Chapter 137: The Auction—A Warning About Counterfeit Returns

The auction was scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM.

Zhang Long had finished his foreign exchange trading for the day before dinner, as he intended to stay until the very end of the auction, which would conclude no earlier than 10:30 PM. As for the items up for auction, they ranged from several hundred thousand to several million, with nothing reaching the hundreds of millions. Even the most luxurious cruise ship had its limitations.

...

"Hey, Caiying?"

In the seafood dining area, as Zhang Long and Qian Caiying were busy eating, a surprised voice suddenly rang out. Zhang Long turned his head to see a rather handsome man approaching.

"No way, Brother Erniu?"

Qian Caiying’s reaction was far more dramatic. She seemed pleasantly surprised to see the man, though the name that tumbled out of her mouth was quite embarrassing. Erniu?

"It really is you."

Niu Ze’s face shifted from joy to a slight scowl. "Call me Brother Ze. 'Erniu' sounds terrible."

"Nope, just Erniu," Qian Caiying giggled, blinking. "What else should the second child of the Niu family be called? Niu Er?"

Zhang Long was speechless, breaking into a sweat. To be fair, the newcomer was quite handsome, and more importantly, had a sturdy build. However, his buzzcut added a touch of ferocity. Had this guy served in the military?

"And this is?"

Unable to correct Qian Caiying’s choice of address, Niu Ze turned his attention to Zhang Long. The young man was handsome, but his attire was plain. Still, since he was sitting at the same table as Qian Caiying, they were clearly close. Niu Ze extended a hand. "Niu Ze!"

"Zhang Long."

Zhang Long stood up to shake his hand, only to feel a sudden surge of pressure from Niu Ze’s grip, which gradually intensified. *Oh boy, am I dealing with a love rival? What a misunderstanding.*

"That's enough, Brother Erniu."

Qian Caiying clearly sensed something, slapped Niu Ze on the arm, and glared at him. "Stop joking around."

"Cough, cough, just a habit."

Niu Ze laughed heartily and sat down next to Qian Caiying with the ease of an old friend. He didn't seem to harbor any special romantic feelings for her; it was as if he had just run into a friend from back home.

"Why are you here?" Qian Caiying asked first. "Don't tell me you’re here for a Lunar New Year trip to Hong Kong. I’ve been on this ship for days and haven't seen you. Did you come specifically for the auction tonight?"

"Yeah, why else?" Niu Ze nodded, but he picked up on other details from Qian Caiying’s words. "You’ve been on this ship for days? Don’t tell me you’re hiding out here because you’re avoiding a scolding at home for the New Year? You're still as wild as ever."

"I bet the Old Man Qian is either half-dead from anger or waiting for you to come home so he can give you a beating."

"I’ll bet ten bucks on it."

...

Being teased didn't bother Qian Caiying at all. The joy of meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign place was genuine. A moment later, Zhang Long learned Niu Ze’s background: he was also a "second-generation" elite from Shanghai and had served in the military for a few years. Although he didn't pursue a military career after being discharged, he was currently quite successful in the defense industry.

He had come to Hong Kong for a vacation.

"Sister Jiang, long time no see."

A moment later, Niu Ze’s partner and fiancée arrived carrying a dinner plate. She had a quiet and gentle demeanor that contrasted sharply with Niu Ze’s rugged image. Her name was Jiang Rou.

Zhang Long introduced himself once more, shook her hand lightly, and kept the interaction brief.

"You’ve got guts," Jiang Rou said after learning that Qian Caiying had run off to the cruise ship for the New Year. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "We don't even need to bet ten bucks; you're definitely getting a beating when you go back."

"Your little bottom is going to get a bloom of bruises."

Zhang Long sweat-dropped. He hadn't expected the soft-spoken Jiang Rou to be so bold. *I see, so that's how it is.*

*Matched with Niu Ze, it makes sense.*

"Let it bloom then," Qian Caiying said nonchalantly, not caring in the least. At worst, she’d just act spoiled and get away with it. "Did you two see anything you liked in the auction? Need any help?"

"No, we'll see what fate brings."

Niu Ze waved his hand. They certainly had enough money; second-generation scions of the Niu and Jiang families were never short on cash. But even if they had the money, getting into a bidding war would be a headache, so they would see how it went.

They were primarily in Hong Kong for leisure, and tagging along for the auction tonight was just for the fun of it. They hadn't even decided if they would stay the night on the ship.

"Are you two dating?"

Suddenly, Jiang Rou shifted the conversation to Zhang Long, her eyes filled with curiosity and surprise. After all, besides being decent-looking, Zhang Long didn't seem to have much in common with Qian Caiying.

"We aren't dating, just traveling together," Zhang Long hadn't even answered before Qian Caiying waved her hand. "We just happen to be sharing a room. I have nothing to hide. You two just need to know that."

"Just don't go spreading it around."

Hearing this, Niu Ze and Jiang Rou exchanged glances, both speechless. This was clearly an instruction for them to spread the word. *Nothing to hide, my foot. As if we believe that.*

...

The cruise ship auction hall could accommodate two hundred guests. There were standard seats in the main hall and VIP boxes in the side rooms, but Zhang Long, Qian Caiying, Niu Ze, and Jiang Rou were all in the main hall. There was no need for a VIP box—it would be a waste.

They sat in the middle of the hall, a decent spot.

"Why did you say we were sharing a room?" Zhang Long asked in a low voice after they were seated. "In TV dramas, guys who like girls like you are never easy to deal with. If it were just Niu Ze, it would be fine, but what if we run into someone like that back in Shanghai? What then?"

"What then? We'll deal with it when it happens..." Qian Caiying looked at Zhang Long’s worried face and rolled her eyes. "Look at you, such a coward. Don't worry, it’ll be fine. Even if I do have admirers, you’ll be the one to benefit."

"Let me tell you, their favorite move is to toss cash at you and tell you to get lost. Just name your price."

"You’ll walk away with at least a million or two for nothing."

Zhang Long broke into a sweat. Was he the kind of person who cared about one or two million? He was just annoyed by the trouble! But looking at Qian Caiying’s brassy, difficult personality, he figured she probably didn't have many suitors anyway. After all, who would want to be treated that way?

Zhang Long wasn't a masochist; he certainly wouldn't.

"The relationship isn't simple."

On the other side, Niu Ze and Jiang Rou were whispering to each other, occasionally glancing toward Zhang Long and Qian Caiying. They were happy to run into a familiar face, but it was quite unexpected. After all, China was a big place with many people.

"Stop guessing," Niu Ze said noncommittally. Despite his rugged appearance, he was quite perceptive. "They don't have anything going on. At most, they’re just close. Nothing else."

"At least, not yet."

Jiang Rou nodded and shrugged. Still, she felt a flicker of curiosity about Zhang Long. Qian Caiying wasn't easy to get along with; her tongue was sharp, yet she seemed surprisingly gentle with Zhang Long today. That was significant.

*Forget it, it’s none of my business.* Besides, she wouldn't go around telling people they were sharing a room on the ship. Not everyone was a loudmouth who couldn't keep a secret.

...

"Friends, welcome..."

At 7:30, the night auction on the cruise ship began right on time. The emcee gave an enthusiastic opening speech.

Sitting in the middle of the hall, Zhang Long looked around. The audience was a mix of men and women of all ages, and he even spotted a few actors and celebrities he had seen in TV dramas—artists who had once been immensely popular in Hong Kong.

Of course, to Zhang Long, they were mostly strangers. While this cruise auction wasn't low-end, it couldn't compare to top-tier auctions on land, especially since Hong Kong itself was home to world-class auction houses.

Still, the cruise auction did feature a few good items that had attracted some wealthy individuals—people with liquid assets of at least a hundred million.

"The third item, a bowl..."

The bowl was, naturally, not an ordinary one. As the auctioneer gave a passionate introduction while the item was projected on screen so everyone could see it clearly, it was—presumably—authentic.

Whether it was a treasure, however, was another matter.

"Uh, could there be fakes?" Zhang Long suddenly thought of something and turned to whisper to Qian Caiying. "What if it's a fake?"

"Then it's a 'real' fake," Qian Caiying replied in a low voice, ears perking up. "All auction items have verified origins and professional appraisals, so there are no fakes."

"The most important thing for an auction house is its reputation and credibility. The appraisers they hire aren't incompetent."

"Don't overthink it."

Having received a reluctant answer, Zhang Long stopped talking and turned his eyes back to the stage. Items were brought out and sold one by one; naturally, a few items that no one was interested in went unsold.

"Hm?"

At one moment, Zhang Long stiffened.

When the 15th item was brought onto the stage—a piece he had been interested in—a string of numbers suddenly appeared above it as the auctioneer gave his pitch. It was a negative number!

*Oh my god, is it manifesting again?*

...

*Does it only react when I’m interested?*

Whether the item had a problem was no longer the point. Back in Shanghai, when he was looking at a top-floor duplex, a negative return rate had appeared over the agent's head—it was the price of the apartment. Buying it would have been jumping into a fire pit.

It had appeared again. The previous 14 items hadn't triggered anything; it was only when he felt the urge to buy that the return rate suddenly appeared.

*So, it only gives a hint when I’m actually planning to buy?*

"Hey, aren't you going to bid?" Qian Caiying poked Zhang Long. Bidding for the item on stage had begun, but Zhang Long seemed to be in a daze, so she shook him back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm not bidding," Zhang Long said, his thoughts returning to the present. "I suddenly feel like items that someone else has owned aren't that great. Forget it."

"Sweat, what’s wrong with that?" Qian Caiying was speechless, looking at the limited-edition world-class watch on stage. "This watch is nice. It was worth over a million a few years ago. Even if it hasn't doubled in value, it's worth about 1.5 million now. It suits you."

"It's fine, I don't need it."

Zhang Long still shook his head. If he hadn't seen the negative return rate, he definitely would have bid. But now? Forget it.

Either the owner had originally bought a knock-off, or they had kept the real watch for their own collection and put a replica up for auction.

*And the auction house hasn't verified it?*

This made Zhang Long doubt the authenticity of the other items as well. It seemed the credibility of the entire auction was questionable.

"1.3 million!"

Suddenly, a paddle went up.

"Hm?"

Zhang Long was startled. He realized that the person bidding was Niu Ze. Was this guy going to bid on the watch?

"Oh, it's Brother Erniu?"

Qian Caiying naturally noticed Niu Ze bidding as well. She had just been feeling bad for Zhang Long, but if Niu Ze wanted it, then it wasn't a pity anymore. It saved them from a fight.

"You're going to have to let it go."

Qian Caiying poked Zhang Long again, but Zhang Long was scratching his head. *Let it go? I don't want it.*

"The watch is fake," Zhang Long said in a low, serious voice. "When it was shown on the projection, the color in two spots didn't look right. Believe it or not, it's up to you, but I'm not bidding. You decide what to do."

*Nani?* Qian Caiying was shocked.

Although she didn't know if Zhang Long had deep expertise in watch colors, he at least wouldn't lie.

*A guy who makes millions trading foreign exchange in minutes would care about a 1.5 million watch?*

"Congratulations to bidder number 77..."

*Oh no, this is bad.* Qian Caiying immediately turned to look at Niu Ze and Jiang Rou’s seats. They had won the watch for 1.65 million. *No, I have to stop them during the intermission when they go to pay.*

They couldn't be the ones getting scammed.