Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 563: Chapter 560 Tengchong Black Market

Of course, that evening, Huo Sining received a call from Ji Kun.

”Tengchong just sent news that the black market transaction has been moved up to tomorrow night!” Ji Kun said on the other end of the line, somewhat frantically, ”Damn it, these people are too cunning!”

Huo Sining was somewhat surprised. The meaning behind Ji Kun’s call to discuss this matter was very clear—they would definitely set out for Tengchong tomorrow, fearing they wouldn’t make it to the Ruili gambling plates the day after tomorrow.

The two anonymous bids that Huo Sining had her eye on simply couldn’t be missed, but having already agreed to follow Ji Kun to Tengchong, she wouldn’t go back on her word.

After some thought, Huo Sining could only inform Bai Yishan about the specifics of the items being auctioned, asking her to attend the gambling plate auction. She also wrote down the reserve price and the maximum bid she was willing to make, so that Bai Yishan could adapt accordingly when the time came.

Early the next morning, Ji Kun came to the Jiang Family to pick up Huo Sining. Su Qingqing had long guessed that Huo Sining’s trip to Tengchong was related to antiques—who would want to stay in Ruili?

Huo Sining felt helpless about Su Qingqing and had no better option. After getting the consent of several expert professors, she took Su Qingqing and Wu Jun with her to Tengchong.

The group took a bus to Tengchong, and on the bus, Qin Lianshan held a meeting with the experts as well as Huo Sining and a few others.

Since no one knew exactly which thousand-year ancient tomb the cultural relic smugglers had looted, this black market operation was particularly tricky.

It wasn’t easy to infiltrate a black market either. Usually, the black markets would only invite regular customers to participate. They were especially vigilant against newcomers and would ask many questions to prevent undercover officials from entering.

After all, the black market involved many items that couldn’t be exposed to daylight, and the organizers feared being watched by law enforcement. Therefore, Huo Sining and the others could only rely on acquaintances to get them in.

Originally, Qin Lianshan had secured six spots to enter the black market this time, but due to the sudden advancement of the auction by the black market organizers, one person couldn’t make it, so in the end, they could only get five people in.

After much consideration, Qin Lianshan finally decided on the attendees. Besides himself and Ji Kun, there were Huo Sining, Ma Liwen, and another Forbidden City expert.

As soon as Su Qingqing heard she couldn’t go in, she was immediately displeased. She had finally persuaded Huo Sining to bring her along, but now she couldn’t even go in to watch the excitement; wasn’t this trip in vain?

”I want to go in too!” Wu Jun also made a request. He had promised his captain to come and protect Huo Sining’s safety. Now, letting Huo Sining enter the black market alone was like her stepping out of his view, which made him uneasy.

Huo Sining chuckled a little, ”They will be there with me; don’t worry. There are police outside to respond, and there will definitely be no problems. Besides, there are only five spots available now, and even if you want to go in, you can’t unless you can figure out a way to get a spot.”

A flicker of light flashed in Wu Jun’s eyes upon hearing this, and he nodded, ”I understand.”

Huo Sining thought he had given up on the idea of going in and said no more. At six in the evening, arranged by Ji Kun, the five individuals arrived at the agreed location in stages.

Ji Kun introduced Huo Sining to a middle-aged man around forty years old, surnamed Jiang, a jade merchant from Tengchong. Upon learning that Huo Sining was into gambling on stones, he was immediately filled with curiosity.

In Mr. Jiang’s mind, it was quite rare to see women gambling on stones; usually, they were more into the jade finished products business. This was because women prefer cleanliness, and the dusty appearance of the raw materials rarely appealed to them.

However, seeing Huo Sining’s calm and composed demeanor, Boss Jiang took quite a liking to her, expressing a willingness to find an opportunity to exchange skills in stone gambling with her in the future.

What Mr. Jiang did not know at the time was that the woman sitting beside him was none other than Miss Huo, the ”Jade Queen” who had been causing quite a stir on jadeite forums these past few days.

The so-called black market, as the name implies, refers to an antique auction that is not protected by law. The items at such auctions often have dubious origins, typically stolen by tomb robbers from ancient graves, and of course, some are stolen from other places too. In short, all the items are illicit goods, not from any legitimate source.

Therefore, transactions in these places are mostly done in cash or through bank transfers, with the auction organizers acting as third-party payers, and then the auction house transferring the money to the original owners of the items.

Huo Sining did not have much cash on hand, but a bank transfer was still no problem. Besides, she had made several tens of millions recently and now had about fifty million at her disposal, so she did not need to worry about funds in this aspect.

Since she was not traveling with Qin Lianshan and his group, when Huo Sining and Boss Jiang arrived at the entrance of an old mansion, they did not see any familiar faces.

Upon reaching the mansion’s entrance, they were stopped by two people who looked like bodyguards, with broad shoulders, well-developed muscles, and the bearing of trained fighters. Their eyes were fixed intently on Huo Sining and her companion, and the light that shone in their eyes was somewhat bone-chilling.

A flamboyantly dressed woman in her thirties emerged from the house. Upon seeing Huo Sining, she could not help frowning and asked Boss Jiang with confusion, ”Boss Jiang, why is there an extra person?”

Boss Jiang was unaware of Huo Sining’s specific intentions for attending the black market. When Qin Lianshan asked him to make the introduction, he merely said that Huo Sining was interested in the black market and wanted to gain some experience.

Believing this to be true, Boss Jiang did not show any sign of panic when the woman questioned him. He explained smilingly,

”Golden Osmanthus Auntie, you know, once is a chance encounter, twice makes you acquainted. Miss Huo is my friend and also an antique enthusiast. She hopes to find a cherished item here, which is why she asked me to bring her along. Is there anything that concerns you?”

”The surname is Huo?” The woman known as Golden Osmanthus Auntie’s eyes flashed, looking at Huo Sining thoughtfully, ”Are you the ’Jade Queen’ that’s been on everyone’s lips on the internet?”

Huo Sining was somewhat surprised. She did not expect the woman to recognize her at a glance; indeed, those who engage in black market trades have a sharper eye for people than the average person.

Seeing the fervor in the woman’s eyes, Huo Sining couldn’t help feeling a mix of amusement and disbelief. Could this woman be a fanatical fan?

”It’s just an unfounded reputation spread by others; a distortion of the truth that shouldn’t be taken seriously. If Golden Osmanthus Auntie doesn’t mind, just calling me Xiao Huo will do,” Huo Sining said with a light smile.

Golden Osmanthus Auntie’s eyes revealed a smile, ”I knew you looked familiar, and indeed it’s you. Okay, I’ll presume to call you Xiao Huo then. I would have never expected our auction house to attract such an esteemed guest. Alright, since you came with Boss Jiang, there should definitely be no issues. When the time comes, you can follow me,” she said.