*Beep beep beep—*
Jiang Tao dialed the number displayed on the information panel, and the call was quickly answered.
"Hello, who's this?"
A man's voice came from the other end of the line.
Jiang Tao didn't waste time with small talk and got straight to the point with Xu Xinlei:
"Boss Xu, right? I heard from a friend that you have a lot of potted blueberry plants for sale. I'd like to buy a batch."
"That's me, yes. Our company does have a batch of potted blueberry plants for sale."
"When are you free to come take a look? We can meet and discuss the details."
Hearing that Jiang Tao was interested in buying potted blueberries—and in bulk—Xu Xinlei's tone immediately became much warmer.
Jiang Tao smiled and said, "I'm already at the entrance of Cui Village."
"You're already at the village entrance? Please wait a moment, I'll send someone to pick you up right away."
"I'm handling some business at the plantation right now, so it'll take me a bit to get back."
"You can head to our company's greenhouse to check out the plants in the meantime."
"Sounds good."
After a brief chat over the phone, Jiang Tao hung up and sent Xu Xinlei the details of his car and license plate.
For convenience while traveling in Beijing, Jiang Tao was still using the Beijing license plate from Du Ennan's company on his Mercedes GLS.
Less than five minutes after hanging up with Xu Xinlei, a tall, slender girl with a pure and fresh appearance, dressed in a long white down jacket, stopped in front of Jiang Tao's car.
She was wearing light gray shark pants, striped ankle socks, and flat black leather shoes.
Her outfit was fashionable, accentuating her slim figure and height.
"Brother… Brother Jiang?"
Seeing Jiang Tao sitting in the car scrolling through his phone through the windshield, He Jing's face lit up with surprise.
Hearing someone speak outside, Jiang Tao looked up and was equally surprised to see He Jing standing there, looking lively and charming.
"He Jing? What are you doing here? Are you here picking fruit with classmates?"
Jiang Tao opened the car door, stepped out, and greeted He Jing with a smile.
He Jing smiled brightly and explained, "No, Brother Jiang, I'm here to pick someone up."
"Pick someone up?" Jiang Tao asked, puzzled.
He Jing grinned, "Brother Jiang, you wouldn't happen to be the Mr. Jiang my brother-in-law mentioned, would you?"
"Your brother-in-law is Xu Xinlei?"
Jiang Tao laughed as well.
With He Jing spelling it out like that, he'd have to be pretty dense not to figure out what was going on.
"Yup, yup! That's right! What a coincidence, Brother Jiang! I never thought we'd meet again like this."
He Jing was genuinely lively and loved to smile. After just a few words with her, Jiang Tao's mood brightened considerably.
Jiang Tao smiled, "It is quite a coincidence. You've got a lot of relatives in Beijing, huh?"
"Yup, besides my aunt, there's my cousin, another cousin, and a younger cousin too."
Hearing Jiang Tao's comment, He Jing actually started counting her relatives in Beijing with a serious expression.
Jiang Tao laughed, "Your family could fill a whole car when you head home for the New Year."
"Totally! Every New Year, we all go back together. Oh, by the way, Brother Jiang, what brings you to my brother-in-law?"
After some casual chatter, He Jing asked curiously.
Jiang Tao smiled, "I'm here to buy some potted blueberry plants from your brother-in-law."
"Oh! Got it! Brother Jiang, let me take you to the office first. My brother-in-law might take a while to get back, but my cousin's there."
As she spoke, He Jing turned and gestured politely to Jiang Tao, "Brother Jiang, this way, please."
"Haha, getting all formal with me now?"
Jiang Tao chuckled, then followed He Jing toward her cousin's office.
"Are you helping out at your cousin's place?"
"Nah, it's the weekend, so I came to hang out and shoot some content."
"Even though I'm just a small-time creator on Kuaidou with only about 70,000 followers, a little extra promotion doesn't hurt, right?"
"No way, only 70,000 followers? I thought you'd at least have a few hundred thousand, like a big-time influencer."
Jiang Tao was genuinely surprised to hear He Jing only had 70,000 followers.
With her pure and stunning looks, plus her tall, slender 1.7-meter frame, she could easily score an 8 out of 10.
"Brother Jiang, are you complimenting me or teasing me? I can't tell."
"Of course I'm complimenting you."
"Is that how you compliment people?"
"Haha, seriously, He Jing, with your qualities, you'll definitely hit 700,000 or even a million followers someday."
"I've seen those big influencers with millions of followers on Kuaidou, and they're nowhere near as good as you."
"Hehe, if you put it that way, Brother Jiang, I'm all ears. Keep it coming! And thanks for the good wishes!"
As they walked and talked, the conversation shifted from Kuaidou to Xu Xinlei's agricultural company.
Xu Xinlei, He Jing's brother-in-law, had leased 26 greenhouses in Cui Village.
Among the many growers, his operation was considered medium-scale.
Six of those greenhouses were dedicated to cultivating potted blueberry plants, but their profits had been mediocre over the years.
They weren't even as profitable as growing strawberries, which was the mainstream crop.
That's why Xu Xinlei was planning to sell off all the blueberry plants in those six greenhouses at a low price and switch to growing strawberries instead.
Strawberry farming in Cui Village had created a cluster effect. On weekends, tourists flocked to pick strawberries.
Besides tourist picking and supplying supermarkets, the rest went to fruit vendors.
The strawberries from Cui Village's greenhouses were so popular that they supplied half of Beijing's market, with no worries about sales.
Compared to the bestselling strawberries, blueberries were far more niche.
After about a five-minute walk, He Jing led Jiang Tao to one of the greenhouses cultivating potted blueberry plants.
The greenhouse was packed with plastic pots of blueberry plants, covering the floor and racks.
"This variety is called Sweet Honey, a medium-sized fruit with high sweetness."
"This one's called Mist."
"This is Lexi."
"And this is Emerald…"
He Jing had clearly spent plenty of time helping out here, as she knew the blueberry varieties like the back of her hand.
She introduced them to Jiang Tao as they toured the greenhouse.
Truth be told, Jiang Tao wasn't all that interested in the details.
To put it bluntly, he was just a "middleman" looking to make a profit on the price difference.
After about half an hour touring the blueberry greenhouse, He Jing brought Jiang Tao to a small red building in the greenhouse area, where they met her cousin, Liu Yuan.
"Sis, Brother Jiang's from Ping County too, one of our own!"
"Brother Jiang, this is my cousin, Liu Yuan."
Upon entering, He Jing cheerfully introduced Jiang Tao and Liu Yuan to each other.
"Really? That's such a coincidence. Welcome to Xinlei Agriculture Co., Ltd., Mr. Jiang."
Hearing her cousin say Jiang Tao was also from Ping County, Liu Yuan's smile grew warmer.
While there were plenty of Ping County folks making a living in Beijing, it was rare to find one to do business with.
"Good morning, Ms. Liu."
Jiang Tao smiled and nodded in greeting.
Liu Yuan smiled modestly, "Mr. Jiang, you're too kind. I'm just a farmer, hardly a 'Ms.' anything. Just call me Liu Yuan."
"You're too modest, Liu Yuan. He Jing told me your company manages dozens of greenhouses. That's impressive."
"You're too kind. We're just scraping by. Please, have a seat, Mr. Jiang."
As Liu Yuan exchanged pleasantries with Jiang Tao, she went to the water dispenser and prepared a cup of black tea for him in a disposable cup.
"Oh, come on, Brother Jiang, Sis, enough with the back-and-forth compliments. Just be natural~"
He Jing, listening to their polite exchange, couldn't help but laugh.
With He Jing's lively and cheerful presence, the atmosphere instantly became less formal and more relaxed.
After some brief small talk, the three sat down at a tea table by the office wall.
Jiang Tao and He Jing sat on a long two-person sofa, while Liu Yuan sat on a single sofa nearby.
Seeing the moment was right, Liu Yuan got to the point:
"Mr. Jiang, how many potted blueberry plants are you planning to purchase?"
He Jing, sipping water, looked at Jiang Tao with curious, sparkling eyes, clearly intrigued.
Jiang Tao set down his disposable cup and said directly, "100,000 pots."
"Pfft~~~"
Hearing Jiang Tao's words, He Jing spat out a mouthful of water, spraying Jiang Tao's face.
The room fell silent.
Liu Yuan, sitting nearby, stared at Jiang Tao and He Jing, completely stunned by the scene.
He Jing, having just sprayed water all over Jiang Tao's face, froze in shock.
Embarrassment. Capital E embarrassment!
At that moment, He Jing felt like the word "embarrassment" had filled the entire office.
It was practically bursting through the roof!
Oh my God!
How could someone cause such a disaster?!
"…"
Jiang Tao wiped the water off his face, turned to He Jing, and said with a chuckle, "Is there something dirty on my face?"
Though he hadn't expected He Jing to spit water, he wasn't about to make a fuss over something so minor.
His one-liner instantly diffused the awkwardness.
"Pfft, hahaha…"
He Jing burst into laughter, tears forming in her eyes from Jiang Tao's "Is there something dirty on my face?"
"I'm so sorry, Brother Jiang, I swear, I didn't mean it! It's not personal, hahaha…"
He Jing apologized while pulling a tissue from the box on the table to wipe Jiang Tao's face, laughing so hard her eyes hurt.
Liu Yuan, watching her cousin's antics, couldn't help but laugh as well.
Thankfully, Jiang Tao wasn't the type to sweat the small stuff.
Otherwise, this situation would've been impossible to salvage!
He Jing hadn't thought much at first, just wanting to take responsibility for her mess.
But as she pressed close to Jiang Tao, feeling his body heat, she suddenly realized their closeness was a bit intimate. Her pretty, pure face began to flush.
"I'll do it myself."
Though Jiang Tao was slightly enjoying He Jing's gentle touch on his face, with someone else present, he didn't want to show it.
Smiling, he grabbed a couple of tissues from the box and wiped the water off his face haphazardly.
"Ahem, I'm really sorry, Brother Jiang, I didn't mean it…"
He Jing's face was as red as an apple. She apologized again, reiterating her explanation.
Jiang Tao teased, "Even if it was on purpose, it's fine."
"Ahem, it really wasn't on purpose! I was just… just too shocked."
Blushing at Jiang Tao's teasing, He Jing was so embarrassed she could've dug a hole with her toes.
This was too mortifying, a total social disaster!
He Jing had never experienced anything this embarrassing in her life!
"Alright, it's just a little hiccup. Think of it as livening up the mood. Let's get back to business."
Jiang Tao waved it off with a smile, signaling the incident was over, and turned his attention to Liu Yuan, steering the conversation back on track.
He had a lot to do today.
After securing the blueberry plants in the morning, he still had to visit an agency in the afternoon to see if he could rent the villa next to Li Ziyue's family.
"Mr. Jiang, you're looking to purchase 100,000 pots?"
Worried she'd misheard, Liu Yuan confirmed the quantity with Jiang Tao again.
100,000 pots was no small number.
Not only was He Jing shocked, but Liu Yuan was equally stunned!
In the decade since their company opened, they'd never received an order this large!
"Yes, if the price is right, I'm prepared to buy 100,000 pots at once."
Jiang Tao smiled and repeated himself, emphasizing "if the price is right."
Liu Yuan tentatively asked, "Mr. Jiang, what's your target price?"
"That depends on your sincerity."
Jiang Tao smiled and kicked the ball back to Liu Yuan.
"Mr. Jiang, please excuse me for a moment. Jingjing, keep Mr. Jiang company."
Liu Yuan instructed He Jing, then stood up, grabbed her phone, and stepped outside to make a call.
A deal of this scale was beyond her authority; she needed to consult her husband, Xu Xinlei.
"Hey, honey…"
After dialing Xu Xinlei, Liu Yuan relayed the details of her conversation with Jiang Tao.
Xu Xinlei was equally shocked to hear the purchase quantity.
100,000 plants—that was nearly their entire stock of potted blueberries!
Time is money.
With their current sales channels, it would take Xu Xinlei at least a year or more to sell off 100,000 potted blueberries.
In that time, they could grow several batches of strawberries!
"Eight yuan. We're fine with earning a bit less. Time is money."
After some thought, Xu Xinlei gave his bottom-line price over the phone.
The cost price of those blueberry plants was nearly 7 yuan, so selling at 8 yuan per pot left just over 1 yuan in profit.
Currently, their wholesale price to distributors was 10 yuan, and their retail price online was 18 yuan.
Dropping the price to 8 yuan was already a show of great sincerity!
"Alright, I'll go talk to him."
Liu Yuan knew this was likely the lowest price. She hung up, returned to the office, and sat across from Jiang Tao.
"Mr. Jiang, I just checked with my husband. The lowest we can go is 8 yuan per pot."
"This price is absolutely competitive nationwide. You won't be disappointed or regret it."
Liu Yuan was straightforward, offering her bottom line right away without haggling.
"Deal!"
Jiang Tao appreciated doing business with forthright people like Liu Yuan.
Having secured the lowest price possible, he didn't push further.
His approach earned him some goodwill from both Liu Yuan and He Jing.
"When are you free to sign the contract, Mr. Jiang?"
With the price settled, Liu Yuan wanted to finalize the contract quickly to avoid any complications.
Jiang Tao smiled, "Right now works. Go ahead and get the contract, Ms. Liu."
"Great, please wait a moment. I'll print the contract. Jingjing, keep Mr. Jiang company."
Liu Yuan gave He Jing another task, then stepped out to print the contract.
"…"
This was the second time He Jing had been tasked with keeping Jiang Tao company.
They'd already covered most topics.
Taking on her cousin's assignment, she racked her brain for new conversation starters, awkwardly chatting with Jiang Tao.
After about ten minutes, Liu Yuan returned with two freshly printed contracts.
Jiang Tao and Liu Yuan signed as Party B and Party A, respectively. Jiang Tao then transferred 50% of the payment—400,000 yuan—on the spot.
The remaining half would be paid once Xinlei Agriculture Co., Ltd. completed delivery.
Additionally, Jiang Tao leased one of Xinlei Agriculture's greenhouses for a month to store the 100,000 potted blueberry plants he'd purchased.
Of course, the greenhouse rental fee was separate—10,000 yuan per month, with utilities billed separately.
"Mr. Jiang, here's to a successful partnership!"
"Ms. Liu, to a successful partnership! You can start arranging to move the blueberry plants to the leased greenhouse."
After signing the contract and making the payment, Jiang Tao and Liu Yuan shook hands, both smiling with satisfaction.
"Alright, Mr. Jiang, I'll arrange it right away. We'll have everything moved by tomorrow."
Liu Yuan agreed cheerfully, no doubts in her mind.
"Thank you, Ms. Liu. I have other matters to attend to this afternoon, so I won't stay."
Jiang Tao stood up, ready to leave.
"Take care, Mr. Jiang."
"Brother Jiang, take care! Come back often~"
Liu Yuan and He Jing saw Jiang Tao out.
After watching him leave, Liu Yuan suddenly turned around and burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face.
"Jingjing, you were really something just now, hahahaha…"
With the "victim" gone, Liu Yuan laughed for a solid three minutes.
He Jing, the culprit, was so embarrassed she nearly wore through her shoe soles.
Spraying Jiang Tao's face with water was something she'd probably never live down!
…
"First piece of intel secured~"
"When Xu Xinlei and his team see the blueberry plants go viral in a few days, I wonder if they'll regret selling them to me?"
Thinking of the frenzy the blueberry plants would cause in a few days, Jiang Tao let out a slightly mischievous chuckle.
But business is business. He had no reason to feel guilty, as he didn't owe Xu Xinlei anything.
Grasping market trends and timing sales was a fundamental skill in business. Profit or loss depended entirely on one's ability.
Twenty minutes later, his Mercedes GLS pulled up in front of a real estate agency in Huilongguan.
Jiang Tao stepped out of the car and was immediately greeted by a professional woman in a black suit and white blouse.
"Hello, sir! How can I assist you?"
The female agent, around 35 or 36 years old, had a curvy figure, wore delicate makeup, and had her hair tied back in a neat, professional style.
Jiang Tao glanced at her name tag, which read "Liu Yue."
"I'd like to rent a villa in the Walden Lake Villa District. Do you have any listings there?"
Jiang Tao looked into Liu Yue's eyes and stated his needs directly.
"Yes, sir! May I have your name? We have over a dozen listings in the Walden Lake Villa District."
"What size are you looking for? Any specific requirements for location, layout, or decor?"
Hearing that Jiang Tao wanted to rent a villa, Liu Yue's face lit up with an even brighter, more enthusiastic smile.
The Walden Lake Villa District was a prestigious area in Pingchang District.
Even the cheapest villa rentals there started at 20,000 yuan per month.
The commission from renting out a villa was substantial.
"My surname's Jiang. Can you take me to see some in person?"
Jiang Tao's goal was the gold hidden in the study of the villa mentioned in the intel, with living there being secondary.
He'd need to see the properties in person to confirm which one it was.
"Of course, Mr. Jiang!"
As an experienced agent, Liu Yue could tell from Jiang Tao's confident tone that he was a serious, high-quality client genuinely interested in renting.
"I drove here. Let's take my car."
"Alright!"
Liu Yue followed Jiang Tao outside and saw the brand-new Mercedes GLS parked at the entrance, further confirming his financial strength.
As Liu Yue reached for the passenger door, Jiang Tao smiled and said, "Miss Liu, why don't you sit in the back? I'll drive."
"Uh, okay."
Liu Yue gave an awkward smile, slightly embarrassed as she withdrew her hand from the passenger door and opened the back door to sit in the rear.
Jiang Tao got into the driver's seat and drove smoothly toward the Walden Lake Villa District.
In less than ten minutes, the Mercedes GLS arrived at the grand entrance of the Walden Lake Villa District.
The main gate featured a five-meter-tall European-style gilded wrought-iron entrance.
The gateposts were made of solid Italian marble, adorned with copper relief patterns.
A gilded sign reading "VALDEN LAKE VILLA" in elegant English lettering hung from the top beam, gleaming in the sunlight.
A thirty-meter-wide circular landscaped driveway extended from the entrance, with a three-tiered cascading fountain at its center, surrounded by evergreen Luohan pine bonsai.
The guard posts on either side were designed with full glass curtain walls, equipped with an intelligent license plate recognition system and security personnel in custom uniforms.
The gate's access control system was embedded with LED light strips, complementing the starry floor lights embedded in the ground.
The entire entrance was surrounded by five-meter-tall cedar hedges.
Glass landscape stones that glowed at night were interspersed among the tree walls, exuding a subtle yet luxurious estate ambiance.
Looking at the lavish decor of the villa district's entrance, Jiang Tao felt a wave of emotion.
Six or seven years ago, when he first came to Beijing to work, he'd been a security guard here for three months.
Later, when he drove trucks for deliveries, he couldn't help but steal glances at this place whenever he passed by.
Back then, he could only dream of striking it rich.
In those dreams, he'd splurge on a big villa in the Walden Lake Villa District, living a life others envied.
Returning to this place now, Jiang Tao's long-sealed desire surged within him.
He felt an overwhelming urge to buy a villa here in this lifetime.