HLM – Chapter 1002 An Unexpected Incident

Wang Bo’s luck was quite good. After he accepted the raised bid, the price only increased by 1.8 million NZD, and no one continued to bid afterward.

The Westerners attending the auction could see that the three Chinese bidders were determined to win this brush washer. Competing with them would only drive the price higher, so those who were originally interested gave up.

Wang Bo let out a sigh of relief and said, “I was really afraid they’d keep raising the price. If I ended up making an enemy out of someone because of this, that’d be really interesting.”

Yang Zhilong said, “That won’t happen. As long as we push to the limit of their psychological price range, they’ll naturally give up. After all, we have no grudges between us. These auctions are meant to expand networks and build connections—no one wants to make enemies over a bid.”

Ye Qipeng also said, “Unless we run into someone who already has a grudge against us and happens to show up at the auction, malicious bidding won’t happen.”

A thought occurred to Wang Bo. “Then why don’t auction companies invite people’s enemies? Wouldn’t that be an easy way to drive prices up?”

Immediately, both Yang Zhilong and Ye Qipeng looked at him with strange expressions.

Eva, unable to watch anymore, explained, “Doing that would offend both sides. And it would also offend other clients—people come here to look for art they love, not to watch some revenge drama.”

In short, everyone got what they wanted from this auction.

Wang Bo spent 1.8 million, but he didn’t feel distressed at all. After all, Ye Qipeng had just contributed 2 million NZD to Sunset Town’s sewer construction fund. Wang Bo actually earned 200,000 back.

But for Yang Zhilong, Wang Bo’s contribution meant something entirely different.

This felt like fighting a battle together and winning side by side—they now had the bond of comrades, and their relationship reached a new level.

The brush washer by Huang Tingjian was considered a piece of Chinese heritage. After completing the payment, Ye Qipeng said he would donate it to the National Museum, in the names of all three of them.

Wang Bo did need such a gesture—it also framed him as a patriotic overseas Chinese.

Later, Yang Zhilong earnestly expressed his thanks. Upon learning that Ye Qipeng was heading to Sunset Town for a short vacation, he decided to hitch a ride and take a look as well.

Wang Bo, however, stayed in Wellington to participate in the next day’s ANZAC Day events.

ANZAC Day originated from the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I and is a shared holiday of Australia and New Zealand. Every year on April 25, both countries have a public holiday and honor their fallen soldiers.

In 1915, during World War I, the ANZAC forces landed at Gallipoli in the Aegean Sea. Due to a navigational error, they landed a full mile north of the intended site.

What was supposed to be a beach and gentle slope turned out to be cliffs, placing the small group of Turkish defenders in an advantageous position.

As ANZAC forces attempted to establish a foothold, it quickly became clear that advancing was impossible. After eight months of stalemate, the coalition withdrew, leaving behind tens of thousands of fallen soldiers.

Although they were just a small portion of the half-million coalition soldiers involved, the impact on Australia and New Zealand was severe—New Zealand sent about one million people overseas, suffering the highest casualty and death rates relative to population among all countries participating in the war.

Australia wasn’t far behind, having one of the highest casualty rates in the war.

At dawn, Wang Bo put on a solemn black suit and went to meet the Green Party delegation.

Eva wore a black suit as well, paired with black stockings and a vintage-style fascinator popular among European noblewomen during WWI—her way of paying tribute to that era.

The commemoration began before sunrise—about half an hour prior, because the Gallipoli battle had started at dawn. The event was held at New Zealand’s national cemetery. Participants formed a procession and marched together toward the site.

Veterans also took part, especially WWII veterans. They were the most respected attendees of the day, wearing retro military uniforms and medals. Those with mobility issues rode in Jeeps at the front of the procession.

Those Jeeps were all WWII-era U.S. Willys Jeeps. No one knew where the New Zealand government found so many vintage vehicles, but they managed to form an entire convoy.

ANZAC Day was a major event in New Zealand—even the British royal family sent representatives. Attending were Princess Eugenie and Hugo Lancaster, whom Wang Bo had met before. They were present on behalf of the royal family to mourn the fallen.

Thinking about it, soldiers of Australia and New Zealand were truly unlucky. Both world wars were conflicts of the northern hemisphere and had nothing to do with them.

But due to their ties to Britain, they had no choice but to send large numbers of troops. The British were aware of this responsibility, which was why royal representatives were always sent for the ceremony.

Wang Bo felt like the person with the least sense of belonging in the procession. China had the highest number of WWII casualties—he was interested in paying tribute to Chinese heroes. As for New Zealand’s fallen? They had nothing to do with him.

Still, he was called to the front of the procession because Hugo Lancaster remembered him and invited him up for a brief chat.

Everyone except the veterans walked on foot—including Princess Eugenie.

Wang Bo greeted her respectfully. She smiled gently and said, “Hello, Mayor Wang. It’s lovely to see you again. I hope you and my fiancé get along well. He’s not exactly the easiest person to deal with.”

Hugo Lancaster’s handsome face showed a slight, stiff smile. He wasn’t someone who expressed emotions easily.

“It’s been a while. How is Gerard?” Lancaster asked bluntly.

“I think he’s doing well,” Wang Bo replied. “He’s joined the police force in Sunset Town and is performing very well. He’s now in charge of training the military dogs.”

Hearing this, Lancaster’s smile grew much brighter. “Ha! You have a good eye, Mayor Wang. Gerard is absolutely suited for that job. He loves dogs more than—”

Before he finished, Wang Bo suddenly noticed a group of people rushing out of a side alley.

The procession was marching along one of Wellington’s main streets, which led straight to the national cemetery. The street had many small side paths, and these people emerged from one of them.

They appeared just as the veteran convoy was passing the intersection—dozens of bare-chested men charged into the vehicle line waving flags.

Their bodies were smeared with brightly colored paint, covered in protest slogans.

Wang Bo didn’t have time to read them. As soon as he saw them appear, he immediately knew something was wrong.

The elderly veterans in front didn’t react in time. Someone even jumped onto one of the Jeeps, startling the old soldier inside.

Wang Bo rushed forward, grabbed the man, and yanked him down.

“Get back!” he shouted.