Chapter 327: Journey South Part 5: Leaving with Regret

There was no tea in the hotel, so I made two cups of coffee.

After we sat down, I said, "If we want to analyze Hongzhi, we should first analyze Mr. Shu."

Mr. Chen nodded.

"Boss Shu has no connection to Shangzhou. I believe he's Chinese, a third-generation Chinese, but I don't believe he owns a jade factory in Thailand or a few jade shops in Mong Cai.

He's a black shop owner. He runs this restaurant and waits for customers to come and kill them."

Mr. Chen frowned. "According to you, Hongzhi informed him of our situation in advance?"

"Yes. That's probably the plan. He bribed tour guides like Hongzhi, not just one, but probably several.

When Hongzhi took us to Dongxing to stay, he had already informed Mr. Shu of the situation—where these guests came from and their economic power.

So, Boss Shu did his homework, first checking a map of Shangzhou, then researching its recent political and economic history. So, he could name Zhuangyuan Street and Nanli Town. He didn't know much else, but the customer could forgive him. After all, he said he'd only been there once.

Mr. Chen took a sip of coffee and handed me a cigarette. I lit it for him, and he took a deep drag, raising his own question: "But, whether to have Chinese or Vietnamese food, Hongzhi asked for my opinion. What if we have Vietnamese food?"

I burst out laughing. "Boss, he has two restaurants. They serve Vietnamese food, too. They also serve a Chinese dish at the end. When you're confused, the waiter will ask where you're from. They do the same with other guests, serving a Chinese dish at the end.

You said he was from upstate, and he clapped his hands and said his boss was also from upstate. Everything just clicked."

Mr. Chen took another deep drag on his cigarette and said thoughtfully, "Your reasoning makes sense."

I flicked the ash off my cigarette. "My reasoning goes beyond that. For example, when a few children surrounded Ning Jing, Hongzhi chased them away. When we asked the child how much the jade was worth, he said it was fake, only ten yuan. Even when we bargained, he told us the truth."

All of this shows that he is fair and honest. This is the first point.

Then, we see Boss Shu going upstairs, but Hongzhi doesn't go. This is to avoid embarrassment. This is the second point.

In the car, he didn't ask if we bought jade. According to the usual thinking, he would have asked. This is the third one.

He cannot circumvent these three doubts."

Mr. Chen stared at me and asked, "When did you see through Mr. Shu's flaw?"

"At first, I was a little skeptical, but I didn't see many flaws. It was when we talked about buying jade and he brought out a box of jade and asked everyone to distinguish between real and fake jade that I noticed he changed."

"How do you know he's changed?"

"From the moment he started explaining, he acted like a street vendor selling fake medicine. He spoke very quickly, his words were flawless, and his saliva flew everywhere. He wanted to seize this short time to make you believe him and sell his stuff.

Therefore, he must speak faster, must persuade people, and must close the deal in a very short time.

In any such situation, whether it's a street vendor or a success guru giving a speech in a fancy conference room, the pattern is the same: constant nagging."

Mr. Chen stubbed out his cigarette and said, "So, this tour guide can't be trusted?"

I said, "Be careful. When we return from Yunnan, have a friend of mine inspect the jade. If the tranquil jade is truly worth 8,000 yuan, then he's just trying to make a small profit. If it's fake, then he's just being ruthless."

Mr. Chen said: "Yes, if the money is worth it, then it's understandable if it's just a small commission. But if it's to kill the gang, then it proves that his intentions are not right."

I said, "Let's not talk about the Ningjing jade bracelet. I'll ask my friends to take a look. Even if it's fake, I'll ask them to say it's real."

Mr. Chen nodded.

Over the next few days, Hongzhi introduced his friends to Mr. Chen at the hotel. These people were all Chinese, some in real estate, some in the hotel business, and some in the rosewood furniture business.

Some people wanted to work with Mr. Chen, and some introduced projects to him. However, one of them, Ms. Hu, was very unique. She didn't come to the hotel. Instead, Hongzhi took Mr. Chen and me to her private villa to meet.

Ms. Hu is Chinese, but she has a foreign name, Beth.

Beth is in her forties and owns a 1,000-square-meter villa with a small courtyard on a back street near Hoan Kiem Lake. Hongzhi introduced her, saying he didn't know Beth personally but that a friend had introduced her to him.

We met such a noble lady at Beth's big villa.

Her politeness revealed a casual indifference. She didn't care at all about Mr. Chen's courtesy visit.

Mr. Chen introduced his ideas.

She said something very meaningful: "Miqi Techen, you won't make much money with the money you invest. The investment is too little. You can go to Boten. There, you might be able to build a hotel."

Mr. Chen said, "Yes, we also want to go to Boten for an inspection."

She stopped talking and just smiled.

The visit was over in less than twenty minutes.

After coming out, I felt that Mr. Chen was being treated lightly, and he was indignant because Beth was obviously Chinese, and she was talking in bed, occasionally interspersed with a few words of English, which Mr. Chen could not understand.

Mr. Chen didn't want to appear too low-brow, so he didn't understand and didn't want to ask.

Back at the hotel, Mr. Chen was still furious: "Since you're Chinese, can't you speak more human language? Speak a few words of English from time to time."

The so-called trip to Vietnam made Mr. Chen very unhappy.

After five days, Mr. Chen decided to leave. Hongzhi's mission had concluded, and he saw us off at Shangpai Airport. We flew from Neibai to Kunming.

Mr. Chen comforted us, saying, "We are just out to see the sights, it's just tourism."

I know he is very dissatisfied with Hongzhi.