134. A Guilty Conscience

Boss Zhou laughed heartily and gestured toward Han Bin. "This young man has hit the nail on the head."

Wang Qingsheng also chuckled, thinking to himself, "You don't know who my nephew is."

Boss Zhou hesitated for a moment. "As the old saying goes, people climb to higher ground, and water flows to lower places. I am not transferring this antique shop because the business is failing, but because I have a better opportunity elsewhere."

"Oh, Boss Zhou, you really must teach me how to do that so I can make a little money myself," Wang Qingsheng said.

"My family is planning to emigrate."

"Where are you going?"

"New Zealand."

"Tsk, tsk, that’s a wonderful place. I’ve heard there are more sheep than people and the scenery is more beautiful than the people; it's a great destination for travel." Wang Qingsheng was a bit surprised. How much money must one make to be able to emigrate abroad?

"Yes, we have already bought a house in New Zealand and plan to settle down there long-term, which is why I’m looking to transfer this place," Boss Zhou said.

"Boss Zhou, they say one shouldn't speak deeply with a new acquaintance, and a gentleman should be cautious of this, but I feel like we hit it off right away, so I still want to give you a piece of advice." Wang Qingsheng took a sip of tea and sighed. "Living conditions in China are getting better and better; there really is no need to emigrate. If you like New Zealand, it’s fine to go there a few times a year for vacations or travel. But if you really settle down there, I suspect you won't necessarily be able to adapt."

"To be honest, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of. I didn't want to leave at first, but my wife loves it so much. She tells me every day how great New Zealand is and urges me to process the immigration quickly." Boss Zhou picked up the teapot and poured another cup for Wang Qingsheng.

"Well, since your wife likes it, I won't say anything more to avoid annoying you." Wang Qingsheng smiled and bowed his hands. "I wish you a smooth journey."

"Thank you."

Boss Zhou acknowledged the courtesy and sighed, "What I find hardest to let go of is this shop, Yubao Hall. Setting aside the transfer fee, I just hope to find someone reliable to take it over so as not to tarnish my reputation."

"Boss Zhou, you can rest assured about that. I’ve been in the antique street for many years. You can ask around; my character, Wang Qingsheng, is beyond reproach. If you transfer this shop to me, I guarantee it will be just as prosperous as before."

Boss Zhou slapped his thigh. "Alright, just for those words, I’ll give you a ten percent discount."

"Boss Zhou, may I ask how much you want for the transfer fee?"

"This much." Boss Zhou held up three fingers.

"Three hundred thousand?"

"Correct." Boss Zhou nodded and said to Wang Qingsheng, "I feel like we hit it off, and as I just said, I’ll give you a ten percent discount, which makes it 270,000."

Wang Qingsheng smiled. "Hit it off," my foot. He had paid plenty of "tuition" in the past because of those words. However, since Boss Zhou had already offered a discount, it blocked his path to haggle further, and he found it difficult to push the price down any more.

"Bin, what do you think?"

Negotiating business is best done with two people—one playing the bad cop and the other the good cop—so that you can bargain without making things too awkward.

"Boss Zhou, what does this 270,000 transfer fee include?" Han Bin asked.

"The remainder of the lease, plus the furnishings and antiques in this room, will all be transferred to Boss Wang," Boss Zhou said, patting the chair he was sitting on. "This includes this set of chairs. I put a lot of effort into finding a matching pair."

Han Bin didn't know much about antiques or miscellaneous collectibles, but he knew his role. "I think this price is a bit high."

"Then what price do you think is appropriate?" Boss Zhou retorted.

"Two hundred thousand," Han Bin said.

Boss Zhou’s face fell; clearly, this price was below his expectations. "What is your surname?"

"My surname is Han."

"You look a bit unfamiliar. Which antique shop are you making your fortune at?" Boss Zhou inquired.

"I am not in the antique business."

"Oh? Then where are you employed?"

Han Bin said solemnly, "I am a police officer."

Boss Zhou’s body trembled; his eyebrows arched, tightened, and his eyelids flickered. Although it lasted for an extremely short moment, Han Bin captured it. This micro-expression represented fear.

Seeing the man's reaction, Han Bin was somewhat surprised. Boss Zhou was terrified by his status as a police officer, which was clearly abnormal. A regular person might be slightly surprised to find a police officer nearby, but if they had done nothing wrong and had a clear conscience, why would they feel such fear?

"Officer, what brings you to my humble shop?" Boss Zhou took a deep breath, his expression calming down.

"Don't misunderstand, Boss Zhou. This is my nephew. He happens to be off today, and since he heard I was looking to take over a shop, he came to help me check things out," Wang Qingsheng explained.

"I see."

Boss Zhou responded and secretly glanced at Han Bin again, finding that the man’s expression was normal, with no other actions. "Boss Wang, what are your thoughts on the transfer fee?"

"A flat price of 230,000. Do you think that works?"

Wang Qingsheng felt a bit anxious. He really liked the shop; saying the feng shui was bad earlier was just a tactic to drive the price down.

"Boss Wang, to be honest, before you came, others had looked at this shop. Someone offered this much." Boss Zhou gestured with his hand to indicate 250,000. "Even though we hit it off, I can't afford to make a loss, right?"

Wang Qingsheng smiled awkwardly. He hadn't expected Boss Zhou to stick so firmly to the price, making it hard for him to continue haggling. Wang Qingsheng tried to steer the conversation and chatted for a bit more, eventually offering an extra 5,000, but Boss Zhou remained firm at 250,000, refusing to budge by even a cent.

Wang Qingsheng had no choice but to take his leave.

Not long after the two left, a woman walked out from the back of the shop. She looked to be in her forties, with short hair, appearing quite capable.

"Didn't reach a deal?" the short-haired woman asked.

"Didn't you hear everything?" Boss Zhou retorted.

"I was in the other room, so I couldn't hear clearly. Why didn't you settle it?"

"I wanted a transfer fee of 250,000, and he would only offer 235,000."

"It's only a difference of 15,000. It's pure profit anyway; you should have just agreed," the woman said.

"What do you know? The person who came with him was a police officer."

"A police officer? What did he come for?" The woman looked surprised and asked hurriedly.

"He's the fat man's nephew, there to 'check things out' for him," Boss Zhou sighed.

"You scared me; I thought it was something serious." The woman breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "So, just because his nephew is a police officer, you're not going to do the deal?"

"I just don't want any trouble."

The woman said instinctively, "What's there to be afraid of? It's just a one-off deal. We never planned to come back to Qindao anyway. What can he do even if he is a police officer? He can't chase us to another city to arrest us."

"That's why I didn't close the door completely. If he really wants to buy it, I'll sell it for 250,000. If he doesn't, it'll be a courtesy to his nephew," Boss Zhou said.

"You're showing them courtesy, but they won't show you any when they come to arrest you," the woman sneered.

Boss Zhou snorted. "Hmph, I thought you'd be a bit better off with that short haircut."