Chapter 417 - 256: Money and Face, Both Returned

Chen Baokun nodded.

A moment later, a smile spread across Chen Baokun’s face. "The last time we met," he said, "I seem to have misjudged."

"Oh? Is there a problem with the gold jewelry I sold you?" Fang Zhen asked.

"No, not the jewelry. I’m talking about you," Chen Baokun said, shaking his head. "I thought you were just a small-time gold trader, but I never expected you to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Your business is quite impressive."

After a brief pause, he continued, "A company recently applied for membership in the Shanghai Gold Exchange. I made a few inquiries... That company is yours, isn’t it?"

Fang Zhen smiled faintly. "Xiahai isn’t that big of a place. Word gets around quickly. And yes, that company is mine."

Chen Baokun nodded. "So when you came to me to sell that gold jewelry," he said, "you were just testing the waters, weren’t you?"

Fang Zhen laughed.

’He’d just been short on cash last time, so he sold some jewelry. Chen Baokun was clearly reading way too much into it, but there was no need to correct him.’

Instead of answering directly, Fang Zhen asked, "So, what did you want to discuss this time?"

Chen Baokun didn’t press the issue. "I heard you’re looking for a large quantity of silver bars," he said. "I have a batch on hand. If you need it, I can probably procure about a ton for you. And I guarantee, for that kind of quantity, my price will be the lowest in all of Xiahai."

"So? Are you interested?" Chen Baokun asked.

Fang Zhen asked, "What’s your price?"

"A few points below market price. I know what you paid for your silver bars at Yu Le Gold Store. I can beat their price by 150 yuan per kilogram."

Fang Zhen considered it. ’The offer sounded pretty good.’

’For such a large quantity of silver bars, he had originally planned to buy them online and had, in fact, already started the process.’

’But if Chen Baokun’s source could really offer that price, he wouldn’t mind using that channel instead.’

"I’ll consider it," Fang Zhen said.

Just then, the bodyguard who had been with Chen Baokun last time spoke up from behind him. "Our Uncle Bao has been in the precious metals business in Xiahai for many years. The prices he can get are definitely lower than anything you could find on your own."

’Fang Zhen remembered this guy talking up Chen Baokun the last time they met. The first time, it had been a novelty; hearing it again, he couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.’

Behind him, Hao Lei reacted instantly, his tongue as sharp as ever.

Hao Lei immediately shot back, "Well, our General Manager Fang’s financial resources are also astounding. It’s not so easy to find a major buyer like him, either, so let’s not go there."

Chen Baokun’s bodyguard was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for a comeback.

Fang Zhen simply smiled without saying a word.

’I’ll have to give Hao Lei a bonus when we get back.’

"Hey!"

Chen Baokun raised a hand to stop his bodyguard from saying more. He turned to Fang Zhen with a smile. "Don’t listen to my subordinate’s blustering. I’m always sincere when I do business. Sure, I have a bit of a name, but this industry is pretty transparent these days. I just earn a limited profit, small potatoes, really."

Fang Zhen nodded slightly. He took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and asked, "Since you’re the biggest precious metals dealer in Xiahai, I was wondering... I have a batch of gold to sell. Can you handle it, Mr. Chen?"

’Fang Zhen disliked getting overly familiar in business, calling people ’brother’ and the like. That was a title reserved for his real friends.’

’That’s why he addressed him formally as Mr. Chen.’

"Assistant General Manager Fang, you deal in gold as well?"

Chen Baokun seemed slightly surprised, but then his expression cleared as if in realization. "Of course. The last time, you sold me gold jewelry. Since you were just testing the waters, it makes sense you’d still be dealing in gold."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhen once again just smiled without saying a word.

’Chen Baokun’s form of address had changed again, now calling him Assistant General Manager Fang.’

’And once again, Chen Baokun was overthinking things.’

’But there was no need to correct him. If Chen Baokun wanted to jump to conclusions, let him.’

Convinced he now understood the situation, Chen Baokun looked at Fang Zhen and asked, "How much gold are you planning to sell, Assistant General Manager Fang?"

Fang Zhen stroked his chin.

’He currently had over twenty kilograms of gold bars. Besides the bars he’d had smelted, he also had a considerable number of gold ropes.’

’Including the gold ropes he’d just brought back, he had almost fifty kilograms of gold in total.’

’But he definitely couldn’t sell it all to Chen Baokun in one go.’

’The man might not have the appetite for such a large amount, and it would mean concentrating too much of his business in one place.’

Fang Zhen thought for a moment before saying, "I have about twenty kilograms of gold on hand right now. I should be able to get another fourteen or fifteen kilograms soon. In the future, I might have this much available every month. I wonder, can you handle that volume?"

"If the terms are right, we could establish a long-term partnership."

"I prefer stable channels."

Chen Baokun’s mind reeled at the words.

He stared at Fang Zhen, stunned.

Chen Baokun felt like he couldn’t get a read on the young man before him at all.

The last time they’d met, Fang Zhen had been nothing more than a junior dabbling in small-time deals in Chen Baokun’s eyes. He never would have imagined that this time, the young man would reveal such profound resources.

Chen Baokun prided himself on knowing every person of note in the Xiahai precious metals trade after all his years in the business—or at least knowing their names.

But he had absolutely no idea how Fang Zhen had made his name. It was as if he had appeared out of thin air.

When faced with someone so enigmatic and inscrutable, a person naturally feels a sense of mystery, even a touch of fear. They become more cautious.

This was exactly Chen Baokun’s state of mind now.

The relaxed, slightly superior attitude he’d had toward Fang Zhen during their last meeting was completely gone, replaced by a newfound caution.