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Chapter 28 (3,000 Nutrient Solution Bonus Chapter)
Extra Update…
Wednesday, the most high-profile land auction of the year in Hong Kong’s business world officially began.
The Hong Kong Land Department didn’t have an imposing exterior; it was simply housed in a modest, even somewhat weathered, three-story building.
Yet it was precisely this Land Department that managed tens and hundreds of billions worth of valuable land.
Today’s auction was the largest-scale land auction of the year. Countless companies had been invited, and wealthy businesspeople had gathered. Outside the entrance of the Land Department, reporters had surrounded the building so densely that not even water could seep through. The flashes of cameras went off in unison, creating an electric atmosphere.
Each time a luxury car passed by and a tycoon stepped out, reporters would swarm to intercept and bombard them with questions while cameras clicked wildly, busy like decathletes.
Lin Keying met up with her godfather and godmother early in the morning. Only after they took a taxi to the Land Department did she realize they weren’t out on a leisure trip today.
“Godfather, are we here to attend the auction? Are you buying land?” Lin Keying glanced at the throng of reporters outside the entrance, clearly impressed.
Godfather Guo Changda chuckled. “Whether we buy or not doesn’t matter—we’re mostly here for fun.”
The three of them got out of their red taxi, but their arrival didn’t attract the reporters’ attention. The journalists only gave the cab a quick glance before turning away, waiting eagerly for other tycoons.
Along the way, Lin Keying listened to her godfather talk about how lively Hong Kong’s land auctions were. In the unassuming room, each participant had a net worth in the billions, and every time someone raised a hand to bid, it was on projects worth hundreds of millions.
In her previous life, Lin Keying had never witnessed such a scene and her interest immediately piqued.
Just as her godfather had described, the auction room today was indeed stripped back to simplicity. At the front stood a blackboard where staff would handwrite the specifics of the land lots, their starting prices, and final sale prices. In front of the blackboard was a raised platform that hid the auctioneer’s lower half; he held a gavel, ready to command the entire event.
There were seven rows of bench seats below. Invited guests could sit anywhere they liked, and each person would be given a card to raise during bidding.
When Lin Keying and her godparents entered, about a dozen representatives had already arrived, scattered sparsely throughout the seats. Ninety percent were men, all over thirty.
Some were representatives sent by tycoons, while others were the tycoons themselves. Lin Keying couldn’t help but wonder whether some of them were famous figures she had heard of in her past life.
With a mind set on spectating, Lin Keying and her godparents sat in the middle of the second row. As other tycoons approached to exchange pleasantries, Lin Keying stayed quiet and obedient, ready to watch the drama unfold.
Suddenly, a bidding card was stuffed into her hand. Instinctively, Lin Keying gripped it tightly and looked at her godmother.
Zhao Fengzhen smiled gently. “Later, you’ll be the one to raise the card. Just follow your godfather’s cues and bid as he says.”
Lin Keying: “…!!! Okay!”
Was she really about to raise her hand on billion-dollar deals?!
This was like an immersive experience in a Monopoly game!
Three minutes before the auction officially began, 80% of the guests had already arrived. Even so, the room didn’t feel crowded.
After all, the entry ticket here was a net worth of over a billion.
Two minutes before the auction started, the room gradually quieted down. Suddenly, there was a commotion at the entrance.
The crisp sound of leather shoes on the floor sounded oddly familiar. Though Lin Keying’s back was to the door, a sense of familiarity washed over her.
She turned her head and saw Cheng Wanting arriving with Secretary Yang. After staff checked their identities, they sat near the aisle in the fourth row.
As soon as he sat down, Cheng Wanting calmly scanned the room and happened to meet the gaze of the woman in front of him.
Half her face was fair and clear, and she looked at him with pleasant surprise, waving the card in her hand slightly.
Before he could react, Lin Keying quickly turned back around, acting as if she didn’t know him.
“Young Master, why is Miss Lin here too?” Secretary Yang asked, puzzled—he had clearly heard that Mr. Guo had declined the auction invitation.
Cheng Wanting didn’t discuss the matter further and soon became busy socializing with other tycoons.
With the auctioneer’s gavel striking, the auction officially began.
All the tycoons had participated in similar auctions countless times; only Lin Keying was a newcomer, listening attentively.
The early land lots were all around several hundred to a thousand acres, with industrial land prices much lower than those of high-end residential land.
Industrial land was roughly $350 per square foot, while high-end residential land was about $1,500 per square foot.
Various companies started bidding, and the first four plots were all sold after a few rounds of competition.
Yet some of the more formidable tycoons remained inactive—including Lin Keying’s godfather, Guo Changda.
“Godfather, aren’t we bidding yet?” Lin Keying’s hand itched to raise the card.
“Wait a little longer.”
Guo Changda and Zhao Fengzhen quietly analyzed each plot’s location and starting price, even predicting which companies might participate in each bid.
Lin Keying listened to the gossip with great interest.
After all, she had never heard gossip this expensive before!
“Plot 4 is in Xigang—not very popular, so the starting price won’t be high. However, Huaxin Industries, which wants to invest in housing here, maliciously raised Prosperity Real Estate’s price in the auction two years ago. Prosperity will surely retaliate this time.”
“Plot 5 is the hottest in Sham Shui Po. The fashion magnate three seats to your left, the electronics tycoon in the third row second seat, and the representative of Yongye Real Estate in the fifth row fifth seat will likely battle it out.”
And sure enough, the three titans fought fiercely, driving the starting price of Plot 5 up sevenfold!
In the end, electronics magnate Yang Yueshan successfully acquired Plot 5 for 320 million.
“Godfather, what about Plot 6?” Lin Keying eagerly asked for the next story.
Guo Changda gently shook his head. Before he could answer, the auctioneer announced, “Plot 6 has been withdrawn. Moving on to Plot 7.”
“How was Plot 6 withdrawn before even going to auction?” Lin Keying asked, puzzled.
Zhao Fengzhen’s gaze turned disdainful. “It was reserved for the British.”
Hearing this, Lin Keying suddenly remembered that Hong Kong was still under British control. The Hong Kong-British government auctioned land where Chinese tycoons and corporations could only bid at high prices, while the best land was sold cheaply to British-backed corporations.
Before the handover, British capital profited immensely from buying land cheaply and selling buildings at high prices, seizing vast wealth from Hong Kong—so much so that countless prime plots were under their control.
As Lin Keying watched the drama unfold in front of her, she completely forgot about her fiancé sitting in the fourth row behind her. It wasn’t until the auction reached Plot 8 that she realized Huan Yu hadn’t raised his card once either.
According to her godfather, the real focus of today’s auction was the final two plots. By then, the most powerful tycoons would all jump in.
The excitement in the front rows did not escape Cheng Wanting’s eyes. The woman ahead clearly looked thrilled as she leaned in to listen to the Guo couple.
Cheng Wanting’s attention was divided—half on the auction and half on the woman in front of him. He hadn’t raised his card once.
When the auction had passed halfway and only five plots remained, there was some movement. At the auction room’s entrance, a young figure appeared.
Chen Songxian rushed into the auction venue, panting and sweating profusely. Originally, he was supposed to come with his uncle, but they were in a car accident on the way. His uncle was hospitalized, and Chen Songxian had to come alone.
Thankfully, the auction hadn’t ended, and he spotted someone familiar inside: “Cousin!”
He plopped down beside his cousin Cheng Wanting, excited like someone meeting a friend in a foreign land. “Cousin, I’m late. Did you buy any land? I just came to watch the excitement. Which plot are we on now?”
Cheng Wanting turned to him with a cold stare and glanced at the woman in front. She still hadn’t turned around, fully focused on the auction.
The bustling auction room echoed with murmurs and the auctioneer’s booming voice. The lively atmosphere prevented Chen Songxian from noticing his cousin’s strange mood. He continued chatting about his bad luck and how he had to “report back” to his father and uncle after the auction.
“Cousin, I have to report everything later. Am I not pitiful? I don’t care for these things at all.”
Secretary Yang’s heart nearly leapt to his throat. He swallowed nervously, his voice parched from anxiety.
His anxious gaze darted between Young Master Chen, his own master, and Miss Lin up front.
Oh heavens, this was too terrifying!
Yet his master remained expressionless, his solemn face betraying no guilt or nervousness.
After venting, Chen Songxian didn’t mind his usually taciturn cousin’s silence and began looking around curiously.
Each time his gaze shifted, Secretary Yang nearly stopped breathing, his mind racing. Especially when Chen Songxian’s gaze turned toward the center of the second row, Secretary Yang suddenly lunged forward.
“Young Master Chen! I… I have a small favor to ask, could we speak outside for a moment?”
Secretary Yang stammered, his eyes sincere like he had just seen the Virgin Mary.
But Chen Songxian only tilted his head at him briefly before quickly looking forward, mumbling to himself:
“Wait a minute! Hey, why is there such a young and pretty girl in this auction?”
Secretary Yang’s heart plummeted with a thud. Following Chen Songxian’s admiring gaze, he saw Lin Keying’s back.
Chen Songxian grew more and more excited.
“Most of the other representatives are men, and everyone here is middle-aged or older. Why is there just this one pretty young lady? Which company does she represent? Just from her back, you can tell—she’s gorgeous, stunning, and full of energy!”
“Is that so?” Cheng Wanting responded to his cousin’s topic for the first time, his cold face revealing no emotion.