The distance from the city wasn't that far, and Ye Tiancheng was quite familiar with it, having lived there for a considerable time, even attending university in the area.
Ye Tiancheng soon found that the car had arrived at a villa complex called Haotian Mansion, which was considered the most luxurious high-end villa community in the vicinity.
The taxi driver couldn't help but comment, "You don't look like a wealthy person. Are you here to work? Places like this are not affordable for ordinary people. Look at these villas, all European-designed, with many sculptures. I think this is the most expensive villa, but it's expensive for a reason – luxurious and tasteful."
Soon after, the taxi driver, still muttering, arrived at a large estate with security and an entrance gate. Fortunately, Ye Tiancheng managed to get in using the information provided by the mysterious person earlier.
After driving for more than ten minutes inside, he finally stopped in front of a lawn. It was incredibly luxurious, and Ye Tiancheng got out of the car with a sense of trepidation.
A butler in a black uniform then approached. The butler was tall and thin, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking just like a butler from a comic book.
"You must be Mr. Ye. Please follow me."
Even the butler's voice was so gentle and cultured, as if he were highly educated. He led Ye Tiancheng into the villa, passing through a spacious corridor first.
The corridor was incredibly grand, with even the railings made of pure jade. Outside the railings was a very beautiful and fragrant large garden.
In such a place, Ye Tiancheng felt his mood improve. He soon reached the end of the corridor, which led to a living room.
On the leather sofa in the living room sat a man, about sixty years old, wearing a high-end silk pajama. The man looked very imposing.
"Hello, my name is Jiang Dawei. I believe you've heard of me, Mr. Ye. Please come over and have a seat."
Ye Tiancheng quickly walked over and noticed that even the coffee table was exquisite, adorned with many Ruyi cloud patterns. It looked like a classical treasure, captivating his gaze.
In the face of such scenery, Ye Tiancheng suddenly realized that he was indeed a farmer. He had always disliked admitting he was a farmer, feeling it was an insulting title.
But now Ye Tiancheng realized this was pure peasantry. Even when he was at his wealthiest, he had never thought of decorating like this.
Look at their bonsai, such a beautiful flame tree. Next to the flame tree was an exquisite rockery, with emeralds on it, making it look dazzling at the moment.
"Your home is so beautiful, and the garden I saw earlier was truly thoughtfully arranged, with patterns on it."
Jiang Dawei smiled faintly, "As expected of an expert. It's not surprising that you pay so much attention to my flowers and can cultivate such miraculous plants."
Ye Tiancheng understood that he was only benefiting from the little stone, which allowed him to cultivate such plants. Now, it seemed he had become an expert.
"You flatter me. I'm not an expert at all. It was just a fluke. I didn't think much about it, and somehow the plants turned out that way."
"How about this, I've also invited an expert team. These are all leading figures from botanical research institutes both domestically and internationally, and they are very famous. I hope you can talk with them. You sold your plant for 800,000 yuan before. As long as you share your cultivation techniques with these experts, I'll give you 8 million yuan."
He's truly a businessman, trying to get the technology directly. Ye Tiancheng wouldn't be so foolish. If he handed over the little stone to him, 8 million yuan would be too little. The other party could earn it back by cultivating ten pots. Why would Ye Tiancheng do such a stupid thing?
"Professor Li, Mr. Ye here is the very magical farmer botanist I mentioned to you. He wants to discuss with you how to grow such miraculous plants that can make every cell in the body feel like it's absorbing oxygen."
Ye Tiancheng understood Jiang Dawei's intentions, but at the same time, he looked down on him. It was normal for a businessman to prioritize profit, but this was a bit deceitful.
"Hello, Mr. Ye. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Ye Tiancheng still had the plant in his pocket. In fact, he was already regretting it. It would have been better to cooperate with Zhou Xiangxiang or Master Jiu. This Jiang Dawei seemed like a cunning merchant.
"Hello, Professor Li."
Ye Tiancheng was already unhappy at this point, so he just shook his hand perfunctorily. Then, the dozen or so experts also entered one by one. They politely introduced themselves.
"Don't just stand there. It makes me seem like a poor host. Please, everyone, sit down."
Soon, maids brought tea and snacks. Everything looked quite good, but Ye Tiancheng just wanted to escape.
As soon as they sat down, the expert team began to praise Jiang Dawei.
This was normal, after all, Ye Tiancheng had heard of Jiang Dawei before. He was very mysterious and involved in many industries. In short, he was an extremely wealthy industrial magnate, not someone who easily deceived people. He indeed had certain strengths, and it was rumored he had considerable assets abroad.
The group then engaged in extensive discussions about the plants in the mansion. The experts spoke with an air of sophistication, but the key point was that Ye Tiancheng couldn't understand much of it.
"Mr. Ye, you are also an expert. Why aren't you speaking?"
"Actually, I'm not here to attend a meeting with everyone today. I'm simply here to sell the plant. Mr. Jiang, I have no experience and can't exchange ideas. I apologize. If you don't want to buy my plant, I'll be leaving."
It turned out Ye Tiancheng really had no such intention. No wonder he remained silent during the discussion, seeming unwilling to communicate with others.
"Mr. Ye, good techniques can be shared and discussed by everyone. As far as I know, you've only produced two pots of this plant, which indicates you might have some issues with cultivation. I think if you share it, we can discuss it further."
Ye Tiancheng really had no mood to continue talking with these people. They spoke with official jargon, which was quite annoying and made him feel very bothered.
"I'm sorry, I have other matters to attend to. I'll be leaving now. Call me again when you're ready to buy."
Ye Tiancheng truly felt he had been blind. Many people wanted to buy plants, and he had agreed to sell to one person for 1.2 million yuan. He hadn't expected Jiang Dawei to play dirty, bringing in experts to steal his technology. How could Ye Tiancheng continue to converse with such a person?
If he continued to associate with such a petty person, the outcome would surely be tragic. So, it was better to stay away from such scum. This kind of person only brings misfortune.
"Don't go. It seems Mr. Ye is unwilling to continue the discussion." Jiang Dawei's face couldn't hide his disappointment. As a businessman, he wouldn't directly get angry; it would be too unsightly. "Alright then, are you unable to sell the technique to me? I can raise the price to 10 million yuan."
Facing Jiang Dawei's question, Ye Tiancheng directly shook his head. "It's not about the price. This is truly an accidental event. I know nothing about plant cultivation, and I'm certainly not an expert. I would like to take the 10 million yuan, but I can't. I don't have the technique."
It seemed Ye Tiancheng truly had no intention of cooperating. Jiang Dawei couldn't help but sigh after hearing this.
"Alas, Mr. Ye, would you like to reconsider? I'll double it directly. I won't waste words. If you're willing, how about 20 million yuan? I think I'm the only one among everyone who can offer such a high price."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang. I hope you can listen to my opinion carefully. I really have no such intention, and I don't want you to misunderstand."
"Alright, it seems continuing to talk is a waste of time. Then I'll buy this pot of flowers. According to what we discussed before, it's 1.2 million yuan. Now, cash on delivery."
"Whatever you say. Can you promise me not to spread this matter out? Otherwise, I might be in a lot of trouble."
"Then I can only say that I found this pot of flowers myself. Your demands are quite a lot."
Jiang Dawei smiled coldly and then asked aggressively, "Then shouldn't you give me a discount of 200,000 yuan? One million is fine. After all, you didn't mention any damn confidentiality conditions before."
Jiang Dawei was a bit angry. After all, Ye Tiancheng had repeatedly challenged his limits, causing him to lose his temper for a moment.
"I thought you, a big boss, wouldn't specifically ask for 200,000 yuan, as it's just a small amount to you. Your reputation is more important. Do as you wish, anyway, I don't want to sell the item anymore, and I find it boring. Let's do it this way."
"Don't be angry. I'll give you the item at the original price. I'm very sincere. I believe you won't try to raise the price arbitrarily. It's 1.2 million yuan. I'll keep it confidential for you."
Since there was money to be made, Ye Tiancheng didn't care much anymore. The most important thing now was to make money. After getting the money, he had to give a portion to Fang Ruyun first, otherwise, he couldn't hold his head up in front of Fang Ruyun.
"Okay, it's a deal then."
After receiving the 1.2 million yuan, Ye Tiancheng transferred it all to Fang Ruyun without hesitation. Fang Ruyun, upon receiving the money, was momentarily unsure whether to be happy or sad.
"Do you want to escape from me so badly that you're anxious to draw a clear line with me?"
"That's not the intention. I just feel that I owe you too much. If I don't return some of it, my dignity as a man feels unbearable. So, I thought I'd return what I can, and please don't be too angry with me."
Since Fang Ruyun had money to receive, she didn't pressure Ye Tiancheng anymore. "Alright, then it seems this is how it has to be. I also hope you don't rush to make money and aren't that desperate. Your 1.2 million yuan is enough for me to operate for a while, not to mention the beauty pills are still selling well. I don't want to push you too hard."
"I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Ye Tiancheng felt a sense of relief. However, all the bad things were not over. In fact, the misfortune had just begun. Everything was developing rapidly in a direction Ye Tiancheng could not have predicted, spiraling out of control.