After all, it was rare to see one this heavy.
"I’ll add another 500."
When Lin Jiang suddenly raised his hand, both Zhao Fangfei and Feng Qi looked over at him.
"Brother Jiang, why are you bidding on it?"
"It’s a bit of a hassle to take pictures like this. If I buy it, you two can take all the photos you want."
"Thank you, Brother Jiang."
At that moment, Zhao Fangfei’s vanity was immensely gratified, and Feng Qi was dying of envy.
Zhou Sui said nothing, a dark expression on his face the entire time.
The host beamed when he saw Lin Jiang suddenly add another 500.
With the price now over 6,000, he would get a sizable commission.
And it was precisely Lin Jiang’s extra 500 that discouraged anyone else from raising their bids.
While they had some money, they weren’t at the level where they could spend it recklessly.
Once the sale was finalized, a staff member brought the 12-jin Boston lobster over to their table.
The two women’s curiosity flared. They squatted beside it, snapping photos nonstop with their phones.
The women at the other tables were also incredibly envious.
Buying something so expensive just to make it easier for his girlfriend to take photos... That man was so cool.
Most importantly, he was handsome, too.
Quite a few women secretly cast flirtatious glances his way, and a few from neighboring tables even quietly lifted their skirts to reveal their thighs.
When you’re both handsome and rich, you’d be surprised how forward women can be.
After taking photos to their hearts’ content, the two women returned to their seats.
"This lobster is huge! I’ve never seen one so big," Zhao Fangfei said.
"Me neither. I had to zoom the camera way out just to fit it all in the frame," Feng Qi said. "Today was a real eye-opener."
"Darling, thank you."
Zhao Fangfei went up to Lin Jiang and gave him a kiss on the cheek, a clear display for everyone else to see. ’This is what my boyfriend bought for me.’
Feng Qi sat listlessly to the side, overcome with envy.
"Spending so much money on a single lobster... the markup is ridiculous," Zhou Sui commented dryly.
"Didn’t you say it yourself? The whole point of coming out to have fun is to be happy. As long as Fangfei is happy, it’s worth it."
Zhou Sui was speechless.
Quietly, Feng Qi looked at Lin Jiang and found herself comparing him to Zhou Sui.
’There isn’t a single thing about Zhou Sui that can measure up.’
Next up was the sixth auction item.
Unlike the previous items, this one was wheeled out on a cart and covered with a red cloth.
"Friends, compared to the other lots, our sixth item is a little special. Does anyone want to venture a guess?"
"King crab!"
"Tuna!"
"Octopus!"
The visiting tourists shouted out their guesses, pumping up the atmosphere.
"I’m afraid no one guessed correctly, so I won’t keep you in suspense any longer."
The host whisked away the red cloth.
"This is a four-jin wild yellow croaker, caught just last night. I don’t need to tell you how fresh it is."
"A wild yellow croaker, no less. They’ve finally brought out something decent," Zhou Sui said.
"Is that kind of fish very expensive?"
"It’s certainly not cheap. For a four-jin wild yellow croaker, especially one this fresh, the price is at least 4,000 yuan per jin. I just wonder what they’ll sell it for here."
"4,000 a jin! That’s so expensive!"
If it were a little over 4,000 for the whole fish, the two women could have accepted it.
But at 4,000 a jin, one fish would cost around 16,000!
Eating a single fish at such a high price seemed incredibly extravagant.
A female staffer walked onto the stage, holding the over-four-jin wild yellow croaker, and brought it to the front for everyone to see.
"Friends, this 4.6-jin wild yellow croaker is the final item up for auction at today’s Fishing Festival. The starting bid is 15,888, with increments of 500 yuan. Please, bid generously..."
’In Lin Jiang’s opinion, the price wasn’t high; it basically just covered their cost.’
’Even if it sold for the opening bid, they wouldn’t take a loss, and it served as a fine closing act.’
Zhou Sui raised his paddle again, trying to make his presence known.
This time, however, Feng Qi wasn’t particularly expectant. She was just there to watch the show.
To Lin Jiang’s surprise, even at such a steep price, there were still many people bidding.
Everyone clearly knew its value.
RING RING RING—
Just then, Lin Jiang’s phone rang. It was a call from He Xuelu.
"Uncle He."
It was a bit noisy, so Lin Jiang covered one of his ears.
"Hello? Uncle He, could you speak up? It’s a little loud where I am."
Lin Jiang listened intently to what He Xuelu was saying, but he still couldn’t make it out.
"Uncle He, hold on a second."
After saying that, Lin Jiang looked at the host on stage and said:
"I bid thirty thousand."
The venue fell instantly silent.
The people who could afford to come here were generally small business owners, minor second-generation rich kids, and the ordinary middle class.
They had the ability to spend, but not necessarily the ability to pay a huge premium.
The current bid was only at 21,888, and he had just jumped it all the way to thirty thousand!
And he’d done it just because he found the crowd too noisy and wanted to quiet things down so he could take his call!
How was anyone else supposed to compete with that?!
Sitting beside Lin Jiang, Zhao Fangfei felt a shared sense of glory. With Lin Jiang calling out a price like that, she felt her own face shine with pride.
"If everyone could please wait a moment, our guest at table three is on the phone," the host said with an obsequious smile.
All eyes in the room fell on Lin Jiang.
In other words, the entire event was waiting for him and him alone.
But no one was angry.
After all, the guy was handsome and rich.
Meanwhile, Lin Jiang could now clearly hear what He Xuelu was saying.
"President Lin, we found a plot of land in the village down below and are preparing to acquire it for expansion. I’ve compiled the relevant information and have already sent it to your email."
"Alright, I’ll take a look."
After a brief exchange, Lin Jiang hung up and looked back at the host on stage.
"Anyone else bidding?"
"No one, sir."
"Alright, go get it cooked."
"Right away."
The female staffer on stage brought the wild yellow croaker down and presented it to Lin Jiang.
People from other tables also gathered around curiously, many of them taking photos with their phones to post on social media.
Naturally, Zhao Fangfei wasn’t going to miss this moment.
Gradually, the crowd of onlookers dispersed. Feng Qi said:
"Brother Jiang, didn’t you say you’d never been to an auction before? You seem so skilled at it."
"It doesn’t take any skill. You just overwhelm them with a high bid. There’s no need to get into a chaotic bidding war, it’s a waste of time and energy."
"You have a point."
Zhou Sui’s expression turned ugly. ’That motherfucker is clearly taking a jab at me!’
Before long, the lobster and wild yellow croaker that Lin Jiang had won were brought to their table.
Since they were prepared by the hotel’s head chef, they tasted quite good, and the two women couldn’t resist snapping more photos to post online.
"There’s so much meat on this lobster. I’ve never eaten one this big," Feng Qi exclaimed.
"Eat your fill today," said Zhao Fangfei.
"Hehe, I guess my diet is off for today, then."
As she spoke, Feng Qi picked up a piece of the wild yellow croaker.
"This wild yellow croaker is delicious too! It’s so fresh. I guess you really get what you pay for."
"Of course. You don’t spend that kind of money for nothing," Zhao Fangfei said.
"Brother Jiang, thank you for treating us today."
"It’s nothing. As long as you two are happy."
"Hehe, we love it."
Zhou Sui sat there the whole time with a dark expression, not eating a single bite.
Lin Jiang smiled. ’I came here today to secure my new pet, Zhao Fangfei, but it looks like I might get an unexpected bonus.’
’The way Feng Qi is looking at me... she’s practically fawning.’
’And as for Zhou Sui, he’s practically glowing green.’

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