Chapter 293 - 195: The Hulk, Zhou Sui
"If there’s anything you like at the auction later, just let me know. I’ll bid on it for you."
"You don’t have to do that. What we ordered is already enough," Zhao Fangfei said.
Zhao Fangfei was very particular when it came to showing off.
If it were Lin Jiang, she would want him to buy expensive things to satisfy her vanity.
But since Zhou Sui was the one paying, things were different.
Even if he bought the most expensive items, it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to post about it on social media. It was better to cultivate an image of being a virtuous and sensible woman.
Zhou Sui crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair smoking a cigarette, and gestured expansively.
"It’s no big deal. We’re out here to have a good time. If money can buy happiness, then that’s more important than anything."
Zhao Fangfei just smiled and didn’t say a word.
’She could see right through his little scheme.’
Just then, the host’s voice rang out.
"Friends, the first item up for auction at our Fishing Festival has been brought to the stage. It’s this giant clam I’m holding in my hand."
Seeing the clam in the host’s hand, a series of gasps rippled through the audience.
"It’s huge!"
The clams commonly found in the market were about the size of a mahjong tile, with the smaller ones being closer to the size of a beer cap. But the one in the host’s hand was as big as half a palm!
It was a rare sight in the market. Only high-end restaurants would serve something like this.
"Because of their rarity, there are only twenty of them. The starting bid is 288, with each raise being 50. To our friends here tonight, if you’d like to experience this delicacy, you can raise your hands to bid."
The starting bid wasn’t expensive; you could even call it particularly low. But there was no telling how high the final price would go.
"I’ll add fifty."
Zhou Sui was the first to raise his hand, and everyone’s eyes fell on him.
"Fifty more!"
With Zhou Sui starting things off, others who weren’t short on cash—or who wanted to show off in front of their female companions—also began to bid.
The price quickly rose to 588.
"Fifty more!" Zhou Sui raised his hand again, his expression calm, projecting an attitude of being determined to win.
Finally, when Zhou Sui called out 1488, almost no one else was bidding.
The host knew when to call it. "I’ll count down from three. If there are no more bids, these twenty giant clams will belong to the guests at table number three."
Seeing that no one else was bidding, the host said crisply:
"Three, two, one! The first auction item belongs to the guests at table number three."
With a final decision, the host on stage had a staff member bring the item over to Zhou Sui, giving his vanity a small measure of satisfaction.
"Have these prepared for us," Zhou Sui said, his legs crossed.
"Of course."
"That was a little intense, wasn’t it? So many people were trying to buy them. I was getting a little nervous," Feng Qi said.
"This is small-time stuff, nothing special," Zhou Sui said.
"I once attended a Fusubi auction. They were selling chicken cups, and the bids were jumping by hundreds of thousands at a time. You can’t even compare the two."
"That must have been really intense, right?" Feng Qi said.
"It was beyond intense. A scene like that... you’ll probably never see anything like it in your entire lives." Zhou Sui, full of superiority, looked at Lin Jiang.
"Have you ever attended an auction like that?"
"No, but I heard about that auction. That pair of chicken cups seemed to have sold for a sky-high price of 120 million," Lin Jiang said with a smile.
"Your family must be really rich to afford something that expensive. We certainly couldn’t."
Zhou Sui’s expression suddenly froze.
’When did I ever say I bought that pair of chicken cups?!’
"Your family is amazing! Spending 120 million just to buy a small cup? You have great taste," Feng Qi said.
"Well..."
Zhou Sui’s expression was awkward. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say, but inwardly he was gritting his teeth in frustration.
"We just attended. We didn’t bid on that pair of chicken cups."
"Oh, so that’s how it was." Feng Qi’s enthusiasm visibly deflated.
While they were talking, the second auction item was brought out.
It was a batch of oysters, each as big as a person’s palm. Though rare, they weren’t stunning enough to cause a huge stir.
In the end, Zhou Sui won them with a bid of 1488.
The third and fourth auction items that followed were similar to the first two.
They were tiger prawns and abalone, respectively. The prices were relatively high, both going for over 2000, so Zhou Sui didn’t make a move.
Soon, when the fifth auction item was brought out, it drew another round of gasps from the crowd.
It was a Boston lobster as big as a person’s arm!
Compared to the lobster, the clams and oysters he had just bought seemed a bit ordinary.
"Friends, what I’m holding is a Boston lobster weighing a full thirteen pounds! A specimen of this quality and this weight... only a few are caught each year. You might not even be able to find one at the most exclusive restaurants."
The host said into the microphone:
"Now, for this thirteen-pound Boston lobster, the starting bid is 2988, with each raise being 100 yuan. For any interested friends, you may place your bids."
"Finally, they’re bringing out something decent."
Zhou Sui was once again the first to raise his hand.
Others quickly followed suit, and the price was soon driven up to 5688.
Lin Jiang was a little impressed with the host. With so many people bidding, he didn’t get flustered at all. ’The man’s got some real skill,’ he thought.
But at this price point, it was already well over market value, and the number of people raising their hands had dwindled to just a few.
"The guest at table twelve has bid 5688. Are there any other bids?"
"Heh... It’s just an ordinary Boston lobster. Selling for around 4000 would already be a sky-high price. Spending 5688 on it definitely makes you a sucker," Zhou Sui said.
Just then, the host walked over with the lobster, continuing to show it off to the people below the stage.
"Friends, are there any more raises?"
Seeing the huge creature up close, many people took out their phones to take pictures, and Zhao Fangfei and Feng Qi were no exception.