mtlumby2d Chapter 326 - 167: What a Coincidence, I Want to Be That Fool
Chapter 326 - 167: What a Coincidence, I Want to Be That Fool
The man hosting the event had been keeping an eye on them the whole time.
As it approached twelve o’clock, only one last item remained for the day’s auction: one hundred grams of Da Hong Pao from the Wuyi Mountain mother trees.
This tea was a hundred times more valuable than gold.
The last harvest was in May 2005, and twenty grams sold at auction for 208,000—equivalent to 10.4 million per kilogram.
Forget the money; the crucial point was that harvesting had ceased entirely.
It now had a price but no market; the average person could never hope to see it, let alone drink it.
When a certain foreign dignitary visited our country back in the day, he was only gifted 200 grams of it.
So one can imagine how sought-after this stuff was. It was beyond what money could measure, serving more as a symbol of status.
Any of it circulating on the market now was stock from previous harvests, held in private collections.
Most of the people here today had come specifically for this tea.
This item needed no lengthy introduction from the auctioneer. The bidding started immediately. Opening price: 1,000,000.
Though it started at one million, the price was quickly driven up to seven million, with bidders still fiercely competing.
When the bidding reached nine million, the pace slowed down.
Although the tea was excellent, it was still only a hundred grams. The price was getting too high, and not everyone was willing to spend that much.
Everyone had their own limit.
Seeing the price still climbing in increments of 200,000, Xino couldn’t help but remark, "Such a tiny bit of tea is selling for so much. Are they all idiots?"
Before she came, her father had instructed her to buy the tea if possible, setting her limit at eight million.
If the price went over eight million, she was to give up.
So, after she bid eight million and saw someone else immediately raise it, she dropped out.
"What a coincidence. I was just thinking I’d like to be that idiot."
Xu Yun didn’t particularly like tea, nor did he know much about it, but he wanted to get his hands on this legendary, top-grade tea today.
He wasn’t doing it for any other reason; he just wanted to see what tea fit for an emperor actually tasted like.
So he raised his paddle. It was his first bid of the night.
He called out, "I bid twelve million!"
The moment he spoke, every head in the room swiveled toward him, making him the center of attention.
Good lord! He had just jumped the bid from just over nine million straight to twelve million in one go!
"Xu Yun, are you insane?"
Xino quickly whispered, "Even if you want it, you don’t have to raise the bid by so much all at once!"
"I can’t be bothered to waste time with them."
Xino was speechless.
The man who had been watching them—the host—was somewhat surprised by Xu Yun’s sudden bid.
’So he was after my tea?’
That’s right—he was the one who had contributed these one hundred grams of tea.
But he had no intention of letting it go to someone else; he planned to buy it back himself!
So, just when Xu Yun thought he had it in the bag, the host of the gathering opened his mouth. "I bid thirteen million!"
"President Zhang bids thirteen million! Thirteen million!"
The auctioneer, growing excited, called out, "Is there a higher price?"
"I bid fifteen million!"
Not to be outdone, Xu Yun shot the man a look, raised his paddle, and added another two million!
’Damn it. You want to have a money fight with me, is that it?’
’I’ve got ninety-five million in my account right now. I refuse to believe you’re willing to go all the way with me!’
The man was stunned by Xu Yun’s bid.
’Is this kid some kind of fool?’
He couldn’t help but speak up, offering a piece of well-intentioned advice. "Young man, this isn’t a game. If you win the bid, you have to pay with real money. Why don’t you call your family and ask their opinion?"
The subtext was clear: *Young man, don’t get carried away. Does your family even know you’re bidding like this?*
Xu Yun smiled. "Thank you for the reminder, President Zhang. I’m using my own money. My family doesn’t get involved."
"Very well."
The man could only raise his paddle and continue, "I bid sixteen million."
"Eighteen million!" Xu Yun raised his paddle again, almost robotically, adding another two million without flinching.
Hu Yong, the man who had approached Xu Yun earlier, swallowed hard as he watched the scene unfold.
’Good lord, he actually dares to go head-to-head with President Zhang.’
Seeing how determined Xu Yun was, as if he would continue to counter any bid, the man started to consider folding.
It wasn’t that he didn’t have the money.
But as a businessman, he couldn’t let himself get carried away.
The current bid had already far exceeded the tea’s value. If he kept bidding, the cost would outweigh the benefit, even if he won.
Even if he won, people might say he was using his status to bully someone younger.
No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t a good deal.
It would be better to take a step back, let the young man have his win, and earn a little goodwill in the process.
"It seems our young friend here sincerely wants this tea, and is equally sincere about contributing to our charity."
The man smiled. "In that case, I won’t compete with you any further. The tea is yours."
"Thank you for your generosity, President Zhang."
Xu Yun replied politely, "If I have the chance, I will certainly pay you a visit to express my gratitude."
Regardless of whether the man had backed down willingly, it was important to maintain the proper etiquette.
"Excellent, excellent. Ah, the vigor of youth. I’ll be waiting for you."
With the man’s withdrawal, the auctioneer’s gavel fell, finalizing the result of the auction.
In the end, for eighteen million, Xu Yun had won the incredibly precious, top-grade tea: one hundred grams of Da Hong Pao from the Wuyi Mountain mother trees!
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