Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Yuan Ye gave her a moment to process.

About a minute later, he detailed all the information: “My buddy went with a guy who moves goods around mixed markets, named Quan Xiao.”

“Quan Xiao deals in jade, from small jade seals to large jade bonsai. Although he’s not really part of the official antique circle, he knows everyone in the Dunhuang circle. At first, friends asked him to get some goods at low prices, and then as more people came along, Quan Xiao realized it was a fast way to make money, and gradually became a middleman for moving goods.”

So, like an agent, a buyer-for-hire?

Qu Yixian hummed: “Go on.”

“My buddy just mentioned Xiang Xiaolong, and Quan Xiao knew right away.”

“He said at the end of June, the boss of Dongjiaxing invited several people from their guild to his place for tea. Once everyone arrived, they showed them a photo of a Gouwan jade pendant from the Hongshan culture. What does that mean? A Gouwan jade pendant from Hongshan culture has a history of five or six thousand years. You’ve heard of five thousand years of Chinese history, right? This is a treasure from the same generation as our ancestors. A truly top-tier piece.”

Perhaps feeling words couldn’t convey his shock and envy, Yuan Ye added a scratching-the-wall emoji and explained: “Quan Xiao said the boss of Dongjiaxing estimated the price at ten million, and that’s a conservative estimate.”

Qu Yixian’s gaze nearly stuck to that ten million; her heart was all aflutter.

Why is it that the things people hold are always treasures!

She decided from now on, she’d treat Fu Xun a little better. Maybe one day, if this big shot felt generous, a few scraps might trickle down, and she could profit too.

But she had one question.

“How did the boss of Dongjiaxing know it belonged to Xiang Xiaolong? Was this pendant sold through Dongjiaxing?”

“No, the deal didn’t happen.”

Yuan Ye: “The boss of Dongjiaxing knows his stuff. A normal pendant might sell for three or four million, and that’s already top-notch. He knew the chance of a genuine Gouwan jade pendant was one in ten million—he wouldn’t let it slip, so he offered eight million. Xiang Xiaolong didn’t sell.”

“The boss wasn’t satisfied and tried to push another million, but still no sale. Xiang Xiaolong left his name and number, saying if any interested buyers came along, he’d contact them and was willing to give the boss a cut. That’s how the follow-up happened—people in the Dunhuang antique circle all knew there was a Hongshan Gouwan jade pendant for sale.”

“Quan Xiao also said that on the tea day, the boss couldn’t stop sighing whenever the pendant was mentioned. He felt it was too precious. Xiang Xiaolong clearly didn’t understand its value; having it in his hands was like wasting a treasure.”

Qu Yixian immediately caught the key phrase: “Xiang Xiaolong doesn’t understand its value? He said that himself?”

Yuan Ye replied: “I don’t know about that. Qu Ya, everything you’re hearing has been relayed three times already; it’s impossible to restore it word-for-word. I guess what you want to know isn’t just this, so my buddy arranged to have dinner with Quan Xiao the night after tomorrow. If you have questions, ask him directly.”

“Okay.” It’s better to discuss it face-to-face.

After a pause, Qu Yixian asked: “What else do you know? Spill everything.”

If she didn’t ask, Yuan Ye almost forgot the main point: “Quan Xiao said the pendant has already been sold. But strangely, nobody in the Dunhuang antique market has seen this Gouwan pendant.”

“That’s understandable—who could hold onto a treasure worth tens of millions without being noticed? Everyone hides it carefully. And with an estimated value so high, normal antique shops can’t handle it; who has the funds to secure it?”

“Quan Xiao said, just treat it as a dream and stop thinking about it. It’s definitely in the hands of some rich person, or at the very least, a high-ranking official. Middle-class people, forget it.”

Yuan Ye got worked up: “My buddy was just investigating for me, and Quan Xiao clearly meant it for me to hear. Is he looking down on people that much? I’m middle class, and if I were middle class, he’d be on welfare!”

Qu Yixian had no time to comfort a sulking child; she was a little puzzled: “If Quan Xiao said nobody in the Dunhuang antique market had seen the pendant, how does he know it’s already sold?”

The message went out like a stone sinking into the sea—no response.

Qu Yixian waited a while.

Not waiting for Yuan Ye’s reply, she first waited for the doorbell.

She jolted, and the sleepiness she had just felt vanished; she was instantly alert.

She slipped into the disposable slippers provided by the hotel, went to the door, lifted the peephole cover, and looked outside.

Standing at the door was no one other than Jiang Yun—who else could it be?

Qu Yixian collected herself, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Jiang Yun’s hand, about to knock again, froze mid-air, and she looked up.

Upon meeting eyes, Jiang Yun immediately looked embarrassed.

Her face flushed visibly, her lowered hands didn’t know where to go, and she could only clasp them in front of her, peeking timidly inside, asking: “Xun Ge? Is he in the room?”

Qu Yixian blocked the doorway, scanning her from head to toe, and replied: “No. Are you looking for him for something?”

“Not here?” Jiang Yun looked a little taken aback. She was silent for a few seconds, then said, “I came to thank him.”

Got it!

Fu Xun had said Jiang Yun would come knocking on his door tonight to thank him for speaking on her behalf.

One sentence, two things—both hit the mark.

She wondered if these antique folks also fix the feng shui of doors and read fortunes while at it.

Qu Yixian deliberately scanned Jiang Yun from head to toe and asked, “You dressed like this to say thank you?”

Jiang Yun wore a hotel-provided bathrobe over a low-cut silk nightgown. The wine-red color made the young girl’s skin look pale and translucent, like congealed cream.

Her hair was half-wet and loose, making her face look smaller.

Qu Yixian at this moment even wanted to poke her face with a finger, to see if she could rub a layer of powder off those glowing apple cheeks.

Jiang Yun glanced down at herself, tugged at the corners of her lips, as if showing a mocking expression. But it lasted only a moment, so fleeting it seemed like Qu Yixian’s illusion; in a blink, it was gone.

She quickly returned to the pitiful, lovable expression, and said somewhat awkwardly, “I didn’t consider properly… I just wanted to come thank you…”

Qu Yixian snorted and asked, “Do you really believe what you just said?”

Jiang Yun’s ears turned red; she didn’t answer.

Qu Yixian wasn’t naïve about flirtation.

One August, she led a group—five people, with two cars, she as the guide, Yuan Ye along for support. In Lhasa, the guests requested to bring along two extra teachers from a combined group, making seven in total. All were teachers from Zhejiang province, out for summer vacation.

On the twenty-plus-day big loop trip, the two male teachers who were added later got along with the female teachers on the bus. Constant attention, music, banter—they were naturally drawn to each other.

That’s what love should look like.

Not like Jiang Yun, showing up in the middle of the night dressed like this, knocking shamelessly on Fu Xun’s door.

She belittled herself—who would respect her?

Strictly speaking, though, Jiang Yun’s behavior had nothing to do with Qu Yixian.

As long as it didn’t interfere with her guiding or result in Fu Xun being sexually harassed and psychologically scarred for life, she could turn a blind eye.

So, she warned Jiang Yun calmly: “I don’t care what you do, but don’t make trouble. If you break the rules, I won’t bother following the team rules anymore. While I’m guiding, please restrain yourself. After the whole loop is done, whatever you do with Fu Xun is your business.”

Finishing, she narrowed her eyes and asked Jiang Yun, “Understand?”

Jiang Yun blushed from Qu Yixian’s words. She bit her lower lip, holding back tears.

Qu Yixian didn’t waver; her tone grew even firmer as she repeated, “Understand?”

Jiang Yun nodded and opened her mouth but made no sound.

Even crying looks charming on someone pretty.

Qu Yixian finished reflecting and maintained her indifferent, cold demeanor: “Stop crying. I didn’t hit you, didn’t scold you—I’m explaining this rationally.”

Jiang Yun: “……”

She swallowed her sobs, lowered her head, and shook it: “I’m not crying.”

“Fine.” Qu Yixian leaned against the door, signaling her to go back to sleep. “Rest well. Early tomorrow morning, we depart for Kekexili.”

Jiang Yun’s body trembled slightly, as if a certain word had touched a sensitive nerve.

After a while, she slowly said, “Got it. Good night, Qu Jie.”

Qu Yixian didn’t respond.

She watched Jiang Yun turn and drag herself back to her room, then retreated into her own room and closed the door.

Back inside, Qu Yixian sat on the edge of the bed, glanced at Diao Chan still snoring, tutted, and took out her phone to call Fu Xun.

The line rang a few times before being picked up.

Fu Xun’s voice was half-asleep, low and husky: “Who is this?”

Qu Yixian rolled her eyes and replied, “Your little master.”

Fu Xun seemed to sit up a bit, his tone still lazy but much more awake: “What is it?”

“Jiang Yun just came knocking. Just as you guessed, she came to say thank you,” Qu Yixian laughed and asked, “What are your thoughts right now?”

Fu Xun seemed to chuckle: “You want to hear my thoughts?”

“Not a little regret? She came in a bathrobe and nightgown.”

Fu Xun was silent for a few seconds, then said, “I only regret that every night the drinks I offered you were all refused.”

He listened intently, noticed Qu Yixian was momentarily speechless, and with a good mood, curled his lips: “Calling me in the middle of the night just to tell me these trivial things?”

Not exactly.

But Qu Yixian wasn’t willing to tell him directly; she took a roundabout way and asked, “I just received a message, quite important, and it’d be easy for me to tell you. But first answer me—what counts as truly important?”

Fu Xun pondered for a moment and asked, “Do you want the flattering answer or the truth?”

…Damn, now he’s learned how to tease.

Qu Yixian grabbed the notepad under the TV remote on the bedside table, took a pencil, and scrawled a line—

At the mention of Kekexili, Jiang Yun twitched slightly.

Her mind raced, and she casually picked an option aloud: “I want the truth.”

Fu Xun hummed and said, “The truth is, anything related to you counts as truly important.”

Qu Yixian’s pencil paused on the paper again, snapped with a “pop,” leaving a deep, penetrating mark on the page.

She tugged at the corner of her lips and said nonchalantly, “And the flattering answer?”

“The flattering answer?” Fu Xun seemed surprised she picked that, thought for a few seconds, then replied, “Everything you care about, including you, matters to me—even more than to yourself.”

Qu Yixian tore the notepad page, crumpled it, and tossed it into the trash, her tone calm: “Don’t think just because I can’t hit you now that you can talk nonsense. I caused you trouble a few years ago, and now you scare me with some old grudges?”

Not giving Fu Xun a chance to speak, she continued: “I have a good news and a bad news. Which do you want first?”

Fu Xun’s voice darkened: “The good news.”

“The good news is I magnanimously agreed to help you. Xiang Xiaolong’s matter has progressed. The day after tomorrow in Dunhuang, I’ll take you to meet someone.”

This good news didn’t surprise Fu Xun much.

Qu Yixian agreeing to cooperate was basically a done deal; it was just a matter of timing, which he was confident about.

“And the bad news?” he asked.

“The bad news,” Qu Yixian pursed her lips and said, “The ‘dirty goods’ you were looking for have already been sold by Xiang Xiaolong.”

“I heard from Jiang Cuo,” Fu Xun’s tone didn’t change, adding, “I think this is serious. Should I speak out?”

Qu Yixian hesitated: “…Is it?”

Fu Xun affirmed: “It is.”

Author’s note: Fu Xun—once the window paper is broken, flirting can go all out.

Diao Mei: …So I’ve become the ex-love now?