Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 500: Earning a Small Profit of Fifty Billion - Giving My Uncle Some Points!
"This number is so auspicious, the person who made the bid is very particular..." Fatty Wang said with a smile, flattering Gao Dongxu.

"There are so many rich people here," Wu Xie remarked sincerely.

Huang Yanyan's pretty face was flushed, her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, and she looked at Gao Dongxu with tears welling up in her eyes. She kept taking deep breaths to calm her extremely excited emotions.

Gao Dongxu had anticipated this price, as these were rare national treasures that had been missing for decades, and it was only natural that they would fetch such a high price if their authenticity was guaranteed.

Of course, in his mind, Ye Zhaobai was just a warm-up; the real protagonist today was "The Eighty-Seven Immortals Scroll".

In reality, those who can compete for Nightfall White and Immortal Scroll are all powerful corporations. On an individual level, it is very difficult to compete with these financially strong corporations.

Just like the one who took the photo of the night sky is the famous gambling queen of Shun Tak Holdings.

After a period of lively noise, the scene gradually quieted down as the staff on the stage assembled a three-meter-long display stand.

Four beautiful emcees dressed in cheongsams walked onto the stage with the female host. They carefully held a scroll in their hands and slowly placed it on the display stand, unfolding it little by little with utmost care.

At this moment, the entire venue was completely silent. Many people picked up the binoculars provided by the Crescent Hotel and stared intently at the slowly unfolding scroll of immortals.

"As you can see, this scroll is the 'Eighty-Seven Immortals Scroll,' a long silk scroll in white ink, 30 centimeters in height and 292 centimeters in width. It has no title, no signature, and no seal. It is said to have been painted by the Tang Dynasty painter Wu Daozi, but some scholars believe it may be a Song Dynasty copy."

This scroll is likely a draft of a Taoist mural. Based on a Taoist story, it depicts a grand scene of eighty-seven deities, including the Eastern Emperor, the Southern Emperor, and the Fusang Emperor, in a procession using the line drawing technique. The lines are beautiful and flowing, and the artistic conception is profound and expansive. It is hailed as a classic work in the history of Chinese art.

The starting bid is one billion, with each bid increasing by two million...

"Ring ring ring ring..."

As soon as the female host finished speaking, the sound of bells began to echo throughout the Crescent Hotel.

There wasn't a chorus of ringing bells, nor were they in succession; only a dozen or so bells rang, yet each one was melodious.

Gao Dongxu's gaze quickly swept across the entire room. To the left was Box 3—to the right was Box 7—directly opposite was Box 5—the gambling queen of Shun Tak Group; downstairs in the front row were representatives of several of China's top collectors.

"One billion two million, Box number three." The host's voice was steady.

"One billion four million, Box Seven."

When the price steadily climbed to 1.48 billion, a brief silence fell over the venue.

Gao Dongxu's expression turned somewhat grim. Huang Yanyan, Fatty Wang, and Wu Xie also became tense. This price was not only unacceptable to Gao Dongxu, but even they felt it was too low.

Just as the auctioneer kept asking if there were any bids, and Yin Nanfeng, who had been as steady as a mountain, stood up with a serious expression, the bell in Box 5 rang crisply through the air.

"Two billion, Box Number Five."

The entire room erupted in uproar. Fatty Wang spat out a mouthful of tea: "My goodness! Jumping straight from 1.4 billion to 2 billion? She truly is the Queen of Gambling, inhumanly extravagant!"

Wu Xie laughed and said, "Their family is really going all out for gambling licenses."

Gao Dongxu and Huang Yanyan, who finally breathed a sigh of relief, also smiled. Everyone knew that the gambling queen would usually donate these national treasures to the country after bidding for them. As for why, it was of course for the status of the He family and their gambling license.

"Ring ring ring—" The auction bell suddenly rang in a previously silent private room on the second floor.

"Two billion two million, Box 17!"

This action was like throwing a boulder into a calm lake. All eyes turned to her, even He Diehou was visibly taken aback. She pulled back the beaded curtain, revealing a face as exquisite as porcelain. Her long, black hair was styled in a retro updo, and the jade pendants on her earlobes swayed gently with her movements.

"Twenty-five billion." She parted her red lips slightly, her voice as cold as ice.

The entire auction hall fell into a deathly silence. This price had already surpassed the total sales of Sotheby's Hong Kong Autumn Auction last year.

"Twenty-five billion, for the first time."

Just at this critical moment, a red light suddenly lit up in VIP room number 17 on the second floor. A middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue kimono walked to the window. He had a traditional chonmage hairstyle, graying temples, and a solemn expression.

“East Asian Culture Research Institute, Taro Hosokawa.” His Chinese was heavily accented with a Kyoto accent. “Lighting a sky lantern.”

These three words exploded like a bomb. Fatty Wang jumped up from his chair: "Light a sky lantern?! This Japanese are clearly provoking us!"

The Crescent Moon Hotel's "Lighting the Sky Lantern" auction is the most brutal bidding method in the auction world—meaning that no matter how high the final price is, the person who lights the lantern will add two million to the final bid.

"Two billion two hundred million..." The auctioneer, who was sweating profusely and almost ruining her makeup, finally breathed a sigh of relief, her voice trembling with excitement.

He's face instantly turned ugly. She turned sharply to look at Hosokawa, gave a cold laugh, returned to her seat, and began to ring the bell.

Ring ring ring—The entire room fell silent, save for the bidding rings of He Di Hou and Hosokawa Taro.

"Two billion four hundred million!"

A loud bid suddenly rang out from a private room on the third floor. The silver-haired industrialist immediately pressed the red light in the room: "CITIC Group, go for it!"

"Two billion seven hundred and four million, up one hundred million, the current valid bid is two billion seven hundred and four million!"

The scene erupted in cheers. Two sky lanterns were lit simultaneously by both Chinese and Japanese businesses—no one had expected that two lanterns would be lit on the very first day of the New Moon Hotel's opening.

Hosokawa Taro turned around with a grim expression and whispered a few words in Japanese to his attendant. The young attendant immediately took out a satellite phone and quickly dialed a number.

"Two billion seven hundred and six million!" Hosokawa rang the bell again.

"Ring ring ring—" The sky lantern in the center was still lit.

"Raise the price by one hundred million, to two billion eight hundred and six million!" Hosokawa Taro gritted his teeth and raised the price again.

Gao Dongxu watched the grand lantern-lighting spectacle with an indifferent expression. To be honest, when Hosokawa Taro came out to cause trouble, he was really worried that the Japanese would snatch the "Immortal Scroll" away.

If the Japanese really manage to snatch it away, it will undoubtedly cause a worldwide sensation. As the biggest beneficiary, Gao Dongxu's reputation in China will be affected, whether he likes it or not. At the very least, he will be the subject of complaints and grievances.

It wasn't until CITIC stepped in that he finally felt completely at ease, deciding not to compete with CITIC on money.

"The national team is on the field," Fatty Wang said gloatingly. "That little devil has really messed up."

“Those little devils might not give up so easily,” Wu Xie said, frowning.

As expected, Hosokawa did not give up and continued to compete with CITIC on price.

The price has soared to 2.9 billion. Hosokawa Taro clenched his fists, his eyes sharp as knives, while his entourage behind him was covered in cold sweat.

Of course, the people in CITIC's private box were not relaxed either. After all, the price had soared to 2.9 billion, which had already rewritten the record for the highest price ever paid at a global auction. After today, it would surely cause a global sensation.

Witnessing a historic moment made the atmosphere in the auction hall so tense it almost froze.

"Three billion!" the CITIC VIP box suddenly shouted again, skipping the two million increment.

The entire room fell silent. Hosokawa Taro closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly shook his head.

"Thirty billion for the first time... thirty billion for the second time... thirty billion for the third time! Sold!" The gavel slammed down with a deafening sound. "Congratulations to CITIC Group for acquiring the 'Eighty-Seven Immortal Scrolls'!"

The thunderous applause lasted for a long time. The tycoon of CITIC appeared on the stage with a smile on his face, bowing to those around him, while Hosokawa Taro left the window expressionlessly.

Gao Dongxu did not make an appearance; the main focus now is on the CITIC tycoon, and he cannot go out and steal the limelight from him.

"My God, 3 billion! Young Master Gao, your assets must be over 10 billion now, right?!" Fatty Wang looked at Gao Dongxu with stars in his eyes and asked with a greedy expression.

"Hehe, that's about it." Gao Dongxu was also very excited at this moment, and even wanted to shout a few times to vent his surging emotions.

As for Huang Yanyan, her face was already flushed, and she was clinging tightly to Gao Dongxu's arm with seductive eyes, squeezing and rubbing it hard with her conscience.

"Actually, we really have to thank that little Japanese devil. Otherwise, we might not have been able to get such a sky-high price," Wu Xie joked excitedly.

"Damn it, these little devils are disgusting. If they really let him take pictures, there will be an uproar..." Fatty Wang cursed irritably.

"Yes, thankfully a powerful figure stepped in, otherwise, we would have been in real trouble," Wu Xie remarked.

"Fortunately, it had a perfect ending," Huang Yanyan said happily with a radiant smile.

"Young Master Gao, you really have to treat us to a big meal today! Goodness, you've already made 5 billion this morning alone! Even the printing press can't make money as fast as you!" Fatty Wang flattered him with envy.

"Haha, no problem, the highest standard of Tan Family Cuisine, let's go!" Gao Dongxu laughed happily, put his arm around Huang Yanyan who was smiling sweetly, and walked out as he spoke.

The Crescent Hotel will handle the rest of the transaction and payment. The money will be directly deposited into his personal account, after deducting personal income tax, of course.

Although he could have avoided taxes through overseas accounts, Gao Dongxu chose to pay 20% personal income tax, which is close to one billion yuan. This can be considered as a small compensation to the country, since both paintings were sold without any initial investment.

Gao Dongxu didn't feel any pain about it. There are things you should do and things you shouldn't do. Besides, if he paid nearly a billion yuan in personal income tax, this law-abiding and sensible little guy might be able to show his face in the upper echelons, at least earn a good reputation, and make his uncle proud.

Paying a billion yuan in personal income tax honestly is not something an ordinary person with a strong sense of propriety can handle calmly. It is enough to show the Gao family's good family tradition and education, and will undoubtedly be a plus for the uncle.

(End of this chapter)