Chapter 266 Whale Auction
Boss Parker called the receptionist of the auction and asked them to help with parking. Zhang Ailun naturally did not refuse. He handed the car keys to the receptionist, then walked into the auction with Parker and found that there were already many people gathering in the hall, talking and laughing.
As soon as Zhang Ailun came in with Boss Parker, he became the focus of everyone's attention. The chief leader also found many familiar faces.
Many Hollywood socialites and internet celebrities who were seen at the last auction were wearing exquisite makeup and gowns, sitting on chairs to take pictures, and from time to time they would chat and laugh with some company executives.
It's like coming here to eat for free.
After getting a ticket, they would come on time no matter it was a wedding or funeral, rain or shine, as long as the auction was scheduled. This can be considered a characteristic of the upper class, they are basically indispensable at celebrity gatherings.
Not only that, they are also well-informed. There is a leader in the circle who has a lot of connections and can basically talk to everyone. They know clearly who is the new rich man, who is pretending to be rich without any money, who is about to go bankrupt, what assets are there at home, and how much wealth is in the bank card. They share information with each other and go after you with a purpose.
They naturally knew something about the chief leader, and got the news from others indirectly, and then shared it in the socialite group. They knew that he was a billionaire, and they noticed him as soon as he came in. And they put it into action, surrounded him and started to say hello.
"Hey! Mr. King. Hello!"
"Mr. Jin, do you have time to chat now?"
Zhang Ailun did not refuse and nodded with a smile. With rice in his pocket, he was soon surrounded by chickens looking for food.
"Mr. Jin, why didn't you contact me when I gave you my business card and phone number last time?" A tall and hot brown-haired beauty greeted the chief leader.
"Is that true? I'm sorry, there were too many people here and I may not have noticed you. This lady is really beautiful and has a great figure. She shouldn't be angry with me." Zhang Ailun smiled slightly.
"Of course I won't be angry, because we are not familiar with each other yet. I have always had a good impression of Mr. Jin. I have time tonight. After the auction, we can go out for a walk together. I know a theme restaurant that serves delicious grilled steaks." The other party's purpose was already very clear, and he directly made a direct invitation to the chief leader.
You want to eat steak? You want to eat me.
From their eyes, the leader could not see any unnecessary impulsive emotions, only the burning desire for the entry ticket to the upper class and the desire to live the leisurely life of a rich man's wife.
They just want to find a wealthy and excellent family for their future children. What's wrong with them?
"I'm sorry, I have an appointment tonight, maybe next time?" Zhang Ailun said.
"Okay, but don't forget me next time. You can remember my phone number with your eyes or your phone." The beauty came over directly, lifted her skirt, raised her thighs, and teased the leader passionately and boldly. Zhang Ailun looked down and saw a string of numbers tattooed on the inside of his thigh, and a small butterfly.
Damn it.
Thanks to the great concentration of the chief leader, he was not affected at all and took a photo from the other party. He smiled slightly: "I will, dear, what's your name? Maybe I will invite you to take my Lamborghini to the villa in Xingang when I have time."
The socialite happily introduced herself: "My name is Mandy."
"I'll remember you, baby."
Zhang Ailun was chatting and laughing with the hot socialites and internet celebrities, and a group of people soon gathered around him. In comparison, the boss of Parker next to him seemed a little bit out of place. He was alone with a wine glass, isolated and a little embarrassed.
This is the reality. Everyone knows that he is about to go bankrupt, has no capital, and is about to retire. Of course, others are not interested in him.
If nothing had happened to Parker Company, he would still be able to attract a lot of people. At least there would be no shortage of socialites who would come to him to have a double or even triple row with him.
The leader's charm was infinitely magnified at this moment, which naturally caused dissatisfaction among many people.
Buddy, are you eating alone?
Can you use so many?
Before you came, they were all around us trying to please us, even if they were kept hanging they were willing to do so, because they had money in their pockets, they were multi-millionaires, and they had the initiative. But as soon as you came, they all ran to you!
Good money drives out bad money, right?
I may not make an appointment with a socialite, but I can't live without her by my side.
How can I show my gentlemanliness and loyalty to my family if they don't surround me and I reject them twice? How can I let others know that I have money?
How can I let people know that I am an excellent and high-quality man who is free from vulgarity and then catch more fish.
Many people said sourly: "Who is this Asian? Is he rich and powerful?"
"You do business in the Fifth District, don't you know Mr. Jin?" someone said in surprise.
"Is he famous?" the company executive asked doubtfully. "I heard that there is indeed an oil tycoon in District 5. Could it be him? I have to say that I am really lucky."
"He's a relatively low-key billionaire. Besides that, he's also an investor in a local charity foundation, feeding hundreds of homeless people. He's the head of the largest vitality organization, and he was also invited by Senator Jackson himself to become a senior member of the Feather Club. I've wanted to meet him for a long time." said the man.
"Is he so important?"
Everyone gasped. The background of the chief leader surprised everyone, but they also breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, he is not in the business world."
"Who are you?" the person next to him asked in confusion.
"I'm the assistant to the Executive Yuan's fifth district councilor." The man smiled.
"Hello, hello. It's you, Mr. Assistant." The man quickly complimented and smiled.
The congressman's assistant smiled faintly and maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, not rejecting the goodwill of the crowd.
He also came to help out at the whale auction at the behest of the congressman. After all, the chairman of the whale auction has a good relationship with Johnson and they are on the same page. Every time a whale auction is held, he is basically invited to sit in the VIP seat to add to the fun, which also represents the congressman's recognition and attention.
He was always looking in the direction of the chief leader, and was also prepared to make himself familiar.
Zhang Ailun chatted and laughed with the socialites and internet celebrities, received their business cards and phone numbers, and noticed that Mr. Parker's position was a bit awkward, so he found an excuse to leave, and the socialites also left tactfully.
Just after walking a few steps, he saw a man rushing over and greeted him enthusiastically, "Hello, Mr. Jin, Mr. Jackson asked me to say hello to you on his behalf." Zhang Ailun had never seen this person before, and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
"I am the congressman's administrative assistant. You can just call me Kamo." The other party said with a smile on his face.
"Hello." Zhang Ailun extended his hand to avoid hitting a smiling person, and shook hands with him enthusiastically, "Isn't the congressman coming?"
"Mr. Congressman is still handling government affairs, so it is inconvenient for him to come. I usually come to such gatherings on his behalf." Camo said modestly.
Many people noticed this scene and realized that the other party was not only rich, but also powerful and well-connected, and was not easy to provoke.
Although many people are rich, it is not enough to just be rich. If you don’t have connections and are not in the same circle as others, you can’t even get in. What’s the point?
"That's right. I just happen to have a gift for the congressman. Can you bring it back to him for me? It's not a rare item, but it should be something he really needs." Zhang Ailun smiled and took out an apartment card from his pocket and handed it to the other party.
Boss Parker looked at this scene in amazement, and also noticed that the room card was exactly the one he had given to the chief leader before. Is the relationship to be given to the councillor?
Camo took it without changing his expression, held it in his hand and put it in his pocket, saying with a smile: "Mr. Jin, this is really thoughtful. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. I can serve you. This is my business card." He handed over the business card respectfully.
Zhang Allen put it away, took a look, and said with a smile: "Since you are all working for the congressman, you should be familiar with Cooper, right?"
"We have different responsibilities. I am an assistant working for the congressman, and Cooper is the director in charge of running the shelter business, but he and I are also good friends in private," Kamo explained.
"Ok." Zhang Ailun had no interest in understanding this. He only needed to know that one of them was a small loudspeaker assistant who represented the congressman to express political views, handle documents and was responsible for passing messages, and the other was a white glove.
But the congressman asked his assistant to come and meet him, which also represents his intention for in-depth cooperation.
In the future, the congressman will not need to make decisions on his own for some minor troubles, Camus can help solve them. Even if something goes wrong, it is Camus's unilateral wrong decision and has nothing to do with the congressman.
It's like this in the circle. You have to be cautious in everything you do to prevent others from catching you. There is always someone to take the blame. If you don't take the blame for the congressman, do you want him to take it himself? Then why does the congressman support you?
Work hard! Hone your skills at the grassroots level, and when the congressman retires in two years, he will use his connections to recommend you to compete for the new congressman! The success rate is very high!
Didn’t the current president also rise step by step from being the vice president?
Kamo is also an old classmate of the congressman, and they have a very close relationship. After all, the congressman also started from scratch, switching from a lawyer to compete for the position of congressman, and the people he arranges around him are all trustworthy grassroots people.
If things go as he pleases, there is a high probability that Kamo will become a candidate for parliament and take over the nomination election for the next parliament.
Otherwise, if someone else comes to power, even a political enemy, what if he liquidates himself after coming to power?
Zhang Ailun chatted with Camus for a few more sentences, then glanced at the time and found that many people had already started to take their seats. He also said, "The auction is about to begin, Mr. Camus, I'll excuse myself first. Parker, where are our reserved seats?" He turned around and asked Parker.
The other person stood next to him like a follower, with no aura at all.
"In the front row. I've already made arrangements. Mr. Jin, please follow me." Boss Parker hurriedly invited him to take his seat.
Kamo watched them leave, holding the apartment key card in his pocket, which was very heavy, and sighed. He turned around and ran to the circle of individual wealthy people next to him, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention, worshipped and admired by many people.
Zhang Alan and Boss Parker sat in the VIP seats in the front row. The auctioneer was also a blonde beauty with long legs. She politely greeted all the guests, introduced the auction process and rules, and also invited Camus to the stage to give a speech on behalf of the congressman to pay tribute.
After a few minutes of warm-up, the formal auction began.
"The first round of auction items is a pink diamond ring provided by the Las Vegas Jewelry Appraisal Authority. The main stone is a carat fancy oval modified cut pink diamond, set in 18k rose gold. The diamond color is Fanck Orangy Pink, and the purity is VVS1. The estimated market price is between $75 and $81. The starting price is $50, and the bidding price must not be less than $5000 each time."
Zhang Ailun had no interest in the items in the first dozen rounds of auction. He was simply admiring the auction items and the long legs walking around on the stage.
Most of the assets at the Whale Auction are risky items, that is, collateral or dirty items, which overlap with the nature of court auctions. The owners are basically those who have run away or have already been imprisoned due to problems.
Although the items being auctioned are not lower quality than those in other auctions, the prices are relatively cheaper and affordable, and you can often find bargains and buy them at low prices.
After all, it can be seen from the guests who came to participate in the auction this time that there is no capital verification process for admission, and their social status and influence are not high. There are not many big names, and even female stars did not attend.
Fortunately, there is the support of congressmen and Feather Club members behind the scenes. This is why the Whale Auction can continue for a long time and has a certain influence in Los Angeles. Those who participate will receive dividends every time.
From diamond jewelry to collectibles, round after round of items were projected onto the screen, with prices ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, and basically no more than five million. Until Parker was brought up.
"The company being auctioned this time is a recycling company with three sites and facilities in the suburbs, professional equipment and 35 employees. All departments have complete professional certificates and procedures. It has also signed contracts with 46 waste recycling stations in the city and suburbs, as well as 4 waste electronic metal scrapping treatment centers, 2 renewable energy recycling companies, 1 military industrial workshop, 1 electronics production company, and outsourced fleets."
"But Parker currently owes the bank $2060 million in debt. A fire on the site a week ago killed 12 employees, and the court ruled it a risky company. Currently, Parker's shares are held by Mr. Parker and his company executives, accounting for 97%, and the remaining 3% are held by retail investors. After the company pays the balance at the auction, the shares will be transferred by default. The buyer will have 97% of the company's shares and decision-making power. The market estimated price is $1460 million to $1850 million. The starting price is $1200 million, and each bid must not be less than $10."
The screen also showed projections and photos of the scene. The factory's assembly line sorting equipment had been cleaned up neatly. Even the electronic waste in the storage area was neatly stored in the alley.
There are dozens of tons of electronic waste, and the value after processing should be between US$20 and US$35.
But this little profit is just a drop in the bucket compared to the bank's debt, and it can be taken away by the bank at any time, and it is not enough to pay the daily interest.
As for scrap recycling stations, Zhang Ailun’s own recycling stations account for a few shares. Other electronic scraps are basically purchased in bulk from scrap processing centers. The filtered precious metals are sold to renewable energy companies and military industrial company workshops to make profits.
The operation mode is not much different from that of a recycling station. They both recycle resources from retail investors, process and filter out valuable items, and then sell them to other partners. The only difference is the scale and the people they come into contact with are also different.
Renewable energy companies recycle metals and make aluminum cans to sell to beverage companies. These cans are then put on shelves and bought by people, who then recycle them, forming a healthy cycle.
Military and electronics companies use gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium and the like in production lines, circuit boards, and the like to make computers and electronic equipment. Once they are broken, they are discarded and await recycling.
After the auctioneer introduced the details, those who were originally very interested in Parker Company lost interest in it.
It is totally not cost-effective to spend more than 2060 million US dollars to purchase a shabby shell venture company and repay the bank's debt of million US dollars.
The auction scene suddenly cooled down. Many people were sitting in the VIP seats, whispering and chatting, but none of them had the desire or intention to buy.
When Boss Parker saw this situation, his heart suddenly became very cold.
Completely spicy!!
(End of this chapter)
