Chapter 545: Chapter 55: The Celebrity Effect (Bonus for 10 Fans, Combined) (Part 2)
"Shocked, aren’t you? Have you ever seen such a handsome young master from the Zeng Family?" Xuerou roughened her voice, pretending to be a man as she played the role of Xiao Xian’s male companion.
"Naughty girl, hey, I knew it would be like this; I should have had a son," reflected Mrs. Zeng, as there was no way to deal with her daughter’s quirky cleverness. Fortunately, the focus of this art appreciation event was on the art, not the people.
With Xiao Xian and Xuerou dressed up this way, no one could guess at a glance that they were still students.
The venue for the art appreciation event was Beijing’s famous Emperor Club. The Emperor Club is a well-known high-end private club in the city.
Art appreciation events on the scale of the one currently held by Huanqiu Company were rare in Beijing at the time. Thanks to Huan Yu’s own pulling power, the attendees were numerous, mostly being the city’s new-rich and collectors from the industry with significant purchasing power.
When Xiao Xian, arm-in-arm with Xuerou, entered the Emperor Club with Mrs. Zeng, Boss Qiu, who was standing at the entrance, hurriedly came to greet them.
After a bout of small talk, Boss Qiu curiously looked at the exquisite young man and woman, who looked like they walked out of a painting, standing behind Mrs. Zeng. Mrs. Zeng had a considerable reputation in business circles, but she was always very cautious about personal privacy; even close friends did not know the specific situation of her family.
"Son and daughter," said Mrs. Zeng casually, introducing the two of them.
After some more pleasantries, Boss Qiu invited the three inside. Mrs. Zeng whispered a few instructions to the two, then went off to greet business friends.
The art appreciation event had not officially started yet, and the guests were still lingering in the side hall.
The side hall featured a circular corridor layout, luxuriously and grandly decorated. At the entrance, there was a vintage Volkswagen Beetle convertible, and a few steps further stood several printed artworks by Monet.
Xiao Xian and Xuerou looked around and noticed that the attendees already there were divided into two age groups: middle-aged people, including some elderly with silvery hair, all real business owners and well-known figures in the political and social arenas of the city.
The other group consisted of the new elite mentioned by Xuerou—young designers and artists, fashionable and well-dressed.
After taking a round nearby, Mrs. Zeng came back. The appreciation event began, and the guests, led by Boss Qiu, entered the outdoor venue at the center of the Emperor Club.
At this time, the art appreciation event showcased not paintings, but various hand-crafted art pieces collected by Huan Yu from around the globe—from large Italian stone sculptures intended for garden fountains to small walnut sculptures by folk artists. Xiao Xian’s Purple Bamboo Rattan Mat was also hung in a rather inconspicuous corner.
"This time it’s just for appreciation, and direct sales aren’t happening on the spot. The whole event will be assisted by specialized attendants explaining these artworks on behalf of Mr. Qiu. However, as for the specific method of sale, please allow Mr. Qiu to keep it a secret for now, to be disclosed after all the art pieces are appreciated," Boss Qiu, dressed in a velvet tailcoat today, looked like a plump quail.
"Old Qiu, stop being secretive. You went to Italy a few times and picked up a pretentious twang. Which appreciation event isn’t open for business? If you don’t sell, what are we looking at?" A few acquaintances of Boss Qiu in the crowd interrupted him.
"Wrong, opening the door means doing business. It’s just that this time, the appreciation items do not have a reference price. Later, when you are viewing, make sure to take note of the number of the art piece you like, and then bid according to the price you think it’s worth into the ’Black Box’ at each set of ten art items. As they say, ’true love cannot be bought with money,’ and art, unlike antiques, has no authentic or fake distinction, nor a high or low price. The highest bidder can take their favored art piece. For those of you wanting to buy in bulk, we can talk privately," Mr. Qiu of Huan Yu opened up, causing a lively reaction among the crowd.
"Mom, this appreciation event is quite interesting," Xuerou said with interest. Typically, appreciation events are just unofficial auction events, but this Huan Yu event indeed added a hint of gambling.
A local young elite whispered to his companion beside him: "This Boss Qiu really knows how to play his cards. This is just blind buying and selling."
The atmosphere at the scene reached its first small climax due to Boss Qiu’s words.