Rebirth 05: From Coal Mine Owner to Mobile Phone Tycoon

The surrounding guests were all stunned. What did this mean?

Zhou Mei, Wang Fei, and the others were also taken aback, feeling a sense of déjà vu, but they couldn't quite place it.

"Excuse me, I misspoke," Lu Yuan cleared his throat, "I suspect this old woman, Wei, is mentally unstable and is inflating prices. I request verification of her funds!"

When Wei Min heard Lu Yuan call her "crazy old woman" again, her face flushed red once more.

But at this moment, she knew that now was definitely not the time to argue with that brat.

I just wanted to rip him off, but I didn't expect to buy it at this price.

It's not that I don't want it, it's that I can't afford it.

Once the funds are verified, it won't just be a matter of losing face; it will be equivalent to offending the host of the banquet and being blacklisted by the Zheng family.

At that point, losing money to avoid disaster will be the cheapest option.

So we absolutely cannot let this kid succeed.

"Do you have any evidence to prove that I inflated prices?"

"Besides, I am a direct descendant of the Mei School of Peking Opera. Why should I accept the questioning of a junior like you?"

"Who do you think you are? You think you can just tell me to verify funds and I'll do it?"

Lu Yuan was immune to such crazy talk. There was nothing he could do. Did this person think the world should revolve around her?

The auctioneer was caught in a dilemma, because this was essentially a private auction, and he had been invited to preside over it.

There were some things he couldn't decide, so he could only look down at the host of the banquet, Sir Zheng.

But Sir Zheng simply gestured for him to wait a little longer, wanting to see how the young man Lu Yuan would handle the matter.

Lu Yuan realized that the auctioneer was silent, and knew that he had to add fuel to the fire.

Did everyone see my gesture?

As Lu Yuan spoke, he made a pistol and scanned all the guests with it.

"So, does everyone know what this gesture means?"

The literal meaning is obvious to everyone, but since Lu Yuan asked this question, it means...

There must be a deeper meaning behind this.

Seeing everyone's blank expressions, Lu Yuan continued,

"This gesture is called 'hanging a sky lantern,' or," Lu Yuan smirked, "'lighting a sky lantern!'"

A murmur rippled through the crowd, and they began whispering amongst themselves.

"What does 'lighting a sky lantern' mean?"

"I've only ever heard of this kind of cruel torture used by the Qing Dynasty, which involves cutting a small opening in a person, stuffing a wick into it, and slowly burning away all the body fat."

"What does this guy mean by lighting a sky lantern without verifying his identity? Is he playing this high-stakes game?!"

"How would I know? Listen to this guy, I think he's quite interesting."

Zhou Mei and the others were also startled. They had seen the Hong Kong horror film "Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Qing Dynasty" when it was popular in Hong Kong.

I don't understand at all why Lu Yuan brought this up.

"Don't be afraid, everyone," Lu Yuan said, having overheard some of the surrounding chatter. "The 'hanging sky lanterns' here doesn't refer to any form of torture."

"It's actually a slang term circulating in inland private antique trading venues,"

"What I mean is that for this item, no matter what price others offer, I will bid one level higher than that price."

Everyone looked enlightened; they hadn't realized there was such a saying.

"Does hanging a sky lantern mean that we're willing to pay any price to win this item at auction?"

Lu Yuan nodded. "So today, I'm prepared to acquire this set of jewelry at any cost."

Wei Min scoffed, "Then I'll bid 1 million. Are you going to bid 5 million to win it?"

"Don't even mention a bid of 100 million, I'll go for 1 billion or 10 billion, I'll match it."

"Alright, I'll bid 1 million!"

Lu Yuan watched with disdain as Wei Min walked step by step into his trap.

"Then you have to prove you can come up with 1 million first."

"You should know that even with a bid like yours, you'll still need to have your funds verified at an outside auction house."

"The host did not require verification of funds before we entered, which shows their trust in us."

"But that doesn't mean you can treat the host of the banquet, Sir Zheng, like a fool and deceive him."

Wei Min quickly looked at Sir Zheng's table and hurriedly explained, "Sir Zheng, I didn't do it, you have to believe me."

Lu Yuan watched with a leisurely air, like a cat toying with a caught mouse.

"Want to prove you can do it? Let's verify your credentials, please."

"I will not agree to the verification of funds."

Lu Yuan knew this crazy woman would try to be a scoundrel, so he had already planned out a route for her.

It will lead her step by step into the trap he has set for her.

"No need for verification of funds is fine. According to general auction rules, since Ms. Wei has questioned the bid, we will not respond."

Lu Yuan looked at auctioneer Jason, "Then Ms. Wei will be considered as not participating in this round of bidding."

"Mr. Jason, I demand that all of Ms. Wei's bids in this round of bidding be voided."

Wei Min suddenly turned her head and glared fiercely at Jason.

She had someone put in a good word for her, and the auctioneer would side with her.

Jason could only offer a helpless smile and nod.

"Mr. Wei, are you going to withdraw from this round of bidding? There is no deposit required for this auction, so there will be no fees."

Jason did his best to remind Wei Min within his capabilities.

If it weren't for his friend's request, he really wouldn't want to get involved with this so-called "madwoman."

Yes, Mr. Lu's word is really apt; it's "crazy old woman."

He really didn't want to get involved in this crazy woman's affairs.

Jason could see very clearly that this set of jewelry was absolutely out of her reach.

Even if it weren't Lu Yuan, it would never have been her turn.

Given the current situation, simply abstaining and leaving is definitely the best option.

Although it might not look good on the surface, at least you can retain some dignity, and you won't suffer any financial loss.

But the reason why a madwoman is a madwoman is because she absolutely cannot think like a normal person.

"Since Ms. Wei's bid is invalid, let's not start the auction again and go back to Mr. Mankinda's offer of 105 million."

"Then, I'll automatically offer 110 million for hanging it under the sky lantern."

"Mr. Mankinda, are you going to raise the price?"

Mankinda shook his head again; 105 million was his final price target.

"Will the others want to pay more?"

Lu Yuan looked at all the guests, pointed around with a gun-like gesture, and...

Completely unaware, they have already taken over the auctioneer's job.

No one among the guests responded; the scene was chaotic, and no one wanted to get involved.

"Since no one is bidding higher, this set of jewelry is mine for 110 million."

Lu Yuan emphasized the price and made a particularly sinister and cunning expression.

The others didn't seem to notice anything, but Wei Min's heart skipped a beat at that expression.

"Oh no, we've been tricked!" A thought suddenly popped into Wei Min's mind.

Only Zhou Mei looked at Lu Yuan's expression with great curiosity.

A thought flashed through my mind: "You're overdoing it, Boss Lu. Your expression is too exaggerated and doesn't look natural at all."