Zombie Bodyguard
Chapter 577 - 574: The Price Limit

Chapter 577: Chapter 574: The Price Limit

After shouting that price, Old Dong, the middle-aged man, broke out in sweat. It was hard to tell whether it was excitement or pressure.

But Lin Tian guessed that Old Dong had been pressured by the ten billion RMB bid he had made. He reckoned that during his long business career, Old Dong had never once thrown around ten billion RMB in one go.

"Brother Lin, it seems Old Dong is reaching his limit," Zhou Botong said, glancing at the tense Old Dong, with certainty.

"You’re right, his funds are indeed pooled, and although ten billion is quite a sum, it’s still not enough," Lin Tian nodded, then added, "But as he said, having tried and fought is enough, not leaving oneself with regrets."

The big shots on the upper floor no longer ignored Old Dong as they had before. Even though his wealth could not compare with theirs, his decisiveness and persistent spirit were admirable.

"It’s a pity, but his performance today will bring him quite a few benefits. Every major family has gone through experiences like his in the process of accumulating wealth. Although we have passed that phase, we should not underestimate him," Second Young Master Yun said with a sigh, perhaps seeing in Old Dong the same persistent spirit that he himself possessed.

This comment made Old Man Zhao somewhat embarrassed, as he had been the most outspoken earlier. While he was simply stating a fact without malice, his words did come across as unpleasant.

"The auction price for the Three Pure Ones Holy Realm Jade Carving is currently at ten billion. Is there any higher bid?" Shi Feifei asked again.

"Eleven billion," Ou Qinglan, who had just bid, raised the price again, causing the big shots to look at her in puzzlement.

Her expression was always indifferent each time she bid, as if she had no interest in the Three Pure Ones’ Holy Realm Jade Carving. However, her bidding style was the opposite, raising the stakes by billions directly, which left the big shots unable to fathom the thoughts of this younger generation.

Mrs. Xiao, as the hostess, was also puzzled. As women and power players in their own right, they should have some insight into each other. Yet, Mrs. Xiao could not see through Ou Qinglan.

"Manxue, her aggressive bidding, could it be to help us? But the Xiao Family has never had any interactions with Ou Qinglan. If there’s been any overlap, it only started today. It doesn’t make sense," Mrs. Xiao whispered to her eldest daughter.

Miss nodded and then shook her head. After thinking for a moment, she said, "To say that she has no interaction with the Xiao Family isn’t quite accurate; it should be that Ou Qinglan has an interaction with Lin Tian. If Ou Qinglan doesn’t like the Three Pure Ones’ Holy Realm Jade Carving yet keeps raising the bid, the reason might have to do with Lin Tian."

"Lin Tian?" Xiao Manxuan was startled and exclaimed, "Could it be that Sister Ou has taken a liking to Lin Tian?"

The little girl said this with an uncertain thought in mind, her lips slightly curled, as if she was somewhat displeased.

Miss tapped the little girl’s forehead and said helplessly, "At such a young age, what would you understand!"

Being called young, Xiao Manxuan was not pleased. She immediately puffed out her not-so-small chest, pouting, "How am I young? I’m not a child anymore. That bad guy Lin Tian also said I’m not young anymore."

Of course, she dared not utter the second half of that out loud, just miming the words with her lips, and luckily so. Otherwise, her sister might have been provoked to tear Lin Tian apart in her fury, possibly even demolishing the ancient building itself.

Miss was utterly defeated by her thinking and explained, "When I say the reason is with Lin Tian, I don’t mean that Ou Qinglan is interested in Lin Tian. It’s likely that Ou Qinglan sees the potential in Lin Tian. By helping to drive up the price now, she’s ensuring Lin Tian owes her a manageable favor. In future interactions, this will allow her to take the initiative. It’s a very astute investment."

"Ou Qinglan is known for her shrewdness; she wouldn’t do something pointless. Your explanation is very plausible. However, Lin Tian is also someone who doesn’t like to be taken advantage of. Will he fall for it?" Mrs. Xiao pondered for a moment, expressing her doubt.

Miss had yet to answer when Xiao Manxuan immediately said, "Lin Tian is indeed not a person who likes to be at a loss, but he’s also the type that if you treat him well, he can repay you tenfold. So, eight or nine out of ten times, Lin Tian will fall for Sister Ou’s gambit."

Miss looked at her sister in surprise, not expecting her to understand Lin Tian so deeply. A woman understanding a man so well made Miss worry about her sister’s relationship with Lin Tian.

However, she quickly thought about her own ambiguous relationship with Lin Tian, and could only glare fiercely at Lin Tian downstairs. It was all this bastard’s fault!

"Achoo..." Lin Tian, who was chatting, suddenly sneezed, startling Zhou Botong.

"Brother Lin doesn’t have to get so excited, it’s just 1.1 billion," Zhou Botong said.

"Excited my ass, it’s definitely because someone is talking about me," Lin Tian retorted.

"Someone talking about you is a good thing, you know. Generally, there are two possibilities. If it’s an enemy, they must be holding a grudge against you. Having an enemy hold a grudge means you’re not a mediocrity; mediocrities don’t stir up resentment," said Zhou Botong looking like he was imparting some serious knowledge.

"There’s such a theory? What about the other possibility?" Lin Tian asked curiously.

"Heh heh, the other possibility is much happier. If women are talking about you, it means they have you on their minds," Zhou Botong immediately switched to a sleazy expression.

Lin Tian was so dumbfounded by his twisted logic but could not find any reason to argue. The world of fools indeed can’t be understood.

"1.2 billion!" Another voice interrupted their conversation.

Another increase by a billion. The crowd on the first floor now all seemed to be holding their breath, afraid to breathe too loudly, worried they might be misunderstood as the ones who called out this staggering amount.

1.2 billion RMB—if they were to sell all their assets, they probably couldn’t raise 1.2 billion. This was truly an astronomical sum.

Even the tycoons on the second floor didn’t look as relaxed as before. At the stage of 1.2 billion, it was almost time to conclude, and it was also the most difficult and intense stage of bidding.

Whoever could persist to the end would be the final bidder. But the final bidder was not necessarily the victor. If the bidding couldn’t be capped, it might exceed the value of the jade carving, and winning the bid might not turn out to be a good thing.

The Three Pure Ones’ Holy Realm might be exquisite, but even a jade carving of national treasure level has its price limit. Therefore, all the tycoons were calculating the ultimate auction price, figuring how to win the bid without losing too much.

"1.21 billion!" Another tycoon increased the bid, but the increments had already decreased, no longer by the billion.

"Brother Lin, the pace seems to have slowed, but it feels even more tense. Can you estimate the final price limit?" Zhou Botong asked a bit nervously.

Lin Tian glanced at the second floor’s wealthiest tycoon, Li Zhengyang, and said, "Given the current increments, it does seem like we’re nearing the limit, but based on the tycoons’ auction strategies, there will surely be one very large increase at the end to deter everyone and end the auction. If I haven’t miscalculated, the price limit should be around..."

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