Chapter 6: 22.45 Million Received

Compared to the ordinary decor of the shop, the room behind the door was luxuriously appointed. Following the middle-aged man through that door, Cao Kun felt as if he had stepped into a high-end reception lounge.

Plush carpets covered the floor, muffling his footsteps. Magnificent chandeliers hung overhead, illuminating the room as brightly as day. The surrounding walls were adorned with famous calligraphy and paintings. Beyond these, there was a tea station, a wine cabinet filled with red wine, and a humidor for cigars.

A woman dressed in a seductive cheongsam was also present, busy boiling water to prepare tea. At the sight of her, Cao Kun’s eyes widened involuntarily.

What an exquisite woman!

Judging by her age, she was only twenty-four or twenty-five. Not only was she beautiful, but her figure was absolutely explosive. Her curves were perfectly accentuated, her waist slender enough to be held in one hand, and her movements were like a willow swaying in the breeze, lending her a soft, delicate air. She seemed almost as if she were made of water.

It was no exaggeration to say that compared to Li Tingting, whom he had met a couple of days ago, this woman left her in the dust. Especially with such a stunning physique, the fact that she wore such a provocative cheongsam—with a slit reaching all the way to her waist—made it nearly impossible for any man to resist.

Cao Kun took a slow, deep breath and shifted his gaze to inspect the surroundings. He couldn't keep looking at her; if he did, he would soon experience an embarrassing reaction. Although he had just sought release with Li Tingting two days ago, that had been merely a drop in the ocean; he was still far from satisfied.

*Think about life in prison,* he told himself. *Think about the brawls inside.*

Vivid, bloody scenes flashed through his mind, and sure enough, it worked. The heat and impulse within him were quickly suppressed.

Once inside the room, the middle-aged man’s demeanor shifted entirely. Smiling broadly, he said, "I didn't expect you to be one of our own, little brother. In that case, let’s skip the pleasantries. Shall we take a look at the goods?"

"Sure." Cao Kun nodded and dropped his backpack onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Hearing the dull, weighty sound, the middle-aged man perked up. He hurried forward, crouched down, and unzipped the bag.

"Hiss..."

As the bag opened and the man saw the gleaming gold bars stacked inside, he gasped. A moment later, he turned to the woman in the cheongsam and ordered, "Xiao Qi, bring some good tea!"

The woman nodded with a faint smile, brewed two cups of tea, and brought them over.

The middle-aged man inspected the gold and gestured for Cao Kun to sit. Once they were both seated, he began, "I didn't expect your goods to be of such high quality. Let's talk—how much of this do you have?"

"54.7 kilograms," Cao Kun replied. "All of it is 999 purity."

The man nodded slowly, deep in thought. "And the price? What are you looking to get?"

Cao Kun smiled. "That depends on your market rates, boss. What can you offer?"

"Well..." The man frowned, deliberating for a moment. "Since you were introduced by a friend, I’ll give you a ‘friend’s rate’: 410. That’s the absolute best I can do."

Upon hearing this, two words immediately crossed Cao Kun’s mind: *How greedy!*

Before coming here, he had checked the daily gold price, which was 478 per gram. A standard gold recycling shop would at least offer 440, 450, or even 460 per gram. Here, they were offering only 410!

However, Cao Kun chose to accept it anyway. He was in desperate need of cash and needed to offload this batch of gold immediately. A regular shop wouldn't have the capacity to handle this volume, and even splitting it up wouldn't work; such a large influx of money into his bank account would surely attract the attention of the authorities and bring unnecessary trouble.

Here, he didn't need to worry about such complications. These people were professionals.

"Fine," Cao Kun finally nodded. "410 it is."

Seeing Cao Kun agree, the corners of the man's mouth curled up. "Since you’ve agreed, just sit tight. I’ll go verify the weight; it won't take long."

With that, the man carried the gold to a workbench in the corner in three trips. Weighing over 54.7 kilograms—more than 100 jin—his physique wasn't as robust as Cao Kun’s, so he couldn't move it all at once.

Twenty minutes later, the man returned, his face beaming. He was clearly very satisfied with the purity of the gold.

"The goods are perfect, and it is indeed 54.7 kilograms. That comes to 22,427,000. How about I round it up to 22,450,000 for you? I’m being fair, right?"

*Fair?* Looking at the man’s grin, which seemed impossible to suppress, Cao Kun felt like punching him. He was going to make at least two or three million on this deal alone, and he had the nerve to call it fair?

*Pah!*

Of course, although he thought this, Cao Kun couldn't say it aloud. "Then I thank you, boss," he said with a smile. "Actually, I have a painting here. Perhaps you could take a look at it for me?"

As he spoke, he unrolled the fake Zhang Daqian painting he had bought on the street for 500 yuan. It was a blatant forgery, but the middle-aged man examined it with extreme seriousness. After a long look, he exclaimed, "Excellent! What a find. I didn't expect to see an authentic Zhang Daqian piece. Tell you what, I’ll pay you the 22.45 million, and you sell this painting to me instead. How about that?"

Cao Kun chuckled and nodded. "Of course."

What followed was the paperwork and the transfer. The invoice stated that the shop had purchased a painting by Zhang Daqian from Cao Kun for 22.45 million. As for the gold... what gold? Cao Kun had only come to sell a painting; he had never seen any gold!

Whether the painting was an authentic Zhang Daqian was irrelevant. The antique business relied on individual skill and luck. Some people made a fortune by finding hidden gems, while others had to accept being swindled. Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable for the shop owner to spend 22.45 million on a forgery. No matter who audited the transaction, they wouldn't find any flaws.

Thus, the 22.45 million in Cao Kun’s hand was clean, legitimate money that could withstand any investigation.

...

At 5:30 PM, Cao Kun walked out of the antique market with a relaxed expression. Looking at the notification of the bank transfer on his phone, the corners of his mouth lifted.

22.45 million!

He had finally secured this initial capital before the news about the Yundong District broke. Otherwise, if he missed out on the massive opportunity in Yundong, not only would he lose out on those profits, but his subsequent business plans would also be affected.

With that in mind, Cao Kun hailed a taxi and headed straight for the airport. This place was, after all, a foreign territory where he had no roots. Since he had the money, there was no reason to stay. He hadn't yet decided where to go next; he had originally considered Haicheng, but he was currently too close to Kunming in Yunnan Province.