Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System-Chapter 332 - 228: Kid, You’re Really Good at Sucking Up?
At six in the afternoon, the plane slowly descended at Beijing International Airport.
As the cabin door opened, a rush of familiar dry air flowed in.
Li Yaohua, who had gotten the news in advance, personally came to pick him up. As soon as they met, he warmly gave Qi Yun a bear hug and then took a half-step back to look him up and down, joking, "Little Brother Qi, we haven’t seen each other for a few days, and you’ve gotten sturdier!"
Qi Yun patted Chen Wei’s shoulder beside him: "I usually work out with him when I’m free."
Li Yaohua nodded at Chen Wei, then said, "Let’s go, I’ve arranged a hotel for you. The boss is still busy at the moment; I’ll take you to see him tonight."
"Sorry to trouble you," Qi Yun replied with a smile.
"Hey, don’t be so formal with me." Li Yaohua waved it off casually. "Later, I’ll take you to a nice place."
The three of them headed to the parking lot and left the airport in a Maybach with regular plates.
It was rush hour, so the roads were congested, and it took over an hour for the car to finally stop in front of a five-star hotel.
Li Yaohua had directly arranged for two presidential suites, each costing six figures per night.
Despite Qi Yun’s current wealth exceeding hundreds of millions, he still wasn’t quite used to such luxury.
Li Yaohua laughed and explained, "The hotel is owned by the boss. Next time you come to Beijing, just stay here. I’ve already told the manager."
"Haha, alright, thank you for your kind offer, Brother Li," Qi Yun responded with a smile.
Though he said this, even if he really came again, he wouldn’t stay here, as there’s no need to take advantage of minor benefits like this.
After resting in the room for a while, Li Yaohua glanced at his watch and said, "It’s about time. Let’s head over."
Qi Yun also took out his phone and looked, "Wait a few more minutes, the stuff I had sent is just about here."
"Alright." Li Yaohua didn’t ask further.
Ten minutes later, the doorbell to the room rang.
When Qi Yun opened the door, he saw three burly men standing outside. They were dressed in uniform, and one of them was holding a suitcase.
"Are you Mr. Qi?"
Qi Yun nodded, "Yes, that’s me."
After verifying the information, the man handed the suitcase to Qi Yun.
Back inside, Qi Yun put the suitcase on the table, spun the lock to open it, revealing three brocade boxes nestled inside soft fabric.
"What’s this stuff?" Li Yaohua curiously approached.
Qi Yun opened the first brocade box, which held a piece of Nephrite Jade the size of a pigeon egg. Qi Yun picked up the jade and handed it to Li Yaohua.
The latter took it and examined it closely.
This piece of Nephrite Jade was a flawless snow-white, exceptionally pure, with a quality even surpassing that of traditional Mutton Fat Jade.
"Thanks for all your care, Brother Li. It’s a small token of appreciation; you must accept it. Otherwise, you’d be disrespecting me," Qi Yun said with a smile.
This jade was sourced by contacting Boss Bi the night before last, then having Zhong Rui contact the logistics company that specializes in transporting high-end goods to airfreight it to Beijing.
Though not large, this jade wasn’t cheap by any means, valuable enough to swap for his mansion.
The chief value, however, lies in its rarity; such items are seldom seen on the market.
Li Yaohua caressed the piece of Nephrite Jade repeatedly, feeling its smooth texture at his fingertips, "Little Brother Qi, you’re too generous!" He had seen many treasures before, yet this pure Mutton Fat Jade still caught him by surprise.
"Just a token of gratitude, don’t be formal with me," Qi Yun said again.
Li Yaohua nodded: "Alright, I’ll accept it shamelessly then."
Qi Yun then opened the other two brocade boxes, and the items inside were even grander.
One was a jade thumb ring worn by Emperor Qianlong, with an imperial poem inscribed on it.
The other was a Han Baiyu Jade Pendant, once bestowed by Emperor Yongzheng to a certain minister.
These two treasures were prepared for Fu Wentao and Elder Tong. After some conversations with them last time, he found they were fond of things with historical and cultural significance, so he specifically asked Shi Feng to help pick these out.
These items counted as the centerpiece treasures of the store, with cost prices exceeding eight million.
So, for this trip to Beijing, Qi Yun really went all out.
However, compared to the help Fu Wentao and his associates provided him, this amount of money is trivial, especially as resolving the South African diamond mine issue alone yielded him over a billion in benefits.
After Li Yaohua carefully stored the jade stone, he gazed at the other two treasures in the boxes, finally patting Qi Yun on the shoulder and saying, "Little Brother Qi, you really went the extra mile."
Qi Yun chuckled softly, putting the box with the jade thumb ring into his pocket, then placing the jade pendant into the safe, before leaving the hotel with Li Yaohua.
Even though these items were all remarkably valuable, Qi Yun understood that for people like Fu Wentao and Li Yaohua, who had seen their share of rare goods, the essence of a gift lay in the sentiment.
Since they had lent a hand, he naturally needed to show his appreciation; this is how relationships endure.
Yet, this approach was strictly for people on Fu Wentao’s level. If it were someone like Zhou Wenbin, he’d undoubtedly be carrying cash worth ten million.
...
More than half an hour later, the Maybach stopped at the door of a standalone villa.
This villa appeared quite ordinary with a modest size, yet security was tight, with many guards patrolling, each possessing sharp eyes glinting with professional alertness.
Qi Yun followed Li Yaohua inside. At the entrance, a certain kind of unrecognized flowers were placed in a celadon vase, with a faint scent of ink lingering in the air.
In the study, Fu Wentao was standing in front of the desk writing with a brush.
The brush moved skillfully in his hand, and although the posture looked convincing, the characters he wrote were a bit hard to describe.
The four characters "Hai Na Bai Chuan" had the three water strokes in "Hai" crooked into an arc, and the vertical strokes in "Chuan" wobbled like earthworms.
When he finished the piece, he finally put down the brush, looked up, and greeted Qi Yun: "Ah, Little Brother Qi, you’re here! How do you like my handwriting?"
Qi Yun moved in closer, pretending to study it intently, then clicked his tongue in exaggerated admiration: "Wow, Brother Fu, your handwriting exudes hidden sharpness, paired with an effortlessly free style; it’s got the charm of simplicity disguising wisdom, truly masterful!"
"In my opinion, it’s not far off from Wang Xizhi."
Fu Wentao laughed heartily, pointing at Qi Yun and saying, "You, my friend, are always such a delight."
Next to him, Li Yaohua also shot him a half-amused glance, as if to say, "I never knew you were such a bootlicker until now."
Qi Yun showed no embarrassment, earnestly replying, "Brother Fu, you know me, I always prefer calling it as I see it."
"Hahaha, alright, let’s eat first, chat while we dine." Fu Wentao waved his hand, inviting the two to the dining area.
The table was already set with several dishes: braised sea cucumber, nine-turn intestines, shrimp in Dragon Well tea, and a steaming pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup.
Even though these were not rare ingredients, after tasting, Qi Yun found them delicious and full of unforgettable flavor, clearly showcasing the chef’s superb skill.
Li Yaohua picked up an unlabeled bottle of liquor, pouring a drink for each of them, joking, "Today I get to enjoy this fine drink, all thanks to Mr. Qi’s presence; usually, I wouldn’t have the chance."
Since Fu Wentao was present, he switched from "Little Brother Qi" to "Mr. Qi" to address him, showing he’s a bit of a smart guy.
"Is that so?" Qi Yun sipped from his glass lightly, feeling a rich aroma spread at the tip of his nose, indicating its quality was akin to his treasured bottles of Maotai from the 1980s.
"Indeed, very fine liquor."
Fu Wentao said with a smile, "If you like it, let the butler give you a couple of bottles when you leave."
"Haha, that’s too kind," Qi Yun feigned humility with his words but wouldn’t hesitate in taking them, knowing these things can sometimes serve better than gold bars.
