Chapter 248 – Jade! (2/2)

Under the scorching heat of the Summer sun, and the crowd, this place feels hotter compared to Yan Tai county.

But Dong Xuebing, who was in a wheelchair, was feeling relaxed. This place has no office politics, and beauty is pushing him around. This peacefulness is something Dong Xuebing likes. He wishes he can just spend the rest of his life with Aunt Xuan like this.

After a while, Dong Xuebing fell asleep.

When Dong Xuebing woke up, he heard someone talking to Aunt Xuan.

“Yes. Manager Feng is also here to look for antiques?” Aunt Xuan asked.

“That’s right. I need to prepare for my next Auction and is here to see if there are any good stuff.” A young man replied. “Who is this?”

“He is my friend. His legs are injured.”

“Oh, you all are also here to look for antiques? I heard your company is going to hold a Jade Auction.”

“Haha… We are here to look for raw jade stones.”

“What a coincidence. Our company is also going to hold a Jade Auction too.”

“Huh?”

Panjiayuan is a crowded and noisy place, and when Dong Xuebing opens his eyes, he realized that he is in the center of the antique market. From Aunt Xuan’s conversation with that young man, Dong Xuebing understood what was going on. This Manager Feng, is also running an Auction House, and he is located not far away from Aunt Xuan’s company. Competition is tough in the Auction industry, and Aunt Xuan and Manager Feng might seem to be having a chat, but Dong Xuebing could tell they are not on friendly terms.

“Eh, you are awake?”

“Yes.” Dong Xuebing turned back to look at Qu Yunxuan.

Qu Yunxuan smiled and said. “Let me introduce. This is Feng Yi. He is the boss of Jia Xin Auction Company. This is Dong Xuebing.”

Feng Yi thought Dong Xuebing is Qu Yunxuan’s relative and did not extend his hand for a handshake.

Dong Xuebing looked at Feng Yi and nodded.

Feng Yi is in his late twenties and is around Aunt Xuan’s age. He is tall, around 1.8 meters, and is carrying a bag under his arm. His hair is combed back, portraying himself as someone successful. Feng Yi ignored Dong Xuebing and chatted with Qu Yunxuan for a while. “Manager Qu, I have an appointment. Let’s catch up some other days.”

“Haha… no problems.”

Feng Yi looked at Qu Yunxuan, pushing the wheelchair away from him and frowned.

Feng Yi’s Auction House is located diagonally across Yun De Auction Company. Both companies are located very near to each other, and at the start, Feng Yi did not take note of Qu Yunxuan. In the auction industry, no auction house can last long if they do not have popularity and a steady flow of goods. Most auction houses will close within a year. But Yun De Auction Company had hosted a few successful auctions, and Feng Yi can feel the threat. He felt Qu Yunxuan is very capable and pretty. Since Yun De Auction Company opens for business, his business is affected. Although he can still survive, who will not want to make more money?

So, Feng Yi starts to think of ways to make Yun De Auction Company out of business. This is not the first time he does something like this.

After walking some distance, Qu Yunxuan also frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Dong Xuebing asked.

Qu Yunxuan took out her phone. “Let me make a phone call first.” She dialed a number and said. “Hello? Xiao Tao… Help me check Jia Xin Auction Company’s website, and see when their Jade Auction is… if it is not stated on their website, ask other people… that’s right. It is urgent, and I will not hang up. You go and find out now…” About five minutes later. “You found out? What? Is it on that day? Alright.”

Dong Xuebing blinked and asked. “What’s wrong?”

Qu Yunxuan rubbed the center of her brows. “That Feng Yi is holding his Jade Auction on the same day as us.”

“The same day?”

“That’s right. They had just announced it on their website.”

It’s hard to get jade, and it’s harder to get good jades. That’s why Jade Auctions are rare in Beijing. But now, two Auction Houses along a street in East Panjiayuan are holding Jade Auctions on the same day. Dong Xuebing frowned and asked. “Is he crazy? Why did he get to pick the same date?”

“He should be doing this on purpose.” Qu Yunxuan smiled. “I had not told you about this. Since the day we open for business, the few Auction Companies around us are unfriendly towards us. Also, our company is growing fast, and our first Auction’s success made those auction houses jealous. Now, they had declared war with us. I thought this would only happen next year.”

Dong Xuebing asked. “We can’t win against them?”

Qu Yunxuan shook her head. “Our foundations are weak and only has around 10 million RMB. Those Auction Houses have been in this long for a long time, and just their operation funds alone, are more than 100 million RMB. Feng Yi’s Auction House is an established brand in the market, and most people will pick them over us. Since we are both holding Jade Auction on the same day, most people will attend his Auction instead of ours. I got to admit that we will not win against him.”

“Since Feng Yi’s company is so successful, why is he trying to compete with us?”

“He is afraid we might grow bigger than him. Prevention is better than cure. Also, his business will be affected when we become more successful. After all, we are located on the same street.”

Dong Xuebing smacked his lips. Rivalry in the government sector… rivalry in the business sector… everywhere is the same!

Damn! Why can’t I get a few days of peace?!

Qu Yunxuan looked at Dong Xuebing. “Do you think we should change our date?”

Although Dong Xuebing does not like rivalry, his eyes opened wide when he heard Qu Yunxuan’s question. “Didn’t you announce the date of the Auction? In business, we must keep to our words, and the date must not be changed! Furthermore, we had set this date first.” Dong Xuebing had never given in to others in the government sector and had competed against many opponents to get to his current position. Xie Huilan might have criticized him on his conduct, but Dong Xuebing felt he had done nothing wrong.

Qu Yunxuan laughed. “I also think so. We will not postpone our Auction.”

“Huh? Really?” Dong Xuebing was stunned. He knows Aunt Xuan is not someone impulsive like him.

Qu Yunxuan explained. “This is bringing harm to both parties, and no one will gain anything from such competition. Feng Yi must have thought that we will change dates and can suppress us. We must not back off from his provocations, but we will not defeat him, and might even lose our company’s reputation overnight.”

Dong Xuebing let out a cold laughter. “He is a bastard!”

Qu Yunxuan raised her hand and pretended she is going to hit Dong Xuebing. “If I hear you swear again, I will hit you!”

“Ok… ok… please carry on.”

Qu Yunxuan lowered her hand and brushed Dong Xuebing’s hair gently. “I am new to this industry and is still unfamiliar with lots of things. But this incident reminded me not to set the date of our auctions so early.” Qu Yunxuan turned and looked at Feng Yi’s back view. “Since he is determined to compete with us, then we shall see who will have the last laugh. We will not postpone our Auction, and if we can get some top-quality jades, we will not be afraid of him.”

Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan in surprise. “Aunt Xuan, you are looking more like a boss now.”

Qu Yunxuan took a glance at Dong Xuebing. “I might be a boss, but I am still working for you.” She paused for a while and said. “But I am worried about Feng Yi’s backing. I heard he is the nephew of the Beijing Public Security Bureau Chief.” Feng Xueliang, who is also Beijing City’s Party Committee Member and his rank, is Sub-Provincial (Ministerial) level.

Dong Xuebing was surprised. “Chief Feng’s nephew?”

This is Beijing, and if you drop a roof tile from the sky, it will hit a few officials.

Qu Yunxuan nodded. “I don’t want to offend people like him, but since he started it, we must retaliate.”

“You are right!”

Earlier, Feng Yi might have belittled Dong Xuebing, and Dong Xuebing also does not care about him. But after hearing from Aunt Xuan, Dong Xuebing turned to look at Feng Yi. He is a relative of Chief Feng… no wonder he looks like a snob. When Dong Xuebing and Xie Huilan were dining at Wang Fu, he had met Chief Feng once, and he thought Chief Feng is from Sister Xie’s father faction. It was later on when he found out that Chief Feng is from the City’s Mayor faction.

“Xiao Bing, we must not lose this time.”

“Don’t worry and leave everything to me. I will make sure Feng Yi will change his auction date!”

“Haha… I hope so. Let’s go. The stone gambling place is in front.”