“Is this Mr. Xu? I got a tip that someone’s selling Phoenix Tail Jade. I thought you’d be interested, so I contacted them. We’ve arranged to meet at Treehouse Café. Do you have time?”
Hearing this, Xu Fei immediately agreed.
“Anything related to Phoenix Tail Jade, I’ll make time for! Wait a sec, I’m heading over now!”
After speaking, Xu Fei briefed Bai Zhan, entrusting him with full responsibility for the mountain search, then hurriedly drove a military green jeep back to the capital.
On the way, Wang Qiang sent the seller’s contact number, and Xu Fei took the chance to chat with them briefly.
Xu Fei’s goal was to gauge the seller through conversation.
The seller didn’t seem guarded, and Xu Fei quickly pegged them as someone driven by greed.
Before long, Xu Fei arrived at Treehouse Café, surprised to find it less than a hundred metres from Tongtian Jian.
“This guy seems pretty greedy, so making him wait a bit longer is only fair!”
Inside the café, Xu Fei noticed only staff bustling about, Su Yu nowhere in sight.
“Xiao Jun, see that guy squatting by the road? Keep a close eye on him. I’m heading upstairs to rest!”
With that, Xu Fei went straight to the second-floor lounge and closed the door.
After a short nap, Xu Fei woke up a few hours later.
He washed his face and returned downstairs, amazed that the greedy guy by the road, baked by the sun for hours, was still patiently waiting.
Recalling their phone chat, Xu Fei had tentatively agreed to a price of around 200,000 for the Phoenix Tail Jade.
Given the man’s greed, he’d probably endure even more sun for a while.
Xu Fei stretched, swapped into plainer clothes, slipped out Tongtian Jian’s back door, entered the mall through another entrance, and made his way to Treehouse Café upstairs.
Once inside, Xu Fei ordered a coffee and sat in a corner, nearly finishing it before the seller finally called.
“Is this Mr. Xu? I’m at the agreed spot downstairs. When will you arrive?”
“I got upstairs not long ago. Come up and find me, I’m the one in black in the corner!”
As Xu Fei said this, a young man at the other end of the café glanced at him, then awkwardly shifted his seat.
Xu Fei ignored him, then saw a sweaty middle-aged man approach, giving him a respectful nod.
“How should I address you, sir?”
Feeling Xu Fei was overly polite, the man quickly waved it off.
“Mr. Xu, you’re too kind! Everyone just calls me Old Liu!”
Old Liu didn’t waste time, promptly unwrapping a coarse cloth bundle.
Xu Fei figured his urgency stemmed from recent failed attempts to sell, likely facing rejections.
“This is the Phoenix Tail Jade Pendant. Since you expressed interest, Mr. Xu, I haven’t contacted anyone else. It’s been perfectly preserved!”
Xu Fei saw through the self-praise.
“First, this is a jade ring, not a pendant. Second, the ring itself is broken. Even if you kept it in your mouth to protect it, it’s still broken, right?”
Old Liu hadn’t expected Xu Fei to be so blunt, sweat beading on his face.
“Mr. Xu, this isn’t what we agreed on. Are you backing out?”
Xu Fei took a sip of coffee, his expression calm.
