Chapter 165: Chapter 165: The Big Boss, Cheng Fusheng

Niu Zhuang scrutinized it carefully for a while before finally breaking into a smile. “Not bad, it’s a brand new Titoni watch. You want two hundred for it?”

Gu Qinghuan nodded. “Does it meet your standards?”

“The goods are good, but the price…” Niu Zhuang tried to haggle. Even though it was already cheap, in their line of work, no one ever pays the asking price.

Gu Qinghuan understood what he meant.

She opened her basket and took out the remaining two boxes, placing them in front of him.

“Th-three?” Niu Zhuang hadn’t expected there to be three of these watches.

If he could get them all, he’d make at least a hundred yuan, maybe even a bit more.

“That’s not all!” Gu Qinghuan pressed both hands on the watch boxes.

“I have a whole batch of these watches—at least twenty. Can you handle that much on your own?” Gu Qinghuan put on her negotiating face.

She could tell Niu Zhuang was just a small fry; there had to be someone behind him.

Niu Zhuang had thought there was only one. Buying it himself and making a little pocket money was fine.

But twenty of these watches? Who was this person, so bold?

He really couldn’t make this decision on his own.

Judging by Gu Qinghuan’s stance, she wanted to sell them all at once. Twenty watches meant four thousand yuan—he couldn’t come up with that kind of money.

And if he got stuck with so many watches, he’d be in trouble.

Still, this was a money-making opportunity.

Niu Zhuang’s mind raced, and he came up with an idea.

“You’ve got too much stock for me to decide on my own. I’ll take you to meet our boss.”

Gu Qinghuan had been looking for a big boss to make a big deal with anyway. Since the opportunity presented itself, she had no objections.

“Sure!”

Niu Zhuang led her to a nearby courtyard, clearly larger and more refined than the previous one.

After they entered, Niu Zhuang said to the young man who opened the door, “Liu’er, we have an important guest. Take good care of them. I’m going to talk to Brother Fu.”

With that, he left with one of the Titoni watches.

“Alright, Brother Niu. Guest, please come with me!”

Gu Qinghuan wasn’t worried and followed the young man called Liu’er to the front hall.

Liu’er attentively brought over a plate of dried persimmons and a pot of tea.

“Please help yourself.”

“Thank you.” Of course, she wouldn’t eat or drink anything here. Under someone else’s roof, if they tried to drug her, she’d have nowhere to complain.

She also didn’t want to take off her scarf and reveal her face.

After about ten minutes, a young man walked in, with Niu Zhuang following behind, grinning obsequiously.

She had expected the person running the black market to be a middle-aged man or older, but it turned out to be a young man—quite a surprise.

“This is Boss Fu,” Niu Zhuang introduced.

“Hello, Boss Fu.” Gu Qinghuan deliberately lowered her voice in greeting.

Cheng Fusheng sat at the head seat.

“I hear you have a batch of Titoni watches?”

“Yes. And not just Titoni watches—I can also get bicycles and radios without the need for ration tickets.” Gu Qinghuan hinted that if this first deal went well, there would be plenty more business in the future.

Cheng Fusheng was intrigued.

“So how do you want to sell this batch of watches?”

“One price—two hundred yuan each, twenty watches, four thousand in total. Cash for goods, no exceptions,” Gu Qinghuan said firmly.

Cheng Fusheng hesitated for only a few seconds.

“Alright! I’ll take them. But I have to inspect the goods before I pay.”

A true boss indeed—he agreed without even blinking. Gu Qinghuan had thought she’d have to haggle for ages to seal the deal.

“No problem.”

Gu Qinghuan nodded.

“I’ll go get the goods now. I’ll be back in twenty minutes with everything. At that time, cash for goods.”

“Alright,” Cheng Fusheng nodded.

Gu Qinghuan left the courtyard with her three watches and quickly ducked into a nearby alley.

“Boss Fu, should I follow her and see who she really is?” Niu Zhuang asked, winking. Being able to produce twenty Titoni watches at once was no small feat.

“No need.” Cheng Fusheng had managed to carve out a place for himself in the black market at such a young age for a reason.

He knew exactly what kind of money could be made and what kind couldn’t, and he had his own set of principles. That’s why no one had dared to cross him all these years.

Gu Qinghuan had deliberately let him know she had plenty more good goods, to prevent him from pulling a one-off scam or robbing her.

He could tell, but didn’t mind.

“Boss Fu, I think her price could be pushed down a bit more. Why did you just agree?” Niu Zhuang asked, puzzled.

“No way! She won’t budge,” Cheng Fusheng said confidently, turning the walnut in his hand.

“How do you know? You didn’t even try to haggle,” Niu Zhuang was confused.

“You can’t be too greedy. Even if we sell these watches for three hundred each without tickets, we’ll make two thousand net. That’s good enough.”

Cheng Fusheng couldn’t be bothered to explain further—he just knew.

There’s a kind of aura in human interactions, and Gu Qinghuan’s aura told him she wouldn’t accept a lower price.

“Go get four thousand yuan ready.”

“Alright…”

Niu Zhuang could only leave, a little disgruntled.

Gu Qinghuan twisted and turned through the alleys, always alert in case someone followed her, but no one did.

Well, maybe she was being overly cautious. This young Boss Fu actually had some principles.

She found a hidden corner and entered her space.

She immediately ordered twenty Titoni watches and packed them into a large black bag.

After thinking for a moment, she also ordered a 26-inch Phoenix women’s bicycle.

She’d seen this bike at the department store—priced at 188 yuan and requiring a ration ticket, and it was often out of stock. The sales clerk said there was a long waiting list.

There were also 28-inch men’s bikes, but the women’s bikes were in even higher demand and could fetch a better price—after all, rarity drives up value.

So she chose this one.

She’d also done her homework on radios: the Haishi Red Lantern brand transistor radio sold for 98 yuan at the counter, and required a ticket.

She ordered an identical one, planning to bring it along and see how things went.

There were sewing machines too, but they were too heavy for her to carry.

She loaded the goods onto the bicycle, checked everything over, and when the alley was empty, she reappeared in the corner with both herself and the bike.

Then she pushed the bike back to the courtyard Niu Zhuang had taken her to earlier.

Knock, knock! She’d barely knocked when the door opened from inside.

It was the same young man, Liu’er.

“Please come in, Boss Fu is waiting for you.” His attitude was even more polite this time.

Gu Qinghuan pushed the bicycle in after him.

Niu Zhuang heard the commotion and hurried out.

He helped bring in all the watches and the radio she’d brought.

“Boss Fu, here are all my goods. Feel free to inspect them. I also brought a brand new Red Lantern radio. If you like it, it’s yours. If not, just consider it a gift.”

The radio only cost her about twenty yuan, so she didn’t mind giving it away.

The Phoenix bicycle was more expensive—ninety-nine yuan.

But the watches were still the most profitable—almost pure profit. It was just a pity she couldn’t sell dozens or hundreds at once, or she’d really make a killing.

While Gu Qinghuan was lost in thought, Cheng Fusheng put down the walnut he’d been playing with and, together with Niu Zhuang, began to inspect the goods. This was no joke—four thousand yuan was a big deal.

The two of them carefully checked each watch to make sure they were all brand new and genuine before relaxing.

Cheng Fusheng glanced at the radio on the table, feeling reassured.

It seemed she was telling the truth—she really did have a batch of good stuff.

“Niu Zhuang, give the money to our guest.”

Niu Zhuang took out a bundle of cash from the cupboard, which he’d prepared earlier, and handed it to Gu Qinghuan.

Now it was her turn to count the money.

The two men busied themselves examining the radio she’d brought.

Gu Qinghuan counted the money, made sure it was all there, and put it in her black cloth bag.

“All good. The deal’s done. Now, let’s talk about the radio and the bicycle!

“You may have noticed the 26-inch Phoenix women’s bicycle parked in the yard. I have ten of those. I also have twenty 28-inch Phoenix men’s full-chain bicycles.

“I have fifty of these Red Lantern radios.

“Actually, I also have ten sewing machines, but they’re too heavy for me to bring over for you to inspect.”

The two men were secretly shocked by these numbers. Who was this woman, to have so many in-demand goods?

But Cheng Fusheng was smart enough not to ask. This was the black market—business was done in the shadows.

“How do you want to sell them?”

This was a huge deal, but it could bring in a fortune—maybe as much as half a year’s income. He had to get it.

Others might worry about not being able to move so much stock, but he wasn’t concerned. He’d been in Beijing for years, but he also had connections in the surrounding areas and several channels to move the goods.

“Boss Fu, you’re decisive. I won’t beat around the bush. I’m selling this batch as a package, and I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the price.

“These 26-inch Phoenix women’s bikes sell for 188 yuan at the department store, and you need a ration ticket.

“I’ll give them to you at 160 each.

“The 28-inch men’s bikes go for 177 at the store. I’ll give you a price of 150 each.

“Pretty fair, right?”

Niu Zhuang wanted to say something, but after glancing at Cheng Fusheng’s face, he held back.

Cheng Fusheng’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“You want to take the money and leave, but all the risk is on me and the profit margin is thin—not a great deal.” Even though he knew Gu Qinghuan wouldn’t budge, he still voiced his doubts.

Gu Qinghuan quickly started counting on her fingers, “Boss Fu, you’re not being fair. I’m only making a little bit—the real profit is all yours!

“Honestly, I really want to move this batch, and I’m not inflating the prices. These are my bottom lines.

“These women’s bikes are in short supply at the counter. Without a ticket, you could easily sell them for over 250 each.

“What does that mean?

“That’s nearly a hundred yuan profit per bike!

“Ten bikes, that’s a thousand yuan.

“And the men’s bikes—at 150 each, you could sell them for at least 230. That’s eighty yuan profit per bike.

“Twenty bikes, that’s sixteen hundred yuan.

“Just from the bikes, you’re making over twenty-five hundred.

“It’s a guaranteed profit. There’s some risk, sure, but for you, that’s nothing.”

Gu Qinghuan’s flattery clearly pleased Cheng Fusheng.

He knew the value of these goods. In fact, Gu Qinghuan’s prices were already very fair. He just didn’t like being outmaneuvered by a woman, so he’d been deliberately playing hard to get.

“You’ve got quite the silver tongue!” he said, half-smiling."

"Chapter 166: Deal Closed, A Letter Arrives