"Maybe no one will bid on it, and it'll be left unsold," Xu Yang reassured him.
"That would be even better! Unsold is best! My painting isn't worth that much money at all!" Ishi Yoshikawa said in a fluster.
"1.05 million!"
"2 million!"
"6 million!" Various business tycoons called out, revealing their psychological price points.
"These rich folks must have had an epiphany. They probably see some profound philosophy of life in your painting, so they want to buy it home and analyze it carefully," Xu Yang said to Ishi Yoshikawa.
Ishi Yoshikawa held his breath. He rubbed his eyes, hardly believing what was happening.
Fixating on the broadcast screen, he watched as real estate developers, celebrities, renowned collectors, and art connoisseurs competed for his creation.
No one had anticipated that this painting, initially just hanging in a side corridor of the charity auction with a batch of overlooked artworks, priced humbly at only 3,000, would create such a stir.
