Chapter 33

Wu Di fell heavily onto the bed, exhausted from the day. Although he had spent most of the time watching, the mental strain had been intense. He had also had a few drinks at dinner, and now that he had lain down, he didn't want to get up again. He was too lazy to take a shower and fell into a deep sleep.

In the morning, he was awakened by a ringing sound. He looked at his phone and saw it was Li Qinglong. Wu Di picked up the phone, still half-asleep, and asked:

"Brother, what's up?"

"Get up, Brother Wu! I've drawn two of your projects. Come over quickly and help me sort them out. I want to bask in your glory one last time."

After hanging up, Wu Di checked the time; it was just half past seven. He couldn't help but curse inwardly:

"Even on a day off, I can't get a good sleep. Li Qinglong, you little brat, I'll deal with you when I see you!"

He got up, brushed his teeth, and took a shower. Thinking about the freedom of not having to work long hours anymore and the ample time he would have to date girls, Wu Di's mood improved. He vaguely heard his phone ringing but ignored it, enjoying his leisurely bath.

After half an hour, he was all cleaned up. He picked up his phone and saw that he had ten missed calls, all from Zhong Qi. Wu Di quickly called him back.

"You little brat, where have you been this early morning? Come up with a plan to get Brother Four out. The old man is serious this time, and he's putting us under house arrest for two months!"

"What happened?"

"Recently, Brother Four has been entertaining Lin Lin and the others. But last night, there was a fight, and Lin Lin was taken away by her grandfather. I'm in even worse shape, under house arrest for two months. Come and get me, or I'm dead."

Wu Di, not wanting to get into trouble, quickly said:

"I still have to hand over the projects! Brother Four, you're on your own!"

He hung up and set his phone to silent, letting it ring.

He walked out of the building, and saw Li Qinglong, who was running and sweating profusely. He asked curiously:

"Kid, why did you run over?"

"Brother Wu, why was your phone always busy? Who were you calling?"

"No one, just a spam call. They kept calling, but I ignored it. Have you had breakfast? If not, I'll treat you, let's go to Qingfeng Baozi Shop!"

"I haven't eaten, but I'll treat you today. Brother Wu, you left the other projects in the team, and the two you split out were given to me. Hehe, must be fate, right?"

"Fate, I guess. So, which two?"

"Qinglong Garden and the Transportation Bureau Office. They all say that with my name, the projects will go well."

"Qinglong Garden is a tough one, but the Transportation Bureau might be worth a try. The people there are tight-lipped, but if you can get the project manager on board, it might work."

"Even one success is good. The boss said that a 50% success rate for Class A projects is already high."

Wu Di's company categorized projects into four classes (A, B, C, D) based on the strength of their relationships, with Class A being the best and closest to signing. Even so, the success rate for Class A projects was less than 50%, showing how difficult it was to manage projects.

Sitting comfortably in the passenger seat, Li Qinglong chattered non-stop, recounting all the gossip about Wu Di from the past two days. It was mostly about him winning a big prize, flipping deals, or being kept by a rich woman. Wu Di smiled but said nothing. It seemed that in this society, telling the truth was not believed, and people relied on speculation to satisfy their twisted values.

They couldn't even enter the Transportation Bureau, but Wu Di wasn't in a hurry. He drove around and parked in a small alley, pushed open a door with no sign, and walked in. Inside was a dilapidated courtyard with a rickety two-story building. Wu Di climbed the stairs to the second floor and knocked on a broken wooden door.

The room was no more than ten square meters, with a desk facing the door. The desk was clean, but a glance around showed why. Along the walls were two messy desks piled with old blueprints, and the floor was covered with stacks of tender documents and product catalogs.

Behind the desk sat a bald middle-aged man who didn't look easy to deal with. Wu Di bowed and greeted him, and the man glanced up and said:

"Xiao Wu, coming often won't help. I'm just a project manager; you need to talk to the people at the Transportation Bureau."

"Mr. Wang, I'm here today just to introduce a junior colleague. He'll be running around more often."

"Promoted? Promoted and you don't come anymore?"

"Not at all. Even if I were promoted, I'd still come to see you."

Wu Di was thinking about whether to tell him that he was leaving when he noticed a porcelain bottle on the desk. It was a hexagonal bottle about ten centimeters tall, with a greenish-yellow glaze and a network of cracks. It looked delicate, but the rim was a bit blackened, and the bottom showed a hint of iron-brown.

Wu Di pointed to the bottle and changed the subject:

"Mr. Wang, where did you get this? It's quite exquisite."

"Like it? Take it if you want."

"Ah, how can I take Mr. Wang's things? This bottle is cracked but not broken, which is quite strange."

"You ignorant brat, this is called 'crackling.' The pattern is called 'crab claw.' Do you know? This is an official kiln porcelain from the Song Dynasty, an antique!"

"Wow, it must be very valuable. Mr. Wang, you just leave it here? Aren't you afraid someone will take it?"

Wu Di quickly put the bottle back on the desk.

"This is a replica. A genuine Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain is worth tens of millions. Of course, it can't be left here. Look at how perfect this one is; it can't be real."

Wu Di made a show of wanting to pick it up but not daring to, inwardly regretting:

"Reading is always a regret when you need it. If I had read the few books Uncle Wen gave me, I could have chatted more with Old Wang. Now I have to act like a fool."

Mr. Wang glanced at him and smiled:

"Really like it? I'll let you have it for 50,000 yuan."

Wu Di's mind raced, and he quickly replied:

"Deal, Qinglong, let's go get the money. See you later, Mr. Wang."

He pulled the stunned Li Qinglong out.

"Brother Wu, you really want to buy that thing? That broken bottle, I wouldn't even want it for free."

Li Qinglong tried to stop Wu Di from going to the bank to withdraw money. Wu Di, tapping his fat head, said angrily:

"Can't you tell? Old Wang has set a price!"

Back in Mr. Wang's office, Wu Di placed the envelope on the desk, picked up the bottle, and said:

"This is mine now."

Mr. Wang casually put the money in the drawer and smiled:

"The budget for the two sets of equipment is only 700,000 yuan. Was it really necessary to go through all that trouble?"

"Ha, our company has a principle: we never treat friends differently based on the size of the deal. We always prioritize the safety of our clients. We'd rather lose a deal than do anything that could harm their safety. Mr. Wang, I have a few friends in this industry. I'll introduce them to you another day."

"Sure, the more friends, the better. We also want to get to know more manufacturers."

In the car, Li Qinglong exclaimed happily:

"Brother Wu, I didn't expect it to work! This little bottle is really a treasure."

Wu Di looked at the bottle in his hand, then casually threw it onto the back seat and said:

"Brother Wu, but the money..."

"Go back and discuss it with Old Wang. If the deal goes through, you can pay me back. If not, it's on you."

"Thanks, Brother Wu, but the performance will be credited to me. I can't take the commission; the Construction Department owes you."

"I'm not short of money. Take what's due to you."

Li Qinglong stared at Wu Di for a moment and then smiled:

"Alright, no need to be overly polite. Brother Wu, let's go for a big meal."

"Not yet, let's check out Qinglong Garden first."

Qinglong Garden didn't have such good luck. Wu Di introduced Li Qinglong to a few people and showed him around the office, completing the handover. They found a small restaurant and enjoyed a big meal.

In the afternoon, Wu Di accompanied Xiao Gao to two more projects, completing the day's handover tasks. Driving home, he locked the car and was about to go upstairs when he remembered the 50,000 yuan bottle. He opened the car door to get it, but after searching for a while, he found it had fallen under the seat. He picked it up, played with it, and walked into the elevator.

After locking the door and changing into a tank top and shorts, Wu Di opened "Chinese Ceramics" to see what Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain looked like. After a while, he thought the replica was quite good. He searched online and was amazed to find that such a small item could be worth tens of millions if it were genuine. Even a replica from the Ming and Qing dynasties would be valuable, and a replica from the Republic of China era could be worth tens of thousands.

His eyes gleamed, and Wu Di took out the mysterious book hidden in the documents, opened it, and placed the bottle on it, smiling:

"Let's see if it's genuine! I hope I've found a treasure!"

He removed the bottle and saw a new line on the book. Using a magnifying glass, he read:

"Southern Song, official kiln celadon hexagonal flower-mouthed bottle, genuine."

Wu Di's mouth dropped open wide enough to swallow the bottle. His hand trembled as he carefully placed the bottle on the desk. He thought for a moment, then, fearing it might fall, he found a box, put a piece of clothing inside, and placed the bottle in it, securing it in the drawer.

He calmed down and started searching online for information about Southern Song official kiln porcelain.

"The glaze is as bright and smooth as jade, with a network of crab claw patterns or layered ice crack patterns. The rim is thinner, showing a slightly lighter purple than the black body; the unglazed base shows the color of the body. The thin glaze at the rim shows a grayish-black purple, and the unglazed base shows an iron-brown color, known as 'purple rim and iron base,' which is an important criterion for identifying official kiln porcelain..."

Wu Di was so excited he wanted to swear. This luck, this luck! He had intended to get some equipment, but instead, he had found a small fortune! He couldn't resist and called Uncle Wen.

Uncle Wen was eating when he heard that Wu Di might have a genuine Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain. He laughed:

"Xiao Wu, there are only a few genuine Song Dynasty official kiln porcelains in the Palace Museum. It's estimated that fewer than a hundred exist. You're that lucky to have found one?"

Wu Di was speechless. The item was indeed too precious, but the mysterious book said it was genuine.

"Have you eaten? If not, come over and eat with me. I'll ask Auntie to add some dishes, and you can bring the item over for me to see."

Wu Di, of course, had no objections. He asked for the address, picked up the box, and rushed over.