The second small box was opened.
Inside was the diamond ring that Jiang Tao had retrieved from a bird's nest last night.
"Huh, this is a Tiffany Paloma's Melody series diamond ring!"
Zhang Bo's family ran an antique auction house, and besides studying antiques, he was also well-versed in luxury goods.
The moment he saw the diamond ring in the box, he accurately identified its name.
He pulled out a pair of white silk gloves from his pocket and put them on.
Zhang Bo held the diamond ring up to his eyes, examining it closely for over three minutes.
Then, he used the thermal conductivity tester and microscope from their shop, specifically designed for authenticating diamonds, to inspect it further.
"This ring is fine too—it's genuine!"
After a thorough inspection, Zhang Bo confirmed the ring's authenticity, and his gaze toward Jiang Tao became eager.
A luxury item like a Tiffany ring could yield a considerable profit margin between buying and selling.
Jiang Tao didn't beat around the bush with Zhang Bo and asked directly, "How much will you offer for it?"
Zhang Bo thought for a moment and said, "If it were someone else, I wouldn't even bother with 200,000. But for you, Brother Jiang, I'll make it 230,000."
"Alright! 230,000 it is."
Jiang Tao didn't want to shop around elsewhere.
Zhang Bo's offer was pretty much in line with his expectations, so he agreed readily.
Zhang Bo grinned and said, "Doing business with Brother Jiang is always straightforward!"
Jiang Tao teased with a smile, "You little schemer, you probably think I'm an honest guy who's easy to fool, huh?"
Zhang Bo chuckled, "No way! I'd never scam you, Brother Jiang! You're my God of Wealth!"
Jiang Tao quipped, "God of Wealth? I'm more like your errand boy delivering riches."
"Heh, it's a win-win cooperation! We're just earning a bit of hard-earned cash—can't compare to you, Brother Jiang."
As Zhang Bo spoke with a grin, he opened the largest wooden box.
The moment the box was opened, a smell of rotten peanut butter instantly filled the room.
The black, glossy meteorite inside the box was revealed to Zhang Bo.
"Huh, this is… a meteorite!"
The moment he saw the meteorite, Zhang Bo's eyes lit up.
His family had dealt in rare stones before and had traded meteorites as well.
But a meteorite with such a peculiar smell, like the one Jiang Tao brought, was truly rare.
"I bought this from a herdsman while traveling some time ago. Does your shop take these?"
Jiang Tao naturally couldn't tell the truth, so he casually made up a story to brush off Zhang Bo.
Zhang Bo said, "We do take them, but this is a bit out of my expertise. Hold on, Brother Jiang, let me call my dad for a video chat so he can take a look."
"You've still got some learning to do, kid."
Jiang Tao teased with a smile, though he secretly admired Zhang Bo's father, who was either fishing or on his way to go fishing.
Even without being on-site, Zhang Long could determine an item's authenticity with just a glance through a screen and confidently make big offers.
In the antiques trade, Zhang Long's expertise was on par with Qingquan, who had gone viral online in recent years.
*Beep beep beep—*
Zhang Bo quickly dialed his dad's number.
The phone screen flickered, revealing a scruffy, somewhat unkempt man with a greasy face.
Judging by the background, Zhang Long was fishing at the moment.
"What's up, son? Speak fast, fart fast—I'm busy here."
Zhang Long's carefree voice rang out.
Ever since he handed the shop over to his son, Old Zhang had fully embraced his freedom, treating fishing as his second career.
"Dad, Brother Jiang's here. He brought another rare item today, and I need you to take a look."
Zhang Bo didn't bother complaining about his old man. After speaking, he turned the phone camera and aimed it at the meteorite Jiang Tao had brought.
"Whoa! Little Jiang's got some serious connections—able to get his hands on anything!"
"This thing's a meteorite!"
Zhang Long took one look and immediately saw something special about it. He followed up with a question:
"Does this thing have a smell like rotten peanut butter?"
"Exactly! Dad, how did you know? You're amazing!"
Hearing his dad's words, Zhang Bo was instantly filled with respect, realizing the gap between himself and his father.
"Little Jiang's an old acquaintance. Give him a fair price—6,000 per gram."
"If he's selling, we'll take it."
"If the price doesn't work, we can cooperate again on other opportunities in the future."
"Oh, crap! I've got a fish on the line—hanging up, hanging up!"
Zhang Long finished speaking and hung up the call before Zhang Bo could respond.
Zhang Bo had clearly heard his dad's offer.
6,000 yuan per gram!!
The price of this black, carbon-ball-like stone was several times higher than gold!
Currently, the market price for gold was only about 800 yuan per gram, and that was at its peak!
A couple of years ago, gold was only three or four hundred yuan per gram!
The price of this meteorite far exceeded Zhang Bo's wildest imagination!
He wasn't even sure if he'd heard correctly and considered calling his dad back to confirm.
As if sensing his thoughts, Zhang Bo's phone pinged with a WeChat message from his dad, Zhang Long.
The message clearly stated in text: *Purchase price: 6,000 yuan/gram!*
"Brother Jiang, you heard what my dad said. 6,000 is the highest we can offer. What do you think…?"
Zhang Bo looked at Jiang Tao, seeking his opinion.
"Alright! 6,000 it is! Your dad's spoken, and I've got to give him that respect."
Hearing Zhang Long's offer, Jiang Tao agreed readily, and his impression of him grew even more favorable.
Old Zhang was a solid guy!
According to the information Brother System had provided earlier, the meteorite's value was around 888,000 yuan.
The meteorite weighed about 140 grams, so at Zhang Long's quoted price, the total value came to about 840,000 yuan.
This price was only about 40,000 yuan less than Brother System's estimate—a negligible difference.
Besides, Jiang Tao felt that if he didn't sell and took it elsewhere, he'd be hard-pressed to get a better offer.
Not wanting to bother with more hassle, he decided to sell it all at once.
"Alright then! I'll weigh it for you, Brother Jiang!"
Zhang Bo said, taking the box with the meteorite to a workbench nearby.
There was a highly precise electronic scale on the workbench.
This scale was accurate to within a fraction of a gram.
It was used for trading precious metals or diamond rings and the like.
Wearing gloves, Zhang Bo placed the meteorite on the scale, which displayed 140.01.
"Brother Jiang, the weight is 140.01 grams. At 6,000 per gram, that comes to exactly 840,060 yuan."
After weighing it, Zhang Bo turned to Jiang Tao and gave him the price.
Jiang Tao smiled and said, "Round it to 840,000. The 60 yuan can buy you some milk tea."
"Heh, Brother Jiang's generous! I won't be polite then!"
Zhang Bo didn't make a fuss over the 60 yuan—it was trivial for both him and Jiang Tao, not worth nitpicking.
"The gold bar is 300,000, the diamond ring is 230,000, and this meteorite is exactly 840,000, making a total of…"
Zhang Bo picked up a calculator on the table and quickly tallied it up for Jiang Tao.
"The total for the three items is 1.37 million! Should I transfer it to the same account as before?"
Jiang Tao nodded and said, "Yes, to the same account."
"Got it! Hold on, Brother Jiang, I'll transfer the money now!"
Zhang Bo was always prompt with payments.
After speaking, he pulled out his phone and started the transfer to Jiang Tao.
In less than five minutes, Jiang Tao received a payment of 1.37 million from Boya Auction House.
*Ding-a-ling—*
Just as Zhang Bo finished the transfer, his phone suddenly rang with a video call from his dad.
"Hey, Dad, what's up?"
Zhang Bo answered the call and saw two faces on the screen.
One was his dad, and the other was an unfamiliar man about his dad's age.
Seeing this, Zhang Bo was a bit surprised.
Zhang Long asked with a grin, "Son, has Little Jiang left yet?"
Zhang Bo replied honestly, "Nope, Brother Jiang's still here. We just finished the deal."
Zhang Long said, "Then pass the phone to him. Let him see who's with me."
"Alright, Brother Jiang, here's the phone."
Zhang Bo was a bit puzzled but handed the phone to Jiang Tao.
"Uncle Zhang, huh? Dad, how'd you two end up together?"
Jiang Tao took the phone and, seeing the two men on the screen, couldn't help but laugh.
What a coincidence—the person with Zhang Long was none other than Jiang Tao's father-in-law, Xu Wencheng.
"Haha, Little Tao, I met Brother Zhang Long while fishing these past couple of days. I didn't expect you two to know each other. What a small world!"
"It's quite a coincidence. Our names must be fated."
"Haha, exactly! Turns out you're Old Xu's son-in-law! Your father-in-law's fishing skills are pretty good, and he's a solid guy!"
"Haha, of course. Birds of a feather flock together. If Uncle Zhang can hang out with my dad, it shows we're all cut from the same cloth."
"Exactly, I like hearing that, kid! Meeting is fate. Let's get together for a meal sometime—I'll host."
"Sounds good! Definitely."
"You and my son Zhang Bo should hang out more too. Even if there's no business, you can grab a meal or a drink together."
"Uncle Zhang's right. Zhang Bo and I already get along pretty well."
"You're just like your father-in-law—good people. I don't have many friends, but the ones I have are solid. Consider you and your father-in-law my friends from now on, and don't treat me or my son like strangers."
"Got it! Uncle Zhang, I've never treated you guys as strangers. I always bring my stuff here to sell."
"That's the spirit~"
"…"
Jiang Tao and Zhang Long chatted for another five or six minutes before hanging up.
"Brother Jiang, how about we grab lunch together? I'll call Li Ming. It's been a while since the three of us hung out."
Zhang Bo looked at Jiang Tao with a warm, sincere smile.
"This time, it's my treat! Don't either of you fight me on this. Call Li Ming."
Jiang Tao had eaten with Li Ming and Zhang Bo before, and he remembered the last two times they had treated him.
Treating each other to meals was about give-and-take—you couldn't always accept without reciprocating.
Friendships are built through mutual effort.
If you always try to take advantage without giving back, the relationship won't last long.
[*Ding! Your friendship with Zhang Bo has increased by 1 point, currently at 67 points (Friend)!*]
As soon as Jiang Tao spoke, a notification popped up on his retina.
Seeing this, Jiang Tao's eyes lit up.
Whenever a friendship notification appeared, it meant Brother System approved, indicating someone worth building a deeper connection with.
When the friendship points reached 90, Jiang Tao would not only receive a 1-million-yuan cash reward but also a "Friendship Boat" that could be redeemed for a luxury yacht in reality.
"Alright! I'll call Li Ming!"
Zhang Bo didn't argue with Jiang Tao. He pulled out his phone, found Li Ming's number, and dialed.
When Li Ming heard Jiang Tao was treating, he agreed to join without hesitation.
Previously, Jiang Tao had made a single phone call that saved Li Ming millions in losses.
Since then, Li Ming had considered Jiang Tao a true big brother.
Less than twenty minutes after Zhang Bo hung up, Li Ming arrived.
"What's Brother Jiang been up to lately? It's been a while since you came to see me or Zhang Bo."
The moment Li Ming walked in and saw Jiang Tao, he greeted him warmly with a big smile.
Jiang Tao laughed and said, "My father-in-law's family came to the capital for a trip, so I've been busy hosting them. How's business at your car lot lately?"
Li Ming chuckled, "It's alright. Making some pocket money, hard-earned cash. Can't compare to a rich second-gen like Young Master Zhang."
"Quit bullshitting, stop acting poor! In front of you, Young Master Li, I wouldn't dare call myself a rich second-gen—more like a broke second-gen!"
Zhang Bo laughed and cursed, though he was telling the truth.
Li Ming kept a low profile, always driving second-hand cars, but he was a proper rich second-generation.
The second-hand cars at his family's lot alone were worth fifty or sixty million yuan.
His dad ran a general contracting business, earning twenty to thirty million a year.
With years of accumulation, Li Ming's family assets were easily worth at least 100 million.
"Hey, no hiding it from you two brothers—my dad's working on a big project lately."
"All our family's money is tied up in it, and we even took out a loan of over 20 million from the bank."
"I'm keeping the car lot running by juggling credit cards. It's tough!"
Li Ming gave a wry smile, his face full of helplessness.
Zhang Bo was shocked. "Damn, Uncle Li's project must be worth over 100 million! That's a big move!"
"I'm just a guy selling cars. I don't understand or ask about those investments."
Li Ming looked at Jiang Tao and Zhang Bo, jokingly asking, "Zhang Bo, Brother Jiang, want to invest in our car lot and become shareholders?"
"Though competition in our industry is getting fiercer, the traffic always flows to the top players."
"The bigger the scale and strength, the more money you make."
"Our car lot is barely top-tier in the capital, and we've got a decent reputation."
"Making 15 million a year is no problem."
[*Ding! Congratulations, you've triggered the special mission [Win-Win Cooperation]!*]
[*Mission Name*]: Win-Win Cooperation!
[*Mission Details*]: Start a business with a friend (friendship level 65 or higher) and earn over 1 million in profit within 1 year!
[*Mission Rewards*]: 5 million yuan in cash, 10 points in physique, 10 points in charisma, 10 points in health!
[*Note 1*]: Normal profits earned in this mission can be doubled using the Monopoly Dice, but the doubled amount will not count toward the mission's profit goal.
[*Note 2*]: The mission reward amount is fixed and cannot be doubled using the Monopoly Dice.
Seeing the system mission panel suddenly appear before him, Jiang Tao couldn't help but swallow hard.
Win-win cooperation?
Start a business with a friend and make 1 million in profit within a year to complete the mission.
Completing the mission would earn a 5-million-yuan reward!