Chapter 29: A Spirited Auction

Xiao Ran paused for a moment to consider before laying out his plan.

"First, let's be clear: any fan competing for this set of Wang Yeting porcelain plaques must find a way to get them back to China themselves."

"With air travel between the U.S. and China currently suspended, courier services are out of the question. Besides, high-value antiques and artworks like these shouldn't be shipped by courier anyway."

"If you have no way to transport these plaques, don't participate in the competition, or you’ll just end up with false hope or, worse, a massive loss!"

A chorus of groans erupted in the live stream, and many began to protest.

"That's not fair! Those of us without family in the U.S. can only sit here and drool!"

"If you do it this way, isn't it just a game for the privileged few? The rest of us don't even have a chance to compete."

Xiao Ran shrugged helplessly.

"That’s the reality, and I can't change it. I hope everyone understands."

"However, I will try to find a solution so that everyone can participate in this game."

The crowd fell silent, realizing he was speaking the truth. After a brief pause, Xiao Ran continued:

"Actually, I’m even more anxious than you are. I’m graduating soon, and getting back to China myself is already a challenge."

"I don't dare keep these items in my hands or rent a safe deposit box to store them."

"If I can't send these back to China before I leave the U.S., they’ll just end up being a free windfall for the Americans."

Before he could finish, Brother Hua chimed in:

"He's right. We can't have us footing the bill only for the Americans to benefit for nothing."

Xiao Ran offered a few more explanations. He suggested that if any fan had solid connections in the U.S. who could solve this problem and help everyone out, that would be ideal. However, he repeatedly warned them to be cautious and not to be easily fooled or trust just anyone.

Once that was settled, he returned to the main topic.

"Let’s talk about this special auction. It’s essentially a sealed-bid auction, just like a formal tender."

"Any fan who is qualified and capable of participating gets one chance to bid via private message!"

"The highest bidder wins. After the auction concludes, I will disclose all bids in the live stream to ensure transparency."

"Remember to keep screenshots of your private messages so you can verify them later, in case anyone accuses me of rigging the process!"

The live stream erupted instantly.

"Whoa! You can play it like this? That’s interesting, count me in!"

"You really have so many tricks up your sleeve! You’re actually turning this into a business!"

Xiao Ran smiled and added:

"Just a reminder: this set of Wang Yeting porcelain plaques has a reserve price. If the bids fall below that, the auction fails."

"I will disclose the reserve price first, then open my private messages to reveal everyone's bids."

"Be very careful when bidding. You only have one chance—once it’s sent, you cannot withdraw or resubmit!"

"You can start sending your private messages now. Let’s see who ends up taking home this set of Wang Yeting porcelain plaques."

Unsurprisingly, the live stream became even more boisterous.

"Xiao Ran, you little rascal, you’re so cunning!"

"You’re inciting a bidding war among the masses! You really know how to play this game!"

Everyone teased him, their spirits high, as they eagerly joined the game. Within moments, the notification chimes began to sound. Clearly, some were quite impatient and had sent their bids immediately—or perhaps they had already decided on their numbers long ago.

The chimes continued to ring one after another, merging into a steady stream of notifications. Xiao Ran kept his word and didn't check the messages immediately, choosing instead to explain the game to Elaine.

Hearing his explanation, Elaine’s eyes lit up with excitement, and she wanted to join the live stream to participate in this fun game. Xiao Ran had no choice but to guide her through downloading the overseas versions of WeChat and Douyin. Then came the process of registering an account, adding friends, and joining the stream—a whirlwind of activity.

Throughout all this, he didn't forget to chat and banter with the guys in the stream. Before long, Elaine had joined and became one of Xiao Ran’s followers. Since everyone called her the "French Rose," she didn't hesitate to use that as her nickname.

The moment she appeared on screen, she was met with endless compliments and flirtatious remarks from fans professing their love or trying to start private chats. A few shameless individuals even demanded photos and phone numbers, claiming they wanted to embark on an unforgettable, cross-cultural romance with her.

In an instant, the live stream was flooded with virtual roses, and a barrage of cheesy, over-the-top pickup lines scrolled rapidly across the screen. The female fans in the stream also began greeting Elaine, asking about the latest luxury goods from France.

Seeing how lively the atmosphere was, Elaine instantly fell in love with it and had a wonderful time. Meanwhile, the host of the stream, Xiao Ran, was momentarily forgotten and left on the sidelines.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. The peak of the confession frenzy finally subsided, and the stream grew a bit quieter. Seeing that the time was right, Xiao Ran reappeared to take over from Elaine.

Elaine, still feeling unsatisfied, said with a beam, "Sean, your stream is so much fun! The people here are so interesting!"

"I’m going to come and visit your stream to chat with everyone often!"

Xiao Ran nodded gently with a smile.

"Of course, you’re welcome to come by anytime. But be careful."

"There's a Chinese saying: 'A man's mouth is a lying ghost.' Don't let any of these slick-talking guys fool you!"

"Hahaha, I'll be careful," Elaine laughed and nodded.

The self-proclaimed playboys in the stream immediately protested.

"You're the liar, Xiao Ran! My sincerity is as clear as the sun and moon!"

"This is blatant slander! Xiao Ran, are you just afraid we’ll steal Elaine away from you?"

After a bit more banter, Xiao Ran got to the point.

"Now, I’m announcing the reserve price. Because of taxes, I’ve set the price for this set of Wang Yeting porcelain plaques at 15 million RMB."

"Fans who have placed bids, please check your private messages to me and see if they have been marked as read."

"Once everyone confirms their messages haven't been opened, I will proceed to open the bids!"

Responses flooded in immediately.

"Holy crap! 15 million RMB—that's over two million U.S. dollars. Xiao Ran, you’re making a fortune!"

"This guy is truly ruthless! He’s sharpening his knife quite well!"

Amidst the exclamations, there were a few voices of deep regret.

"Can I withdraw my message? Xiao Ran, I think my bid might be a bit too low!"

"Yours is just low; my bid is practically a void entry now—I want to resubmit!"

Xiao Ran shook his head, refusing the requests.

"Rules are rules. We can't just break them whenever we want, or the game wouldn't work!"

"If you missed the mark this time, just be more careful next time."

Hearing this, those who had bid too low began to wail. After a few moments, everyone confirmed that their messages remained unopened. Only then did Xiao Ran begin to review the private messages.

The moment he opened the inbox, he was taken aback. There were over a hundred bids—a testament to how enthusiastic everyone was. However, when he opened the first email, he shook his head helplessly.

The bidder had offered a mere 1,000 dollars, which was obviously an invalid bid.

"Friends offering a few hundred or a few thousand, hoping to snag a bargain—don't join in just for the fun of it! You’re just adding to my workload!"

With that, he displayed the bid.

"Hahaha!"

The live stream erupted in laughter. The person who sent the bid tried to play it cool, claiming it was a momentary slip of the tongue and that he had forgotten to add the word "ten thousand"—his bid was supposed to be 10 million dollars!

The laughter in the stream grew even louder.

Next, Xiao Ran opened the other messages one by one, displaying them in the stream. After going through a dozen invalid bids, the first valid one finally arrived.

The bid was 16 million RMB, and it came from none other than "Dog Tycoon."

Unsurprisingly, the live stream was filled with gasps of shock.

"Wow! 16 million RMB! Dog Tycoon, what does your family do? Do you own a bank? You’re way too rich!"

"14 million USD for the Beauty Sculpture, plus 16 million RMB for these plaques—that’s over 100 million total. You’re a certified tycoon!"

The wave of astonished exclamations made Dog Tycoon feel quite smug! But who could have guessed that the very next bid to appear would instantly shatter all his hopes of winning the porcelain plaques?