Chapter 435: Taking Back Some DignityTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Mo Wen, you poor lad, what right do you have to quote a price so frivolously? Be careful, as if you can’t afford it, the security team will expel you from the ship.” Jiang Siyin laughed coldly and warned him.
His words were meant to remind Yang Ting that the poor lad, Mo Wen, would not possibly be able to fork out so much money. Hence, he was clearly just causing trouble.
Similar things had happened in previous auctions, where people had quoted prices too frivolously and were unable to pay the price. This really messed up the flow of the auction.
Because such things had happened before, those upper-tiered auctions would normally require participants to be of a certain status. This usually kept the riffraff out, thus allowing things to run smoothly.
If Mo Wen were to stir up trouble in these higher-tiered auctions, the consequence would be a cash penalty. However, Yang Ting would also lose the chance to bid for the ancient artwork by Da Vinci. Such an act on Mo Wen’s part would cause her chance to bid to be forfeited, thus allowing the ancient artwork to naturally go to someone else.
“You are such a scheming lad!” After Jiang Siyin’s warning, Yang Ting had now noticed how unusual Mo Wen was.
His expression had turned awry all of a sudden. If Mo Wen insisted on causing trouble, it would be impossible for her to successfully bid for the ancient artwork that she so desired. When faced with such an unreasonable person, she did not how to respond.
“Mo Wen, don’t you know how to behave?” Yang Ting looked at Mo Wen coldly.
“Miss Yang, please do not think so highly of yourself. Please watch your words and actions. In this auction, everyone is on equal ground. So, are you going to place your bid or not?” A mocking smile formed on Mo Wen’s face as he looked at Yang Ting.
“You’re such a rascal.” Yang Ting was so angry, her entire face turned red.
She knew that even if she continued bidding, Mo Wen would also continue to up his bid. As he had already set his mind on beating her bid, it would be impossible for her to ever succeed in winning the bid.
“Mo Wen, man up. If you use such low-handed methods, do you think that you are worthy of Shen Jing? If I were you, I would not even have the audacity to continue dating her. I don’t believe that Shen Jing would like such a petty person!” Jiang Siyin smiled and said. He did miss any opportunity to sow discord between the couple.
“He’s a real rascal,” Yang Ting said coldly.
“The two of you, shut your mouths! Yang Ting, Mo Wen has already offered 60 million USD. Are your still going to continue bidding?” Shen Jing looked coldly at Yang Ting. Her normally calm character now had a trace of fierceness within it.
Jiang Siyin and Yang Ting were both a little stunned by her change in demeanor. They knew Shen Jing’s character to be very gentle, and she rarely quarreled about things. This was the first time they had observed her being at odds with others.
Jiang Siyin’s expression immediately became very dark. There was jealousy in his eyes, as he saw that Shen Jing had become this way in defense of Mo Wen.
“Shen Jing, think about it clearly. It’s 60 million USD. If you actually manage to bid on that piece of art and win it at that price, I’m afraid you’d probably be on the brink of bankruptcy.” Mo Wen inhaled deeply and looked at Shen Jing.
Shen Jing’s previous words meant that she would also be in the competition. With Shen Jing’s personality, she would not go back on whatever she promised. With Yang Ting’s understanding of Shen Jing, forking out so much at once would place her at risk of bankruptcy!
“So, are you bidding or not? If you drag this out, I’m afraid you will lose the opportunity,” Shen Jing said calmly, repeating Mo Wen’s previous words to Yang Ting once again.
Yang Ting’s face had turned exceptionally dark by now. Her hand was even trembling slightly. If Shen Jing went all out, Yang Ting would have to pay too high a price in order to win.
Jiang Siyin’s face was also dark. He knew that there was no use in saying anything else at this point. After all, there was absolutely no need for him to attempt to sow discord between Mo Wen and Shen Jing at this point, as it would clearly be of no use.
He did not understand why Shen Jing would be so attracted to a guy as powerless as Mo Wen. Meanwhile, he had wealth and power! After all, he had carved out a lot for himself at such a young age. Yet, she remained uncaring about him, only having eyes for Mo Wen.
Yang Ting’s expression was indecipherable as she struggled internally for a moment. Finally, she was still unable to resign herself to her defeat. Shen Jing was clearly prepared to go all out in battling her.
However, she did not dare to continue fighting it out. After all, if she was careless, it was very possible that she would have to pay a very high price!
Although she had resources and wealth at her disposal, as well as a strong support behind her, all of that wealth did not actually belong to her. She could move the cash around and invest in assets, but she could not spend lavishly without limits. If she spent too much on meaningless things, she would have to answer to her family.
The moment she exceeded their agreed-upon limit, it would be very possible for her family to strip her of her status and power. On the other hand, Shen Jing was different, as all of her money belonged to her. As such, nobody would criticize her for how she spent it.
Finally, realizing that it was really not worth risking over a mere spat, Yang Ting kept quiet for the time being. She focused all of her attentions on continuously consoling herself internally.
“Shen Jing, don’t be too cocky. After all, it is 60 million USD! Once you have bought that art, you will be a pauper! I’m afraid you then have no other choice but to sell off your shares of Pu Yuan Pharmaceuticals just to clear your debt. By then, the gap between you and I would only have grown even bigger! Just for a mere spat, you will have forked out such a high price. You are really childish!” Yang Ting laughed coldly.
She was clearly trying to make herself feel better by launching verbal attacks at Shen Jing. Perhaps only then could she alleviate the pressure she felt, or even assuage her sense of inferiority.
Finley, who was sitting behind them, was looking at Yang Ting in disdain. She clearly saw Yang Ting as a troublemaker, as she was obviously mocking Miss Shen Jing just now.
Finley also did not appreciate the arrogance that Yang Ting displayed, especially when she was implying that she was more well off than everyone else. It was as though she was out to shame her so-called friend!
Now that she had lost the auction, she did not even seem to feel a bit of shame. Instead, she was still finding excuses for herself. Plus, her remarks were disparaging and derogatory! Finley quickly decided that she had never seen such an evil woman before in her life!
“Shen Jing, I’ll say the same thing once more. If you agree to marry me, I will immediately fork over the money to buy that piece of art,” Jiang Siyin said, still unable to take no for an answer.
However, Shen Jing did not even bother to answer Jiang Siyin. Instead, she turned calmly to Yang Ting and said, “Yang Ting, please remember that not everyone can be bullied by you so easily. Making excuses for yourself will just make others despise you more. I dare to use all of my assets in order to win this spat, do you dare to do so as well? When you look down on others, please also reflect upon whether you even have the right to do so.”
“Well said, beautiful eastern maiden! One’s gold could be lost and it will return, but one’s dignity will never return once it is lost! If it weren’t for the fact that you already have a lover, I would definitely use all possible means to woo you.” A slightly jarring voice rang out from behind them.
The man’s voice was actually speaking their Hua Xia language! Everyone turned to see a young white man, who was seated beside Finley. He looked to be just over 30 years of age, and his eyes were filled with admiration for Shen Jing. Clearly, he had been observing the drama unfold this entire time.
If it had been anyone else, they would have definitely not have understood what Yang Ting and Jiang Siyin were saying, since they were speaking in their Hua Xia language. However, this white man coincidentally understood the Hua Xia language!
Yang Ting’s expression was one of utter shock. She had never imagined that a white foreigner would be able to understand the words of two Chinese people’s conversation!
At that moment, the auctioneer on the stage had already given the final call for the current bid. The ancient artwork by Da Vinci had just been sold for 60 million USD!
One of the staff members for the auction walked over to Mo Wen’s seat, then asked politely, “Excuse me mister, may I ask if you will be making your purchase transfer immediately?”
Under normal circumstances, after an item has been auctioned off, the buyers were given the options of making an immediate transfer, a delayed transfer, or registering to pay in installments. An immediate transfer was the fastest and least complicated method, as it was a direct handover of the auction goods and the money at the same time.
On the other hand, the payment by installments option required a discussion and the drafting of an official agreement between both parties. If the time period dragged on for too long, there was also the issue of an interest rate to consider.
Meanwhile, a delayed transfer happened when the person was unable to fork out such a huge sum immediately on the day of the auction. This gave the buyer a few days to deposit the amount to cover the transaction in their personal bank account to be wired a few days later to the seller from the auction.
These methods were normal for such auctions, as most of the participants were business people. As such, their assets were often distributed among myriad chains and branches versus one main small company. Moreover, many wealthy people, especially business people, never carried much cash with them. This was considered a but beneath them, as many of them had credit accounts and tabs at many of the luxurious hotels, restaurants and brand name clubs.
“A delayed transfer,” Shen Jing said. She of course chose this option, as it was impossible for her to fork out 60 million USD right at that moment. This would give her time to discuss the matter with Lin Qing, specifically about how to raise the funds!
“Then, please fill in your personal details here…” The staff member smiled at her.
“No need for such trouble. I will do an immediate transfer.” Mo Wen waved his hand to stop Shen Jing. He did not want Shen Jing to spend so much of her money. Besides, it was not as though he was short of money!
“Ignorant!” Jiang Siyin laughed coldly.
He had never thought that Mo Wen would actually be so stupid. Even if he and Yang Ting were to combine their funds, they still would not be able to do an immediate transfer.
Who would have such huge amounts of money readily available? Jiang Siyin couldn’t help but wonder this, as in the eyes of most business people, putting money in the bank was like simply allowing it sit and lose value!
“Fool.” Yang Ting looked at Mo Wen oddly.
She felt that this lad was not just dumb, she actually thought he was a full-fledged lunatic! She already harbored a little hatred for Mo Wen, as she felt that it was all his fault that she and Shen Jing had fought.
“Mister, are you certain?” The staff member from the auction was mildly stunned, as this was an unusual occurrence.
“Mo Wen…” Shen Jing did not know whether to laugh or cry. She was not even able to stop him!
“Did you think I was really going to let you pay for it? Silly girl!” Mo Wen smiled as he looked over at Shen Jing. Then, he told the staff member, “I will transfer it over right now.”
If the participant desired to pay immediately, the auctioneer would definitely not reject the offer. Moreover, an immediate transfer was also the payment method that was most beneficial for the auction house!
Very quickly, the staff member placed a laptop in front of Mo Wen. On the screen was the auction’s bank account information. All that was left to do was for Mo Wen to enter his information and make the transfer electronically.
Mo Wen thought about it, found Citibank’s tab, then keyed in his account number in no time. The account displayed that he had 200 million USD in savings. For this sum of money, the cash flow of the Lu Group had almost been cut at its limit, as one could only withdraw a certain amount in one transaction.
The amount in this account was the compensation that he had received from the Lu Clan. Initially, he had asked for 1 billion RMB, but when they handed over the money, they had actually deposited 200 million USD, which was equivalent to 1.2 billion RMB!
The Lu Clan had likely sent more because they had been scared out of their wits by Mo Wen. In their desire to be completely rid of Mo Wen, they were not the least bit stingy with their compensation!
Meanwhile, Mo Wen was not worried at all that the Huatian Palace would investigate him because of this matter. Apart from the fact that they had attacked him first, the very fact that they were related to the Heretic forces had already doomed them to become silent victims, such that they could not even voice any of their sufferings!
Mo Wen had actually never touched this money before today. In fact, he had never even thought much about it. If not for the fact that he now wanted to buy the ancient artwork by Da Vinci, Mo Wen would probably have forgotten all about the funds!
To him, money wasn’t really important at all. It was simply not the commodity that he valued most. After confirming the pin number and amount, Mo Wen then completed the transfer and handed back the laptop to the staff member.
Everyone’s gazes were fixed on him. It was very hard to believe that Mo Wen could actually transfer 60 million USD in cash at once!
Moreover, in Yang Ting’sand Jiang Siyin’s eyes, Mo Wen was still that same old pauper who only relied on women to get by. To think that he had 60 million USD in cash that could be tapped into at any time was truly unbelievable!