Chapter 96
When he walked behind the man, Yang Ye happened to see the bartender push a glass of prepared Long Island iced tea in front of him. There were fresh water droplets hanging on the upside-down lemon peel on the rim of the glass.
She walked forward with a smile, put the champagne in her hand on the bar, and said to the bartender: "Give me a mojito."
The man beside her didn't seem to notice her, or perhaps he caught a glimpse of her but pretended not to see her. Yang Ye curled his lips, his eyes fixed on the wine glass he was about to pick up. "If you drink such a strong drink right at the beginning, you might miss some interesting details when the collection is displayed later."
She nodded with a smile and took the mojito that the bartender had just made.
The man paused for a moment, then turned his head, his deep blue eyes sizing up the strange woman who had just come to his side. He smiled and asked, "It seems this lady is very interested in today's collection. I thought the wine was the only star of the show tonight."
"You can savor wine slowly, but good things wait for no one." Yang Ye took a sip of the mojito, and the refreshing lemon bubbles exploded on the tip of his tongue, bringing with them the coolness of mint leaves. The light taste of wine was wrapped in the fruity aroma, not too strong or overpowering. "Besides, those who come to this market are all knowledgeable buyers. It's much more interesting to be able to exchange ideas with them than to drink alone."
The man chuckled and held out his hand. "My name is Karl. What should I call you, young lady of interest?"
"My last name is Yang"
"Ms. Yang," Karl responded.
"You should call me Ms. Yang." Yang Ye raised his hand and gently shook hands with Carl's outstretched hand. The moment his fingertips touched each other's warm skin, he immediately withdrew his hand. His action was polite yet distant.
Karl was a little surprised. He glanced at Yang Ye from top to bottom, and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Miss Yang is so young, and she's already married?"
"Yeah," Yang Ye smiled and tilted his head, looking at where Zhou Yi was standing, "My husband is there."
Karl followed her gaze and saw a man in a black shirt standing next to a high table, holding a glass of champagne. He had a silent expression, and his eyes didn't seem to be focused on the surrounding collections or the people watching. Instead, he would glance towards the bar from time to time. Karl couldn't help laughing, "Your Excellency, it seems that you don't have much interest in these antiques?"
"He's just an outsider, he doesn't know anything." Yang Ye said in a relaxed tone, with a hint of anger, "I wanted to come, he just came to accompany me."
"I rarely see someone as young as Ms. Yang who is so fascinated by antiques." Carl's fingertips tapped lightly on the bar, and he saw a bit more genuine admiration in Yang Ye's eyes.
"At first glance, antiques might seem like something new," Yang Ye said, picking up her mojito and taking another sip. She felt the cool water droplets dripping down the sides of the glass. "But if you really take it back home, see the textures and images of those old objects, touch them slowly, and think about them carefully, you can actually taste something different."
She changed the subject and looked at Karl, "Mr. Karl should be from abroad. I rarely see foreign businessmen like you who like antiques."
"Ms. Yang and I have similar ideas," Karl said seriously, looking at her. "The delicacy and heritage of Eastern collections are something Western collections don't have, especially Chinese jade. I've always admired those simple yet charming ancient jades. Unfortunately, most of the ones I've found before are imitations or poorly made fragments. It's so difficult to find a genuine piece worth collecting."
Yang Ye understood, but didn't show it on his face. "What a coincidence! I just happen to have a jade pendant. I recently asked Mr. Fu's agency to find a suitable buyer. I heard that Mr. Fu will arrange a private appreciation and discussion. If Mr. Karl is interested, perhaps we can find a quiet place to talk in detail later."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a slight commotion at the entrance of the club. They both turned around and looked over there. Karl recognized the person first and leaned down to whisper in Yang Ye's ear, "The host of the event is finally here."
Yang Ye watched the person getting closer and closer, from a blurry shadow at first to gradually clearer facial features. After she saw clearly who the person was, her heart suddenly trembled, her pupils suddenly contracted, and it seemed that even her breathing stopped subconsciously for half a second.
Fu Yunsheng?!
"My husband seems to be looking for me. Sorry to leave first." She hurriedly said to Carl. Before he could react, Yang Ye had already left the bar and whispered a few words to the waiter who had just passed by her. Seeing the waiter nodded in response, she walked towards Zhou Yiheng.
She walked over to the high table where Zhou Yiheng was standing and stood right next to him. The distance was so close that Zhou Yiheng was startled. The champagne he had just picked up suddenly shook, and a lot of it spilled on his shirt collar.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Yiheng was surprised. He quickly picked up the napkin on the table and wiped his collar. Fortunately, he was wearing a black shirt today, so it was not very conspicuous.
"The owner of Jinshizhai is Fu Yunsheng," Yang Ye lowered his voice.
"Fu Yunsheng, who is that?" Zhou Yiheng was still wiping the water stains on his collar and didn't respond at all.
"He's the one who called the police earlier, saying that a thief had swapped his birdcage with another's," Yang Ye reminded him. "And you said his birdcage was too fancy."
Zhou Yiheng finally reacted, "Why is it him?"
Yang Ye didn't understand this question either. He just frowned and said to Zhou Yiheng, "It's not convenient for me to go out. Find a place with few people and send Fu Yunsheng's information to Xiao Xiao and Xu Jingzhe. Ask them to check on Fu Yunsheng's situation, especially his financial status."
How could a man who could casually place cloisonné bird cages and Qianlong blue and white porcelain vases in the basement, and who clearly didn't look like someone who was short of money at that time, take the risk of doing something that was on the verge of breaking the law?
Zhou Yiheng took the excuse that his collar was wet and he was going to the bathroom to freshen up, and asked the waiter for the approximate direction of the bathroom. After the waiter left, Yang Ye quietly walked to a corner. She looked at Fu Yunsheng who had just walked in. He was different from the sloppy look she had seen in the police station before. Although Fu Yunsheng was now wearing a well-tailored tailor-made suit and had a perfect smile on his face, there was a layer of gloom and fatigue between his brows that was difficult to dissolve, and there was anxiety in his eyes. When he greeted people, his smile and body were a little stiff. From time to time, he lowered his head to look at the watch on his wrist, or subconsciously adjusted the tie that did not exist.
He hurriedly greeted a few acquaintances and looked around the venue as if looking for something.
"Hello, this is the mask you requested," said the waiter.
"Thank you." Yang Ye took the mask, opened the package, and put it on his face immediately.
She had just put it on, and when she turned around, her eyes met Fu Yunsheng's. Fu Yunsheng was obviously stunned for a moment. Manager Wang walked to him and whispered a few words to him. He adjusted his expression and came over with Manager Wang.
"Mr. Fu, this is Boss Yang," Manager Wang introduced enthusiastically.
"Hello," Fu Yunsheng extended his hand.
"Hello, Mr. Fu." The moment Yang Ye shook his hand, he felt a slightly wet and sticky feeling.
“Mr. Fu’s private exhibition was very stylish.”
"Boss Yang, you're too kind," Fu Yunsheng said, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his palms. "I just want a place where everyone can interact and communicate with each other. It's not about style."
"Mr. Fu has such a vision at such a young age, it's really impressive." Yang Ye chuckled, his eyes sweeping across the venue. "I've participated in many collection exchange meetings before, but it's rare to see one like Mr. Fu that has both the atmosphere and professionalism."
"Boss Yang, are you here alone today?" Fu Yunsheng asked.
Just as Yang Ye was about to answer, Manager Wang, who had gone to the side to answer a phone call, suddenly came over. He stood behind Fu Yunsheng and said something to him. Fu Yunsheng's expression suddenly changed. The two of them whispered a few words in a very low voice. Yang Ye, who was standing nearby, only heard the key words "warehouse", "the other party is urging" and Fu Yunsheng's answer "delay for two days".
Manager Wang looked embarrassed, took his cell phone and hurried away.
Fu Yunsheng then looked back at Yang Ye, trying to find his place as the initiator. "I heard from Manager Wang that Boss Yang is looking for a suitable buyer."
"Yes, I want to find someone who offers a higher price," Yang Ye said without hesitation.
"The bid is the hardest to determine. Boss Yang might think it's low, but to others it's already very high."
"Good things should find people who appreciate them the most," Yang Ye asked with a smile, his eyes fixed on him, his tone firm, "If you can't even give a suitable price, how can you say you appreciate it?"
"Boss Yang is very confident in his things." Fu Yunsheng's eyes showed some curiosity. He had heard Manager Wang mention it before, saying that the jade pendant brought by Boss Yang was a rare treasure. It was a pity that there was only one jade pendant. If he could have a pair, the value would be immeasurable.
"Why did she only give me one?" Fu Yunsheng asked. The jade pendants were always a pair, so there was no reason to give me only one.
"Maybe she's trying to test us," Manager Wang thought for a moment. "I see that Boss Yang is talking about price all the time, and she's also going to go through international market channels. Maybe she's looking for a buyer with a high price."
Seeing that "Mr. Fu" fell into deep thought again for some unknown reason, Yang Ye called out to him twice at the right time.
She looked at Fu Yunsheng, her voice steady, as if she hadn't fully noticed that something was wrong with him. Or perhaps she had already noticed it, but didn't want to ask too many questions. She only reminded him at the right time, "Mr. Fu seems a little troubled. I hope it's not a difficult matter."
The muscles on Fu Yunsheng's face twitched slightly, and he quickly forced a more tired smile. "Nothing, just a little business trouble. Boss Yang, please take a stroll first. See you later for the exchange session."
"Okay," Yang Ye nodded.
His eyes followed Fu Yunsheng's back until he walked out of the club.
The lights in the venue became soft and the music became slow. It seemed like a harmonious night, but beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were already surging.
The fun tonight is just about to begin.
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