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Chapter 37: Chapter 35: Another 1 Million US Dollars (Seeking Recommendations!)_1
After ushering Tang Qing and Zhang Dongqing out the door.
The burly man previously referred to as Gangzi asked, "Should we have someone follow them?"
Upon hearing this,
Liu Qian shook his head.
"No need. Firstly, I trust Zhang Dongqing’s friends, secondly, we don’t want them to find out and offend anyone on their end, and thirdly, that young man is quite interesting. We can just watch from afar."
"Understood."
...
"Uncle Zhang, let’s go to Qingyan Mansion." After getting into the car, Tang Qing said to Zhang Dongqing.
Zhang Dongqing merely grunted in response.
He didn’t ask too many questions.
It’s best not to ask too much in such situations.
The house was found by Tang Qing through a real estate agent two days ago. Since Tang had left his phone number when renting employee dormitories before, he asked the agent to look for houses and had the agent and landlord join Li Jianguo for a meal.
The house was located in a building behind the restaurant.
He used his own ID for the lease.
After all, there was no actual cash there; it was just a cover-up.
Upon arriving at Qingyan Mansion,
Zhang Dongqing waited for him at the roadside entrance to the neighborhood.
Tang Qing went to the house he rented, which was empty. For safety reasons, he rented the entire two-bedroom apartment, which was currently completely bare.
There was no furniture at all.
At first glance, there was a flower-patterned bed sheet spread on the living room floor, on top of which were ten empty black bags. The bags weren’t big, but each could easily accommodate half a million US dollars.
He closed the door,
And pulled the curtain.
Using the system, he directly drew out half a million US dollars in cash at a rate of eight to one.
Looking at the remaining balance of sixteen thousand in his personal account in the system, Tang Qing took a deep breath. It felt good to earn money.
Then,
Tang Qing started filling the bags with the half a million dollars.
Looking at the remaining space, he could easily fit another two hundred thousand in the bags.
US dollar bills were smaller than RMB notes. The length was only one millimeter shorter, barely noticeable to the naked eye, but the width was about eleven millimeters (just over a centimeter) shorter than RMB notes.
This difference was significant.
Looking at the brand-new consecutive dollar bills in his hand,
Tang Qing thought it was indeed as he had expected. The large amount of consecutive US dollar bills was too conspicuous, and it would definitely raise suspicions in future transactions. What benefits could this bring to the system?
Was the purpose of the consecutive bills to prevent him from recklessly spending?
After careful consideration, Tang Qing thought this was very likely.
If the withdrawn money was varied, with both new and old, non-consecutive notes, he would indeed be more reckless. If he couldn’t control himself, it could lead to disaster.
Just like the first lesson the system taught him.
------Respect the unknown risk.
Seeing Tang Qing come out with a black bag,
Zhang Dongqing naturally knew what was inside. He had never seen half a million dollars himself, but he didn’t ask to see it—an idiotic question. He would get to see it once they reached their destination.
Zhang Dongqing didn’t talk much on the road.
Any questions could wait until after the transaction was completed.
When the two returned to the villa, Liu Qian was waiting at the door, with two bodyguards dutifully standing behind him. After all, outsiders couldn’t enter such a place without the owner’s permission.
The group met,
But there was not much small talk before they went into the villa.
"Uncle Liu, you can count it." Tang Qing handed the bag to Liu Qian.
"Gangzi, Monkey, you two count it here, in this room." Liu Qian took the bag but didn’t open it. Instead, he handed it to his men to count, as the transaction needed to be settled face-to-face.
Then he turned around, unconcerned.
Those were the rules.
Gangzi took the bag,
Opened it, flipped through it with his hand, and after realizing there was nothing else in it, dumped the contents onto the marble tea table. Seeing the brand new hundred-dollar bills on the table, Liu Qian couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.
Not that he hadn’t seen such a large amount of US dollars before,
But seeing so many new bills was rare, as if they had just come off the printing press.
They weren’t just counting the amount during the face-to-face settlement,
Because they also needed to verify the authenticity.
After many years in the business, Liu Qian, of course, knew the practices of street foreign currency traders. Oftentimes, counterfeit US dollars would be mixed in, providing a large source of profit.
Most people couldn’t distinguish between the real and fake bills, as transactions were often rushed.
Once the deal was done, there was no way to find the culprits—and even if you could, it wouldn’t matter. If the count was not accurate during the transaction, the sellers had no responsibility once the parties split. Even if you claimed the bills were counterfeit, they could simply accuse you of trying to trick them.
These disputes were impossible to resolve once the parties split.
Usually, it just ended up being dropped.
Of course, if someone with a solid backing was involved, they would be given real bills, but these cases were rare.
Most foreign currency traders exchanged tens of thousands, and a single fake bill would earn them more than eight hundred RMB. This huge temptation led to an unstoppable trend.
The two men quickly checked the bills.
Their efficiency indicated that they were veterans in this field.
Tang Qing sits quietly as the other two men sip on their tea, the atmosphere in the room very serene.
Zhang Dongqing stares at the mountain of US dollars before him.
He finds himself awestruck, never having seen such a large amount of cash before, while Liu Qian, nonchalantly plays with the meticulously counted and verified money, seemingly lost in thought.
Who knows what he’s thinking.
"Boss, there’s no problem," Gangzi and Monkey exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.
"Haha, good! Gangzi, pack up the money. Let’s go and eat," Liu Qian laughed heartily upon hearing their words.
"Yes, sir."
The two men began to bag up the money, headed upstairs. This was only a test transaction, many more would follow. With a business partner like Tang Qing, Liu Qian couldn’t have asked for more.
"Little Tang, I want to exchange a million dollars next. Any issues with that?" Liu Qian asked during their meal.
"As soon as the money hits your account, I’ll withdraw it for you," Tang Qing responded, his face unchanged though inside he rejoiced.
Another big deal.
"Ha ha, I am very glad to meet you today. Dongqing, you have introduced me to an extraordinary friend. Many of my previous dollars have been exchanged by friends, and as you all know, the dollar market here is quite tight."
"My friends, knowing my interests, all come to me. And, between various business dealings and collateral needs, I don’t have much left. Little Tang, I am looking forward to more cooperation with you in the future."
Liu Qian raised his cup.
Simultaneously, he conveyed two messages. First, that he needed dollars, and secondly that he had many friends and hence outlets for the money, which would provide a perfect reason for our large-scale transactions in the future.
"Mutual benefits to all," Tang Qing clinked his glass with Liu Qian’s.
Now, Tang Qing was getting the hang of things.
Gangzi and Monkey were obviously not easy to deal with, and Liu Qian was surely no reputable businessman.
Reflecting on the complexities of the real estate business he already knew, Tang Qing realized it would be virtually impossible for a law-abiding person to successfully navigate it; even issues related to relocation could become a big headache.
However, these were only Tang Qing’s speculations.
He did not think of himself as a money launderer or think too far ahead.
Now that he’s in this, it’s not so easy to back out.
He believes Liu Qian wouldn’t dare to cross him.
A man who can bring out so many dollars certainly isn’t someone Liu Qian would want to mess with. Even if Liu Qian was in the money-exchange business, he wouldn’t dare do him any harm. Such a person would only crave a steady source of dollars.
To supply such quantities of dollars.
No one would harbor any ill-intentions.
Indeed, Liu Qian was of the same mind.
Such an amazing channel surpassed even the most powerful person in Liu Qian’s network. Any hasty move would be troublesome. At this point, Liu Qian regarded Tang Qing as his equal.
After dinner.
Liu Qian promptly deposited 8.3 million RMB into Tang Qing’s account.
And, as before, Tang Qing handed over a million dollars to Liu Qian. By now, Liu Qian wasn’t doubting Tang Qing’s backers. Anyone who can come up with large sums of consecutive serial number dollars.
It felt as if they were all-powerful.
In the afternoon.
After the transaction was completed.
Liu Qian accompanied Tang Qing at the villa’s golf course, where they spent their whole afternoon.
Dinner was again at Liu Qian’s place.
During that time, Liu Qian tried to figure out who was backing Tang Qing. However, Tang Qing smartly avoided his advances. After a few failed questions, Liu Qian stopped asking.
Internally, he chuckled at Tang Qing’s cunning behavior.
However, he developed a deeper admiration for Tang Qing. A smart collaborator seemed quite a catch. The ones who spill out information in a few sentences are of no use and will one day be sold by him.
On the way home.
Sitting in Zhang Dongqing’s car.
Tang Qing kept flicking through his personal account balance, unable to hide his joy.
Balance: 460,000 RMB.
Tang Qing took some time to calm his excitement. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
This was all his. He finally didn’t have to look at the measly 10,000 RMB in his account anymore.
Zhang Dongqing, looking at Tang Qing beside him, didn’t quite know what to say. They had completed transactions worth tens of millions in a single day. Was this the same young man he knew? It was quite a shocking feat.
"You won’t get into trouble doing this, will you?" Zhang Dongqing couldn’t help but express concern.
"I know what I’m doing and there won’t be any problems; rest assured," Tang Qing reassured him.
He’s now in a situation where retreating wouldn’t be simple.
Even if there are problems, he could only go down this path until the end.
He blamed the system for not telling him which currency would be released at the next level. He had to take risks, and whatever happened, he would blame it all on the system. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to live with the constant fear of bearing the consequences.
"As long as you’re sure, that’s fine. You’re still young, you have to look after yourself. If he gives you any trouble, tell me. I can still pull some strings," Zhang Dongqing advised. This was both an expression of support and an investment.
He believed in the investment he was making in Tang Qing.
In the future, he would see substantial returns.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang. If you need money in the future, just let me know. Zero interest," Tang Qing replied with emotion, regardless of Zhang Dongqing’s intentions and goals.
That kindness couldn’t be erased.
"Haha, thank you in advance then. But, I will be paying interest. Business is business," Zhang Dongqing chuckled.
Tang Qing didn’t respond further.
He just looked out the window.
Talk is cheap. His actions will prove everything.
