu Li back to the hotel and then departed.

Back in his room, Lu Li sat on the sofa, closing his eyes to rest. After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes and smiled, "Little one, since you're here, come out. Hiding isn't a good habit."

"Ya ya."

The Nine Yin Ghost Baby made two sounds and appeared.

"It seems you're ready. Let's go, I'll send you where you belong."

Lu Li stood up and left, hailing a taxi outside the hotel and heading to the outskirts of the city. He finally chose an uninhabited field to open the ghost gate.

After the dark ghost gate appeared, a strong attraction pulled the Nine Yin Ghost Baby upward. However, it looked at Lu Li with reluctance, trying to control its movement and making sounds.

Lu Li was puzzled and asked curiously, "Little one, what do you want to say?"

"Ya ya. Ya ya!"

"Um? This, "

Lu Li was drenched in sweat, still puzzled after much thought.

Seeing that it was almost at the ghost gate, the Nine Yin Ghost Baby became extremely anxious. Suddenly, a somewhat unclear message directly entered Lu Li's mind. Lu Li was stunned and said strangely, "So that's it. Little one, from now on, you'll be called Lu Yun!"