"Welcome everyone to the charity auction of the Fruit Charity Foundation. I'm your host for today, Ivanka."
This charity auction attracted many celebrities and prominent figures: Tom Cruise and his wife, Leonardo DiCaprio and his new girlfriend, the Melon Estate sisters, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and more.
George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, even David Ellison and Michael Ovitz were present.
Though Kelly Ross was reluctant, she had no choice but to attend. After all, Gilbert had delivered excellent results for Warner Bros. this year, so her presence was required.
Robert Iger, Kevin Feige, and other executives of Hollywood giants were also in attendance.
Even more noteworthy, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos were present.
Today's charity auction could be called a grand gathering of West Coast celebrities, and East Coast luminaries were also well represented.
The event was naturally filled with media reporters—after all, if you're putting on a show, people need to see it; otherwise, what's the point of arranging all this?
"Next, please welcome the founder of this charity auction, Director Gilbert Landrini, to the stage to give a speech."
Amid warm applause, Gilbert stepped onto the stage.
"In the past, I have always been committed to the development of charitable work. I hope that through my influence, I can encourage more people to pay attention to other parts of the world.
In many of these places, people still cannot afford basic meals, children cannot receive proper education, and they cannot enjoy what our children can—watching TV, reading comics, or playing games.
I have always emphasized that charity is a process, meant to ensure that those who need help receive it.
This time, I personally went to China to witness the immense disaster.
Although cultures differ, although countries differ, we are all human, part of a shared destiny.
I hope everyone can be kind-hearted, set aside prejudices, and extend a helping hand. Thank you all."
Applause rose again as Gilbert stepped down from the stage.
Steve Jobs, clapping, said to Gilbert, "I like your concept—shared destiny, very sophisticated wording."
"That's not my original idea," Gilbert said. "In fact, it was proposed by a prominent figure in China, and I think it makes perfect sense.
We must understand one concept: Earth's resources are limited, and sooner or later, we will exhaust what Mother Earth has given us.
We have two choices: either die on Earth, or venture outward."
"So that's why you and that guy named Elon Musk are into space exploration?"
"He might be doing it for the stock market; I just like toys. Rockets are my toys," Gilbert said, inviting, "So, how about it? Interested in joining?"
Jobs declined, "No thanks, I'd better focus on running Apple."
The charity auction soon began, and most of the items were provided by tonight's guests.
For example, George Lucas offered early design drafts of Star Wars, Spielberg provided a treasured record of the famous male tenor Harry Lillis Krause from the 1920s–30s.
Most eye-catching of all was Larry Fink, whose collection surprised everyone.
"The item provided by Mr. Larry Fink is an ancient Chinese bronze artifact, over two thousand years old."
As the item was introduced, Larry Fink stood and gestured to the crowd. Gilbert looked back curiously, and Larry Fink nodded at him.
"This man is the founder of BlackRock; I've had dealings with him," Jobs, clearly recognizing him, said. "He's one of those people who want to divide up our assets."
"What does that mean?" Gilbert asked.
"Not sure," Jobs shrugged. "Perhaps he's trying to make a goodwill gesture to win your favor?"
"Is that so?" Gilbert was unconcerned.
The item Gilbert contributed was not nearly as valuable as Larry Fink's—it was merely an experimental film reel he shot during his college years.
Unexpectedly, because of this reel, the Melon Estate women nearly came to blows with Larry Fink.
Earlier auctions went smoothly, raising a significant amount for charity.
When Gilbert's item was brought up for auction, Naomi Watts and others naturally refused to let it go to outsiders.
The starting bid was five thousand dollars. Naomi Watts made her move: "One hundred thousand dollars."
Generally, when someone shows such strong intent, others wisely do not compete. But today was different—Larry Fink stepped in.
He raised his paddle and shouted, "One million dollars."
The crowd was shocked at this price.
This so-called experimental film was practically worthless; what made it valuable was Gilbert's name. Naomi Watts bid, clearly intending not to let outsiders have it.
But who would have thought that Larry Fink would suddenly jump in?
Gilbert frowned and whispered to Jobs, "Something's off. Watch the situation and act if needed."
Jobs nodded in understanding. Nothing had gone beyond Gilbert's expectations. Soon, the reel's price soared to five million dollars, the highest among tonight's auction items so far.
Naomi Watts glared at Larry Fink, who clearly intended to win this item, yet he was smiling. This infuriated the Melon Estate sisters to no end.
"Wow, looks like Naomi and the others are about to scratch Mr. Fink alive," Tom Cruise said, watching the scene with interest.
Nicole Kidman commented, "You're just watching?"
"Of course not—I'm joining in."
Before Tom Cruise could step in, Jobs stood up and ended the game.
"Ten million dollars."
"Whoa!"
The crowd gasped. Ten million dollars could have bought the bronze artifact Larry Fink offered but instead, it was just for an experimental film reel.
Seeing Gilbert's signal, the women from the Melon Estate stopped bidding. Larry Fink, noticing it was Jobs, also did not continue bidding.
Jobs sat down and joked with Gilbert, "You owe me this money."
Gilbert, looking completely unconcerned, replied, "Steve, have some heart. You're contributing to charity."
The final auction item was the bronze artifact itself. Perhaps knowing Gilbert's appreciation for Chinese culture, Larry Fink brought it to catch Gilbert's attention.
It was a bronze vessel, a typical covered oval pot from the Western Zhou dynasty, 58.5 cm tall. According to the introduction, this bronze pot had been part of the Ten Perfect Elders' collection and had later circulated outside.
Such bronzes are relatively rare, valuable, and highly sought after by collectors.
The auction price quickly reached 5.4 million dollars. Although not as high as fine porcelain, it was still an extremely high price.
Larry Fink was very eager, hoping Gilbert would bid and secure the item. Yet from start to finish, Gilbert never made a bid.
This left Larry Fink puzzled—what exactly was Gilbert thinking? Wasn't he interested in Chinese culture?
...
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