It's normal for a villain like me to subdue a corrupted female protagonist, right?

Page 162

He Qinzhou breathed a sigh of relief, "It seems like this time it's a sure thing."

"Yes, as long as we get any one of the Chinese people present to take a picture of themselves walking in the snow, our mission will be complete."

"Well, I'll bid in a bit. I've brought plenty of funds this time. Come to think of it, I haven't given you any gifts yet."

What do you want to give me?

"secret."

"I love keeping people in suspense!"

Hearing He Qinzhou's teasing tone, Xu Mengzhu glared at him feigning anger, then turned her head away.

As a result, He Qinzhou did not see Xu Mengzhu's flushed face.

The first item on display was a Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain bowl.

"A Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain bowl, with an expert's certificate of authenticity, has a starting bid of one million, with each bid increment not less than one hundred thousand."

The auctioneer announced loudly, "One million one hundred thousand!"

A Korean immediately shouted.

"One million five hundred thousand, this stuff belongs to our Great Bang Republic!"

……

This auction was clearly targeted at Chinese people, as many of the items were antiques owned by Chinese people.

"No need to take a picture of this."

Xu Mengzhu explained, "Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain is not a rare item; I have several in my office."

He Qinzhou nodded. "But the Japanese and Koreans down there seem to be arguing quite a bit."

“The island nation and the South Koreans have a short history, but they are particularly enthusiastic about our Chinese antiques. In recent years, China has been very strict in controlling the outflow of antiques, so this kind of thing is not precious in China, but it may be precious abroad. Anderson Auction House also put a lot of effort into assembling the items for this auction.”

Xu Mengzhu laughed and said, "Besides, who said I was going to give it to someone from another country?"

"five million!"

A middle-aged man from China stepped forward and shouted out a price that silenced everyone.

The Japanese and Koreans sat down, feeling resentful. They hadn't brought much money with them to begin with, and they needed to prepare for what was to come, so they didn't dare spend too much money upfront.

"Five million per time!"

"Five million twice!"

"Five million for three times! Sold!"

The auctioneer's gavel fell, announcing that the item had been won by the Dragon Kingdom.

The auction proceeded smoothly, and without exception, all the antiques related to China were bought up by the Chinese.

Some people did try to raise prices maliciously, but after verification of their funds, it was found that they couldn't afford to pay, so they were kicked out of the auction.

All attendees were awestruck by the wealth of the Dragon Kingdom, but no one knew what these antiques meant to the Dragon Kingdom, nor how much the Dragon Kingdom had prepared for this day.

"Next up is the last item for auction, a piece from Earl George's collection, the 'Snowy Steps' scene from the 'Four Seasons of the Dragon Kingdom' series. The starting price is fifty million, and each bid must be at least one million higher!"

As soon as the auctioneer uttered those words, the entire hall fell into an eerie silence for a moment before plunging back into chaos.

"Sixty million!"

A Korean stood up and shouted.

"Sixty-five million."

A Chinese man immediately followed. With so many people from China this time, they were determined not to let their national treasure continue to be lost abroad.

"Seventy million."

A South Korean continued to raise the price. South Korea is controlled by a group of large conglomerates, so although the country is small, there are many extremely wealthy people.

"One hundred million."

He Qinzhou raised his sign, and the venue fell silent for a moment, but soon someone else raised the price again.

"Why are you raising prices so early?"

Xu Mengzhu asked, "We estimate it might cost 500 million to acquire it."

"Boost."

He Qinzhou smiled faintly and patted Xu Mengzhu's small hand, "I was planning to go have dinner with you after filming."

Xu Mengzhu was a little shy, but still nodded. Then she asked in confusion, "It's strange, why didn't the Japanese bid? I remember a guy named Sankou Zhi seems to be particularly fond of Chinese antiques. He brought quite a few people with him this time. They were competing with us the whole time. Why have they quieted down now that the 'Treading on Snow' painting is out?"

"Perhaps they lack funds, or maybe they've realized we're determined to win this time?"

"I hope so."

Xu Mengzhu nodded.

Chapter 260: Tracking

The auction was in full swing, with bidding continuing. Xu Mengzhu took the opportunity to explain to He Qinzhou the meaning behind the painting "Treading on Snow".

"The Four Seasons Paintings represent more than just paintings; they are also cultural relics of our Dragon Kingdom. They should have been in the possession of the last emperor, but unfortunately, barbarians invaded China, and not only was the last emperor abducted, but the Four Seasons Paintings also disappeared."

Xu Mengzhu sighed and said, "The history behind these paintings is the humiliation of the Dragon Kingdom. So we must find the Four Seasons Painting and not let this shame continue to exist abroad."

"I see."

He Qinzhou nodded.

"Four hundred million!"

He Qinzhou raised the sign again, and there was a moment of silence below.

But then someone tentatively raised the price: "Four hundred and ten million."

"Five billion!"

He Qinzhou's ostentatious display of wealth intimidated many people, causing many to hesitate and consider giving up.

Upon hearing the price, the auctioneer excitedly shouted, "This gentleman has bid five hundred million! Is there any higher bid?"

"Five hundred and ten million!"

Finally, a Korean gritted his teeth and shouted.

Just as He Qinzhou was about to raise the price again, a voice from an inconspicuous corner suddenly rang out in Chinese: "Six hundred million!"

He Qinzhou looked over and saw that there was a person from the Dragon Kingdom.

"Aren't we supposed to be the main force for last? Why are there other people here?"

He Qinzhou looked at Xu Mengzhu and asked.

Xu Mengzhu frowned, then shook her head: "They weren't our people, but I heard they have some connection with the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce."

“Even though we have some disagreements with the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce, we are all Chinese and there will be no disagreement on foreign affairs. So we can treat them as allies for the time being. Besides, the person behind them is Xiao Tianze, the God of War of the Southern Border.”

"I understand."

He Qinzhou suddenly realized what was going on and stopped trying to negotiate the price.

"Six hundred million once."

"Six hundred million twice!"

"Six hundred million, three times! Sold!"

The auctioneer excitedly banged his gavel on the table; this auction had earned him a considerable sum of money.

"I hereby declare this auction closed!"

Regardless of whether they got what they wanted or not, the auction ended, and everyone began to leave the auction hall one after another.

He Qinzhou grabbed Xu Mengzhu's arm: "Let's go."

"What?"

Xu Mengzhu asked curiously, "Aren't we going to eat?"

"Yes, but we need to greet the person who took the picture of walking in the snow first."

"also."

Xu Mengzhu said, "Our struggle with the Hanhai Chamber of Commerce is limited to Kyoto. We have less competition abroad, and sometimes we even cooperate."

Upon seeing the person who had taken the picture of walking in the snow, He Qinzhou hurriedly led his men to chase after them, wanting to say something.

However, the man glanced at He Qinzhou and Xu Mengzhu, then walked even faster, as if he was avoiding the two of them.

"Strange, what is he hiding from? Does he think I would steal his things in broad daylight?"

He Qinzhou had a bad feeling and said to Xu Mengzhu, "You go back first, I'll go and take a look. I have a feeling it's not that simple."

"Ah."

Xu Mengzhu nodded; she trusted He Qinzhou quite a bit. "Remember to protect yourself."

"Don't worry, I'm waiting to come back and have dinner with you!"

He Qinzhou gently pinched Xu Mengzhu's nose and teased her.

He then followed the person who took the picture of walking in the snow, seemingly casually but actually with complete focus.

The man looked around, then got into his car, surrounded by bodyguards, and prepared to leave.

He Qinzhou chased after them, flagged down a car, and followed them.

The middle-aged man in the car was on the phone, his voice filled with excitement as he said, "Yes, yes, sir, the actors and props are all in place, we'll be at the designated location in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, the middle-aged man ordered the driver to turn around, and then had some of his bodyguards drive along the original road.

When He Qinzhou noticed that the convoy following behind had lost a few vehicles, he immediately felt something was amiss.

Now that they have the Snow Treading Painting, they should first walk through bustling streets and busy areas, and then take the painting to a safe place as soon as possible.

Why would they go to such a deserted place?

Not to mention that they deliberately let some of the bodyguards leave first.

There must be something wrong!

He Qinzhou already had some guesses in his mind, so he became more vigilant and continued to follow them.

A short while later, the lead vehicle slowly came to a stop.

He Qinzhou also stopped far away. With his seventh-level Nascent Soul vision, he quickly saw that there were a bunch of roadblocks on the road ahead.

The bodyguards had a clear division of labor: some got out of the car and quickly cleared the roadblocks, while others stayed in the car to protect their boss.

"All of you get out and clean up! What are you doing slacking off in the truck?"

The middle-aged man said, pretending to be angry.

"But boss, we need protection..."

"Get out! Do I need your protection in the car? Hurry up and finish cleaning up and leave. I think you're just trying to slack off!"

"Ok."

The remaining bodyguards had no choice but to get out of the car and join in clearing the roadblocks.

Suddenly, several flashes of cold light appeared, and the heads of the bodyguards at the front fell to the ground.

"who!"

The remaining bodyguards drew their pistols, searching for the approaching enemy.

However, more sounds of knives cutting flesh rang out, and several more bodyguards were killed.

The bodyguard captain hurriedly got into the car, not noticing his boss's strange expression, and said in a panic, "Boss, the enemy is too strong. Let's go back the way we came. Safety is the most important thing!"

"Ah."

The middle-aged man spoke calmly, without a trace of haste or panic in his voice.

Just as the bodyguard captain was about to start the car, a gun barrel was secretly pointed at him from behind.

"boom!"

Gunfire rang out.