Chapter 1088: Meeting Again

"Damn it!" Zhou Andong cursed.

Seeing Zhou Andong's darkened face, Jian Qiu struggled to hold back her laughter.

"Get out of the car."

Zhou Andong pushed the car door open and stepped out, staring at the "Lao Feng Xiang" plaque in a daze, speechless for a long time.

This place was only six or seven hundred meters from the hotel, and just last night, he and Jian Qiu had been strolling right around here, yet he hadn't noticed it at all.

Jian Qiu paid the fare, and the driver rolled down the window: "Brother, thanks for looking after my business. I park at the Garden Hotel every day; if you need a ride like this again, remember to look for me."

"..."

Looking at the driver's grinning, chubby face, Zhou Andong began looking down for a brick, but the driver laughed heartily and stepped on the gas, speeding away.

"Damn it, don't run if you have the guts," Zhou Andong cursed. "Why are the streets in Guangzhou so clean? There isn't even a single brick."

Jian Qiu's eyes curved into crescents: "Do you feel particularly stupid?"

Zhou Andong looked up at the sky in frustration: "I've lived this long, and this is the first time my IQ has been rubbed into the ground by someone else."

Jian Qiu couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a laugh. Seeing Zhou Andong's depressed expression, she reached out and ruffled his hair.

"Alright, alright, it's just a few bucks. Let's go in quickly."

"Sigh!" Zhou Andong sighed. "I've spent my whole life hunting geese, only to be pecked in the eye by a sparrow today."

Jian Qiu rolled her eyes and pulled him inside the shop.

"Good afternoon, Madam, Sir," a beautiful sales clerk greeted them with a professional smile.

Zhou Andong composed his frustrated mood: "Is your manager in?"

"Sir, is there something I can help you with?"

The sales clerk looked at Zhou Andong, feeling he looked very familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it.

Zhou Andong said: "I want to commission some custom jewelry. Can you make that decision?"

"Commission custom jewelry?"

The sales clerk was very surprised. She had only heard that they had hosted custom orders at the Shanghai headquarters.

But here in Guangzhou, she had been working for over three years and this was the first time she had encountered such a client.

"Yuanyuan, entertain the guests; I'll go call the manager."

The girl named Yuanyuan led Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu to a lounge and poured them two cups of tea.

"Sir, Madam, please have some tea. Our manager will be here shortly."

No sooner had the girl finished speaking than footsteps were heard outside, and a woman in her forties walked in, followed by the sales clerk.

"Sir, Madam, are you looking to commission custom jewelry?"

"Yes!" Zhou Andong nodded. "We want to commission a phoenix crown."

"A phoenix crown?" The manager didn't react for a moment.

Jian Qiu said: "We are getting married and holding a traditional Chinese wedding. It's the phoenix crown for the phoenix crown and ceremonial robes."

The manager realized: "Do you have any specific requirements?"

Zhou Andong said: "Don't make it too complicated; it should fit modern aesthetics."

The manager nodded thoughtfully: "No problem. I will report this to headquarters. Our Lao Feng Xiang has over a hundred years of history; whether it's design or craftsmanship, we guarantee you will be satisfied."

Zhou Andong smiled: "Besides the phoenix crown, I also need two hairpins, a pair of bracelets, a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a ring."

The manager looked at Zhou Andong: "What is your budget?"

"There is no budget," Zhou Andong said quite indifferently. "As long as I am satisfied, the price is not an issue."

The price is not an issue? The manager looked at Zhou Andong, feeling like this guy sounded like a con artist.

But then she looked at Jian Qiu's attire and temperament, and dismissed that thought.

The sales clerk had been staring at Zhou Andong the whole time. Suddenly, she said: "I know who you are."

The manager frowned, turning back to look at the clerk with dissatisfaction.

The clerk said excitedly: "He... he is Zhou Andong."

The manager was stunned, then turned back to look at Zhou Andong, and slapped her own forehead.

"I was wondering why you looked so familiar. It's Chairman Zhou."

Knowing Zhou Andong's identity, the manager no longer had any doubts.

"Chairman Zhou, we have a pair of gold-inlaid jade bracelets in the store. The jade is Hetian green jade. The jade quality is delicate, warm, and moist, with a deep and mellow color. It was crafted using the latest inlay technique. I think it would be very suitable for your girlfriend."

"Bring it here for me to see."

Zhou Andong didn't know much about jade, but he knew that as long as it was genuine Hetian jade, its future appreciation potential would be immense.

The sales clerk turned and ran out, quickly returning with a red brocade box, which she placed on the coffee table in front of Zhou Andong.

The manager opened the box and took out one of the gold-inlaid jade bracelets.

"Green jade is one of the four major categories of Hetian jade, mainly distributed in the Kunlun Mountains south of the Tarim Basin. Green jade has the highest hardness among Hetian jades and presents an overall vigorous aura, symbolizing a foundation that lasts forever.

Therefore, it has been the main material for imperial seals since ancient times. The state seals of successive feudal dynasties were all made of green jade. Among the twenty-five imperial seals of the Qing Dynasty representing the highest imperial power, 13 were made of green jade. Thus, Hetian green jade is known as the 'Jade of Emperors.'

This piece of jade is a piece of green jade boulder material that our boss obtained by chance. The jade quality is top-tier, without a single flaw. We made a pair of bracelets, and originally thought about making a necklace, but there wasn't enough material, so we only made a pair of earrings and a ring."

After the introduction, the manager handed the bracelet to Jian Qiu: "Please try it on."

Jian Qiu was 1.7 meters tall, and her frame was a bit large. Holding the bracelet, she felt it might not fit.

But to her surprise, she tried it, and it slipped onto her wrist quite easily.

"I thought it wouldn't fit."

The manager smiled: "This bracelet size is a bit larger than the average jade bracelet."

Jian Qiu held her wrist up in front of Zhou Andong: "How does it look?"

With her slender fingers, fair skin, and the green jade bracelet, Jian Qiu's refined temperament was even more highlighted.

"Beautiful!" Zhou Andong looked at the manager: "Isn't it a pair? Where is the other one?"

The manager said: "The other one is at the Shanghai flagship store. If you want to buy it, I will contact them immediately, and it can be delivered by tomorrow evening."

Zhou Andong asked Jian Qiu: "What do you think? Do you like it?"

Jian Qiu didn't have much interest in gold and silver jewelry, and she didn't usually wear them.

"It's alright."

Zhou Andong asked the manager: "You said there were also earrings and a ring? Where are they?"

The manager said: "They are all at headquarters."

"I want this pair of bracelets, plus the earrings and the ring," Zhou Andong said. "I am leaving Guangzhou tomorrow, so I will pay you a deposit. You can take them all together when the phoenix crown is finished."

"That's fine!" The manager nodded. "The price for one gold-inlaid jade bracelet is 13,800. As for the price of the earrings and ring, I'm not entirely sure; I need to check with headquarters."

Zhou Andong waved his hand: "I'll give you a deposit of 50,000. Is there any problem with having the phoenix crown finished by May 1st next year?"

"No problem at all." Even if there were, the manager would have to make it work.

Zhou Andong checked the time and said to Jian Qiu: "I'm going to the bank to withdraw some money. You wait for me here."

"Okay!" Jian Qiu agreed and took out her bank card from her bag.

Zhou Andong took the bank card and left the jewelry store, hailing a taxi.

When the taxi pulled up in front of him, he felt it looked familiar. Then the window rolled down, revealing a chubby head.

"Brother, we really are fated. We're meeting again so soon."