Chapter 42: The Three-Way Balance of Power
Xu Youyou realized that she indeed preferred doing business with women—Cen Mingzhu was much more straightforward than those three men.
“Miss Xu, even at this price, I can still make a considerable profit. But let me be upfront with you—ten billion is my limit. I can’t go any higher,” Cen Mingzhu stated.
Ten billion was no small sum, even for a top-tier company. It would put a strain on anyone to pay such an amount.
Xu Youyou turned to look at the three men.
The boss who had an air of authority immediately said, “Miss Cen, your bid is too aggressive—you’re breaking the unspoken rules.”
Cen Mingzhu glanced at him and said, “Didn’t you break the rules when you betrayed your mentor?”
The man hadn’t expected her to expose his past so bluntly. “Each man paves his own way. There’s no need to keep bringing up old grudges.”
Xu Youyou watched their exchange with great interest, sensing that there was a juicy backstory behind this confrontation.
Cen Mingzhu responded, “You made your choices back then, and now I’m making mine.”
The man sneered. “Spending this much money at once—aren’t you afraid you’ll bring down the entire Cen Jewelry empire? You’ll ruin your family’s legacy!”
Cen Mingzhu was unfazed. “You’re no longer part of the Cen family, so you don’t need to worry about us.”
Furious, the man stormed off.
Liu Baldy and Sun Lao’er exchanged a glance, sighed, and said, “A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Since Miss Cen is still willing to pay this much, we won’t compete with you.”
Xu Youyou waited a little longer, but although a few more buyers arrived, they left immediately upon hearing that the bid had already reached ten billion.
“Miss Cen, you’re generous. I’ll sell you this jade.”
Although Cen Mingzhu had been acting confident, she finally let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Xu Youyou’s agreement.
Cen Mingzhu was true to her word. She signed the contract with Xu Youyou at the jade shop, and her company’s finance team wired the money to the bank immediately.
Once the payment was received, Xu Youyou handed over the jade.
After the deal was finalized, Xu Youyou was about to leave when Cen Mingzhu stopped her.
“Miss Cen, I don’t have another piece of jade to sell you,” Xu Youyou said.
Cen Mingzhu shook her head and pointed at the jade pendant hanging from Xu Youyou’s handbag. “Miss Xu, is that an heirloom?”
Xu Youyou immediately perked up. “You recognize this pendant?”
Ever since the system advised her to keep the jade pendant close, she had tied it to a red string and hung it on her handbag.
She had expected it to take a long time to uncover clues about the pendant, but to her surprise, information had come so quickly.
Cen Mingzhu said, “Someone is looking for that pendant. They value it greatly and are willing to pay a hefty price for it.”
Xu Youyou smiled. “That’s great—I’ve been waiting for someone to make me an offer.”
Cen Mingzhu chuckled. “You’re quite straightforward, Miss Xu. I don’t know the identity of the buyer, but I can assure you—this is a good opportunity.”
Xu Youyou didn’t bother questioning whether Cen Mingzhu truly didn’t know or simply didn’t want to reveal the buyer’s identity. She understood the hint and appreciated the favor. “Miss Cen, you handle business openly and honestly. If I find more high-quality jade, you’ll be the first to know.”
After Xu Youyou left, Cen Mingzhu personally oversaw the transportation of the expensive jade.
“Miss, you were very respectful toward Miss Xu. She just got lucky this time—do you really think there’s a chance to do business with her again?” her assistant asked.
A glint flashed in Cen Mingzhu’s eyes. “Miss Xu is no ordinary person. She’s close to Mr. Lu and might even become Mrs. Lu in the future. Even if she doesn’t, her luck is extraordinary. She might actually find another top-tier jade piece. Keeping a good relationship with her is definitely a wise move.”
Xu Youyou, meanwhile, was still reveling in the joy of receiving ten billion yuan.
Inside the car, the other three passengers were still in shock.
Xu Fang was relatively unaffected, as she hadn’t traveled abroad and had no idea how the jade was acquired. She simply felt happy for her employer—after all, the richer her boss was, the more secure her own job would be.
But the two bodyguards were in a different state of mind. They knew Xu Youyou had only spent ten thousand dollars on that stone sculpture.
Back in the U.S., when Xu Youyou insisted on air freighting the heavy sculpture home, they had thought she was simply wasting money.
Who would have guessed that this random rock would sell for ten billion?
They couldn’t help but be amazed—their boss was on a whole different level. They even started wondering if they might get lucky just by staying by her side.
“Boss, did you already know this stone was valuable when you bought it in America?” bodyguard Zhang Jun finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity.
Xu Youyou shot him a look. “Why are you so interested in my business?”
Sensing her displeasure, Zhang Jun immediately apologized. “Boss, I shouldn’t have asked. It won’t happen again.”
Xu Youyou realized she had drawn too much attention to herself. On paper, she was an orphan with no family. Suddenly receiving such a huge sum of money was bound to raise eyebrows, and she couldn’t help but worry about the two bodyguards getting any ideas.
But she wasn’t one to sit around and wait for trouble. She quickly came up with a solution—two bodyguards weren’t enough. She needed to expand her security team.
Finding bodyguards through a security company was too slow and unreliable. She instinctively trusted former military personnel, but she had no military connections—except for one person she had met briefly on a plane: Shen Ju’an.
She messaged him directly: “Can you introduce me to some elite soldiers?”
Shen Ju’an had just finished a grueling training session. As he grabbed his phone from his locker, he saw Xu Youyou’s message and replied with a simple “?”
Xu Youyou explained, “I need highly skilled, battle-hardened, and decorated ex-soldiers who are now retired and looking for a job as bodyguards.”
Shen Ju’an thought for a moment. “Don’t you already have two bodyguards?”
Xu Youyou responded, “Two isn’t enough. I need at least six.”
Shen Ju’an was puzzled. “I remember you’re quite skilled yourself. Do you really need that many?”
Xu Youyou replied confidently, “Just because I can fight doesn’t mean I want to. The world is dangerous—I feel safer with more people around.”
Shen Ju’an recalled Xu Youyou’s impressive combat skills and found her response amusing.
Xu Youyou pressed further: “You really don’t have any soldier friends? I’m offering a great salary!”
Shen Ju’an asked, “How great?”
“100,000 yuan per month. Introduce me to two.”
Xu Youyou didn’t plan to have all six bodyguards come from the same source. She intended to find two more through other channels. That way, with her team of six coming from three different sources, they could keep each other in check, ensuring a balance of power.
Shen Ju’an was startled. “That’s incredibly generous!”
Xu Youyou seized the opportunity: “I always reward professionals well. If you sign with my company as a celebrity and listen to me, you could be making 100,000 yuan in a single second!”
