Extreme Almightiest Young Master

Chapter 613: Bidding War (First Update)

"Ladies and gentlemen, please, a moment of silence. The starting bid for this final crown is ten million US dollars, with each increment at five hundred thousand US dollars. Do we have any bids?" The auctioneer suppressed the excitement of the crowd and directly announced the starting price for the last item. To be honest, he himself was very unsure. At any other auction, such a price would certainly be unheard of, but with this crown appearing at this auction, it unavoidably made him somewhat worried; the price was indeed too high...

"Ah! 10 million!"

"The starting bid is 10 million!"

"This... is way too high!"

...

At the auctioneer’s words, the audience was instantly shocked. Although they had guessed that this item wouldn’t be cheap, nobody had imagined that the starting bid would already be at ten million. If it were successfully auctioned, how much would it reach? Cui Jinhao’s move was far too bold, actually bringing out such an expensive item...

"15 million!" Cui Jinhao shouted out first, ignoring everyone’s astonishment. He waved his bidder sign, intending to present this item publicly to Ding Wan’er. Therefore, he certainly would not allow a lackluster atmosphere to ensue. His opening bid was an assertive 15 million, hoping for a quick decision, directly squashing the competitive spirit of other bidders. Of course, he was also aware that Lin Feng would not let the matter rest, so he weighed his options and directly raised the bid to 15 million to intimidate Lin Feng deliberately.

"Wow! A direct increase of five million US dollars!"

"That bid jumped up pretty quickly!"

"Fifteen million US dollars! To open with an increase of five million US dollars!"

...

The audience, upon hearing Cui Jinhao’s initial bid, were astounded at the direct increase of five million US dollars. They knew it was in US dollars, a very high rate for bidding. What was this all about, and why would Cui Jinhao suddenly raise the bid by so much? Nonetheless, the crowd quickly regained their composure upon realizing one fact: Cui Jinhao was the heir to the Six Stars Group, and for him, such an amount was trifling. With this in mind, everyone then settled down and continued to watch the auction unfold.

"15.5 million!" Huang Shi waved his bidder sign and shouted the price, his mind already set on creating trouble as instructed by the Boss, determined to make Cui Jinhao pay a painful price and contribute generously for once.

"16 million!" A European man sitting a bit farther back offered another price. From the looks of it, he was a school headmaster from somewhere in Europe, probably a collector of antiques, captivated by such a crown and bidding calmly.

"17 million!" Seeing Huang Shi bid, Cui Jinhao also put forth a new price, upping the ante by one million. From the time Jin Junxi returned, he had people investigate Huang Shi’s background. They didn’t expect to find that he was the Crown Prince of the Tianhai Huang Group and its sole heir, with a staggering fortune. Although it was unclear why he was acting as Lin Feng’s subordinate, his involvement in the auction certainly created an unfavorable situation. Regardless, Cui Jinhao had to acquire the item and then present it to Ding Wan’er.

With this in mind, Cui Jinhao calmed himself and began to consider what price it would take to secure the crown. He knew Huang Shi had money, but there was a limit, and even Huang couldn’t produce the funds if it went too high. At the moment, he was speculating what Huang Shi’s bottom line could be. As for the European man who joined the bidding, Cui Jinhao didn’t even take him seriously.

"17.5 million!" Huang Shi, strictly following Lin Feng’s instructions, casually raised his bidder sign as if the price was of little concern to him, fiercely clamping down on Cui Jinhao’s bid, intent on not letting him win the crown easily.

"18 million!" The European man offered yet another bid. He truly desired the crown, but 18 million was essentially his limit. If the price climbed any higher, he would have to reluctantly give up, no matter how much he liked it.

"20 million!" Cui Jinhao smiled as he glanced at Huang Shi and raised the bid by another two million, setting it firmly at 20 million. It was clear to him now that Huang Shi was deliberately causing trouble, determined to outwit him. But Cui Jinhao could not abstain from bidding. If he did not raise the bid, Huang Shi might actually succeed in buying the item, which would be a heavy loss for him, ruining his plan to gift the crown to Ding Wan’er. He couldn’t just be overshadowed by Huang Shi for the whole evening; that was unacceptable!

Though inwardly annoyed by Huang Shi’s interference, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep bidding. That’s how it went at auctions; those who bid highest got the item - that was the rule. Huang Shi was exploiting this very point to cause trouble, and there was nothing Cui Jinhao could do but watch helplessly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the current bid is now at 20 million US dollars, showing that this crown truly has an inestimable value. The top bidder at the moment is Mr. Cui Jinhao, General Manager of the Six Stars Group, with 20 million US dollars. Are there any more bids? Missing out on such a rare treasure would be a great pity!"

The auctioneer, seeing the price skyrocket to 20 million US dollars in just a minute, was overjoyed. It was rare to see items reach such high prices, and having been an auctioneer for a decade, he had seldom encountered collectibles above 20 million. He was hopeful that this item would break his personal auction records, which would be a glory for any auctioneer, so he spared no effort to further fuel the atmosphere.

The European man who had previously been bidding saw the price rise to a sky-high 20 million US dollars and shook his head in resignation, no longer participating in the bidding. He felt the crown was worth no more than that, and observing the bids from Huang Shi and Cui Jinhao, he knew the price would keep climbing. Continuing to compete would bring him no advantage, so he decisively refrained from further bidding.

Damn!

million!

It’s already 20 million!

...

All the audience present were shocked by this scene, their hearts skipped a beat. In less than a minute, the price had already doubled. If this rate of bidding continued, how much would it end up selling for? Keep in mind that this wasn’t 20 million in H Coins but 20 million US dollars. This... this was just too extravagant...

Moreover, the social elites from all walks of life in H Country had already seen that Cui Jinhao was determined to acquire this crown. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it to the auction. Knowing this, they had even less reason to bid for the crown. The Six Stars Group was thriving in H Country, and even if they liked the crown, no one wanted to offend the Six Stars Group. Therefore, the elite of H Country chose not to participate in the bidding. Knowing that they definitely wouldn’t be able to win it, why would they offend Cui Jinhao? Such a foolish act was beyond them.

Lin Feng made a covert hand gesture to Huang Shi, signaling him to continue bidding boldly and aggressively. Then he started chatting away with Ding Wan’er about all sorts of things, paying no attention at all to the auction. Ding Wan’er cooperated fully with Lin Feng. She merely admired the crown and wasn’t hung up on it. Knowing Huang Shi was there to cause trouble, she was more than happy to let Cui Jinhao suffer a bit. So, she chatted happily with Lin Feng, not sparing Cui Jinhao a glance.

Seeing Lin Feng and Ding Wan’er chatting away, ignoring him completely, Cui Jinhao was consumed with jealousy. He wished he could become Lin Feng at that moment. This thought only fueled his anger, and he resolved to make Ding Wan’er’s heart flutter for him at any cost. While he outwardly appeared to be in high spirits, he was burning with envy on the inside.

"20.5 million!" Huang Shi, having seen his boss’s signal, felt confident and even more indifferent after seeing Cui Jinhao’s reaction. So, he continued to outbid Cui Jinhao without fear of him suddenly withdrawing.

"22 million!" Cui Jinhao raised his placard again. He realized that Huang Shi was clearly opposing him. With that in mind, he could only let the bidding continue to climb until Huang Shi reached his limit. With this approach, Cui Jinhao settled his mind and planned to forcefully drive Huang Shi out of the bidding with money.

"22.5 million!"

"25 million!"

"25.5 million!"

"27 million!"

"27.5 million!"

...

The two kept up a relentless pace of bidding. No matter how much Cui Jinhao offered, Huang Shi was always just 500,000 higher. As this unfolded, the entire room fell silent. Although the crown was invaluable, everyone could see that Huang Shi was simply opposing Cui Jinhao. The bid had climbed stealthily, and everyone was eagerly anticipating the final price of the crown.

What! That youngster still dares to raise the bid!

Could it be... could it be that this person is deliberately causing trouble?

Adding 500,000 each time, what does this mean?

...

The socialites of H Country’s elite, seeing this unusual situation, felt that something was off and began to suspect something. This young man raised the bid by 500,000 US dollars each time, never any higher. Was this young man here to cause chaos? They could not comprehend his thinking. Was Cui Jinhao someone this young man could afford to provoke? Why would he come to cause trouble? Could this young man have some special status, or else why would he bid like this? It was as if he was making it plain that he was there to disrupt. They truly did not understand the risks—Cui Jinhao was the heir of the Six Stars Group. Who would dare to compete with him? This was nothing short of a suicidal act...

"40 million!" Cui Jinhao raised his bid once more, but now even he felt his heart skip a beat. The price had now exceeded what he had paid for the crown in the first place. He couldn’t understand how Huang Shi had the nerve to compete with him, but the situation had escalated to this point, and there was no possibility of halting. If he stopped now, he couldn’t afford to lose face. With these thoughts, he had no choice but to continue bidding.

Turning his head to look at Lin Feng and Ding Wan’er, as well as Huang Shi continuing to smile at him incessantly, he was seething with anger. He hadn’t expected such a turn of events. 40 million US dollars! And yet Huang Shi didn’t look the least bit nervous—was he really so wealthy? Cui Jinhao was filled with doubts, but he couldn’t afford to contemplate any further; his mind was already bent on seeing Huang Shi dead.