"Let's find a hotel and have dinner first. There's a hotel nearby that's supposed to be very unique. Let's check it out," Jiang Qixin said. "Let's go to Anran Grand Hotel."
Anran Grand Hotel was known for its beautiful service staff. Even before entering the lobby, greeters approached them.
"Welcome to Anran Grand Hotel! Are you here for accommodation, dining, or relaxation?"
"We need three rooms. Then, take us to the restaurant."
"Sir, please follow me." The greeter led them to the front desk and booked three rooms for them.
"Xiao Liu, go up and put the luggage down. Come down later for dinner," Jiang Qixin said to his driver.
The two of them followed the greeter to the restaurant for their meal.
The restaurant was quite large. They found a table by the window and sat down.
"Miss, could you introduce your restaurant's specialty dishes?" Jiang Qixin asked.
"We have dishes like 'Qing Yu Xia Ba Shui,' 'Gui Hua Rou,' 'Ba Bao Ji,' 'Song Jiang Gai Yu,' 'Xia Zi Da Wu Shen,' 'Shuang Bao Ya Pian,' 'Si Xian Bai Cai Dun,' 'Kou Mo Guo Ba Tang'… Sir, what would you like?"
"There are too many delicious options. There are only three of us, so please bring us Gui Hua Rou, Ba Bao Ji, Xia Zi Da Wu Shen, Si Xian Bai Cai Dun, and Kou Mo Guo Ba Tang. We'll try others next time."
"Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment. The dishes will be ready soon." The greeter poured them some water and then left.
"Mr. Jiang, are you in Shanghai just to look at crystals and diamonds this time?"
"Of course not. Our goods are coming in from America and are due to arrive in the next few days. I'm here to check on the situation."
"In that case, Mr. Jiang, if you have nothing else to do later, I'd like to go out and look for suitable shops. I'm planning to open another jade specialty store in Shanghai."
"You go ahead with your business. I'll also be going out later. I'll call you if I need anything."
Jiang Qixin said this and waved his arm. "Xiao Liu, over here."
"Xiao Liu's name is Liu Sen. He used to work with me directly, and later he was put in charge of all business in Shanghai. He's a very capable person. You should interact with him more."
"Thank you for your kind introduction, Mr. Jiang."
"No need to be so formal. We'll have plenty of dealings in the future."
By the time Liu Sen arrived, the dishes had also been served.
The dishes were all good, but the best was Si Xian Bai Cai Dun. It was a harmonious blend of color and arrangement with ham, roast duck, white chicken, and fresh bamboo shoots. The vegetables were tender, the meat was savory, the broth was clear and rich, glutinous yet not greasy, and exceptionally delicious.
The three of them praised the meal highly.
"When you go to a place, you should try the local specialty dishes. In fact, specialty dishes in hotels are usually made to suit general tastes.
To taste authentic local cuisine, it's best to go to specialized restaurants that have decades or even centuries of tradition.
Once our business is done, let's find a place to have a good meal together," Jiang Qixin said while eating.
"Alright, I'll pick up the tab then," Guo Xuyang said with a smile.
"No need. Let Xiao Liu handle it."
After they finished their meal, they parted ways.
"Hello! Ms. Xu Liping? This is Guo Xuyang. I'm at Anran Grand Hotel in Shanghai now. May I ask where you are?" Guo Xuyang dialed Xu Liping's number.
"Hello! Mr. Guo. If it's convenient for you, I can come and pick you up now."
"Please give me your address. I'll take a taxi there directly."
"That's fine. Please add me as a friend. I'll send you my location."
"Okay, see you in a bit." Not long after Guo Xuyang hung up, he received a friend request.
He accepted Xu Liping's friend request.
The location sent showed that the other party was at a hotel. It was less than ten miles away from him in a straight line.
This was his first time in Shanghai, and he was completely unfamiliar with the place.
So, he asked the hotel to call a car for him and went directly to the Penglai Hotel where she was.
When he arrived downstairs at the hotel, he called Xu Liping again to tell her he had arrived downstairs.
She asked him to wait in the lobby for a moment, and she would come down soon.
After no more than five minutes, a woman around thirty years old emerged from the elevator.
This woman was tall and slender. She was wearing a white alpaca coat on her upper body, straight trousers on her lower body, and khaki boots. She walked with a graceful sway, and her beautiful eyes were particularly captivating.
She walked out of the elevator, looked around, and spotted Guo Xuyang standing in the lobby.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Guo?"
"Hello! I am Guo Xuyang. Are you Miss Xu?"
"Hello, hello! I am Xu Liping. Shall we find a place to chat, or should we go directly to look at the shops?"
"Let's go look at the shops. I came with other friends, and I don't know when they might call me. Let's go see the shops first," Guo Xuyang said.
"Then please follow me." Xu Liping led Guo Xuyang to the second basement level parking lot.
She pressed a button on her key.
"Beep beep." A white Maserati supercar honked.
Why do women like supercars so much? Are they all gold diggers? Guo Xuyang thought to himself.
"Get in. We'll go now," Xu Liping said.
The two of them got into the car and headed to the shop Xu Liping had chosen.
"This shop is on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street in Shanghai. The previous owner had to transfer the shop because of a failed investment in bulk commodities, but he's asking for a rather high price, three hundred million, no negotiation.
This was introduced by other friends in the circle. This person also has a few other shops, two of which are in the antique street. The shops there are cheaper, not exceeding one hundred million. Where do you think we should go first?"
"Let's go to Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street. The foot traffic there is high. Let's see how that shop is first. If it's suitable, we should keep that one."
"Then we'll go to Nanjing Road first."
Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street is adjacent to the Bund, a must-visit place for tourists. The annual foot traffic is extremely high. If one can acquire a shop in this location, it's at least guaranteed not to lose money, if not to make a fortune.
The two arrived at a shop on the second floor of a department store on the pedestrian street. It was about three hundred square meters, sparsely furnished with some gold jewelry. There were many people, a bustling crowd coming and going, but not many buyers.
Xu Liping led Guo Xuyang inside. In the counter area, a middle-aged man was processing jewelry for a customer.
"Boss Wang, busy?"
"Miss Xu, you're here? Please wait a moment. Let me finish with this one."
"Okay, you continue. We'll have a look around," Xu Liping said, and they moved to another counter.
"He is the owner here, Wang Shiping. He lost ten billion investing in precious metals, so he had to sell this shop. Because he's too rigid on the price and wants payment in full upfront, this shop has never been sold. This location is good, but the price he's asking is a bit high."