"Boss, I've been traveling back and forth so much, you'll have to reimburse me for all the expenses..."
In the hotel where Zhuang Rui was staying, Huangfu Yun was eating an apple. He had been extremely busy these past two days. After returning to New York, he immediately packed up all his collections in New York and mailed them back to China. Then he resigned from his law firm. All of this took him only one day.
Because of his choice, Huangfuyun suffered heavy losses. He had to hand over several deals to others, and the consultant positions he was assigned by the law firm were also canceled. He was essentially left with nothing.
"Hehe, Brother Huangfu, in a while you will definitely be proud of your choice..."
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this. He could imagine the impact and shock that this collection would have on China's antique world once it appeared in his museum. Of course, all of this depended on the museum being able to open.
"How could I have believed your empty promises..."
Huangfu Yun muttered something to himself, took out an agreement from his bag, handed it to Zhuang Rui, and said, "The quantity of the traded items is blank. See if there's anything that needs to be changed. If not, fill in the names of the items you and Ezkena are exchanging, and the trade can proceed..."
The agreement was drafted by Huangfu Yun on the plane. Zhuang Rui glanced at it and nodded, saying, "That's fine. We'll go to Ezkena Castle this afternoon..."
Zhuang Rui declined Ezkenard's invitation to stay at his castle yesterday, mainly because he felt the place was too remote, and who knew vampires might really be around at night. ...
"Zhuang, my dear friend, it's so good to see you. You Chinese always talk about chatting late into the night by candlelight. I wish you hadn't gone back yesterday..."
The same Rolls-Royce picked up Zhuang Rui and the others from the hotel. When they arrived at Ezkenard Castle, the English gentleman was already waiting at the door.
"Hehe, when you have the chance to visit Beijing in the future, I will definitely do my best to be a good host..."
Zhuang Rui laughed and said, "Dude, why are you having a long talk with this foreign devil at night instead of cuddling your wife? Are you crazy?"
Upon entering the castle's main hall, Zhuang Rui found Mr. Sterling, with whom he had previously had some disagreements, in the living room, along with a man and a woman. Judging from their clothing, they appeared to be government employees.
“Zhuang, these two are Alice and Gasper from the London Notary Public Office. They will be notarizing our transaction…”
As expected, Ezkena's introduction confirmed Zhuang Rui's idea. The two notaries, with curious eyes, stood up and bowed slightly to Zhuang Rui and the others.
Although Alice and Gasper didn't know Zhuang Rui's background, someone who could do business with a tycoon like Ezkener must be no ordinary person.
After returning the greeting to the two men, Zhuang Rui looked at Ezkener, handed him a drawing board, and said, "Mr. Picasso's twelve drawings are all here. Ezkener, you can have Mr. Sterling appraise them..."
After Ezkena took the items, he smiled and said, "Zhuang, I had someone prepare all the porcelain you wanted overnight. You can take a look first..."
Ezkena waved his hand, and more than 10 people placed several cardboard boxes of different sizes on the floor in front of Zhuang Rui.
"Zhuang, the porcelain I promised to give you is already on the truck outside, ready to be delivered to the airport at any time. If you need to inspect it, that's fine too..."
Zhuang Rui told Ezkener yesterday that he would be leaving London today, and the porcelain pieces on the ground were the ones Zhuang Rui valued most and were the most valuable, which is why Ezkener made that comment.
“Mr. Ezkener, I always trust my friends completely, there’s no need to check…”
Zhuang Rui smiled and waved his hand. Long before these porcelain pieces were even put down, Zhuang Rui had already used his spiritual energy to verify that they were indeed the two Yuan blue and white porcelain pieces and the Song and Ming porcelain pieces. Ezkena had not faked them.
As for the other carts loaded with porcelain, they were parked at the castle gate, within Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy range. Although Zhuang Rui did not examine them one by one, the spiritual energy inside indicated that they were all genuine.
"Boss, yes, it is indeed an authentic work by Mr. Picasso..."
Skipping Zhuang Rui's inspection process, Sterling didn't take long to authenticate Picasso's work; he identified its authenticity in just over 10 minutes.
After Zhuang Rui and Ezkena signed the agreement, two notaries issued a notarized certificate, and the transaction involving goods worth hundreds of millions of dollars was completed quietly.
"Mr. Ezkener, welcome to Beijing." After the transaction was completed, Zhuang Rui and Ezkener both breathed a sigh of relief.
Chapter 669 is done!
"Brother Huangfu, I'm entrusting the matter in Paris to you. Once it's settled, I'll host a welcome banquet for you in Beijing..."
Standing beneath his plane, which resembled a silver eagle, Zhuang Rui waved goodbye to Huangfu Yun, who had come to see him off.
Although Huangfu Yun also wanted to experience the luxury of a private jet, he was unfortunately required to communicate with the Guimet Museum in Paris, and Huangfu Yun was the most suitable candidate.
"Hey, I'm following you from now on. Brother Zhuang, you can't let me down in the future..."
Zhuang Rui, who was walking back on the plane, stumbled and almost fell when he heard Huangfu Yun's words. Was this some kind of friendly talk? If Qin Xuanbing heard this, she would definitely suspect that he and Huangfu Yun were having an affair.
Turning back, Zhuang Rui gave Huangfu Yun the middle finger before disappearing into the cabin without looking back.
As He Shuang's takeoff announcement sounded, the plane slowly accelerated on the runway, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the clouds.
However, on the journey back to Beijing, only Zhuang Rui and Bai Shi stayed in the cabin, while Peng Fei, Tian Ya, Liu Li, and Qin Xuanbing, among others, took an international flight from London to Beijing.
The reason is simple: Zhuang Rui's private jet has now been converted into a transport plane.
The more than 200 pieces of porcelain packed in various cardboard boxes filled all the space, including the cargo hold. Even the restrooms were packed tightly with them, and there were also a dozen or so small cardboard boxes in the cockpit.
"Damn, I should have taken an international flight back too..."
Zhuang Rui looked at the white lion sandwiched between various cardboard boxes and said, "I'm doing this to keep you company, White Lion. We can't move it carelessly. If any of these things break, that's hundreds of thousands..."
Because Zhuang Rui's private jet was so small, many of the porcelain pieces had to be taken out of their cardboard boxes and placed back in their original locations. If not handled carefully, they would be smashed to pieces.
So when these porcelain pieces were transported to the airport, the entire Ezkena estate mobilized. Just loading them onto the plane took three or four hours. These were truly precious items that required the utmost care and handling.
It was fortunate that Ezkener's men were well-trained; if it had been airport baggage handlers, who knows how many items would have been broken.
With nothing else to do, Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to examine each piece of porcelain. He had already seen them when they were being loaded onto the plane. Ezkena was quite particular; the porcelain he gifted to Zhuang Rui was all intact and in very good condition.
However, compared to the Yuan, Song, and Ming dynasty porcelain pieces that I personally selected, these pieces are several levels below. There are none from the Yuan and Song dynasties, and there are a few from the Ming dynasty, but they are mostly small teacups and not very expensive.
Of course, the largest quantity of these porcelain pieces are from the Qing Dynasty. Although they are all official kiln tribute items, there are very few porcelain pieces from the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. Most of them are from the Jiaqing and Xianfeng periods.
While both are official kiln porcelain, their prices are incomparable to those of porcelain from the Three Dynasties. It's like comparing Moutai and Erguotou – both are Chinese liquors, yet their prices are worlds apart.
Even so, Zhuang Rui was already quite satisfied. At least with this batch of porcelain, he could set up a porcelain exhibition hall, which, in addition to Huangfu Yun's swords, would be another highlight of Zhuang Rui's museum.
With those two Yuan blue-and-white porcelain jars and Song Dynasty porcelain pieces from the five famous kilns, which are rarely seen in complete pieces in China, Zhuang Rui's porcelain exhibition hall is no less impressive than any other museum in China, and may even surpass it.
Thinking about this, Zhuang Rui, who was sitting curled up on the sofa, didn't feel so bad about the trip anymore. ...
More than ten hours later, the plane landed at the Capital Airport.
Although he kept using his spiritual energy to relieve the soreness and numbness in his legs, Zhuang Rui almost fell to the ground after standing up. Unlike the white lion, he didn't jump out of the cabin.
Zhuang Rui could tell from the white lion's low growl that this old fellow would absolutely never travel with him on a plane again.
"Fourth Brother, I'm troubling you with this matter again..."
After Zhuang Rui got off the plane, before he could even stretch his body, he saw Ouyang Jun looking displeased. Next to him were two cars, one of which was a truck. Zhuang Rui had specifically instructed Ouyang Jun to park there when he contacted him on the plane.
Ouyang Jun waved his hand and said, "Alright, you've troubled me enough already, haven't you? Let me tell you, your sister-in-law's been in a bad mood lately. If anything happens to me, you'll have to step in..."
"Fourth Brother, if your wife is in a bad mood, go and comfort her yourself. What does it have to do with me?"
Zhuang Rui frowned and shook his head upon hearing Ouyang Jun's words. His fourth brother was no longer a child, how could he speak so unreliably? His sister-in-law was in a bad mood, so he was making his younger brother take her place? This... this was going to be a mistake.
"Pah... I don't need your support. Uh, just say you're with me when your sister-in-law calls to check up on you, or have your wife come with you. I'm busy..."
Ouyang Jun realized he had made a grammatical error in his words and quickly corrected himself. This time, Zhuang Rui understood clearly that his older brother had been holding back for too long and wanted to sneak out to have sex, so he was using him as a cover.
Zhuang Rui knew he'd need to get the museum's paperwork approved in the next few days, which would inevitably involve troubling Ouyang Jun, so he said, "No problem, Fourth Brother, I'll have Xuanbing stay with my sister-in-law for a couple of days later..."
Hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Ouyang Jun nodded in satisfaction and said, "Hmm, that's more like it. Alright, let's move the things. I brought seven or eight people with me. Let's finish quickly and go home. My aunt has been talking about you for days..."
"Alright, let's have a drink tonight, you two brothers..."
Zhuang Rui agreed and turned to enter the cabin.
"Boss, you can rest over there. I'll bring some people to move it..."
Hao Long's voice rang out behind Zhuang Rui. Zhuang Rui turned around and said, "Brother Hao, these things are very valuable. Each one is worth over 100,000. Be careful..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, not only Hao Long was startled, but the real estate company people brought by Ouyang Jun were also stunned, and their movements became lighter.
Seven or eight people lined up in a row, with the person at the very back passing the porcelain pieces out one by one. The people on the outside would then receive them and put them on the car. Because of Zhuang Rui's warning earlier, everyone was very careful, and there were no mishaps.
It took two or three hours to unload all the porcelain from the cabin. By the time they got back to the courtyard and moved the porcelain to several rooms in Zhuang Rui's backyard, it was already past 11 p.m.
Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun didn't get to drink either, as the guy was urged to go back by more than a dozen phone calls from the big star around 9 o'clock.
"Mom, you're still awake?"
After seeing off the real estate company employees, Zhuang Rui arrived at the Intermediate People's Court and found that the light in the main room was still on. After pushing the door open, he found his mother sitting on the sofa reading a book.
"Mom is waiting for you. You child, you've been gone for so many days without even a phone call. And now, you've even lost your wife..."
Looking at her son's somewhat haggard face, Ouyang Wan hardened her heart and scolded him a few times. How could she not know that Qin Xuanbing's flight required a transfer and that she would arrive in Beijing tomorrow morning?
"Mom, your trip was very fruitful. When my museum opens, I promise you'll be the first to visit..."
Zhuang Rui smiled and sat down next to his mother, gently massaging Ouyang Wan's shoulders with his hands. Hearing his mother's scolding words, Zhuang Rui felt a deep sense of warmth and affection.
"A museum? What museum?"
Ouyang Wan asked doubtfully. Although she knew that Zhuang Rui had collected a lot of antiques, it seemed that he was still far from opening a museum.
Seeing that his mother had shifted her attention, Zhuang Rui quickly began to exaggerate and boast, almost calling his still-developing museum the Palace Museum.
"What you do isn't important, just be careful when you go out. Okay, go home and get some rest..."
Although Ouyang Wan never interfered in Zhuang Rui's affairs, seeing her son go through all that trouble to go abroad from China, it was impossible for her not to worry. She waited until now just to give Zhuang Rui some instructions. ...
The next day, after picking up Qin Xuanbing, Zhuang Rui drove her directly to Ouyang Jun's courtyard house. Xu Qing didn't have many friends, and now that she was pregnant, she really needed a woman to keep her company and talk to.
What? You expect Ouyang Jun to accompany you? You should be grateful if the child doesn't jump out of your belly sooner from anger.
"What? It's done? Fourth Brother, you're not kidding me, are you...?"
Zhuang Rui was startled by Ouyang Jun's words. It had only been a few days, yet the museum's approval procedures had been completed. The relevant departments couldn't be this efficient, could they? Could it be that Ouyang Jun had persuaded his uncle to pull some strings?
"What are you yelling about? Keep your voice down. I'm counting on this to stay outside for a few days. Come on, let's talk outside..."
Ouyang Jun quickly covered Zhuang Rui's mouth and turned around to say loudly, "Wu'er and I are going to take care of some business. You two chat. If you don't have dinner tonight, you can go to your aunt's house..."
Zhuang Rui gave Ouyang Jun a disdainful look, guessing that after this brother's son was born, he definitely wouldn't recognize him as his father.
"Fourth Brother, tell me quickly, what's going on? Where are the paperwork? Where's the museum's business license? Let me see it..."
As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, Zhuang Rui eagerly reached out his hand to Ouyang Jun.
With the museum's operating license, they could discuss exchanging collections with the Guimet Museum in Paris. Huangfu Yun harbored deep resentment towards Zhuang Rui for leaving him in Paris.
"Don't ask me, I don't know what happened either. The old man said you should go see him after you come back, all your things are with him..."
Ouyang Jun shrugged. Not to mention Zhuang Rui, even he was a little confused. Minister Ouyang, who was always impartial and incorruptible, had actually abandoned all principles this time and personally instructed his secretary to expedite the approval process for Zhuang Rui's museum.
Chapter 670 The Reason