My Wandering Swordsman

The car stopped in front of a private restaurant.

Lu Guodong was probably a regular customer, because the owner personally came out to greet him, bowing and scraping as he led us into a private room.

After we sat down, Lü Guodong didn't rush to order. He first asked the waiter to brew a pot of Pu'er tea and poured a cup for me and my aunt.

"Mr. Ji, Miss Weiwei, it seems we're destined to meet. Let's have a toast with tea instead of wine."

I picked up my teacup and casually touched the rim of it.

Throughout the journey, Lü Guodong would occasionally glance at me and my aunt through the rearview mirror, so although we were standing next to each other, we had no chance to talk.

Seeing that the old fox was about to speak again, I was extremely anxious.

Sure enough, Lu Guodong put down his cup and his first words made me break out in a cold sweat.

He didn't ask me at the time, but looked at his aunt:

"Miss Weiwei is so familiar with Mr. Ji, she must have been in this business for quite some time. I wonder what kind of clients she usually deals with?"

My pupils contracted.

A trap! It's obviously a trap! My aunt has no idea what kind of business we're talking about; she'll give herself away as soon as she opens her mouth.

I was just about to speak.

Lu Guodong suddenly turned to me, his face quite displeased: "Ji Sheng! I'm talking to Miss Weiwei!"

I had no choice but to shut up.

The aunt chuckled softly, picked up her teacup, and took a sip: "Mr. Lü is too kind. I'm just a weak woman who drinks soup with Mr. Ji, so what right do I have to be picky about the quality of the food? I'll eat whatever Mr. Ji gives me."

clever!

I secretly praised him in my heart.

My aunt's answer was perfectly watertight, essentially throwing the question directly at me.

Lu Guodong laughed after hearing this, agreeing with "That's right, that's right," but his eyes were darting around.

My heart sank. I knew that if I continued to beat around the bush, something bad would happen sooner or later. So I steeled myself and got straight to the point.

"Mr. Lü, let's be frank. I genuinely want to cooperate with you. I'm very interested in the batch of goods you have. However, it's not a small amount, so I need to see the price list first before making a decision."

Upon hearing this, Lü Guodong's smile faded slightly.

"Master Ji, things are tense right now. We can't rush the paperwork. I have a question for you."

"Go ahead and speak."

"What's the typical price range for this kind of goods in Hong Kong? Could you give me a rough estimate so I can give you a quote? Don't worry, since you've come all this way, I'll definitely give you the biggest discount, hahaha..."

Oh shit!

I cursed inwardly, "It's another damn trap. I don't even know the price of pirated goods in the local area, let alone in Hong Kong."

Moreover, this old fox just came back from there and knows the prices inside and out. If my answer doesn't match, I'll be in serious trouble.

There was nothing I could do but laugh it off: "Mr. Lü, you're joking. The price depends on the quality. Prices vary depending on whether it's from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or foreign countries. How am I supposed to give you a quote?"

Lu Guodong pondered for a moment: "Mostly mainland goods, all in excellent condition. What's the price?"

"Um..."

I pretended to think, but my mind was in turmoil. What should I do? Should I just blurt out a number? Ten or twenty?

"One plate, three yuan and fifty cents!"

A voice suddenly came from beside him.

I turned my head in surprise and found my aunt holding up three fingers, looking at Lü Guodong with a gloomy expression.

"Inland goods are all priced like this. I know that Mr. Ji has been working with me for many years," Auntie added.

My mind went blank for a moment.

Three yuan and fifty cents?

Auntie, you really dare to say that! You don't even know what kind of goods we're buying and selling, yet you dare to quote a price? If you quote the wrong thing, this whole thing is over.

I wanted to kick her under the table.

To everyone's surprise, Lu Guodong's expression immediately relaxed after hearing this, and a smile appeared on his face: "Miss Weiwei is indeed an expert."

What's wrong?

Oh, right?!

I turned to look at my aunt; her delicate profile was perfectly normal.

However, the opportunity was too good to pass up, so I didn't have time to think it through and continued, "Mr. Lü, the price Weiwei mentioned is the market price, but I've come all this way, and if you're going to sell at this price, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford much."

This statement is a mix of truth and falsehood.

Lu Guodong's expression completely relaxed.

"Mr. Ji, you get what you pay for. But you're right. How about this, how much do you want? I'll give you a fixed price."

My heart skipped a beat, and I lowered my voice:

"I want all 17223 videotapes!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Guodong's pupils visibly contracted, and his lips moved slightly, presumably as if he were cursing Lü Xiaoqing.

After a long while, he gave me a number:

"Three yuan and two jiao."

"make a deal!"

I'm not really buying it, so I don't care how much they quote, I'll just agree to it.

I then added, "Three dollars and two jiao, that's settled then. I'll have someone deliver the deposit check to your company first thing tomorrow morning."

Lu Guodong visibly relaxed and picked up his teacup: "Mr. Ji is so straightforward, then I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"

"It's a pleasure working with you!"

For the next two hours, Lu Guodong, that old fox, chatted non-stop while subtly probing us.

Their level of vigilance was comparable to that of Cao Cao.

Logically speaking, with such a high frequency of conversation over two hours, a layman like me would definitely have given myself away.

But the reality was that after some discussion, Lü Guodong completely confirmed our identity as pirates.

Why?

It's all thanks to my aunt.

My aunt went on a killing spree.

No matter what questions Lü Guodong raised, my aunt knew everything about the price, type, quality, and even the methods of replicating the pirated tapes.

At this point, I became an outsider and could only respond with "uh-huh" and "yeah".

Two hours later, Lü Guodong finally put down his chopsticks: "Ji Sheng, Miss Weiwei, let's get together properly again sometime in the future."

"Definitely, definitely." We smiled and got up.

By the time the car dropped us off at the company gate, it was already getting dark.

Lu Guodong rolled down the car window: "Ji Sheng, I'll be waiting for your good news tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Mr. Lü, it won't be delayed."

As I watched Lü Guodong leave, my aunt grabbed my ear.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—"

"Come here right now."

My aunt's high heels clattered as she grabbed my ear and pulled me towards the Fukang car.

"Thump—"

The car doors slammed shut.

"Ji Xiaosong! Are you crazy? You're in the business of pirated videotapes?!" Auntie glared at him and shouted angrily.

I was in a great mood at the moment, and even though my aunt's face was so close to mine, I was still daydreaming.

This woman is truly enchanting.

Even when he's angry, he's so handsome. If I married him, being scolded every day would be a joy.

"No, I'm talking to you, did you hear me?" My aunt reached for my ear again.

I quickly waved my hands: "No, no, no, Weiwei, I was just kidding, I..."

Speak like a human being!

Uh, sorry, I got too into the role.

I straightened my expression and said, "Auntie, how could I possibly make a pirated videotape? It's all a lie. That old bastard has over ten thousand pirated tapes hidden away; I'm trying to get information out of him."

My aunt frowned: "What exactly happened?"

I explained the whole story to my aunt, and she finally understood.

"So you really want to buy his videotape?"

"Buy my ass!"