Chapter 45: Competing for the Stone
As soon as Gu Xueying heard Xu Youyou speak, her face immediately became guarded.
Lu Shaoyan quickly said, “I brought Xueying here to have fun. Whatever stone she picks, I’ll pay for it.”
Xu Youyou smiled and asked, “Then if Miss Gu picks a stone that turns out to contain jade worth a billion, does that belong to her as well?”
If it were just a few million, Lu Shaoyan wouldn’t even blink before agreeing. But when he heard “a billion,” he hesitated for two seconds before replying confidently, “Of course. The Lu family isn’t a family that lacks that kind of small change.”
Xu Youyou nodded and said with a smile, “Young Master Lu and Miss Gu have such a great relationship. Truly enviable.”
Lu Shaoyan didn’t refute her but turned cautiously to observe Gu Xueying’s reaction.
At this moment, Lu Shaoyan wasn’t the heir of the Lu family yet. In terms of wealth and status, the Lu family’s branch wasn’t necessarily superior to the Gu family, and Gu Xueying didn’t really see him as a worthy match.
Sure enough, Gu Xueying didn’t want to give the wrong impression and quickly clarified, “Miss Xu, you misunderstand. Mr. Lu and I are just friends.”
Xu Youyou immediately responded, “Oh, just friends? Then Mr. Lu must be a very generous friend.”
Gu Xueying’s expression turned a little ugly. Although Xu Youyou hadn’t directly said anything harsh, her words made it sound like she was just taking advantage of Lu Shaoyan.
Lu Shaoyan didn’t notice the underlying implications and was instead visibly disappointed when Gu Xueying distanced herself.
But he quickly pulled himself together because they had arrived at the warehouse.
Once inside, Lu Shaoyan brought up his request again. “Miss Xu, which stone do you think I should buy?”
Xu Youyou casually nudged a stone at her feet with her foot. “This one looks pretty good.”
Lu Shaoyan frowned slightly at her casual attitude.
“Miss Xu, can you really judge just by standing there? I thought experts would squat down with a magnifying glass to inspect the details.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong—many gamblers and even some professionals examined stones that way.
But while experts could sometimes find patterns in the stone’s surface, most gamblers just copied their methods without truly understanding what they were doing.
Xu Youyou replied, “I’ve always bought stones like this. If you don’t trust me, you can pick your own. I won’t be upset.”
For some reason, Lu Shaoyan felt a little suffocated, as if someone had just kicked him in the chest.
He had been the one insisting on Xu Youyou’s advice, and now he was the one doubting her. If he bought the stone and it turned out worthless, he’d lose face. But if he didn’t buy it, he’d look petty.
“How much for this stone?” Lu Shaoyan asked the owner, Mr. Chen.
Since it was stored separately in the warehouse, it obviously wasn’t cheap.
“Five hundred thousand,” Mr. Chen replied.
Lu Shaoyan turned to Xu Youyou. “Miss Xu, you’re the expert. I’ll trust you this time.”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but laugh. “I haven’t dared to buy a single stone for days, and yet you think I’m an expert?”
Lu Shaoyan immediately questioned her, “Are you messing with me? Did you intentionally pick a dud to make me waste my money?”
Xu Youyou said lightly, “Weren’t you the one pestering me? I thought rich people like you didn’t care about small change.”
Lu Shaoyan reconsidered. From the beginning, because Mr. Chen had shown Xu Youyou so much respect and had mentioned her billion-dollar find, he had been blinded by the thought of money and let himself be misled.
Xu Youyou, meanwhile, stopped paying attention to him and wandered around the warehouse.
She had picked a stone for Lu Shaoyan so casually, but when it came to herself, she was much more serious. She squatted down, picked up a stone, and gestured toward Mr. Chen. “How much for this one?”
Mr. Chen quoted her the same price. “If you want it, five hundred thousand.”
Xu Youyou didn’t immediately buy it. Instead, she looked conflicted, as if she couldn’t decide whether it was worth it.
Lu Shaoyan observed this and asked, “Do you think this stone is a good one?”
Xu Youyou immediately put the stone down, her eyes wary. “Not at all. I was just looking.”
But her credibility dropped the moment she turned to Mr. Chen and started bargaining.
“Give me a discount! We’re practically family friends. Five hundred thousand is outrageous.”
Mr. Chen frowned. “Look at you, saying that after making a billion. And now you’re here crying poverty?”
Xu Youyou gave an awkward laugh and argued, “The stone’s pattern looks nice. I’m not even planning to cut it open—just putting it on display. You shouldn’t sell it to me at the price of raw jade…”
Mr. Chen covered his ears. “I don’t want to hear it! Stop talking!”
Xu Youyou kept trying to bargain.
But suddenly, Lu Shaoyan stepped in. He pointed at the very stone Xu Youyou had been eyeing and said, “Five hundred thousand, I’ll take it.”
Mr. Chen beamed with delight.
Xu Youyou, however, objected, “Mr. Lu, that’s not fair. I saw that stone first.”
For the first time, Gu Xueying spoke up. “The highest bidder wins. If you really wanted it, you should’ve bought it immediately instead of haggling.”
Xu Youyou raised an eyebrow. It seemed like Gu Xueying was getting bolder—bold enough to mock her.
“True,” Xu Youyou said lightly. “The Gu family is best at paying top dollar for flashy, impractical things.”
Gu Xueying’s face turned red with anger.
She remembered how, at an auction, both she and Gu Fengchuan had been manipulated by Xu Youyou into bidding multiple times the actual value for jewelry.
Normally, this wouldn’t have been a big deal. But because Gu Fengchuan had failed to buy a particular Doucai cup, people had spread rumors that he wasted all his money on jewelry, which reached Gu Father’s ears. He had scolded Gu Fengchuan fiercely, and even Gu Xueying hadn’t escaped punishment.
The Gu family had since become a laughingstock among the upper class, labeled as “fools with too much money.” Gu Xueying had avoided social gatherings for days because of it.
Xu Youyou ignored Gu Xueying’s changing expressions. Losing one stone didn’t bother her; she simply continued searching the warehouse.
But this time, her focus was entirely on the larger stones.
“This one is beautiful,” she said, pointing at a massive stone. “I want to buy it and carve it into a giant fish tank. Mr. Chen, can you give me a discount?”
