Chapter 570: The Most Expensive Auction Item

The auction soon began.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am the auctioneer for this charity auction…”

After a brief introduction, the auctioneer proceeded to conduct the auction, “The first item up for bid is Brother Chen Long’s sunglasses, with a starting bid of ten thousand, and each increment must be no less than a thousand.”

This time, the auction featured items donated by celebrities.

Although Chen Long was getting older and his movies were not as box-office successes as before, even accused by some that his recent films were all flops.

But Chen Long’s status as a big brother in the film and television industry was unquestionable.

No sooner had the auctioneer finished speaking than many people started bidding.

“Fifteen thousand!”

“Thirty thousand!”

“Fifty thousand!”

“…”

“One hundred thousand!”

“Two hundred thousand!”

“Three hundred thousand!”

The price soared steadily.

From this, it was evident that many people wanted to collect Chen Long’s sunglasses.

In the end, they were purchased by a private enterprise owner for one million.

This owner was a super fan of Chen Long, with a collection that included all of Chen Long’s films at home.

Chen Long was present on site and was delighted to see his own sunglasses sell for as much as one million.

The auction continued.

The items up for auction were varied.

There was the pair of pants Liu Dehua tore during a concert.

There was a collector’s edition record from Zhang Xueyou.

There was a basketball used by Jay Chou in an MV shoot.

There was a leather outfit worn by Deng Ziqi.

And there was a hair gel used by a certain fresh-faced celebrity.

…

The atmosphere on site was quite lively.

With so many people, there were always those who liked to collect such things.

Xu Yang and his companions showed no interest in these items and did not participate in the bidding.

At that moment, Li Guangming spoke, “Yu Yan, I will give you a surprise on the next item.”

Shen Yuyan remained indifferent and did not respond.

However, Wang Xiaocong interjected, “Young Master Li, Miss Shen has made it clear she’s not into you. As an heir to the Li Family, can’t you show some dignity and stop bothering her?”

Xu Yang laughed, “Maybe he enjoys the thrill of the chase.”

“Indeed,” Wang Xiaocong nodded, chuckling, “Young Master Li, you’ve been in America for many years, so you might not know what this behavior is called. Let me tell you, it’s called being a ‘lickdog’ or, if you prefer, a lowlife.”

Li Guangming’s expression soured, “Xu Yang, Wang Xiaocong, don’t go too far. I am, after all, the heir to the Li Family.”

Wang Xiaocong curled his lips, “Your behavior doesn’t quite match that of the Li Family heir.”

Xu Yang agreed, “Indeed, it’s quite childish.”

Li Guangming’s face turned an ashen shade of rage, but he found himself at a loss for words against the pair and thus fell silent.

At this point, the auctioneer on stage announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, the next item up for auction is undoubtedly the most expensive item ever sold in the history of the Splendid Evening auction!”

Generally, the items at Splendid Evening auctions were not overly pricey.

After all, truly valuable auction items are those that nobody is willing to part with.

If one really wants to do charity, just donating money would suffice.

This kind of charity auction is more about the formality.

It’s different from commercial auctions where you can find paintings and calligraphies worth tens of millions.

Therefore, the Auctioneer’s words successfully piqued people’s curiosity.

A staff member presented a square object on a tray, wrapped in yellow cloth.

The Auctioneer didn’t play coy and pointed to the square object.

“This is a white jade thumb-ring of Emperor Qianlong, donated by Mr. Li Guangming, the heir of the prominent Li Family of the capital, on behalf of Ms. Shen Yuyan!”

The Auctioneer lifted the yellow cloth, revealing a transparent square glass box containing a white jade thumb-ring, “This white jade thumb-ring has been appraised by several respected masters from the National Antiques Association and comes with a certificate of authentication from the Association, so our guests need not worry about its authenticity.”

Hearing the Auctioneer’s introduction, the venue instantly buzzed with excitement.

“It’s actually a thumb-ring worn by Emperor Qianlong, this is a fine piece!”

“The starting bid is thirty million, indeed the most expensive item in the history of the Splendor Night!”

“Wearing this on the thumb beats any Rolex or Omega on the wrist by a long shot!”

“The fortune teller told me that if I have an imperial relic on me, I will surely become the richest person in the world, so I must win this thumb-ring at auction!”

“We’ve never seen an emperor, but wearing his thumb-ring, let’s see if we can enjoy the feeling of being an emperor!”

“I have a habit of wearing thumb-rings, and I must get this white jade thumb-ring, please don’t compete with me for it!”

Seeing that it was Emperor Qianlong’s thumb-ring, everyone was eager and their eyes lit up.

Especially those wealthy business magnates, who were determined to win the thumb-ring for themselves.

Everyone was rich, boasting about wealth had become meaningless.

That’s why Papa Ma did the opposite, claiming he wasn’t interested in money, that he had never seen money before, and this statement successfully went viral, becoming a widely known quote!

If Papa Ma had said he was interested in money and that he just loved making money, it certainly wouldn’t have become a famous quote.

If one were to wear an Emperor Qianlong’s thumb-ring on the thumb at gatherings of magnates, it would still be something to brag about!

Some noticed that the item was donated for auction by Li Guangming in the name of Shen Yuyan.

“The young Master Li is really spending a fortune for Shen Yuyan!”

“As the heir of the Li Family, he doesn’t even consider this amount of money!”

“Who is Shen Yuyan? She’s incredibly lucky!”

“With Master Li splurging like that, he’s likely to win the beauty tonight!”

“Indeed, no one can withstand such an assault!”

…

Li Guangming looked at Shen Yuyan with a slight smile, “Yu Yan, what do you think? Do you like it? Tonight, your name will echo through the entire Splendor Night!”

Shen Yuyan responded indifferently, “Thank you for your contribution to the cause of charity.”

Li Guangming frowned slightly, as if he hadn’t achieved the reaction he expected.

Wasn’t she supposed to be surprised?

Wang Xiaocong mocked, “Master Li, it seems that the surprise you prepared for Miss Shen hasn’t won over her heart. Take my advice, don’t waste any more effort; you’ll never win her over.”

Xu Yang followed, “Master Li, Wang is offering you golden advice, you’ll never win over Miss Shen; you might as well not waste your time. We’re all looking out for you.”

Li Guangming said expressionlessly, “I won’t give up, and I think what I’m doing is meaningful, contributing my part to the cause of charity.”

After a pause, he continued, “You two are here to make fun of me, but let me ask, have either of you donated anything for the auction to contribute to charity?”@@novelbin@@

Wang Xiaocong spread his hands, “I really haven’t, but when I do charity, I just donate money directly; there’s no need to donate items for auction.”

Xu Yang nodded, “Exactly.”

Li Guangming sneered, “I think you just lack the charity spirit.”