Zhang Lihua, also dressed in a black business suit, stood close to Su Ping Nan, on his right.
Su Wen Wen and the others, spirited and motivated, followed closely behind him. For a moment, Su Ping Nan felt an immense surge of ambition. Today was the day he would officially introduce himself and his Jinshui Group to the upper echelon of Wu City.
Two months had passed since his rebirth, and with the completion of his layout in Ertai Town, Su Ping Nan finally had the capital to bare his fangs at Wu City.
This was his first step.
The auction was small, with only fifty-odd seats. Su Ping Nan did not take a seat in the front row, but instead chose a rear position, sitting quietly. Zhang Lihua, holding a thick stack of documents, sat on his left.
Su Ping Nan felt that a large group would be too conspicuous. He simply asked Su Wen Wen and Guo Guang Yao to wait outside with the rest of the team.
Wu Yan entered the venue as well, his face shifting between cloudy and sunny as he repeatedly looked in Su Ping Nan's direction, whispering with the few people beside him.
The most powerful figure in Wu Yan's circle was Li Chang Hai, the eldest son of Li Dong Fang, who was involved in real estate in Hainan.
“Chang Hai, we must work together. I fear a formidable dragon is crossing the river today.”
Li Chang Hai lifted his head. He was a young man of twenty-seven or eight, his father had a large business in Hainan, reportedly worth several hundred million. He was also involved in the coal business in Wu City. Young and successful, he naturally had the right to be arrogant.
He raised his head and chuckled lightly, “Wu Shu, your information is a bit outdated. It's just a local up-and-comer from Wu City.”
He then picked up the materials that had been delivered to him a minute earlier and read aloud with a smile, “Su Ping Nan, from Sujia Village in Changyang County. Half a year ago, he rose to prominence by using brutal methods to drive out the Sihai gang who controlled the train station. This man is ruthless. Two months ago, he set up a Jinshui Food Company and a Jinshui Catering Service Company. Rumor has it they are raking in money. He has some clout.”
In the short five minutes since Su Ping Nan entered, Li Chang Hai had already obtained basic information about him, demonstrating the deep roots the Li family had established in Wu City over the years.
Wu Yan and the others nodded, laughing awkwardly, “That’s good to know. I was quite intimidated by his aura. Since he’s not strong, then he’s no threat.”
Li Chang Hai sneered, “A peasant with nothing managed to create such a grand spectacle in half a year. It’s obvious what kind of personality he has.”
He turned to Li Yun, who was standing behind him, “Call Jiang Qing Sheng.”
The tall and imposing Li Yun nodded silently and walked out.
Wu Yan and the others quickly tried to dissuade him, “Chang Hai, why call him?”
“Why?” Li Chang Hai sneered.
“I’m afraid he doesn’t know the rules and might interfere inappropriately. By the way, I forgot to tell you, this man has a very impressive nickname in the underworld. Do you want to know what it is?”
Looking at the bewildered faces, Li Chang Hai said coldly, “The most ruthless man in Wu City, the Little Red Robe.”
In this wild and unrestrained era, violence always breeds fear. Wu Yan and the others were now pampered and wealthy. They fell silent upon hearing this.
Li Chang Hai patted the shoulders of several people who were old enough to be his uncles, his voice lowered to a whisper, his tone filled with disdain, “The most ruthless in Wu City? Is he more ruthless than Jiang the God of War?”
Su Ping Nan was unaware that some people in the room had already become wary of him. He was leaning towards Zhang Lihua, discussing the upcoming auction details in hushed tones.
The auction host was the head of the Economic Commission. After talking endlessly for nearly half an hour, he finally announced the start of the auction.
The first item up for auction was Li Ru Ming's Mercedes-Benz sedan, with license plate number 16888. The starting price was 500,000.
Zhang Lihua glanced at Su Ping Nan. Seeing he wasn’t making a move, she decided to hold back as well.
The price quickly escalated to 950,000, ultimately going to a construction material dealer. The crowd erupted in congratulations.
The second item was unexpected—the unfinished six-story building that Su Ping Nan considered his prize.
The organizers had initially planned to auction the items in order, but the contractor raised objections, arguing that the order was flawed. They believed it shouldn't be auctioned based on the quality of assets, as that would make it easy for later items to be passed over. Therefore, they scrambled the order, and the entire building became the second item up for auction.
Su Ping Nan didn’t make a move on the first item because he felt it was best to be high-profile in appearances but low-key in actions.
The 2 million Mercedes-Benz with its conspicuous license plate stopped at 950,000 with a tacit agreement. He was quite clear about what this implied.
The starting price for the building, numbered 00031, was 2.6 million. Although there were hushed conversations among the audience, they were clearly observing. Their thinking was still somewhat outdated. They considered it unreasonable to spend such a high price on a building that required further investment to complete.
“2.6 million, anyone?”
“2.6 million, anyone?”
The auctioneer holding the hammer didn’t expect that, even after scrambling the order, this item would still be met with hesitation.
After three minutes, the auctioneer was already anticipating a pass. He planned to call out a few more times before declaring it a failure.
Zhang Lihua was about to tear her hair out. Su Ping Nan, calm as a mountain, showed no expression on his face. She naturally dared not act rashly.
Su Ping Nan's heart was pounding like a drum. Although he appeared emotionless, he was secretly calculating time. He feared that if he raised his paddle, it would pique others' interest and lead to unnecessary conflicts.
“2.6 million, anyone?” The auctioneer’s voice was now subdued.
“Then, I declare…”
Zhang Lihua saw Su Ping Nan’s left hand gently tap his knee. Immediately, she raised her paddle high.