Chapter 2638 — Ever New Peaks

Now he was able to support himself through tutoring and work-study, and no longer needed to rely on the charity of his fellow villagers. Still, he had copied down every figure from that passbook, and once he graduated and found work, he intended to repay each sum one by one—and to repay it doubled.

It had to be said that this passbook carried considerable significance, and it suited the theme of this charity auction perfectly. And so it was that an entrepreneur who regularly donated to impoverished students won it for the high price of one million yuan, intending to take it home and keep it as a collector's piece.

The items that followed were likewise full of meaning, and of course there was no lack of genuinely valuable things among them—jewelry, antiques, and the like—but these had mostly been donated by the university's professors and staff.

The auction continued in orderly fashion, and the wealthy patrons were all quietly in accord: unless something was truly to their liking and of real value, they rarely bid against one another. The final prices also reflected the respective financial strength of their companies. Some items went for tens of thousands, others for hundreds of thousands or even a million; whatever the sum, it was an expression of goodwill.

"The next item up for auction is a handicraft, provided by Wei Zhao, a student in the Department of Biology's pharmaceutical program. It is a piece he made with his own hands. The starting bid is five thousand yuan." The one making the introduction was Tai Weiliang, not Shen Yushu—and there was no need for Shen Yushu to present it, since what Wei Zhao had donated was, after all, only an ordinary object.

Though the piece was finely carved, Wei Zhao was no master sculptor, so a few thousand yuan would already have been a generous price for it. As for the five-thousand starting bid, that was purely to give the wealthy patrons an opportunity to show their generosity.

Zhao Qibing was sitting beside You Panhu and Kang Jinglong, waiting for the right moment to bid on something and thereby earn his qualification to enter the masquerade ball. But it was still early—the auction was only halfway through—so he was in no hurry. He merely wanted to see whether there was anything he liked that he might win for himself, killing two birds with one stone.

But when he heard the host announce that the next lot was donated by Wei Zhao, he shot up and raised his paddle on the spot. Before Tai Weiliang could even display the handicraft in detail, he cried out at the top of his voice, "Five million!"

"Whoa—"

The whole hall erupted. Such an impatient bid, and five million at the first call—nothing like it had happened since the auction began! Even for donations, everyone else raised the price step by step. Who ever opened with a figure like that?

Besides, the high-priced lots were generally items of commemorative significance or things valuable in their own right. Souvenirs like Wei Zhao's were, in fact, among the least popular categories of all: their starting prices were low, mainly meant for the small-time bosses with modest means or the recent alumni who had just returned to their alma mater. When Zhao Qibing suddenly called out five million, everyone looked at him as though he were a fool.

Zhao Qibing paid them no mind. He lounged there with his paddle raised, gazing with utter contempt at the guests who were looking at him with contempt, and thought to himself: You people have no idea—five million to have my leg broken once is a bargain beyond measure!

Tai Weiliang was stunned as well, and it took him a good while to recover. He wondered whether he had overlooked something. Was this not just an ordinary handicraft? How could it possibly fetch such a price?

Could it be some kind of treasure? But... he himself could see nothing special about it. Had he known it was so precious, he should have saved it for the grand finale instead of bringing it out so early...

What Tai Weiliang did not know was that had he truly placed it at the very end of the auction, it would certainly not have fetched such a price. The reason was simple: Zhao Qibing could not possibly wait until the end to bid. He would definitely secure something before the auction concluded.

Even if he did see Wei Zhao's item at the very end, having already acquired something else, he would never have bid five million outright. Even to curry favor with Wei Zhao, he would have offered no more than two or three million.

"Five million—the gentleman in seat 74 bids five million. Does anyone bid higher?" Tai Weiliang asked, full of anticipation. After all, Zhao Qibing had driven the price straight up to five million, and in his view this might well be a genuine treasure, in which case there would surely be competing bids. And the result satisfied him—because someone did bid again!

"Six million!" a voice rang out. That man was none other than Fatty Lai!

Wei Zhao had not expected that a handicraft he had casually put together would draw a bid of five million! Originally, the item had been meant for Fatty Lai to buy. Though Fatty Lai was not a businessman of East Sea City, he was from nearby Songshan City and headed a well-known enterprise, so his presence here was no surprise.

Fatty Lai, for his part, had not expected Zhao Qibing to bid first. But this was what Wei Zhao had instructed him to do beforehand—to buy up Wei Zhao's handicraft—so Fatty Lai made his bid all the same.

"Damn!" Zhao Qibing was dumbfounded. He had not expected anyone to contest him over such a worthless trinket! In his eyes, if this thing had not come from Wei Zhao, he would not have picked it up had it been tossed at his feet—let alone spend money on it.

But he had already called out his price. If he did not compete now, and later Wei Zhao took offense and declined to break his leg, he would be helpless! After all, Wei Zhao could simply tell the school that someone had asked him to break a leg—such a request was far too troublesome, and he could not do it.

And when that time came, the school would surely side with Wei Zhao. Breaking someone's leg was no longer within the scope of what one could reasonably do; it amounted to deliberate injury.

So Zhao Qibing kept bidding: "Eight million!"

To the hidden heir of the Zhao family's young master, such sums were pocket money. What mattered was whether he could master the Thousand Legs technique—and Old Master Zhao was thoroughly in favor of his endeavors, so money was no object.

Tai Weiliang was dumbstruck. There really were competing bids? Not only that, but Zhao Qibing had immediately topped them with a higher price? Was this thing truly so fine?

In truth, it was not only Tai Weiliang who was stunned—everyone present was. The bosses especially: among them were no few people of discerning eye, and yet none of them could see what was so wonderful about Wei Zhao's handicraft.

"Eight... eight million. Does anyone bid higher? The gentleman in seat 74 bids eight million..." Tai Weiliang came back to his senses and hastily asked.