Chapter 97
Yang Ye took the half glass of champagne that Zhou Yiheng had just left, and she calmly moved to a corner. Her eyes swept calmly across the entire venue, from the guests who were talking, the waiters who were walking around, to the booth.
The brightness of the lights on the booth had changed significantly. The spotlights, which had previously been blindingly bright, were now unusually soft. The staff must have adjusted the angle and direction of the spotlights to make the exhibits more clearly visible.
Footsteps came from behind her. Yang Ye turned around and saw Zhou Yiheng walking towards her quickly.
"Did you find out?" she asked directly.
Zhou Yiheng paused, smiled bitterly, and shook his head, "Boss, you think too highly of us. We're not the FBI, so how can we get results so quickly?"
"Xu Jingzhe doesn't know either?"
"He did know a little, but he didn't say anything," Zhou Yi said. "I heard his voice was a bit noisy, as if he was busy with something else."
"Other things..." Yang Ye's voice was a little helpless, and he turned to ask, "What about Xiao Xiao, have you told her about this situation?"
"Xiao Xiao said she would find a way to investigate." Zhou Yiheng paused, his gaze fixed on Yang Ye. He took two more steps forward and lowered his voice, "Boss, it was you who reported the incident at Fu Yunsheng's warehouse, right?"
"Yes," Yang Ye admitted frankly, "I just reported to the relevant departments that they might be involved in illegal land use transactions. Is that a problem?"
"No, no problem," Zhou Yiheng smiled awkwardly.
She should have noticed something was wrong earlier. The warehouse had been abandoned for almost five or six years, and Fu Yunsheng had only been there for three months. In just three months, he had managed to complete the warehouse procedures and the entire handover process. This speed was abnormally fast. She had never found a suitable opportunity before, and this time was just the right opportunity to catch them off guard.
"Why is it really you?" Zhou Yiheng muttered with his head down.
"Fu Yunsheng gambled abroad and owed nearly 1 billion yuan. He was also involved in many illegal transactions and is now being targeted."
"Isn't that the same as what the boss guessed before?" Zhou Yiheng was stunned for a moment. In fact, he hadn't completely believed Yang Ye's judgment until just now. When Yang Ye said that Fu Yunsheng's motives were questionable and might be involved in overseas transactions, he thought Yang Ye was overthinking it. Unexpectedly, this most unreliable guess turned out to be true.
Xu Jingzhe on the other end of the phone also sighed heavily. Yang Ye had told him three times before, and he always thought that Yang Ye was overthinking and making a fuss out of nothing. Now it seems that he was the one who thought it was simple.
"Anyway, don't tell Yang Ye about this. Keep an eye on her at the venue and ask her to keep a low profile. This operation involves not only our local police station, but also the cultural relics inspection and other departments."
"What's wrong with you?" Zhou Yiheng's gaze was always on him, and his eyes gradually changed from curiosity at the beginning to confusion.
Zhou Yiheng came back to his senses. He scratched his head and asked the question in his mind, "Boss, why do you care so much about this?"
Yang Ye was silent for several seconds. She sighed softly and looked towards the glass display stand not far away. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions. "I can't really explain it, but I just feel that the longer I live, the closer I am to these old objects. When I look at them, it's like there's something inexplicable that I can't understand, and I can't let go of them."
Zhou Yiheng nodded as if he understood, but didn't ask any more questions.
The lights in the venue suddenly dimmed, and the looping background music paused. Manager Wang picked up the wireless microphone, his usual familiar smile on his face, and walked quickly to the booth. He cleared his throat and said, "Dear guests and collectors, thank you all for taking the time to attend this exchange meeting hosted by our President Fu tonight."
After a standard welcome speech, Manager Wang got down to business. "According to our previous rules, the rest of the time is reserved for everyone. Does anyone want to come up and share their experiences? We don't care about formalities; we're mainly here for the fun of appreciation. Does anyone want to give it a try?"
There was a polite murmur from the audience, and everyone pushed each other forward, but no one was able to stand up immediately. At this kind of private exhibition, the first person to go up was either very confident or willing to be the focus of everyone's scrutiny.
During the brief silence, Yang Ye felt as if someone was staring at her. From the corner until now, the gaze hadn't left her. She turned her head, following that gaze, and happened to meet Fu Yunsheng, who was standing not far away. A closer look at his cold gaze revealed a truly complex expression, one of undisguised inquiry and subtle vigilance, as if he was repeatedly debating whether to believe or doubt.
"Why is Fu Yunsheng always looking at you?" Zhou Yiheng leaned close to Yang Ye's ear and asked her in a low voice.
As soon as his eyes moved away, Yang Ye joked, "Maybe he thinks I look good tonight."
As she was speaking, there was a sudden movement on the stage. A man in a Mao suit, whom she had just seen, walked onto the stage and showed the crowd a Qing Dynasty Tianhuang stone seal he had brought. The seal, roughly the size of his palm, had a smooth texture and was intricately carved with lifelike intricate floral and bird carvings. Several veteran collectors in the front row immediately gathered around, whispering something.
Then, a young man in an off-white suit took the stage. After he finished displaying his modern calligraphy and painting, Fu Yunsheng was completely overwhelmed. He took out his phone and sent a message to Manager Wang. Manager Wang's face changed instantly when he saw it. After everyone on the stage had left, Manager Wang picked up the microphone and scanned the venue. He found Yang Ye standing outside the crowd and said, "Boss Yang, won't you come up and show us?"
His words were blunt and clear. The place, which had just become familiar with the bustle, became quiet again after Manager Wang's words. Everyone looked at Yang Ye as if they were watching a play. Among these eyes that seemed to want to see through and envelop her, there was Mr. Carl, who had just had a good chat with her.
Yang Ye smiled, but she had already cursed Fu Yunsheng several times in her heart. This man couldn't help it and actually pushed her in front of him. But then she thought, this is a good thing, so that she doesn't have to bother finding other excuses to chat with those unfamiliar collectors one by one.
"Boss" Zhou Yiheng said softly, he was a little worried.
"It's okay," Yang Ye said. Under the gaze of the entire audience, she walked towards the booth at a leisurely pace, her face still calm and composed, even a little nonchalant.
She walked to the booth and was about to step onto the stairs, but her eyes suddenly stopped when she saw the display cabinet. The cabinet was empty. The jade pendant that she had given to Jinshizhai before was not displayed at all.
The steps taken were quickly retracted.
Manager Wang extended his hand to invite her to the stage. Seeing her suddenly stop, Manager Wang quickly asked, "Boss Yang, what's wrong?"
"I have nothing. How do you want me to show it?" Yang Ye looked at him, pretending not to understand what Manager Wang meant.
Manager Wang smiled awkwardly, "Boss Yang, didn't you bring anything else?"
Yang Ye raised his eyebrows and asked him, "Why should I bring other things? You haven't even found a suitable buyer for the jade pendant I gave you before."
"This..." Manager Wang was completely stunned. He really didn't expect Yang Ye to come up with this. Thinking of the jade pendant that was about to be sent away, he pretended to be calm and immediately took out his phone and smiled at Yang Ye, "Please wait for two minutes, I will arrange for them to deliver the things immediately."
"Do I still want to go up now?" Yang Ye asked, looking at him bluntly.
"No, no, please take a rest first," said Manager Wang, and quickly called Fu Yunsheng.
The moment the call was connected, Fu Yunsheng's face suddenly changed. He didn't expect Yang Ye to mention the jade pendant again. He held the phone tightly and looked straight at Yang Ye with suppressed anger. Yang Ye turned his head to meet his gaze and curled the corners of his mouth slightly.
Yang Ye couldn't hear what was said on the phone, but he saw that Manager Wang and Fu Yunsheng's expressions were getting worse and worse, their brows were knitted together, and their tone of voice was getting more and more urgent. About a minute later, Manager Wang finally hung up the phone. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked quickly to Yang Ye, "Boss Yang, they will deliver the things right away."
"Okay." Yang Ye found an empty booth in the front and sat down.
"Boss Yang's things seem to be very special?" Carl held the wine glass, his voice full of uncontrollable curiosity.
"Not really," Yang Ye chuckled, his eyes shifting to Manager Wang who was wiping his sweat with a handkerchief not far away. "But it seems that Manager Wang and the others wanted to appreciate it for a few more days, so they forgot to bring the things today."
"I'm even more curious about this thing of yours," said Carl.
"You can look forward to it," Yang Ye responded.
Another half an hour passed, and the person speaking on the stage became a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. He held the bronze cup that was said to have been passed down from his great-grandfather's generation, and turned it over and over, chattering on for a long time. Yang Ye felt annoyed by listening to it, so she simply closed her eyes. However, the voice seemed to have no intention of letting her go. Her head felt like a tangled mess, and the buzzing sound made her head uncomfortable.
There was a burst of hurried footsteps in front of the booth. She opened her eyes and saw the security guard walking towards her quickly with a tightly packed black box in his hand.
As soon as Manager Wang saw the box, he trotted off the stage and quickly opened the plastic seal. He took out the small sandalwood box inside and walked to the glass display stand. He gently placed the jade pendant on the velvet cloth on the platform.
When the jade pendant was fully exposed under the spotlight, and when the collectors could see its appearance clearly, a suppressed low cry was heard from the audience. The warm and transparent white jade, with a clean surface and no impurities, emitted a soft halo of light from the smooth jade pendant.
Yang Ye stood up and walked onto the stage, taking the microphone from Manager Wang. Her voice, flat and level, emanated from the two speakers mounted on the wall. She maintained her nonchalant tone, "This is a small gadget that one of my family's elders collected years ago. I previously asked Manager Wang to help find a suitable buyer, but unfortunately, there's still no news. If anyone here is interested, feel free to come and talk to me."
"I don't remember exactly whether this item was made during the reign of Emperor Qianlong or Emperor Yongzheng. The color and texture of the jade pendant are similar to what you see. It's engraved with some floral, bird, and fish patterns, and it's quite pretty."
The knowledgeable collectors in the audience could no longer contain their excitement. It is extremely rare to find a jade pendant from the early Qing Dynasty that has survived to this day in such good condition. What is more important is its clean jade color.
After all, there is a saying that goes, "The sound of jade is precious and clear, and the color of jade is pure."
A collector with gray hair saw Yang Ye's jade pendant and couldn't help asking, "Boss Yang, can you let us take a look at your jade pendant?"
"Of course." Yang Ye stepped aside and made a gesture to let you go.
Several people, already eager to try, immediately gathered around, including Mr. Karl and Fu Yunsheng, who had hurried over from the back of the venue. They pulled out their magnifying glasses, carefully opened the glass case, and examined the jade pendant, meticulously examining it bit by bit, from the quality of the jade to its color and the engravings, fearing they might miss a single detail.
"Logically speaking, such jade pendants should be a pair, but Mr. Yang, you only have one." Someone in the audience asked this question, and as soon as the words fell, many collectors who were watching nodded.
"You're right," Yang Ye picked up the microphone, "It's just another one. If there's anyone who really appreciates such a good thing, I'll naturally take it out."
Karl's eyes looked back and forth between Yang Ye and the item she brought. He rubbed his palms back and forth. He looked at Fu Yunsheng next to him and asked anxiously, "Mr. Fu, when does the private communication session start? I can't wait to discuss the details with Ms. Yang."
The heavy door of the study was closed from the inside, isolating the increasingly loud noise outside. Only Yang Ye, Karl, and Fu Yunsheng were in the room. The jade pendant they brought in was still lustrous and full, with a clean color under the simple fluorescent light.
"Boss Yang, you're asking for 1.2 million. Isn't that a bit too much?" Karl sat across from Yang Ye, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa. Honestly, the number didn't seem that much to him; it was right within Karl's budget. But as a businessman, the first reaction to hearing a number is to bargain.
"Of course good things are worth the price." Yang Ye's voice was calm. She sat on the single-seat sofa with a natural and relaxed posture.
"But you only have one now. How can I believe that you have a complete pair?" Carl asked, staring at Yang Ye.
"Mr. Karl?" Yang Ye smiled as she saw him. Her eyes lingered on his face for a moment. She whispered, "If this jade pendant could really be paired together, its value would probably be much more than the 1.2 million you're worried about now."
Yang Ye crossed her legs and turned to look at Fu Yunsheng. "I mentioned this to Manager Wang before: when I choose a buyer, age and nationality are not important, as long as the other party is capable..."
She paused, as if observing Fu Yunsheng's reaction. "Mr. Fu is here, so I can make my point clearer today. I don't want to limit my buyers to just domestic sources. Manager Wang said Mr. Fu has access to overseas resources, so I came to your private exhibition. If this jade pendant thing can be done, Mr. Fu, I think our cooperation will definitely last longer."
Fu Yunsheng immediately understood what she meant. He had always been determined to get this thing from Yang Ye. When he heard her say this, he naturally understood what she was thinking. "Don't worry, Boss Yang. Since you trust us, Jinshizha, I will naturally use our connections. I can assure you that as long as we can get it outside of this domestic market, the price will definitely satisfy you."
Karl frowned as he heard the conversation, his joy instantly fading. Although he was interested in Yang Ye's jade pendant, he preferred to go through a formal auction channel. He was somewhat hesitant to agree with this murky, gray market transaction.
Seeing that the two were talking enthusiastically about something, Carl was just about to stand up and say goodbye to them politely.
"Mr. Fu is indeed a sensible man, so specific..." Before Yang Ye finished speaking and Karl was halfway up, their conversation and actions were disrupted by the noise coming from outside.
The window of the study was not closed tightly, and several sirens could be heard from a distance.
The sound of "Woo-wah, woo-wah" came from far away and got closer.
Fu Yunsheng's already tense emotions were suddenly snapped. He stood up from the sofa, his hands unconsciously clenched, and his voice seemed to tremble as he asked, "What's going on? Where did the police car come from?"
"It might be a passing fire truck." Yang Ye leaned back in her chair. Although she was not sure whether the police car passing by was arranged by Xu Jingzhe, the most important thing at the moment was to stabilize Fu Yunsheng's emotions.
"Impossible," Fu Yunsheng retorted almost immediately. He stood there, his body stretched straight, like a bowstring stretched to its limit, ready to break at any moment. "There are only abandoned factories around here, where did the fire truck come from?"
"I drove over on the road," Yang Ye said again.
Fu Yunsheng rushed to the window and roughly lifted a corner of the curtain. The moment he saw outside, he was stunned.
The area outside the venue was already surrounded by dense red and blue police lights. Two cars were parked not far from his window. Uniformed policemen quickly got out of the cars, their figures swaying in front of the headlights.
"Boss, there are a lot of police outside." Manager Wang pushed open the study door in panic and ran in fear.
"Who told the secret?" Fu Yunsheng turned around, his eyes like a poisoned knife, fiercely cutting across the faces of several people.
Manager Wang trembled, "No, I don't know. What should we do now?"
A clear voice came from outside, "Fu Yunsheng, you are suspected of money laundering and illegal transactions. Please open the door immediately, put down your belongings and come out, otherwise we will take compulsory action."
"Damn it!" Fu Yunsheng cursed and his hands and feet began to tremble. He knew he couldn't run away. There were police cars parked outside and the door was pushed open. The police had already rushed in, but his instinct still urged him to escape quickly.
Fu Yunsheng stood there frozen, his heartbeat and breathing cut off. He could hear nothing, but he could hear footsteps approaching from outside. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his eyes fluttering with panic. He didn't know what to do, so he just stood there, shaking uncontrollably. Then something clicked, and he lunged at the table, grabbing the jade pendant. Even if the police caught him later, he had to take it with him.
Before the police rushed in, he kicked open the small door behind the study.
"Boss" Zhou Yiheng ran in first.
"He took the things away," she said to Zhou Yiheng.
That thing was left by my mother and he must not take it away.
Yang Ye thought about it, clenched his fists and rushed out first. Zhou Yiheng immediately followed Yang Ye's steps. The two of them chased in the direction of Fu Yunsheng's escape with all their strength. The hurried footsteps echoed in the empty equipment room, mixed with the sirens outside that kept ringing and became more and more shrill, revealing an indescribable tension.
Just as he was about to be caught up, Fu Yunsheng suddenly rushed out of the club and came to a relatively secluded road outside, where only a few speeding cars passed by and the road was not yet open to traffic.
The night wind howled.
The truck was driving at high speed with its high beams on and the driver turned on the music in the car.
He was about to be caught by them, so Fu Yunsheng changed direction and ran directly onto the road.
"Be careful!" Zhou Yiheng saw the truck approaching from the corner of his eye, and he stopped and shouted.
Almost at the same time, Yang Ye took a step forward and tried to pull Fu Yunsheng back from the road.
But
Bang!!
"Yang Ye"
"Yang Ye"
"boss"
"Zhao Zhao"
…
The screeching of brakes tore through the night air.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Yang Ye only felt that she was hit hard by a force that she could not resist. At the moment of being hit, she could not even make a sound of screaming. Her consciousness seemed to be paused. All her reactions and touches became blank at that moment. There was only a dizzying darkness in front of her eyes.
Then, she was enveloped by a huge pain. A second before she lost consciousness, in her dying vision, she saw Zhou Yiheng running towards her frantically and staggeringly, and Fu Yunsheng was knocked to the ground by Xu Jingzhe who came rushing over.
The world became completely silent before her eyes.
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