Chapter 65.1
Editor: Jodi
After the auctioneer started the countdown, five full minutes passed, during which only a few rough stones that were favored by most fluctuated in price, the bidding values under the rest of the lot numbers remaining as still as stagnant water, completely static.
There was silence in the auction hall, with only the sound of people’s heavy breathing, conveying an atmosphere of tension.
The auctioneer glanced at the big screen, his expression calm. This was his third time at the Jadeite Emporium, and each bidding process was the same, only really becoming life-or-death in the last few seconds. After all, no one wanted to reveal the prices they had in mind prematurely, something that would give their competitors an edge over them.
The few bids that had been made were either from novices who were too eager to wait or from people who were casting baits by ‘fishing’ for reactions, waiting to see who would lose patience first and show their ‘hand’.
Thus, every public bid not only tested people’s judgment of rough stones but also their psychological resilience. It was more like a psychological game!
Bai Jing’s fair fingers rested on the bidder, his beautiful teal eyes fixed intently on lot number 157 on the screen. The starting price for lot 157 was 500,000, and he had already keyed in a bid of 2 million, ready to confirm it in the last 5 seconds.
In this intense atmosphere, seconds ticked by, then with only 30 seconds left, the auctioneer began the final countdown, “We will now start the 30-second countdown, 30, 29, 28…”
Bai Jing heard the sound of someone swallowing behind him nervously as well as the drip of sweat hitting the floor, each drop distinct, and as the remaining time dwindled, the entire hall seemed to be enveloped in an indescribable sense of urgency.
“10, 9, 8…”
With just 10 seconds left, the bidding prices for lots 1-300 went crazy!
All the prices flickered like neon lights, changing so fast that it was almost impossible to see the current bids.
Then Bai Jing, who had been watching the screen intently suddenly noticed multiple bids on lot 157. The bidding price had skyrocketed to 1.6 million starcoins in just a few seconds!
‘2 million won’t be enough.’ This thought flashed through Bai Jing’s mind clearly.
Hence in the last five seconds, he quickly changed his bid from 2 million to 3.1 million then pressed the confirm button—
And as the countdown ended, his bid of 3.1 million in the last second became the highest price for rough stone number 157.
At the same time, all the fluctuating numbers on the screen stopped, freezing on the highest bid.
And looking at the final bid on the screen, Bai Jing let out a sigh of relief gently, a thin layer of sweat appearing in his palms.
The thrill of making life-or-death decisions in seconds was even more exciting than gambling on rough stones.
After all, for someone with a special ability like him, the outcome of gambling on rough stones was almost a certainty whereas bidding was full of unpredictability.
Because until the very last second, no one could be a 100% sure of winning the bid.
“Hahaha, I got it—!”
“D*mn, someone outbid me by just 1,000 starcoins, bad luck!”
“50 million, are they crazy? Is that rough stone really worth so much?”
“Sigh, I didn’t win any of the rough stones I bid on.”
“Forget it, forget it, let’s continue with the next group!”
In the hall, some were excited that they had won their bids, some sighed in disappointment, some were in disbelief, and some were angry at themselves for not having bid just a bit more. In moments like these, the wealthy were no different from ordinary people.
“Ah Jing.”
Amidst the noise, Gu Yuanzhao leaned close to the teenager, his magnetic voice laced with a hint of amusement, sounding particularly attractive. “Mission accomplished.”
Bai Jing glanced at his bidding device which showed that lots 106 and 209 had been bid on successfully at 900,000 starcoins each.
However lot 184’s final price was 1.6 million starcoins, a price that exceeded his preset limit, hence Gu Yuanzhao didn’t bid on it.
The Major General had completed the task his younger boyfriend had given him perfectly.
Bai Jing’s beautiful teal colored eyes looked at him with a hint of surprise: “You’re amazing.”
The corners of Gu Yuanzhao’s lips hooked up. With his 3S physique, his reflexes were naturally extraordinary and the speed of his hands were fast.
Not to mention, having experienced various situations from a young age, he didn’t feel even a little bit of nervousness in such settings.
In the end, in the 1-300 lot range of rough stones, only two were unsold due to lack of bids, while the others sold for three to five times their base price, with some having even increased dozens of times!
Even the rough stones with less than impressive performances had been picked up at lower prices, showcasing the enthusiasm for this Jadeite Emporium.
Afraid the final prices at this Sotho Star Planet auction would surpass those of the previous years.
The auctioneer looked at the bustling crowd below then cleared his throat to announce, “Ladies and gentlemen, the auction for rough stones numbered 1-300 in the open bid area is now complete. The results of your bids will be synchronized with your bidding devices.
We will now begin the auction for rough stones numbered 301-600. The duration will be the same, 10 minutes, so please prepare accordingly.”
Then following this announcement, the numbers and base prices on the big screen shifted to display lots 301-600, with the bidding set to start in two minutes.
Bai Jing had his eye on two rough stones in this group.
However he was confused when he saw that the two rough stones, seemingly unremarkable and with base prices not exceeding 700,000, ended up with final bids that surpassed 6 million!
This was almost ten times their base prices!
He estimated the value of the jadeite in the two rough stones to be between 9 and 10 million, and bidding higher on them would mean a very low profit margin, hence he decided to pass on them.
And in the groups that followed, he successfully won three rough stones, each of them worth over 10 million starcoins for no more than 3 million starcoins each.
However Gu Yuanzhao wasn’t as lucky.
The rough stones that had been assigned to him by his younger boyfriend had all sold for prices exceeding Bai Jing’s maximum limit, hence he’d had to let them go.
Because although he wasn’t concerned about a few hundred thousand or even a million starcoins, he trusted Bai Jing’s judgment completely and so wouldn’t interfere with his decisions.
And this respect made Bai Jing very happy, because during a break, he hooked his finger around Gu Yuanzhao’s under the seat gently, their fingers interlocking in an intimate manner.
Soon after, the auctioneer commenced the auction of the penultimate group, rough stones numbered 2400-2700.
With rough stone number 2466 being the most anticipated rough stone of the day’s auction, a rough stone that was likely to become the star of the open bid area.
As the 10-minute countdown started, Bai Jing could feel the tense atmosphere.
He didn’t have any favored rough stone in this range, so he appeared more relaxed.
While on the other hand, those eager to win lot 2466 were visibly tense, their hands poised over their bidders, not daring to rest for even a moment.
The starting bid for this white salt skin rough stone was a steep 30 million, and almost immediately, someone made a bold bid of 50 million, disrupting the calm like a boulder that had been thrown into a still lake.
And despite people knowing that someone was deliberately making ‘fishing bids’, some still couldn’t resist joining the fray, pushing the price to 70 million starcoins!
Little Fatty and Father Jin, following Bai Jing’s cautious advice, didn’t bid but kept a close eye on the rough stone.
And as time ticked by, when Jia Kai saw that Father Jin wasn’t making any moves with his bidder, he understood that he wasn’t planning to follow his advice to buy lot 2466 for a high price.
And apart from Gu Yun, who else could have influenced Father Jin’s decision?
The expression on his face turned ugly, a mix of dissatisfaction and resentment in his heart.
Hmph, when a sky-high priced jadeite is unraveled from this rough stone, you guys will regret not having made a bid!
Gu Yun was indeed well-known, but even he couldn’t be right every time, because as the saying went, ‘it’s hard for even a god to judge an inch of jade’. Did Gu Yun really think he was a god just because he was called ‘God Yun’?
With so many, including senior stone gamblers, eyeing this rough stone, he was sure that lot 2466 would definitely be a great gain!
“Countdown, 30 seconds! 30, 29, 28…10, 9, 8…”
In the final 10 seconds, the highest bid for rough stone number 2466 soared to 100 million!
And when the countdown ended, the blue numbers on the screen froze immediately, fixing the final sale price at an astonishing 132 million!
“How could it be 132 million?!”
A richly dressed businessman stood up abruptly, his eyes wide as he stared at the final price in disbelief.
He had originally intended to just bid 130 million, then at the last moment decided to add an extra million just to be safe, making his bid a total of 131 million starcoins.
However just as he had been smug when he saw the price stop at his bid, a last-second offer of 132 million starcoins unexpectedly popped up, causing him to be unable to help but stare in shock, the indignation and loss in his heart indescribable.
“Fck, just a million more than mine, I fck your mom!”
He cursed hatefully, however under the cold gazes of the surrounding soldiers, he could only sit back down unwillingly.
This was the Sotho Star Planet’s Emporium, one which was attended by the wealthy and powerful, so even if he was given ten guts he wouldn’t dare cause a scene here.
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