Chapter 80: Chapter 80: 6 Million
The venue for the dinner party is the executive restaurant of Lamborghini.
Obviously, Lamborghini Company highly values these premium members, even specially decorating the restaurant for the occasion.
When Gu Bai and the others arrived, there were already quite a few people inside, from various age groups. Gu Bai even spotted a white elderly man who seemed to be in his sixties or seventies.
At such an advanced age, can he still handle buying a supercar? Gu Bai couldn’t help but ponder sarcastically to himself.
Seeing newcomers arrive, everyone in the room turned their attention towards them.
Rolando, who had previously received them, came over from the side and began the introductions.
It was just a small gathering of less than two dozen people, so the introductions were quickly finished. Gu Bai just recognized a few faces, without remembering names, as there wasn’t much need to.
Those people also smiled friendly at Gu Bai and his group, without any scenes of racial discrimination or anything dramatic like that.
After all, everyone present in such a setting is a billionaire; who would dare discriminate against a super-rich individual? As long as one isn’t foolish, they wouldn’t do such a thing, and even if they did, it would remain unspoken.
After Gu Bai and the others, a few more people arrived in succession, but everyone remained in small groups chatting, as Lamborghini hadn’t announced the event’s official start yet,
until a few minutes later, when a middle-aged white man, starting to go bald, followed a few staff members inside.
The man wore a neat suit and smiled at everyone as he walked.
Rolando stepped out appropriately: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is our Lamborghini CEO, Mr. Stefano Domenicali."
Stefano reached the center of the banquet and said with a smile, "As the host of this dinner, I’m embarrassed that I’m late."
Everyone just chuckled lightly at his words without making any other expressions.
"Earlier, due to work, I was in another city this afternoon. Originally, our PR director was going to host this event for me, but considering that you all are VIPs of our company, it felt disrespectful. So, I rushed back. Although I’m a bit late, I’m glad I made it."
Whether he was lying or not, Stefano’s words certainly gave everyone face.
"Are we really that important? Being greeted by the CEO personally?"
Gu Bai couldn’t help but tease Principal Wang and Qin Fen with a smile.
Principal Wang was the most qualified to speak on this as he was a director at Wanda Group and had been to many such events.
"It’s just for show; after all, we’re on their turf, and greeting us isn’t a hassle. If you truly had great importance, they’d fly over to see you instead."
The dishes gradually arrived, and Stefano also stood up toasting: "I toast to you all on behalf of Lamborghini."
Everyone got up and raised their glasses in response.
The dishes were decent, but these people are used to gourmet meals every day, even Gu Bai only took a few bites before stopping.
Seeing how everyone behaved, Stefano knew their real target was the Poison, and they wouldn’t be interested in the dinner. He signaled to his assistant with a glance.
The assistant understood immediately, turning on a projector on one side of the restaurant, revealing an image of a sleek black car.
The entire body was pitch black without any other color. In general, it was similar to his own Night Shadow but had significant differences. This authentic "Poison" appeared more aggressive, with its body lines resembling sharp black steel blades reflecting cold light.
"Since you all are invited here, you must have some knowledge about this model ’Poison’, so I’ll only mention a few key points.
Currently, there are 14 ’Poison’ units in existence, and this one is the 15th!
Aside from the prototype in our Lamborghini Museum, the other 14 have been sold. This is the only one not yet on the second-hand market. As for its value, I believe there’s no need for me to say more, right?"
Stefano smiled at everyone.
The screen displayed various angles of this stunning bull, drawing the attention of everyone present. Those who came all the way here are undoubtedly the most devoted supercar enthusiasts.
"In that case, I’ll officially announce the start of this auction.
Since it’s a niche auction, there’s no need for complexity: the highest bidder wins, and if no one bids higher within three minutes, the auction ends. We’ll start at Lamborghini’s initial three model price of 4 million US dollars."
million US dollars.
The starting price alone converted to RMB is 28 million.
"4.1 million."
No sooner had Stefano finished speaking, than an eager bid came from the white-haired old man.
"4.2 million."
"4.3 million."
Everyone here wanted this car, and the auction was off to a tense start with bids coming in rapidly, reaching 5 million US dollars in under a minute.
Faced with such high bids, Qin Fen couldn’t help clicking his tongue in surprise. Although he knew this price was normal in the market, it exceeded his budget.
Seeing Gu Bai, who was not participating in the bidding and occasionally flirting with Dasha Talan, Qin Fen couldn’t help but feel a little envious—envious of the surplus resources of the wealthy landowner.
As the auction price hit 5 million, the frequency of bids declined considerably, as such a large sum requires careful consideration from most.
Observing everyone’s expressions, Stefano remained composed. He was well aware that this wouldn’t be the final price.
"510K."
The old man offered a new bid again.
"Mr. Vasek Bain has made a bid of 510K, let me introduce Mr. Vasek, he is one of the shareholders of the Albertson Company in the United States."
It seemed Stefano favored the old man a bit, as soon as he finished speaking, several wealthy individuals from the United States immediately gave up on the auction, as Albertson is a genuine Fortune 500 super enterprise with great influence in the United States, although Vasek is certainly not a major shareholder.
However, they were already wavering and could now give Vasek some face, establishing a good relationship, why not?
Out of the original 20 bidders, 11 instantly signaled they were dropping out.
The white old man, Vasek, gave a grateful smile to those who withdrew from the bidding.
"550K."
A voice directly raised the original bid by 40K US Dollars.
Everyone couldn’t help but look toward the sound.
It was Gu Bai, who had been silent all along, who made the bid.
Gu Bai knew about Albertson Company, but what did it have to do with him? As someone from Hua Country, should he care about a shareholder of a US company?
Vasek was not willing to give up, as he bid 560K US Dollars again.
Before he finished speaking, Gu Bai spoke again: "600K."
Gu Bai wore a smile, not avoiding the eyes of the crowd at all.
Judging by his current demeanor, it seemed he wouldn’t rest until he secured this "Poison."
As for what was on Gu Bai’s mind, no one knew.
His expected price was 700K US Dollars, approximately 50 million RMB. If it went over this price, whoever wants it can have it. After all, he had no idea how much the system would give him after Level 2; it’s best to make some preparations, keeping some money for contingencies.
With the 600K offer, even Vasek had to ponder.
Although the car model "Poison" had been appreciating, the total price hovered between 500-600K US Dollars, and he had to consider whether exceeding this price was worth it.
Finally, rationality overcame his reluctance, and he smiled slightly at Gu Bai before announcing his withdrawal from the bidding.
After Vasek withdrew, several others subsequently dropped out, leaving only three, including Gu Bai, while many of those who quit never made a single bid, merely accompanying the ride for a Lamborghini Headquarters tour.
Although two were still hesitating, Gu Bai was not anxious at all.
His psychological price was set, spending 100K US dollars less would be great, but if anyone wanted to continue bidding, he certainly wouldn’t back down.
Three minutes passed, and the remaining two still hadn’t decided. Stefano, adhering strictly to the rules, directly announced the auction’s conclusion.
To him, everyone here was a distinguished guest of the company, regardless of who won it, what mattered more was the brand weight of Lamborghini in the minds of these guests.
"Congratulations Mr. Gu, you successfully acquired the ownership of this Lamborghini ’Poison,’ becoming the 15th, and one of the only 15 owners."
Stefano stood and smiled congratulating Gu Bai.
Gu Bai also politely stood up to return the gesture.
"I propose we raise a toast to Mr. Gu and celebrate this wonderful moment, what do you say?"
Upon hearing this, the wealthy crowd nicely stood up and raised their glasses toward Gu Bai.
600K US Dollars, not only secured the ’Poison’ but also gained the respect of so many wealthy individuals, truly worth it, Gu Bai unknowingly put on a big show.
After the toast, Gu Bai sat back down, and Qin Fen couldn’t help but say, "I’m increasingly curious about what exactly your deal is, spending almost a hundred million RMB on a car without a blink."
Gu Bai chuckled without answering.
As for what Qin Fen said about almost a hundred million, he certainly understood the situation.
The car price was 600K US Dollars, but to transport it back home, with all the taxes, it would be tough to keep it under 70 million.
But it didn’t matter, for him, money can’t buy happiness. The money was given by the system, using it for his happiness, isn’t that enjoyable?
Dasha Talan looked at Gu Bai’s face, her gaze becoming somewhat dazed.
600K US Dollars, at her earning pace, she would be 50 when she could amass that, yet Gu Bai spent it in less than 10 minutes, seemingly unfazed.
For a moment, Gu Bai’s earlier suggestion that she develop in Hua Country became increasingly clear in her mind.
Going to Hua Country, not to mention how much money she could make, but staying by this man’s side, would it be lacking?
The banquet was already halfway through, with the dining almost complete, next came the social time.
And Gu Bai, having been such a standout tonight, naturally became the focus of the banquet. Within an hour, he nearly gathered everyone’s business cards present.
Yet he didn’t have a single business card on him.
This made Gu Bai ponder his identity change issue, as he was no longer the ordinary student of his past life, but a billionaire.