Chapter 436: Agnelli FamilyTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jiang Siyin fixed his eyes on Mo Wen. He couldn’t believe the truth in front of him. He was certain that Mo Wen was trying to confuse everything. He would love to see Shen Jing’s expression when Mo Wen couldn’t pay for it.
Yang Ting also fixed her eyes on Mo Wen. She couldn’t believe she would be defeated by a pauper.
Finley glanced at Mo Wen curiously. In her opinion, this Mr. Mo Wen couldn’t be a wealthy person or he wouldn’t ask his girlfriend to foot the bill when he was out with her.
Mo Wen pressed the ‘enter’ key before leaning back in his chair without a word.
“Thank you for your support in this auction. We will send Master Da Vinci’s authentic work to you immediately.” The member of the auction staff skimmed through the account with a smile on her face. She bowed slightly at Mo Wen politely before turning around to leave.
Jiang Siyin and Yang Ting looked at each other with some disbelief that Mo Wen was actually able to pay sixty million US dollars in one go. If someone had told them this would have happened an hour ago, they would have definitely thought that it was a fantasy.
In an auction, they were particular about payment and delivery of goods. Only upon full payment would the auction item be given to the customer. Most of the time, the auction organizer would deliver the item a few days later. Very few would actually be delivered on the spot at the auction.
As many of them would delay the payment for the security of the auctioned item, it would not be given to the successful bidder in advance. As for the installment payment, that would be even more complicated. They would only receive the auctioned item after signing the related agreement.
Since the employee had mentioned that Da Vinci’s painting would be delivered immediately, it meant that Mo Wen had already paid in full.
“How did you get so much money?” Shen Jing asked softly, with surprise in her eyes. She had never thought that Mo Wen actually had so much money. In her eyes, Mo Wen was merely a normal student who had just entered the university.
“I robbed them,” Mo Wen replied honestly.
Shen Jing stared at Mo Wen. “Be serious.” Then, she sighed before holding Mo Wen’s hand softly. She had never thought that her problems would cause Mo Wen to pay such an exorbitant price. Even if they were to sell the painting subsequently, it would be very difficult to get the price of sixty million US dollars. If they were not able to sell at a good price, they would make a loss of hundreds of million Renminbi.
Jiang Siyin and Yang Ting were completely silent. They never expected that the one who humiliated them at the end would be Mo Wen. Yang Ting had looked forward to seeing Shen Jing go bankrupt but that was also impossible now. Mo Wen actually had so much cash on him. What was wrong with this world!
Very soon, two tall ladies dressed in evening gowns walked out, each carrying a tray. “Sir, do you need to verify it or would you like to have the related company verify it before the handover?” one asked very politely.
The painting was on one of the trays while the other tray contained an exquisite tightly sealed packaging box. The painting was already framed and was ready to be sealed anytime.
Mo Wen cast a look at the painting; however, as he was not artistically gifted, he couldn’t appreciate the ancient painting. Nonetheless, he could tell that the painting must be around 500 to 600 years old. He calculated that from the time of the Renaissance in which Da Vinci was born, those dates were correct.
“Let me have a look,” Shen Jing said curiously.
When the auction staff saw that Mo Wen didn’t object, she was immediately given a pair of white gloves, as things such as the ancient painting couldn’t be touched directly by bare hands.
Shen Jing put on the gloves and walked to the painting. She examined it carefully for a while before shaking her head towards Mo Wen, which meant there wasn’t any problem.
“You know how to do this?” Mo Wen asked in surprise.
“I know some basic things to look for. If it is a high-quality counterfeit painting, I may not be able to identify it. If you are worried, we can find a professional appraiser when we return to our country. If there is any problem, the auction organizer will be responsible,” Shen Jing said with a smile. The authenticity of the painting was never certain as even the most knowledgeable appraiser might make a mistake. The world was never lacking fake objects which looked real, but even the fakes were highly priced and might even be able to replace the genuine one.
“Wifey said it is real, then it must be real. Even if it is fake, it has to be real. There is no need for an appraisal, just pack it,” Mo Wen said with much flattery.
“You’re never serious!” Shen Jing looked at Mo Wen unsure whether she should cry or laugh about it. This guy was really…
Yang Ting’s face paled as she looked at Shen Jing and a rich sense of jealousy surged in her heart. Why was Shen Jing always stronger than her? Why couldn’t the man around her be straightforward? Yang Ting was the young mistress of a big clan, why did Shen Jing manage to defeat her every time?
The two staff were amused as they looked at this couple. Without commenting further, they followed Mo Wen’s instruction to pack it straightaway and sealed the ancient painting appropriately.
Their auction house had a hundred years of history without any fake items in that time. Hence, they had a great reputation so their customers didn’t need to worry about such matters.
“Wifey, what do you think we should do with this painting?” Mo Wen was fiddling with the package in his hand with a range of emotions sweeping over him. Spending millions on a painting was indeed a thing that only the rich would have fun doing.
“You can do whatever you want with it. It has nothing to do with me,” Shen Jing replied in an unkind tone. I told him not to fight for it, yet he insisted on fighting for it, she thought.
“That woman said you like to give charity. Why don’t we sell the painting and donate the money under your name to those people who need help?” Mo Wen suggested.
“You could bear to?” Shen Jing looked at Mo Wen in surprise. Even if this painting was resold, it would be almost impossible to get the exorbitant price of sixty million US dollars. However, it would be worth at least two hundred million Renminbi. If this money was being donated, Mo Wen would get nothing out of it.
“I could bear to part with anything for my wife, not to mention the fact that it is merely a painting which isn’t worth much money,” Mo Wen replied smilingly. He said this to take revenge for Shen Jing. Since Yang Ting loved to pick on Shen Jing using charity matters, he would use charity to humiliate Yang Ting. It was not that they wanted to make a fuss using charity, but since he was going to give to charity, he could also use it to humiliate Yang Ting. It was killing two birds with one stone; he would be happy to do it.
A painting in his hand was totally worthless. It would be better to change it into money and use its worth. That was way more meaningful that collecting a work of art.
Shen Jing looked into Mo Wen’s eyes and was speechless for some time. She felt a tingle in her nose and her heart was overwhelmed with emotion. She had never expected Mo Wen to sacrifice so much for her. She was moved not because Mo Wen was willing to spend so much money on her, but because he was so careful in taking care of her dignity.
Yang Ting’s face paled instantly as if she was sitting on a layer of spikes. She never thought that Mo Wen would be so cruel. By spending so generously, it was like he was giving her a firm slap. That was a few hundred million Renminbi and not a few million Renminbi! She had mocked Mo Wen as a pauper not long ago, now she couldn’t even smile if she wanted to.
Jiang Siyin’s face also paled. A person who didn’t bother about a few million, could he still be a normal person? Now, he wished he could give Yang Ting a slap. She had been so confident when she had said that Mo Wen was merely a pauper without any power and status, and it would be effortless to deal with him. Since it was not so, why had he gone crazy over a woman without doing any preparation? Now, he was totally humiliated.
The housekeeper, Finley, looked at Shen Jing with much envy. With such a husband, how could she be not happy?
“Sir, I admire your act of kindness and am touched by how you protect and love your wife,” the foreigner, who spoke Hua Xia, said while looking at Mo Wen with a tinge of admiration in his eyes. Someone who was willing to sacrifice so much for his wife must be a genuine and earnest person. “If you don’t mind, I would like to buy this painting for the price of sixty million US dollars. I am an Italian so the work of Master Da Vinci should rightfully return to its homeland. I will give it to the Italian National Museum where it belongs.”
Mo Wen and Shen Jing looked at the ordinary Caucasian young man behind them in shock. His appearance was very normal and he hadn’t made any shocking moves in the auction. However, his speech now had shocked everyone. Everyone knew he would make a loss by spending sixty million US dollars on this painting. Moreover, he already knew that Mo Wen was ready to resell this painting. If he was really interested, he could definitely buy this painting by other means.
“Let me introduce myself.” The young man smiled. In order to get the trust of the two people, he took out a name card from his pocket before presenting it to Mo Wen politely.
Mo Wen took the card and flipped it to have a look. He seemed to be the CEO of an Italian Group, so Mo Wen reckoned he was a rich man.
“You are willing to buy?” Mo Wen waved the name card in his hand as he probed. Sixty million US dollars was not considered a small amount, right? How could this person agree so readily?
Shen Jing took the name card from Mo Wen’s hand curiously. At a glance, her eyes were full of shock. She couldn’t believe that Mo Wen was so ignorant. “Agnelli Family! Mr. Andrea Agnelli, the CEO of Fiat Group?” Shen Jing was stupefied as she looked at the young man. She never expected that such an ordinary person could actually have such powerful background.
In Italy, the Agnelli Family was the symbol of wealth and honor. The people would normally consider them Italian royalty. The Fiat Motor Company founded by the Agnelli Family was now the biggest business group in Italy. For the past one hundred years, every member of the Agnelli Family who had a prominent character and was charming was well-known among the people. This Andrea must be the fourth-generation helmsman of the Agnelli Family, as the age seemed to match.
Jiang Siyin and Yang Ting also looked at the man in shock. This nosy young man actually had such a powerful background! The Agnelli Family was a wealthy family which had a great reputation in the world and was way ahead of many other business families.
“Miss Shen, are you willing to sell this painting to me?” Andrea asked with a smile.
Shen Jing neither agreed nor disagreed but looked towards Mo Wen.
“This foreigner can be trusted?” Mo Wen whispered in her ear.
“Should be… we can be assured!” Shen Jing was unsure whether she should be annoyed or amused that Mo Wen could be so ignorant. People in business, especially those in the financial sector, should have some understanding of the wealthiest families in the world and their group companies. Mo Wen, who could spend sixty million so easily, should have some understanding but yet his knowledge was so limited.