Signing In At The Civil Affairs Bureau, I Was Rewarded With A Gorgeous Wife

"I have no doubt about your sincerity, Mr. Song. Let me put it this way, the person auctioning off this horse head is a foreigner. I know you're angry when you hear this, and so am I. But we have business to conduct, and the horse head needs to be welcomed back. Wouldn't you agree?"

Zhao Lu lit a cigarette and spoke slowly, "There are some things I've been holding in my heart that I can't say. I'm worried, too. If anything goes wrong with this auction, I'm the damned culprit!"

"Mr. Zhao, it's not that outrageous."

Song Yun said consolingly, "Everyone has their own skills. As long as we work together, I can't believe anyone would blame you."

"Mr. Song! With your words, I feel reassured. All I hope is that you can speak a few words for me in front of old Mr. Ouyang. After all, whoever takes on this task is handling a hot potato. But if we don't take it, and it ends up at an international auction, then we'll be severely exploited by our own people!"

Zhao Lu said despondently, "You know, our auction house collects a five percent commission on every item sold. I can put the word out that for the horse head commission, I won't take a cent!"

"You're noble, Mr. Zhao!"

Song Yun praised with a smile, "Mr. Zhao, you're taking this matter too seriously. No one will really blame you. Just keep your heart in your stomach, and you won't lose it!"

"Yes, yes, I'm a bit too anxious."

Zhao Lu said with an awkward smile, "It's getting late, shall we go to the venue?"
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"Let's go. I also want to see what kinds of monsters and demons show up tonight."

The two stood up and headed to the venue. Upon arrival, Zhao Lu brought Song Yun to the entrance of Old Mr. Ouyang's box and gestured that he did not intend to go in.

Song Yun understood what Zhao Lu was thinking. After all, Old Mr. Ouyang's generation had lived through those times and understood the shame of that period more than anyone.

Thus, Zhao Lu feared that entering rashly might not only result in a cold reception, but if he failed to retain the horse head afterward, Old Mr. Ouyang might hold a grudge against him.

"Old Mr. Ouyang, the auction is about to begin."

Song Yun pushed open the door of the box and found a completely different world inside!

The whole box covered over a hundred square meters and featured Chinese-style decor. On top of that, the various antiques displayed on the shelves were evidently not ordinary!

Especially the painting hanging on the wall, Song Yun glanced at it and realized it was actually an authentic Tang Yin!

It goes without saying, Jiahe Auction House is loaded!

One must know that Tang Yin's authentic works are always sold by measurement. There was a successful transaction just this May, apparently for over forty million US dollars!

So much money hanging there on the wall for people to enjoy. Zhao Lu is really thinking big!

"Humph, that kid Zhao Lu, he's the grandson of an old friend of mine. These years he's made quite a fortune through auctions. When you have time, you could get to know him better."

Old Mr. Ouyang slowly opened his eyes and gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The venue below was already filled with people.

Most of them were fellow countrymen, but there was also a small portion of foreign guests.

"Zhao Lu was just venting to me earlier. He's afraid of messing up today's event and being blamed by everyone afterward."

Song Yun walked over to the sofa and sat down, chuckling, "Hey, this carpet feels pretty comfortable to step on."

He reached out and touched it, surprised to find it was made of cashmere!

You should know that top-quality cashmere is touted as 'one gram of cashmere equals one gram of gold'!

Zhao Lu really spared no expense for the guests in the boxes!

"In the entire Jiahe Auction House, only the number one venue has five boxes, and each box hosts officials and dignitaries. Him putting his heart into this will also earn him a good reputation."

After Elder Ouyang finished speaking, he paused to catch his breath. Song Yun followed his gaze downwards and saw that the auctioneer had already started the warm-up, displaying photos of all the items to be auctioned today.

The horse's head, as today's center of attention, stirred a mix of emotions in the hearts of many present!

"Good evening, everyone. I am the auctioneer for today's event, my name is Wu Rou, and I am honored to be here on this stage to narrate the history of each item and to oversee the auction," she said.

Wu Rou was a top-tier auctioneer from Jiahe, not only for her profound professional knowledge but also for her delicate features and that impressive figure!

But speaking of Wu Rou's attire today, a simple worker's outfit worn on her could rival those international supermodels. Adding to that, the reverse glow of her black silk stockings contributed a hint of wild beauty!

Under normal circumstances, there would already be catcalls, but today everyone's attention was focused on the items being auctioned, and they weren't especially interested in the beautiful auctioneer!

Knowing the weight of her task today, Wu Rou slightly bowed as a sign of courtesy before smiling and saying, "Our first item up for auction today comes from a representative figure of the Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics, a masterpiece by the master Zheng Banqiao!"

"As everyone knows, Master Zheng Banqiao..."

"Alright already! Just a brief introduction for this kind of item will do! Nobody's here for that!"

a man from below shouted out.

This immediately garnered the agreement of many others.

Ever since the message that the horse's head would be auctioned off had spread, the entire industry had begun to churn with undercurrents!

Everyone's anticipation had been whetted to the utmost, and they truly didn't want to wait another moment!

"Sir, good things come to those who wait, don't you agree? We can't possibly start with the showpiece item right off the bat - that wouldn't follow protocol," Wu Rou said.

Wu Rou was actually somewhat annoyed at being interrupted, but the people sitting below her were ones neither she, nor even her bosses, could afford to offend!

So she had to suppress her anger and continue explaining with a smile.

"I don't give a damn about your rules! I'm here to see the horse's head!"

the person below continued stubbornly, "Jiahe really will accept any job. If it weren't for fear of missing out on the horse's head, I'd spit on your face right now!"

"This..."

Wu Rou, who often took part in auctions that usually proceeded smoothly, hadn't seen the likes of this ruffian before, and found herself at a loss for words.

Seeing that Wu Rou couldn't control the situation from backstage, Zhao Lu hurriedly grabbed the microphone and rushed to the front of the stage.

When he recognized the face of the person making trouble, his annoyance grew manifold!

The man was Yan Ying, the owner of the auction house ranked second nationwide, Burton!

Presumably, after failing to negotiate a private deal with the owner of the horse's head multiple times, he was here out of spite to cause trouble!

"Yan Ying, we can settle any disputes we have in private! Now's not the time for you to cause a scene!" Zhao Lu shouted sternly.

One must remember that Elder Ouyang was sitting in a private box!

If today's auction was spoiled over this trifling matter, he himself would become the culprit!

"Zhao Lu, Jiahe really does strike it rich on anything! Pah!"

Yan Ying spoke disdainfully, "I'll have you know, I'm here for the horse's head. I'm here for the auction; I have nothing to do with you!"