"She's about the same as me," I said.
He Lao Liu nodded. "Alright, since you don't want to chat, let's get straight to business. Where's the merchandise?"
"Where's the money?" I shot back. No money, no goods. That's an ancient rule, always see the cash before inspecting the merchandise.
He Lao Liu smiled slightly and snapped his fingers. A hidden door in the corner of the cabinet opened, and two men dressed similarly to the young man downstairs, but a bit older, entered. Each carried a silver briefcase. They walked over, placed the cases on the tea table, and then positioned themselves behind He Lao Liu, hands clasped behind their backs.
I frowned. "Boss He, wasn't this supposed to be a four-person meeting? Two of you, two of me. I have two, but you have three, no, four. The guy downstairs, is he also your bodyguard?"
"Bodyguard?" He Lao Liu pursed his thick lips. "With my skills, who would dare touch me? Do I need a bodyguard? They're just employees of my 'Liu He Tang'. If Boss Wu is afraid—Xiao Liu, you can head downstairs."
"Yes, big brother." One bodyguard went downstairs, leaving the other.
"How's that," He Lao Liu leaned forward slightly. "Is it fair now? The money is here. Where's my merchandise?"
I glanced at the two briefcases on the tea table and did a quick mental calculation. I shook my head. "Boss He, are you kidding me? These two small cases can hold at most two million. We agreed on twelve million, and you're still ten cases short."
I can still calculate the volume of RMB.
He Lao Liu burst into laughter, his jowls shaking so much they almost seemed to drip oil. Seeing my lack of reaction, he gradually dropped his smile, his gaze sharpening. He said in a deep voice, "Young brother, you deign to do business with He Lao Liu, and that's giving me face. I'm bringing out these two million to show you respect. Don't be ungrateful. Take the goods, take the money, and consider me, He Lao Liu, your friend."
"I'm helpless," I said. "Since Boss He lacks sincerity, let's cancel the transaction. Yaoyao, let's go."
With that, I prepared to stand up and leave. If he doesn't want to buy, I'll sell it to someone else. Good items are never hard to sell.
The bodyguard suddenly moved, placing a hand on my shoulder. His speed was astonishing. I tested his strength; it felt like a thousand-pound weight, and I couldn't budge. If I tried to force myself up, I'd just be pushed back down, which would be too embarrassing. I decided to sit still.
"Boss He, what's the meaning of this?" I feigned calmness, glancing at Yaoyao. She was still looking down, fiddling with the tail of her sable fur scarf. I was genuinely worried she might tickle the mink and expose it.
He Lao Liu calmly picked up half a pack of soft Zhonghua cigarettes from the tea table, extracted one, and held it between his fingers. He gave the bodyguard a look, but quickly realized the bodyguard was occupied with suppressing me and couldn't free a hand. He Lao Liu had to search under the tea table himself for a lighter, but after a long search, he couldn't find one. I couldn't help but chuckle and pulled out my own lighter from my pocket, tossing it to him.
He Lao Liu, looking slightly embarrassed, lit his cigarette. After a deep drag, he regained his composure and extended three plump fingers. "Kid, you have three paths before you. First, as I said, take the money, hand over the goods, and leave. If there's business in the future, we can continue."
"And the other two paths?" I also lit a cigarette—yes, I had two lighters in my pocket.
"Second, you leave the goods, but you don't get the money. Because you've offended my pride, He Lao Liu, you have to pay!" He Lao Liu said with a forced smile.
"...So you're just going to rob me?" I asked with a wry smile.
"Third," He Lao Liu's face turned cold. "You still leave the goods, you don't take the money, and you don't leave either!"
"Robbery and murder?"
"I, He Lao Liu, am a law-abiding citizen. I would never engage in such illegal activities. I merely wish to borrow your merchandise to admire for a while, and perhaps have you two friends stay at my residence for a few days. That's hardly 'robbery and murder', is it?" He Lao Liu grinned menacingly.
I nodded. "Borrowing to admire means keeping it permanently. Letting us stay at your residence for a few days means moving in and never leaving again. Have I translated that correctly?"