How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 274

274. If You Dare Target Me, I Will Make You Pay the Price

Marshall got the auction list for tonight and handed a copy to Yang Chen.

According to the list, there were five antique artifacts from Dragon Country at this auction, including the rabbit and rat heads from the twelve zodiac animals, a gilded bronze Buddha from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, and two other items: a Yuan blue-and-white porcelain and a Tang tri-color pottery.

Yang Chen smirked.

The twelve zodiac animals are just ordinary objects to foreigners because they don’t have the concept of the zodiac [a system of assigning animals to years in a 12-year cycle].

Therefore, the rat and rabbit heads are targeted at Dragon Country people, as only they would bid on these two items.

The gilded bronze Buddha might be considered for its craftsmanship and intrinsic precious metal value, and some foreigners might bid on it, but it’s more likely that only Dragon Country people would bid.

Historical issues are beyond the resolution of even countries, so Yang Chen didn’t want to say much.

Since he encountered them this time, he would try to bring them all back.

Marshall Kennedy, who specializes in Dragon Country’s antique art, certainly knew what the rabbit and rat heads, as well as the gilded bronze Buddha, meant to Dragon Country people.

If he could win these three items, and of course, if he could also win the Tang tri-color pottery and Yuan blue-and-white porcelain, he could manipulate them slightly and sell them for a higher price in Dragon Country.

Because for Dragon Country, the rabbit and rat heads are not just cultural relics; they represent national dignity.

Jenny Hathaway grew up in Dragon Country from a young age, and apart from her appearance, her thoughts and values were no different from those of a genuine Dragon Country person.

Therefore, she also knew the value of the rabbit and rat heads.

Jenny asked, “Yang, are you going to bid on these two animal heads?”

Yang Chen: “It depends. If the price is right, I’ll bid.”

Buffett: “I’ve inquired, and the target price for these two items is estimated to be between 20 and 25 million US dollars. Converted to your Dragon Country currency, that’s about 100 million. If you buy both, you’ll need to prepare at least 300 million. It’s a big investment, so you need to consider it carefully.”

Gates: “That’s just the auction house’s expected minimum price. If there’s competition, the price could be even higher.”

Yang Chen: “It depends. Like I said, if the price is right, I’ll definitely bid. To you foreigners, these two items have no value. But to Dragon Country, they are of extraordinary significance.”

Buffett and Gates nodded in understanding.

Phillips Hathaway said, “Your biggest competitor is from Dragon Country, and then there’s him.”

Everyone followed his pointing direction and looked at Marshall Kennedy at the next table.

Phillips Hathaway explained, “Marshall specializes in antiques, cultural relics, and art from Dragon Country and neighboring countries. He certainly knows the value of these two items and will definitely bid to get them, then resell them at a higher price or sell them to Dragon Country people.”

Yang Chen smiled and nodded, saying, “Thanks for the reminder. I only look at the price, not the competition. No matter who the competitor is, it won’t affect my price judgment on these two items.”

Phillips Hathaway smiled and explained, “I understand. What I mean is, if Mr. Yang needs it, I can try to talk to Marshall and have him at least let you have one, so you don’t have to spend so much money. Although you may not be short of money and don’t care about spending a little more, it’s always good to spend less, isn’t it?”

What he said made sense.

Originally, these were all Dragon Country’s things, and they only appeared here due to some historical reasons. It’s ridiculous for Dragon Country people to spend money to buy Dragon Country’s things. If they can buy them for less, of course, that’s the best.

Yang Chen has money, and the system also said that he can buy whatever he wants, but of course, it’s best to give foreigners less money.

So, Yang Chen nodded and said, “Then thank you, Mr. Hathaway.”

Phillips Hathaway also wanted to please his daughter by helping Yang Chen, so he was so proactive and enthusiastic.

“Haha… You’re welcome. You’re Jenny’s boss, so we’re family. No need to thank me for this little favor. You wait, I’ll go talk to him,” Phillips Hathaway said with a smile, and then went to the next table to communicate with Marshall.

When Marshall heard that Yang Chen wanted to bid on the two animal heads, he immediately laughed.

He walked over to Yang Chen and said, “Hello, I’m Marshall Kennedy. What’s your name?”

Yang Chen: “Hello, I’m Yang Chen.”

Marshall Kennedy: “I heard from Mr. Hathaway that you want to bid on those two animal heads, is that right?”

Yang Chen nodded.

Marshall Kennedy said confidently, “I advise you to give up. It’s not that I’m not giving Mr. Hathaway face, but I’m determined to get these two items. And that gilded bronze Buddha, I must also win. You can bid on the Tang tri-color pottery and Yuan blue-and-white porcelain. I can let you have those two items.”

Phillips Hathaway quickly said, “Marshall, don’t be like this. He’s my daughter’s boss, so just let him have one.”

Marshall Kennedy: “Mr. Hathaway, aren’t you making things difficult for me? This is business, real money business. How can I just give it to someone else? If he has money, he can compete with me. If he doesn’t have money, he should just sit there quietly and not say anything. Miss Jenny, you agree, right?”

Jenny Hathaway chuckled and said, “You’re right. It all depends on personal strength.”

Marshall Kennedy: “Right! That’s well said. Whether you can get it or not completely depends on personal strength. Even if I’m willing to give it up, this Mr. Yang wouldn’t want it, right?”

Yang Chen smiled and nodded, saying, “Mr. Kennedy is right, then let’s rely on our own abilities.”

Marshall Kennedy: “Okay! Then let’s rely on our own abilities. Miss Jenny, if you like any of the auction items, we can bid together and split the profits. I have a complete industrial chain that can definitely maximize profits.”

Jenny Hathaway shook her head and said, “Thank you, no need.”

Marshall Kennedy: “Then after the auction, can I invite Miss Jenny to have supper together?”

Jenny Hathaway shook her head and said, “I don’t have the habit of eating supper, sorry.”

Marshall Kennedy wanted to continue, but at this time, the host had already taken the stage to warm up the atmosphere.

He had no choice but to return to his seat.

It seemed that Jenny Hathaway was not easy to win over, not giving him any chance.

Marshall thought of a way to get Phillips Hathaway to help him pursue Jenny.

Phillips Hathaway had always wanted to invest in Marshall’s antique trading company, but Marshall was naturally unwilling to share equity in such a profitable company.

But if this person was his future father-in-law, and a state senator father-in-law at that, it would be different. He could give up a little equity and definitely get more in the future.

Merchants are good at calculating. As long as they can get N times the return in the future, they can invest now.

Marshall sent a message to Phillips.

“I like your daughter. Help me pursue her, and our two families will join forces to definitely make more money in the future. I can give you 15% of the equity in the antique trading company. You don’t have to give me any money. You get so much equity for free, as long as you help me pursue your daughter.”

After reading the message, Phillips quickly put away his phone.

To be honest, Marshall’s conditions were very good. The son of the governor of New York, not counting their family’s business, just his own antique trading company was very profitable, and he himself was good-looking and good in all aspects. He was indeed a good choice.

However, Jenny grew up in Dragon Country from a young age, and it was not certain whether she liked Americans.

Therefore, Phillips did not dare to bring it up rashly, waiting until his relationship with Jenny was further developed.

Soon, the auction began.

The first few auction items were all paintings by foreigners. Despite the presence of famous artists such as Van Gogh, Yang Chen did not bid.

He would never collect foreign things. He only wanted Dragon Country brothers [referring to the cultural artifacts].

Soon, the gilded bronze Buddha from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty came on stage.

Auctioneer: “This auction item is amazing. It’s from the Ming Dynasty of Dragon Country, that is, from 1403 to 1424. If this thing were placed in Dragon Country, it would be a national treasure. Those who know the goods must bid. I won’t say much else. The starting price for this auction item is 8 million US dollars, with a minimum increment of 100,000 US dollars each time. Bidding starts now!”

The Dragon Country people at the scene began to bid.

“10 million US dollars!”

“11 million US dollars!”

“12 million US dollars!”

…

Watching the Dragon Country people bidding against each other, Yang Chen shook his head helplessly.

The price was raised by his own people. Wasn’t this internal friction?

Bidding also requires strategy. As long as no foreigners bid, there’s no need for his own people to increase the price so much at once.

This is just a difference in thinking.

Yang Chen felt that the Dragon Country people who came to the scene today were all his own people. It would be a good thing no matter who bid on the auction item, and the things could all return to Dragon Country.

But others didn’t think so. In their eyes, there was only profit. Their purpose in bidding was to resell it for a higher price, not for any national sentiment or national dignity.

Therefore, they not only had to compete with foreigners, but also with their own people, striving to win the bid themselves.

When the price reached 15 million US dollars, the other Dragon Country people fell silent.

This thing was not very attractive to Yang Chen. As long as it was bought by a Dragon Country person, he would not bid. There was no need to let foreigners earn more.

However, at this time, Marshall bid, offering 18 million US dollars.

He deliberately raised the price so high, firstly to make more money in the future, and secondly, to scare away other competitors.

The price of 18 million exceeded the psychological price of other Dragon Country bidders, and they did not dare to bid any further.

Marshall said with a smug look, “I will definitely get what I want!”

“I bid 18.1 million US dollars!” Yang Chen said loudly.

Everyone looked over.

Marshall Kennedy said with a smile, “Mr. Yang, are you sure you want to compete with me?”

Yang Chen smiled and replied, “Bidding is all about relying on your own abilities, isn’t it?”

Marshall Kennedy laughed and said, “That’s right, I like opponents like you. If no one bids, I’ll find it boring. I bid 20 million US dollars, are you still going to follow?”

“20.1 million US dollars!” Yang Chen said.

Anyway, just increase the price by 100,000 US dollars each time, and resolutely not let foreigners earn more.

Marshall Kennedy refused to admit defeat and continued to bid against Yang Chen.

In the end, the price reached 22.1 million, which Yang Chen won.

Marshall Kennedy said with a displeased expression, “You’re fighting me so hard now. Let’s see how you can bid for those two animal heads later!”

Yang Chen: “As long as the price is right, I will definitely continue to bid.”

The auctioneer excitedly dropped the hammer, and this Yongle period gilded bronze Buddha belonged to Yang Chen.

Next was the auction of Tang tri-color pottery and Yuan blue-and-white porcelain, which were eventually bought by Dragon Country buyers for 3.5 million US dollars and 8.2 million US dollars respectively.

Then came the highlight in the eyes of Dragon Country people, which was the rabbit and rat heads, two of the twelve zodiac animal heads.

Auctioneer: “These two auction items may not be attractive to people from other countries, but for friends from Dragon Country, they are definitely must-have items. These two are the rabbit and rat heads from the twelve zodiac animal heads of Dragon Country. Those who understand don’t need me to introduce their value. Now we start bidding for the rat head, with a starting price of 15 million US dollars. Each increase is 100,000 US dollars by default, with no upper limit. Bidding starts now!”

The Dragon Country buyers immediately scrambled to bid.

“16 million US dollars!”

“20 million US dollars!”

“26 million US dollars!”

…

Watching his own people bidding so enthusiastically, Yang Chen really felt heartache.

But everyone’s thoughts are different, and he can’t say anything.

If he said something about national sentiment, people might laugh at him for moral kidnapping.

So, he decided to ignore them and just make a final decision when the price was about right.

Soon the price was called to 45 million US dollars by the Dragon Country people.

Marshall next to him complained, “Are these Dragon Country people stupid? Their own people are calling so enthusiastically. Do they have too much money to spend? F*ck, with such a high price, I don’t dare to increase the price anymore. It won’t be easy to resell in the future.”

But after hesitating for a moment, he still increased the price.

“46 million!” Marshall shouted.

He knew the value of the twelve zodiac animal heads. This price might not make much profit, but it would definitely not lose money.

Auctioneer: “46 million US dollars once! 46 million US dollars twice! Is there any higher price?”

Yang Chen immediately raised the sign in his hand, which meant he increased the price by 100,000 US dollars.

Yang Chen’s principle was like this, to ensure that the thing does not fall into the hands of foreigners. It doesn’t matter who bids, he will increase the price by 100,000. It’s not specifically targeting Marshall, but this unlucky kid always wants to make a final kill, but is always counter-killed by Yang Chen.

The rat ranks first in the zodiac, so the price of the rat head is slightly higher.

The price of the rabbit head is not so high. The Dragon Country people still understand the customs and habits of Dragon Country.

However, 29.1 million US dollars is also a sky-high price, and these were originally Dragon Country’s things, allowing these foreigners to earn so much money for nothing.

Marshall gritted his teeth and continued to bid against Yang Chen.

“30 million US dollars!”

“30.1 million US dollars!”

“35 million US dollars!”

“35.1 million US dollars!”

…

The two took turns bidding, which stunned everyone at the scene.

“Wow!”

“Are they crazy?”

“Who is this Dragon Country person? So ruthless?”

“Did he not do his homework? This price is no longer profitable.”

“How much money did this guy bring? He just bought the gilded bronze Buddha, then the rat head, and now he wants to win the rabbit head too!”

…

When the price was pushed up to 38.1 million, Marshall gave up.

“F*ck! Damn it! This kid is definitely targeting me! Originally, these things should have been mine. I could have made tens of millions of US dollars by reselling them to Dragon Country! F*ck! He’s destroying my financial path!” Marshall complained to his companions.

The companions responded with a sneer.

“This is New York, not Dragon Country. We can teach him how to behave!”

“But if we dare to touch him, Sotheby’s may hold us responsible.”

“According to the rules, the auction house must ensure that the items are safely delivered to the customer’s designated place. We really can’t do anything.”

“We’re not targeting the auction items, we’re targeting him.”

“Haha…”

Next were the Tang tri-color pottery and Yuan blue-and-white porcelain.

Yang Chen’s art museum has a lot of this kind of stuff, so he didn’t need to give money to these foreigners for nothing, so he didn’t participate in the bidding.

Soon, the auction ended.

Yang Chen became the biggest spender at this auction.

Those Dragon Country buyers rushed over to exchange business cards with Yang Chen.

Yang Chen didn’t want to be so high-profile. If the domestic news exposed him, it would be difficult for him to drive a taxi in the future. Moreover, if he took back the national treasure and didn’t hand it over to the country, it would inevitably cause public opinion.

It’s better to keep this kind of thing low-key and quietly send the things to the Minghai Art Museum.

People from Sotheby’s came over and invited Yang Chen to sign the contract.

Yang Chen clearly stated that everything should be handled in a low-key manner. The head of the auction house, Maxinmi, immediately cleared all irrelevant personnel and signed the contract with Yang Chen alone.

The two parties mainly needed to discuss two things.

First, the payment issue.

Second, the delivery issue.

This time, the system helped with the payment, and it could be paid in full during business hours tomorrow.

Maxinmi immediately shook Yang Chen’s hand excitedly and said, “Mr. Yang is a buyer with strong financial strength. On behalf of Sotheby’s, I would like to present you with a VIP card. In the future, we will definitely notify you in advance of Sotheby’s auctions, and you can enter and participate without verification of funds.”

After speaking, Maxinmi called his secretary and asked him to immediately make a VIP card according to Yang Chen’s identity information and send it over.

Yang Chen was so straightforward, so Maxinmi naturally had to be more straightforward. He immediately stated that Sotheby’s would be responsible for delivering the goods to any prefecture-level city in Dragon Country.

Yang Chen waved his hand and replied, “No need, just send the things to the Aegis Security Group. It seems to be on some street in Brooklyn, I can’t remember clearly, you can contact them yourself. Hand it over to a person named Adam Silva, and you don’t have to worry about the rest.”

Maxinmi: “Oh, I understand, I understand! Mr. Yang has cooperation with the Aegis Security Group and asked them to help escort it back to China. Right?”

Yang Chen nodded.

Maxinmi: “Okay! Then we’ll settle it like this. Tomorrow, we will receive Mr. Yang’s payment and immediately send the goods to the Aegis Security Group and hand them over to Adam Silva.”

Yang Chen nodded and said, “Okay. It’s getting late, I have to go back to rest. Goodbye!”

Maxinmi: “Okay, okay.”

At this time, the secretary hurried over and delivered a VIP card.

Maxinmi took the card, held it in both hands, and handed it to Yang Chen, saying, “Mr. Yang, this is our Sotheby’s VIP card. With this card, you can participate in any Sotheby’s auction and do not need to verify funds.”

Yang Chen took the card, smiled and nodded, and said, “Okay! Thank you. If there are such things in the future, you must notify me. In addition, if you have channels to find other animal heads, we can discuss the price privately, without a big auction. I will definitely not let you suffer in terms of price.”

Sotheby’s may not do this, but Maxinmi himself may not be sure.

Who wouldn’t be interested in tens of millions of US dollars?

Maxinmi: “Haha… No problem! I will definitely keep an eye out for Mr. Yang, and if there is any news, I will contact you as soon as possible.”

Yang Chen nodded and left the auction site.

As soon as he left the door, Marshall came up with people.

Marshall said very angrily: “Boy, you deliberately targeted me, causing me to lose tens of millions of US dollars, I will definitely make you pay the price!”

Yang Chen chuckled and said, “You don’t have money to bid, and you don’t allow others to bid? Is this your bandit logic?”

Marshall: “Hehe… I won’t talk nonsense with you. Miss Jenny, can I invite you to have supper together?”

Jenny Hathaway: “I don’t have supper with people who have bandit thinking.”

After speaking, Jenny pulled Yang Chen away.

Marshall cursed angrily and turned to look at Phillips Hathaway.

Phillips Hathaway just sighed helplessly, did not speak, and quickly chased after Yang Chen and Jenny Hathaway.

At this time, Marshall’s phone rang.

He quickly answered and said loudly, “Hello, Mr. Ye Xuan, what’s the matter?”

Yang Chen, who hadn’t gone far, suddenly stopped.

Ye Xuan?

Was Marshall talking about Ye Xuan of the Ye family?

Or… just a homophone [a word that sounds the same as another but has a different meaning]?