"No, I'm just eavesdropping. So far, there hasn't been anything I wanted to bid on. Yurou-jie, how's everything going?" Shang Yunyan opened his eyes and asked.
"It's all set, Young Master. After the auction ends, Xu Family's people will take care of delivering the items you've won to the designated location. I've left your home address. Is that okay?"
"That's fine!"
"Young Master, the next item is the piece of land you wanted—the one from Tianji Development, the land burned in the fire!" Xue'er reminded.
Hearing this, Shang Yunyan perked up and sat up straight, waiting quietly for the auction to begin.
Not far from them, at the Xu siblings' table, Xu Yaowei kept glancing over at Shang Yunyan, but his attention was primarily on Duan Yurou. What he didn't know was that his sister had been watching him for quite some time, occasionally glancing at Shang Yunyan as well. This man was truly different—everything about him, his looks and presence, resonated deeply within her.
But she was still young, and her parents had told her that she should focus on gaining some experience before considering marriage. Xu Yiru knew that as the eldest daughter of the Xu family, her marriage would likely be arranged by her parents. She didn't feel like she had the right to pursue romance, unless the other party was a high-ranking figure in business or another major field.
"Esteemed guests, the next item up for auction is item B017, a piece of land from Tianji Development. The total area is 94,000 square meters, and its location is quite favorable. As you may know, Tianji Development has had some issues in the past, so this land is available for acquisition. If any of you are considering opening a branch in the capital, this could be a great opportunity. The starting bid is 1.1 billion, and the land usage rights last for 69 more years, making it a very attractive deal! Each bid increment must be no less than 10 million. Let the bidding begin!"
Shang Yunyan frowned when he heard the price. It was higher than he had expected. He thought the starting price would be below 1 billion, but it was set at 1.1 billion. This meant the final price would likely exceed his original estimation. 1.1 billion—how many tons of gold would it take to cover that?
Ding! Host, don't overthink it. Just secure the land!
"Yes, I understand. But I can't just start bidding immediately. My subtle involvement could drive up the price."
At that moment, the price reached 1.17 billion and continued climbing.
"Alright, we see that number 27 has raised the paddle again, bringing the current price to 1.18 billion. Is there anyone else bidding?"
Shang Yunyan looked around. It seemed that no one else was raising their paddle, perhaps because the price had gotten too high, or they thought the land was too large to be useful.
"1.18 billion, once!"
"1.2 billion!" Shang Yunyan raised his paddle, and the person behind him, holding paddle number 27, frowned but raised their paddle again.
"1.21 billion! Number 27 raises the bid again, following Guest number 16!"
"1.23 billion!" Shang Yunyan carefully increased the bid, not getting too caught up in the excitement. He didn't want to increase by too much if the other party's highest acceptable bid was around this price. If he bid 1.3 billion, he could end up overpaying.
"Guest number 16 raises the bid again! Number 27, do you want to continue bidding?"
The other bidder hesitated, then shook their head. Shang Yunyan had successfully secured the Tianji Development land.
"Young Master, the land transaction will be handled after the auction ends. The person in charge of Tianji Development will come to personally finalize the deal with you!"
"Mm, I understand."
The rest of the items in the auction were either shares from certain companies, useless patents, or bizarre jewelry, plates, and Baring Stones. These items weren't useful to the system, so Shang Yunyan didn't engage in the bidding process.
After more than two hours, the auction finally ended, and the next segment was the cocktail party. Shang Yunyan wasn't fond of these social events. He disliked the pretense and mutual flattery, feeling that it was all fake. He stood up and, accompanied by Xue'er and Duan Yurou, made his way to find the person responsible for the land transaction.
"Mr. Shang, why don't you join us for a drink to celebrate? After all, you secured a large piece of land and that massive imperial green raw stone!" Xu Yaowei came over with his secretary, offering an invitation.
"No, thank you, Mr. Xu. I don't drink, and I still have to meet with the people from Tianji Development to finalize the land deal. After that, we'll be leaving. There are matters to attend to back at the company, so I'll have to pass on the cocktail party. Thank you for the invitation, though!" Shang Yunyan expressed his gratitude politely while declining.
This sudden rejection left Xu Yaowei, who had been full of confidence, somewhat taken aback. However, he maintained his composure and nodded to Shang Yunyan, indicating that the Xu family would always welcome him.
"Mr. Shang, thank you for your patience. This is Mr. Yuan Jin, General Manager of Tianji Development Real Estate Ltd."
"Hello, Mr. Shang. We're truly grateful for your support in purchasing our land. It means a lot to us!"
"Mr. Yuan, you're too kind. Let's just handle the transaction directly. I'll have my secretary take care of the land transfer next Monday!"