Chapter 46: The King of Stones
Boss Chen immediately said, “If you want to buy the stone, just buy it. Stop making up these excuses!”
Xu Youyou chuckled dryly and replied, “Then don’t go overboard with the price and scare me away. Let’s see how you’ll make money then.”
Boss Chen glanced at the stone and said, “Five million.”
“Old Chen, that’s not fair. The last stone was only five hundred thousand. Now, just because I want this one, you’re multiplying the price by ten? Are you trying to chase me away on purpose?” Xu Youyou said.
Boss Chen shrugged. “If you don’t buy it, that’s fine. Do you think something you fancy could be low-quality? I’ll keep it for myself and cut it open slowly. Maybe I’ll make so much money I won’t need to run this shop anymore.”
Xu Youyou didn’t believe him and said, “Once you step into the world of stone gambling, there’s no turning back. I don’t believe you’d just shut down a perfectly good shop.”
Boss Chen didn’t argue, but he examined the raw stone that had caught Xu Youyou’s eye. “The color and texture—it looks like top-tier material. Asking five million isn’t a joke. Do you think buying, transporting, renting a place, and hiring staff don’t cost money? At this price, I’m barely making a profit.”
Xu Youyou kept haggling. “Cut it in half, two million.”
Boss Chen scoffed. “If you’re bargaining like that, then I won’t sell it. It’s not like I can’t find another buyer.”
Xu Youyou was practically glued to the stone with her eyes. She sighed in defeat. “Fine, five million it is. I can’t let someone else snatch it again—I’m counting on this one to make a fortune…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Shaoyan suddenly said, “Five and a half million. I’ll buy it.”
Xu Youyou shot him a glare. If she was only slightly annoyed when he snatched the fifty-thousand-dollar stone earlier, now she was outright furious. The fire in her eyes was practically blazing at Lu Shaoyan.
She snapped in frustration, “Lu Shaoyan, you’re really making a scene just to impress your girl? Are you blocking my way just because of my little spat with Gu Xueying?”
Lu Shaoyan frowned in confusion. “You two know each other?”
Boss Chen, enjoying the drama, glanced back and forth between Xu Youyou and Gu Xueying.
Gu Xueying bit her lip. Her greatest concern was her status as the Gu family’s heiress. There was no way she’d let Xu Youyou reveal anything.
“Xu Youyou, since you want the stone, let’s not fight over it. There’s no need to ruin the atmosphere,” Gu Xueying pleaded with Lu Shaoyan.
But curiosity lingered in Lu Shaoyan’s eyes, and he had no intention of backing down. “In business, the highest bidder wins. Why should I give it up? I happen to like this stone.”
Xu Youyou warned, “Gu Xueying, I don’t hold back my words. If I say something, things might get really awkward for everyone.”
Panic flashed across Gu Xueying’s face. She feared others discovering her true identity and dreaded Xu Youyou causing a scene.
“I’ll persuade Shaoyan. Xu Youyou, business is about competition, but there’s also an order to things. Don’t worry, we understand the rules,” Gu Xueying practically begged.
Xu Youyou patiently waited for her to act.
Gu Xueying clutched Lu Shaoyan’s sleeve and whispered, “Shaoyan, let her have this one—for me, okay?”
Lu Shaoyan frowned. “Why should I let her win? She’s been going against us since the moment she arrived. What are you so afraid of?”
Even though Gu Xueying was his goddess, Lu Shaoyan never saw himself as a mere follower. He cared more about what leverage Xu Youyou had over Gu Xueying.
Gu Xueying couldn’t possibly tell him the truth. Instead, she put on a teary-eyed look and said vaguely, “It’s a family matter… I can’t talk about it… My dad and Xu Youyou… she has a big misunderstanding…”
Her words were deliberately misleading, subtly implying something scandalous.
Lu Shaoyan turned to look at Xu Youyou again. Young, beautiful, full of energy—someone like her could be fatally attractive to older men.
His thoughts drifted to his own father’s mistresses. Suddenly, his gaze toward Xu Youyou was filled with contempt.
“Since you asked, I’ll let her have it. You know I can never refuse you,” Lu Shaoyan said.
He completely ignored the fact that the stone had originally been Xu Youyou’s pick—he was just an opportunist who jumped in halfway.
Xu Youyou happily paid Boss Chen.
Boss Chen seemed hesitant. Seeing her actually pay, he asked, “Are you sure about this stone? Maybe… I shouldn’t sell it after all…”
Xu Youyou widened her eyes. “You’re the seller! Why are you acting like a gambler now?”
Boss Chen chuckled awkwardly but accepted the payment. “Are you cutting the stone open now?”
Xu Youyou smiled. “I know running a business isn’t easy. Of course, I’ll open it now to give you a little publicity. And we might as well do it together—it’ll be more fun.”
Boss Chen seemed tempted by her words. He turned to Lu Shaoyan and Gu Xueying. “Have you picked your stone? What do you think of Xu Youyou’s proposal?”
Gu Xueying frowned slightly. Because of her background, she instinctively saw Xu Youyou as a rival. The events of the last auction were still fresh in her mind. With Lu Shaoyan by her side, she didn’t want to be humiliated again.
Before she could speak, Lu Shaoyan answered first. “Sure, I’d love to see Miss Xu’s skills in action.”
He was unwilling to back down. He wanted to see if Xu Youyou’s five-million-dollar stone was really worth anything.
“Xueying, don’t worry. When my stone turns out to be more valuable than Xu Youyou’s, it’ll be a win for you,” Lu Shaoyan declared confidently.
He seemed to have completely forgotten that just minutes ago, he had been begging Xu Youyou to pick a stone for him.
“Shaoyan, I believe in you. You’ll definitely do better than Miss Xu… but what if… what if you lose? People might laugh at you,” Gu Xueying said sweetly.
She had forgotten that men with strong egos hate being doubted.
Lu Shaoyan immediately pointed at a stone nearby. “Boss Chen, I want this one.”
Boss Chen’s eyes lit up. “That one? That’s the king of stones here—ten million. Are you sure?”
Lu Shaoyan didn’t want his financial strength to be questioned in front of his goddess. “I’ll pay right now.”
Boss Chen was ecstatic. That so-called king of stones had been sitting in storage for a while. It was expensive, and while many people had admired it, no one had dared to buy it.
“Now that everyone has their stones, let’s head outside and cut them open. Who wants to go first?” Boss Chen asked.
Lu Shaoyan played it cool. “Ladies first.”
Xu Youyou scoffed, “Oh? You didn’t say ‘ladies first’ when you were snatching my stones. Who are you trying to impress now?”
