Pi Xiaoqian was truly impressed.
He hadn't expected Guo Xuyang to be so capable. With such prowess, who in the entire capital could compete with them? His mind began to stir.
“Mr. Guo, what are the terms for the supply of goods you mentioned earlier?”
“We provide the finished products, and you are responsible for sales. We split the profits fifty-fifty. What do you think?” Guo Xuyang proposed.
“Who sets the prices for this jade?”
“We set them according to market prices. Both our stores are located in Panjiayuan, so prices must be unified to avoid malicious competition,” Guo Xuyang explained.
“Of course, the finished products we supply to you will be priced the same as those sold in our own stores. You can lower your prices for sales, and any reduction in cost will be deducted from your profit. You can also sell at a higher price, and any difference you earn is yours to keep.”
Guo Xuyang’s point was that his side would set the prices and supply the finished products for the other party to sell.
Ultimately, whether the other party lowered prices for promotions or raised them for sales was up to them, but the supply price would remain unchanged.
Pi Xiaoqian pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll need to consider this matter further when I get back. I can’t give you an answer right now. Let’s have dinner first, and after that, I’ll take you guys around elsewhere.”
The group arrived at the Quan Xing Hotel. The hotel had a modest storefront, but its main hall was filled with quite a few dining tables.
They went up to a private room upstairs. The room was quite spacious, equivalent to two rooms, with a dining table and several chairs in one area, and sofas, a television, and audio equipment in the other.
“Their fish dishes are quite good. Braised, stewed, steamed, and fish dumplings are all famous. You all must try them later,” Pi Xiaoqian introduced. “After dinner, let’s find a place to have some fun.”
The dishes came out quickly, most of them fish. Braised black carp, stewed assorted fish, steamed perch, sweet and sour carp, garlic abalone, salmon sashimi, grass carp dumplings, stir-fried sea cucumber with scallions – there were about seventeen or eighteen dishes in total. For drinks, they brought out a case of premium Erguotou.
“Meeting is fate. Brothers, let’s raise our glasses together. A toast to our reunion.” Pi Xiaoqian raised his glass.
Everyone drank it down without hesitation.
“If I hadn’t met Mr. Guo today, my losses wouldn’t have been just a little bit; I probably would have lost half of my fortune. I toast you brothers with this drink.” Pi Xiaoqian downed another cup.
The others exchanged glances and also drank their wine.
“From now on, I’m on the same ship as you brothers. To show my sincerity, I’ll drink this. Brothers, please feel free.”
After three consecutive cups, Pi Xiaoqian hadn’t even touched his chopsticks, showing his considerable generosity.
“Come, come, everyone try the food. The fish here is quite distinctive.”
The meal was a delightful occasion for all.
Although this was their first formal meeting, through the stone cutting, they had become friends and business partners.
“Mr. Guo, let’s go out and have some fun later. I know a good place; I’ll take you guys to see it.”
With nothing else to do, it wouldn’t hurt to tag along and take a look.
After eating and drinking their fill, they hailed two taxis and headed to a club.
This club was located within a high-end residential complex. Upon entering, it felt like visiting a regular household, with nothing particularly striking.
However, two men in suits stood by the elevator entrance.
“These are my friends,” Pi Xiaoqian said, pulling out a business card and handing it over.
The men in suits stepped aside, and the group took the elevator to the twenty-third floor.
The entire floor was a hidden gem, decorated with extreme luxury.
Staff members were constantly moving about.
“There’s everything here for entertainment. We’ll start by cutting a few stones,” Pi Xiaoqian said as he led the way inside.
“Everything from here upwards is for entertainment, including Mahjong, Pai Gow, slot machines, and poker. Of course, if you want to relax, that’s also possible; the young ladies upstairs are all top-notch.”
In a spacious room, several people were examining stones placed on the floor.
“Old Li, what do you think?” someone beside him asked.
“I can’t tell,” said the person called Old Li.
“Can’t tell” meant he didn’t think it was good. Since Old Li couldn’t tell, others were even less likely to invest their money.
When Pi Xiaoqian and his group arrived at the room, Old Li and his companions were preparing to leave.
“Old Li, what brings you here today?” Pi Xiaoqian asked with a smile.
“Just accompanying some friends around,” Old Li replied.
“How many have you cut today?”
“None have opened yet. You guys play; I’m taking my friends elsewhere,” Old Li said, about to leave.
“What’s the hurry? When can we go out again?” Pi Xiaoqian said.
“We’ll see. I’m quite busy lately. We’ll be in touch by phone.”
“Alright then. I’m planning a trip to Myanmar soon. If you have time, we can go together.”
“Sure. I’ll wait for your call,” Old Li said and then left with his group.
“Mr. Guo, this Old Li is Li Mingze. He’s the one who accompanies me to buy the stones for my shop,” Pi Xiaoqian explained.
No wonder Guo Xuyang thought Pi Xiaoqian’s smile earlier seemed a bit off.
“No one can be right 100% of the time. The quality of your stones is still pretty good,” Guo Xuyang commented.
As he spoke, he focused his gaze into the room.
Indeed, there were a few stones inside that were quite good.
Hmm, what is this? Guo Xuyang quickened his pace and crouched down.
He was looking at the same stone that Old Li and the others had been examining.
It was comparable to the first stone he had sold to Wu Youzhi, and even better.
“Mr. Pi, what are the prices of the stones here? How do we buy them?” he asked, looking up.
Seeing his great interest in the stone on the ground, Pi Xiaoqian asked, “Is there something valuable inside?”
“Please go find someone first. I want this stone,” Guo Xuyang replied, not answering the question directly, but asking Pi Xiaoqian to find someone.
“Please wait a moment. Mr. Wu, could you come over and look at this stone?”
Guo Xuyang stood up and called Wu Youzhi over. Then, he picked out several stones from the room individually.
“Each of you take one of these. However, you cannot cut them here; you’ll have to do it at Mr. Pi’s shop when you return. There’s something good inside. Choose for yourselves.”
After everyone had made their selections, he asked Pi Xiaoqian to call someone over to handle the paperwork.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but you must cut the stones here if you purchase them from us,” a young woman said.
“What’s going on, Mr. Pi?” Guo Xuyang asked, confused.
“I know we have to cut them here before we can take them away. I tried to negotiate with them earlier, but they wouldn’t agree, saying it’s the shop’s rule.”
“I see. In that case, you should each choose another one for yourselves,” Guo Xuyang said. He preferred not to be too conspicuous.
The five of them selected a total of nine stones for five million three hundred thousand. Everyone transferred the money accordingly.
Staff members arrived with small carts, loaded all the stones, and led the group to the cutting area.