The last item to be auctioned at the auction, as the finale, would have its information released early.
Since the country had many terms and conditions limiting trade of high ancient cultural relics, bronze wares at domestic auctions were rarely seen. Therefore, bronze wares with complete and legal certificates were extremely rare.
The bronze ware being auctioned today was from the Shang Dynasty. Its top resembled a house roof, its body had two dragon handles, two dragon heads, and Taotie patterns.
Xiao Qi glanced at the time, it was about right.
She just didn't understand the history of that dynasty, and couldn't explain it, but the item itself should be authentic.
She followed the auction item out.
Standing next to this somewhat greenish bronze Ding, her expression was serious as she looked ahead.
The Ding was shining with an expensive radiance. Because everyone knew that at an overseas auction not long ago, a similar bronze Ding had been auctioned off for over 80 million.
At this moment, the lights on the exhibition stage of the auction house were especially bright, all shining on this bronze Ding, revealing every detail of it, exposing all the green patina on the bronze.
There were also large screens showing live video for everyone to clearly see it.
That wasn't verdigris, that was the shine of money.
And the girl standing next to the bronze Ding, wearing a green cheongsam, just standing there, a beauty to match the treasure Ding, not losing out at all.
She was an extremely beautiful girl, not a famous celebrity seen on TV, but just standing there, glittering and shining, without any lights on her yet still dazzlingly brilliant.
Some of the audience below had come just for this final big auction item, but now they couldn't help letting their eyes drift to the girl next to the bronze Ding.
She was just too beautiful.
That green cheongsam didn't look out of place at all. It was as if time had flowed backwards to when King Zhou first saw Su Daji.
She stood there, making it so no one could ignore her.
She didn't speak, her face solemn. It could be seen she was actually very young despite the heavy makeup.
She was just too beautiful.
For a long stretch after the bronze Ding appeared, there was silence, not just because it was a heavy artifact, but also because of the girl who had emerged alongside the treasure.
Then the bidding started.
It quickly reached 50 million, then 80 million, 100 million, 120 million...
Seeing this scene, the boss of the auction house directly asked someone to call over Manager Wang.
"Manager Wang, where did you find this girl? How much did you spend on the budget for her?"
"Boss, she's a college student doing part-time work, only six hundred yuan." Manager Wang said somewhat proudly. Initially when she had proposed finding college students doing part-time work, quite a few in the company had objected, feeling it wasn't safe enough. Yet their total budget was so little. They still wanted to find a long-term girl who was beautiful with a good figure. With only one or two auctions a month, it simply wasn't cost-effective.
"Can we sign her long-term?"
"Probably not. She's Enhua's student, not short on money. She just won a silver medal and bid on a worthless charity auction item herself, clearly not lacking money at all. She probably just came to do part-time work for charity, finding it fun and novel." Manager Wang said somewhat regretfully.
Though she wanted to show her merit, lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. There was no guarantee the next time would turn out the same, so she should still make things clear.
The boss nodded.
He continued watching the auction floor. The bidding had already reached 200 million.
When he had put this bronze ware up for auction, he had done a lot of promotions, but still had no bottom line in his heart. Though Xiangshi was prosperous and had no shortage of rich people, it still wasn't on the level of Beijing, Shanghai. He wasn't certain just how high a price it could fetch. And due to policy restrictions on bronze wares, while it protected bronze wares, it also limited the active trading and collecting markets for them. His baseline was 150 million. And now, just as things were starting, it had already reached 200 million. He couldn't help letting out a breath, still relatively satisfied.
Standing on the stage, Xiao Qi listened to the bids below, feeling somewhat numb.
Here, money really wasn't money anymore, just a number.
Luckily she still remembered her duty today—to stand up here as a qualified vase accompanying the bronze Ding, just like when she had to be a swaying tree on stage at her high school's hundredth anniversary celebration.
Li Weijin and his mother, Gao Cuihua, were sitting in prime front row seats. After arriving at the auction venue, Li Weijin looked around for a long time without seeing Xiao Qi and felt some regret. But since they were already here, if he suddenly left halfway, his mother definitely wouldn't be happy. Finding the venue boring, he simply took out his English textbook to study, seeing Xiao Qi able to learn anytime, anywhere, even studying Spanish on the way to a horse racing competition, he always felt like his gap with her was so big.
Gao Cuihua hadn't expected her precious son to actually take out his textbook and start reading in this kind of setting.
The old mother was truly moved and didn't know what to say. She also felt somewhat remorseful—she shouldn't have brought her son here just to show off, delaying his studies.
Li Weijin put on his headphones and became absorbed in studying. Studying made him happy.
When the final auction item was brought out, Li Weijin inadvertently glanced up.
He saw the girl on stage.
He froze.
She was dazzling like the stars, moon and sun, shining brilliantly, too blinding to look directly at.
Wearing that cheongsam, she was like she had time traveled here together with the bronze ware, like a dream of the most beautiful goddess.
She stood there, not lifting her eyes, without a trace of mortal dust yet still splendid and resplendent, like the most precious treasure in the world.
The bronze ware beside her had a price, she was priceless.
In that moment, Li Weijin felt his heartbeat, clavicle, blood vessels, all seem to boil over at the same time.
There was also chaotic ringing in his brain.
All the surrounding noises were messily blocked out by him. His world held only Xiao Qi now.
Xiao Qi stood there as the mechanical voice in her mind suddenly sounded: "Host painstakingly dressing herself up and becoming an extremely beautiful girl brings others appreciation for beauty and earns a badge of sincere affection."
Xiao Qi was startled, and only now did she stop seeing the audience below as watermelons and seriously look down.
Just now the glare of the lights had been too much that she had been ignoring the audience below out of habit, since that would also make her less nervous.
Now her gaze landed squarely on Li Weijin in the prime C seat below, staring blankly at her.
"What does sincere affection mean, System?"
"Human affection is quite complex. It can be expressed through fondness points. His fondness for you has reached 80% and is also quite firm."
Xiao Qi: ...
Gao Cuihua saw her son suddenly stop reading his book and stare blankly at the stage.
"Son, do you like this bronze ware?"
Li Weijin nodded blankly.
Gao Cuihua raised the gold bidding paddle in her hand: "500 million!"
The venue suddenly went quiet.
The auctioneer was so excited his hand holding the gavel was shaking. Why had it suddenly skyrocketed to 500 million?!
"500 million going once, 500 million going twice, 500 million going thrice, sold!"
*Bang!*
