Chapter 44 It’s not confidence, it’s certainty
  "Dear guests who entrusted us on site, online, or by phone, what we are showing you now is our lot 2610, a garden within a garden, a snake head, one of the twelve zodiac bronze heads. It was born in 1759 and is cast from red copper."

"The casting is exquisite, and the image of the animal head is clear and lifelike. It has lasted for hundreds of years and has not rusted or corroded. It is a masterpiece in the history of human craftsmanship."

"This is a high-estimate lot. If you want to bid, please use your high-price bid card."

"The starting price is 90 million."

The auctioneer finished his words.

Qiao Yan's body was obviously shaken.

He raised his head and looked at the three screens behind the auctioneer with disbelief.

The picture of the snake's head is placed in the center.

Lifelike scales and sharp teeth.

After years of infiltration, red copper has a deep color but is restrained and polished.

Exactly the same as what he saw five years ago!
  Next to the snake's head is an introduction.

It appeared in country F in 1861, passed through several sellers, and finally fell into the hands of Avenuo, a businessman from country F.

In 2000, the snake head was auctioned for "260 million euros" by a collector in Country Y at the Sudeya Auction House in Country Y. Later, the collector's family was wiped out, and the whereabouts of his collection are unknown.

In early 2023, a snake head was found on a cliff in Rock State, Country Y.

Authenticated!

This is the first time that the snake head has appeared after disappearing for 23 years.

For Qiao Yan, this was the second time.

Qiao Yan's eyes darkened, and the scene of going to country Y to perform a mission five years ago came to mind.

At that time, he was ordered by his superiors to track down a batch of cultural relics lost overseas.

Snake Head is one of them.

He and the captain disguised themselves as merchants and went to trade.

Once the transaction is successful and the interest relationship is established, you can slowly integrate into the interior and know the source of their cultural relics and personnel structure.

Unfortunately, on the day of the transaction, he accidentally saved a girl, so the investigators who were hiding next to the antiquities dealer saw his skill and canceled the transaction.

When they arrived at the trading location, the building was empty.

All the clues are broken.

He was forced to step down from the front line and retired within two years.

If he hadn't saved the girl then.

Perhaps this snake head has returned to the country.

In 1860, foreign coalition forces invaded China and countless cultural relics were lost overseas. This is an indelible pain in the hearts of the Chinese people.

The twelve zodiac bronze statues in the garden.

Artifacts within artefacts.

Its craftsmanship and artistic value were at their peak at the time and unparalleled.

They couldn't take away the bronze statue, so they cut off the animal head on the bronze statue and took it away.

Twelve bronze heads were lost overseas and passed through countless sellers.

So far, only seven of them have returned to their motherland.

This is the eighth one currently alive.

"One hundred and twenty million, is there anything higher than one hundred and twenty million?"

The auctioneer's gentle voice awakened Qiao Yan from memories and self-blame.

He turned his head and looked at Sheng Yan: "Miss Sheng, you are very rich, right?"

Sheng Yan said "hmm" as an answer.

"Then take a picture of it."

Qiao Yan pointed to the snake head on the screen and said firmly, word by word: "If you take a photo of it, I will be your bodyguard willingly, no matter how long it takes."

Sheng Yan raised her eyebrows.

It turns out that he is also interested in this, so that’s even better, so there’s no need to waste any more words.

Putting the bidding card in Qiao Yan's hand: "Put up the bidding card yourself, as many as you like."

[Qiao Yan: Favorability +5 points]

[Qiao Yan: Favorability +5 points]

Oh, the favorability level has increased again? The needle does not poke.

Qiao Yan said "hmm" and raised the bidding card: "One hundred and thirty million."

If he had just bid for the "Eye of the Sky", he was hesitant and unable to decide.

So now, he has firm eyes and is determined to win.

Things that belong to China must belong to China!

"One hundred and fifty million!"

"One hundred and eighty million!"

"Twenty million!"

This time, there were very few people bidding on site, and most of them were online bidding and telephone bidding.

The bronze heads of the twelve zodiac signs are cultural relics lost to China.

In 2000, Sudeya Auction House caused an uproar when it auctioned cow heads and tiger heads for the first time.

I dare not keep a high profile from now on.

Buyers are also low-key and will not show up at the scene.

Bidding by phone only.

"Two hundred and ten million."

The only person bidding with Qiao Yan at the scene raised the bidding card again, his voice calm and steady.

Like a cold machine.

Sheng Yan was a little curious and looked over at the sound.

The man was wearing a light gray suit and had a smile on his face. Everything he does is quiet and elegant.

There is a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on the tall bridge of his nose.

The metal glasses chain sways on the edge of the elegant jawline, bringing a very chilling light.

His delicate, jade-like profile was covered with a layer of indifference that alienated people from thousands of miles away.

Even if you smile, you can't feel any smile.

"Ding! The scan of the opposite sex is completed!"

[Name: Xie Shang]

[Age: 25 years old]

【Height: 186cm】

[Weight: 74kg]

[Appearance: 9.4 points]

[The opposite sex’s favorability towards the host: 10 points]

“If it meets the standards, you can spend it!”

Sheng Yan was startled for a moment, then laughed.

This Xie Shang is really cool-looking, exactly the one she likes.

Especially the feeling of alienation that radiates from the inside out, as cold as an iceberg full of treasures.

People can't help but want to melt him, walk in and see how bright and magnificent the treasure is.

"Two hundred and thirty million."

Another phone bid.

Xie Shang looked at the operator.

She is a blond, blue-eyed foreign girl who speaks Chinese well without any accent.

Xie Shang pursed his lips and raised the sign without hesitation: "Two hundred and fifty million."

"Two hundred and sixty million." Qiao Yan followed closely.

His eyes were fixed on the picture of the snake's head.

The pain of missing out made him look extremely focused.

There is only one belief in my heart, I must win!
  "I'll go to the side for a while."

Sheng Yan said something to Qiao Yan, stood up, walked to the seat next to Xie Shang and sat down.

"Mr. Xie, are you very interested in this bronze head?"

Sheng Yan looked at the auctioneer who kept bidding, and spoke to Xie Shang in a gentle voice.

Faced with Sheng Yan's approach, Xie Shang was not surprised at all.

As early as just now, he noticed that Sheng Yan's eyes were a little hot, as if he was planning something.

He had experienced this kind of gaze many times and was no longer surprised by it.

He twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Isn't Miss Sheng also very interested?"

Xie Shang didn't know Sheng Yan.

But the movement she made just now while holding up the sign to take a picture of the black diamond was too loud. He heard the people around him talking to each other and got to know each other.

The fake daughter who kicked out the Sheng family?

It seems that the Sheng family treats her well.

Even if you go out, there is no restriction on consumption.

Sheng Yan nodded with a determined look: "I am indeed interested, and I will definitely win."

"Are you here to tell me not to bid?"

Xie Shang's eyes moved, the corner of his eye glanced at Sheng Yan's face quietly, and the corner of his mouth raised slightly.

She is a little girl who is not deeply involved in the world, but is also domineering.

"No, I'm here to ask you why you keep staring at that foreigner. She's not pretty either."

Sheng Yan turned around, rested her elbows on the armrests of the sofa, and looked at the blonde girl unscrupulously.

"He is a buyer from the Weir family in Country Y. He came here specifically to bid for the snake head."

As he said that, Xie Shang's eyes turned cold: "The Weir family has a large museum in Country Y, which is full of cultural relics from China."

"It's really disgusting." Sheng Yan gritted her teeth and couldn't help but glare at the phone in the blonde's hand.

Fill your own museum with Chinese cultural relics.

This group of countries with no cultural heritage is really scary!
  "If you really want this snake head, then your competition will not be me, but the Weir family."

Xie Shang raised his sign again and raised the price to 300 million.

Sheng Yan chuckled: "Then are you raising the price now?"

Xie Shang also smiled: "No, I'm bidding. If the price is right, of course I want it."

Xie Shang is the president of the Lost Overseas Cultural Relics Foundation.

The purpose is to rescue lost overseas cultural relics and return them to China.

Buyback is one of the channels.

"That's it."

Sheng Yan put her index finger on her chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Then you don't have to lift it."

"Why?" Mr. Xie raised his eyebrows and his eyes were a little cold.

Sheng Yan: "Because I'm going to start competing with the Weir family."

"So confident?"

Xie Shang raised the bidding sign again and asked in a neutral tone.

"It's not confidence, it's certainty."

Sheng Yan took another look at the blonde girl, her shallow pupils were deep and faintly translucent: "They will definitely lose to me."

(End of this chapter)

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