Chapter 218: The Buyer
Ever since He Zhilian bought the Qilin jade pendant and obtained the title of the head of the He family, she had been doing everything she could to win Xu Youyou’s favor.
She had even taken out some of her personal collection of antique curios to offer as gifts to Xu Youyou.
However, Xu Youyou, believing that no work should come without merit, declined these offerings.
Left with no other choice, He Zhilian could only urge her younger sister, He Zhi Ting, to perform well and make sure to cheer Xu Youyou up.
Now, He Zhilian had begun to understand how to deal with Xu Youyou. Direct gifts, like the ones sent to her, would not be accepted. But helping find the right owner for the antiques Xu Youyou owned could win her favor.
“Miss Xu, the buyer I’ve found for you is genuinely interested in collecting things from Cheng Dawi. His grandfather was also a renowned master in the art of abacus. This time, he’s coming to congratulate his grandfather on his 70th birthday,” He Zhilian carefully explained.
Xu Youyou nodded. When it came to antiques, two factors influenced their price: the material’s rarity and the identity of the previous owner.
Items used by emperors, for example, were naturally worth much more than those owned by ordinary people.
Though Cheng Dawi came from a family of Hui merchants, and his status wasn’t particularly high, his reputation as a master of abacus art added considerable value to his belongings. If his items weren’t being bought by a true admirer, they would indeed be difficult to sell at a high price.
The buyer was genuinely interested, so much so that he booked a flight to Huangshan the same day.
Xu Youyou felt that the buyer looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t place where she had seen him before.
It was Xu Fang, her assistant, who executed her job perfectly. She immediately approached Xu Youyou and lowered her voice, saying, “Mr. Zhang is a returning overseas Chinese. He’s been hailed as a young financial genius by financial magazines and has appeared on the cover several times.”
Xu Youyou nodded, complimenting him with “young and promising.”
To her surprise, he replied directly, “Miss Xu, you flatter me. If we’re talking about young talent, who could compare to you and Mr. Lu? I’ve even heard of you when I was in the United States. They say you have a sharp eye and are decisive in your actions.”
Xu Youyou paused, vaguely sensing that there was more to his words. “My reputation has even spread abroad?”
Zhang Yunhai smiled and replied, “When you bought a seemingly ordinary stone sculpture from a private museum in the U.S. and had it shipped back to China, no one expected it would hide a priceless imperial green jade inside.”
Xu Youyou’s smile faltered for a moment. Although she hadn’t hidden the fact, not many people knew about this.
“Mr. Zhang, you’re well-informed. I’m quite impressed. I didn’t realize the news had spread across the seas,” Xu Youyou said.
Zhang Yunhai quickly explained, “Miss Xu, please don’t misunderstand. It’s a coincidence. On the day the jade was appraised at the jade museum, a spectator who was attending an overseas banquet mentioned it. Someone at the banquet had participated in the museum auction, and upon comparison, they realized the jade came from the U.S.”
Xu Youyou smiled and said, “I just mentioned it casually, didn’t think much of it. Mr. Zhang must be mistaken.”
Zhang Yunhai smiled too, though whether he believed her words was anyone’s guess.
At first, Xu Youyou had a good impression of him, but after this conversation, she couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious. She wasn’t interested in continuing the pleasantries and directly said, “Mr. Zhang, please give me your offer. If the price is right, I’ll let you have it.”
Zhang Yunhai didn’t hesitate and immediately offered, “One hundred million.”
Xu Youyou gave him a deep look. This offer was completely different from what she had expected. Her psychological bottom line was between ten and twenty million, but he was offering such a high price right away.
“Miss Xu, do you think this is too low? Indeed, such a fine piece is extremely rare. The price doesn’t quite match its worth. How about this? I’ll add another ten million,” Zhang Yunhai suggested with a smile.
Xu Fang, standing by, was listening to the back-and-forth between the two. One million in their conversation seemed as casual as a thousand yuan. She had thought her boss would just go along with it.
But to her surprise, Xu Youyou shook her head. “Twenty million.”
“Twenty-one million? Sure!” Zhang Yunhai agreed without hesitation.
Xu Youyou fixed her gaze on him and said, “I only want twenty million. No need for one hundred million.”
Xu Fang looked at her boss in disbelief. Zhang Yunhai, though handsome, was nowhere near Lu Jingyao’s level. Xu Youyou never offered a low price to Lu Jingyao, so why would she give a discount to this man? Xu Fang couldn’t understand.
Zhang Yunhai was willing to take advantage of the situation but wouldn’t accept the counteroffer: “Miss Xu, you’re the seller, how can you cut the price like this? Dropping it so much at once, you’re going to lose out.”
Xu Youyou calmly replied, “If I earn less, I’ll just consider it as making a friend with Mr. Zhang. But if Mr. Zhang isn’t willing, then I’ll just keep it for myself.”
She was determined not to accept the high price. Zhang Yunhai, afraid of pushing too hard and alarming her, reluctantly said, “Miss Xu, you’re generous. No wonder so many people like to be friends with you.”
Xu Youyou raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who else likes me as a friend?”
Zhang Yunhai’s smile faltered, and he replied, “Of course, Miss He.”
Xu Youyou didn’t continue to ask any further.
However, Zhang Yunhai, sensing an opportunity, added, “I’ve also been watching the food videos of that blogger Qingqing. I wonder if I might have the honor of trying a meal she’s cooked?”
Xu Youyou didn’t ask Qing Yatou, immediately answering for her: “She’s resting these days and isn’t cooking.”
A flicker of dark light flashed in Zhang Yunhai’s eyes, and his face showed an expression of regret.
Xu Youyou, growing tired of the conversation, quickly found an excuse and signaled Xu Fang to escort him out.
Once he left, Xu Fang returned to Xu Youyou’s side and, after realizing what had just happened, asked, “Boss, it seems like you really don’t like Mr. Zhang?”
Xu Youyou didn’t hide her feelings from her assistant. “I just have an instinctive dislike for him.”
Xu Fang quietly made a mental note of his name.
Suddenly, Xu Youyou remembered why Zhang Yunhai looked familiar. She had seen him in her past life!
In the Gu family!
Zhang Yunhai had dealings with Gu Yujie, but she had only met him twice, so her memory of him wasn’t very strong.
At this thought, she felt that the two million he was offering now was unlucky. She immediately took out her checkbook, tore off a freshly written check, and handed it to Xu Fang.
“Donate this money for me. Just donate it to a child protection organization in the mountains,” Xu Youyou said.
Xu Fang held the check, once again marveling at her boss’s generosity. The money she had just earned was already being donated, without a trace of hesitation.
Zhang Yunhai, sitting in his car, glanced back at the orphanage growing smaller in the distance. His face darkened, and he pulled out his phone to make a call.
“This woman is very cautious. She’s not as greedy as you said. She didn’t accept the money.”
