Chapitre 120: Chapter 120 The Art of Subtle Manipulation (Part 2)
As soon as he entered the restaurant, the security guard stopped Ye Yongsheng and asked for his membership card. Although the guard knew Ye Yongsheng had one, the procedure had to be followed.
Ye Yongsheng handed over his membership card and, while waiting for verification, deliberately glanced towards the parking lot not far away. Noticing that Chu Zhixing's Maybach was there too, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk appeared on his lips.
Once the verification was complete, Ye Yongsheng walked into the lobby. Guided by a beautiful woman in a high-class qipao, he took the elevator to the third floor and arrived at the reserved private room.
Inside the room, three middle-aged men were enjoying tea and chatting. As soon as Ye Yongsheng entered, the younger man among them quickly stood up to greet him. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he signaled the qipao-clad woman to leave, then picked up the teapot and poured tea for Ye Yongsheng.
The other two men, who had the demeanor of officials, nodded to Ye Yongsheng. Ye Yongsheng bowed slightly and said, "Mr. Cao, Mr. Tan, sorry to keep you waiting."
At the Red House, everyone was referred to as "General," regardless of their actual title. Whether in the restaurant or discussing any matter, the connection to the restaurant must remain unmentioned once outside. Additionally, there were no surveillance cameras throughout the building.
Mr. Cao, with a large belly, gestured to the chair across from him with a smile and said, "Mr. Ye, why are you still so formal? Please, take a seat."
Mr. Tan, who was also well-dressed and elegant, chimed in, "Yes, take a seat. There's no need to be so formal between us. It feels distant."
Both men, around fifty years old, were dressed elegantly without any visible logos. Despite their seemingly affable manner, they exuded an intangible aura of authority. Such presence could not be easily fabricated.
Without a doubt, Chu Zhixing's current success was influenced by the guidance and support of these two men.
"It's our first meeting after the New Year, and you've already had to endure some reprimands from me, hahaha…" Ye Yongsheng joked as he casually placed his belongings on the coffee table. As he sat down, the young man brought over the tea.
"You're personally serving tea, Mr. Wang. I'm honored!" Ye Yongsheng said with a smile.
"Mr. Ye, you're jesting," the young man replied with impeccable manners, showing attention to detail even in serving tea.
After some casual conversation, Ye Yongsheng took a sip of tea and casually mentioned, "Oh? Mr. Cao, I remember you have a keen eye for antiques. I recently acquired two pieces from a friend. Could you take a look?"
Mr. Cao smiled lightly, "Antiques come in many types. It's not my area of expertise, so I can't discern their authenticity."
Ye Yongsheng, maintaining his smile, began to unwrap the wooden gift box and said, "Let's have a look then."
Mr. Cao nodded slightly, his expression neutral. Mr. Tan, on the other hand, crossed his legs and held his teacup with interest.
As the box was opened, Ye Yongsheng carefully presented a jade Buddha and handed it to Mr. Cao.
Mr. Cao examined it closely and asked, "Did your friend tell you the origin of this antique?"
Ye Yongsheng pondered for a moment and replied, "It's from the Chu State."
"Chu State?" Mr. Cao frowned, seemingly unable to make a judgment. "Ah, antiques from such an old era are difficult to assess. It's hard to tell their authenticity."
Ye Yongsheng refilled their teacups, his eyes twinkling with a smile. "How about this? I'll hold onto it and move it around. If it breaks, it won't be your fault! Haha."
Mr. Cao responded with a hint of skepticism, "This thing isn't that easy to break, is it?"
Ye Yongsheng continued joking, "It won't break in your hands, but if I, a careless person, handle it, it might break easily, haha..."
Mr. Tan suddenly remarked, "Mr. Ye, you're being too modest. Your hands are quite skilled; it's unlikely to break."
"Oh, Mr. Tan, I must confess," Ye Yongsheng opened another gift box and presented an identical jade Buddha to Mr. Tan. "I liked this one when I got it recently, so I kept it high up and avoided touching it... But, strangely, I've been hearing it curse me at night, and one even fell and injured my son. My wife seems to be obsessed with it, even more than with me! To be honest, I brought it here to see if it's worth anything. If not, I'll just smash it into pieces!"
Mr. Cao and Mr. Tan exchanged glances, seemingly waiting for one of them to speak first.
Ye Yongsheng fiddled with his teacup, lightly rubbing his thumb on it.
After a moment, Mr. Tan asked with a smile, "Mr. Cao, can you determine if this jade Buddha is genuine or not?"
Mr. Cao pondered, "It's hard to say if it's real or fake, but it seems a bit suspicious... Mr. Ye, if it bothers you, whether or not it's broken depends on you. I cherish jade, but if it's not genuine, I won't insist on seeing it."
Mr. Tan added, "I also wouldn't want to force it."
Ye Yongsheng smiled with relief, "Alright, just pretend you didn't see anything if it breaks, hahaha…" He then feigned mystery and said, "I stored a case of fine wine here last month. Would you like to try some?" In the haze of the moment, a mutual understanding seemed to be reached.
But Ye Yongsheng's goal was not just this. To be precise, it was only halfway achieved.
The three men enjoyed their drinks and conversation, with the young man, known as "Mr. Wang," attending to their needs.
About half an hour later, Ye Yongsheng felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Keeping his composure, he checked the message from Xiao Wu: "Heading out."
"Mr. Cao, Mr. Tan," Ye Yongsheng stood up with a smile and said, "I need to return a call to my son. Please continue without me. I'll be right back."
"Alright, hurry back!"
Ye Yongsheng responded cheerfully and turned to leave.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the private room, he happened to run into Chu Zhixing, who was just passing by the door.
As the saying goes, "Enemies meet with a particularly fierce glare." Chu Zhixing, who was now quite drunk and supported by his bodyguard Xiao Wu, stopped abruptly upon seeing Ye Yongsheng. With a drunken sneer, he mocked, "Oh? What a coincidence... Xiao Wu, am I seeing things? Could you check if Mr. Ye has dyed his hair? It looks green to me!"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone