The Beautiful CEO’s Close Bodyguard
Chapter 573 - 0575: One Hundred Million Auction

Chapter 573: Chapter 0575: One Hundred Million Auction

Those who come here to participate in the auction are either rich or powerful, and because of this, the starting prices of auction items here are all in the tens of millions.

Thus, when Ge Fan heard the host announce that the starting bid for the secret manual was ten million, he was stunned for a moment.

He suspiciously tugged at the person next to him, asking with doubtful tone, "What did the host just say?"

"Ten million."

Beside him was President Zhang, who always wanted to ingratiate himself with Ge Fan. He looked at Ge Fan with a sly grin and flattered, "For Mr. Ge, this ten million must be a trifling matter."

A trifling matter my ass!

Ge Fan couldn’t help but curse inwardly. Such a small auction, and they’re asking for such a steep price!

Indeed, a black market through and through!

With an inward snort, Ge Fan ignored President Zhang’s flattery and kept his eyes firmly on the black cloth on the stage.

That cloth was so thoroughly covering it that he couldn’t see at all what was underneath.

Just as Ge Fan was craning his neck in search, the auction began.

"Eleven million." Someone from the crowd was the first to shout out a bid, only ten thousand more than the starting price, eliciting a tsk from the others around.

"Twelve million." Following suit, another bid, upping the price by ten thousand.

Ge Fan quietly looked back at Chu Ge. Chu Ge and Huo Tianqian were sitting there with their bidding paddles calmly resting on their laps, showing no indication of raising them.

Ge Fan wondered to himself, could it be that these two weren’t here for the secret manual after all?

But before he came, he had already found out that today’s auction featured only this one secret manual.

Although it was the first item to be auctioned and its value was not as high compared to the next two items, Shao Gang had personally told him that the manual included a Martial Arts Secret Technique.

And Chu Ge had an intense obsession with martial arts. If he could delay Chu Ge with this manual, it would definitely be possible.

In the end, everything turned out to be quite different from what he had imagined.

Ge Fan scratched his head, feeling increasingly restless.

By now, the bidding had reached twelve million, yet Chu Ge and Huo Tianqian still showed no willingness to bid.

Ge Fan held his bidder’s paddle, hesitating about whether or not to raise it.

At this time, Huo Tianqian was also getting restless. He glanced sideways at Chu Ge and inquired, "Mr. Chu, shall we bid now?

In just a short time, the price had already surged to fifteen million. Just for a secret manual, the price was getting insanely high, which honestly was a bit painful for Huo Tianqian as well.

Chu Ge lightly shook his head, "Even if you bid now, someone will continue to bid higher. We should wait a bit longer."

Huo Tianqian nodded, suppressing the impatience in his heart. He thought to himself, it’s true, even if they made a bid now, someone would surely outbid them soon. It made more sense to wait until the final bid before jumping in.

Huo Tianqian sighed silently, feeling he was still too impatient when facing situations like this.

Chu Ge’s lips curved into a faint smile, "Don’t worry, there will be others more anxious than us."

Huo Tianqian was taken aback, then realized something. He glanced at Ge Fan, let out a quiet chuckle, and then also settled down.

However, he had a doubt in his mind. Ge Fan, a commoner, what was he doing at today’s auction?

"Mr. Chu, could it be that Ge Fan is targeting us?" Huo Tianqian asked with doubt.

Chu Ge nodded slightly and acknowledged with a grunt.

Huo Tianqian cursed under his breath, "Damn! They really are targeting us, aren’t they?"

Since returning to Shanghai, he had heard about the Ge Group, a conglomerate that, with robust connections in Beijing, had risen exceptionally fast. In just over twenty days, they had already begun to take shape.

With a faint glance, Chu Ge said nothing.

Huo Tianqian scratched his head; he glared at Ge Fan and caught Ge Fan sneaking a look at them. Huo Tianqian glared back fiercely, causing Ge Fan to quickly turn away.

The first auction item had been bid up to twenty million, a substantial sum for Ge Fan. If the price were to climb any higher, he would have to tap into the company’s funds.

Conveniently, the bidding stopped at twenty million.

The host scanned the room with a lackluster gaze before slowly asking, "Bidder number four offers twenty million—does anyone wish to continue bidding?"

The hall was silent, save for a few people whispering to each other.

The host asked again, "No further bids at twenty million?"

Huo Tianqian glanced at Chu Ge and asked, "Mr. Chu, shall we bid?"

Chu Ge remained silent, just quietly watching the host on stage.

Huo Tianqian scratched his head, feeling a bit anxious; but Chu Ge was calm, so Huo Tianqian tried to suppress his own restlessness.

On the other hand, Ge Fan had a different idea. He rested his hands on his thighs, wondering to himself why Chu Ge and his companion hadn’t yet entered the bidding—pondering if they actually weren’t interested in the secret manual.

If they weren’t here for the secret manual, then even if he won it, it would make no difference to them.

Ge Fan was deeply conflicted inside.

The host looked around the room, interpreting the lack of interest as no further bids, and said, "No more bids? Then we will finalize the price now."

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, the host continued, "Twenty million for the first time..."

Ge Fan’s legs trembled slightly. He looked back at Chu Ge and Huo Tianqian and saw that they appeared indifferent, watching the stage with no apparent intention to bid.

"Twenty million for the second time..."

The host’s voice rang out again, her voice piercing Ge Fan like a needle, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Ge Fan guessed that, based on the current situation, Chu Ge was probably not interested in the secret manual. Since they weren’t here for the manual, it would be pointless for him to win it.

Thinking this, Ge Fan calmed down and became less anxious.

However, to his surprise, just as the auctioneer’s hammer was about to fall, Chu Ge raised his bid sign.

The auctioneer’s hand paused sharply, and then Chu Ge’s resolute voice echoed in the hall, "One hundred million."

Ge Fan turned back in shock, looking at Chu Ge incredulously. One hundred million for a secret manual?

No!

The problem was that he had waited until the critical moment to reveal his bid, catching him completely off guard.

One hundred million—what could he use to compete with Chu Ge?

Ge Fan’s hands, which rested on his legs, clenched tightly. Chu Ge was no simple man, with such a deep stratagem; it seemed Ge Fan had underestimated him before.

Even Huo Tianqian, standing beside Chu Ge, was unprepared for such a sudden bid.

Huo Tianqian looked at Chu Ge in astonishment, "Mr. Chu, how much did you just bid?"