If the bidder had been Chinese, Qin Xiao might have approached them to discuss a compromise. As long as the artifact was returned to China, he wouldn't have cared who won the auction.
But this was a Japanese man...
"Fifteen million!" Qin Xiao lazily raised his paddle.
Kouhei Hishiguchi glanced at Qin Xiao, a hint of provocation in his eyes.
"Eighteen million!" Hishiguchi raised his paddle again.
"What the hell is with this guy?" Qin Xiao muttered to Natasha. "He bids, fine, but what's with that look? Doesn't he know who I am?"
Qin Xiao had been making headlines recently. His actions in the US Senate, his dismantling of the Red Room organization, and Captain America's repeated use of the Avengers' name to take down terrorists had all drawn global attention to his name.
Though he wasn't as universally famous as the Avengers after the Battle of New York, the bizarre incident in the Senate had been forcibly suppressed by the government.
But secrets never stayed buried. While ordinary people remained unaware, the world's elite knew.
The man who had single-handedly threatened the entire US Senate was now widely recognized as one of the most dangerous people in the world, someone you absolutely did not want to provoke.
Qin Xiao found it strange. *Has Kouhei Hishiguchi gone mad?*
"Twenty-five million!"
Qin Xiao raised his paddle again.
"Thirty million!"
Kouhei Hishiguchi bid again, his voice growing increasingly agitated.
Qin Xiao smiled slightly.
"Forty million!"
The auctioneer was ecstatic.
"Forty million! Forty million euros! Mr. Qin has bid forty million euros! My God, this is a crazy price! Are there any more bids?"
"Forty million for the first time! Forty million for the second time! Forty million for the third time! Let's congratulate Mr. Qin on setting a new record price for the *Chinese Zodiac Animal Heads* series!"
Amidst the auctioneer's excited shouts, the gavel came down with a decisive thud.
From Kouhei Hishiguchi's side came a furious roar of "Baka!"
"Darling, it seems you've really angered that spoiled child from the family!" Natasha said with a smile.
Qin Xiao gave Kouhei Hishiguchi a meaningful glance, then suddenly raised his paddle.
"Next, we have..."
"Mr. Qin? The next item hasn't been presented yet. What is this? Do you have something to say? Very well! Ladies and gentlemen, it seems Mr. Qin has something to say! The auction will be temporarily paused. Let's welcome Mr. Qin!"
The auctioneer led the applause.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked Qin Xiao.
"I won! Time for my victory speech, darling!" Qin Xiao smiled slightly, rose, and strode onto the stage.
"Many of you know I'm Chinese. The Chinese Zodiac Animal Heads are national treasures of China. I'm very grateful to all of you for holding back during the bidding earlier!"
Qin Xiao was being very polite, flattering everyone in the room. In truth, those who recognized him had already withdrawn from the bidding when his price soared. Even without considering national sentiment, the bid far exceeded any reasonable value. The attendees weren't fools.
"As a Chinese national, I naturally hope that every one of our national treasures will return to China! There's still the Rabbit Head and a mysterious item up for auction today, both said to be from China. I ask for your continued restraint—for my sake, please allow our historical artifacts to return to their homeland. Thank you all!"
Qin Xiao bowed slightly, and the crowd was very accommodating, many erupting into thunderous applause.
By all rights, that should have been the end of it.
Qin Xiao waited for the applause to die down before flashing a sinister smile.
He then pointed directly at Kouhei Hishiguchi and declared,
"Of course, I didn't mean to include bidder 146, oh, that's right, Mr. Kouhei Hishiguchi, who was so persistent in driving up the price against me just now!"
"It seems Mr. Hishiguchi is also deeply interested in our Chinese culture. I can understand that. Since the Asuka Period—corresponding to the Tang Dynasty—your Japan has always revered Chinese culture, much like a son worships his father!"
"In that case, I'm curious: why did Mr. Hishiguchi suddenly give up on the Rat Head? Did your allowance from your dad run out? Oh! What a pitiful child. There's still the Rabbit Head up next. I held it up for you for so long—hurry and call your dad for help! I'll be waiting!"
*Crack!*
The moment Qin Xiao finished speaking, Kouhei Hishiguchi snapped his bidding paddle in half.
In front of such a crowd, Hishiguchi couldn't bring himself to actually pull out his phone and call his father.
When the next item, the Rabbit Head, came up for auction, Hishiguchi didn't bid again. Qin Xiao secured it for 8 million euros.
After the Rabbit Head auction, Kouhei Hishiguchi unexpectedly rose from his seat and strode directly to Qin Xiao's side.
"Kid, no one has ever dared speak to me like that. You're dead, you know? Dead!"
Kouhei Hishiguchi lowered his body, glaring at Qin Xiao with eyes burning with madness.
Qin Xiao slowly turned his head and exchanged a glance with Natasha.
*Is this kid out of his mind?*
Qin Xiao was even more bewildered. *Is this how the heir to Rin'guchi Heavy Industries behaves?*
What Qin Xiao didn't know was that Kouhei Hishiguchi's life had been a tragedy. He was Rin'guchi Shunsuke's illegitimate son, and his mother had died early. Kouhei had once had a son, but the child had died in old age, a devastating blow.
By chance, Rin'guchi Shunsuke eventually found Kouhei Hishiguchi. But by then, Kouhei had spent years drifting through society, mired in drugs, fights, and gambling, a true lowlife.
Suddenly gaining such a father, and with Rin'guchi Shunsuke driven by guilt to compensate him, you can only imagine how twisted Kouhei Hishiguchi's personality had become.
Qin Xiao laughed in the face of his fury, his voice dripping with amusement as he addressed Kouhei Hishiguchi.
"You're threatening me? I suggest you call your father first. If he learns you're threatening me, he'll definitely give you a good spanking when you get home, kid!"
Qin Xiao gently patted Kouhei Hishiguchi's face twice.
His tone suddenly shifted.
"Get out of my sight immediately, and I'll pretend you never said anything. Otherwise..."
Qin Xiao didn't finish his threat, simply staring at Kouhei Hishiguchi with the look of a dead man.
To his surprise, Kouhei Hishiguchi only grew more defiant.
Instead of leaving, he grabbed Qin Xiao by the collar and snarled, "How dare you threaten me, you damn Chink..."
*Bang!*
The moment the word "Chink" left his lips, Qin Xiao's eyes flashed with fury.
In the next instant, Kouhei Hishiguchi was sent flying backward, soaring from the second-to-last row of the venue all the way to the stage at the front.
Fortunately, the venue was designed like a theater, with the back rows higher than the front. Otherwise, he would have crashed into countless spectators.
The auctioneer was intently describing the next item when a sudden *whoosh* cut through the air.
A figure flew past him and slammed into the wall behind him.
Then, like a boneless sack, he slid down the several-meter-high wall in a heap.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)