Mr. Zhang, whose expression had changed drastically, worried that Yan Rufeng's words would anger Su Changqing, raised his voice and said, "Little brother, no matter what business, it has always been others who ask to cooperate with us. No one has ever been as arrogant as you. Take back your words and apologize to Mr. Su immediately."
"Heh!"
Yan Rufeng chuckled faintly, spread his hands, turned, and walked away, leaving only a cold response.
"It seems I've come to the wrong place. Sorry for disturbing you."
"Sir, please wait!"
Su Changqing, who had not spoken all this time, stopped Yan Rufeng, who had reached the door.
With a smile on his face, Yan Rufeng turned and asked, "Chairman Su, what do you need from me?"
"May I ask for your esteemed name?" Su Changqing asked humbly.
Mr. Zhang, seeing this scene, began to murmur inwardly.
"In front of a young man, he's lowering his stance so much. Has Brother Su gone senile? I've never seen him like this before."
"Yan Rufeng!"
Su Changqing smiled in relief and said, "Mr. Yan, just now Brother Zhang offended you. I apologize on his behalf. I hope you won't take it to heart."
"Brother Su, you..."
"Brother Zhang, invite Mr. Yan inside to talk."
Mr. Zhang was about to say something but was sternly interrupted by Su Changqing.
"Heh."
Inwardly, Yan Rufeng chuckled coldly. "It seems this Su Changqing has quite an eye."
In the VIP room, Su Changqing brought out a piece of jade artifact that Yan Rufeng had sold to them and respectfully asked, "Mr. Yan, if I may ask, was this piece carved, or was it made by some other method?"
Seeing this, Mr. Zhang grew even more confused, thinking, "If it wasn't carved, then what method was used to make it? I don't know why Brother Su is asking such a question..."
"It was carved!"
Upon hearing Yan Rufeng's response, Su Changqing thought, "This isn't scientific. This piece is exactly like the jade artifact made using Immortal Law at the Longhu Mountain Heavenly Master Mansion. How can he say it was carved?"
Since ancient times when Nuwa refined jade to mend the sky, followed by Shennong's tales of jade crafting, there have been records of crafting jade artifacts. Some incomplete ancient books say only Immortal methods can create jade artifacts.
Su Changqing had once visited the Taoist ancestral temple at Longhu Mountain and was fortunate enough to witness a jade artifact crafted using Immortal Law, as described in ancient texts.
Upon first seeing the jade artifact brought by Yan Rufeng, he boldly guessed that Yan Rufeng must have an extraordinary connection with cultivators.
Although Yan Rufeng denied it in person, Su Changqing believed he was intentionally hiding it, not wishing to create unnecessary ties.
Su Changqing pondered, "Even if he doesn't admit it, as long as I make friends with him, I'll eventually see the force behind him. Then, the Su Family will prosper for a century."
"Brother Su, look at this."
At this moment, Mr. Zhang, smiling broadly, brought over the Chang'e Flying to the Moon statue that Yan Rufeng had carved that morning and placed it in front of Su Changqing.
"What's this?"
"Brother Su, this Chang'e Flying to the Moon statue was carved by Mr. Yan himself this morning. I saw it with my own eyes, no mistake."
Su Changqing picked up and carefully compared the two jade artifacts. The more he examined them, the less he could see any difference in the carving techniques.
Su Changqing thought, "Could I be wrong? Was this truly carved? If he can carve such perfect jade artifacts with a chisel, he is indeed extraordinary. But let's stick to the plan for now. The auction is bound to attract experts. We can decide then."
"Chairman Su, I think we should discuss our cooperation first."
Su Changqing put down the jade artifact and said softly, "Mr. Yan, please name your price."
"You provide the jade, and we split the profits fifty-fifty."
With just one light sentence, Yan Rufeng's demand aroused Mr. Zhang's dissatisfaction.
"Mr. Yan, that's not how business is done. We provide the labor and the material, and we still have to split the profits evenly? That's unreasonable."
"Old Zhang, enough. Mr. Yan is already offering us a high profit. Let the secretary draft a contract."
Su Changqing waved his hand, signaling Mr. Zhang to step back, and began chatting with Yan Rufeng alone.
After signing, Yan Rufeng lit a cigarette and took a puff.
"I will regularly send someone to pick up materials and deliver goods. You can start preparing for large-scale sales."
"Mr. Yan, before that, I think it would be better to gain some reputation at the auction first." Su Changqing replied.
"I won't meddle too much. I just handle production and the splits. The rest is up to you." Yan Rufeng got up to leave.
"Mr. Yan, tomorrow there's an auction in Zhongzhou. All the elites, wealthy merchants, and some government officials will be there. Would you like to attend?"
Su Changqing sincerely hoped that Yan Rufeng would attend the auction. If Yan Rufeng were to showcase his skills, the jade artifact prices would undoubtedly soar.
Of course, Yan Rufeng understood Su Changqing's intention, simply saying, "Reserve three seats next to the richest man in Zhongzhou for me."
As he left the Treasure Pavilion and hadn't yet reached home, his phone rang.
"We are all ordinary people, born in the world, busy and struggling, never a moment to rest..."
He picked up the phone and immediately heard Xiaxia's terrified voice.
"It's bad, Brother Rufeng, we've had a burglar. Come quickly, I've already called the police."
Hearing this, Yan Rufeng knew it must be Li Xiaofei who hadn't communicated with Xiaxia. But it wasn't Xiaxia's fault, as he hadn't told her in advance.
"It's okay, his name is Chen Xiaofei, he's my friend, not a thief. Call the police and explain."
After hanging up, Yan Rufeng hurried toward Jade Garden.
Before he even reached the entrance, he saw a police car parked there, quickening his pace.
"Officers, I've told you many times, I'm not a thief, I'm a close friend of the owner," Li Xiaofei kept explaining.
Xiaxia had already called Yan Rufeng, and she explained to the officers that it was a misunderstanding. However, the officer said, "Please both show your IDs for the record."
When the officer checked Xiaxia's ID carefully, he casually asked, "Do you know Song Jiaren?"
"What's it to you? Of course I know him, he's scum."
Xiaxia was still angry.
The officer said sternly, "Miss Xiaxia, please come with us, we suspect you're involved in Song Jiaren's disappearance."
"Song Jiaren is missing? What's it got to do with me? Why should I go with you?" Xiaxia demanded furiously.
"Sorry, Miss Xiaxia, please calm down and cooperate with our investigation."
The officer then took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed Xiaxia.
"Take her away."
Two more officers then arrived and dragged Xiaxia into the police car.
Just then, Yan Rufeng arrived in front of the police car.
"Why are you arresting her?"
One of the officers responded, "Sir, may I ask what your relationship to her is?"
"Friend!"
"Please show your ID."
Yan Rufeng took it from his room, but as soon as the officer got his ID, he shouted to the two officers behind him, "Cuff him."