Chapter 6, Auction.

Zhou Fuping was wiping his sweat again: "Gu, Miss Gu, the time, the time has come."

As soon as I finished speaking, three figures darted into the auditorium. The first two moved swiftly, quickly reaching Table 7 on one side of the hall, fully aware of where they were supposed to go, appearing to be bodyguards or assistants.

The bartender should be named Kang Bo.

This individual, feeling slighted earlier, could not help but become somewhat unruly in his speech. Among the guests, someone had already grown impatient and let out a cold "humph." I turned to look and saw none other than Lin Guoyao, the horse racing king of Hong Kong. This person's life story is also quite legendary; he was once a horse trainer who was imprisoned for five years on charges of bribery and race-fixing, resulting in the revocation of his license. After that, he vanished from the public eye for three years. Remarkably, just three years later, he reappeared at the racetrack, having become one of the five major owners of the largest racecourse. Some speculate that his substantial funds were derived from bribes earned in past races, while many others, upon seeing his fierce demeanor three years later, would rather believe that he had engaged in bank robberies, drug trafficking, and other heinous crimes during his time away.

I nodded slightly and gestured towards Su Mei.

Indeed, there is someone who is more anxious than we are. That person is our client, Zhou Fuping. He has been wiping sweat incessantly, leading me to doubt how that ordinary handkerchief can possibly absorb so much excess perspiration. He is truly more flustered than an ant on a hot stove; if I were to describe him, he could only be likened to a shrimp in boiling water, constantly swimming back and forth, and occasionally leaping up to whisper in my ear: "Miss Gu, is there really no problem? I mean, will there truly be no issues?"

I feel a bit dazed: this person does not seem to come with hostile intentions

They grasp their time perfectly, their expressions solemn, quietly sitting in the last row of the hall, as if monitoring the entire venue

Su Mei held the menu in her hand, gave me a knowing glance, and after the middle-aged man took his seat, she approached him, slightly bowing her body, her graceful demeanor resembling that of a specially trained restaurant staff member

The person stared at me for three seconds, suddenly revealing a peculiar smile, as if to give me a slight nod, before turning back.

The time is drawing closer to 10 o'clock, when the meeting will begin, and we are becoming increasingly anxious

However, the information he can provide is truly pitiful and evokes sympathy, as it is characterized by "the name of the auction item is unknown, the date is unknown, the author is unknown..."

Zhang Dongming truly lives up to his reputation as a seasoned master of ceremonies. Although the situation was somewhat unexpected, he maintained his smile and composure: "It seems that everyone here is a distinguished guest, for distinguished guests come from afar. Only those who come from afar can be this 'cool' and unperturbed. I can only accept this peculiarity with grace, haha"

Su Mei exchanged a few words with the middle-aged man, then walked towards the back bar, and I quietly followed her.

As I was in shock, the diamonds on the earrings began to sparkle, while the collar button of the bartender, Kang Bo, and the pearls on Su Mei's hairpin also glimmered briefly. It was as if Kang Wen behind the scenes was giving each of us a hint: "Han Xintai, 35 years old, from Singapore, is said to have risen through improper means, but another rumor suggests he is the illegitimate son of a wealthy man, having acquired his inheritance through extraordinary means. Most people believe the latter version to be more accurate"

Fortunately, Zhang Dongming still possesses a certain level of competence. After someone expressed impatience, he quickly changed his attitude and began to introduce the auction items.

I, at https://m.hetushu.com, wore a gender-neutral tailcoat with large diamond buttons, presenting a practical appearance as I moved around the venue.

After I heard him hum, what I saw was his chilling and fierce expression, truly unsettling. I couldn't help but feel a bit concerned for the host on stage.

Regardless of the circumstances, that bottle is the main character, and we cannot lose its clues

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Compaq responded with an innocent glance: "I don't know either."

The first person to raise their hand was Ma Wanglin Guoyao, and then... the mysterious figure at table 11 suddenly turned around, made a very strange expression at us, and then raised a sign: "Three million"

My heart was filled with unease, when suddenly, a gaze like lightning from a person of the Western Regions shot towards me. I gathered my thoughts and returned the look with composure

Su Mei passed by the bar, shot him a glare, as if to say: "It's all your fault that this good fortune has come about."

If the identity of the first guest has already astonished us, then the identities of the following guests are even more surprising. They include: "King of Horses" Lin Guoyao, billionaire Luo Yijing, internationally renowned Chinese kung fu superstar Hua Ruyu, and Vice President of China Bank Zhang Zhitong. In the final minutes, an Arab man wearing a headscarf hurried in and sat at table number three. Kangwen informed us: "He is the Arab oil king"

Among them, the person at table eleven is particularly mysterious. He wears a wrinkled light linen suit, with a newly grown beard on his chin, exuding an indescribable lazy handsomeness, yet his eyes are as sharp as those of a predatory vulture.

Kang Bo couldn't help but let out a low whistle

I forced a smile, having already ridden on the back of the tiger, with no choice but to harden my resolve and face the situation head-on

When the third possibility was mentioned, the three of us in the lobby almost jumped up. If it is this person, our activities today are likely to be severely hindered. Although this rumored individual is both righteous and wicked, acting solely according to personal preferences, who knows what their true purpose for attending is? We can only prepare for the worst.

The person behind is of medium build, with a gloomy expression, as if he is owed a significant amount of money that he cannot recover, appearing to be filled with pent-up frustration. His attire is very understated, yet pleasing and harmonious, seemingly custom-made by a renowned designer. I scrutinized him and felt that he looked familiar.

Although I really do not want to offend my rice class instructor, with only twenty-seven minutes left before the meeting began, I could no longer endure it and said: "Mr. Zhou, please step aside; my job is to maintain order and security on site, which does not include chatting and providing psychological counseling to the employer"

The weather in late spring is still gloomy at nine in the morning, and the lighting inside the Paris Hotel is undoubtedly much brighter than the daylight outside

Su Mei walked into the back hall

I kept pacing back and forth in the lobby, my eyes fixed on the entrance.

Suddenly, we simultaneously heard Kangwen's voice: "Target has shifted, the direction is south of Dongsheng Street, and it is rapidly approaching your location. If it is heading towards the auction, you must intercept it."

I feel the same way

The appearance of the men in black seemed to take control of the situation, capturing the main attention of the guests. On stage, Zhang Dongming was able to proceed to the next segment: "We will now begin the auction. Although everyone has participated in auctions before, I still need to reiterate the auction rules... Each paddle raised represents one hundred thousand dollars. We will now start the bidding for the - picture - book, with a starting price of one million five hundred thousand dollars."

Then came the moment that made us the most anxious. Zhang Dongming presented the bottle, completely unaware that the glass box contained nothing more than a replica hastily produced overnight. Due to time constraints, our imitation was so rudimentary that it was merely a clay body coated with glossy paint and pigments. If the glass box were opened and the item taken out for individual inspection, both the color and quality would be incorrect. Fortunately, the guests could only view it from a distance, and the dim lighting we meticulously arranged on stage provided some degree of concealment. For the time being, no one had noticed the flaw, but some guests had already begun using high-powered telescopes. May the Lord protect us!

A few minutes later, a drumbeat sounded, followed by silence. The DJ's voice came on: "Welcome everyone to this auction. Now, let us welcome the host of this event—Mr. Zhang Dongming, the gold medal emcee of our city." Applause echoed, "Wow, wow," as the gold medal emcee Zhang Dongming, with a beaming smile, exaggeratedly waved his hands and walked onto the stage, enveloped in a beam of light, exuding star quality. The atmosphere he created for his entrance was initially very lively, but the audience below remained cold, with no one reacting, making the atmosphere extremely awkward.

On stage, Zhang Dongming finished laughing and began to get to the point: "Although I do not blame anyone, you all should be aware that today's auction is purely held for a single bottle, and everyone has come for it, which can be said to be somewhat strange..."

It turns out that the time has already arrived, but the client mentioned by Zhou Fuping seems to have not yet appeared

Kang Bo couldn't help but murmur: "Heavens, why are they all just a bunch of figures from the Three Mountains and Five Peaks."

While he was joking around, Su Mei quietly approached me and whispered, "The people who have come are quite strange; their expressions seem very confused. Since they are here, they should be interested in the bottles, yet they all appear skeptical, lacking any certainty."

Su Mei continuously checked whether the glass cups for serving red wine were free of any fingerprints, whether the white tablecloth was without a single wrinkle, and whether the velvet chairs were spotless

Just as I turned my head, Zhou Fuping jumped over again. Due to the extremely close distance, I was startled and glared at him fiercely

The door that was originally closed suddenly swung open, and a line of people entered in single file, their faces cold and all dressed in black suits. My heart began to race; the men in black had appeared

I was secretly astonished: he is a newly emerged business investment killer, rumored to have an exceptionally keen eye and ruthless methods, favoring bold moves that hit the mark immediately. He prides himself on being a dragon crossing the river, akin to Julius Caesar's declaration, "I came, I saw, I conquered." However, which river he is crossing remains unclear to most, as his identity is shrouded in mystery

Although I really do not want to offend my rice class leader, with only twenty-seven minutes left before the meeting starts, I finally could not bear it any longer and said: "Mr. Zhou, please step aside. My job is to maintain order and security on site, which does not include chatting and providing psychological counseling to the employer."

Kang Wen took the longest time to scan his facial contours into the computer to verify his identity, and it was also the most uncertain: "There are three possibilities: First, the young master of Chinatown in New York, who controls the order of the entire Chinatown gang; second, a computer crime expert who is on the run; third, the legendary figure from the Western Regions"

I glanced at Su Mei and Kang Bai, then hurriedly left the venue.

Su Mei walked to the bar and said to the bartender: "Whiskey on the rocks, Mr. Han Xintai at table 7"