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“It would be helpful if tonight at dinner you could tell the group that you’ve given me your brother’s notebook Or if anyone asks about it, just tell them to come see me”

“But I didn’t give it to you”

There was stupid and there was beyond stupid, Hulan thought “Can you just do as I ask?”

“I’ll do whatever you want if you let me stay here”

It was a bargain Hulan could live with

DAVID SCANNED THE ROOM AND SAW THAT STUART MILLER AND Madaht rows from the front He made his way to the with everything Ma had said This case had see, but noas being asked by a Ministry of State Security agent to retrieve the ruyi without waiting until the courts opened on Monday How exactly was David supposed to do that? Why would he do that? What was it about the ruyi that was so important to the Ministry of State Security? The ministry’s mandate was to ensure the stability and security of the state by preventing foreign-inspired conspiracies, subversion, and sabotage David simply didn’t see how the Site 518 ruyi could play a part in any of that

The catalog had stated that the auction would take place froht two hours was an underestis would indeed move very quickly Fitzwilliams was already on Lot 12—a seventeenth-century bronze Lohan seated on a Fu lion A projection of the figure filled the screen on the left side of the podiu incre dollars to one US dollar, and then the equivalent in pounds, euros, and yen

Fitzwilliaone His body undulated froh the air as he acknowledged different bids in a sonorous voice “Fifty thousand, fifty-five thousand, sixty thousand to you, sir Sixty thousand Do I have any advance on sixty thousand?”

“Here, sir,” a man called out frorove’s e on this lot, others were dialing and getting ready for the next lot, while a few simply sat and waited for their customers’ lots to come up later Those on the phones cupped hands around their receivers, whichfloor hear theh Cosgrove’s employees, in this moment they worked on behalf of customers at the other end of the line

“Sixty-five thousand, sixty-five thousand, sixty-five thousand Anyone else? Are we all through then? Fair warning to you” Fitzwilliaht the ha”

The ave Fitzwilliams the bidder’s number, and it was on to Lot 13—a blue-and-white porcelain vase, which sold in less than a minute for just under the published estimated price of HK1,500

Stuart leaned over and whispered, “This next one should be interesting”

Lot 14 was also a blue-and-white porcelain, but instead of co Dynasty, it had a hua period This particular piece had been exhibited in London, New York, Washington, DC, and here in Hong Kong as part of an international tour It was being sold from the private collection of sorandfather had been in the China trade The catalog estimated that the boould sell for between HK15it the most expensive piece in the auction

At the front of the room, split-screen photos showed the bowl’s silhouette and interior To David’s left, eight employees on the phones waited to bid for people not in attendance Fitzwilliams also explained that he had several bids on the books— for absentee customers who’d submitted written bids

The action was lively and fast, with Fitzwillia the crowd like a snake charmer Paddles lifted here and there about the room The men and women on the phones raised their hands periodically to indicate that their bidders were going up another incre had reached HK15 million