Chapter 95
It has clearly passed the beginning of autumn, but the temperature in the south has not dropped at all. Instead, it seems to be gathering strength, and there is a faint trend of rising.
The midday sun made the windows hot. Yang Ye curled up on the sofa in the living room. The temperature outside was too high. Even though she had experienced the test of a whole summer, no matter how heat-resistant she was, she really couldn't stand the temperature outside which was almost 37.38 degrees.
The iPad on the coffee table was playing a mystery variety show she had just found. The volume was turned down very low, and the tiny sound was carried by the cold air from the air conditioner. Her eyelids gradually became heavy, and just as she was about to drift off to sleep, her phone on the table outside suddenly vibrated. The buzzing sound became louder and louder, and Zhou Yiheng, who had just almost fallen asleep on the table, was also woken up by the sudden sound.
He opened his eyes in a trance, rubbed the half of his face that had just been pressed down, picked up his mobile phone, and saw an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen. Zhou Yiheng thought it was a scam or harassment, so he hung up the call.
But the phone kept ringing. Less than two minutes after I fell asleep, the phone vibrated again. This time the noise was even more obvious. Even Xiao Xiao, who was already asleep on the folding chair below, was awakened by the sound. She sat up, yawned, and was confused for a while before she stood up, picked up the phone on the table and walked to the living room.
"Boss, your phone call" she yawned again.
Yang Ye had long been annoyed by the vibrating sound, but she was unwilling to open her eyes until Xiao Xiao came over. She threw off the blanket on her body, and waited for the phone to vibrate twice more before she slowly sat up from the sofa, took the phone, and swiped the answer button. Her voice was filled with the laziness of just waking up, as well as the irritability and hoarseness of not yet fully awake.
"Hello"
"Is this Mr. Yang? Hello, hello. I hope I didn't disturb you." A familiar voice came from the other end of the receiver, which made Yang Ye feel very uncomfortable. He moved the phone away and looked at the number on the screen in surprise. He didn't make any notes about this call, so it should be a stranger. Then why was the person on the other end so enthusiastic when he spoke?
"Who are you?" Yang Ye asked directly.
"Boss Yang, I'm the consultant who received you when you came for appraisal last time. My last name is Wang. I wonder if you still remember me," the person on the other end of the phone explained.
Yang Ye was stunned for two seconds before he remembered who this person was. He spoke briefly, "What's the matter?"
"Boss Yang, the detailed report on the jade pendant you entrusted us to appraise last time has come out, and the result is very ideal. When would it be convenient for you to come and pick it up from us? If you don't have time, I can deliver it to you." Manager Wang's tone was filled with uncontrollable excitement.
"Leave it with you first. I'll come get it when I'm free." Yang Ye was not in a hurry, as if this was just an insignificant matter to her.
"Then I'll put it away for you first."
"Anything else? If not, I'll hang up."
Just as Yang Ye was about to hang up, Manager Wang said, "One more thing, Boss Yang. We've found the buyer you asked us to find last time. Do you think I should email the buyer's information to you, or print it out and have it delivered to you?"
"Just tell me directly on the phone," Yang Ye said.
"Boss Yang, the other party is the owner of an insurance company and a client we often work with. He is very interested in your jade pendant."
"You don't need to tell me any extra background information," Yang Ye interrupted him impatiently. "Just tell me, what is the other party's offer?"
"Probably between 500,000 and 700,000." Manager Wang's voice faded.
"What is the scope of your appraisal?" Yang Ye asked again.
"Our range is between 100 and 120."
"In other words, the difference is at least half a million," Yang Ye sneered, her voice shrouded in coldness. She said to Manager Wang mercilessly, "Manager Wang, do you want to help me, or are you going to team up with the other party to lower my price?"
"No, no, we absolutely don't mean to lower your price," Manager Wang hurriedly defended, "It's mainly because your item is so good that ordinary buyers wouldn't dare to take it easily."
"I told you, I'm not looking for just any ordinary buyer." Yang Ye's tone darkened, with a kind of annoyance after being annoyed. "To tell you the truth, before finding you, I also commissioned other institutions. If you can't give me a satisfactory result, then I'm sorry, our cooperation ends here. I will ask my assistant to get everything back tomorrow."
"Boss Yang, this is just the first buyer. We will definitely find a more suitable one according to your requirements." Manager Wang was so anxious that his voice was a little tense.
"The first one is at such a level. How can I trust your organization's channels and capabilities?" Yang Ye snorted, and his finger was about to move to the hang-up button on the screen again.
"Boss Yang, if you're not satisfied with the buyer we found, Mr. Fu is holding a small collection exchange exhibition at a private club on the outskirts of the city this weekend," Manager Wang said loudly, almost shouting at Yang Ye, "The attendees are all well-known collectors in the industry, as well as several collector friends that Mr. Fu met abroad."
"Private exchange meeting?" Yang Ye picked up the phone. The annoyance she had just felt from being pestered by Manager Wang had not yet dissipated, but there was a hint of curiosity in her words.
"Yes," Manager Wang replied immediately. "Mr. Fu organizes this kind of small-scale exchange event every year, specifically to build private docking channels for collectors from all over the country. Your jade pendant is of such high quality. If you can participate, I can introduce you to a few familiar buyers. The price they offer will definitely be better than that of ordinary buyers. Moreover, people in the circle are well-behaved in transactions, so there won't be any messy disputes. The most important thing is that you two can communicate face to face without any additional fees. What do you think?"
Yang Ye on the other end of the phone seemed silent
Manager Wang held the phone, waiting for her reply, so he said, "Don't worry, this is a private call. Your personal information and data will never be leaked."
"That sounds interesting." Yang Ye's lips curled up, but she couldn't hear much emotion. She just replied lightly, "I know. I'll send the time and place to my cell phone when the time comes."
"Okay, okay," Manager Wang replied quickly. "There will probably be a few people coming over, so I can prepare seats and tea in advance."
"Two," Yang Ye said casually.
After hanging up the phone, she didn't hesitate at all and immediately found the number she had contacted two days ago and called it.
The call was picked up.
"The bait has been laid out. They're having a private collection exhibition on the outskirts of the city this weekend. It's organized by the head of the institution," Yang Ye said in a calm and clear voice. "Yes, it's a purely private invitation, and there won't be any public process involved. You should make some preparations and focus on the venue's movement."
A calm male voice came from the other end of the phone, "Don't worry, everything is ready. Be careful and don't cause any conflict."
"I know," Yang Ye replied.
On Saturday evening, the city lights roared in the distance. The navigation system directed me to a private club near the city's outskirts. The club's exterior walls were covered in vines of various shades of dark. The entrance was a carved iron gate. There was no prominent sign, just a circle of warm yellow floor lights around the base of the gate.
Yang Ye's car had just stopped, and before she could get out, the iron gate had already opened. Two men in black suits, wearing communication headsets, walked out. They came over, checked Yang Ye's name and the information on the invitation letter, and then stepped aside to guide her into the courtyard.
After crossing the path, the waiter pushed open the heavy solid wooden door, and the scene inside unfolded completely before her eyes. Unlike the tranquility outside the wall and the secluded and deserted feeling when the car just drove in, the inside was just the right amount of lively. The high-ceilinged industrial dome was completely preserved, but it had been redesigned and renovated. The huge, design-conscious metal chandelier cast a cold white beam of light, illuminating the entire space while retaining a somewhat hazy atmosphere.
The rough cement floor was covered with a thick, dark gray carpet, which Yang Ye, wearing high heels, made no sound even when she stepped on it. The walls were soundproofed, and a few vibrant modern oil paintings hung on the uniform white walls.
The club was cleverly divided into four parts, with a long marble bar in the middle. The bartender expertly shook the cocktail shaker in his hand, and the sound of cups colliding was crisp. Several sofa booths were irregularly scattered on both sides of the bar. Small orange lights were placed in beige plastic covers and hung from overhead. Further away stood several arc-shaped high tables. From where she was standing, looking across, there stood a slightly formal small booth with a piece of red velvet under the transparent glass cover. Although the middle was empty, the spotlight on its top had already been adjusted.
The air was filled with a heavy smell of cheap cigars, mixed with the pungent scent of high-end perfume. Several people huddled together and talked in low voices, occasionally letting out a few chuckles. Soft jazz music played in the background, and the atmosphere seemed relaxed. However, if you listened carefully to every word they said, you could see that they were cautious.
Yang Ye and Zhou Yiheng walked into the venue together. She was wearing a neatly cut dark blue velvet long dress today. The style was simple but extremely challenging for the wearer's temperament. The pearl earrings on her earlobes emitted a soft halo under the light. She was not ostentatious but very stylish. She swept her eyes calmly across the entire venue without any unnecessary emotions.
Just as Manager Wang said on the phone, the participants of this private exchange meeting were indeed mixed. There were not only old-fashioned collectors wearing Chinese-style double-breasted clothes, leopard-print reading glasses, and rosary beads in their hands, but also new businessmen. The blond and blue-eyed European man stood in front of the bar.
It seems like a subtle and closed circle, and everyone here has a tacit understanding on their face, a kind of alienation and scrutiny that is unique to their circle.
Manager Wang, who had just been busy, didn't know what was wrong with his eyes. There were so many people in the meeting, and the noise was endless, but he noticed Yang Ye the moment she came in. He immediately stopped talking to the person next to him and greeted her with a smile, "Boss Yang, you're here. President Fu was delayed by something. Why don't you rest in the sofa area first? I'll ask them to bring you a cup of tea."
"No need, I'll take a look myself first," said Yang Ye.
"Then I won't greet you, please feel free to do as you please."
Yang Ye nodded, and scanned the venue briefly, finding the specific direction in a moment. Actually, it wasn't really a direction; most of the people present had companions, leaving the European man alone.
The man was tall, his dark gray suit jacket impeccably pressed. His blond hair was neatly combed, revealing his full forehead and deep, deep features. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, perhaps even younger than she'd guessed. His profile was distinctly superior, without any of the bloat of middle-aged men. He exuded the calm and dignity that only a man in a position of power could possess. Simply put, he was a nitpicker, willing to twist even a single hair into a rope.
Yang Ye picked up the champagne from the waiter's tray, gently grasped the stem, and walked towards the man with natural steps. Zhou Yiheng beside her tacitly moved aside, keeping a perfect distance from her, and stood there quietly.
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