Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness's Magic City flagship store was unlike the lavish branches that had now sprung up all over China.
The decor of this century-old establishment leaned more toward the style of old Magic City in the last century.
There was no excessive flamboyance in its colors or lighting. Understated yet luxurious, it was ordinary everywhere and extraordinary everywhere.
It was just like old Magic City of the last century, with an old-fashioned style of its own amid the glittering nightlife.
The old store was not large, a small three-story building with a total floor area of no more than a thousand square meters.
An aged-looking wooden plaque bore the name Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness in three large, flamboyantly written Chinese characters.
Out front was a parking lot covering over a thousand square meters.
Practicality aside, in a place like Magic City, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, a jewelry store keeping over a thousand square meters of ground-level parking out front was itself a symbol of its strength.
As both the original store and the flagship, its business naturally differed somewhat from the other branches.
The old store focused on Chinese-style custom orders.
Diamonds and gemstones, which did thriving business at the other branches, were completely absent here.
There were only custom orders for gold and silver jewelry and jade pieces.
A Rolls-Royce Phantom Koa Edition, the latest model that year, slowly pulled up outside the old Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness store.
Before the driver in a black suit and white gloves could get out, the doorman in charge of welcoming guests hurried over and opened the rear door with practiced ease.
"Welcome to Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness, our century-old establishment!"
As the doorman's greeting rang out, a young man dressed in casual clothes stepped out.
Slippers, shorts, and a white linen shirt.
An utterly casual outfit.
The sharp-eyed doorman immediately recognized every piece of clothing on this casually dressed young man as a summer limited edition from some luxury brand.
Even the slippers on his feet cost nearly a month of the doorman's wages.
The smile on his face grew even brighter.
"The first floor has finished jewelry and jade pieces, while the second floor handles custom orders. We have the finest designers and craftsmen in the industry. Would you like to browse downstairs first, or head upstairs for tea?"
"Upstairs. And call your manager over while you're at it. What I want this time is rather unusual, so I'll need to have a proper talk with him!"
Qin Xiao smiled and nodded as he spoke.
Naturally, someone inside escorted Qin Xiao upstairs.
At the top of the stairs was a hall, its walls displaying the names and photographs of designers and master carvers, along with their past works, awards, honors, and so on.
The store's top designers and craftsmen generally would not take on a job lightly, unless you paid a hefty sum or had some top-grade material.
After someone had shown him around the hall, the manager hurried out.
He led Qin Xiao into one of the small rooms beside the hall.
Each room had been designed as a small tearoom, specifically for receiving customers placing various high-end custom orders.
The manager ushered Qin Xiao into the room and had him select a tea, then a young woman responsible for brewing tea came over and prepared a pot.
She poured him a full cup, and they waited until Qin Xiao had finished it.
Only then did the manager unhurriedly get down to business.
"Mr. Qin, may I ask what sort of jewelry or decorative piece you're looking for? Or do you have some exceptionally fine material you'd like our master craftsmen to carve?"
Holding his empty teacup, Qin Xiao gently pushed it toward the young woman and waited for her to fill it to the brim again.
Only then did he address the manager with a smile.
"I don't need particularly specialized craftsmen. I'm planning to have something made out of pure gold. It'll be very large and require quite a lot of gold, but I don't have any particularly demanding requirements for the carving."
A large quantity?
The manager felt that this deal might not be as big as he had imagined.
It's only gold. What do you want made out of it? A chair, a table, or an exquisite ornament?
"May I ask what you'd like to commission, Mr. Qin? Furniture? A Buddha statue, or something else?"
Though slightly disappointed, the manager still asked very politely.
"A coffin!"
Qin Xiao drained his tea again and set the cup down heavily on the tea table as he spoke.
Five days. Qin Xiao gave them just five days.
He did not require particularly exquisite carving. They simply had to produce a properly squared-off, standard coffin shape.
A pure gold coffin was, in principle, not something Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness would accept an order for.
But on top of the market price of the gold, Qin Xiao offered a million outright as a fabrication fee.
That made it rather difficult for the manager of Dragon and Phoenix Auspiciousness to refuse.
They had quite a few factories under them, making all sorts of large items, whether Buddha statues or furniture.
It was nothing more than making molds and melting metal.
With enough money, everything was easy.
After arranging delivery for five days later, Qin Xiao walked leisurely out of the store and went on his way.
"Uncle Wang, find somewhere to eat first, then find a nightclub. Somewhere fairly big, with a mixed crowd. It doesn't matter if it's outside the city center!"
Qin Xiao spoke to the driver as soon as he got into the car.
This was Qin Xiao's third day in Magic City. He had just bought the car, and the driver was a longtime local whom Qin Xiao had hired temporarily through his hotel. He knew every part of Magic City well and was paid by the day.
After they had dinner at a casually chosen place, the driver pulled up beside a building in the eastern suburbs.
"This is about as mixed a crowd as you'll find in Magic City. There are bathhouses, KTVs, and nightclubs here. As long as you have money, you can find any service here."
Perhaps it was because Qin Xiao had been generous over the past two days, spoke politely, and treated him with respect.
The driver, Uncle Wang, hesitated before speaking again.
"Mr. Qin, forgive me for overstepping. You come from a good family, and you're young, in the prime of your life. There's nothing wrong with getting a little wild and living it up, but there are some things you must never touch. Once you do, your whole life is ruined."
Uncle Wang offered the warning out of kindness.
Since Qin Xiao had specifically asked for places with a mixed crowd, he wondered whether he had some bad habit.
Taking addictive drugs, for instance.
Qin Xiao laughed and patted Uncle Wang on the shoulder.
"Thank you, but you're worrying a little too much. I'm only here to find some people to help me take care of something!"
After speaking, he did not forget to take out a thin stack of bills and press it into Uncle Wang's hand.
"You can clock off for today. I'll drive myself back to the hotel later. Just come straight to the hotel to find me tomorrow!"
Uncle Wang was only half convinced by Qin Xiao's words, but he was merely an employee, and he had said his piece.
With a quiet sigh, he accepted Qin Xiao's money and got out.
Dinner had only just ended, and the nightclubs here had not opened yet.
There were not many people at the bathhouse or KTV either.
Leaving his car in the parking lot, Qin Xiao strolled straight in through the bathhouse entrance.
After a deafening chorus of welcome from the greeters at the entrance.
An attendant led Qin Xiao toward the lobby inside.
The bathhouse was fairly upscale, with a lobby a good ten meters high.
The attendant led Qin Xiao to sit on one of the sofas along the sides.
"Sir, if you're here for a bath, let me help you change your shoes first!"
The attendant held a pair of slippers and spoke with a respectful expression.
"I'm not here for a bath. I'm here to discuss some business with your boss. Could you call someone who can make decisions out for a chat?"
Qin Xiao spoke with a slight smile.
At a place like this, how could just anyone walk in and meet the boss?
The attendant paused briefly, then continued with a smile.
"Sir, the boss isn't someone I can just go and see. Whatever you need, you can tell me directly. If I can't make the decision, I'll get our manager to come out and assist you. Would that work?"
His words were still polite, but a faint note of assertiveness had crept into them.
Qin Xiao did not mind. He reached out and snatched up the ashtray from the tea table in front of him.
"I want to trash the place. Can you make that call too?"