When it came to the finale, Lu Zhongguang's voice became a little high-pitched. "Before the last white truffle is auctioned, I first want to announce very solemnly that a new world record for the weight of a white truffle has been born! That is the white truffle on the stage. Its weight has reached 2.75 kilograms! "
Although they were already mentally prepared, when they heard Lu Zhongguang report the specific weight of this white truffle, the guests and other ordinary buyers couldn't help but take a deep breath.
At this time, the red silk cloth covering the white truffle had been pulled off by the hostess. This giant white truffle, which was bigger than a basketball, was completely presented in front of everyone.
The visual effect of such a large piece of white truffle was quite shocking.
White truffles were known as the "diamonds on the dining table". A small piece of almost weightless was worth hundreds of US dollars. Such a large piece of white truffles clearly looked like a large piece of ginger, but in everyone's eyes, it seemed to be shining.
Blake also sat up straight from his seat. His eyes were shining as he stared at the white truffle.
He knew that the price of this truffle would definitely not be low, but he was still eager. If he could successfully bid for this white truffle that had created a world record, then the trouble caused by his previous foolish behavior would be much less.
The influence of such a truffle had exceeded its economic value. As the world's top western restaurant chain, the Blake Group needed such a signboard too much.
In fact, it wasn't just Blake who thought so. Monica, who was sitting next to Xia Ruofei, was also very excited.
In the previous auctions, Monica had tried to bid a few times, but she didn't win the bid. If she still didn't win the bid, then she would return empty-handed from this trip to Hong Kong.
Of course, in Monica's view, this trip to Hong Kong was definitely not empty handed. Reuniting with Xia Ruofei was the biggest gain. It made her happier than any truffle.
On the stage.
Lu Zhongguang said with a smile, "The auction of this white truffle has officially begun. As usual, the starting price is 0 yuan!"
This was already the basic routine. The starting price for the finale was 0 yuan. There was no need to worry about it being unsold or sold at a low price. This was the confidence.
As soon as Lu Zhongguang's voice fell, someone immediately made a bid.
The shoe magnate from the United States, Loftis, raised his bidding card and said loudly, "1.5 million US dollars!"
His assets were comparable to Tang He's, who was also a prominent figure in the American business world. He was considered a world-class tycoon.
His offer made those ordinary buyers give up completely.
The starting bid of zero yuan was just a gimmick. With so many rich and powerful people present and the white truffle being so rare, the possibility of it being picked up at a low price didn't exist.
In the normal zone, there was another person whose heart was burning with passion. That person was Blake.
This piece of white truffle had already caught his eye.
After Loftis made her bid, he only hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and raising his bidding card. He shouted, "1,550,000 USD!"
Xia Ruofei raised his eyebrows when he heard Blake's voice. He thought to himself, This guy really doesn't learn his lesson!
Just as he was about to outbid Blake, a mocking voice came from the other side of the venue. "Mr. Xia, you don't have to do it yourself, I'll do it! 1.6 million USD! "
The voice came from the VIP zone. That area was filled with rich and famous people from Hong Kong.
Xia Ruofei was amused when he heard that. It seemed that his words earlier had caused the rich and powerful people in Hong Kong to unite against a common enemy.
The person who made the bid was the old man from the Zheng family who had won the white truffle. He was also an old tycoon in Hong Kong and had a huge net worth. Naturally, he didn't care about a million USD.
Blake was so angry that smoke almost came out of his seven orifices. He felt that he hadn't done anything today! Yet, he was being targeted everywhere.
In fact, if he had kept a low profile at the beginning and didn't speak like he was giving alms when he entered, Xia Ruofei might not have made it so obvious.
Moreover, the grudge from the beginning of the year hadn't been resolved yet! How could Xia Ruofei be the kind of person who was willing to swallow his anger? It would have been fine if they didn't meet, but since they met on a narrow path and you were so arrogant, who else would he step on if not you?
Blake raised his bidding card again with a gloomy face. "1.66 million USD!"
"1.7 million USD!" Almost like a seamless chain, the rich and powerful people in Hong Kong immediately made a bid.
This time, it was the Hong Kong entertainment tycoon Yang Ruocheng who made a bid without hesitation. He didn't give Xia Ruofei a chance to bid at all.
Feng Jing saw this scene backstage and couldn't help but chuckle.
Xia Ruofei's face showed a trace of a smile. He leaned back on the soft seat and watched the tigers fight.
In terms of economic strength, the Blake Group wasn't much worse than the rich and powerful people in the room.
However, George Blake's position in the Blake Group wasn't very high. The amount of funds he could mobilize was definitely not on the same level as the rich and powerful people themselves.
After two consecutive bids were directly rejected, Blake also realized that today's loss was inevitable. It was impossible for him to get back his face.
Of course, he could continue to bid higher, but it was meaningless. If the bid was too high and all the competitors stopped bidding, then he would lose. If the bid was too low, there was no effect at all.
Even if he bid a high price, then Xia Ruofei continued to bid and he didn't accept it, at most it would cause this white truffle to go unsold.
But Xia Ruofei had already said that there would be a small private auction in the evening. If this record-breaking white truffle was placed in the small auction, it would attract more people to participate.
Xia Ruofei's loss was nothing more than 10% of the donation and some commission from the auction.
For Xia Ruofei who made a lot of money today, this was nothing at all.
After thinking through all of this, Blake sat back down in his seat like a deflated balloon. He had already given up on bidding in his disheartened state.
At this time, the fight for this white truffle had just begun.
This white truffle wasn't much heavier than the previous ones. The last white truffle that had just been auctioned weighed 2.53 kilograms, and the final price was only 1.63 million USD.
But this white truffle had the aura of a world record!
And this was today's finale truffle. There were still many rich people present who hadn't gotten anything yet. Many factors caused the price of this truffle to rise.
Monica, who was next to Xia Ruofei, couldn't sit still. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her sign and said clearly, "1.75 million USD!"
"Ms. Grasso bids 1.75 million USD!" Lu Zhongguang immediately said, "Now the price has reached 1.75 million USD. This is the best white truffle that has set a world record. It is the only white truffle in the world! If you miss this opportunity, maybe you won't see a white truffle of such weight and quality for many years to come … "
Lu Zhongguang's words were very tempting. This was the most important reflection of whether a professional auctioneer was valuable or not. A successful auctioneer must be very good at psychology. He must be good at grasping the buyer's psychology and using words and body movements to arouse everyone's desire to buy.
Lu Zhongguang was obviously a master.
Xia Ruofei, on the other hand, was laughing in his heart. He had prepared four batches of truffles, and the final item in each batch was a giant white truffle. Moreover, the weight of each truffle was gradually increasing.
In other words, every truffle auction of the Taoyuan Company this season would have a finale that would break the world record.
Of course, the buyers present didn't know that.
The price of 1.75 million USD wasn't particularly high, so Monica's bid was quickly refreshed by a higher price.
1.8 million USD!
1.88 million USD!
1.9 million USD!
In just a short while, the price of this white truffle had broken through the two million dollar mark for the first time in history!
The bidder was a rich man from Romania, Nicolae.
Nicolae's company was engaged in the sale of fertilizers and agricultural machinery. It sounded a bit unremarkable, but it was this unremarkable industry that brought Nicolae billions of euros. He had also been the richest man in Romania for several years.
Two million USD was obviously a threshold. It wasn't that these rich people couldn't afford it, but this price was close to the value of this truffle. If the price was higher, it wouldn't be worth it.
After the price reached two million USD, Monica could only sigh helplessly and give up the competition.
Xia Ruofei saw that Monica was a little disappointed. He couldn't help but lean over and whisper, "Monica, don't worry! I won't let you go home empty-handed … "
Monica's beautiful eyes suddenly shone with splendor. She turned her head and almost kissed Xia Ruofei.
The two of them hurriedly separated a little.
Monica covered her mouth with her hand and asked in a low voice, "Xia, do you still have truffles?"
Xia Ruofei said with a smile, "If it was someone else who wanted it, I definitely wouldn't have it, but you're different, so …"
Monica said in surprise, "Can the truffle's quality reach the level of today's auction?"
She didn't dare to hope for the final white truffle to shock the world. As long as it could reach about two kilograms, or even a little lighter, as long as the truffle quality was good, her mission this time could be considered to have been completed.
Xia Ruofei nodded and said, "Don't worry! Let them fight for this truffle! I've left a good one for you … "
Monica rolled her eyes and glanced at Xia Ruofei flirtatiously. She chuckled and said, "Then I'll look for you tonight to get it?"
Xia Ruofei's heart was charmed. He said repeatedly, "That's what I wanted to say. I'll wait for you …"
Monica pursed her lips into a smile and nodded gently.
Just as the two were chatting, the price of the finale white truffle reached a new high.
Guo Hongjiang, a real estate magnate from Hong Kong, directly bid 2.1 million USD, raising the price by a lot.
Guo Hongjiang's net worth was close to 20 billion USD, and he was one of the richest people in Hong Kong.
He didn't make a move just now. Even when the competition for the finale white truffle was so fierce, he didn't say anything.
It wasn't until the price broke through 2 million USD that the rising momentum stagnated, but he bid without warning and increased it by 100,000 USD in one breath. Obviously, he was determined to win.
The Romanian magnate, Nicolae, frowned slightly. He thought for two or three seconds and raised his sign again, "2.15 million USD!"
"2.2 million!" Guo Hongjiang didn't even bother to raise his sign. He followed Nicolae's bid and reported his own price without hesitation.
He was sitting in the middle of the first row, and everyone in Hong Kong knew the famous Mr. Guo, so Lu Zhongguang immediately confirmed the price.
"2.2 million USD!" Lu Zhongguang's voice was trembling. "Now, every bid is setting a new record! The record for a single white truffle will be greatly improved. It may be difficult to break it for a long time in the future! Is there anyone who wants to bid higher? "
Nicolae hesitated for a long time. He was about to raise his sign several times, but he put it down again.
As for the other buyers, they basically gave up after the price reached 2 million USD.
Lu Zhongguang saw that no one wanted to bid, and he was slightly disappointed. However, the disappointment disappeared in a flash. Today's auction was successful enough, especially the last white truffle, which shone the audience.
"2.2 million USD going once … 2.2 million USD going twice … 2.2 million USD going thrice! Sold! "
As the hammer fell, the last white truffle was finally sold at a sky-high price of 2.2 million USD!
There was a burst of applause in the auction house, especially in the area where the rich people of Hong Kong were sitting. The applause was even louder.
In the end, the top white truffle was sold to the rich people of Hong Kong, and everyone felt proud.
Everyone congratulated Guo Hongjiang. Guo Hongjiang, who was nearly 60 years old, also stood up and waved to everyone with a smile.
In the first auction of this season's truffle, although Blake created a few small episodes, the overall result was quite satisfactory.
90 kilograms of truffles, except for the "battle" between Xia Ruofei and Blake, which he won himself, the other truffles earned a total of 17.644 million USD for Xia Ruofei!
In this way, all the truffles harvested this season could bring in tens of millions of USD for Xia Ruofei.
This was definitely an extremely shocking number.
Lu Zhongguang expressed his gratitude to all the buyers, and then returned to the backstage after completing his task.
The manager of the auction house, Dong Jiajun, took the microphone and walked on stage with a smile. He said, "Thank you very much to all the guests and media friends present! And thank you very much to the Taoyuan Company for your support! Without the high-quality truffles of the Taoyuan Company, there would be no successful auction today! Next, let us invite the chairman of the Taoyuan Company, Mr. Xia Ruofei, to come on stage and say a few words! "
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