Wilderness Romance!

"etc."

A deep, slightly languid voice suddenly came from the small living room, stopping Lu Pingchuan in his tracks.

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Guisheng, who was sitting in the inner small living room, slowly stood up and strolled out.

His slightly plump body looked relaxed, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp. He looked Lu Pingchuan up and down, his gaze lingering on Lu Pingchuan's calm and composed figure for two seconds, secretly weighing him in his mind.

The middle-aged man's face stiffened slightly. He reluctantly dropped his arrogant attitude and silently retreated to the side, not daring to utter another word.

Jin Guisheng stared warily at Lu Pingchuan, his tone neither warm nor cold, but with a hint of scrutiny: "Young man, you look unfamiliar. Are you from Qingshui County?"

"Brother, isn't it a bit irregular to check my household registration right away?" Lu Pingchuan stopped in his tracks, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "I can only tell you that I'm not a local."

Upon hearing this, Jin Guisheng's wariness lessened somewhat.

"Alright, since you're unwilling to talk about it, I won't force you. Can you tell me what national treasure-level cultural relics you have?"

Lu Pingchuan maintained a cautious and vigilant demeanor, turning slightly to the side, his eyes revealing just the right amount of hesitation and defensiveness.

"This item of mine is too valuable; it's not something an ordinary guy can handle." Lu Pingchuan lowered his voice, his tone carrying a subtle implication: "Are you the boss? If I tell you, you can't make the decision, wouldn't that be a waste of everyone's time?"

These words accurately struck a chord with Jin Guisheng.

What he likes most are antiques and paintings of dubious origin that he can snag at bargain prices.

Antiques and paintings are difficult to distinguish from fakes and are highly secretive, making them his safest and most frequently used channel for money laundering. Moreover, these are items with illegitimate origins, which he can buy at prices far below market value and resell for a huge profit.

If it were an ordinary customer, he might have been more cautious, but Lu Pingchuan's deliberate caution, eagerness to make a move, and the promise of a cheap, national treasure-level antique instantly ignited his passion.

In his view, most of the young people in front of him were holding ill-gotten gains and were eager to cash out, but dared not make a fuss. This was exactly the kind of trading partner he liked best.

The scrutinizing look on Jin Guisheng's face gradually faded, replaced by a shrewd smile.

"Don't I look like the boss here?"

He raised his hand and waved, and the man beside him immediately stepped aside: "Young man, you can go and ask around. In the entire Qingshui County, besides my place, who else dares to accept things of dubious origin?"

"Let's go inside and talk."

After speaking, Jin Guisheng turned and walked into the small living room at the back.

Lu Pingchuan hesitated for a moment, then followed.

After the two sat down, the man who had been minding the shop immediately came forward and poured each of them a cup of hot tea.

Jin Guisheng looked Lu Pingchuan up and down and said slowly.

"Tell me, what exactly do you have? If it's really as you say, I'll definitely give you a reasonable price."

Lu Pingchuan glanced at Jin Guisheng, then at the man standing respectfully to the side. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward and whispered.

"Boss, have you ever heard of the oracle bones from the Yin Ruins?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Guisheng's eyes lit up, filled with greed.

He frequently buys antiques and cultural relics; how could he not have heard of oracle bones from the Yin Ruins?

Previously at Christie's auction, twenty pieces of oracle bones from the Yin Ruins fetched a staggering price of 48 million, meaning that each piece of oracle bone was worth as much as 2.4 million.

Jin Guisheng suppressed his excitement, his face filled with greed: "Do you really have oracle bones from the Yin Ruins? How many?"

Lu Pingchuan made a ten-point gesture: "I have this much, I wonder how much the boss can contribute?"

Ten pieces of oracle bones from Yin Ruins, at the time of the auction, would have cost a whopping 24 million.

Jin Guisheng's lips curled into a sly smile, but he feigned composure: "Ten pieces? Isn't that a bit too few?"

"How about this, I'll give you eight million, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Pingchuan's face immediately darkened: "Boss, I've investigated the price of oracle bones from Yin Ruins. One piece costs a full 2.4 million, and you're only giving me 8 million for ten pieces? You're treating me like I'm from an island nation!"

Jin Guisheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "Young man, that's not how you calculate it. The price at Christie's auction was indeed this, but do you know how much the auction fees are?"

"For items priced like this, the handling fee alone is 15% to 20%. That means that for a single piece of oracle bone from Yin Ruins, the handling fee would be 480,000 yuan."

"This doesn't even include local sales tax, value-added tax, insurance premiums, transportation fees, and the like. If you add those, it'll be at least 40%. So, in reality, a single piece of Yin Ruins oracle bone would only fetch around 1.5 million."

"This thing of yours is of dubious origin, so it's reasonable for me to cut the price in half, right? 800,000 is a lot. If you don't sell it, you'll just be stuck with it collecting dust."

Lu Pingchuan feigned hesitation, knowing that if he agreed too readily, it would only arouse Jin Gui's suspicion.

After a moment's thought, Lu Pingchuan shook his head: "Sorry, boss, these things were earned with our lives. Your price is indeed a bit low. Goodbye."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Pingchuan got up to leave.

Just as I reached the door, I heard Jin Guisheng's voice behind me.

"One million, one million per piece, young man. This is the highest price I can offer. Each piece is only a few hundred thousand less than at Christie's auction. With such a huge risk, it wouldn't be right to not even offer a profit of a few hundred thousand, would it?"

"If you think it's okay, then bring the things. If not, then goodbye."

Lu Pingchuan stopped in his tracks and stood there for more than ten seconds before turning back.

"Boss, you must have some ability to do this. What if I bring the goods and you double-cross me?"

"I can accept a price of one million per piece, but the transaction location must be changed. If the boss agrees, we can do the transaction tonight. If he doesn't agree, I won't sell no matter how high the price."

Upon hearing this, Jin Guisheng felt a little doubtful, but then he thought, this is Qingshui County, and he is Brother Pao's man, so what is there to be afraid of?

A single piece of oracle bone from Yin Ruins can net you hundreds of thousands of dollars; ten pieces would be worth several million. Such a deal is extremely rare.

More importantly, he has accumulated tens of millions of yuan in cash during this period. This cash is a hot potato, and if Luo Sanpao finds out, the consequences will be unimaginable.

If we can make this deal, we can not only get rid of the hot cash, but also make a fortune. Why not?

Jin Guisheng looked up at Lu Pingchuan, frowned, and asked, "Where do you want to make the deal?"

Lu Pingchuan pondered for a moment: "I know there's a Yuelai Hotel nearby, how about we go there?"

Jin Guisheng was initially worried that Lu Pingchuan would choose the new district as the location, since it was Luo Sanpao's territory and everyone in the new district knew him, which would be very inconvenient.

Now, upon hearing the words "Yuelai Hotel," even the last trace of worry in my heart vanishes.

"Okay, tonight at eight o'clock, the private room on the first floor, I'll be there on time."

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