Zombie Bodyguard
Chapter 578 - 575: Before the First Wave Subsides, Another Wave Emerges

Chapter 578: Chapter 575: Before the First Wave Subsides, Another Wave Emerges

Just as Lin Tian was about to guess, Li Zhengyang stood up. As he stood, everyone turned their attention to him. Throughout the auction, Li Zhengyang had been very restrained or rather, low-key, with no aggressive bidding behavior.

This demeanor seemed somewhat incongruent with his status, but it also made sense. Now that he stood, everyone knew that Li Zhengyang was about to make a fierce bid, one that others could not match.

"What do you think Li Zhengyang will bid?" someone whispered.

"Hard to say. The Li Family and the Xiao Family have severed ties, and by raising the price, Li Zhengyang would essentially be helping the Xiao Family, which seems illogical. But if he does not raise the price significantly, the Yun Family will follow suit, rendering his bid meaningless. It’s a contradiction. Anyway, we outsiders, unaware of the details, just watch what Li Zhengyang decides," analyzed someone, speaking very convincingly.

"After all, Li Zhengyang and Mrs. Xiao are siblings. Even if bones are broken, the tendons are still connected. Although Mrs. Xiao has severed ties with the Li Family, blood ties can’t be cut. Let’s see; the family sentiments in powerful families are almost like those in the Imperial Family, unpredictable," another person lamented.

Li Zhengyang stood up, seemingly unaware of the people’s discussions, and instead looked at the jade in the glass showcase and said indifferently, "My bid..."

Everyone perked up their ears, and Lin Tian also wanted to know what price Li Zhengyang would reach.

"Fifteen billion."

Li Zhengyang’s voice finally came to rest at fifteen billion. The expressions of others froze, clearly surprised by the astronomical figure.

It wasn’t an increase of ten million, nor one billion, but directly fifteen billion, far exceeding everyone’s psychological threshold. Twelve billion was nearly the peak, but they hadn’t expected it to skyrocket to fifteen billion.

After a moment of calm in the hall, there was another stir followed by an unceasing buzz of discussion.

"Fifteen billion, according to the current exchange rate to US Dollars, is over two billion US Dollars!" a young man quietly calculated, coming to a conclusion.

"Over two billion US Dollars, this price has already surpassed that of the world-renowned painting in Europe," his companion exclaimed.

"Exactly, that painting is apparently called ’Women of Algiers’, and its auction price was 1.794 billion US Dollars. Now this Three Pure Ones Holy Realm Jade Carving is directly over two billion US Dollars, this auction is destined to shock the entire collection industry!" the astonishment continued.

"Brother Lin, they’re talking about that famous Picasso painting, right?" Zhou Botong perked up his ears, listening to the discussions of others, himself more excited than they were, as he also had a share in this Three Pure Ones Holy Realm Jade Carving.

"Seems so. I’m not very familiar with collectibles," Lin Tian really wasn’t aware.

Even if he were, he would likely disdain it; many famous paintings’ prices are hyped by the auction groups playing a major role, occasionally hyping one thing or another.

This year it might be world-renowned paintings, maybe in a couple of years it will be ceramics, and a few years later it could be some rare gemstone. Anyway, whatever resources they control, they will hype those things up.

Therefore, for those items auctioned at sky-high prices, Lin Tian was somewhat dismissive, but the Three Pure Ones Holy Realm Jade Carving was different. It had undergone no hype and even up to the moment before the auction, it was kept secret, unknown to outsiders what was about to be auctioned.

The Three Pure Ones Holy Realm Jade Carving fetched such a price not through speculation but through genuine quality, truly deserving. Song Yanan had endowed it with a soul that shook hearts!

Shi Feifei was also stunned. Since she entered the auction industry, was framed and driven out of the auction house, ventured into the entertainment circle, made a name for herself, and returned to the auction industry, she had never auctioned off such a high price.

However, as an excellent auctioneer, she possessed top-notch professionalism. Her mood quickly adjusted, she lifted her wrist, looked at her watch, and confirmed the time.

"The bid countdown..." Shi Feifei shouted, "1.5 billion for the first time..."

Her announcement awakened the crowd, who were deep in discussion. Only now did they realize that the auction hadn’t ended yet. However, in their minds, the auction had ended when Li Zhengyang bid 1.5 billion.

They believed that even the Yun Family wouldn’t offer a higher price, as this bid had already exceeded everyone’s expectations. Of course, if the Yun Family wanted to save face, they could add another hundred thousand to surpass 1.5 billion.

But the Yun Family, comparable to the Li Family in stature, would become the laughingstock of the entire circle the very next day if they did such a thing.

During this brief interlude, Elder Zhao glanced at Second Young Master Yun and said, "Old Man Yun, in past auctions, the Li Family always outdid the Yun Family. Don’t you want to turn the tables this time?"

"I have 1.6 billion, but I just won’t bid—it’s you, Elder Zhao, that I want to irritate!" Second Young Master Yun rolled his eyes at Elder Zhao and said.

"You..." Elder Zhao had not finished speaking when Shi Feifei’s voice interrupted him.

"1.5 billion for the second time." Shi Feifei’s voice filled the entire hall.

"Ah, finally it’s over. 1.5 billion is an astronomical price. Although I haven’t acquired anything today, witnessing the birth of a record is worth the trip," said a middle-aged man with a sigh.

To many, the shout of 1.5 billion for the second time marked the end of the auction, drawing a perfect close to the event.

Upstairs, the big shots relaxed their expressions. Those capable of competing, like Ou Qinglan and Second Young Master Yun, picked up their teacups and started sipping tea on their own, signaling that they had given up on bidding.

The decision of these capable bidders to give up signaled the end of the auction.

"1.5 billion, huh? From now on, I, Zhou Botong, am also a billionaire. It feels damn good!" Zhou Botong swore, as if only such words could express his inner joy.

Based on his shares, he would receive over a hundred million. However, given Miss’s character, she was likely to reinvest this money instead of distributing it all as dividends.

As the largest shareholder, Lin Tian would receive even more, but he chose not to clarify this to Zhou Botong, to spare Zhou Botong’s fragile emotions.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and waited for Shi Feifei to announce the conclusion.

Shi Feifei promptly shouted, "1.5 billion for the third..."

"Hold on!" a melodious female voice called out, like an elf speaking, very pleasing to the ear. However, the word "Hold on" was spoken in English, and the intonation carried a strong British aristocratic accent—not an indication of class status, but rather a preference in accent. Lin Tian, when studying English, had delved into the differences between American and British English. American English tends towards simplification, making it easy to learn and understand.

By contrast, British English carries a distinct air of antiquity, with some words even retaining constructions from the Medieval era, making it much harder to learn.

Suddenly, a woman in the hall, judging by her tone ready to break Li Zhengyang’s 1.5 billion, captured everyone’s attention as they turned to look towards the source of the voice.

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