Chapter 3 Chapter One
Hong Kong Jiade Art Auction Company.10:20 am.
In a secret room on the second basement floor of the auction company, Cheng Bi, a senior art appraisal expert and general manager of the company, sat uncomfortably in a chair.He has completely disregarded the absolute no-smoking regulations in this secret room, turned off the smoke sensor in the room, and while smoking, stared nervously at the big screen on the opposite wall.
The TV screen on the entire wall is divided into eleven parts of different sizes, and each part is a signal from the most luxurious art auction hall on the third floor of the company.The part in the center of the TV screen is the largest, and it was shot from the middle of the hall, so you can see the whole picture of the auction venue, and the ten small screens around it are pictures taken from different angles.
Today's auction went smoothly, at least, until now.Cheng Bi comforted himself like this, and calmed himself down slightly.However, he also knew that things were about to happen soon.
The picture from the big screen told him that the penultimate work of art has been auctioned today, which is a piece of porcelain from the Yuan Dynasty.
It's a good thing, I don't know who can take a picture of it.While thinking, Cheng Bi reached out to the console in front of him, and pressed a button, the screen on the big screen shook, and the camera zoomed in, focusing on the many buyers in the audience.
Cheng Bi hesitated for a moment, and pressed another button. After a beep, he ordered, "Monitor No. 2 is aimed at buyer No. 31, No. 3 is aimed at No. 17, No. 4 is aimed at No. 22... …Activate all the camera holes, locate every buyer who did not raise a sign today, and the signal of the third-floor channel is also transmitted to me.”
Cheng Bi pressed the button again, and after a "beep", the audio transmission device was turned off, and he sat down in the chair again.He was very satisfied with his calmness when he spoke just now. His tone and tone were his usual impression: firm, confident, and calm.Cheng Bi was in his middle age, he was kind and elegant in conversation. He usually wore a neat suit and never saw dust on his shoes.Appearance always shows a man's life taste and temperament. In fact, the employees of Jiade Company are impressed by his calm and capable work style and management level. Many old employees say that from an ordinary art appraiser All the way to being promoted to the general manager of the company, Cheng Bi relied on his excellent management ability and outstanding business acumen. Business competition is becoming more and more fierce, but Cheng Bi has become a leader in this industry, and even competitors have great respect for Jiade.
But Cheng Bi's image today is obviously not what the employees imagined. His famous suit jacket has been taken off, his shirt has unbuttoned a few buttons, the cuffs are rolled up randomly, and his trousers are full of wrinkles.His face was gray and his brow was sweating.Now he has regained the nervousness he had just now. Among all the auctions he experienced, this time he was the least sure.
He remembered the phone call last night again, couldn't help but frown, and took a deep drag on his cigarette.
The voice was obviously manipulated, as if a foreigner was speaking bad Chinese and ignored Ling Cheng Bi's words, but just said to himself, "Listen, the last lot tomorrow is the piece from the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Buddha head, it is a fake, the real one is already in our hands, you have to make sure to take it to a young man from China. I will call you again at 10:25 tomorrow."
Cheng Bi put down the phone and thought, this is just a joke!No one can steal any item from the underground secret room of Jiade Auction Company. The security facilities here are even more complete than a bank vault. Moreover, the secret room where the auction items are placed is completely arranged by him, even the company's top employees Few people know.
Another prank.I don't know which lunatic made the call. To be honest, with the reputation of Jiade Company in the art auction market these years, he doesn't know how many times he answered this kind of inexplicable call, whether it was a prank or a trap. If these words were taken lightly, the reputation of Jiade Company would have been ruined long ago.
Suddenly Cheng Bi's body became stiff, and he stared at his right hand. He clearly knew what the phone receiver that this hand was holding meant!
No way, Cheng Bi shouted in his heart, no!He felt like a statue, unable to move, only his heart was beating violently.who is thisHow can he make this call?You know, this is a secret line, and only the people on the company's board of directors know this number!
Cheng Bi slept in this secret room last night.This is the core of Jiade Company. Not only can you see the movement of every corner of the company through the monitor, but also store the company's confidential files.Of course, he also often stored valuable works of art here.Only the oldest appraisal experts and the general manager in the company can enter this secret room. What makes Cheng Bi proud is that he is the only person who has both identities in the company's fifty-year history.
For almost the whole night, Cheng Bi carefully appraised the Buddha head.Judging from the carving technique and statue style, it is indeed a Buddha statue from the Southern and Northern Dynasties.It was a time when Buddhism was relatively prosperous in Chinese history, and the art of sculpture did not have all the regulations and restrictions that followed.Based on his own experience and vision, Cheng Bi concluded that this should be a genuine product.
What really made him ponder was that the board of directors asked the company to directly auction this Buddha head, and did not provide the consignor's information, and even required that the starting price should not be less than 1 million Hong Kong dollars.This is rare in the company's history.Cheng Bi knew very well that Jiade's reputation in the art auction field was due to their frequent auctions of Chinese cultural relics lost to foreign countries, and almost all of them were sold to Chinese buyers at low prices.This is the consistent operation method of Jiade Company. Although it obviously violates the regulations and has caused criticism from competitors, there is a consensus that Jiade Company has made great contributions to the return of Chinese historical relics.
However, Cheng Bi knew very well that this Buddha head was nothing in China, and the price of 1 million Hong Kong dollars was almost equivalent to failing the auction.
But what is the board ordering an auction for something that almost no one is willing to bid for?
Board of Directors.Thinking of the board of directors, Cheng Bi was a little confused. What does the request of the board of directors have to do with the board of directors' hotline?
the phone is ringing.Cheng Bi was awakened from his contemplation.finally come!There is only one phone in this back room, and that is the board line.
Cheng Bi collected himself, looked up at the electronic clock on the wall, it was exactly 10:25.
awesome!Cheng Bi felt a little panicked, as if someone was manipulating everything behind the scenes, and he couldn't recognize who was on the other end of the phone, it was definitely not the voice of anyone on the board of directors!
As soon as he put the receiver to his ear, he heard the uncomfortable voice again, "Number 9, shoot this young man."
"No, this method is too obvious, we can't do this..."
Before I finished speaking, there was already a busy tone on the phone.
Cheng Bi put down the phone helplessly, and looked up at the TV wall. The Yuan Dynasty porcelain was unsold. It seemed that the people who poured into Jiade Company today had no interest in it, and as the host announced, the Chinese Northern and Southern Dynasties would be auctioned soon. Buddha head, many buyers who were leisurely looking at the information just now are now paying attention.
This is so strange, what the hell happened!Cheng Bi felt that everything was abnormal from last night to now.
If he can get out of this secret room and just browse the news on the Internet, or if the underground secret room of Jiade Company does not shield the wireless signal, so that his mobile phone can receive text messages, he is by no means puzzled at this time, but should be collapsed.
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