Upon arriving at the company, Lin Xiaotian noticed a man in his fifties sitting in the first-floor lobby. He had a beer belly, thinning hair, and stood less than five feet seven inches tall, making him appear particularly stout.
The portly man was currently furious. "What does your company mean by this? Do you look down on me? Sending such a junior secretary to receive me?"
"Do you know how much profit your company would make if I agreed to hand over those collectibles to you?"
"Up to now, your boss hasn't even shown their face. Is this how you look down on me?"
Chu Nianxue quickly walked over, a polite, business-like smile appearing on her face. "Mr. Song, I sincerely apologize. We were delayed by some matters today. However, it's not yet ten o'clock, our scheduled meeting time. We didn't expect you to arrive so early."
As Mr. Song turned his gaze, he saw Chu Nianxue. His small eyes suddenly brightened with obvious greed, his gaze constantly scanning Chu Nianxue up and down.
His stare made Chu Nianxue's brow furrow slightly, and her impression of Mr. Song instantly dropped to freezing point.
"They say Ms. Chu is the foremost business prodigy in our city. I never expected Ms. Chu to be even more beautiful than the legends. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation."
As he said this, he extended his hands, intending to shake Chu Nianxue's hand.
However, just as his hand extended, a small steamed bun landed in his palm.
He stared blankly at the bun that had suddenly appeared in his hand, momentarily stunned.
Lin Xiaotian, holding a container of soy milk, popped a small bun into his mouth, smiling. "Mr. Song, you're here so early; you must not have had breakfast yet, right? These small steamed buns are our famous crab roe buns."
"They taste exceptionally good. You should try one!"
Mr. Song's gaze shifted. His hand was now covered in the soup from the steamed bun, and his face turned ashen. He said coldly, "Ms. Chu, is this your company's employee?"
Chu Nianxue felt a slight sense of relief. She had genuinely feared this greasy man extending his hand.
If she had truly shaken his hand, she probably would have felt the urge to scrub it with steel wool.
She maintained her business-like smile. "Mr. Song, allow me to introduce him. This is my boyfriend, Lin Xiaotian."
Lin Xiaotian beamed. "Wife, you should just call me husband. After all, we're already an old married couple, just short of getting that piece of paper."
Chu Nianxue's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't deny it.
"Mr. Song, he is our company's chief appraiser. I've entrusted all the negotiation for this business to him. Perhaps you'd both like to head to the conference room."
With that, she gave Lin Xiaotian a look.
Lin Xiaotian smiled knowingly. "Mr. Song, this way, please!"
Mr. Song hesitated for a moment, but the prospect of profit ultimately won out. He merely snorted and walked directly towards the elevator.
Thinking of his plans, a smile involuntarily spread across his face, becoming even more pronounced when he looked at Lin Xiaotian.
This young man stirred intense jealousy in his heart; how could someone as beautiful as Chu Nianxue be this brat's wife? She was the dream of countless men.
He had originally intended to take advantage of the situation, but instead of gaining any advantage, the negotiation had fallen to Lin Xiaotian. He desperately wanted to threaten Chu Nianxue, thinking that if she hadn't come to negotiate, he would abandon the deal entirely. However, considering his plans, he could only suppress his anger for the time being.
Lin Xiaotian, with a thoughtful expression, led Mr. Song to the conference room.
"I heard you have a very valuable collection of antiques you wish to sell to our company. Tell me, what do you have? If they are genuine, I wouldn't mind offering you a favorable price."
Currently, the company was not short of money; what it lacked were genuine antique pieces.
Mr. Song forced a smile. "Everything I have is in the documents. Didn't Ms. Chu give you the files earlier? Can't you see for yourself?"
Lin Xiaotian wasn't angered. He had already skimmed through the documents before entering the conference room, reading them at lightning speed. If all those valuable antiques were genuine, they would indeed represent a significant income for the company, and Mr. Song's asking price was quite low.
However, the antique world was notoriously complex, and things were rarely as simple as they appeared. Such a good deal wouldn't just fall into their laps.
"Mr. Song, you may not have understood my question."
"I'm asking you how many of these antiques are genuine. You've provided a list of over a hundred items, claiming they are all your collection."
"Do you know that the total value of these collectibles is over a billion yuan, and that's your selling price."
"Your price is at least thirty percent lower than the market rate. As the saying goes, a weasel entering a house means trouble."
Mr. Song was momentarily stunned by this remark but then slammed his hand on the table and roared in anger, "Is this how you negotiate business? You insult me right off the bat?"
"What do you mean by 'a weasel entering a house'?"
"Apologize to me immediately, or I will directly find your Ms. Chu. I'd like to ask her what this is all about."
Lin Xiaotian's smile widened, and a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
"Mr. Song, you'd best sit down. Do you know that if I pay you the money right now and then appraise the antiques on the spot, and if I find even one substandard or fake item, you'll be charged with fraud."
"And if I'm not mistaken, perhaps only ten percent of these items are genuine?"
"Don't ask me how I got this information. You've come here today purely to deceive."
Mr. Song's pupils contracted slightly, and his eyes filled with rage.
He pointed a finger at Lin Xiaotian and shouted, "You're spouting nonsense!"
"If you don't want to complete this transaction, you can say so directly. There's no need to humiliate me."
"In the antique circle, who doesn't know how valuable my collection is? Over a billion yuan is not an amount I can't afford."
"The reason I chose your company to trade these antiques is because my company is currently facing some financial difficulties, and I urgently need money to stabilize our cash flow. Otherwise, do you think I would so easily part with my treasures?"
"Now you must apologize to me immediately, or I will not let you off lightly."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaotian's smile grew even more pronounced. "Is that so?"
"Don't forget, the documents you provided are all in my possession."
Mr. Song, mustering his courage, said, "Is there a problem with the documents?"