Damn, How could my family be so wealthy?!-Chapter 466 - 465: The Helpless Ah Dou

The first impression was very unpleasant.

Now, it’s clear that Old Man Gu only started bidding after he saw Ah Fook raise his paddle.

The implication didn’t need to be spelled out; Su Mu understood it perfectly well.

Su Mu’s disdain for Old Man Gu increased even more.

When Elder Su made that seemingly inquisitive remark to his grandson, Su Mu just responded casually.

Su Mu trusted that his grandfather would never do something that would please the villains.

"What do you think?"

Elder Su seemed to have taken a liking to speaking in riddles today.

He didn’t give Su Mu a straight answer, just uttering a vague remark instead.

"Grandfather, I trust you."

Su Mu didn’t need Elder Su to spell it out, their understanding was tacit.

Elder Su smiled at his grandson.

Seeing Xiao Mu’s enlightened expression, Elder Su knew that his grandson had truly grown up.

Su Mu also smiled back at Elder Su.

In the exchange of looks between Su Mu and Elder Su, it was certain that Old Man Gu was doomed to a bad end today.

Elder Su raised his right index finger to Ah Fook again.

This time, Su Mu didn’t need to guess what his grandfather’s gesture meant.

Already having had one experience, Su Mu calmly sat there waiting for Ah Fook to raise his bidding paddle.

Sure enough, after receiving instructions from Elder Su, Ah Fook lifted his auction paddle.

Old Man Gu only dared to raise the bid by one million at a time, but Elder Su wasn’t so stingy.

"One hundred and sixty million."

That was the price announced by Ah Fook.

If Ah Fook only raised his paddle without calling out a bid, the auctioneer would automatically assume the bidder intended to increase the bid by one million.

Therefore, bidders with different offers usually call out their own prices.

That one finger from Elder Su signified ten million.

This was something Su Mu also knew.

One hundred and sixty million.

No matter how you looked at it, this number seemed to mock Old Man Gu’s stinginess.

Because Elder Su’s bids were always an increase of ten million.

But Old Man Gu, despite wanting to outbid Su Junqiang for Tang Bohu’s "Thoughts on the Ride Home," was only daring enough to bid up by one million due to financial constraints.

To the average person, one million is certainly a significant sum.

But when facing Su Junqiang of the Su Family, that one million truly had no substantial impact.

Particularly when you compare one million to ten million, the former seems even more insignificant and powerless.

"One hundred and sixty million, Old Master Su bids one hundred and sixty million."

"Old Master Su is really generous; his bids increase by ten million each time."

The auctioneer was deliberately contrasting Old Master Su’s ten million raises with Old Man Gu’s one million.

Next to Old Master Su’s bidding, Old Man Gu’s million truly seemed insignificant.

The auctioneer wasn’t trying to provoke Old Man Gu at all.

The auctioneer simply wanted Old Man Gu to have an accurate understanding of the gap between himself and Old Master Su.

The auctioneer thought that after realizing this, Old Man Gu would refrain from engaging in petty actions.

Compared to Old Master Su’s ten million raises, Old Man Gu’s one million felt like a joke.

"Old Master Su truly has grandeur, so generous."

"Of course, you should see who Old Master Su is. He’s the one who commands the winds and clouds in Huadong City."

"Though Old Master Su has retired from the front lines, the legends about him in the business world have always persisted."

"Trying to compete with Old Master Su in bidding, one should first consider if they have the strength."

"Yes, some people think too highly of themselves, not realizing their appearance is only swollen from vanity."

"Director Wang, you really have a way with words. It seems I should go on a diet when I return, lest I be called out for being pompously vain."

"That’s true, Boss Xu, you do need to lose some weight. But don’t worry if you can’t; as long as you’re aware of it, that’s all that matters."

"Naturally, I’m very clear about my own weight, and I’m certainly not like some people, all puffed up with no substance."

"You’re not wrong; there indeed are such inflated individuals in this auction hall."

"Hahaha... I just wonder whether Old Man Gu, besides his inflated face, has kidneys that are as weak."

...

Everyone’s mockery of Old Man Gu was exceedingly blunt.

Because from the start, Old Man Gu had offended the very person one should never provoke.

In everyone’s eyes, Old Man Gu had become someone they would refuse to deal with in the future.

Now, Old Man Gu was also trying to snatch Tang Bohu’s "Thoughts on the Ride Home" from Old Master Su.

If people didn’t kick Old Man Gu while he was down, then when would they?

"Grandfather, we..."

Hearing others openly mocking his own grandfather, Young Master Gu felt extremely uncomfortable.

No matter how much resentment Young Master Gu felt towards his grandfather at the moment,

in front of others, Young Master Gu and Old Man Gu were definitely family.

The ridicule aimed at Old Man Gu was perceived by Young Master Gu as directed at both him and his grandfather.

Young Master Gu couldn’t understand why his grandfather would make such an impulsive move,

to even think of competing with Elder Su for possession.

Wasn’t he just seeking humiliation?

Young Master Gu wanted to advise his grandfather to abandon such a foolish notion.

But seeing Old Man Gu’s livid face and tightly pursed lips, Young Master Gu didn’t dare to continue.

That was a sign of anger in Old Man Gu.

As his grandson, Young Master Gu was well aware of his grandfather’s blatant signal.

Considering how many times he had annoyed his grandfather today,

and since Old Man Gu had already made his stance clear to his grandson,

Young Master Gu knew that no matter what he said, his grandfather wouldn’t listen to him now.

At this moment, Young Master Gu started to resent his own father.

If the financial power of the Gu Family lay in the hands of his own father instead of in the stubborn hands of Old Man Gu,

Young Master Gu felt he wouldn’t have to embarrass himself here with his grandfather.

But it seemed that the men of the Gu Family were all alike, fond of indulging in romantic affairs,

and with each generation outdoing the last.

In a trade-off, being overly engrossed in matters of men and women meant less time and energy for other matters.

Hence, in terms of business acumen, the men of the Gu Family were inversely diminishing with each generation.

This was precisely why Old Man Gu had been able to occupy the financial power of the Gu Family for many years.

Young Master Gu’s father did indeed seem like a hopeless case.

However, Young Master Gu only thought to blame his own father, not considering that he himself was of the same ilk.

If Young Master Gu had possessed enough capability, then the power over the Gu Family would have already been in his own hands at this time.

Then, he would not have had to keep watching the old man’s moods to act.

Lacking abilities himself and having to live at the mercy of the old man’s moods, Young Master Gu could only begrudgingly swallow the words he wanted to say.

Young Master Gu saw everyone looking at him and his grandfather with eyes that lacked any understanding of their situation.

Moreover, as for the ridiculing words of others, Young Master Gu was not deaf.

He obviously heard them loud and clear.

Young Master Gu felt that at this moment, he was like a rat crossing the street, shunned by all, and felt as if there was no space for his existence in the auction hall anymore.

Being unable to say anything further to Old Man Gu, Young Master Gu could only shrink in his seat, trying to minimize his presence as much as possible.

Young Master Gu even thought that it would be great if he could just turn invisible at that moment.

That way, he wouldn’t have to endure those "inhuman discussions."

"Spineless."

Old Man Gu originally did not want to pay attention to his grandson’s petty actions.

But because they were sitting too close to each other, it was difficult for Old Man Gu not to notice even if he didn’t want to.

Seeing his grandson repeatedly trying to make himself smaller, Old Man Gu naturally understood his intention.

Old Man Gu felt that his grandson had zero resistance to pressure.

It’s just a few words; if he can’t even withstand this, then how would he ever be able to handle bigger matters in the future?

What Old Man Gu did not expect was that it was a sense of grievance in his heart that was sustaining him.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have been able to tolerate the feeling of being collectively barraged either.

Young Master Gu no longer cared about the scolding from his grandfather at this point. frёeωebɳovel.com

As long as the old man didn’t get physical, for Young Master Gu, it was in one ear and out the other.

It was all the same to him.

"The current highest bid for Tang Bohu’s ’Returning Thoughts on the Donkey’ is by Old Master Su — 106 million."

"Old Master Su is truly worthy of the name, making a second move and already pushing the price of our eighth auction item beyond a hundred million."

"I have been an auctioneer for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve seen a magnate with as much spirit as Old Master Su."

Normally, auctioneers should not be making so much idle talk at the scene of the auction.

The auctioneer is also a representative of fairness and impartiality at the auction.

If an auctioneer appears to favor one bidder too much, or a certain power.

It may cause other participants in the auction to feel a loss of fairness.

However, the person the auctioneer is flattering now is Su Junqiang.

So naturally, these problems do not exist.

The strength of Su Junqiang is well-known by everyone present, clear and obvious.

Even Old Man Gu, as muddle-headed as he is, is not unaware of the Su Family’s strength.

It’s just that Old Man Gu felt that Su Junqiang had been behaving more passively in recent years, which led to those unrealistic fantasies.

Since everyone knows about the strength of Su Junqiang and Old Master Su, the auctioneer’s flattering words sound very pleasant to everyone’s ears.

Except for Old Man Gu, that is.

Being one of those also bidding for Tang Bohu’s ’Returning Thoughts on the Donkey,’ and yet the auctioneer kept on praising Su Junqiang.

For Old Man Gu, this was naturally very ironic to hear.

After all, Old Man Gu remembered that after he had raised his paddle, the auctioneer had hesitated for quite a while before announcing his bid.

Moreover, after shouting just once, the auctioneer didn’t say a single superfluous word.

Let alone complimenting Su Junqiang with a whole spiel.

Such an obvious disparity in treatment naturally caused Old Man Gu to feel a lapse in his heart.

Unfortunately, nobody cared about what Old Man Gu was thinking.

"I see that everyone has stopped raising their paddles, it seems that everyone has recognized Elder Su’s determination to acquire this authentic Tang Bohu piece."

"If no one raises their paddle, I’ll proceed with the bidding."

The auctioneer’s face still wore that bright, charming smile.

Although Old Man Gu’s raising of the paddle had been unexpected to the auctioneer.

Nevertheless, Old Man Gu’s unwise move had pushed the auction price of Tang Bohu’s "Returning Home on a Donkey" to over one hundred million.

This was, indeed, a very memorable occasion.

So, the auctioneer felt that there was no need to fuss over Old Man Gu’s wasting of Elder Su’s time.

"Elder Su bids 106 million, 106 million for the first time."

The auctioneer was certain that the bidding process could now be completed without interruption.

Elder Su had raised the bid by 10 million for the second time, and the auctioneer thought that Old Man Gu, no matter how thick-skinned, surely wouldn’t have the audacity to raise his paddle again, would he?

Unless Old Man Gu was determined to fight to the end and also raise by 10 million.

If it were just a matter of raising the paddle and adding a mere one million, that would indeed be looked down upon.

After the auctioneer announced the first call, the other attendees turned their heads to glance at Old Man Gu.

Their eyes held warnings, dissatisfaction, and contempt...

In any case, none of the looks were kind, and the meaning behind them was something Old Man Gu had to interpret for himself.

Sitting beside Old Man Gu, Young Master Gu was "fortunate" enough to bathe in his grandfather’s light and also received attention from everyone for a variety of reasons.

Young Master Gu glanced at his grandfather, whose face was tight and devoid of expression.

The right hand holding the bidding paddle was clenched tightly, the veins on the back of his hand visibly protruding.

However, seeing that his grandfather did not raise his bidding paddle again, Young Master Gu also breathed a sigh of relief.

At this point, whether his grandfather was happy was no longer important to Young Master Gu.

What mattered was that the old man didn’t continue to engage in thoughtless, embarrassing behavior.

Young Master Gu now only hoped that the auctioneer would quickly go through the three calls and then hammer down with the gavel that had been in hand all along.

"106 million for the second time."

The auctioneer wasted no time, calling out the second bid as soon as the interval between bids was just suitable.

"It seems Old Man Gu isn’t completely unaware after all, look, he’s sitting still there now, isn’t he?"

"After all, he’s a figure in society; surely Old Man Gu isn’t that clueless, right?"

"It’s good as long as he has some sense. What I fear is him doing something foolish without thinking."

"What are you afraid of? Do you have some close ties with Old Man Gu?"

"How could that be possible? I only know of Old Man Gu, that’s all."

Seeing Old Man Gu not raise his paddle again, everyone expressed their satisfaction.

But none of the influential people present were willing to get involved with Old Man Gu.

Although today’s society didn’t have a system of guilt by association, everyone felt it was better to keep a clear distance from Old Man Gu.

Even if the Su Family were to be magnanimous and not engage in any suppression,

others were very perceptive of their actions.

It was foreseeable that the days ahead for the Gu Family in Huadong City would not be easy.

With the Gu Family having a hard time, who would want to go out of their way to forge connections with them?