Damn, How could my family be so wealthy?!-Chapter 464 - 463 Punishment Target

Only a truly thick-skinned person can comprehend the mindset of others with equally thick skin.

If Su Mu and Elder Su had turned their heads, they would have noticed Old Man Gu and his grandson sitting steadily at the edge of the last row.

Of course, if one looked closely, one could see that Young Master Gu’s face bore an unwillingness to be there.

However, the Gu Family’s economic power still rested entirely in Old Man Gu’s hands.

Even if Young Master Gu was reluctant to stay in the auction hall, he dared not go against his grandfather’s wishes.

Otherwise, Young Master Gu knew he would be in for a rough time ahead.

He was all too familiar with his grandfather’s methods.

If anyone in the family displeased Old Man Gu, imposing economic restrictions was a typical punishment.

This approach had proven to be quite effective.

That’s why Young Master Gu was "exceptionally close" to his grandfather, all for the sake of pleasing him.

When the old man was pleased, Young Master Gu had the resources to enjoy a life of luxury.

What Young Master Gu didn’t know was that he was already on his grandfather’s "blacklist."

Old Man Gu was attributing all the insults he had received at the auction today to his grandson.

Of course, at first, Old Man Gu wanted to blame Su Junqiang.

But lacking the power to do so, as Su Junqiang was utterly unaffected by Old Man Gu’s "economic control."

With no other options, Young Master Gu naturally became Old Man Gu’s prime target for venting.

After all, Young Master Gu had been chattering heartily with a beauty before.

This made Old Man Gu even more convinced of his grandson’s lack of progress.

Pick on the weak, that was Old Man Gu’s tactic.

If Young Master Gu knew he had become the "target for punishment" in his grandfather’s eyes,

he certainly wouldn’t sit foolishly here any longer.

Regrettably, Young Master Gu, who thought he knew the old man well, actually didn’t genuinely understand his grandfather at all.

So, at this moment, Young Master Gu obediently stayed seated.

Perhaps in Young Master Gu’s mind, once the last auction item was sold, his "hard days" would come to an end.

Of course, what Young Master Gu was thinking at this time was of no concern to anyone else.

Even Old Man Gu, who had been glaring at his grandson just moments ago, was now intently watching every move from Su Junqiang’s direction.

Old Man Gu had been waiting to see when exactly Su Junqiang would make a move.

This was the last auction item of the day.

Old Man Gu couldn’t believe that Su Junqiang would attend the auction without any purpose.

Especially since Su Junqiang, having stepped back, was rarely seen in public nowadays.

Old Man Gu was convinced that Su Junqiang would definitely take action.

Since Su Junqiang had shown no interest in the previous seven auction items,

without a doubt, Tang Bohu’s "Return on a Donkey" was Su Junqiang’s target.

Thinking that his chance for redemption was at hand, Old Man Gu became increasingly excited.

Sitting up straight, Old Man Gu was just waiting for the Su Family to raise their paddle.

...

"Ah Fook, start,"

Elder Su, seeing that Xiao Mu had inquired, decided not to wait any longer.

He spoke to Ah Fook at his side and simultaneously raised his right index finger.

Ah Fook, seeing his master’s hand, nodded.

This was their understanding.

Ah Fook, having been by the elder’s side for so many years, hadn’t wasted his time.

With just a gesture from the elder, and without the need for any words, Ah Fook could fully understand what Elder Su wanted to convey.

Su Mu naturally noticed his grandfather’s movement.

However, Su Mu didn’t have the same tacit understanding with his grandfather as Ah Fook did.

Of course, Su Mu couldn’t comprehend what his grandfather was trying to express by raising the index finger on his right hand.

At that moment, Su Mu wasn’t in a hurry to ask.

Since Ah Fook had nodded, all Su Mu needed to do was to watch what Ah Fook would do next.

Some things need to be asked.

And some things, if you observe carefully, you can figure out on your own, so why bother asking.

"Ninety-five million."

After receiving Elder Su’s intent, Ah Fook wasted no time in raising his bidding paddle.

At the same time, Ah Fook also voiced Elder Su’s intent.

"Ninety-five million, Mr. Fook from the Su family bids ninety-five million."

"It’s just like Old Master Su, always distinctive in his approach."

The auctioneer, seeing Mr. Fook raise his paddle, immediately repeated Ah Fook’s bid with a booming voice.

At the same time, he did not forget to flatter and please with his praise.

That Mr. Zhao earlier only added three million, but now with Old Master Su stepping in, the bid was raised by ten million directly.

The difference between them was immediately apparent.

Ninety-five million, five hundred thousand?

Su Mu finally understood what his grandfather’s raised right index finger meant.

It turns out it was his grandfather’s way of telling Ah Fook to add ten million to the bid.

Su Mu realized inwardly that the tacit understanding between Ah Fook and his grandfather was indeed not something ordinary people could compare to.

People were originally surprised that a tycoon had suddenly raised the bid by three million.

Aren’t auctions supposed to be about raising your paddle time and again, increasing the bid bit by bit?

Today, however, it started with Wu Wanli breaking the norm and setting a precedent.

Now the tycoons were following suit, adopting this tactic as well.

It’s not that such tactics are frowned upon at auctions.

After all, the nature of auctions is that the item goes to the highest bidder.

For those who don’t want to raise the bid little by little, the auctioneers couldn’t be happier.

However, for the participants of the auction, such behavior only serves to inflate the price of the auction items.

And isn’t the auction organizer the one who benefits in the end?

They even thought of reproaching that tycoon Mr. Zhao.

Now, Ah Fook’s bid had caused those who wanted to voice their disapproval to swallow their words back.

When Mr. Fook raised his paddle, it naturally represented Old Master Su’s intentions.

Since it was Old Master Su’s wish, what else was there for anyone to say?

The Su family’s wealth and status in Huadong City were crystal clear to everyone.

Therefore, Ah Fook’s action seemed very normal to them all.

Also, once Ah Fook had raised his paddle, who else would dare to bid?

To do so would be an open challenge to Old Master Su, wouldn’t it?

It’s something no sane person would do.

"Ninety-five million? It’s still Old Master Su who is really generous, raising the bid by ten million just like that."

"Indeed, that’s a true tycoon for you, unlike some people who think they’re so great just for adding a million or two to the price."

"Different levels, different ways of doing things,"

"Once Elder Su makes his move, this ’Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey’ by Tang Bohu has nothing to do with us anymore."

Seeing Ah Fook raise his paddle, everyone got the message.

Of course, some people had quick wits and knew right from the start that Elder Su was definitely after this painting by Tang Bohu.

So, although the auctioneer kept promoting how extremely precious this last auction item was,

there weren’t many actual bidders.

It was only those few who hadn’t thought things through who would consider making a bid on this last item, just to show their face or fight for some prestige.

"Impossible, even Elder Su is eyeing this ’Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey’ by Tang Bohu?"

"Then what’s the point of me raising my paddle?"

"Compete with Elder Su? I neither have the strength nor the ability."

The once ambitious tycoon saw Mr. Fook raise his bidding paddle,

and Mr. Fook’s opening bid was a direct increase of ten million.

Even if the tycoon was slow on the uptake, he could see that Elder Su was set on this genuine piece by Tang Bohu.

Since it was something Elder Su had his eye on, the tycoon naturally had to retract the grand statements he’d made at the start.

The tycoon knew that even if he foolishly decided to compete with Elder Su, he simply didn’t have the capabilities.

Knowing it was an impossibility, the tycoon thought it wisest to hold back at this moment.

After all, losing to Elder Su wasn’t something he found shameful in the slightest.

If he didn’t read the room and insisted on contending with Elder Su, that would turn into a huge joke.

"That’s not right, Director Zhou, did you know from the start?"

The tycoon, realizing late, seemed to catch on to something.

He felt that Director Zhou had already made it clear that he wouldn’t participate in the bidding for this eighth auction item even before it started.

The tycoon had initially thought that Director Zhou was pressured by funds, and felt a little smug about it.

Now, it didn’t seem to be the case.

The tycoon’s gaze toward Director Zhou became a bit reproachful.

If Director Zhou had known all along that Elder Su was after this ’Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey’ by Tang Bohu,

then why hadn’t he hinted even a word to him when he was expressing his grand ambitions earlier?

The tycoon now understood the meaning behind Director Zhou’s two ambiguous smiles.

It turned out that in Director Zhou’s heart, he was nothing more than a jumping clown.

"How could I possibly know what Elder Su is thinking?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Director Zhou claimed innocence.

Logically speaking, Director Zhou and Elder Su didn’t seem very familiar with each other.

So, Director Zhou’s statement was plausible.

After Elder Su arrived at the auction hall, he hadn’t mentioned anything about the auction items.

Therefore, Director Zhou’s words could still hold water.

It was just that Mr. Zhao, the tycoon, claimed he didn’t believe it.

But without any evidence, the tycoon could only stew silently.

Crafty fox.

He couldn’t show anything on the surface, since the tycoon knew that Director Zhou indeed had no obligation to remind him.

The tycoon could only curse bitterly to himself.

Of course, thanks to Ah Fook’s bid and the price he called, the tycoon, as well as Director Wang and Chairman Miao, all quietly dropped out of the bidding.

There was a tacit understanding in this.

The three of them didn’t need any exchange of glances or anything like that.

This fully explained the influence of the Su Family and Su Junqiang in Huadong City.

"Elder Su bids ninety-five million, any higher offers?"

"If not, I’ll call it."

The auctioneer had no doubts about the final ownership of Tang Bohu’s "Thinking of Home on a Donkey" either.

The auctioneer felt that all he had to do was go through the motions and then hammer down his gavel to end today’s auction.

Although, truth be told, including Mr. Fook, only four people had raised their paddles for this last auction item; it hardly counted as a lively event.

But fortunately, that Mr. Zhao had started off with a direct increase of three million, and later on, Old Master Su raised the bid by ten million.

If the bidding had followed the normal pattern with increases of one million each time, there would have been over a dozen increments by now.

In any case, the auctioneer was satisfied.

The auctioneer also knew that even if Old Master Su had only increased the bid by a million each time, those tycoons present wouldn’t mindlessly compete with Old Master Su in bidding.

So the final outcome was that Tang Bohu’s "Thinking of Home on a Donkey" could only fetch just over eighty million.

Luckily, Old Master Su was Old Master Su, absolutely generous with his bid, jumping up by ten million in one go.

Right now, the auctioneer was immensely grateful for Old Master Su.

"Ninety-five million for the first time."

The auctioneer was very keen to show off in front of Elder Su and the young master of the Su family.

Without any hesitation, he started the first call.

"Elder Su truly has an excellent eye; this is one of Tang Bohu’s most proud works."

"You said it; if Elder Su doesn’t have a good eye, then who does?"

"Elder Su is indeed a representative figure of Huadong City. How could his eye not be good? How can we ordinary people compare with Elder Su?"

"You’re right. Chairman Mu sure knows how to speak; no wonder your business is so big."

"I’m just telling the truth; Elder Su has always been my idol."

"I feel the same way. If I had one-tenth of Elder Su’s ability, I’d wake up laughing in my dreams."

...

Brown-nosing is never a solitary affair.

Who would have thought that these tycoons, so formidable on the business field, would be so smooth at buttering up someone?

"Ninety-five million for the second time."

The sounds of brown-nosing below were indeed not soft.

Everyone also wanted to ensure Elder Su heard their words of praise.

Brown-nosing, after all, if not heard by the intended party, would be a wasted effort, wouldn’t it?

However, everyone felt somewhat disappointed as Old Master Su did not turn to glance at them.

The auctioneer couldn’t care less about those bigwigs who were busy brown-nosing.

As soon as the set time arrived, the auctioneer immediately called out the second bid.

The auctioneer was mentally counting the time.

Now, all he had to do was wait for the moment to call the third bid, and without missing a second, he would cry out the third call and forcefully hammer down his gavel.

The auctioneer felt that his active performance was the greatest form of respect to Old Master Su.

While mentally timing, the auctioneer casually looked around the hall.

Mainly because such a scene of tycoons vying to brown-nose was indeed rare.

If it wasn’t for decorum, the auctioneer would have wanted to take out his phone to capture this "precious" moment.

Selling it to the paparazzi might even fetch more than those celebrity scandals.

Unfortunately, the auctioneer still had to abide by his professional ethics.

Of course, some things could only be thought about in his mind.