At midnight on the Shanghai Bund, the skyscrapers in Lujiazui shine coldly on the other side of the Huangpu River. On the top floor of No. 18 On the Bund, an auction that is not open to the public has just begun its third round of bidding.
"The next lot is a bronze dragon-patterned Gui from the Warring States Period. The starting price is eight million yuan."
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, the bidding cards were already raised like a forest. In the shadow of the last row of the venue, a young man wearing a black Tang suit raised his eyes slightly, glanced at the bronze vessel, and then slowly lowered his eyes.
His name is Chen Xuan, and he looks to be in his mid-twenties. He wears a simple black jade ring on his left thumb, which glows with a deep luster in the dim light. Beside him, a man wearing a custom-made suit and a slicked back lowered his voice: "Mr. Chen, this is it? Are you sure?"
Chen Xuan did not answer, but tapped lightly on the armrest with his fingertips. The rhythm was weird, neither fast nor slow, like some ancient counting method.
"Nine million."
"Ten million!"
"Twelve million!"
The bidding rose rapidly, but Chen Xuan remained indifferent. It wasn't until the price exceeded 20 million that he slowly raised his hand and held up three fingers.
