Chapter 56: 990 Million

"Holy crap, did I hear that right? Twenty million?!"

"Twenty million for a Three Kingdoms-era porcelain vase? I simply cannot believe it!"

"Those two definitely know what the medicinal pill inside the vase does!"

Nobody attending this auction was an idiot. If only Jiang Jin had made such a high bid, people might have assumed he was just burning through money.

However, Kenji Aso had also placed a massive bid, which spoke volumes.

For a moment, the guests in the venue stirred restlessly, all itching to get a piece of the action.

Even the auctioneer could not help but gasp sharply.

In his initial estimate, the porcelain vase might have fetched at most 1.5 million. Who could have foreseen that someone would already bid twenty million?!

"I've already bid twenty million. Will Mr. Jiang continue to follow?" Kenji Aso looked at Jiang Jin with a playful smile.

Jiang Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, fixed his gaze on Kenji Aso, and said in a deep voice, "You came here specifically for that pill, didn't you?"

Hearing this, Kenji Aso laughed out loud, spread his hands, and replied with a feigned innocent expression, "I haven't the slightest idea what medicinal properties that pill possesses. How could I have come for it?"

Immediately afterward, Kenji Aso changed his tune, turning the tables on Jiang Jin. "On the contrary, Mr. Jiang suddenly drove up the price, which suggests you must be aware of the pill's effects, no?"

Standing nearby, Yu Shishi could no longer contain her curiosity. She stepped forward, blinking her large eyes as she asked Jiang Jin, "I think so too. Hey, tell me the truth, is the pill inside really that amazing?"

Jiang Jin's mouth twitched as he shot her a resentful glance.

"Whose side are you actually on?"

Yu Shishi pouting her lips, she replied coquettishly, "I'm on your side, of course. But I still think you're acting suspicious."

Jiang Jin sighed, waved his hand, and explained, "I really don't know anything about it. I just wanted to spend some money."

As long as he successfully intercepted the purchase from Kenji Aso, the system would fully refund every penny spent.

Such a fantastic opportunity to splurge was definitely something Jiang Jin could not let slip by!

After all, the cumulative spending task of one billion weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Aso sneered, "What a coincidence. I wanted to spend some money too."

Yu Shishi glanced back and forth between the two men.

"Hmph, men."

Jiang Jin muttered inwardly: *(I'm telling the absolute truth here, why won't she believe me?)*

"However, this meager amount of money is just a drop in the ocean to me. It's not quite entertaining enough. I sincerely hope Mr. Jiang won't let me down," Kenji Aso said, exhaling a breath of stale air with a dark tone.

Beside him, Teru Kato nodded inwardly.

On the surface, the young master was using a reverse psychology tactic on Jiang Jin, but wasn't he also showcasing his own financial backing?

Sometimes, displaying absolute firmness can actually deter your opponent!

The auctioneer announced, "Twenty million! Bidder number five offers twenty million! Is there any bid higher tha—"

"Thirty million."

Jiang Jin raised his bidding paddle, his tone as casual as a primary school student carrying a hundred-buck fortune to the corner store to buy a lollipop.

"Thirty million! Bidder number six offers thirty million! Is there any higher price?"

The auctioneer cast a very pointed look toward Kenji Aso.

The other guests were somewhat numb by this point. After all, the shock of jumping from twenty million to thirty million paled in comparison to leaping from two million to twelve million.

"Mr. Aso, I've made my bid. Are you going to match it?"

A playful smile played at the corners of Jiang Jin's lips as he asked.

Kenji Aso's pupils constricted before he extended a single finger.

Yu Shishi covered her mouth with her hand and gasped in exclamation.

"You're not planning to bid one hundred million, are you?"

Kenji Aso shook his head and offered a seductive, wicked smile.

"No, I'm going to keep following all the way!"

As his voice trailed off, he raised his paddle and shouted, "Fifty million."

The auctioneer felt his heartbeat skip a beat for a fraction of a second!

Then, flushing red with excitement, he yelled, "Fifty million! Bidder number five has reached fifty million! Is there any higher bid?"

Backstage, several directors of the Hakusui Degawa Auction House were startled and crowded into the back rooms to watch the unfolding bidding war.

Inside the main hall, some guests could not help clutching their heads in disbelief.

"This is completely insane! I must be dreaming!"

"Fifty million for a Three Kingdoms-era vase? I refuse to believe it!"

"The efficacy of that pill must be extraordinary. No, I have to bid as well!"

Just as a few guests were preparing to join in, someone nearby began pouring cold water on their enthusiasm.

"What if those two are just having a petty feud and driving up pride?"

"Number five is Kenji Aso, the second son of the Aso Group's president, with family assets in the tens of billions of dollars."

"Number six came here with the daughter of the Yu Group's real estate tycoon. His family background definitely isn't ordinary either."

"To them, fifty million is mere pocket change, but it's no small sum for us!"

"Judging by their posture, they're likely to push this price past the hundred-million mark. What if we win the bid only to find out the pill inside is completely useless?"

Hearing these remarks, those who had intended to jump into the fray promptly dismissed the thought.

"Fifty million is a mere trifle to me. I just wonder if this price has finally touched your bottom line, Mr. Jiang?" Kenji Aso lowered his paddle and said in a mocking tone.

Jiang Jin smiled and shook his head, spreading his five fingers and waving them in front of him.

Kenji Aso frowned slightly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Jiang Jin smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with confidence and composure. "My bottom line is limitless. Sixty million."

Kenji Aso's expression darkened as he raised his paddle and shouted, "One hundred million!"

......

"Holy shit, it broke a hundred million!"

"Oh, my sweet lord, are they talking about Zimbabwean dollars?!"

The guests present were all wealthy individuals, yet only a tiny fraction could casually produce one hundred million in cash.

Even rarer were people like Jiang Jin and Kenji Aso who would drop one hundred million on a single antique—you could count them on one hand.

Crucially, judging by their demeanor, one hundred million was mere pocket money to them.

"Will you continue to match?"

Kenji Aso sneered, looking immensely arrogant.

Jiang Jin once again spread his five fingers, waved them, raised his paddle, and called out, "One hundred and ten million."

If not for the system's task limitations, Jiang Jin genuinely wanted to increase the bids by a hundred million at a time.

It wasn't even about spending more money; he simply found the small increments troublesome.

Kenji Aso's pupils contracted as a flash of murderous intent flickered through his eyes!

Then, he sneered and raised his paddle. "One hundred and fifty million!"

From then on, driven by their continuous paddle raises, the auction price was rocketed up to five hundred million!

Followed by six hundred, seven hundred, and eight hundred million!

The rest of the crowd had initially been shocked beyond belief, but by this point, their brains were utterly numb!

"Nine hundred and eighty million! Bidder number five bids nine hundred and eighty million! Is there any higher price?"

The auctioneer had reached a state of frenzy, his voice turning somewhat hoarse.

All the guests in the hall held their breaths, staring nervously at Jiang Jin sitting in the front row.

It was about to break the one-billion mark. Did he still have the financial muscle to keep going?

Yu Shishi also clenched her fists tightly, gripped by extreme tension.

"Mr. Jiang, it's at nine hundred and eighty million. Do you still have the capability to keep following?" Kenji Aso lowered his paddle, his expression contorted and ferocious.

His father had only authorized a limit of nine hundred million RMB; the extra eighty million would have to come out of his own private stash.

And his private stash only held a little over eighty million in cash!

In other words, this price had already reached his absolute limit!

Jiang Jin spread his five fingers, waved them briefly, raised his paddle, and declared, "Nine hundred and ninety million!"

Kenji Aso's face stiffened before his murderous intent erupted like a volcano!

Yet, a moment later, he forced a breezy smile and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Jiang. You win. I'll be waiting for you at the peak of Nameless Mountain."

As his words fell, he exchanged a glance with Teru Kato and stood up to leave the venue.

The guests, who had been waiting for Kenji Aso to make the next counter-bid, were momentarily stunned.

Then, everyone watched with their own eyes as he and Teru Kato walked out of the hall!

Uproar erupted throughout the entire venue!

"What the hell, why did Kenji Aso leave?"

"He conceded! Kenji Aso conceded!"

"Sold for nine hundred and ninety million! My god, I can't believe my ears!"

"Not only do I not believe my ears, I don't believe my eyes either. I must be dreaming!"

"An astronomical price! This is truly an astronomical price!"

Amidst the exclamations of the stunned guests, the auctioneer shouted excitedly, "Nine hundred and ninety million! Bidder number six offers nine hundred and ninety million! Is there any higher price?!"