Chapter 489 - 295: What Is a Real Buying Spree?

Chapter 489: Chapter 295: What Is a Real Buying Spree?

At that moment, Lin Chu inexplicably recalled a trope from the novels he’d read—losing a bidding war at an auction due to a lack of funds, only to wait until after the event to murder the winner and steal the item, thus eliminating the competition and acquiring the prize.

Tsk.

’Just thinking about it is pretty satisfying.’

He almost let out a sinister cackle.

But then, on second thought, ’Fuck, I’d be the one getting murdered!’

As he idly entertained these thoughts, the bidding for the first auction item began.

At first, the crowd was rather cautious, slowly raising their bids.

After a few rounds, Lin Chu started bidding.

When they were arranging the order in the lounge, they had organized the items from highest to lowest price.

Naturally, the auction was the other way around.

This Blue and White Porcelain Large Jar with the Scene of Xiao He Chasing Han Xin under the Moon was, due to its smaller size, considered the cheapest of the nine collection pieces, with a starting bid of only 1.02 million dirhams, equivalent to 1.98 million RMB.

On the electronic display screen behind them, conversion rates between various currencies were shown.

Presently, the price had already been raised to three million.

Lin Chu raised his paddle several times in a row, and after a few rounds, no one else was bidding against him.

He ended up winning it for three million, five hundred and fifty thousand.

A piece of cake.

No pressure at all.

He gestured toward Yang Huixian with his chin. "The rest is up to you guys. I’ve had my fun."

Yang Huixian licked her lips and nodded gently.

She was worldly and experienced, having attended auctions before. In fact, she was the one who had bought the three pieces of raw Jadeite, each worth over a hundred million.

A scene like this was nothing to her.

’Making money is hard, but when it comes to spending it, I’m an absolute expert.’

Lin Chu, meanwhile, turned back and nonchalantly started chatting with Rashid.

"You know, I’m in the luxury goods industry."

Lin Chu began, his tone light and casual.

"Excellent. A very good business. I like it."

Rashid said, playing along politely. Of course, it really was a good business, especially to his taste—this was a man whose trash can at home was from Hermes, its handles even inlaid with gold.

"I have a plan right now. I’m thinking of acquiring a few luxury brands or companies on a global scale—from the LV Group, the Kering Group, the Richemont Group, any of them will do. If you have any suitable connections, feel free to introduce me."

"As for the money... that’s the easy part."

Lin Chu’s posture was one of utter indifference. These three were the largest groups at present, differing only in their areas of focus. If he were really going to buy, he could start with any of them.

The brand name is the most valuable asset.

He’d done some research himself. For a new luxury brand to go from founding to maturity takes at least twenty years, and it requires the perfect combination of timing, location, and people—not one element can be missing.

Spending money was just a way to save time.

"Hm?"

Hearing this, Rashid was first stunned, then his eyes lit up as if he found the idea incredibly exciting.

’Buy a luxury brand!?’

’Just the thought of it is thrilling.’

’It’s not about the money.’

’It’s about the sense of achievement.’

And that was precisely what he lacked most right now.

"I do know a little about that. The LV Group... I believe my country’s sovereign wealth fund has a stake in it. I’ll ask around for more details for you later."

Lin Chu: ...Er.

Alright then.

The sovereign wealth funds of the major oil states and Po Village’s Temasek Investment are classic examples of funds backed by national treasuries.

They are truly wealthy enough to rival nations.

These major players have been rich for many years; trying to partner with them or snatch shares of prime assets is genuinely difficult.

Besides, they represent national sovereignty.

’And who the hell am I in comparison?’

His eyes darted around as he continued to mull over a strategy. ’Any time you try to push things forward, problems are bound to arise.’

In itself, this goal was truly too ambitious.

The auction continued. The second item had already been sold, also won by his party.

But Lin Chu’s mind was no longer on it.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind as he tried to deduce the most fundamental logic and a viable path forward.

As he pondered, an idea quietly surfaced.

’I should start by getting a bank!’

This goal was also quite large, but compared to acquiring Louis Vuitton, it was at least a broken-down step.

Buying a foreign bank was, relatively speaking, much easier.

After all, most of them were private entities, part of the financial industry.

He just needed to buy a bank with all the necessary licenses—the scale didn’t matter—and then pump it full of capital. After that, whatever moves he wanted to make would be much more convenient.

"Elder Bian, are there any precedents of domestic capital acquiring foreign banks?"

Lin Chu casually sent a text message to Bian Gaige.

It was better to consult his think tank in advance for this kind of thing to avoid stepping on any landmines.

Bian Gaige responded quickly.

"Yes, of course there are. Why wouldn’t there be?"

"China Construction Bank acquired a bank in Brazil, and ICBC has already acquired both Standard Bank of South Africa and Standard Bank Argentina. They’re going at it full tilt... What’s this? You’ve got an idea? That’s actually a great business. I support it!"

"Of course, you need enough money... We’re talking five billion USD or more, right? Are you already at that level?"

He had become quite interested, his tone excited.

Seeing this message, Lin Chu couldn’t help but smile.

’Looks like... I’m starting to get the hang of this.’

He had taken the crucial first step.

"So... why don’t you come to Dubai? We can discuss this in person. I’m heading to Paris in a couple of days, too. It would be best to do a full-on investigation. If we could nail this down, it would be perfect."

As the saying goes, an elder in the house is a treasure.

With Bian Gaige by his side, he could provide perspective and reminders on many matters.

"Sure."

Bian Gaige didn’t hesitate and quickly agreed.

’This is a huge event, I have to be there!’

He didn’t even talk to Lin Chu about money!

If they really managed to buy a foreign bank, maybe even one in Europe, what would a small service fee matter?

It would be a drop in the bucket!

Not even a drop!

"Great. I’ll book your flight right now. I’m in Dubai, and I miss you."

Lin Chu replied with a smile, tossing in a cheeky comment.

"I miss you too! Hold on, I’m going to find a few experts in international economics and legal procedures. Let me give them a heads-up, I’ll bring them all."

The old man was getting a little carried away.

But, of course, this was a good thing.

There was strength in numbers.

What’s a real shopping spree, anyway?

This is a real shopping spree!

Buying some consumer goods doesn’t count as a spree; that’s just giving money to others.

What I’m doing, this is a real shopping spree!

Although he didn’t yet have the power of an international capitalist, he at least had the mindset and attitude of one.

Capital without an aggressive, expansionist nature can’t even be called capital; it’s just a domestic bully.

Let’s do this!

The auction was still proceeding in full swing.

Lin Chu’s blood was also boiling with excitement.

Many people at the event were now fixing their gazes on this area, whispering amongst themselves.

This was already the fifth piece in the collection.

The previous four had all been snapped up by this group of Chinese people in Section C of the auction house.

Moreover, the premiums paid were quite high.

They had the air of people who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted.

Just moments ago, during the bidding for the fourth piece, someone had even tried to maliciously snipe them, intentionally driving the price very high.

But they were still defeated by the Chinese bidders’ superpower: money.

A blue and white porcelain piece with a fair market value of less than five million USD was forcefully bid up into the tens of millions!

The two auctioneers on stage were now completely hyped up.

The event organizers backstage were also grinning from ear to ear.

This was the kind of thing they couldn’t have wished for more.

Even Rashid was a bit astonished.

The man in a white robe next to him used him as an intermediary to ask Lin Chu if this blue and white porcelain held some special meaning. Why were they so frenzied?

There had been auctions before, and blue and white porcelain had been sold, and of course there had been Chinese bidders, but a situation like this had never occurred.

Listening to the translated question, Lin Chu smirked. "Tell your brothers that it’s because before, I wasn’t here. But now, I am."

"Since I’ve come across them, I’m taking all nine pieces. I’m bringing them back to my homeland, no matter the cost."

Rashid: ...

He took a deep breath, looking at Lin Chu with a deeply moved expression. He turned his head and, in a somewhat complex tone, translated Lin Chu’s words for the other men in white robes.

As they listened, they too were momentarily stunned. One of them broke into a smile, gave Lin Chu a thumbs-up, whispered a few words in Rashid’s ear, and then stood up to leave.

"He said he won’t waste any more time then. He respects what you’re doing, so he’s leaving early. He wishes you success."

"And if there’s a chance, he’d like to be friends with you."

Rashid translated with a smile, raising an eyebrow as he watched a few of his brothers leave their seats and head for the exit.

"Of course."

"Let’s keep the party going!"

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