The moment Mu Jiahe was dropped off at her company, Xiao Xun's phone rang.
"Hello? Who is this!"
"Mr. Xiao, it's Tan Wenpei. Do you still remember me?"
Xiao Xun sat up. "Of course, I do. What can I do for you?"
"Have you found a good project? Do you need me to invest?"
Xiao Xun chuckled. "It's not that fast! I'm just planning to do some scouting."
Tan Wenpei also smiled. "Since you haven't, why don't you come to Bogu Street? There's an auction happening here."
"Thank you for the offer. Yesterday was just a coincidence, and I don't understand all that. Besides, my family doesn't allow me to dabble in gambling."
"It's fine. I mean for you to come and take a look. You don't necessarily have to spend money, right? Perhaps you'll see something suitable for business, or a job you like."
Xiao Xun pondered for a moment. "Alright then!"
The car belonged to Mu Jiahe. Although she wouldn't say anything if he drove it, driving such a nice car was too flashy.
So, Xiao Xun took a taxi to the hotel where the Bogu Street auction was being held. Tan Wenpei was waiting at the hotel entrance.
Tan Wenpei walked up to Xiao Xun. "It's about to start, let's go in!"
The two sat in the VIP section. Tan Wenpei introduced the items to Xiao Xun. "The items being auctioned here are different from what you saw in the market last time. These are all 'semi-transparent' raw jade."
Xiao Xun didn't understand and just listened to Tan Wenpei explain the knowledge about jade.
Everyone received a small booklet introducing today's auction items.
Soon, the auction officially began. The first item was a piece of glass-type blue-and-white jade, about the size of two footballs, with good color. The starting bid was five hundred thousand.
Tan Wenpei raised his bidding paddle. "Five hundred fifty thousand."
Someone immediately raised the price. "Six hundred thousand."
Until the end, Tan Wenpei stopped bidding, and the jade was sold.
Next was the second piece, glass-ground gold silk, with a starting bid of one million five hundred thousand.
Tan Wenpei raised his bidding paddle. "One million six hundred thousand."
"One million seven hundred thousand."
It was the same situation as the previous piece. As long as Tan Wenpei bid, there was always someone to outbid him.
After the entire auction, Tan Wenpei didn't manage to acquire a single stone.
When the auction ended and people were dispersing, Tan Wenpei showed no signs of leaving.
Xiao Xun looked at him curiously. "It's over, aren't we leaving yet?"
Tan Wenpei smiled and shook his head. "No rush, let's wait a bit longer."
Xiao Xun didn't know what he was up to. By the time everyone had left and even the stage and posters were taken down, a man in a suit wearing white gloves walked over.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, sorry to keep you waiting..."
Tan Wenpei stood up. "It's alright."
The man took a bank card out of his pocket. "This is your remuneration for today. Thank you for your hard work."
Tan Wenpei put the bank card in his pocket. "No problem. If there's similar work in the future, remember me."
The man in the suit smiled. "Definitely, definitely."
Xiao Xun immediately understood. It turned out Tan Wenpei's role today was a "dummy bidder" hired by the auction organizers.
Tan Wenpei said to Xiao Xun, "We can go now. You accompanied me for a whole morning, let me treat you to a meal!"
"Oh, I couldn't possibly..."
Tan Wenpei smiled. "Aren't we friends? No need to be so polite, let's go!"
Just as the two walked out of the hotel, Tan Wenpei's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and apologized to Xiao Xun before stepping aside to take the call.
After more than ten minutes, he walked back with a face full of apology. "I'm really sorry, Xiao. It's just unfortunate timing today."
Xiao Xun waved his hand. "It's fine, go take care of your business, don't mind me."
It was clear that Tan Wenpei was in a hurry. He said as he ran, "Next time, I'll definitely treat you to a proper meal next time."
Then, he turned and entered the parking lot near the hotel.
Xiao Xun went to the pedestrian street alone. Although it wasn't evening yet, many people were already there.
Most of them were setting up street stalls, with shops on both sides.
Xiao Xun decided to try his hand at street vending to see if he had a knack for business.
So, he browsed through G City's famous small commodity wholesale market and chose some accessories he found attractive, as well as cheap items like tempered glass screen protectors and phone cases.
He bought a folding stool and a folding table, which were standard equipment for street vendors.
He also bought a large travel suitcase to store the small commodities, making it convenient to pack up and leave.
By the time Xiao Xun returned to the pedestrian street, it was already crowded.
After browsing for a while, he chose an empty spot. There were quite a few vendors on the pedestrian street, and the good spots were all taken, so Xiao Xun could only squeeze into the side.
He opened the travel bag, took out the folding table, and placed one of each item on display.
He saw others calling out their wares, some even using megaphones. Standing there silently, no one approached him.
Bracing himself, he also started calling out, "Everyone, don't miss out! The quality here is good, and the prices are low."
Surprisingly, some people did stop to look.
"How much for this pair of bracelets?"
A couple picked through the items and finally asked about a pair of matching bracelets.
Xiao Xun said with a smile, "This is my first day opening for business, so I'll give you a good price, thirty yuan. They're usually fifty, no bargaining."
The man nodded. "Not expensive. Can I scan to pay?"
Xiao Xun quickly took out his mobile payment QR code. The man chuckled, "I can tell it's your first time. Others post it on their tables or hang a sign, but you just hand over the payment code!"
Xiao Xun scratched his head sheepishly. "It really is my first time."
He immediately switched to the receiving code and asked the man to scan again.
No business starts without a first sale, and small stalls were no different. After the first order, the second one followed soon after.
They were all items from the small commodity wholesale market, but Xiao Xun's goods were items that others didn't have, which was strange.
In a short while, quite a few items were sold. Since it was Xiao Xun's first time, he hadn't considered the market conditions and dared not set the prices too high. Overall, it was pretty good.
In just one evening, within four hours, he had earned over nine hundred yuan. The net profit was about one-third. If he stocked more, earning over ten thousand a month wouldn't be a dream.
Just as Xiao Xun was about to turn and leave, a large hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed hard. "Kid, do you know that doing business on someone else's turf requires paying a site fee?"
Xiao Xun turned around. The person who grabbed him was a man in his early thirties, bald, with his shirt unbuttoned to the third button in the middle of winter, revealing a dragon tattoo on his chest.
"Brother, it's my first time, and I don't know the rules here. Tell me how much, and I'll pay."
Xiao Xun wasn't looking for trouble, and the money wasn't a big deal to him.
The bald man saw that Xiao Xun was a simple and honest person. He lit a cigarette and took a puff. "I see you've sold quite a bit tonight. Give me a thousand!"
Even the most patient person has their limits. Xiao Xun didn't want to cause trouble, but he wasn't a pushover either. "Brother, isn't that like robbery? I haven't even made that much money!"
"Don't give me that nonsense. Just tell me if you'll pay or not!" As he spoke, he pulled at Xiao Xun's collar, as if afraid Xiao Xun wouldn't see his tattoo.
Xiao Xun didn't want to get into this trouble, so he handed the money over.
"That's more like it! From now on, if anyone tries to mess with you here, just tell me, and Brother Jun will sort it out for you."
With that, the bald man laughed heartily and walked away.