Chapter 38 The Boss Appears
The noisy sound of firecrackers gradually died down, and Jifeng finally made up for his previous debt and spent a warm holiday with his parents in full.
At the first day's regrouping meeting, all the police officers looked rejuvenated. After exchanging New Year's greetings, Jiang Bo eagerly questioned Xin Xiao about his holiday investigations into the Thuja juniper community. Xin Xiao also appeared energetic, vividly recounting his recent experiences in the Thuja juniper community.
Throughout the holiday, apart from family reunions, Xin Xiao spent almost his entire time immersed in the Thuja arborvitae community. During the day, he shared tea and insights with local players, collectors, and merchants; at night, they drank karaoke and became close friends. In just a few days, he had become a familiar figure in the community, a true veteran.
Jiang Bo wasn't interested in hearing this useless rambling and pressed Xin Xiao for any valuable clues. Xin Xiao said mysteriously, "During a conversation over tea, they said the largest collector in the industry is a woman. This woman has an astonishing collection of Thuja juniper. But oddly, she lacks connections and expertise in the Thuja juniper community. Judging from the time she first emerged, she must have been new to the industry. That's odd—how could someone who's new to the industry and so unfamiliar with Thuja juniper have such a massive collection?"
Xin Xiao took a sip of water to moisten his throat and continued, "Female players are rarely seen in the Thuja sutchuenensis circle, they are all men. I immediately concluded that this person is an outsider who has just taken over someone else's collection as a whole! Several people present at the time agreed with my judgment, haha." Xin Xiao laughed proudly.
Xin Xiao's rhythmic tone made his work report sound like a storytelling, and everyone listened with great interest.
Ji Feng's brows furrowed slightly, but his eyes lit up. He was secretly glad that he hadn't discouraged Xin Xiao's enthusiasm before. "This is a very important clue. Do you have her contact information?"
Xin Xiao shook his head. "No. Forget contact information, even meeting her is hard. A few years ago, a friend I was having tea with saw her at a Thuja exhibition. She seemed to be looking for a strong buyer to acquire the entire collection, but she simply inquired about the market and then quietly left. Since then, she has made brief appearances at the exhibition every year, just to observe market trends and never communicate too much with people in the industry. Some people advised her that if she wanted to sell Thuja, she had to integrate into the industry, otherwise the price would be very low, but she remained unmoved - coming and going like the wind, low-key and mysterious."
"It looks like she's paying off a debt, but if she wants to sell it, we won't have any trouble finding her." Ji Feng's interest was piqued. "When will this year's exhibition be held?"
"One month later, in the provincial capital, for three days." Xin Xiao replied.
Ji Feng silently noted the date. He knew that this female boss was unusual and that he had to make all necessary preparations in advance.
After the meeting, Ji Feng stood alone in front of the case analysis board, writing down "Lu Chenzhou's girlfriend," "Bo, the woman who had an abortion," and "Yaibai, the female boss," side by side. He stared at the whiteboard as all the clues gradually converged on these three people. Their common denominator was this: the mysterious woman!
Only three months remain until the expiration date of the gambling agreement. And now, with three mysterious women, two leads have been lost. The only hope for survival lies in finding the female boss at next month's Thuja juniper exhibition.
"We must develop a foolproof exhibition control plan!" Ji Feng muttered to himself in front of the whiteboard. With this in mind, he turned and walked into Jiang Bo's office.
After listening to Ji Feng's report, Jiang Bo took out a pen and paper and wrote down carefully:
1. Contact the exhibition organizer to install cameras in the exhibition hall, parking lot and other key areas to ensure full coverage without blind spots;
Second, greet all exhibitors in advance and notify Xin Xiao immediately if you notice the female boss appearing;
3. Make every effort to ensure that Jifeng meets all of its requirements for personnel, vehicles and other equipment and items. All members of the detachment will be on standby at all times during the exhibition to ensure sufficient manpower.
After finishing, he handed it to Jifeng and asked, "Take a look, is there anything missing?"
After Ji Feng took it and read it, he said to Jiang Bo gratefully, "No more, you have thought it through very carefully. I will go and prepare it right away."
A month after the Spring Festival, it's the Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) season. The temperature creeps upward, the air still cold. In the park, plum blossoms bloom, new green leaves sprout on branches, and the gentle sea breeze carries the vibrant energy and boundless hope of spring.
To ensure complete safety, Ji Feng anticipated every possible contingency and developed detailed, one-on-one emergency plans. He also made three special trips to the exhibition site to inspect the layout of the exhibition halls, entrances and exits to the exhibition halls and parking lots, check equipment, and conduct field drills for all staff.
Finally, after receiving the exhibition hall's promise of strong assistance, he breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he punched Xin Xiao hard. He had not forgotten that Xin Xiao had just jokingly called him "the modern-day Yu the Great," but he was just busy testing the surveillance cameras at the time.
As soon as all preparations were complete, the exhibition began as scheduled. The morning sun shone on the glass walls of the provincial capital's International Convention and Exhibition Center, casting a golden glow. The parking lot was already packed as exhibitors, collectors, dealers, and enthusiasts from across the country began to arrive, filling the air with the scent of cypress and sawdust.
The exhibition hall was brightly lit, and pieces of Thuja thuja with various shapes and strong textures were displayed on the stands, waiting for their new owners. The crowd was bustling and lively.
Ji Feng, dressed casually and wearing sunglasses, wandered through the crowd seemingly nonchalantly, his gaze sharp as he scanned his surroundings. Meanwhile, Xin Xiao wandered between booths, chatting with familiar exhibitors and secretly inquiring about the female boss.
At noon, the exhibition hall became increasingly lively, with heavyweights in the Thuja circle coming in droves, except for the mysterious female boss who did not show up.
"She won't not come, will she?" Xin Xiao whispered to Ji Feng, with a hint of uneasiness in his tone.
"Hold on, this is just the beginning. We still have two and a half days to go." Ji Feng stood at the railing on the second floor of the exhibition hall, his eyes scanning the bustling crowd below like a hawk. From time to time, he pointed at someone who looked like the female boss and asked Xin Xiao to confirm, but Xin Xiao shook his head in denial. Although his impression of the female boss's appearance was only a preliminary imagination based on others' descriptions,
As the sun gradually set, the number of people in the exhibition hall began to decrease, and the first day of the exhibition was about to end.
Ji Feng and Xin Xiao appeared particularly low-key in the crowd. They sat down at a tea table in a corner of the exhibition hall, each holding a cup of tea, but their eyes kept scanning the people coming and going.
"Brother Feng, do you think she may have been here before, but we just didn't see her?" Xin Xiao was afraid that he had made a mistake and missed the opportunity.
Ji Feng shook his head slightly, his fingertips rubbing the edge of the teacup, his eyes deep: "Don't worry, go to each stall tomorrow and remind them again. They are busy with their own business and may not take our affairs to heart."
Xin Xiao nodded silently and followed Ji Feng out of the exhibition hall.
The next day, as soon as the exhibition hall opened, Ji Feng and Xin Xiao rushed to the scene. Xin Xiao, smiling, exchanged pleasantries with each exhibitor, reiterating their important tasks. Ji Feng, on the other hand, chose the lavishly decorated booths, feigning a keen interest in a particular "rare item," seizing the opportunity to strike up a conversation with the exhibitors and try to gather any clues about the female boss. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze perpetually scanned the throngs of people.
For the entire day, Ji Feng and Xin Xiao seemed like ghosts in the exhibition hall, silently wandering amidst the glaring lights and noisy crowds. They explored nearly every corner, from the large booths at the entrance to the most secluded aisles, repeatedly and patiently chatting with every exhibitor who might know the whereabouts of the female boss.
Time and again, the disappointment was written all over my face. My back ached all day, and all I gained was being labeled "inquiring, not buying" by each exhibitor. Beyond that, all my efforts were in vain.
The female boss seemed to be deliberately testing their patience, as if she had guessed their thoughts. She was nowhere to be seen, leaving them to struggle in vain in the abyss of despair.
"Brother Feng, should we change our thinking?" Xin Xiao appeared beside him at some point, with a barely perceptible hint of fatigue in his voice.
Ji Feng turned to look at Xin Xiao, "You mean she might contact the buyer through the Internet?" He remembered that Xin Xiao had once mentioned this suggestion to him.
"Yes, after all, this is the online world now."
Ji Feng shook his head. "After you mentioned it last time, I thought about it and I think it's unlikely. First of all, this female boss has very limited connections. How could such a major deal be completed solely through the Internet? Even if a deal was reached, there's no reason for the exhibitor not to tell us."
"That's right. Not many people in the circle know her, and they probably don't have her contact information." Xin Xiao murmured thoughtfully.
The third day arrived in a flash. In the morning, some exhibitors, having cleared out their inventory, were already happily preparing to leave the booth. As they busily packed their goods, they chatted with familiar exhibitors, their faces filled with relaxed smiles.
Ji Feng stood alone outside the exhibition hall, looking at the people coming and going at the entrance of the exhibition hall. The four words "return in vain" emerged in his mind, like a dark cloud hanging over his heart.
Time passed quietly in tension and anticipation, the sun gradually became hotter, the noise in the exhibition hall gradually died down, more and more booths were withdrawn, and only a few stalls were still on display.
Ji Feng's eyes followed the departing figures, his thoughts churning. A month's efforts seemed to have vanished into thin air. The expected turnaround had not yet arrived, and he couldn't help feeling a little desperate. The pressure of the approaching deadline of the gambling agreement came again.
After lunch, the exhibition hall became even more deserted. Ji Feng and Xin Xiao stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by the busy and orderly scene of exhibition dismantling, but they felt extremely depressed.
"Brother Feng, we..." Xin Xiao hesitated to speak, his eyes full of unwillingness.
Ji Feng took a deep breath and scanned the empty exhibition hall, as if bidding a final farewell to the exhibition: "Xin Xiao, we tried our best. Life is never perfect, so we only hope to be half satisfied..."
At this moment, Xin Xiao's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his expression suddenly changed, and he hurried to a secluded corner to answer the phone. After a few hurried words, he hung up the phone and quickly ran to Jifeng: "There's news!"
Jifeng's eyes lit up: "Where?"
"In Pavilion No. 2 in the East District, there's a guy named Brother Hui who said he just saw a woman who looked a lot like the female boss. She asked him a few questions about the age of Thuja saburo. But her tone didn't sound very professional, like she was just getting started."
"It should be her!" Ji Feng almost blurted out, "Take me there quickly!"
The two of them quickly crossed the empty exhibition area and arrived at Hall 2 in the East District. Brother Hui had already packed up his stall and was preparing to leave.
"Brother Hui, wait. How long has she been gone?" Xin Xiao asked anxiously.
"About half an hour." Brother Hui explained as he sorted his bags. "When she came, a big client came to discuss underwriting my spice business. I chatted with her for a few words, and then I remembered she might be the person you're looking for, so I quickly called you."
"Where did she go?"
Brother Hui pointed in the direction of Gate 3 and said, "It seems like he came by car, with the car keys in his hand."
"What are you wearing?" Xin Xiao asked.
"He was wearing a black windbreaker, a bucket hat, and a mask, covering himself up quite well."
Ji Feng's heart sank, his brow furrowed. Half an hour was plenty of time for that mysterious, fox-like female boss to remain invisible. Without time to think, he pulled out his phone to contact the monitoring room while dragging Xin Xiao towards the exit.
At the entrance to the exhibition hall, traffic and people intertwined in a bustling scene, with vehicles loading, delivering, and temporarily parking constantly flowing. There was no sign of the female boss. Ji Feng stood on the steps and looked around, feeling a sense of anxiety - she had slipped away from under their noses.
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