Chapter 124: Thank You, Eldest Uncle, for Helping Us Welcome Our Guests
Lin Xinghe, Hua Yao, and Lin Ruoxi could finally hold their heads high!
These past few days, they had been suppressed so miserably! Now, they finally had an outlet!
Hua Yao thanked him with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Big Brother, thank you so much for helping us welcome our distinguished guests just now."
Lin Xingchen’s face was ashen. He wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into! It was too humiliating! He had been utterly disgraced just now!
Cheng Yuan mercilessly twisted the knife. "Uncle, didn’t you say we’d only be able to invite three or five business tycoons at most? There are more than ten now! And you? Not a single one!"
Lin Xingchen was so angry he nearly had a stroke!
Beside him, Lin Ruolong shouted, "Hey, Cheng! This is just the beginning! What are you so smug about? They’re just a few tycoons from Luocheng! To put it bluntly, in the Provincial City, they’re not even worth a fart!"
As he spoke, another group of more than ten business tycoons from Luocheng walked over.
This group of tycoons was part of the neutral faction, wavering between the two families. Hearing Lin Ruolong’s words, they snorted coldly. "Since Huanya Auction House looks down on us people from Luocheng, there’s no need for us to be friendly only to get the cold shoulder!"
With that, the group of tycoons headed straight for Lin Xinghe.
Cheng Yuan laughed. "Ugly and stupid, just as I thought. Thanks for chasing the tycoons over to our side. We at Yuanxi Auction House will be sure to give them the warm welcome that Huanya Auction House wouldn’t."
"You!"
As the two bickered, the crowd of tycoons suddenly grew agitated, and everyone began pointing toward the open-air parking lot.
A few Audi A6s slowly pulled to a stop.
"Look! Those are cars from the Municipal Government Office!"
"They really are from the Municipal Government Office! The lead car’s license plate ends in 0008—that’s Vice City Lord Jiang’s car!"
"And several Directors are following Vice City Lord Jiang! Holy cow, Commerce, Fire Safety, Taxation... all the departments related to our businesses are here!"
...
Instantly, all eyes turned in that direction. Other than Cheng Yuan, no one knew why Vice City Lord Jiang would come to Futai Building.
The hearts of Lin Xinghe, Hua Yao, and Lin Ruoxi sank. ’So treacherous! He actually invited Vice City Lord Jiang!’
Vice City Lord Jiang was the official in charge of the economy!
The tycoons’ choices would definitely be heavily influenced!
Just as Lin Xinghe had thought, the business tycoons who had been so enthusiastic with him just a moment ago instantly fell silent, waiting to see how things would unfold.
Lin Xingchen knew Lin Xinghe well. With a single glance, he could see the deep worry clouding Lin Xinghe’s eyes, which put Lin Xingchen completely at ease.
’Looks like Xinghe wasn’t the one who invited Vice City Lord Jiang.’
’In that case, Vice City Lord Jiang must have been invited by my side.’
Last night, he had used Elder Lin’s name to invite Deputy Director Qian of the Provincial Investment Promotion Department, but the man’s attitude had been ambiguous. He hadn’t said he would come, nor had he said he wouldn’t.
’Deputy Director Qian must have put in a good word, right?’
’It must be!’
With that thought, Lin Xingchen’s confidence was restored. He looked at the Luocheng tycoons with a mocking gaze. "City Lord Jiang is here to support our Huanya Auction House. Are you really sure you want to go to Yuanxi Auction House?"
The group of tycoons felt they were in a tight spot.
If City Lord Jiang was really here for Huanya, things would be very awkward for them!
Lin Xingchen snorted coldly. ’Weren’t you all so high and mighty just now? Now, you’ll have to get on your knees and beg me for a seat!’
Lin Xingchen squeezed out a smile as warm as a spring breeze and enthusiastically went forward to greet them. "A warm welcome to City Lord Jiang and all the Directors for gracing us with your presence! You bring great honor to our Huanya Auction House!"
Vice City Lord Jiang had already extended his hand, but after hearing the words "Huanya Auction House," he snatched it back as if he had been bitten by a venomous snake!
The smile on his face also vanished in an instant.
"My apologies, we are here at the invitation of Yuanxi Auction House to attend their inaugural auction."
After saying this, Vice City Lord Jiang and the other Directors strode toward Lin Xinghe.
"President Lin, we are thrilled to welcome you opening Yuanxi Auction House in Luocheng. It’s a great boost to our city’s economic and cultural growth. The Municipal Government Office will definitely give you our full support!"
Lin Xinghe was so excited he trembled all over. He grabbed Vice City Lord Jiang’s large hand with both of his and shook it vigorously. "Thank you, City Lord Jiang, for your strong support! If there are any issues with our Yuanxi Auction House, please don’t hesitate to offer your criticism and guidance. Esteemed leaders, this way to the VIP room, please!"
Given the special status of Vice City Lord Jiang and the Directors, Lin Xinghe didn’t act pompously by having staff receive them; he personally welcomed them himself.
Confirming that Vice City Lord Jiang was there to support Yuanxi, the business tycoons who had been on edge moments ago finally relaxed!
The tycoons quickly followed the officials, pulling out their phones to text their friends and associates.
"Bro, get over to Futai Square, Yuanxi Auction House! Vice City Lord Jiang and the Directors from all the departments are here!"
"Bro, stop hesitating! Yuanxi Auction House is the real deal! Their connections are insane! You definitely won’t regret coming!"
...
After seeing off Vice City Lord Jiang and the business tycoons, Cheng Yuan shot Lin Xingchen a wide grin. "Uncle, you must be tired after welcoming City Lord Jiang just now."
PFFT!
Lin Xingchen almost coughed up blood!
That damn Cheng Yuan was truly infuriating!
In the beginning, Lin Xingchen hadn’t even considered Yuanxi Auction House a worthy opponent. But after having his face slapped repeatedly, he was beginning to feel that things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
With Vice City Lord Jiang backing Yuanxi, he knew he couldn’t count on the Luocheng tycoons anymore.
Fortunately, Vice City Lord Jiang’s authority didn’t extend to the Provincial City, and the Lin Family held a pivotal position in the Provincial City’s business circles!
After a few more waves of Luocheng tycoons arrived, Lin Xingchen finally saw a familiar license plate!
It was seven or eight business vans from the Provincial City!
Dozens of business tycoons from the Provincial City stepped out of the vans.
Having learned his lesson from before, Lin Xingchen didn’t rush forward to greet them. Only when one of the tycoons waved to him from a distance did Lin Xingchen finally breathe a sigh of relief.
’Thank goodness, the delegation from the Provincial City didn’t pull any stunts!’
Lin Xingchen strode forward, enthusiastically welcoming his peers from the Provincial City.
"President Hui, President Zhu, President Zheng... We’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival!"
"Elder Lin has taken such good care of us! We absolutely had to come and show our support for Huanya Auction House’s inaugural auction."
Mimicking the staff from Yuanxi, Lin Xingchen deliberately paraded the tycoons from the Provincial City right past Cheng Yuan.
Lin Xingchen looked at Cheng Yuan with a mocking expression. "Kid, what’s the use of inviting all the tycoons from Luocheng? Any random tycoon from the Provincial City has a net worth ten times greater than theirs!"
Cheng Yuan couldn’t help but frown. He really didn’t have a good way to deal with the tycoons from the Provincial City.
But that didn’t matter.
As long as they didn’t lose in terms of the number of tycoons, it was fine. When it came to the auctioneer and the auction items, their Yuanxi Auction House could easily crush Huanya Auction House!
Just as Cheng Yuan was feeling a little annoyed, Lin Ruolong suddenly pointed at an Audi that was slowly approaching, his voice filled with excitement. "He’s here! Deputy Director Qian is here!"
Deputy Director Qian??
Lin Xingchen’s spirits soared!
Deputy Director Qian had actually come! With him here, Huanya Auction House could sit back and relax, ready to completely suppress Yuanxi Auction House from all sides!!