NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: 86. Jewelry
Jason Liu didn't pay much attention at first. His mind was busy figuring out how to negotiate the right price later. If he set it too low, he risked losing money.
Out of nowhere, Fatty Wang approached him with a mischievous grin, giving him a wink and signaling for him to look ahead.
Out of habit, Jason glanced forward and instantly found his attention drawn to a woman's figure. His gaze was involuntarily fixed on the swaying motion of the secretary walking in front of him.
"Hey, look at that," Fatty Wang whispered with a sly grin, clearly noticing that Jason's attention had also been captured.
Jason glanced once, then again, and then a third time...
However, he quickly pulled his eyes away. Fatty Wang's lecherous expression and greasy smirk made Jason feel uncomfortable. No matter how pleasant the view in front of him was, Wang's attitude spoiled it. Jason shifted his gaze, feeling a bit disgusted.
Inside the office, the general manager, Zane Boting, saw the two visitors brought in by his secretary. He immediately walked over, greeting them warmly.
"Boss Wang, welcome! It's great to have you here!" Zane smiled and shook hands with Boss Wang. His eyes quickly landed on the shoe bag Jason Liu was carrying, then shifted to Jason himself. "And this is…?"
Wang, eager to make introductions, quickly responded, "Mr. Zane, this is my little brother, Jason Liu. He's got some gold he'd like to sell."
Zane, wearing golden-rimmed glasses, looked polished and professional in his early thirties. His face lit up with a friendly smile. "Ah, Mr. Liu, welcome to Jinfuyuan! It's a pleasure to meet you."
Jason returned the handshake with a polite smile of his own.
Zane invited the two of them to sit on the sofa nearby. After the secretary served tea and left the room, they started discussing business, easing into the conversation with some small talk.
Jason Liu casually pulled a shoebox from the bag and opened it, revealing a 2.54 kg piece of raw gold, shaped like a rock.
Zane couldn't help but twitch slightly at the sight of gold being presented in a shoebox. However, his attention was quickly drawn to the oddly-shaped piece of gold inside.
Even Fatty Wang leaned in for a closer look. He wasn't well-versed in gold, but he knew that this sort of thing was rare and valuable. Although it didn't personally excite him, he understood it was worth a lot of money.
"Mind if I take a closer look?" Zane asked, glancing at Jason.
"Of course," Jason nodded and pushed the shoebox toward him.
Zane calmly pulled out a pair of white gloves from his suit pocket and put them on before carefully lifting the gold. His experienced eyes studied it closely.
Having grown up with a father who dealt in gold, Zane could easily tell this was the real deal. The gold content was substantial despite the small size of the stone. After a thorough inspection, he weighed it on a professional scale. It came in at exactly 2,540 grams.
The evaluation took around 20 minutes, but Jason was in no rush. He sipped his tea and glanced around Zane's office, admiring its design. The space was vast, likely over 100 square meters, and decorated in a sleek, modern style that matched Zane's refined appearance.
Of course, what caught Jason's attention the most wasn't the office but Zane's secretary. He couldn't help but think how lucky these big bosses were, with their luxurious offices and beautiful assistants.
It was the kind of situation that sparked both admiration and a twinge of jealousy.
"It's genuine and in great condition," Zane finally said, returning the gold to the shoebox. As he did, he couldn't help but mentally complain about the presentation. A shoebox? Really? He shook his head internally. Didn't Jason know that proper packaging could raise the value of an item? How was he supposed to impress wealthy buyers with something so valuable packed so poorly?
Fatty Wang, eager to move the discussion forward, chimed in, "So, Mr. Zane, what's your take? How much is it worth?"
Zane didn't respond immediately. He first glanced at Jason, who smiled and said, "Mr. Zane, I'm not very familiar with the market. I've read some things online, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on the value first."
Zane took a sip of his tea and replied, "You can't trust everything you read online. Most of those reports are exaggerated for attention." His tone hinted that Jason shouldn't expect the inflated prices seen in the news.
"Exactly!" Fatty Wang agreed. "Buying and selling is all about finding the right price for both sides. We're here to be sincere."
Wang then turned to Zane, "So, what's your offer on this piece?"
Zane could tell that Fatty Wang had his own interests in the deal—likely a fee on the side—but that didn't bother him. It was all part of the game.
After a brief pause, Zane made his offer. "3.5 million."
Fatty Wang quickly did the math, figuring out what his cut would be at that price.
Jason, however, frowned slightly. The offer was lower than he had hoped, but not unreasonably so. "That's a bit low," he said. "I was thinking more along the lines of 4.5 million."
Zane shook his head. "That's too high. You might get that price at an auction, but remember, auctions come with fees. We're not at an auction, so 4.5 million is unrealistic."
He adjusted his offer. "How about 3.7 million? That's the best I can do."
Jason considered for a moment, then countered, "How about 4.4 million?"
Zane chuckled. "You're only dropping by 100,000 after I raised by 200,000? That's not very fair."
Jason gave a playful smile. "I just think this piece is really good. It deserves a good price."
Fatty Wang, sensing the tension, jumped in, "Mr. Zane, come on! Let's meet somewhere in the middle. Brother Liu, you can lower your price a bit too. Let's get to a deal that makes everyone happy!"
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