Bab 4: Auction
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Cui Si spent the whole morning finding a reliable auction company. She finally found one that would hold an auction that night.
Cui Si was anxious for money so she decided that she would auction off the nickel that very night.
The more she thought about how rich she would become, the smugger she became. Three million dollars was a lot of money!
But the more Cui Si waited, the slower time seemed to pass. Every minute felt like an hour.
Fortunately, the auction was happening as scheduled and Cui Si's Liberty Head Nickel was slated to be the last item for auction.
Cui Si felt nervous as she sat in the auction venue. She anxiously turned to her left and right.
Just then, she saw Zhang Cuihua and Chen Lin walk in hand-in-hand, heading to the VIP seats. As they made their way, they happened to see Cui Si too.
Cui Si rolled her eyes when she saw the two of them. Were these two stalking her? Why were they everywhere she went?
Zhang Cuihua became unhappy. "Could just about anyone be allowed to this auction?"
She had spoken quite loudly, attracting the attention of many who turned and started to wonder who she was talking about.
Chen Lin stood by her side and chimed in. "Are paupers allowed to this auction too?"
The auction house's manager hurriedly ran over and smiled apologetically. "Dear esteemed guests, do you have any dissatisfactions with this auction?"
Zhang Cuihua looked at him coldly and pointed her finger at Cui Si.
"Manager Lin, how are you managing this auction that even a penniless wretch like her is allowed in the VIP seats?"
Everyone looked on as if they were watching a good show. No one spoke up for Cui Si.
Manager Lin hurriedly explained, "Director Zhang, actually this young lady has a valuable item for auction tonight, so-"
But before he could finish, Zhang Cuihua interrupted Manager Lin.
"Alright, then. What valuable item does a poor person have? Just tell me how much it costs, and I'll buy it directly."
Cui Si stood up and smiled coldly at Zhang Cuihua. "Then I have to thank this old hag for giving me three million US dollars."
"What? Who are you calling 'old hag'? You're courting death!"
Zhang Cuihua could care less about the money when she heard Cui Si call her an old hag - she instantly exploded.
But Chen Lin was more concerned about the money. Three million dollars? And it was in US dollars?
How was this possible? Cui Si's family was just a regular, poor family. How could they have such a valuable thing?
Zhang Cuihua finally realized the value of Cui Si's item and looked at the latter in disbelief.
"Three million dollars? Who are you fooling, little girl? Chen Lin said that your family had been poor for the past ten generations."
The surrounding onlookers finally realized that this little girl was the victim.
Chen Lin wanted to stop Zhang Cuihua, but Zhang Cuihua was too fat to be stopped by him. Every night, he would suffer in bed, enduring it all just for her money.
In the end, Manager Lin changed Cui Si's seat and the matter was settled. After that, the auction went smoothly.
Zhang Cuihua had been silent, waiting to see what items would be brought out for auction.
So far, Zhang Cuihua had not bid for a single item.
Usually, she would have already bid for and bought pieces of jewelry and jade. Thus, it was strange for her to be sitting so silently.
Soon, the last item was brought out: Cui Si's Liberty Head Nickel.
"This nickel was made in the United States in 1913 with the side profile of the Statue of Liberty stamped on one side of the coin. It is said that this nickel was used as a pre-test currency in the United States. It currently has a very high collection value.
"This nickel had been sold off at a high price of three million US dollars in past auctions.
"Therefore, the starting price of this nickel is 2.8 million US dollars. Each increment must be no less than 100,000 US dollars."
The nickel's introduction threw the crowd into an uproar. They did not expect a little girl to have such a good item.
Some collectors had even started rubbing their hands in eagerness to bid for it. They were willing to give it their all until the end.
Chen Lin was stunned. When he looked at Zhang Cuihua, he suddenly felt that this rich woman wasn't all that anymore.
Soon, the bidding price of the nickel reached 3.4 million US dollars. The host on the stage was also getting very excited.
The higher the price, the higher his commission. He shouted with all his might, "Is there anyone else? 3.4 million going once..."
Zhang Cuihua raised the sign, intending to buy it. She wanted to use the opportunity to show off her power.
At this time, Cui Si stood up and walked to a dark corner at the back. She picked up a small sign and raised it.
Since someone wanted to give her more money, there was nothing to be merciful about.
The host shouted excitedly, "We have another bidder! The current bid is now at 3.6 million US dollars. Is there anyone else who wants to raise the price?"
Zhang Cuihua turned around and looked towards the back. She wanted to see which idiot dared to seriously challenge her.
Yet, Zhang Cuihua gritted her teeth and continued bidding. The selling price of the nickel rose to 4.5 million US dollars.
Cui Si eventually put down her sign and returned to her seat happily.
If Zhang Cuihua knew that it was her, Cui Si, who was bidding, she would probably be so angry that she would spit out fatty oil.
-- Hadiah diterima