The price of 250,000 US dollars was already amazing enough. Now someone added another 50,000 US dollars, making the price reach 300,000 US dollars. Everyone couldn't help but look in the direction of the voice.
Ma Xiong showed a wry smile. He didn't need to look back when he heard the voice. He knew that the bidder was Xia Ruofei himself.
Blake jumped up from his seat as if his tail had been stepped on. He accused loudly in English, "You're the owner of this batch of truffles. Why are you bidding?"
Xia Ruofei shrugged and said, "Which law says that the owner of an auction item can't participate in the auction? I suddenly like this truffle and want to buy it at a high price. Did I get in anyone's way? Anyway, I'll give you the commission for the auction. Are you going to bite me? "
Blake's face was as cold as water. He snorted and said, "You're maliciously raising the price! And you're doing such a shameful thing in front of so many people. This is really unbelievable! "
Xia Ruofei stood up and stared at Blake. He said quickly, "Don't talk nonsense! I just don't want to sell the truffles to a sanctimonious hypocrite who slandered our company's reputation and the quality of our truffles! I'm targeting you! The other guests can bid however they want. I won't interfere! "
The Hong Kong reporters took out their cameras and took photos of Xia Ruofei and Blake. At the same time, many reporters asked each other about the past grudges between Xia Ruofei and Blake.
However, that incident happened in Shen City. At that time, the Taoyuan Company's influence was not so great. None of the Hong Kong reporters knew about it.
This kind of gossip was the favorite of Hong Kong reporters. They secretly decided that after the auction, they must interview Xia Ruofei or Blake to restore the previous incident.
The reporters were like sharks that smelled blood. Ma Xiong and Feng Jing kept shaking their heads with wry smiles.
Feng Jing was a little reluctant to appear on stage to speak in public. Now it seemed that her previous worries were unnecessary.
Xia Ruofei had successfully stolen all the limelight.
No matter what, all the major media outlets would definitely write about this scene tomorrow.
After Xia Ruofei took away the "hatred", Feng Jing's speech on stage would attract less attention.
However, Feng Jing would rather not do such a thing, because no matter what, it would affect the reputation of the Taoyuan Company.
Unfortunately, it had already happened, and Feng Jing didn't know much about the relationship between Xia Ruofei and Blake. Although she heard a little about it during breakfast, it wasn't appropriate for her to inquire about it in detail. Moreover, Feng Jing had been staying backstage the whole time and wasn't by Xia Ruofei's side, so even if she wanted to stop it, it was too late.
It was the first time that Hengfeng's gold medal auctioneer, Lu Zhongguang, had lost his composure on such an important occasion. He stood on the stage in a daze, not knowing how to deal with this sudden situation.
It was Xia Ruofei who reminded him, "Mr. Lu, did you hear my bid?"
Lu Zhongguang woke up from a dream. As a senior auctioneer, he naturally knew that Xia Ruofei's bid was actually in line with the rules.
Moreover, Xia Ruofei was the big boss Ma Xiong's guest, so he nodded without hesitation and said, "Mr. Xia bids 300,000 US dollars. Is there anyone else who wants to increase the bid?"
In fact, he didn't even need to ask. The price of 250,000 US dollars was already too high. Who would want 300,000 US dollars? Everyone's money didn't grow on trees.
Just as Lu Zhongguang was about to start the countdown, to everyone's surprise, Blake hesitated for a while with a gloomy face, then gritted his teeth and shouted, "350,000 US dollars!"
This was anger. Fortunately, this piece of white truffle wasn't particularly big. At least, it wasn't very eye-catching in today's auction, and the price wasn't very high. Even if Blake used his own money to buy it, he could still afford it.
However, just as he finished speaking, Xia Ruofei bid without hesitation, "500,000 US dollars!"
If Blake's bid was a bit unreasonable, then Xia Ruofei was super unreasonable now. He had completely ignored the value of the truffle itself.
Blake almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
You can't play like this! Even if it's yours, you have to pay the auction commission in the end! What's in it for you to fight to the death like this?
Xia Ruofei's unhesitant bid also scared Blake. He didn't bid again until Lu Zhongguang finished the countdown.
Lu Zhongguang stood on the stage and said with a strange expression, "Congratulations, Mr. Xia, for buying this 1.12 kilogram white truffle for 500,000 US dollars!"
Why did this sound wrong?
He bought something that belonged to him. What's there to congratulate him for?
What's more, this price was more than enough to buy two of these white truffles.
The guests and ordinary buyers in the audience also showed a funny expression. However, Xia Ruofei wasn't affected at all. There was a faint smile on his face.
And Blake's face was like the bottom of a pot.
However, when Lu Zhongguang announced the result of the auction, Blake's mind seemed to have a flash of lightning.
Didn't you randomly bid to prevent me from participating in the auction? Didn't you not care about paying that little bit of money?
Then if I bid for each truffle, and bid to the death, you won't be able to sell any of these truffles. You will also have to pay a large amount of auction commission. The whole auction will become a joke!
When Blake realized this, a smile appeared on his face.
He consciously grasped Xia Ruofei's weakness. He even regretted that he didn't continue to bid. He felt a little ashamed to be scared by a mere 500,000 US dollars.
At this time, the second white truffle was placed on the auction stage.
This was a 1.2 kilogram white truffle. The starting price was also 100,000 US dollars.
When Lu Zhongguang announced the start of the auction, before anyone else could bid, Blake raised the sign in his hand and shouted, "250,000 US dollars!"
Xia Ruofei also raised his sign without hesitation, "300,000 US dollars!"
"350,000 USD!" Blake also raised his paddle and shouted fearlessly.
Several other people were originally very interested in this truffle. Seeing this, they couldn't help but show a bitter smile.
They didn't have time to bid. The owner of the truffle competed with others, and the price broke through the sky.
Feng Jing was also burning with anxiety backstage. She had already realized the problem that Blake thought of.
In this kind of endless competition, the one who would be hurt was Taoyuan Company! Not only did they lose a lot of benefits, but more importantly, their reputation was also damaged!
And Blake didn't have to worry at all. At worst, he would go home empty-handed. He could mess up the press conference and make the Taoyuan Company a joke.
Feng Jing didn't believe that Xia Ruofei would be so brainless. She was just worried that Xia Ruofei wouldn't be calm at this time and didn't realize the stakes.
In fact, Xia Ruofei's performance was similar to Feng Jing's judgment.
This truffle's auction trend was the same as the previous one.
After Blake bid 350,000 US dollars, Xia Ruofei didn't hesitate and immediately bid 500,000 US dollars.
Unlike before, Blake wasn't frightened this time. The bidding card in his hand had been raised the whole time, and he didn't intend to put it down at all.
"600,000 US dollars!" Blake shouted triumphantly.
The buyers in the audience thought that these two people were crazy. The white truffle was worth at most 200,000 US dollars, but the price was three times higher.
How could they happily buy things like this?
The first time, everyone thought it was a bit interesting and had the mentality of watching a show. But the second time was the same. It was just the two of them fighting, and the others didn't have any room to bid.
Those buyers who really wanted to buy a few truffles began to feel a little unhappy.
"700,000!" Xia Ruofei's expression did not change as she called out lightly.
"800,000 US dollars!" Blake, who felt that he had grasped Xia Ruofei's weakness, was fearless. He looked at Xia Ruofei like a cat playing with a mouse and continued to bid.
"900,000 US dollars!" Xia Ruofei's face became a little ugly.
Blake was even more happy. He immediately raised his sign and shouted, "950,000 US dollars!"
After bidding, Blake said in his heart, "I'll make it a round number. When you bid 1,000,000 US dollars, I'll stop. This truffle will end here. There are still 13 truffles left! Let's take it slow. I'll see how you continue this auction! Won't those super-rich people leave early in anger? Hahaha … "
Just as Blake was fantasizing in his heart, he saw that many people's eyes were focused on him.
What's going on?
Blake felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He just felt that something was missing.
Something was missing … Blake suddenly realized that Xia Ruofei hadn't bid yet!
He quickly stood up and looked at Xia Ruofei.
Blake's seat was in the back row. From where he was, he could only see the back of Xia Ruofei's head.
He saw that Xia Ruofei was talking to Monica in a low voice, and the two of them were laughing.
Although he couldn't see his face, at least one thing could be confirmed, and that was that he didn't seem to have any intention of increasing the price.
Blake suddenly felt a burst of cold sweat. He couldn't help but shout, "Huaxia man, why aren't you bidding?"
Xia Ruofei stood up slowly, then turned to look at Blake. He smiled faintly and asked, "Why should I bid?"
"You … Didn't you just say that you wouldn't let me buy a truffle?" Blake's voice was even trembling slightly. "How can you go back on your words?"
The guests and buyers in the hall couldn't help but laugh when they heard Blake's words. Do you think this auction is a child's play? You're an adult in your twenties. How can you believe what others say?
Xia Ruofei couldn't help but laugh. "Can't I suddenly change my mind?"
Blake felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
You can't play like this! How can Huaxia man be so untrustworthy? He changed his mind just like that? That white truffle was worth at most 250,000 USD. Now, under the bidding of the other party, he almost didn't think twice before calling a price of 950,000 USD. That was almost enough to buy four truffles!
And money was secondary. Blake could still afford to lose nearly one million USD. At most, it would be a little painful, but things weren't that simple.
His position in the family wasn't as good as his brothers, and he was also at the bottom of the list of heirs. Not long ago, he had messed up two deals in a row. There were many voices of criticism in the family against him.
If he bought a white truffle worth at most 250,000 USD for 950,000 USD at an auction, if the news spread back to France, he didn't know what kind of storm he would face in the family!
Blake suddenly panicked and shouted in shock and anger, "You … You are maliciously raising the price! You are the owner of this batch of truffles. Your bid is invalid! "
Xia Ruofei glanced at Blake as if he was looking at an idiot and said, "I don't want to explain the same thing twice! Whether my bid is valid or not, the law will tell you the answer! "
Then, Xia Ruofei glanced at the buyers in the hall and said, "Also, you can say that I am maliciously raising the price, but I have to make it clear that this is completely targeted at you! To put it bluntly! You are an unwelcome person in the Taoyuan Company! I will never participate in the normal bidding of other buyers! "
Blake gritted his teeth and looked at Xia Ruofei as if he wanted to eat him.
Xia Ruofei sneered and turned to look at the stage. He said to Lu Zhongguang, "Mr. Lu, I think you can count down now …"
Lu Zhongguang came back to his senses. This was the second time he had been distracted on the stage.
The process of today's auction was too unusual. Even Lu Zhongguang, who was used to big scenes, felt a little scared.
Lu Zhongguang looked at Blake sympathetically, and then began to perform his duty. "Mr. Blake, number 184, bid 950,000 USD for this white truffle. Is there anyone else who wants to raise the price?"
This was just a matter of routine. Since the price had already been set, even if there was something wrong with his head, it was impossible for him to increase the price.
Lu Zhongguang waited for a little while and began to count down. "950,000 USD going once … 950,000 USD going twice … 950,000 USD going thrice!"
The auction mallet slammed down heavily!
"Sold!" Lu Zhongguang said, "Congratulations, Mr. Blake, for successfully bidding for this 1.2 kilogram white truffle!"
Blake didn't feel anything to be happy about. It was as if all the strength in his body had been sucked out, and he sat weakly on the chair.
His performance today was too clumsy. He was like a big fool who was being played in the palm of someone's hand.
Just now, he thought that he had grasped Xia Ruofei's weakness. He didn't expect that the other party had already premeditated to scheme against him. The funny thing was that he had foolishly jumped into the pit.
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