Rebirth 93: Break off the engagement at the beginning and marry Bai Fumei

Old Xu stood between the two men, caught in a dilemma. Running this small shop was already difficult enough. Competition in Panjiayuan was fierce, rents rose every year, and customers were becoming increasingly picky.

Over the years, he's been able to survive thanks to these brokers bringing him customers. Old Bai and Old Jin, though they don't get along, are both his "cash cows." Offending either of them means losing a customer.

But now, the two of them are forcing him to choose between them, and he doesn't want to offend either of them! Old Xu looked at Old Bai, then at Old Jin, and the expression on his face was more like crying.

Those nearby were also whispering among themselves, "Old Xu is in a tough spot now; he can't afford to offend either of them."

"That's right. Although Lao Bai's eyesight is a bit poor, he's quick-witted and can fool customers; Lao Jin has good eyesight and can help customers make informed decisions. They each have their own strengths."

"If you ask me, Lao Bai's request is a bit excessive. Why can't Lao Jin come in?"

"You can't say that. Lao Jin did come to sabotage things today, so it's normal for Lao Bai to be angry."

"Smearing him? They never got along. Old Jin just couldn't stand Old Bai bragging."

"You can't just confront them like that; you should at least save them some face."

……

Old Xu remained silent for a long while before finally speaking with difficulty: "Old Bai, Old Jin, how about this? Let's give you face today and each of us compromise..."

Old Bai interrupted him directly: "Old Xu, you don't need to make things difficult for yourself!" He stood up, dusted off his clothes, and said coldly, "I'll leave by myself today. From now on, if Old Jin is here, I will never come in. I'm not going to talk to him—"

He pointed at Lao Jin and said, word by word, "We'll never see each other again!"

After saying that, Lao Bai turned and walked out. But when he reached the door, he turned back and said to the people in the shop, "Fellow neighbors, I, Lao Bai, am putting this out there today—Jin Defa is a man who never tells the truth!"

"From now on, you'd better not believe anything he says! Especially his so-called 'insider information,' it's all bullshit!"

Old Jin suddenly stood up: "Old Bai! You fucking say another word?!"

Old Bai didn't even turn his head and strode away. Old Jin was trembling with anger, pointing at Old Bai's retreating figure and cursing, "You fucking bastard, don't you dare leave! Come back and we'll settle this face to face!"

With Lao Bai gone, the shop returned to calm, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Lao Xu, looking distressed, tidied up the tables and chairs that had been knocked over, sighing under his breath. Lao Jin sat in a chair, his face gloomy, smoking one cigarette after another.

As the onlookers walked away, they continued to discuss, "These two have completely fallen out today."

"Absolutely! We're in for a good show."

"But to be honest, who ended up with that openwork dragon-patterned incense cup? The Fang family or the Yan family?"

"Who knows! Anyway, they're all big shots, it has nothing to do with us."

"That's true, just enjoy the show."

……

Among the crowd, a middle-aged man wearing a gray jacket and a baseball cap sat quietly in a corner, holding a newspaper, seemingly unconcerned about the farce. This was Sun Jianguo.

He was there from the moment Lao Bai and Lao Jin started arguing. He watched as the two went from arguing to shouting insults, from shouting insults to revealing each other's shortcomings, and finally, the argument escalated to a point where they parted on bad terms.

At this moment, watching Lao Bai's angry departure and listening to the discussions around him, a bitter smile appeared on Sun Jianguo's lips.

He recalled the night three days ago when he confronted Chen Yang in his office. Back then, he was trembling with rage, wishing he could tear Chen Yang to pieces. But now, seeing these two nobodys from Panjiayuan arguing like this over the "whereabouts of the openwork dragon-patterned incense burner," he suddenly understood Chen Yang's brilliance.

That's Chen Yang's skill!

A national treasure that was originally highly sought after has been hyped up to unprecedented levels. Now, even just knowing where that item has gone is a status symbol in the antique world.

What were Lao Bai and Lao Jin fighting over? It was the reputation of being well-informed. Whoever could prove they knew the truth would have more say and more face in this circle.

Sun Jianguo shook his head, deciding not to think about it any further. He recalled Mr. Zhao's reaction two days ago when he reported the situation to him.

That evening, he returned home dejectedly and called Mr. Zhao. He expected Mr. Zhao to be furious, to blame him for his incompetence, and so on…

But after listening to his report, Mr. Zhao remained silent for a few seconds, and then burst into laughter. Sun Jianguo still remembers that laughter vividly.

"Good! Good! Chen Yang did a great job!" Mr. Zhao's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with obvious satisfaction: "Think about it, what exactly is a hollowed-out incense burner with a coiled dragon pattern?"

"It's a time bomb! A time bomb that could explode at any moment! Now that Chen Yang has dealt with it like this, this time bomb is no longer ours!"

Sun Jianguo didn't understand at the time: "Mr. Zhao, you mean..."

Mr. Zhao explained, "Think about it, who has that item now? We don't know; who bought it? We don't know."

"If something goes wrong in the future, and they investigate, who will be found out? It'll be the buyer! It'll be Chen Yang! What does that have to do with us?"

He paused, his voice tinged with amusement: "We're only responsible for shipping. Chen Yang is in charge of sales. He knows the rules and how to protect our customers."

“We’ve received the money and sold the goods. As for who sold them to, that’s Chen Yang’s business. Even if the goods are discovered in the future, that’s a problem between Chen Yang and the buyer.”

"As long as we don't admit it, who can prove that this thing came from our hands?"

Sun Jianguo suddenly realized, and Mr. Zhao continued, "Chen Yang's move was brilliant. He used seven handicrafts as a cover, hiding the real artifact among them."

"Nobody knows where the real one went. The Fang family, the Yan family, the Qian family... seven people, seven possibilities. Even if someone investigates in the future, it will be like finding a needle in a haystack."

He concluded, "This Chen Yang is a smart man. We can cooperate more in the future."

Sun Jianguo hung up the phone and stood there stunned for a long time. He had initially thought Chen Yang was playing a trick on him, deceiving him. But now it seemed that Chen Yang had calculated every step meticulously. He wasn't harming himself; he was protecting everyone.

Thinking of this, Sun Jianguo sighed, took out his phone from his pocket, and glanced at the time.

At 9:30 a.m., he hesitated for a moment, then dialed Chen Yang's number. The phone rang a few times, then a mechanical female voice said, "The number you dialed is currently switched off..."

Sun Jianguo paused for a moment. The phone was off? He dialed again. It was still off.

He frowned and dialed Wanlong's number again; this time the call went through.

"Hello?" A woman's voice came through the receiver.

Sun Jianguo asked, "Excuse me, is your boss, Mr. Chen, here?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then someone said, "I'm sorry, our boss, Mr. Chen, just left Beijing today. Judging by the time... he should be on a plane right now."

"On the plane?" Sun Jianguo was taken aback. "Where did he go? When will he be back?"

"He said he's going back to Jiangcheng because of an urgent matter!" The voice on the other end of the phone was somewhat low. "I heard that something happened at the medical mask factory owned by our boss Chen's wife."

“Oh, may I ask what happened?” he asked.

"Excuse me, sir, we are not aware of the specifics either. Do you need to speak with him? I can pass on your message."

Sun Jianguo was silent for a few seconds, then said, "It's nothing serious, I just... wanted to ask if he was here. I have a friend who has some porcelain pieces that I'd like Mr. Chen to take a look at."

"Since he's not here, let's talk about it later!"

After hanging up the phone, Sun Jianguo stood in the alley of Panjiayuan, watching the crowds coming and going, watching the people setting up stalls and browsing shops, watching the small vendors arguing heatedly over a few dozen yuan, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

The farce from just now was still replaying in his mind: Lao Bai and Lao Jin had argued fiercely over a piece of "information," ultimately becoming sworn enemies. Meanwhile, the real winner was sitting on a plane bound for Jiangcheng.