Artifact Reading Inspector

Chapter 105: Charity Auction in Shanghai (2)

“Then I’ll look at this catalog and prepare.”

“I’m sorry for asking you such a hard favor. These are my phone number and one of our staff’s, so call us anytime if you need anything.”

He gave Haejin two business cards: his and the one that belonged to the employee who had brought Haejin here.

Haejin then left the residence, and the employee drove him to a hotel. It wasn’t a five-star hotel like the one he had stayed in London but a four-star business hotel. It was clean, and Haejin liked it.

Dojin must have been thinking that the catalog would help Haejin, but his real ability was more about seeing what would normally not be seen, so the catalog wasn’t of much help.

Plus, the valuable things on the catalog were all at least a millennium old, so the price would differ greatly depending on what kind of story each artifact had.

So, what Haejin did during the two days at the hotel was eating, sleeping, and sometimes taking a stroll.

He couldn’t openly go sightseeing while he was on a business trip, and he thought the ambassador would be offended.

On the third day, Haejin went to Shanghai with Dojin and participated in the charity auction that took place in the large hall.

As he was with the ambassador, he could sit at a round table that was in front.

People on that table knew Dojin and greeted him. Surprisingly, there was someone familiar at the next table.

She had big jewel rings on six out of the ten fingers. She looked confused at seeing Haejin, and she also recognized Haejin.

“It’s been a while.”

She was Director Wang Mingwan of China Gwangmyeong Electricity Industry. She had made Haejin compete with her appraiser when they were in Hong Kong to buy paintings. Haejin hadn’t known that they would meet here.

“You are the handsome appraiser I met in Hong Kong. I guess your rude girlfriend is not with you this time.”

“Haha, she talks rashly, right? But she is not my girlfriend, I was just asked to appraise that day.”

Wang Mingwan gave a strange smile.

“Have you been hired today as well?”

“I came with Ambassador Yang here to see. I heard there will be many artifacts on this auction, so how could I not come? But I didn’t know I would meet you here.”

“I didn’t know I would meet you here, either…”

She was staring at Haejin, but she then snapped her fingers.

“If you’re here as the ambassador’s friend, you can be my appraiser, right? I don’t have many people to trust like I used to, it makes me feel bad. Lee Shian left, too… anyway, can you be my personal appraiser for today?”

She looked sad when she mentioned Lee Shian, so Haejin could see something had happened to him. He was curious, but he couldn’t ask.

“Well, I will help if there’s something I can help you with.”

“That’s vague, but… okay, I’ll look forward to it.”

Haejin couldn’t see what she would look forward to, but she left in satisfaction. Dojin saw this and whispered to Haejin.

“Are you close to Wang Mingwan?”

“Oh, I’ve talked to her once when buying a painting. I’m not close to her.”

Dojin smiled as if he couldn’t believe it.

“But you both looked to be in a good mood during the conversation. I never imagined this, but I got lucky today. Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Wang Mingwan. She and Wang Huiyang are cousins.”

“Oh…”

Life is odd. Haejin had thought of her as a strange person and cursed at her quietly, but now, she was very important to him.

“You really didn’t know?”

“Yes, I am rather surprised.”

“You said you got lucky at Abu Dhabi, but this time, I’m the one with luck. No fortune is better than getting a good relationship.”

Dojin started to chat with his friends again as if he trusted Haejin to take care of the rest.

Haejin got even more nervous now. He could feel the pressure to accomplish something by using Wang Mingwan.

After about five minutes, Dojin grabbed Haejin’s elbow and pointed at one side of the hall.

“He is Wang Huiyang. The man who’s coming in now.”

As the entire floor of the convention center had been turned into an auction room, there were multiple entrances. Someone came in through one of them, getting much attention.

He was tall and had neat hair, he looked sharp. He seemed to be in his early 40s, but Haejin knew he was actually in his early 50s.

He didn’t come to the front but sat at a table in the middle.

“Why is he sitting in the middle?” Haejin asked Dojin.

“Even though this event is about the people who donated artifacts and disabled children, the most important people are those who are here to buy those artifacts. He is willingly giving up the spotlight for them.”

“Oh… I see.”

“He is rich, but more importantly, he is wise. That’s how he climbed up to that position without any big danger. In short, he doesn’t make enemies. That’s why what I must do is even trickier.”

Dojin looked very worried, and Haejin felt like he had to do something today.

After about ten minutes, the hall was full of people.

They were not all going to participate in the auction. Those who had a paddle in their hands were at the front, and the rest were there to watch the works of art on auction.

Soon, an auctioneer in his early 40s went up the dais. Next to him was a huge screen that showed the things on auction to the crowd. He glanced at it and greeted the people.

“Thank you for participating in this event for the children going through hardship. And I also thank the party for letting me manage this meaningful charity auction.”

After that, he introduced the celebrities who donated things to the auction one by one. They rose up and waved their hands when they were called, and Wang Huiyang’s name was called as the third.

“So, there are two more people on a higher rank than Wang Huiyang.”

Ambassador Yang nodded and looked at the few people who were sitting in front of Wang Huiyang.

“That’s what you should do today. Wang Huiyang has donated many artifacts, and he wants his to be sold at the highest price.”

“Is it okay for his artifacts to be sold at a higher price than those donated by people of a higher rank?”

“This is a well-intentioned competition. That won’t be a problem, it’s a charity auction.”

“Oh… then, I should only focus on raising Wang Huiyang’s reputation and pride.”

“Yes. Actually, I’ve come up with this plan after thinking for a long time, but I don’t know if this will work. But maybe, I will get good results if I keep trying.”

“Of course.”

After the celebrities were called, the auction started.

An earthenware appeared on the screen, and the crowd exclaimed.

“This earthenware was excavated in Hotan, Xinjiang. Judging from its shape and the pattern, it is thought to have been found in the ruins of Yotkan in Hotan. Normally, bottles like this have a repeated pattern at the body or the handle, and it would be decorated with the face of a human or an animal. Bead pattern decorations, on the surface, were made separately and attached later.”

Dojin leaned on Haejin’s shoulder again.

“How is it? It looks really old.”

It wasn’t Wang Huiyang’s. So, Dojin was worried it might be sold at a very high price.

“It is. It looks very valuable. However, the auction just started, don’t worry too much. I saw a few that will be sold at an extremely high price among the artifacts Wang Huiyang donated.”

“Haha, they can’t just be sold at a high price. You must get a chance to help Wang Huiyang.”

Haejin was worried, too. If Wang Huiyang’s artifact were sold at the highest price without Haejin saying a word, his trip to Shanghai would be meaningless.

“Lot No.1 starts at 100 yuan and rises by fifty thousand. The auction begins!”

The auctioneer raised the excitement of the mood even more.

“1.6 million, 1.65 million, 1.70 million yuan there at the corner!”

You might think people only raise their paddles in silence at auction, but that’s not what happens.

People look at their phone and mutter to themselves, talk on the phone, or talk to someone close.

Cheers and boos sometimes fill the room. The auction room is in excitement, like the stands of a stadium during a sports game.

The highly elated atmosphere, exclamations, and the Chinese’s unique loud voices raised the temperature. The first artifact was sold at a high price.

“9.6 million, 9.8 million, client No. 286 offered 10 million! The price rises by 0.5 million now!”

Dojin’s jaw dropped.

“10 million yuan, that’s more than 1.6 billion in Korean won, but the price is still going up.”

“You don’t know at how much the works of art are sold in China. I wouldn’t be surprised if that gets sold at over five billion.”

“Then, why did he start at a million yuan? This is the first artifact…”

Dojin didn’t finish that sentence, but Haejin could see what he wanted to say. The auction would not end if it went this way.

“It is because this is the first artifact. He started at a price that is much lower than the assumed successful bid price to liven up the mood. The next artifact will have a much higher starting price.”

“Oh… it’s kind of a business skill.”

“Yes. In fact, the revenue of an auction depends on what kind of artifacts are on it, but it also differs according to how the auctioneer creates the right mood. People are wielded by emotion, after all.”

In that perspective, the auctioneer was very skilled and courageous.

He directly looked at someone thinking about raising the paddle and touched his pride and controlled the mood with the right gesture. He was raising the price.

“44.5 million yuan! Is there more? If there isn’t, it ends here! Bang bang! The no.104 gentleman bought it at 44.5 million yuan! Congratulations!”

The successful bid of 44.5 million yuan already appeared with the first artifact.

The friendly mood was gone, and a cold tension filled the eyes of the participants.

The second object appeared on the screen.

It was the painting of two men with red handkerchiefs. Their arms were around each other’s shoulders. However, they were both wearing strange masks.

“A painting from Zeng Fanzhi, the best contemporary artist in China!” The auctioneer yelled.

With that, Dojin looked back at Wang Huiyang.

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