Chapter 61

(Listening, the second update is here! ~~~~~~~~~~)

Several black sedans drove up South Harbor Avenue and slowly stopped in front of the Dongmen Hotel. In this era, private cars were not as common as in later times, and the prominent license plate on the second car immediately made people realize who the owner was.

"Look at that license plate, it's the mayor of Nanjiang's car!"

"What? A land auction has even attracted the mayor of Nanjiang? Our mayor is no ordinary person; he's a big shot appointed by the central leadership, even more influential than a regular vice-provincial governor!"

"Indeed, not only the mayor, but also the cars from the municipal government, the Public Security Bureau, and the Land and Resources Bureau are here. My goodness! This land auction has managed to invite so many municipal leaders. What kind of background does this auction have? No wonder they dared to promote it so aggressively in the city center. It turns out they have the support of so many municipal leaders, giving them the confidence to act without fear!"

"Since so many municipal leaders are attending, this land auction is definitely worth watching. Regardless of the land's quality, with these leaders present, no one will dare to bid low. It should fetch at least one or two million."

...

Listening to the discussions in the crowd, Zhou Ming couldn't help but find it amusing. These people really didn't understand anything. According to Zhou Ming's knowledge, as an economic special zone, Nanjiang was already at the vice-provincial level. Chen Yunfei, while officially the mayor of Nanjiang, also held the position of vice-governor of Lingnan. As for today's land price, one or two million? That wouldn't even cover the starting price. For the first land auction, without a bid of seven or eight million, how could he even consider hammering it down?

As the municipal government's convoy stopped in front of the Dongmen Hotel, Zhou Ming and Du Peng went up to greet them. The car doors opened, and a middle-aged man in a dark blue suit stepped out. Just as Zhou Ming remembered from the photos he had seen in his previous life, this was Chen Yunfei, the mayor of Nanjiang, who had opened the financial doors for the mainland.

Chen Yunfei got out of the car, and Du Peng and Zhou Ming went up to shake his hand. This scene immediately caused a stir among the crowd.

Everyone had countless speculations about today's auction, but no one could have imagined that it was organized by two young people. They had noticed them before, but everyone had subconsciously ignored them, assuming they were just part of the crowd. Only now did they realize the truth, feeling a sense of indescribable shock.

Zhou Ming and Du Peng escorted Chen Yunfei and the other municipal leaders into the hotel and up to the second-floor banquet hall. The banquet hall had been redecorated by the hotel staff to serve as the auction venue. All the invited real estate developers had sent representatives, and upon seeing Chen Yunfei enter, everyone stood up, greeting him and applauding warmly.

As the mayor of Nanjiang, Chen Yunfei was no stranger to such scenes. He calmly followed the hotel staff to the front row and sat down.

Surveying the hall, Chen Yunfei said to Zhou Ming, "Your venue is well-decorated and unique. However, I, like others, came here with some skepticism. We've heard of auctions for antiques, paintings, and jewelry, but never for land. I wonder how confident you are, Mr. Zhou, the big boss from Hong Kong?"

Zhou Ming smiled modestly and replied, "Mayor Chen, as capitalists, we don't do things that don't make money. So, the first land auction in the country today will definitely be a success!"

Chen Yunfei raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Zhou, you are indeed a successful entrepreneur from Hong Kong, with the spirit of daring to take risks and having such confidence."

"Confidence is a given. As for daring to take risks, I believe that even if I didn't do it, Mayor Chen would. I just hope Mayor Chen doesn't mind me stealing the spotlight," Zhou Ming said.

"How could I? Our municipal government does have a plan to auction land, but sometimes it's necessary to approach things from multiple angles to achieve the best results," Chen Yunfei said. "Are all the participants here? When will the auction start, and who will be the auctioneer?"

"The auction can start at any time, and I will be the auctioneer."

With that, Zhou Ming stood up from his seat and, with Chen Yunfei's nod, walked up to the auction stage.

Taking the microphone from the hotel staff, Zhou Ming cleared his throat and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, leaders, and guests, my name is Zhou Ming, and I am today's auctioneer. First, I would like to thank everyone for coming to the first land use rights auction in the country. You will witness history here today. Without further ado, let's get straight to the point."

Zhou Ming's words left the audience momentarily stunned. The fast-paced, direct approach was somewhat unexpected. It wasn't until the slides began to play on the stage that the audience realized the auction had truly begun.

"Regarding the land shown in the slides, I believe everyone is familiar with it. It's a piece of wasteland near Dongmen San Yuan. Although it's currently a wasteland, that's only temporary. It's adjacent to South Harbor Avenue, the main road of Nanjiang, and is only a twenty-minute drive from the Dongmen commercial district. This location is undoubtedly very advantageous. We can imagine that as Nanjiang continues to develop and expand outward, this land in San Yuan will become a bustling area in the city center, and its value will skyrocket as it is incorporated into the city."

At this point, Zhou Ming deliberately paused before concluding, "Therefore, I can assure you that this land, whether used for residential or commercial buildings, will have very high commercial value!"

"Alright, I believe everyone understands the rules of today's auction. The starting price for the land in San Yuan is five million, and each bid must be at least ten thousand."

Zhou Ming's words made everyone in the audience gasp. For Du Peng, Chen Yunfei, and He Yujin, the shock was even greater. They knew the government's land sale price, which was only 1.5 million, but now Zhou Ming had more than tripled it, and this was just the starting price.

The audience buzzed with comments: "Is this guy crazy? Selling a piece of land for five million? What kind of land is this? Is it more valuable than gold? We'll see how they handle it if no one bids!"

"I heard this auction is organized by a Hong Kong businessman. I think he's been in Hong Kong too long and has lost his mind. Doesn't he know that Nanjiang is different from Hong Kong? In Hong Kong, the city is so valuable that every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, but here in Nanjiang, the land is worth at most one or two million."

"Does this Hong Kong guy think we are all fools who don't know the value of land and will just hand over money to him? His IQ must be very low. I think he's about to shoot himself in the foot!"

...

These sarcastic comments reached Chen Yunfei's ears. He turned to Du Peng and asked, "Was this planned in advance?"

Du Peng shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Of course not. We agreed on a starting price of three million, but he raised it by two million as soon as he got on stage."

"I see," Chen Yunfei said, then turned back to watch Zhou Ming on stage, as the auction had just begun.

To everyone's surprise, the auction did not fall flat. Instead, someone quickly raised a bid of 5.1 million, leaving everyone who had come to watch the show speechless.

"Really? Someone actually bid? Could it be a plant hired by the Hong Kong guy?"

Someone said this, but the events that followed silenced everyone.

The first bidder had just put down his paddle when the second and third bidders raised theirs. Zhou Ming pointed to the two paddles and announced, "5.2 million, 5.3 million!"

At this point, the first bidder stood up and shouted, "I'll bid six million!"

Hearing this, Du Peng and He Yujin both gasped, especially Du Peng, who involuntarily clenched his fists.

Chen Yunfei turned to Du Peng and said, "It seems your partner's confidence is not unfounded. He managed to raise the price from 1.5 million to six million in one go. That's quite impressive!"

Du Peng replied, "That's true. He has always had a talent for making money."

Listening to Chen Yunfei and Du Peng's conversation, Tang Ran, who was nearby, was not pleased. She said, "That's nothing. My brother Zhou said he won't hammer down the gavel until the price reaches eight million."

Faced with this number, He Yujin was dumbfounded. "What? Eight million?"

Du Peng quickly said to Tang Ran, "Ran Ran, don't say such things in front of Uncle Chen. What if it doesn't reach eight million?"

Chen Yunfei, however, had a nonchalant expression and smiled at Tang Ran. "Little girl, did your brother Zhou explain why he thinks it will reach eight million?"

Tang Ran nodded. "Of course. My brother said that land is the most important resource for a city's development because all cities are built on land. Although Nanjiang is still in its early stages, with strong national support, it will become a world-class metropolis sooner or later. At eight million, the land will only bring profits, and he believes that none of the real estate developers here today will miss this opportunity."

Chen Yunfei didn't rush to speak but fell into thought. During this time, the auction continued, as if to prove Tang Ran's words. Although the first bidder had raised the price to six million, it did not deter the other bidders. Soon, several more raised their paddles. Zhou Ming pointed to them and said, "6.1 million, 6.2 million. You are all astute real estate developers, and I believe this price won't scare you off!"

As soon as Zhou Ming finished speaking, several more bidders raised their paddles and shouted, "Seven million! Eight million! 8.5 million!"

If the six million bid had already shocked the audience, the final bid of 8.5 million left everyone speechless.

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