"Five million for the first time, five million for the second time, five million for the third time! Sold."

The auction hammer dropped, and the host excitedly said:

"This 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection' was won by President Liu of Jianghe Industry for five million Huaxia Coins. Let's congratulate President Liu!"

Clap clap clap!

As soon as the host finished speaking, another round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, giving face to the occasion.

Liu Jianghe flashed a broad smile, graciously cupping his fists and bowing to everyone, repeatedly saying, "Thank you for letting me win."

Before this piece of the 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection' went up for auction, the organizers estimated it would fetch around four million.

This was because at a charity auction, apart from the intrinsic value of the collectibles, people often pay a premium for other reasons.

But now, it exceeded expectations by a full million, which was somewhat unexpected.

"The organizers have set the stage, now as per the usual practice, we invite today's guests to present their auction items!"

The host announced.

The main event was coming up.

If the items offered are too low-grade, too cheap, or if no one bids, leading to a failure to sell, it would certainly be humiliating.

If the items are too high in quality, leading to a full donation after auction—without a particularly good reason, no one wants to be foolishly generous.

So the key is to balance the quality of the items and understand the social dynamics.

"Miss Zhou, a small token for our first meeting, it's not much but I hope you accept it."

Liu Jianghe approached Zhou Hanyun, respectfully handing over the 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection' he had just bought for five million, and spoke with a smile.

"Mr. Liu, how could I? This gift is too precious."

Zhou Hanyun, deep down, certainly wanted to accept the 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection,' but the gift from Liu Jianghe was indeed too valuable.

Five million isn't five hundred, and she didn't understand why Liu Jianghe, whom she had never met before, would give her such an expensive gift.

So, no matter how much she wanted it, she could only politely decline.

Wen Zhang, standing nearby, opened his mouth wide upon seeing Liu Jianghe offer the 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection' to Zhou Hanyun, but could not say a word.

"This guy never shows off, but what a grand gesture! A five million bid just like that!"

"Yeah! To woo a girl with such an expense, this President Liu really spares no cost!"

"But if five million could actually win over Miss Zhou, it would be totally worth it!"

"Heh heh! But probably no chance. The Zhou Family isn't ordinary, and Miss Zhou wouldn't easily fancy him. Don't you see she's already declined?"

"No wonder President Liu has risen so quickly, this is what you call business smarts!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Knowing full well she wouldn't accept, yet through this gesture, he's established a connection. If the Zhou Family overcomes their crisis and revives, what do you think will happen?"

"I see! What a sly businessman!"

...

Seeing Zhou Hanyun not accept, Liu Jianghe could only look at Yang Yan.

"Take it, it's alright. You can gift it to your grandfather for his birthday, and just hope he forgets about last time's chess incident."

Yang Yan said casually.

Recalling the time she went to borrow money from Hao Jian, Zhou Hanyun suddenly realized something.

It seemed that Liu Jianghe in front of her had a special connection with Yang Yan.

So, the recipient of Liu Jianghe's gift wasn't actually her, but Yang Yan.

But Zhou Hanyun still couldn't figure out how Yang Yan knew so many prominent figures in the East Sea business world.

And alongside him were two stunning beauties, making her increasingly curious about Yang Yan's identity.

Seeing Zhou Hanyun's puzzled expression towards him, Yang Yan gave a wry smile and whispered softly:

"Take it first and I'll explain later."

Zhou Hanyun nodded, smiling sweetly at Liu Jianghe:

"In that case, thank you, President Liu. I hope we can interact more in the future to see if there's potential for collaboration."

Just as Liu Jianghe was about to respond, he suddenly froze.

He noticed two sharp gazes from beside Yang Yan locking onto him.

It felt like being targeted by a venomous snake.

Quickly grasping the situation, he promptly handed over the painting to Zhou Hanyun and then excused himself to a distance.

Wen Zhang glared resentfully at the clueless Zhou Hanyun and coldly muttered:

"We'll see."

Leaving those words behind, he strode up to the stage.

On stage, Wen Zhang whispered something to the host and gave a meaningful glance at both Zhou Hanyun and Liu Jianghe.

The host nodded gently, then smiled and said, "Alright, alright."

Soon after, the host held up a map with yellow and green patches:

"Now, let's welcome President Wen from Century Garden Real Estate Company."

After he spoke, applause rose from the audience.

"Thank you for the attention!"

Wen Zhang cupped his hands toward the audience, took the map from the host, and pointed to a real estate project:

"This is our latest development from Century Garden, and the area I'm pointing to is one of the high-end neighborhoods. I'm putting up two duplex apartments as my auction items!"

"Wow! President Wen, so generous."

"As expected from President Wen of Century Garden, what a hefty contribution!"

"Two duplex apartments, this must be worth twenty or thirty million at least!"

"That's unpredictable! With President Wen's wide connections, the final price might exceed our expectations."

...

People downstage, who were either on good terms with Wen Zhang or eager to curry favor, couldn't help but start discussing loudly.

Hearing these words, Wen Zhang felt greatly pleased.

"Oh, not at all! We businessmen make a bit of money with the country's policies, it's only right to give back to society!"

While saying these high-sounding words, Wen Zhang glanced towards Zhou Hanyun from time to time.

Faced with Wen Zhang's provocation, Zhou Hanyun instinctively clenched her fists.

"Alright! Now that President Wen has presented today's first personal auction item, as per the usual rules, the starting bid is one dollar. Please place your bids freely."

The host announced loudly.

"Boss, what's wrong?"

Seeing Zhou Hanyun's unsettled expression, Yang Yan couldn't help but ask.

"This guy, how could he have the same idea as me?"

Zhou Hanyun frowned.

Originally, upon hearing that everyone needed to present something for auction, she thought this was a great opportunity.

Her first thought was to auction off a high-end residence from the latest Zhou Real Estate development.

First, she wasn't prepared today and had nothing better to offer.

Second, for promotional purposes, she could take this chance to publicize Zhou Real Estate and its newly developed projects.

Third, it would be an opportunity to stir up the prices of these properties while gaining a charitable reputation.

All in all, it was a win-win situation with no losses.

"Seeing him like this, I can't stand it either! With his sly demeanor, he's just like a villain in a TV drama. Especially with that big belly, like a ball, makes me want to kick it down into a pancake."

Yang Yan said while nonchalantly chewing on a braised pork trotter.

Having been squeezed between three women just earlier, he was now transforming his frustration into appetite, treating himself indulgently.

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