The Auctioneer carefully took out the watch.
Holding it in his hand.
For everyone to admire up close.
A deep blue dial with three metallic-luster discs made of sapphire crystal glass; the part surrounded by an elliptical ring displayed the night sky of Geneva.
The stars were brilliant.
"This watch is a limited edition white gold model, 18k white gold set with diamonds, featuring one hundred and eight diamonds."
"Paired with an alligator leather strap."
"Whether from the front or the back, it is more like an impeccable piece of art. I believe I don't need to introduce Patek Philippe too much; you all understand. Here is the certificate of authenticity issued by Patek Philippe; there is no doubt it's genuine."
"Starting price, ten million, with each bid increment no less than one hundred thousand."
The middle-aged Auctioneer put the watch back into the box and looked at them with a smile.
"This watch is not bad."
Qin Fen said.
The others all nodded in agreement.
For a watch to be recognized by all of them, it was already extremely successful.
Zhou Xing's gaze also fell on the watch, and his eyes never wavered.
The appearance of this watch indeed suited his aesthetic perfectly.
It didn't have an old-fashioned look; instead, it chose a deep blue that appealed more to young people, and paired with the starry sky dial, the entire watch was dazzling.
Even just wearing it on one's hand would make them an incredibly eye-catching presence.
Worthy of being a Patek Philippe.
Such craftsmanship left even Zhou Xing with nothing to criticize.
"Then let's start bidding. Same old rules: the highest bidder wins."
After Qin Fen finished speaking, he quickly said, "Ten million and fifty thousand."
"Eleven million."
Chang Wenyu also called out.
"Twelve million."
"Thirteen million."
"..."
The two of them called up to fifteen million.
Their expressions became somewhat hesitant; they glanced at each other, both waiting for the other to give up voluntarily so they could take this Patek Philippe.
"Sixteen million."
While they were hesitating, Zhou Xing's voice suddenly rang out.
The two of them immediately turned their heads.
Zhou Xing hadn't placed a bid the entire time, so they even thought he had given up. They didn't expect... him to jump in at the last moment.
"I see your competition is a bit intense, so to prevent any disputes, I'll reluctantly step in to mediate."
Seeing both of them staring at him, Zhou Xing immediately smiled and spoke.
He naturally wanted this watch too.
Although Richard Mille was good, it paled in comparison to this Patek Philippe.
"How shameless."
Chang Wenyu complained, "Fifteen million was my limit. I'm out."
"I'm out too."
Qin Fen shrugged helplessly, "Who told you to be so rich and willful?"
How long had it been? Zhou Xing had already spent a full forty-some million.
Looking at his still calm and composed appearance, he was truly curious about how much cash Zhou Xing actually had on him.
"Then I'll accept it with thanks."
Zhou Xing took the number 002 paddle with a smile.
Following that, number 003 was a painting, auctioned by the elderly man.
Zhou Xing took one look and lost interest.
Naturally, he didn't choose to bid.
It was bought by Qin Fen for five million.
Many more rare collectibles appeared afterward.
But for Zhou Xing, none held much attraction... he sat there, looking a bit bored.
As more items were auctioned, the sky gradually darkened.
It reached past five in the afternoon.
The auction was about to come to an end.
"Everyone... the final item of the day is about to be revealed."
Zhou Xing, who had been sitting there bored, suddenly perked up.
As an auction item, the last one was usually... the grand finale.
Relatively speaking, it would be more unique and precious.
He was curious as to what the item was.
The elderly man paused for a moment and said, "That is... the two license plates: Shanghai A·66666 and Shanghai E·88888."
He picked up an iPad and showed the two blue license plates to everyone.
"The starting price for both plates is five million, with each increment no less than two hundred thousand. Please arrange yourselves; I believe you will all choose to bid for these two plates."
The old man looked at them with a smile.
The importance of a license plate went without saying.
A good horse deserves a good saddle.
The license plate was that saddle!
It's just... to buy a luxury car, money is enough.
But wanting to match it with a good license plate is extremely difficult; one can only rely on fate.
Therefore, a license plate became a symbol of status.
Especially in a metropolis like Shanghai, pure numeric license plates were already extremely rare, let alone 'Leopard numbers' with such auspicious meanings as five sixes and five eights.
If you drive a luxury car, others might despise you as a Second-generation rich kid living off his family.
But if the car is equipped with a top-tier license plate.
When others see it, they will sincerely say, 'This person is truly impressive.'
Good license plates have always been a scarce resource, even rarer than a mclaren p1, so the old man was very confident.
Those in front of him were all Second-generation rich with countless luxury cars.
Who wouldn't want a top-notch license plate to flaunt their status?
The old man was also very experienced.
There were only two plates, so he simply didn't bother with a formal auction.
He chose to let them negotiate among themselves or have the highest bidder take it.
Either way, the auction house wouldn't lose out.
"Zhou Xing, do you have any interest?"
Qin Fen asked.
"Yes."
Zhou Xing didn't hide it at all.
Qin Fen was a bit surprised.
You should know... something like a license plate isn't something you can use just because you have money.
The plate seemingly only cost five million.
But behind the plate was a matter of social status; whether one could keep it and hold onto it was what mattered most.
If your status hadn't reached that level, using such a thing was not a good idea.
Didn't he see that Chang Wenyu and the others were sensible enough not to say a word?
That's why he subconsciously asked Zhou Xing, not expecting him to agree.
But Zhou Xing had stated his stance without hesitation: he wanted to take one of the plates.
Through his brief contact with Zhou Xing, Qin Fen knew that although the other party was young, he was definitely not a reckless novice but a very smart young man; otherwise, he wouldn't have blended in with them so quickly.
So he believed that Zhou Xing definitely understood the consequences of taking the license plate.
Yet he remained so calm, which meant he had that kind of backing.
This couldn't help but make Qin Fen increasingly curious.
What exactly was Zhou Xing's background?
To be so young and casually pull out forty-some million, and that wasn't even his limit, because during the auction, he had been observing Zhou Xing.
Zhou Xing had no interest in those auction items, and it wasn't an act.
But every time a new one came out, he would have an expectant look.
This meant he could still bring out more cash to bid; it was just... he hadn't encountered items that suited his taste.
Qin Fen felt a slight chill in his heart.
Zhou Xing's background was definitely not simple; it might even be more exaggerated than all of them combined.
"Which one do you have your eye on?"
Qin Fen asked.
Zhou Xing rubbed his chin and said, "The one with five sixes. Five eights is a bit too high-profile; five sixes is more low-key and suits me better."
Qin Fen and his group were all a bit speechless.
Did Zhou Xing have some misunderstanding of the word 'low-key'?
If five eights is high-profile, is five sixes not high-profile?
This was in Shanghai!
Even in a small county town, five sixes would be equally eye-catching.
"Alright then, we won't bid either."
Qin Fen nodded and said, "This five-sixes plate is yours for six million!"
"The five-eights plate is mine for six million."
He looked at Chang Wenyu and the others, who all nodded, indicating they had no objections.
"Then these two license plates are purchased by Mr. Qin and Mr. Zhou respectively."
The old man said, "Thus, this auction has concluded successfully. Thank you all for your support. Next, you can come over to settle the payments and sign the contracts. Except for items that cannot be delivered on-site, you can take the rest back."
As the two main forces of this auction.
Qin Fen and Zhou Xing stepped forward and handed their tags to the young female Auctioneer.
The Auctioneer first calculated Zhou Xing's items and then brought out a POS machine: "Mr. Zhou, you have purchased a total of three items this time, with a total value of forty-seven million."
"Swipe the card."
Zhou Xing took out his bank card and entered the password.
The machine spat out a payment receipt.
"Alright, here is your Patek Philippe 6104G-001 watch and its certificate. Please keep them safe."
"As for the license plate and the mclaren p1, we will contact you within three days."
"After you receive the call, arrange a time to complete the transfer of ownership."
Zhou Xing took the Patek Philippe box and nodded.
With an auction house capable of presenting so many rare items, he didn't have to worry about them running off with the rest of his money.
"Mr. Qin, here is your..."
"...Then we will head back first and not disturb you all."
The elderly man stood on the deck, smiling at everyone.
Then, leading the remaining two Auctioneers, he got off the boat and walked toward the pier.
As the auction was ending, the yacht had already docked at the pier.
"Shall we go down too?"
Zhou Xing asked.
"Sure, just in time for dinner."
Qin Fen and Chang Wenyu both agreed.
After spending the afternoon together, especially after the auction, Zhou Xing had been successfully recognized by them.
At the same time, his status had seen a qualitative leap.
Even without knowing Zhou Xing's family background, the strength he inadvertently displayed.
Was enough for him to stand on the same level as them, or even be quite far ahead of them.
While Chang Wenyu and Qin Fen were fine, the attitude of Chang Tong and the other two toward Zhou Xing had taken on a touch of respect.
The other girls didn't think that much.
They only knew that among this group, Zhou Xing had always been at the center.
His status was very high.
At the same time, he was very rich, casually pulling out nearly fifty million.
He was also young, tall, and handsome!
Each of their gazes fixed on Zhou Xing like hungry wolves, wishing they could swallow him whole.
They were even more envious and jealous of Tongtong!
Qin Fen had also been paying attention to Zhou Xing. When he noticed that Zhou Xing had been frowning since getting off the boat, he immediately asked.
"What are you thinking about? Is something wrong?"
Without looking up, Zhou Xing said, "The small-amount payment limit for China Merchants Bank is too low. I have to enter my password every time; it's so annoying. I'm wondering if I can have China Merchants Bank raise the limit for password-free small payments for me."
Looking at Zhou Xing in front of him, even Qin Fen's body trembled.
You call nearly fifty million a'small amount'?
Listen, is this human speech."