Hong Kong: Rise of the Kings

"Mr. Du, you finally answered the phone."

William Chen on the other end said in a teasing tone. It was obvious that he knew that Du Yongxiao was deliberately exposing himself.

"Of course I have to answer Boss Chen's call. How about I send those faxes?"

"Very good, but I'm just more curious, where did you get those treasures?" After William Chen said this, he immediately regretted it. There are rules in the industry. He was just helping with the auction, and there was no reason to ask the other party about the provenance of these things.

Du Yongxiao could already sense William Chen's excitement on the phone.

"It's a long story. I got these things from the Huaqing Gang." Du Yongxiao didn't hide anything and went on to tell everything he knew.

This time it was Chen William's turn to be surprised. He thought that Du Yongxiao would just say a few perfunctory words, but he didn't expect that Du Yongxiao would trust him so much.

When Du Yongxiao finished explaining, William Chen felt a little embarrassed, "Ahem, I'm sorry Mr. Du, I didn't mean to do it, I meant -"

"It's okay, you don't need to explain." Du Yongxiao smiled, "Since we want to cooperate, then I have 100% trust in you."

100% trust?

William Chen felt ashamed again.

I remembered my previous suspicion of Du Yongxiao and my disdain for him.

"I'm sorry, friend! I did something wrong today and underestimated you. Yes, I thought you were talking big, but I didn't expect you actually did it. Amazing!" William Chen said on the phone Thumbs up.

Du Yongxiao smiled: "In that case, let's get started!"

"Of course! As for Victoria's Secret, I will arrange everything now! As for the world's supermodels, rich people, etc., as well as yacht shows, fireworks shows, auction shows, etc., I will arrange them all here!"

"Uh, isn't that bad? After all, it was me who suggested it!" Du Yongxiao knew what the other party wanted to do and asked knowingly.

"It's okay, you and I are not outsiders, my arrangement is your arrangement! Don't worry, you are the founder of the Victoria's Secret event, there is no doubt about it, but in the future we can cooperate for a long time in this kind of event, and we will bear more, You also have more time to do other things.”

William Chen felt ashamed again. He had no other choice. His father, Chen Yaozu, asked him to take over the hosting rights of "Victoria's Secret". He could only shamelessly compete with Du Yongxiao for the hosting rights.

Du Yongxiao laughed: "Thank you, to be honest, I am really busy with official duties and don't have much time to prepare for such a large-scale event. Since you suggest this, then I will shamelessly cooperate with your company for a long time."

"Don't say that, everyone helps each other!"

"Very good!" Du Yongxiao smiled.

For Du Yongxiao, it is not a bad thing to hand over the hosting rights of "Victoria's Secret" to the Chen family. First of all, the other party has close relationships with tycoons from all over the world, and their connections are definitely wider than Du Yongxiao's.

Secondly, this kind of activity is plainly a laborious matter with enough gimmicks to earn huge profits and gain fame at the same time.

Du Yongxiao never cared about reputation, all he wanted was profit.

So this hard work was left to William Chen, and Du Yongxiao didn't feel bad at all.

What's more, William Chen also said just now that no matter what, he, Du Yongxiao, will always be the "Father of Victoria."

…

Here, Du Yongxiao began to order Anna to smuggle celebrity peripherals from Paramount's underground warehouse to Canada.

Here, Du Yongxiao ordered Yan Xiong, Lei Luo and the others to thoroughly count the treasures in the Huaqing Gang's underground warehouse.

According to Du Yongxiao's wishes, all national treasures belonging to China will be shipped back to Hong Kong.

No matter what, we cannot let them continue to be lost overseas.

As for those world-famous paintings by Gui Lao, as well as the Russian Emperor's Crown, the Queen's Cane, etc., they were all shipped to Ottawa, waiting to be auctioned on the high seas.

William Chen was not idle here either.

Immediately send out "hero posts" - send invitations to the richest people around the world, telling them that the Rose Group will hold a grand "Victoria's Secret" underwear show this time, and the participants will be the world's top young models. , there are also large-scale yacht shows, fireworks displays, wine appreciation conferences, auction conferences, etc. In a word, this time the world's top people will attend the party. If you are rich, you may not be able to attend. Those who can participate are the top ones. Top notch!

In a word: coming here is to make you spend money, spend a lot of money! If you are not a super rich person, don’t come!

Qiangwei Group is well-known among underground auction houses around the world, and every event they hold is very successful, and the wealthy people also trust them.

What's more, this time William Chen's slogan was very loud and his selling points were very strong -——

Victoria's Secret!

It sounds very tempting!

The world's top young model!

The word "young model" makes people think wildly.

What's more, there are also yachts, fireworks, wine parties, auctions, etc. It's a one-stop shop for eating, drinking and having fun.

Compared with the previous single auction event held by Rose Group, this "Victoria's Secret" is simply the best.

What's more, William Chen also said in the invitation letter: The reason for coming here is to make you spend money, spend a lot of money! If you are not a super rich person, don’t come!

This further stimulates the world's richest people.

Mud, who are you looking down on?

If I don't go, wouldn't it mean that I have no money?

All of a sudden, those rich people began to prepare one by one, making brand-new dresses, carrying luxurious luggage, bringing their most loyal servants, taking private planes, private yachts, etc., and rushed to Canada.

At the same time, William Chen used his family's influence to invite the world's top young models.

In fact, William Chen admired Du Yongxiao's "young model" vocabulary.

The word "tender" makes countless people drool.

After those female models learned about this grand event, they flocked to it one by one. They could make money, participate in light shows, and most importantly, they could meet so many top wealthy people. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It can be said that the "Victoria's Secret" underwear show launched by Rose Group directly detonated the global entertainment industry.

What is the entertainment industry? It’s the colorful Vanity Fair, and this lingerie show is the Vanity Fair within Vanity Fair.

Just when everyone was praising the "super creativity" of the Rose Group, news came out that there was someone else who truly pioneered the "Victoria's Secret" underwear show event!

He is the well-known Hollywood entertainment tycoon-Du Yongxiao.

Du Yongxiao is actually the founder?

This news once again shocked Hollywood.

Countless people are curious about this legendary Chinese tycoon.

But those who knew Du Yongxiao could not wait to start "taking the back door" at this moment.

Especially those Hollywood female stars who knew Du Yongxiao actually wanted a piece of the action. They didn't care about their status and wanted to participate in this kind of underwear show.

Of course, Du Yongxiao accepted all comers and signed contracts one after another. He made it clear how much the catwalk fee was, what the admission rules were, how to arrange food and accommodation, etc.

For some unqualified actresses, Du Yongxiao also gave them opportunities at their own expense.

In short, the more women the better, who knows which ones those rich men like.

…

News of Canada’s “Rose Group” teaming up with Hollywood’s “Fox-Paramount Pictures” to create an unprecedented “Victoria’s Secret” underwear show quickly spread like wildfire.

The United States and Canada have carried out large-scale reports————

"New York Times": "Victoria's Secret Underwear Show is freshly launched! Create the world's top event, gathering the world's richest man and the most beautiful women!"

"Hollywood Entertainment Weekly": "I come, I see, I witness! The Victoria's Secret Underwear Show sets sail for the first time, leading the world!"

"Ottawa Daily News": "The world's top! The top rich! Gathering of beauties! Grand opening!"

Long and lengthy reports in newspapers and magazines directly pushed this "Victoria's Secret" event to its peak. It can be said that as long as it is a world-renowned entertainment company or a well-known auction company, everyone knows that the Rose Group has changed its business and used the "underwear show" to package them underground auction activities, including the famous Christie's auction company, an old rival of the Rose Group.

In 1766, a Scotsman from Perth, Australia, opened the first art auction house in London. His name was James Christie, so the name of the auction house was "Christie's Auction Company". At that time, it was the middle period of the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Shortly after the company opened, Christie's prepared to hold its first auction on December 5, 1766, attracting the attention of the British public.

In the following two hundred years, Christie's Company continued to do good things and its business grew bigger and bigger. In 1778, Christie's successfully appraised the paintings collected by Sir Walpole of Howden, and negotiated a sale price of 40,000 pounds, all of which were transferred to the buyer, Queen Catherine of the Russian Empire.

At that time, 40,000 pounds was an astronomical figure for ordinary people.

In 1795, Christie's made two more big sales. The four-day auction of Sir Reynolds' collection sold for 10,319 pounds; under the authorization of Madame Du Barry, her jewelry was auctioned for nearly 10,000 pounds.

Two years later, the famous British painter Hogarth's "Wedding Customs" oil painting sold for 1,050 pounds. This is the first auction item to exceed 1,000 pounds.

In 1803, James Christie died and Christie Jr. took over the company. During his nearly 30 years in office, the auction results were mediocre. He only moved the auction house from the original Paul Road to 8 King Street, which is now the headquarters of Christie's.

In 1831, Christie's Jr. also died. A man named William Manson joined the company and took charge of affairs. The company was renamed "Christie's and Manson Auction House".

However, during the Manson period, the auction results were not very good. In 1848, a 40-day auction of the Duke of Buckingham's collection was held in the Stoke Building, which only sold for 77,562 pounds.

In 1859, Thomas Woods joined the company and took charge, and the company was renamed "Christie's, Manson \u0026 Woods Auction House".

In 1876, the famous British landscape and portrait painter Gainsborough's "Portrait of the Duchess of Twinshaw" was auctioned by Christie's and became the first work of art to be auctioned for 10,000 pounds. Since then, the value of famous oil paintings has increased significantly.

In 1882, Christie's held a 17-day auction at Hamilton Palace in London. Among them, 11 oil paintings were spotted by the National Gallery and sold for a total price of 397,562 pounds. Since then, Christie's has become famous throughout Europe.

At the beginning of the Second World War, people were panicked, and art auctions reached a low ebb. The "Bombing of Britain" in London in 1941 caused heavy damage to the Christie's office, which made matters worse. Afterwards, the office moved east and west, and it was not until 1953 that the new building at No. 8 King Street, the old place, was built, that it moved back to its original location and settled down.

With the recovery of the post-war economy, wealthy businessmen had money in their pockets, and the art business began to boom again. In 1956, a "Portrait of Tiedes" by the Dutch painter Rembrandt was sold for 798,000 pounds. Even more unusual was the year 1970, when Spanish painter Velázquez's "Portrait of Juan de Palega" was sold for 2.31 million pounds. It was the first work of art to break the record of 1 million pounds in the history of auctions.

Starting in 1968, Christie's had a new owner. He was John Woods, the grandson of Thomas Woods and known as the "number one tycoon in the auction world"!

After John Woods took office, he paid great attention to expanding foreign business. In that year, he established his first foreign office in Geneva, specializing in jewelry business.

In 1973, he set up an office in New York, USA, and held an auction, which was a great success. In 1974, this year, he set up a new office in New York, called "Christie's East".

In particular, John Woods successfully listed Christie's on the London Stock Exchange in 1973, making it a joint-stock company invested by the public, attracting one billion US dollars in one fell swoop, making Christie's officially the world's dominant auction company, and John Woods himself, even more Respected as "Tiger Woods" by everyone.

…

New York, USA,

East Christie Company.

Wine racks, mini bars, indoor golf balls, various fitness equipment and more.

The decoration can be called a luxurious office, and an oil painting of a bust hangs on the wall——

An old man with a white beard and beard, wearing a black vest and a gold pocket watch on his chest, with piercing green eyes, has the feeling of devouring people, which makes people shudder.

At this moment, a slender, pale-faced white young man looked timidly at the white-haired old man sitting on the boss's chair, carefully looking at the financial statements.

The young man is thirty-three years old, his name is "Henry Woods", and he is the third son of the famous "Tiger Woods".

At this moment, the white-haired old man sitting on the boss's chair is the frightening "big tiger" in the auction world.

Henry looked at his father without daring to say a word.

The seat Tiger Woods was sitting on originally belonged to him, but he didn't know why his father came here on a whim to inspect the work today.

In addition to him, the Woods family also has two brothers, one at the London headquarters and one at the Paris branch. As for him, he was assigned to New York.

Tiger Woods has always been dissatisfied with his youngest son Henry, believing that he lacks the domineering and domineering attitude that an auctioneer must possess to be able to make a decision directly in a fraction of a second.

It's a pity that Henry is a bit "weak" in this aspect. On the contrary, he is a "genius" when it comes to eating, drinking and having fun.

"Father, these reports are correct. I have read them three or four times." Henry said to Tiger Woods cautiously.

Woods clicked, threw the report in his hand on the table, raised his head, his white beard and green eyes were just like that half-length portrait, so sharp that he could devour a living person!

Henry didn't dare to look at his father, so he quickly turned away and said, "Everything I said is true. I didn't embezzle public funds this time! Not at all!"

Woods snorted and looked at his son: "To be honest, last time I was not angry with you for embezzling public funds, but I was angry with you for embezzling too little."

"Huh?" Henry was stunned.

Woods' eyes were sharp: "Our family and our group are world-famous after all, but you only dared to embezzle a mere three hundred thousand US dollars at a time!"

"Ah, father, I——"

"If you want to misappropriate, at least 3 million, 30 million, or even 300 million!" Woods clenched his fists with a domineering posture, "Only then can he be worthy of being my son, Tiger Woods!"

Henry was a little stupid. He never dreamed that his father would "teach" him like this.

Are you angry that you are not corrupt enough and 300,000 is too little? Are you asking for 3 million, 30 million, or even 300 million?

"Isn't this a trap for me?"

"Fishing law enforcement?"

Master Henry murmured in his mind.

No matter how you look at it, your father's mind seems to be a little abnormal.

"Ahem, father, I will remember your teachings!" Henry said cautiously, "But I still have to change my ways and never do it again in the future!"

After much deliberation, Henry decided it was better to play it safe, show his loyalty, and vow to be a "good guy."

Tiger Woods glanced at Henry, his third son, and sighed in his heart again. He couldn't be saved, and he didn't even have the slightest ambition. What should he do?

"The Secret of Victor Kalia, have you heard about this event?" Tiger Woods suddenly said.

Henry's eyes lit up, "Of course I heard! It is said that many of the world's top young models will participate in the lingerie show!"

Woods looked at his son with gleaming eyes, feeling once again that he could not be saved.

"I mean others!"

"Uh, what else?" Henry was stunned for a moment, then immediately responded, "Oh, by the way, this event is organized by Qiangwei Company. They are our sworn enemies. We are doing the auction openly, but they are doing the auction secretly and robbed us. We have a lot of business!”

"That's right, they used to come in secret, and no matter how powerful they were, they couldn't get on the stage. But this time it's different. As long as they make this underwear show a success, they can package their private auction activities into a serious business. This will have a huge impact on us at Christie’s.”

Although Master Henry is a bit dandy, he is not a fool.

"Father, what do you mean-"

"What I mean is very simple, we must not let their underwear show be successful!" Tiger Woods' eyes shot out with a terrifying light.

Master Henry was startled and couldn't help but take a step back, looked at his father and said, "Then... what should I do?"

Woods smiled and looked at his son: "My dear Henry, tell me, what are you best at?"

"Uh, I--"

Tiger Woods stood up, walked out from behind the desk, came to his son Henry, stretched out his hand, and patted his shoulder with a smile: "Aren't you very good at being a dude? So this time, just be a dude!"

After saying this, his eyes showed a cold light.