Chapter 23: The First Warehouse of My Career

"2,500 dollars."

Xiao Ran raised the price sharply once again, nodding at Justin with a cold sneer that was deeply provocative.

Looking at Justin, he was already seething with rage, glaring viciously at Xiao Ran, clearly wishing he could rush over and give him a sound beating.

As the price was rapidly driven up by Xiao Ran, the many treasure hunters who had originally eyed this storage unit shook their heads and withdrew from the competition one after another. In their view, this auction had devolved into a battle of egos rather than a business transaction. More importantly, the price Xiao Ran was offering had already exceeded their psychological limits; there was no point in continuing. If they kept bidding and ended up winning the unit, they might well lose a significant amount of money.

"Sean, shouldn't you be more cautious?" Sylvia approached him and whispered a word of advice. "Business is business; don't let too many personal grudges get in the way."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Xiao Ran replied with a cold smile. "I've always been a person who distinguishes clearly between gratitude and grudges—I always pay back those who wrong me. Since I've run into these two pieces of trash today, there's no reason to let them off the hook."

Following his words, cheers erupted in the live stream.

"Well said, Brother Ran! A real man always settles his scores!"
"Take those two scumbags down, Xiao Ran! It's not like we're short on cash!"

Listening to the wave of cheers, a trace of a smile flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes. However, to Sylvia and Garcia, those words carried a different weight. The couple exchanged a glance, shook their heads helplessly, and withdrew from the competition. As owners of a second-hand shop, they prioritized profit and had no desire to be dragged into this ego-driven conflict as suckers.

With them out, the competition was left only between Xiao Ran and Justin. Standing on the other side of the unit door, Justin had been watching Xiao Ran with intense hostility and had naturally witnessed this turn of events. In this industry, he and his partner were just small-time thugs who had only been in the game for a year or two, with mediocre resources. Garcia and Sylvia, however, were industry heavyweights with sharp eyes and deep pockets. Their withdrawal immediately made Justin nervous.

The auctioneer didn't wait for him, however, and immediately called out a new price of 2,700 dollars.

Justin hesitated and did not respond immediately. It wasn't until the auctioneer called out the price for a second time that the man gritted his teeth and raised his hand to accept the bid.

As expected!

"3,200 dollars." Xiao Ran gave the new quote without hesitation, raising the price by another 500 dollars. He then added with a cold sneer, "Justin, please continue. Perhaps I'll drop out in the next round. If that happens, this unit is all yours!"

Before the words had even faded, Justin exploded.

"Fuck you! You damn asshole, I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"

As he cursed loudly, he started to rush forward. Parsons, standing beside him, grabbed him and hissed through gritted teeth, "Don't fall for it, man! If you start a fight, you'll be disqualified from the auction. Don't forget why we're here today—that celebrity unit hasn't even come up yet!"

Justin stopped in his tracks, though he continued to mutter curses under his breath. The others present shook their heads, whispering among themselves.

"That Chinese kid is really nasty. I wonder what Justin and his friend did to him to be targeted like this?"
"Looking at the situation, the kid might just end up shooting himself in the foot."

In the live stream, discussions were also heating up.

"Isn't it unwise to provoke those two scumbags like this? Better watch out for a bullet in the back when you leave!"
"When people back in my village have business to settle, I'm the guy who plays the suona at the funeral!"

Xiao Ran shook his head dismissively at these taunts but didn't respond to the people just looking for trouble.

The auctioneer announced the new price and looked at Justin, but this time, Justin didn't take the bait.

"I'm out! That damn asshole won—I hope he loses a fortune on it!"

Seeing that he had decided to drop out, the auctioneer dropped the hammer without hesitation. "Sold, for 3,200 dollars. Congratulations, Sean, on winning your first storage unit of your career."

The auctioneer gestured toward Xiao Ran, who blinked in surprise before joking, "I didn't actually want this unit, I was just bidding for fun. But since it’s in my hands now, that’s not bad either—everything has to have a beginning, right?"

The crowd was stunned, then shook their heads in resignation. Justin, in particular, was absolutely livid.

"Fuck! This guy is a total, absolute asshole!"

Garcia and the others took a long, deep look at Xiao Ran before turning to leave. As professional treasure hunters, they all had a bad premonition. Having a guy who held such grudges join the trade was likely not a good thing for any of the professionals working in California.

As for Xiao Ran, he took a lock from his backpack and went over to secure the pottery studio unit. The moment he locked the door, he breathed a long sigh of relief. He had finally secured the unit as he had hoped; he was going to make a killing.

Just then, Elaine whispered, "Sean, wasn't 3,200 dollars too expensive for this unit? And wasn't your bidding style a bit too flashy? It’s bound to make people hate you."

Xiao Ran turned to look at the beautiful woman and said with a smile, "Since we came to this auction today, we couldn't just leave empty-handed, could we? This pottery studio unit is the start of my treasure-hunting career—it doesn't matter if it was a bit pricey. As for being flashy, it's just a bidding strategy; don't take it too seriously."

With that, they followed the crowd toward the next unit.

The live stream was now as lively as a boiling pot.

"I knew it! Xiao Ran isn't that impulsive; the guy was definitely acting."
"With this unit in Xiao Ran's hands, things are going to get interesting. I wonder if there's anything good inside?"

Having secured the unit, Xiao Ran felt relaxed and had time to chat with the people in the stream. Walking at the tail end of the group with Elaine, he whispered, "Any brothers or sisters looking to open a pottery studio in the Los Angeles area, or even the surrounding regions? Get in touch with me. The machines, equipment, and clay for the studio are all in the unit, and I'm willing to sell them at a low price. As for the other items, it will depend on their specific value."

As he spoke, the group arrived at the door of the fifth unit. When the door opened, a wave of excited cheers erupted. The unit was filled with movie props, including a life-sized Batman statue standing right at the entrance, which was extremely eye-catching. Further back, there were several shelves holding seven or eight storage bins of various sizes. There was also some furniture and appliances, including an old-fashioned jukebox with a gorgeous design.

There was no doubt that this was the legendary celebrity unit, the target of almost every professional treasure hunter present. But to Xiao Ran, the unit didn't hold much value; it didn't impress him. The oldest item in the unit was the jukebox, manufactured around the 1950s, which counted as an antique, but its value was relatively average. Even with the celebrity aura, it couldn't be worth that much.

Of course, with only 1,800 dollars left in his pocket, Xiao Ran was in no position to compete for this celebrity unit. Having determined this, he stayed on the sidelines to watch the show.

It turned out exactly as he had expected. The starting price for the celebrity unit was 3,000 dollars, which excluded him from the start. The other casuals and the less-prepared professionals were also out of the running.

The people in the live stream were reduced to mere spectators as well. They slapped their thighs in regret, constantly complaining about why Xiao Ran hadn't brought more cash. If he had, he could have won this celebrity unit and given everyone a real show. Unfortunately, that was simply not possible.

As soon as the auctioneer announced the starting price, the professional treasure hunters launched into a fierce battle, reaching a climax in an instant. Xiao Ran stood to the side, watching the chaos and chatting quietly with Elaine.

However, the professionals competing for the unit didn't dare ignore his presence. Parsons and Justin, in particular, kept glancing over while making their bids, terrified that he might jump in to stir things up again.