Shen Siqi felt wronged, but in front of his father, he couldn't explain himself and simply bowed his head without looking.
Therefore, the anger in Cao Bangxi's eyes turned venomous.
He hatefully raised his paddle, really wanting to add another ten million to vent his anger, but due to his father Cao Zhining's warning, he held back his voice, only increasing the bid by a minimal two hundred thousand.
Xiao Ming noticed every little change in Cao Bangxi's expression and, with a thought, said to Shen Siyi, "Let's add some fuel to Cao Bangxi's fire. Bid two billion!"
Shen Siyi, Yun Shi Yu, and Yang Hanqing all turned their heads to look at him.
"Relax! Trust me," Xiao Ming smiled. "If worst comes to worst, we'll just buy it. Two billion isn't a loss anyway!"
Shen Siyi swallowed hard, raised the paddle, though his voice lacked the force it had before.
"Two... two billion."𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
There was a sudden uproar in the venue; it was as if it had exploded, with some people even standing up to take a closer look at who made such an outrageous bid.
They were unaware that the city was planning to build Yanjiang Park by this area, and they already found the starting price of 1.2 billion expensive for a shanty area.
In their minds, two billion was essentially the maximum profit post-development, assuming everything went smoothly, without a hitch.
And now, someone was willing to lose money just to buy this piece of land; had they eaten too much?
Hadn't Maohe Architecture just been a design company before? Even if they wanted to establish a foothold in the real estate industry quickly, this was a bit too bold.
Shen Anhe was already seething with rage, wishing he could rush over and slap Shen Siyi seventeen or eighteen times.
You little rascal, even if the money comes easily, you shouldn't squander it like this! In what world does someone pay retail price for something at wholesale cost?
Idiot! Fool! I was right to not let you into Qianshan Group's management; you are destined to be a useless freeloader for life!
On the other side, Cao Bangxi was even more furious, so angry he felt like burning down the entire venue.
Others may not know the value of the shanty area, but the Cao family was very clear about it!
The day before yesterday, they received insider information, which was also confirmed by people in the Government Office, that Yanjiang Park would inevitably bring significant profits to the shanty area.
Although two billion wasn't too much, who would feel good about paying a high price for something that obviously could have been bought cheaper?
Before coming here, they had thought they could secure the deal first, taking it for no more than one and a half billion.
Now, damn it, the two billion was bid by someone else.
Compared to him, Cao Zhining was much calmer. After contemplating for a moment, he spoke softly, "That Xiao Ming is extraordinarily adept. Even Sir Zhou has high praise for him; he probably knows about the park project as well."
"Ah?" Cao Bangxi was taken aback. "Then... what shall we do?"
"What's there to panic about? Look at your lack of composure! How have I taught you in normal times? In the business world, you must remain unflustered even if Mount Tai is collapsing before you.
Look at Shen Siyi; he used to be just as frivolous as you are, but now he is capable of managing such huge projects, and even when he bids two billion, not a trace of complacency shows on his face.
Just this composure alone puts you streets behind him!"
After the usual scolding, Cao Zhining took a deep breath and continued in a low voice: "Now that things have come to this, it seems unlikely to get the land for a low price.
Luckily, we had made backup plans beforehand. Don't panic, keep raising the bid bit by bit, as long as the final price doesn't exceed four billion, we will still profit and have leverage to negotiate with Canghai Group."
Cao Bangxi obediently did as he was told.
Seeing him raising the paddle again with an added two hundred thousand, the other businessmen in the venue were all bewildered, subconsciously muttering among themselves.
Mr. Shen might be a fool, but Cao Zhining, as the leading figure in Longyin City's real estate industry, could not possibly also be a fool.
When a smart person suddenly puts all their effort into doing something foolish, there's only one possibility: the action is certainly not foolish.
Maybe... Dabang Group has heard something, and the shanty area isn't as worthless as we thought?
Businessmen have the keenest noses in the world, like sharks in the ocean that swarm at the slightest scent of blood.
Thus, the situation in the room changed instantly, and Shen Siyi was no longer the center of the play, as one bidding paddle after another was raised in turn.
Fortunately, Cao Zhining had a good grasp of the situation, only increasing the base price each time, which made others want to take advantage of the situation yet fear being trapped, moving hesitantly; so, even though the scene was lively, the price rose slowly.
At this moment, whether it was Yun Shi Yu, Yang Hanqing, or Shen Siyi, they all had a newfound admiration for Xiao Ming that was downright reverential.
What seemed like reckless behavior had led to a scene where multiple real estate companies "surrounded" Dabang Group, not only effectively undermining Dabang's position but also transferring the risk and pulling Maohe out of the vortex.
The tactics were whimsical yet they moved mountains with minimal effort.
How on earth does this guy's brain work?
Of course, such risky behavior should not be encouraged, or it would eventually cause a heart attack out of fear.
"If you ever say I'm not emotionally stable again, I'll smack you!" Yun Shi Yu bared her teeth at Xiao Ming.
"You're such a grown-up and still acting like a child.
It's one thing for us to know you well, but if your subordinates saw this, they might think the leader isn't composed and the company's future is uncertain.
If the boss doesn't command respect, how can he lead?"
Without getting angry, Yang Hanqing didn't have the same confidence as Yun Shi Yu and only gently advised.
Xiao Ming scratched his head, "I suddenly miss the times during contract signings when you two were at each other's throats.
They say like poles repel, I hope you don't go against the laws of nature; continue to fight when you need to fight, and to clash when you need to clash, harmony is just too boring."
"If there's going to be a fight, you'll be the first I hit!" Yun Shi Yu punched him right away.
Xiao Ming turned his face, "Siyi ah..."
"Bro, just when it comes to this, you use your brothers as a shield, do you even know how to write the word 'loyalty'?"
"Aren't brothers there to take a stab in the ribs for each other?"
"..."
At this moment, the group of real estate bosses trying to get a bargain finally ran out of courage and stopped raising their paddles; Dabang Group placed the last bid yet again.
Hearing the auctioneer call out a price of two hundred and eighty million with a tone that seemed to revel in the chaos, Xiao Ming yawned, took the bidding paddle from Shen Siyi, and raised it.
"Three hundred and fifty million!"
The venue didn't explode with noise; instead, it became so quiet you could hear a pin drop, even the auctioneer forgot to do his job.
Although not many people knew Xiao Ming, everyone was aware of the bidding paddle that Shen Siyi had raised so many times before.
It was still Maohe Real Estate.
What did this small company want to do?
A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers, but tangling with the industry leader right from the start—is this seeking a creative way to die?
However, what Xiao Ming did next made them feel that the phrase "seeking a creative way to die" was not enough to describe his craziness.
He flipped the bidding paddle to make a toast gesture towards Cao Father and Son looking back at him, his face full of provocation.
Even a blind person could see what he meant: Keep bidding, I will follow suit no matter what, let's see who has more money!
Who the hell is this maniac who popped out of a crack in the rock?
Being so wild, does your mom know about this?
Yet, what's crazier still is yet to come.
Upon seeing Xiao Ming's gesture, Cao Zhining suddenly snatched the bidding paddle from Cao Bangxi's hand and raised it high.
"Four billion!"