My words were met with silence. Zhao Kui looked at me, his breathing becoming somewhat rapid. Perhaps he felt humiliated, but he did not lose his temper. Instead, he walked over, grabbed a stack of money from the box, and began to examine it carefully.
I watched as the bills in his hand fluttered, leaning back in my chair with a smile, letting him see the money clearly. Zhao Kui dropped the money back into the box, looked at me, and asked, "Can I follow you?"
This question made everyone laugh, the entire room filled with laughter. But I did not laugh, nor did I speak. Qian Guang said, "My brother is not aggressive, but for us who live by our wits, not being aggressive is not an option. Wang Gui is not someone I look up to, but he has one good quality: he is ruthless and aggressive, very combative, and can solve anything for my brother. That's why he can make a lot of money. His hand is disabled, and his ability to protect my brother is limited. If you really want to follow my brother, you have to show some skills."
Zhao Kui looked at me and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
I said, "No rush, let's eat first, and talk after we're full."
Boss Wei clapped his hands, and soon dishes began to be served from outside. Zhao Kui pulled up a chair and sat down formally, with a straight back and a very military demeanor.
I looked at the dishes being served, all of which I had never seen before. Boss Wei said, "Sea cucumber, shark fin, bird's nest, and wild chicken and soft-shelled turtle soup, all wild and very nourishing. I bought the ingredients myself and had them prepared here. Try them."
I picked up my chopsticks and said to Zhao Kui, "Eat more."
Zhao Kui did not speak. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, taking large mouthfuls. Everyone watched him eat. Truly, his ability to eat was particularly strong. He swallowed a sea cucumber in one mouthful, then grabbed half a chicken and started gnawing on it directly, not caring about the gaze of others at all.
We all found it quite interesting; he was truly a person of character. Qian Guang lit a cigarette, poured wine for Boss Wei, and the two men had a drink. I also started drinking, paying no more attention to Zhao Kui.
"Qian Guang, are you interested in going to the Burma auction for some fun?" Boss Wei asked.
"That's for big bosses to play. We're just small-time operators, not much money. We can just play in small places," Qian Guang replied.
Although Qian Guang was very arrogant, he also had self-awareness. He knew that the Burma auction was a money pit, with an entrance fee of 50,000 euros, and one dare not enter without hundreds of millions. So, he did not plan to go.
Boss Wei said, "Do you know who bought those pieces of material?"
Qian Guang shook his head. Boss Wei smiled and said, "They were bought by people from Guangdong. The people from Guangdong are wealthy. After seeing that piece of imperial green, they placed an order directly. I negotiated with them for a few days and ground out a difference of several million. The people from Guangdong love to participate in the auction, but do you know how they play?"
Qian Guang shook his head, took a sip of wine. Boss Wei asked me, "Brother Zhao Fei, do you know?"
I nodded and said, "My father has studied it. Because the price of jade has skyrocketed in recent years, even the people from Guangdong can't afford to play anymore. But they still dominate the Burma auction, buying two-thirds of the good materials every year. They adopt the same strategy as us, which is to pool funds to gamble big, with a policy of shared honor. By raising funds, they get a large amount of capital, then sweep the auction, so they can buy good materials. After returning to the country, they speculate on jade, and in this way, they can earn a difference of ten times because the good jade is in their hands, so there is no problem with sales at all."
The so-called auction is a public auction. First, the auction company exhibits the original stones at the auction venue, where buyers observe and evaluate the value of the stones and then bid. There are two forms of bidding, one is the secret bid form, where buyers each write their purchase price for the stone in a bid form and put it into the bid box. When the bid is opened, the one with the highest price wins. The other is the open bid form, just like auctioning porcelain, calligraphy, and painting, with public bidding and the hammer falling to conclude the deal.
Qian Guang smiled and said, "Boss Wei wants to pool funds? But the auction is really not something we can afford. Even if we pool funds, we can't play with any big materials."
"Ah, do you remember Boss Kun Sang? He has money, we can..." Boss Wei said with a smile.
Qian Guang shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about it for now. I have a lot of things to deal with. I took over a dozen shops and still owe the bank so much money. I have to get it done first."
Boss Wei nodded and did not force Qian Guang anymore. I knew Qian Guang did not want to get too close to Boss Wei. He still wanted to gamble by himself, but I was quite curious about the auction and wanted to see it for myself.
At this moment, a person came in from outside. I took a look, and it was Liu Qiang. He was holding a bottle of wine and said, "Two bosses, if the reception is not good, please don't mind."
Both Boss Wei and Qian Guang laughed, but I did not laugh. I couldn't laugh. This person could be sure that he was the one who robbed us that night. Besides him, no one else could be. Kun Sang was impossible, so it had to be Liu Qiang who did it. So now he is smiling falsely with us, which makes me really sick.
"Come on, two brothers, I'll toast to you." Liu Qiang poured a glass of wine and said.
Qian Guang stood up and said to Qian Lao Wu, "Lao Wu, when the big brother drinks, you guys go out and get the things done."
Qian Lao Wu stood up and made a signal to Wang Gui and Zhu Zi. The two men stood up. Suddenly, Zhao Kui stood up abruptly, chewed the meat in his mouth fiercely, then turned around and went out. His action was so big that everyone was surprised.
"Damn, stupid tall guy, Qian Guang, your little brother, really doesn't understand..." Liu Qiang said.
I stood up and said, "I'm sorry, it's my little brother, doesn't understand. Come on, cheers."
A few people raised their glasses and had a drink of wine. Liu Qiang sat down politely and asked, "What's the matter? This is my place. Tell me if you have anything, and I can handle it."
Qian Guang smiled and said, "It's my brother's business, not troubling you, I can handle it."
Liu Qiang nodded and suddenly said to me with a smile, "Brother Zhao Fei really has a study on gambling stones. Would you like to gamble together sometime?"
I smiled and said, "I'll gamble with Brother Guang and Boss Wei."
Liu Qiang smiled, his voice softened, and said to Qian Guang, "Brother, make money together. Gambling stones have made you a lot, right? Give my brother a way to live. These days, my brother's life has not been good. I've lost too much. Let me turn the table, okay? I'll invest and get two points, not much, right?"
Qian Guang smiled and said, "No, Liu Qiang, we are not the same kind of people..."
Liu Qiang laughed and wanted to say something more, but suddenly there was a commotion outside. I listened, and they were all the screams of women, and some men were begging for mercy. Liu Qiang untied his tie and walked towards the window. He took a look and suddenly his face became ugly.
He turned his head abruptly and looked at Qian Guang, not speaking, but ran out in a hurry. Qian Guang took a sip of wine and said, "If it's not illegal to kill, I would take his life today."
Qian Guang's words were very plain, but I felt horror from the bones. Really, I knew that Qian Guang was not joking. Liu Qiang would definitely die. The reason why he hasn't died yet is that Qian Guang just hasn't figured out how to let him die unclearly!
We were drinking upstairs, and the screams downstairs became louder and louder, and the sound of police cars also came whistling. Boss Wei and I stood up and looked out of the window opposite. It was very chaotic downstairs, with fire everywhere, people running all over the street.
"Hehe, smashing his shop is a small matter. This matter is so big. If it's spread out, it should be managed. I believe that for a long time, there will be no women standing on this street. It's equivalent to cutting off this guy's financial path. Cutting off people's financial path is like killing people's parents. Qian Guang, you have to be careful." Boss Wei said.
Qian Guang smiled and said, "He must die first."
Qian Guang took a sip of wine and turned the wine glass in his hand for a few circles. We were all waiting. After a while, Zhu Zi came up and said, "Brother Guang, it's time to go."
Qian Guang stood up, I picked up the box, and went down with Boss Wei. We took the elevator downstairs, went out of the hotel, got in the car, and saw many police rushing in. Some women in revealing clothes were screaming, very chaotic. In fact, this was not a crackdown on prostitution, but an assault incident happened. The police came, and they took the opportunity to crack down on it. Liu Qiang must have suffered a lot this time.
We arrived at the parking lot across the street, surrounded by police. I saw many people squatting on the ground, some injured, some beating people, very chaotic. I now know what it means to step on the territory. Looking at those people with blood on their heads, I feel very lucky that I don't need to do these things.
Our car drove towards Rui Li Avenue and quickly returned to the bar. The bar was not open because of the renovation, so it was a bit desolate. We sat down, and Boss Wei did not stay long and went back directly.
We are waiting for Lao Wu to come back, and it may not come back, but the fight will be detained at most, and it will come out soon.
Qian Guang opened a bottle of wine for me and said, "I invite you."
I took it, and suddenly I heard the thunder outside, and soon it rained heavily. I took a sip of wine, knowing that tonight is an inevitable night.
Qian Guang said, "What do you think about the auction?"
After hearing this, I turned my head and looked at Qian Guang, and I said, "It's an opportunity. The auction has existed for a long time. It used to be several times a year, but now it's once a year. We can't go to the private auction. If we go, we may not be able to come back. Safety is not guaranteed. Only by going to the auction organized by the army, believe me, most of the materials in the auction are rare materials you have never seen."
Qian Guang said, "Are you going?"
I shook my head and said, "The decision is yours. If you don't go, I won't go either. It's boring and not safe."
Qian Guang smiled, and his face suddenly became a bit ugly. He looked at a car that stopped outside. A person got out of the car, and I looked back and saw that it was Zhao Kui. He was drenched in rain, standing at the door, like a wild ghost, which was shocking.
Qian Guang suddenly smiled and said, "Your brother is interesting..."
I also laughed, looking at the person he was carrying on his back, and I also thought it was quite interesting...