Chapter 150: Chapter 128: Expert Predictions
After hanging up the phone, Qi Yun called Zhong Rui again. Zhong Rui was quite excited to hear about going to the desert again.
"Boss, when are we leaving? Is there anything I should prepare in advance?"
"This time is different from the last; we’re going deep into the desert, and there could be danger. Think it over before you decide." Qi Yun’s tone was serious.
Zhong Rui paused for a moment on the other end and quickly replied, "Boss, I’ve thought it over. I’m not afraid of danger."
"Alright then." Qi Yun said no more after hearing that. "Take a photo of your ID card and send it over. I’ll let you know later what other supplies we need to prepare."
After hanging up, he sent the identity information of the three people to their guide, Mamati.
With things settled, Cao Yufei had finished entertaining clients and came into the room.
There was a hint of joy on his face, indicating he’d sold quite a bit of their stock of medicinal herbs.
"Old Qi, today several large pharmaceutical factories from around the city and neighboring cities are sending people to buy Tufuling, and the price has gone crazy."
"Is that so?" Qi Yun asked with a smile, "How much has it increased?"
Cao Yufei’s eyes lit up, gesturing with three fingers, he said excitedly, "The fair-quality ones have increased by almost 30%! The top-tier goods have almost gone up by fifty percent! If we sell this batch of Tufuling now, we can make an additional million at least."
"A pharmaceutical factory contacted me before, wanting to take all our stock. Shouldn’t we strike while the iron is hot and sell it off?"
Qi Yun shook his head slightly, rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, and said, "Let’s not rush. The prices are rising fast now and should keep going up."
Calculating with a 30% increase, even with 3.5 million worth of goods, the profit is just over a million, which isn’t much more than the fire loss.
Upon hearing this, although a bit anxious, Cao Yufei understood Qi Yun’s point and had no choice but to suppress his eagerness, nodding in agreement, "Alright, I’ll listen to you."
Qi Yun patted his shoulder, reassuring him, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Keep an eye on the market trends these days, and let me know of any updates immediately."
"Okay," Cao Yufei replied.
...
After leaving the pharmaceutical factory, Qi Yun went home to park the car and then took a taxi to the repair shop.
He circled the black BMW 5 Series, carefully inspecting all parts of the car body.
The windows and trunk were already repaired, the windows opened and closed smoothly, and the trunk fit snugly. They even changed the oil, all for just two thousand, which was economical.
"Thanks a lot, sir."
"You’re welcome, and if there’s any problem with the car in the future, feel free to come to us." The technician responded with a smile.
After paying, Qi Yun drove to Golden Collar Villa, intending to prepay for two years of property fees. Even free intel shouldn’t go to waste.
The saying goes, ’Ride a shared bike to the bar, save where you can, spend where you should.’
But when he arrived at the property’s office and heard them quoting a fee of eight bucks per square meter, he was almost floored.
Forget about saving, his villa was 220 square meters, and just the annual property fee would be over 20,000, more than the yearly rent of a normal apartment complex.
The property manager had a professional smile and patiently explained, "Sir, our community is equipped with a high-end security system with 24-hour patrol."
"The landscaping is meticulously maintained by a professional team, and there are various high-end public facilities like gyms and heated swimming pools to provide a high-quality living experience, hence the higher property fee."
Qi Yun nodded and said no more, gritting his teeth and preparing to pay for two years in advance.
The original price was 42,000, discounted to about 38,000, saving around 4,000.
Back in the day, he would have to deliver takeout for half a month to earn that 4,000.
He pulled out his phone, ready to pay, when suddenly footsteps were heard at the door.
The property manager turned to look, immediately putting on a big smile and extending a hand in greeting, "Oh, Director Ma, why are you here in person?"
Qi Yun looked over toward the sound and saw a middle-aged man coming in. He was slightly chubby and wearing a police uniform.
"Hmm." Director Ma responded with a grunt, expressionless as he approached.
When his gaze swept over Qi Yun, he paused and redirected his outstretched hand, smiling as he walked towards Qi Yun, "Oh, you’re here too, what a coincidence."
Qi Yun was also taken aback, studying Director Ma carefully. He seemed familiar, but Qi Yun couldn’t recall where he’d seen him before.
Director Ma didn’t appear awkward about it and explained proactively, "We met last time at the hot pot place; I’m Ma Baoguo from Red Star Street’s branch office."
"Oh~" Only then did Qi Yun remember, last time when he was with Zhang Dayong at the Old Sichuan Flavor Hot Pot Restaurant, this man had approached Zhang Dayong to say hello.
"Ah, Director Ma, forgive my memory, I couldn’t place you immediately. Please excuse my rudeness." Qi Yun extended his hand and shook hands with him.
Ma Baoguo laughed heartily and waved it off. Anyone who could dine with his direct superior was someone he would rather please than take offense with.
"Haha, no problem, no problem, I deal with a lot of people regularly, so it’s normal to not remember everyone right away. I didn’t expect to run into you here. Do you live in this community too?"
Qi Yun nodded and responded, "Yes, I happen to have some time today to pay the property fee."
"I see." Ma Baoguo said, pulling out his phone from his pocket, "Why don’t you take down my number? This community is part of our police precinct, so if you need anything in the future, you can call me directly."
"Haha, sure, then I’ll trouble Director Ma to take care of things." Qi Yun exchanged contact information with him and added, "By the way, my name is Qi Yun."
"No problem, no problem, Mr. Qi, feel free to reach out if you have any issues in the future." Ma Baoguo smiled and saved Qi Yun’s phone number in his cell.
After finishing all this, he put his phone back in his pocket, turned to the property manager, and said, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry and handle Mr. Qi’s business first; we’ll talk about the inspection later."
The property manager snapped back to reality and quickly replied, "Yes, yes, yes, Director Ma, I’ll handle it right away."
Then he jogged over to the computer and swiftly began to process the paperwork. In no time, the fee payment was completed.
After Qi Yun paid, he took the payment receipt and thanked the other party.
Then he looked at Ma Baoguo again and said with a smile, "Director Ma, I’ll be leaving now, so I don’t interrupt your work."
Ma Baoguo smiled and nodded, "Alright, keep in touch, and let me know if there’s anything."
"Haha, sure, thanks a lot." Qi Yun exchanged a few more pleasantries and turned around to leave the property office.
He could sense that the other party seemed to want to befriend him, but it wasn’t because he was particularly capable; it was entirely because of Zhang Dayong’s influence.
Still, having a friend working at the precinct isn’t a bad thing; if he ever runs into trouble, he’ll have support.
Back home, Qi Yun cleaned the house inside and out. Usually, he’s not home during the day, so Zhao Qing handles these chores.
She actually works quite hard every day, not only teaching kids at the kindergarten but also cooking and cleaning at home for the little girl.
After mopping the floor, Qi Yun leaned against the sofa and was just about to take a break when his phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
He took a look at the phone and saw it was Mendeleyev calling.
Combining the intelligence from this morning, he already guessed the reason for the call.
"Hey, old friend, how’s it going lately?" Mendeleyev’s loud voice came through the receiver.
Qi Yun raised the corners of his mouth and responded casually, "I’m the same as always. How about you lately?"
Mendeleyev heard this and sighed heavily, his voice full of helplessness, "Ugh, things have been really frustrating for me lately. Since we sold out that batch of cotton cloth last time, my business has been declining rapidly."
"Oh? What’s going on?" Qi Yun feigned ignorance and asked.
Mendeleyev sighed and continued, "There are two competitors who’ve been targeting me recently, trying to push me out of the Tashtagol market by engaging in a price war."
"Although I’ve made some money over the years, if this continues long-term, it’s going to be hard to sustain."
During lunch before, Qi Yun heard him mention that Tashtagol is a small city in the Da E Federation, Tuva Republic, not too far north from Jiang Province.
"Price wars are indeed a tricky issue, so what’s your reason for calling me?" Qi Yun asked further.
"I want to seek your help. Can you come over and take a look at the market situation here? We can ship over more competitive products and monopolize the market," Mendeleyev said in an anxious tone.
Qi Yun pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "Going to your place is not a problem, but I have some important matters to deal with recently. I might not have time until next month."
On the other end of the phone, Mendeleyev was somewhat disappointed upon hearing it would take until next month, but he understood and said, "Well, next month it is. I hope you can come as soon as possible—otherwise, I’m really struggling."
Qi Yun nodded and said, "Don’t worry. As soon as I finish my business here, I’ll head over."
After hanging up the phone, he let out a long sigh. Seems like doing business is tough everywhere...
...
At night, Qi Yun had just downed half a bottle of Liuwei Dihuang pills and walked to the balcony, lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and started reviewing today’s intelligence messages.
[Today’s Intelligence 1 (Red): Influenced by the Southeast Asian market, domestic Tufuling prices continue to rise steadily, with experts predicting it might reach up to three times the original price.]
"Pah!" Qi Yun spat.
He was initially quite confident about the Tufuling prices, but after hearing the experts, he was scared to be too greedy.
This bunch talks nonsense eight times out of ten.
He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a message to Cao Yufei, ’Sell when it doubles!’
[Today’s Intelligence 2 (Red): A teenager who dropped out from the computer science department at Fudan University has developed a turn-based card mobile game and is seeking investors, contact number 189xxxx]
[Today’s Intelligence 3 (Red): The boss of Juyuan Hot Pot Restaurant is jealous of the business across the street at Old Sichuan Flavor Hot Pot Restaurant and secretly hired some tough guys planning to cause trouble there today.]