Rebirth 05: From Coal Mine Owner to Mobile Phone Tycoon

Lu Yuan immediately understood that they wanted to get him to go and work at Li Erpeng's bar.

But Lu Yuan couldn't say it directly, since he couldn't explain how he knew about what the two of them were discussing.

We could only follow Wang Fei's lead and guide her to say what she was saying.

"I'm interested in any project that can make money. This fund definitely can't be used here, but I can invest it personally."

"Fei-jie, do you have any good projects?"

Wang Fei hesitated for a moment, but still told Li Erpeng about her idea of ​​opening a high-end VIP bar, and also mentioned the funding gap.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yuan was shaking his head from the very beginning, and kept shaking his head.

"Sister Fei, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that your project really doesn't make money, and it'll actually result in huge losses."

Lu Yuan looked serious, completely unlike his previous jovial self.

"I advise you to withdraw your investment as soon as possible."

"His dream is his dream, but what's the point of dragging you into it?"

Wang Fei didn't expect Lu Yuan's attitude to be so firm, and that he was so pessimistic about the prospects of her and Li Erpeng running a bar together.

"But I think this project is alright. It may not make a lot of money, but at least it won't lose money."

"Sister Fei," Lu Yuan sighed, "there's no way for people to earn money beyond what they understand."

"Could you tell me more about it?"

Lu Yuan shook his head again.

"Some things are useless to talk about. You've already firmly believed in what you think, and no matter how much I say, you won't agree."

"So eat first, take a closer look, and think things through."

"This banquet is a good example."

At this point, the waiter had already brought out the appetizer.

On a delicate white plate are four Kielpit oysters grilled in a special sauce, and two golden-fried soft-shell crab and shrimp Vietnamese spring rolls.

It was garnished with some vegetable salad leaves. The portion wasn't large, but it looked very exquisite and appetizing.

After a brief opening speech by the host, the first performance took to the stage.

Lu Yuan was very pleased. He thought it would be a long speech with everyone taking turns to speak, but he didn't expect that Sir Zheng would be so straightforward.

The program was short, but very interesting.

A folk music ensemble formed by an international primary school. Many of the children in the ensemble look like foreigners, but they all play traditional Chinese musical instruments.

This kind of band approach is indeed very innovative and eye-catching.

Although there were many mistakes during the performance, everyone responded with kind smiles.

It's clear that the atmosphere at this dinner was quite relaxed, without being overly formal.

After the children finished their chattering and left the stage, the auctioneer walked to the podium in front of the stage and began the first round of the auction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am Jason, tonight's auctioneer."

"It's a pleasure to join everyone again for this year's Sir Zheng's Head-Up Banquet."

"I've noticed that there are many old friends here this year, as well as many new faces."

"As usual, before introducing the first item, I will first give you a brief introduction to our auction rules and how the proceeds will be used for charity."

Jason paused briefly to make sure most people's attention was on the podium before continuing his introduction.

"First of all, our auction rules are different from those of other auction houses on the market."

"No certificates of authenticity will be provided for any of the auction items."

"Participation in the bidding is entirely up to personal preference; everyone present is welcome to participate, but the transaction must be completed on the spot."

We accept cash, credit cards, checks, and all instant bank transfers.

"30% of the transaction amount will be used for charity this year, and 70% will be paid to the original owner of the auctioned item."

Lu Yuan understood and realized the reason behind these rules.

Because most of the items up for auction are antiques with high collectible value, and all are provided by private individuals, it is more like a high-end antique market than an auction.

You can judge for yourself whether it's real or fake. Once you've placed your order, you can leave it at that and maybe even do some charity work in the process.

That's why they require cash checks or similar methods of transaction where the money is exchanged for cash.

There are no entry fees, deposits, or handling fees, which helps prevent malicious price gouging or breach of contract.

"This year's donations will be used in remote areas of Yunnan Province, where many children have never seen what a piano looks like in their lives."

"We will help these schools build music classrooms in this musical wasteland so that every child can receive a music education."

"Alright, then our first item for auction is an authentic work by Wang Yuanqi..."

Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly as he cut the spring rolls on the plate.

"Mr. Lu, do you not think it's a good idea to establish music classrooms in Yunnan?"

As a music professional, Rong Jiawen is very happy to see everyone dedicating their love to music education.

"No, no, no," Lu Yuan quickly put down his cutlery and looked at Rong Jiawen, "That's not what I meant."

"Indeed, many people in remote areas of Yunnan Province may never have seen a piano in their entire lives, but..."

"To call Yunnan Province a musical desert is a bit of an exaggeration."

"You guys haven't seen what it means for Yunnan to perform in music shows, or what it means for Yunnan to only perform in the peak tournament."

"You'll understand when you have the chance to visit Yunnan in the future."

The others were stunned by what Lu Yuan said, wondering what his brain was made of, how could someone so young know so much.

"It's clear that Mr. Lu is very knowledgeable about music. I hope we can exchange ideas more often sometime," Rong Jiawen said sincerely.

"You know a little bit, right?"

"Old Lin, don't steal my lines."

"However, Mei'er, your studio should diversify its operations in the future. Don't just focus on the film and television industry; the music industry is also a good option."

"If you find a good prospect, you can sign him directly. If you're unsure, you can ask me. I actually know a bit about it, hahaha."

The first item was quickly sold for 235 million.

Lu Yuan and the others chatted for a while, especially about music, including Zhou Mei. Zhou Mei had not only appeared in music videos, but had also released her own album.

Having released hit singles, they naturally have a lot to talk about, and Lu Yuan, in particular, has an understanding of the future and insightful views on the direction of music development.

Everyone completely missed the first round of auctions, since no one was interested anyway.

At this point, preparations began for the second program.

A group of middle school students walked to the center of the stage and stood in a staggered manner.

The girl in the center of the stage, about 14 or 5 years old, was leading the group.

It was immediately obvious that this was Rong Jiawen's daughter, the beautiful woman opposite them.

The two look at least 80-90% alike; it's practically a replica.

Lu Yuan was shocked.

He recognized the little girl on the stage.

And now I finally know where that sense of familiarity came from.