Xia Mang thought to himself that if he could lend a helping hand to Ning Xiangcao now, it would undoubtedly be the best time to gain points in her heart. Not long after, the subordinate came over and reported softly: "Ms. Ning said that there is no need..."
Xia Mang was frustrated, snorted, and said, "Then let you guys fight..."
"Thirty-seven million..." Jin Feng said in a deep voice.
"Thirty-seven million. One hundred thousand." Fang Zhicheng continued to chase.
Even the most blind person on the scene could tell that Huaying Investment Group and Jincheng Group were competing with each other.
"Forty million!" Jin Feng gritted his teeth and quoted the price he could finally accept. If Fang Zhicheng continued to bid, then he would have no choice but to back down. After all, this was just an auction, and there was no need to engage in a childish fight because of a momentary anger.
There was a moment of silence... Forty million was not a small sum. Even if everyone was a billionaire, to pay this price for a collectible was beyond their ability to bear.
"Four hundred and one hundred thousand..." After a brief silence, Fang Zhicheng continued to add one hundred thousand yuan, with a smile on his face.
"Forget it..." Jin Feng smiled bitterly, looked at Fang Zhicheng with a look that showed his determination, and gave up the pursuit.
However, at this moment, a figure in the corner suddenly said: "Forty-one million..."
"Hua La..." The place started to get noisy. No one expected that at this time, there would be a third party raising the price.
"Four thousand one hundred and one hundred thousand..." Fang Zhicheng shouted with a frown.
"Forty-two million!" the stranger continued to raise the price.
"Give up?" Fang Zhicheng felt something was wrong and asked Ning Xiangcao for instructions.
"No, I must get this painting." Ning Xiangcao looked determined.
Fang Zhicheng shook his head helplessly and unexpectedly did not continue to bid. Even when Ning Xiangcao wanted to raise the price, she was stopped by Fang Zhicheng.
"Why?" Ning Xiangcao's eyes flashed with a strange look, and she wondered what was wrong with Fang Zhicheng
"Forty-two million once, forty-two million twice, and forty-two million three times. Congratulations to that gentleman, you have won the "Grape Picture" and become the last philanthropist of our charity auction." Du Xi said in a clear voice as he swung the auction hammer.
Ning Xiangcao's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment. She was obviously upset about Fang Zhicheng's final withdrawal because she didn't get the final result. However, Jin Feng smiled faintly and sighed that he was lucky. If Fang Zhicheng suddenly stopped at 42 million, even though he got the last collection, he would still suffer a loss.
Fang Zhicheng could feel all kinds of looks coming from all around him, some sarcastic, some mocking, and some disdainful.
The male host walked onto the stage with a smile and said excitedly, "Dear friends, tonight's event is not over yet. The auction just now was just a warm-up for today's event. Now we are entering the climax of this event. Now, please invite the winner who successfully bid for the last collection to come on stage, Mr. Jiang Wenlan."
As soon as the male host said this, there was an uproar in the audience, because the provider of the last collection was Jiang Wenlan, and it was Jiang Wenlan who bought his own collection. This was too unexpected.
The male host was still in an extremely excited mood and sighed, "Today's result is completely unexpected. Everyone knows that Mr. Jiang Wenlan is the founder of our Yunhai Chamber of Commerce. Under his promotion, Yunhai Chamber of Commerce was formed and occupied a place among the national chambers of commerce. His arrival was not in the previously planned process. I just learned of this news. Now, please invite Mr. Jiang Wenlan to the stage to give a speech."
Jiang Wenlan, a legendary figure in Yunhai's business circle, has not made an official appearance for many years since he retired from the business world. Many people who have heard of his legendary stories are holding their breath at this moment. Without Jiang Wenlan, Yunhai would not have become China's largest city; without Jiang Wenlan, China would not have made many economic reform measures.
Jiang Wenlan is a true business leader. Even though he has retired from the business world, he is still a core figure in the national leader's staff team.
Ning Xiangcao glanced at Fang Zhicheng at this moment, and she saw a slight smile on Fang Zhicheng's face. Ning Xiangcao was secretly shocked, wondering if Fang Zhicheng guessed that the last person to bid against her was Jiang Wenlan, so he let her go and did not continue to pursue her.
If Fang Zhicheng continued to bid, it would only undermine Jiang Wenlan's original intention, because the auction price continued to rise, and the cost for Jiang Wenlan to get his collection would be higher. Since Jiang Wenlan was willing to show up today, he obviously had to appear as the final winner and would never give up the "Grape Painting".
The news of Jiang Wenlan's return to the political arena was not groundless. He was looking forward to an opportunity to announce the news, and this auction banquet was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
Fang Zhicheng's final concession seemed cowardly, but in fact it contained sufficient reasons. Because if he continued to pester, it would destroy Jiang Wenlan's view of Huaying Investment Group. It is a great wisdom to retreat bravely.
Chapter 0238 Jiang Wenlan Returns to Business
There are four famous regional chambers of commerce in China, namely Yunhai Chamber of Commerce, Wenhu Chamber of Commerce, Shenzhou Chamber of Commerce and Nanjin Chamber of Commerce. These four chambers of commerce are all non-governmental organizations with good operation modes and frequent interactions. They are well-known in the economic field of China and even the world. The most famous case is that in 2003, the four chambers of commerce joined hands to invest in a large number of real estate in Australia, which made the real estate prices in Australia rise by more than three times and also made Chinese businessmen famous.
Jiang Wenlan is the founder of Yunhai Chamber of Commerce and a prominent figure in the Chinese business community. Although his assets are not as much as those of some wealthy people, his resources are definitely the most abundant. Assets can be measured in numbers, but resources cannot be quantified. Jiang Wenlan controls the entire Yunhai business network and has direct access to Zhongnanhai. Everyone knows that with just one word from him, it is very likely that he can help someone become a billionaire.
Ning Xiangcao came to the charity banquet today, but she did not expect to see Jiang Wenlan in person. A week ago, Huaying Investment Group received the news that Jiang Wenlan would provide collections as auction items, and Ning Xiangcao made up her mind to buy the collections he gave her at all costs.
However, to everyone's surprise, Jiang Wenlan himself bought the "Grape Picture" at a high price, which also boosted his momentum for his comeback in the business world.
Jiang Wenlan looked to be about fifty years old, very tall, about 1.78 meters tall, and well-proportioned because of regular exercise. He walked slowly to the center of the stage, took the microphone from the host, smiled, and said in a magnetic voice: "Hello everyone! I am back again, do you welcome me?"
"Welcome!" the crowd below shouted in unison, followed by thunderous applause, which showed Jiang Wenlan's personal charm.
Jiang Wenlan nodded and continued, "When I decided to quit the Yunhai business world, a good friend once said to me, Jiang, you will come back one day. I asked at the time, why? He said, you are a natural businessman, leaving this big stage will not only be a loss for Yunhai. You will feel bored, lonely, and empty. I sneered at the time because I was in poor health and needed to enjoy life comfortably. Until one day last month, I suddenly felt lost, recalled my friend's words, and found that I had rested enough and had to return to this stage."
"I got this painting, Grapes, when I lived in an island country for three years. At that time, the island country collector asked me to promise that I would never resell it again in my life. So, I want to apologize to everyone. I gave Grapes to the organizer of this auction as a little joke. It was not my intention to auction it. I just wanted to use it as a tool for me to return to the stage. Of course, it also represents my confidence in returning to the Yunhai business world. No matter what the price, I will buy this painting that I cherish most again. So, I have to thank the friend who bid with me at the end for not letting me spend more money to buy it."
When Jiang Wenlan said this, everyone below suddenly realized something. It turned out that everything was just a trap set by Jiang Wenlan to pave the way for him to officially return to the Yunhai business community.
Jiang Wenlan shocked the entire circle by using more than 40 million to promote his return to the Yunhai business community. Jiang Wenlan is a person who is very good at marketing himself. Although he has a high status in Yunhai, he has been away for many years. Since he wants to return to the circle, he must bring some stimulation to the circle. This is just like when a company launches a product, it will spend money on advertising. And today's charity banquet is his platform for marketing himself, and 42 million is the advertising fee for him to reshape his personal brand.
Fang Zhicheng stopped at the critical moment and did not raise the price. In the eyes of everyone, it was undoubtedly a wise move. The original doubts were now swept away, especially Ning Xiangcao, who could not help but admire Fang Zhicheng's accurate judgment.
"How do you know that the final bidder against you was Jiang Wenlan?" Ning Xiangcao was very curious and asked softly.
"Forty-one million is already a very high price. That person didn't bid at first, obviously to make the final decision. If I continue to bid, he will catch up." Fang Zhicheng smiled slightly, "Mr. Jiang Wenlan wants to buy back his own work, I just guessed, this thought only flashed through my mind. In addition, I am also worried that the price is too high, which is not worth the loss."
Ning Xiangcao nodded and sighed softly: "I really misunderstood you before."
Fang Zhicheng waved his hand and smiled, "I understand your feelings. I didn't do it according to your wishes."