Chapter 34: Becoming Super Rich
Chapter 34: Becoming Super Rich
Even before the official auction started, the warm-up turned into a blockbuster scene.
This would likely affect the upcoming auction—no, not likely, it would definitely be affected.
But Old Lin knew very well that the impact of this event had already completely surpassed the auction itself.
Even if Fantasy Treasures Auction House earned zero from this, it was still worth it!
What advertisement could be more awesome than this?
Some kinds of influence were something money couldn’t buy.
Old Lin believed this was also something the big bosses behind the auction house would be pleased to see, even excited about.
But just to be safe, he had someone report the situation here fully and waited for instructions.
As for possibly offending the Academic Faction of Qin State… not only didn’t the big bosses behind mind, even Old Lin himself didn’t care much.
So what if they offended them? If you wanted to get things done, how could you be afraid of offending people?
After the count, the pledged amount for the yet-to-be-established foundation reached a staggering over 2.3 billion.
You really couldn’t look down on the wealthy from Qin State present—they were truly rich!
Just give them a reason good enough to spend money, and they could gather billions in minutes.
The donation amount for the Military was even more astonishing, reaching as high as 8.6 billion!
Although this figure was still nothing compared to Great Qin’s annual military budget, no one dared say it was a small sum.
On the contrary, such an extra donation was extremely important to the Military!
The big boss behind Old Lin didn’t disappoint. After learning the specific situation, they immediately gave instructions—
The foundation could be established!
The auction house would hire professionals to manage it.
Fantasy Treasures Auction House would take zero commission from the Supreme Spirit Stone auction!
The commission would be split equally into two parts, injected into the foundation and the Military donation!
This was definitely not a small amount of money, and the auction house’s approach was generous enough.
So when Old Lin reported this news to everyone, the whole room erupted in warm applause again.
It was hard to say who had really helped whom this time.
Based on the price of this Supreme Spirit Stone, Ling Yi would also gain massive wealth after donating. Meanwhile, once this matter spread, his reputation would be unmatched!
This was another kind of Golden Body!
Even if the Academic Faction still wanted to target him, they would have to think twice.
And Fantasy Treasures Auction House would also receive a wave of great praise!
Everyone who donated money today would also gain huge fame and the Military’s friendship.
For Ling Yi, it meant instantly pulling a large group of staunch allies for the Military.
For the Academic Faction, this would be a completely terrible piece of news, enough to make them slam tables and swear.
This made Ling Yi very happy.
After such a special and explosive opening, the following auction indeed became much gentler.
For example, Sister Zhao, who originally wanted to hinder Qin Jiuyue, kept her word as promised. During the later auction process, she showed no intention of targeting her.
Perhaps this was just a brief moment of kindness brought by a fleeting touch of emotion, but for Qin Jiuyue, it was already precious.
After all, the business world was also full of hidden conflicts.
After winning a Crystal Core worth over two hundred million, Qin Jiuyue couldn’t contain her excitement and said to Ling Yi beside her, “I really have to thank you today. In the past, to win these Crystal Cores, I would have had to spend at least twenty million more!”
Ling Yi smiled. If thanks were to be given, he should be thanking her.
The Supreme Spirit Stone was placed last for auction, unsurprisingly replacing the original final lot. As this Supreme Spirit Stone went up for auction, it finally heated up the consistently gentle and mild auction.
After a fierce competition, it was finally won by a mysterious buyer for the sky-high price of 11.7 billion!
Even Old Lin, a seasoned master auctioneer, couldn’t help but turn pale, his heart racing and hands trembling as the hammer fell for the final bid.
Something worth over ten billion was a heavyweight item no matter where you put it!
Even top tycoons couldn’t ignore such a fortune.
When the dust settled, Ling Yi himself felt almost drained.
He slumped in his chair, his mind almost completely blank.
Many people around him cast envious glances his way.
What was this if not a stroke of heavenly luck?
What was this if not becoming rich overnight?
So what if he donated six billion?
There was still 5.7 billion left!
This was an enormous fortune that many so-called successful people could never touch in their entire lives!
Qin Jiuyue looked at Ling Yi with a sincere smile. “Congratulations on joining the ranks of the rich!”
Ling Yi let out a soft breath. “Thank you!”
The plump sister in front to the right turned her head and gave a thumbs up—though it wasn’t very visible. “Bro, you have to treat us!”
Ling Yi took a deep breath, telling himself to stay calm, to stay composed, to…
Forget it, forget it, couldn’t stay calm.
This swelling feeling from sudden riches wasn’t something you could suppress with a few thoughts.
Just thinking about the unfounded but suffocating three hundred million debt from before made Ling Yi’s current feelings completely understandable.
He nodded with a smile toward the front right. “No problem!”
The auction ended.
It would still take a little time for that huge fortune to be deposited into Ling Yi’s account.
But this was already a done deal, with no possibility of anything going wrong.
At the same time, Ling Yi also received a top VIP card from Fantasy Treasures Auction House!
It was a metal card the size of a business card, made of some unknown material, entirely black, with some mysterious inscriptions carved on it. In the middle, in ancient script, were the words “Fantasy Treasures.”
Looking at these two words, Ling Yi inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity. It suddenly occurred to him that this script… seemed to share the same origin as the ancient script used by Heaven’s Gate Sect.
“Bro, from now on, holding this card, in any country or region, whenever you see a shop with the Fantasy Treasures sign, you’ll get a twenty percent discount on all purchases!”
“Also, with this card, you can enter any auction event held by Fantasy Treasures at any time, anywhere, without needing an invitation. Moreover, if you consign any items for auction, the commission fee is half price.”
“And…”
Ling Yi: !!!
And?
Old Lin smiled. “Of course! With this card, you can take out short-term loans from any bank on the entire continent!”
“Up to one hundred million, for one year, with no collateral required and no interest charged!”
“All covered by the auction house!”
Ling Yi was utterly shocked. This was really too awesome!
Old Lin also looked a bit envious as he emphasized, “In any country, at any bank, just press that card there, and you can take out a billion directly, interest-free for a year!”
Qin Jiuyue couldn’t help but gasp in surprise—was this just an ordinary auction house?
Even Sister Zhao couldn’t hold back a sour tone as she said, “Old Lin, I’ve supported your Fantasy Realms so much, and I’ve never seen you give out a Black Card…”
Old Lin forced a bitter laugh. “Sister, you’re putting me on the spot here. You must know I don’t have one myself! From what I know, Fantasy Realms has been around for over a hundred years, and they’ve barely given out enough of these cards to even count on one hand, probably not even ten.”
Sister Zhao smiled. “All right, just joking with you—don’t take everything so seriously. Want to join us for a drink? I’ll call some pretty girls for you?”
Old Lin still had a bitter smile as he waved his hands urgently. “Sister, please spare me! If my wife finds out, she’ll kill me…”
Sister Zhao burst into loud laughter, then said to Ling Yi, “Don’t let this old man fool you—he’s sixty-five this year, and his wife is only twenty-eight! That’s one fresh young thing. So this old guy is just like your sister here—no good at all!”
Sister Zhao was really tough on others; she even cursed herself when she got worked up.
Old Lin looked helpless as he pointed at Sister Zhao, then said to Ling Yi, “I’ve got a lot of loose ends to tie up here, and I need to get the payment into your account quickly. Sorry for being rude this time—can’t join you now. I’ve saved your number, and I’ll find a time later to meet you alone for a good talk!”
Ling Yi nodded. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Old Lin beamed happily. “No need to be so polite—it’s only right!”
As the three walked out together, Sister Zhao remarked, “Jiuyue, your judgment is way better than mine—you’ve found a good man!”
Qin Jiuyue blushed and shook her head. “Auntie Zhao, stop saying nonsense like that. He and I are just ordinary friends.”
“Really?” Sister Zhao glanced at Qin Jiuyue with a smile and said no more, but after a moment, added, “I feel old when you call me that—don’t call me ‘Auntie’ now. Call me ‘Sister’.”
Qin Jiuyue went silent.
Sister Zhao said calmly, “We can keep the titles separate!”
Then she looked at Ling Yi. “You must keep that card safe—Fantasy Realms isn’t just an auction house. You’ll find out the benefits later.”
Ling Yi nodded. “Thanks, Sister Zhao.”
Sister Zhao laughed heartily. “Don’t stand on ceremony with me!”
As they were the last ones out, there were barely any people outside the hotel when they reached the entrance. Just as they were about to get into their own cars, Liang Shanming suddenly stepped out from the shadow of a pillar.
He froze on the spot when he saw that the plump woman was actually coming out laughing and talking with Ling Yi and Qin Jiuyue.
“What are you still doing here?” Sister Zhao frowned with thick, caterpillar-like brows, looking displeased.
“Sister, I-I know I was wrong. Could you not drive me away? Give me one more chance, please?” Liang Shanming ignored Ling Yi and Qin Jiuyue beside him, pleading in a low, humble voice.
Though this fat witch was moody and short-tempered, no one could deny she was very generous!
That way of spending money wildly was truly amazing.
Just the luxury life alone made Liang Shanming cling to her, not to mention he could use Crystal Cores freely by her side.
It’s easy to get used to luxury but hard to give it up—that saying was all too true.
If Liang Shanming had to go back to living poorly, relying on “dreaming that things were fine” to get by each day, he couldn’t bear it at all.
Sister Zhao stared at Liang Shanming without a word. Qin Jiuyue, seeing the situation, said, “Sister… Zhao, should we meet up later?”
“No, give me a minute—can’t let Ling Yi off! He has to treat us today!” Sister Zhao smiled as she said this, her expression instantly turning cold. Furrowing her brows again, she glared at Liang Shanming and spoke slowly.
“You’ve been with me only a short time, but I haven’t shortchanged you—that’s point one. Point two: I hate lying more than anything! Want to know how I became this fat witch?”
Sister Zhao said calmly, “It was because I got tricked by a man I loved deeply once. Later that man died. In my self-pity, I started eating way too much, and my slim waist was gone forever. So, young Liang, say no more—we met once, let’s part on good terms.”
“Sister Zhao, I—”
Liang Shanming wanted to speak, but seeing Sister Zhao’s icy, plump face, all the words stuck in his throat.
The next moment, he turned his anger toward Ling Yi, pointing at him and shouting, “It’s all because of you! You jerk, if not for you, why would Sister Zhao dump me? She must have taken a liking to you—”
Smack!
Sister Zhao slapped him hard across the face, saying coldly, “A top student at Zongwu University! Keep some pride for yourself!”
“You—” Liang Shanming grew so furious he almost wanted to hit this fat witch right then.
But in that instant, two shadowy figures appeared beside Sister Zhao, staring coldly at him.
All Liang Shanming’s rage vanished completely.
“Okay, sister, it was my fault. I’m leaving now.” Liang Shanming bowed his head and turned to go.
Sister Zhao looked thoughtful as she watched Liang Shanming’s messy retreating figure.
“Boss, do you want—” someone nearby whispered.
“Forget it, he’s just a little brat, and besides, I liked him once.” Sister Zhao shook her head, but turned to Ling Yi and said, “Brother, watch out for that guy. If he dares to do anything to you, don’t hold back. He’s no match for you, so I let him go this time.”
Ling Yi nodded.
Sister Zhao’s face brightened into a smile again. “Let’s go—today I’m picking some expensive place, and you’re getting stuck with the bill big time!”