Chapter 154: Proud of Life

Early in the morning, Zhang Yang woke up.

Coincidentally, the Christie’s auction that evening was being held at the Waldorf Astoria itself, so there was no need to go anywhere else.

He got up leisurely and gently moved away the fair arm and long legs draped across his chest.

What was last night called?

This was called returning late in delight, accidentally wandering deep into a lotus pond.

“Young Master Zhang, you’re awake.” Liu Duoduo also sat up on the bed. Her long legs shimmered like jade in the morning light, glowing with a pale luster.

“Yeah, I’m always disciplined. I do morning exercise every day.” Zhang Yang said casually.

“I can tell. Only disciplined people deserve a body like yours.” Liu Duoduo smiled and leaned over again.

“What are you two doing so early in the morning?” Zhong Ling was awakened by the noise.

As soon as she opened her eyes and saw Liu Duoduo looking like she wanted to monopolize him, her mind cleared immediately. She snorted softly and also climbed over.

Originally, Zhang Yang had woken up at six.

But after all that chaos, by the time he finished showering, it was already almost eight.

“Honestly… no sense of time at all.”

Inside Dahuchun Shengjian restaurant, Zhang Yang muttered to himself while eating pan-fried buns.

In the large restaurant, he alone sat with two stunning girls having breakfast. Both girls had flushed cheeks and looked like they had just exercised.

Naturally, it drew attention.

“That’s why being handsome lets you do whatever you want.” a group of tourists nearby whispered.

In their eyes, a handsome guy like him eating breakfast with beautiful girls was normal.

But bringing two at once was a bit high-profile.

After finishing their meal, those tourists passed by and noticed the Rolls-Royce car key casually placed on the table.

“Never mind then.”

“No wonder.”

Handsome and rich-that combination was simply unbeatable.

Zhang Yang had no idea that, in the eyes of strangers, he had unknowingly played multiple roles.

He casually played with the car key while completing the entry application for that evening’s Christie’s auction. He could simply go there later.

“By the way, where are you two going afterward?” Zhang Yang chatted casually with the girls.

Both girls came from wealthy families and were students at NYU Shanghai.

NYU Shanghai was the branch campus of New York University in Shanghai. With tuition around two hundred thousand a year and a seventy percent overseas study rate, most students there came from well-off families planning to study abroad.

“Probably heading back to campus first.” Liu Duoduo said.

“Same here. I have a class later this morning.” Zhong Ling said.

Zhang Yang was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected the two girls to party so wildly but still take their studies seriously.

“Alright then, I’ll take you to get your cars later.” Zhang Yang nodded.

Although their families weren’t extremely wealthy, they were far from merely comfortable. In the eyes of ordinary people, they were genuine rich beauties. Naturally, they weren’t materialistic and didn’t need him to take them shopping or anything like that.

What happened last night was simply about having fun and enjoying the moment together.

That felt pretty good.

A moment later, after breakfast, Zhang Yang took them to retrieve their cars.

“See you next time, Young Master Zhang.”

Before leaving, two pretty faces leaned close, and Zhang Yang received a kiss on each cheek.

Passersby turned their heads in surprise.

Zhang Yang didn’t even check out of the hotel room. For convenience, he simply returned to the hotel, planning to go downstairs directly to the auction that evening.

Inside the hotel suite, the madness of the previous night still lingered in the air.

Zhang Yang shook his head and took out his phone, checking the activity in the Rolls-Royce car club group.

At the moment, Su Shiqi was posting photos from yesterday’s event.

These days, every car club gathering involved taking tons of photos. Many people cared about maintaining their social media presence, and these event photos were essentially a kind of personal calling card.

If ordinary car clubs did this, it was even more so for a Rolls-Royce car club.

The group photos included champagne towers, girls in swimsuits, the party venue, and a massive group photo with dozens of Rolls-Royces in the background. The atmosphere looked incredible.

Posting those photos on social media could easily get hundreds of likes.

Zhang Yang looked through them and casually posted a few to his own feed.

As soon as he refreshed the page, likes and comments poured in.

Why stay low-key?

There was no need.

His family already knew about the tens of millions he made from the jade stones-it was a fact. As for his classmates and friends, ever since that last gathering he hadn’t hidden anything. The group chat was full of old classmates wanting to get close to him.

As for the many contacts in his friend list that he barely even remembered adding-

Did he really need to care about them?

Brother Yang is amazing!

Pool party, bikini girls, damn… even the air smells like money. I don’t even have dream material for a party like that.

Brother Yang, you’re my only channel to understand the rich world.

Old Zhang, I kneel.

Some comments were from complete strangers, like this one:

Hello, when did we add each other? In that last group photo, are you in it?

Zhang Yang had no impression of that girl, but judging from her social feed, her life looked colorful-constantly flying between countries and traveling everywhere, never missing a chance to showcase her exciting lifestyle.

People often said you posted what you lacked.

Looking at the effort she put into carefully composed photos and constant updates, her real life was probably far less glamorous than what she displayed.

After suddenly realizing someone from a genuinely high-end circle existed in her friend list, the girl became so excited she started sending Zhang Yang private messages one after another, almost incoherent.

Zhang Yang felt a headache.

So he simply deleted and blocked her in one go.

Goodbye.

“Oh right, I might as well share this on Answerly too.” Zhang Yang suddenly thought.

He opened Answerly and updated his topic.

Update: Some records from my first time attending a Rolls-Royce car club gathering.

Zhang Yang selected some photos and posted them.

Not long after, comments appeared.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a down-to-earth rich person.

The OP’s language is simple, his attitude sincere, the photos are real. He’s genuinely following our advice and trying hard to be a qualified rich person.

Honestly, while reading this I suddenly felt my nose sting and burst into tears. Not long ago I was questioning and mocking the OP. I’ve finally realized that people like me are just keyboard warriors.

That final group photo shocked me. I’m curious-which one is the OP?

After reading the latest comments, Zhang Yang smiled and put down his phone.

He felt somewhat emotional.

These days, the gap between rich and poor wasn’t just reflected in real life.

Even in the virtual world, once your status and strength were confirmed, countless people would appear to flatter you. Every word was filled with envy for a life like his.

Human nature really had changed.

In the afternoon, Zhang Yang looked into the lots for the luxury watch auction.

This auction gathered famous watches from brands like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, and many other world-renowned pieces.

Prices ranged from hundreds of thousands to millions, even watch kings worth tens of millions.

Zhang Yang’s target was clear-the highlight of the auction.

Patek Philippe 5002R-014.

Unique and highly complicated.

An 18K rose gold dual-dial watch containing twelve functions, including a cathedral minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, retrograde date, moon phase, sidereal time, and star chart.

The black dial with diamond markers looked incredibly handsome.

Of course, the price was just as impressive.

Probably somewhere between twenty million and forty million.

Wearing a watch like that meant reaching the pinnacle of watches. As for those collector-level pieces worth over a hundred million… those were beyond discussion.

“As long as I want it, getting it shouldn’t be a problem.” Zhang Yang thought.

With the thirty-million limit of his watch coupon, he estimated this watch would likely stay below that price range.

Before heading to the auction in the evening, someone posted in the Rolls-Royce group chat.

Hello everyone, my luxury car care center is opening tomorrow. Feel free to come support us. Members of the group all get discounts!

Luxury cars were usually serviced at official dealerships.

But car washing and cosmetic detailing were exactly the kind of services a luxury car care center could handle. Besides, people who owned a Rolls-Royce rarely had just one car, so everyone in the group was a potential customer.

Zhang Yang glanced at the member who posted it and vaguely remembered him from the party the night before.

After the message was sent, many people in the group said they would go support him.

“Then I’ll just send a flower basket. After all, I’ll need a fixed maintenance center sooner or later.” Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

Anyone who dared to open a luxury car care center naturally had some real ability. Without the necessary skills, no one could take on that kind of work. That was the rule.

Zhang Yang kept it in mind.

Night fell, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Christie’s Watch and Jewelry Auction.

On stage, Ms. Chen, Christie’s official auctioneer dressed in a cheongsam, spoke with elegance and perfect rhythm as she auctioned a blue-dial Patek Philippe.

Below the stage, many bidders were placing their bids.

At the consignment seats nearby, people kept answering calls from off-site bidders and placing bids on their behalf.

The atmosphere on site was extremely lively.

Zhang Yang wasn’t interested in the current Patek Philippe on the stage. Although the blue-dial watch looked beautiful, and its price of several million matched Zhang Yang’s impression of it.

After a round of bidding, this factory-sealed Patek Philippe with a blue dial was finally sold to an off-site bidder for just over three million.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, next we welcome the final lot of this auction.” Ms. Chen began introducing the last item.

The atmosphere in the hall was quickly stirred up, and low murmurs spread among the bidding seats.

Moments later, the Patek Philippe 5002R-014 started bidding at the highest starting price of the night-twenty million.

However, there were very few bidders, even though the hall buzzed with discussion.

This was not surprising. Those watches starting at hundreds of thousands or a few million could easily attract bids from people attending the auction. After all, wealthy people were everywhere.

But what about this watch?

This was a watch king starting at twenty million.

To have the qualification to wear a watch worth tens of millions on one’s wrist meant being an extremely powerful figure. Such people might not even personally attend this auction.

Sure enough, Zhang Yang saw no one from the bidding seats raising their cards. Throughout the process, the only bids came from the consignment seats, where off-site tycoons were calling in their bids-so-called mysterious buyers.

“I was careless. I shouldn’t have come personally.” Zhang Yang shook his head, realizing he hadn’t thought things through.

Well, whatever. If it meant being high-profile, so be it. He would be more careful next time.

Zhang Yang dismissed the other thoughts and focused on the auction in front of him, waiting for the right moment to bid.

Very soon, the Patek Philippe that started at twenty million was easily raised to twenty-five million.

“Twenty-five million five hundred thousand, any higher bids? Twenty-five million five hundred thousand, once…” Ms. Chen raised the auction hammer.

Zhang Yang lifted his bidding paddle.

“Twenty-six million!” Ms. Chen’s voice became more excited.

The phone at the consignment seat rang again.

“Alright, twenty-six million five hundred thousand. Any higher bids? Twenty-six million five hundred thousand, once…”

Zhang Yang raised his paddle again.

“Twenty-seven million! Bidder number six offers twenty-seven million! Any higher bids?” Ms. Chen raised the hammer high and asked several times.

The hall finally fell silent.

“Sold!”

The hammer fell, and Zhang Yang smiled.

Everyone thought the highest-priced lot of the auction had just been sold, but for him, after using the 90%-off coupon, he only paid 2.7 million.

He had made a huge profit.

Of course, there were still additional fees charged to the buyer, but for Zhang Yang it was still an enormous bargain.

Countless eyes in the hall turned toward him.

Tall, handsome, with a temperament shining like stars in the night.

A person with such presence was clearly the buyer himself, not some assistant bidding on behalf of someone else.

Zhang Yang didn’t stay long. Since he had successfully secured the watch he had already chosen beforehand, he would just complete the procedures afterward.

So he quickly stood up and left the hall.

Later that evening, after going through the complicated procedures, Zhang Yang finally used the 90%-off watch coupon and obtained the Patek Philippe that had sold for twenty-seven million.

Night fell again, inside the hotel room.

Zhang Yang put on the Patek Philippe worth twenty-seven million and admired how the black-and-red dial and diamond markers glowed under the lights and night sky.

At the hour, the watch released the melodious sound of cathedral bells. It was hard to imagine such a deep tone coming from such a small watch.

He let out a soft breath, feeling both emotional and complicated.

Life had many firsts-from the joy of owning his first Porsche to the excitement of his first luxury watch.

And a first watch worth tens of millions was undoubtedly a new milestone.

“Life…” he sighed softly.

He gently grasped his left wrist with his right hand, feeling the cool touch and the faint vibration of the watch. His heart surged with emotion, as if it could hold the sun and moon, and his eyes shone with light.