Signing In At The Civil Affairs Bureau, I Was Rewarded With A Gorgeous Wife

"To speak fairly, we should resist this kind of thing together, but now! They've already shoved it in our faces, and if we don't accept it, we appear too timid!"

Yan Ying shouted with an agitated expression, "But it's different for you, Zhao Lu! As the biggest auction house in the country, you're actually colluding with foreigners to make money off us! If I don't scold you, who should I scold!"

"Alright, alright, alright! It seems I'm damned if I do, and I'm damned if I don't!"

Zhao Lu said with a bitter laugh, "Yan Ying, don't think I don't know the little calculations you have in your mind. Today, I'm going to tell you! As for the commission from the auction of the horse head, my Jiahe wants not a penny of it!"

As soon as these words came out, they immediately caused a huge uproar at the scene!

Everyone knew that the horse head would definitely fetch an astronomical price at auction!

As the host, the commission Jiahe stood to earn went without saying!

But now, Zhao Lu openly declared that he didn't want this money!@@novelbin@@

How could this not surprise people.

Is this still a businessman?

Yan Ying was also taken aback by Zhao Lu's words. His original intent was just to make a scene, to stir trouble merely and incidentally make a name for his own auction house.

But who knew that it would push Zhao Lu to the edge!

This was fantastic news for him!

Because Jiahe had invested tens of millions in the promotion of the horse head in the early stage!

If he gave up this commission, he would certainly be ruined!

"President Zhao is noble and righteous! In that case, I was wrong," Yan Ying conceded.

Seeing the fierce glint in Zhao Lu's eyes, Yan Ying knew that too much of it would be as bad as too little. If he really irritated this young master and caused a lose-lose situation, he wouldn't benefit at all!

He might as well say some pleasant words early on and end this topic.

After all, he had achieved his goal, and conceding might not be such a bad strategy!

Zhao Lu let out a long sigh and seriously said, "We all are clear about what the horse head signifies to us, so I hope you can wait for the auction with patience. If anyone tries to cause trouble over this issue again, I'm sorry, but Jiahe will not open its doors to you anymore!"

These words were heavy, and those who wanted to make trouble at the auction suddenly went quiet.

Because the auction house was not just a place to trade favorite items, but also a social platform, where they could make numerous connections every year!

The benefits those connections could bring were far greater than what they put in!

"Continue, please."

Zhao Lu left the stage with an impassive face.

Wu Rou bowed slightly to the audience again and spoke indifferently, "Since everyone dislikes my excessive descriptions of these collectibles, I will explain the next items using the simplest terms."

"The first collectible, an authentic Zheng Banqiao piece, starting bid ten million, with each increment no less than five hundred thousand—please!"

As Wu Rou's gavel slammed down hard on the table, the bosses below started calling out their bids.

It didn't take long for the price to soar to thirty-eight million!

This had already surpassed the transaction totals of Zheng Banqiao's calligraphy and paintings from previous years.

Watching the crowd below that kept bidding, Wu Rou also gradually relaxed.

Without saying anything else, just like the auction house, the auctioneers themselves were able to take a cut from the final selling price.

This stroke of luck shouldn't have fallen to her, but who could blame her when she had an unclear, indistinct relationship with Zhao Lu behind the scenes.

"Fatten your own cows, not others'," Zhao Lu waved a generous hand, stashing a little gold in the vault for his woman.

"Forty-three million! Once!"

"Forty-three million! Twice!"

"Forty-three million! Three times!"

"Sold!"

Though Wu Rou's gavel hit the block, the auction's first item was perfectly and successfully traded!

In the private room, the Ouyang patriarch watched expressionlessly, having no interest in these items. The only reason he could sit calmly was that he didn't want to break the rules.

Every industry has its rules, and although the Ouyang patriarch could use his advantage to get the seller's information from Zhao Lu and then negotiate directly, he was unwilling to do so.

That would not only damage the Ouyang Family's reputation but also cause a nosedive in Zhao Lu's credibility!

"Patriarch, aside from the horse head, is there nothing else to your liking?"

Song Yun took a sip of tea, the aroma filling his mouth, showing Zhao Lu's deep reverence. The tea here was even better than what they drank in the office.

"They are just some calligraphy and paintings, nothing special after seeing a lot of them," the Ouyang patriarch said with a smile. "Instead of looking at the works of the ancients, I'd rather have you write a pair for me on the spot. Your calligraphy now is hard to come by in Forty-nine City. Many big shots interested in this art have been calling me, hoping to use our relationship to request a piece from you."

"Heh, I can write, but there has to be a fee for rubbing the brush!" Song Yun joked with a laugh. "I wonder how much my writing is worth now. According to the art world, isn't it that the calligraphy and painting become more valuable only after the person dies?"

"You jest, but someone asked me, willing to pay ten million for a piece of your calligraphy. How about it? If you agree, I'll call them right away," the Ouyang patriarch said, amused by Song Yun's words. "Your calligraphy is already not inferior to the ancients!"

"Better not start that precedent. If I agree now, I'll have to agree to everyone in the future, and then I wouldn't want to wake up every day to face so many orders." Song Yun sighed. "By the way, Patriarch, I haven't seen Jie today. What has he been busy with lately?"

"Heh, can't tell you, all I can say is that what he's doing now is highly confidential," the Ouyang patriarch mentioned Ouyang Jie, a tinge of satisfaction shining in his eyes.

His grandson generally resembled him in character, daring in love and hate, brave but not without shrewdness, especially the few things he'd done with Song Yun recently, which had earned praise from higher-ups.

With a few more years of polishing, he would surely become a new flag-bearer for the Ouyang Family!

Song Yun and the Ouyang patriarch chatted in the private room, while the bosses below were fighting almost to the point of breaking their heads!

One of the artifacts was a Qian Long imperial court-made vase. Not only that, the vase had Qian Long's private seal stamped on the bottom, enough to prove the artifact was much loved by him!

It was this very vase that drove many bosses beneath wild, its starting price of thirty million shouted up to a whopping one hundred and forty million!

At that point, three firms still clung on fiercely.

Two of them looked familiar to Song Yun, both were heads of listed companies from Forty-nine City, with substantial wealth.

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The remaining man was someone Song Yun felt he had never met before.

"Patriarch, isn't that a small group over there? They look unfamiliar," Song Yun asked, noticing a cluster of people.

Upon hearing Song Yun's question, the Ouyang patriarch glanced over and snorted, "Aren't they people from the Cherry Blossom country?"