Chapter 35: Malicious Bidding!

When Lin Fan realized that Ling Feng was plotting revenge and trying to humiliate him, he decided to play along and lure him in. By drawing Ling Feng into the bidding, his goal was to make him the fool who wasted money for nothing. There was no need for Lin Fan to argue heatedly with Ling Feng; since it was a contest of wealth, he would let his strength speak for itself!

“Idiot!” Ling Feng cursed harshly, turned on his heel, and left with several companions, heading downstairs for a meal.

An hour later, the auction officially began.

Lin Fan and Ouyang Qi sat in the front row. They had barely taken their seats when Ling Feng and his group returned, sitting not far from them.

The auction wasn’t large, with just over a hundred seats, of which only sixty or seventy were occupied. Moreover, online bidding had now been introduced, so many participants were bidding remotely rather than attending in person.

“Distinguished guests, welcome to today’s auction…” After a round of opening remarks from the host, the auctioneer took the stage.

The first few lots were of modest value—porcelain and jade pieces worth around a hundred thousand each.

Soon it was time for the Kingfisher and Flowers painting that had caught Ouyang Qi’s eye.

“And now, lot thirteen—the Kingfisher and Flowers painting by the renowned Qing dynasty artist Zou Yigui, starting at five hundred thousand!”

To tease Ling Feng, Lin Fan immediately raised his hand as soon as the auctioneer finished speaking.

“Six hundred thousand!”

Sure enough, seeing Lin Fan’s eagerness, Ling Feng immediately joined the bidding.

“Six hundred and fifty thousand!”

Lin Fan deliberately turned and glared at him, frowning, then turned back and raised his bid. “Seven hundred thousand!”

“Seven hundred and fifty thousand!” Ling Feng, naturally unwilling to show weakness, called out.

“Eight hundred thousand!” Lin Fan followed closely.

“Eight hundred and fifty thousand!” Ling Feng’s voice rang out, with a note of arrogance.

“Nine hundred thousand!”

“Nine hundred and fifty thousand!”

The two went back and forth, their rivalry sharp as blades, and after several rounds, the bidding had soared to 1.1 million!

The atmosphere in the room grew tense and strange.

Sensing that something was amiss, the auctioneer promptly intervened.

“Gentlemen, please refrain from malicious bidding, or this item will be withdrawn from the auction!”

The rest of the audience shot Lin Fan and Ling Feng odd looks.

It was obvious everyone thought the two were causing trouble on purpose.

But Ling Feng raised his hand high and said seriously, “I’m not causing trouble. I genuinely want this item, I just have a bit of a rivalry with a certain someone. There’s no malicious intent in my bidding.”

Hearing this, the auctioneer’s irritation faded. As long as the bids weren’t malicious, he was more than happy to see the competition continue: the higher the final price, the more commission for the auction house.

Who would turn down easy money? He understood that much.

“One point one million—will either of you go higher?” The auctioneer glanced back and forth between Lin Fan and Ling Feng, raising his brows and signaling them to continue.

“I bid two million!” Lin Fan raised his hand, his words astonishing all.

A collective gasp swept through the room.

Even Ouyang Qi, seated beside him, looked at him in bewilderment.

A painting originally valued at just five hundred thousand had now soared to over two million—a fourfold increase, nothing short of madness.

Typically, low-valued antique paintings might fetch three times the starting price at most; going beyond that smacks of malicious bidding, or even money laundering.

“Three million!” No sooner had Lin Fan placed his bid than Ling Feng, not to be outdone, raised it by another million.

At this, someone could no longer keep silent.

“You’re just here to make trouble, aren’t you? If you don’t have the money, stop messing around—kids shouldn’t play these games!”

“You’re mistaken. That’s the young master from next door—money is no object for him. He can throw a party for tens of thousands at the drop of a hat. This is nothing to him.”

As those familiar with Ling Feng revealed his background, the murmurs of disapproval died down.

“Four million!” This time, Lin Fan didn’t raise his hand, simply crossed his arms and looked on calmly.

“Five million!” Ling Feng continued.

“Six million!” Lin Fan still pressed on.

“Seven million! Ha!” At the seven-million mark, Ling Feng couldn’t help but burst out laughing, as if mocking Lin Fan’s foolishness.

But Lin Fan’s expression remained unchanged. “Eight million,” he said coolly.

At this, Ouyang Qi could no longer bear it.

“Maybe we should just let it go. For a painting with a starting price of five hundred thousand to reach eight million is just not worth it. That guy is clearly trying to mess with you.”

Ouyang Qi tried to persuade Lin Fan to give up.

But Lin Fan only grinned, unconcerned. “Even if it goes to ten million, I don’t care. I have more than enough money—I’m not afraid to spend!”

After all, he planned to give the painting to Su Juanmo and expected a rebate on his purchase. The higher the price, the happier he felt.

“You’re really something…” Ouyang Qi was speechless at his apparent recklessness, unsure how to dissuade him and fearing she might offend Lin Fan.

“You’re at eight million? Well, I’ll bid nine million!” Ling Feng sneered, his pride evident to all.

“Ten million!” Lin Fan looked straight at the auctioneer, his face utterly composed.

At last, Ling Feng lost his cool. “Do you really have that much money? Stop pretending if you don’t… Auctioneer, I suggest you check his assets. If he can’t pay, he’s bidding maliciously and should be thrown out!”

His companions quickly chimed in.

“Yeah, I doubt he really has that much money. He’s just here to cause trouble!”

“How can he compete with Young Master Ling? I bet ten million is his absolute limit.”

“Ling, maybe you shouldn’t raise the bid further. If he can’t pay, you’ll be stuck with it…”

Ling Feng, sobered by his friends’ advice, realized he couldn’t afford to spend money out of spite and so stopped bidding.

“Ten million, first call!”

“Ten million, second call!”

“Ten million, third call! Congratulations to the gentleman in front, who has successfully acquired the Kingfisher and Flowers painting… Please, our staff will bring you the invoice.”

As the auctioneer’s gavel fell, a staff member brought the invoice to Lin Fan, indicating that payment was due immediately.

Unfazed, Lin Fan pulled out his phone, entered his account details, and transferred the money to the auction house’s account.

Once the payment was confirmed, the auctioneer congratulated Lin Fan again and moved on to the next item.

“Ten million… Don’t you regret it?” Ouyang Qi looked uneasy, feeling deep down that Lin Fan had overpaid.

Mostly, she was angry—she hadn’t expected Ling Feng to go so far!