Looking at the long array of cars in front of him, Lu Li couldn't help but sigh lightly, he had only been in Texas for five days, and when he came back to New York again, he had already begun to feel uncomfortable. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoThe vast traffic jam scene in front of him can be called a scene of New York, and after a few years of studying here, he gradually began to get used to it, but at this time, Lu Li couldn't help but start to miss the spacious and empty streets of New Bronfels.

Looking up, the gray-blue sky of New York revealed an inexplicable oppression, the sparse sunlight seemed to be spilling down because it had penetrated the steel forest, and the feeling of weakness made people almost imperceptible to warmth, even the air became sensitive, but it was not sure if it was a psychological effect or a real thing, not to mention that the densely crowded human head had accumulated all the space in the line of sight to the extreme, making people breathless.

Lu Li couldn't help but start planning in his mind when he would be able to go back to the ranch.

He is now in his senior year, and the internship part has been successfully completed, but there will be some exchanges with the "New York Observer" next, and the editor in charge of his internship is quite optimistic about him, because he has both the heritage of Eastern culture and the color of Western education, and he does have unique insights on cross-cultural communication, especially in recent years, the influence of China/China has gradually increased, and the face that was previously covered with a thin veil has gradually become clear. Before the spring break, he owed the New York Observer a report on the strange shopping extravaganza of China's Singles' Day, which was due on Wednesday.

In addition, he has no classes in the second half of the semester, and if the credits are enough, he needs to focus on the writing of his graduation thesis, and before leaving New York, he must meet with the professor to make sure that the thesis proposal and research direction are correct, and then he can go to the ranch and slowly complete the writing of the thesis.

So, he's going to be in New York for at least a week or two. It's a little longer than you think. Thinking of this, Lu Li couldn't help but smile dumbly, he had just left the ranch, and he couldn't wait to go back? But it didn't hurt to stay here for a while, he could go to the library to check the information, and have a clearer idea of the next development plan of the ranch.

While driving, while thinking wildly, the time of traffic jam will not be so difficult. Despite this, Lu Li is still a little helpless, usually it only takes twenty minutes to arrive, but today it took an hour and fifteen minutes, the spring break is over today, and the students are starting to come back one after another, and the traffic jam is really a headache.

Lu Li didn't go straight back to his residence, but drove directly to Sotheby's.

When he was still at the ranch, Sotheby's called him to inform him that the "Entrance of the Masquerade Dancer" had been verified to be authentic, which was really good news, and it also meant that the painting had officially entered the pre-auction publicity operation, and they invited Lu Li to come to the auction house in person to talk about the details of the subsequent auction.

The one who came out to greet Lu Li was still a familiar face, Jennifer.

"You look like you've just had a really nice holiday. Jennifer could feel that the aura on Lu Li's body had changed subtly, and she opened with a small teasing smile.

Lu Li nodded and replied in the affirmative, "You can say that." "It's not Miami, it's not sunny and sandy, but the ranch life is really enjoyable.

"That's one of the reasons why I miss my school days, winter break, summer vacation, spring break, those crazy years. Jennifer's smiling words were light-hearted, "But, after coming out to work, all this is gone." I now even go to the bar for a drink and have to figure out whether I want to go to work tomorrow. God, TGIF (Thank-God-It's-Friday)' is the only hope in life right now. ”

While Jennifer is joking, there's no denying that this is the reality. After entering the society, work is getting busier and busier, life pressure is getting heavier and heavier, and many times, people even forget themselves, forget to relax, forget to be happy, and at the same time forget their goals, forget their happiness, and just live in a state of confusion and ignorance.

Lu Li was very glad that he had the opportunity to choose, and he thought that he had made the right choice.

"I thought you were going to work on the weekends, too. Lu Li had no intention of discussing it in depth, but replied with a joke.

With such humor, Jennifer was instantly amused, "What you say is the truth, I've been working for sixteen days straight. However, I don't think I will have the opportunity to take a vacation anytime soon. Because for the next week, your Degas will be the center of gravity for me. ”

"As much as I would like to persuade you to take a day off tomorrow to relax, I have decided to keep my mouth shut, given the price of Degas's auction. Lu Li's words made Jennifer laugh directly again.

While talking, the two of them came to the reception room, the room is not large, and the decoration is very elegant, with an off-white tone with warm yellow and light red, which is easy to relax.

After sitting down, Jennifer turned on the computer and called up some information, "Here are some pictures we took after completing the identification, if you like it, you can keep it as a souvenir." Because it wasn't long before the painting changed hands. Jennifer showed a playful smile, because of Lu Li's humor, her tone was more casual, "At present, this painting is being exhibited in a private gallery that we have been working with for a long time, if you are interested, I will give you a business card in a moment, you can visit your door." ”

The so-called private gallery means that only people who have reached a certain class can enter and exit. This detail shows the importance that Sotheby's attaches to the painting "Entrance of the Masquerade Dancer".

Sure enough, Jennifer's next words confirmed Lu Li's conjecture, "We have sent out invitations to some famous collectors in Europe, and they are coming to New York one after another. This Degas is so rare that many people have heard its name, but only a small number of people have been able to see it. So, there are really a lot of interested people this time. ”

This is good news, and perhaps, the final price of this painting will exceed expectations.

"The exhibition will run until next Wednesday, and then we will send out invitations to select buyers to participate in our private auctions, depending on the situation. Jennifer continued, "This time we will also be auctioning off several other treasures, including an accessory excavated from ancient Egypt. However, in terms of value, Degas is our ultimate big axis, so trust us, we will do our best to spread the word. I wonder if you're interested in going to the auction?"

"Hehe, I'll forget it. Lu Li knew that if it was just an ordinary auction, then it would be harmless for him to experience it, and he could increase his knowledge, but after a private auction like this had reached a certain level, even if Lu Li attended, he might not be able to gain anything. "When is the auction scheduled?"

"The day after St. Patrick's Day. Jennifer replied.

It was March 18th, and there were still nine days to go, which was basically in line with his next trip, and the next time he went to the ranch, he would have enough funds to carry out the initial construction of the ranch.

Lu Li nodded, "Then the rest will be left to you." ”

"Of course. Jennifer smiled decently, "Our goal is to sell for more than $10 million for this piece." ”

Lu Li's eyes couldn't help but show surprise, the original estimate was around five million or six million, if he crossed the threshold of 10 million in one breath now, it would be doubled, which was really an unexpected surprise.

As if to understand the meaning of Lu Li's expression, Jennifer added, "Rare things are expensive, and the same is true in the field of art." This is enough to answer Lu Li's question, it seems that the rarity of this Degas is still above the first estimate.

"For me, that's good news. Lu Li's frank answer made both sides smile, and in a friendly atmosphere, they ended today's meeting.

After bidding farewell to Sotheby's, Lu Li first went home to take care of himself, washed off his dust, and then rested and adjusted, and decided to go to the olive garden.

To be honest, he had a pleasant time working at the Olive Garden, not only because it provided him with a job and eased the stress of his life, but also because he got along very well with his colleagues and immediate bosses – with the exception of Al. Now, he has decided to resign, but at least he can go over and say goodbye to everyone, and maybe meet on different occasions in the future, even if not, to express his gratitude.

Standing at the familiar door of the olive garden again, Lu Li sighed a little, the changes in his life are really unexpected, isn't it?

Some people may use the position of a waiter as a springboard to seek better development opportunities, some people may be trapped in the position of a waiter all their lives, crushing their backbones for life, and some people may just experience life and feel the feeling of hard work with their own hands, and then quit their jobs and embark on a completely different life path......

These used to be other people's stories, but now they really happened to Lu Li's own. Although Lu Li has different options as a journalism student, it is not easy for Asian-Americans to find white-collar jobs in the United States, let alone in a news industry where racial and gender discrimination is particularly serious.

Therefore, Lu Li also thought about it, what if he couldn't get rid of the position of waiter for the rest of his life? What if serving the plate was his only way to survive? The confusion and panic in the future are like a knife gate hanging on his head, and no one knows when it will fall.

Only now, the situation is very different. Just a few days ago, he was a waiter with an uncertain future, but now, he is worth more than a million - if not tens of millions of dollars, and truly holds his future in his own hands. In the journey of life, you never know what will happen at the next turn.