Chapter 47: It’s Green, But Only Coin-Sized
Lu Shaoyan’s face alternated between pale and flushed.
When dealing with girls from prestigious families, he always instinctively displayed his gentlemanly manners. But when it came to someone like Xu Youyou, who had no notable background, had suddenly struck it rich, seemed unreliable, and was constantly at odds with him, he naturally had no desire to uphold his so-called chivalry.
Now, being called out so bluntly by Xu Youyou, he was left utterly embarrassed.
Sensing the tension, Boss Chen stepped in to smooth things over. “Miss Xu, whether we cut the stones first or later won’t change the results. Why not start with the King Stone? I’ve been curious about it for a long time.”
No one objected.
Soon, workers placed the large stone on a cart and transported it outside to the jade pavilion.
A crowd of gambling stone enthusiasts had already gathered there. Seeing a new stone being brought out, their excitement skyrocketed.
“Wow! If I remember correctly, that’s the King Stone! Lucky day—getting to witness it being cut live!”
“I wonder if it will rise or fall with this first cut.”
Listening to the lively discussions, Boss Chen looked quite pleased. He then turned to Lu Shaoyan. “Young Master Lu, I just contacted a few jade buyers. They should be on their way now.”
For a stone with the potential to yield high-quality jade, it was crucial to have buyers lined up in advance.
Lu Shaoyan said confidently, “If there’s a good yield, I want to keep some of it to make a jewelry set for Xueying.”
He spoke as if it were a certainty that his King Stone would produce a high-quality jade.
Xu Youyou remained silent on the side, simply watching his performance patiently.
Once the preparations were complete, the large stone was placed under the cutting machine. Boss Chen personally operated it, as usual.
But this time, unlike before, Lu Shaoyan confidently stepped forward and marked the cutting lines himself.
Boss Chen followed the markings and made the first cut.
Immediately, the crowd erupted in excitement.
“It’s green!”
“It’s Imperial Green!”
“Since when has Imperial Green become so common?”
“Imperial Green will always be valuable! It’s just that this jade pavilion has had insane luck recently—cutting top-grade Imperial Green left and right!”
Boss Chen was visibly surprised. He had expected the stone to contain jade, but he hadn’t anticipated it would be Imperial Green. Though so far, only a palm-sized area had been exposed, with just a coin-sized patch of green visible, it was still enough to prove the stone’s high quality.
He couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. If he had known it would yield Imperial Green, he might have kept it to cut open slowly himself.
“Are you selling?” Boss Chen estimated the potential jade hidden within and offered a price. “Sixty million?”
Before Lu Shaoyan could respond, Xu Youyou immediately spoke up.
“Boss Chen, the other day, when I cut my semi-open stone, you only offered me fifty million. That’s not fair!”
Boss Chen gave an awkward smile. “I always price fairly, no favoritism.”
Xu Youyou looked unconvinced.
Lu Shaoyan shook his head. “Not selling.”
He shot a challenging glance at Xu Youyou. He vividly remembered that her stone had sold for a sky-high price of one billion. If hers could fetch such a sum, surely his could also be sold for an astronomical amount.
“One hundred million!” A sudden voice called out.
The newcomer was none other than the bald man with the massive gold chain—someone Xu Youyou had met before.
The bald man spotted Xu Youyou and grinned. “Miss Xu, is this your stone again?”
Xu Youyou shook her head and gestured toward Lu Shaoyan.
Recognizing Lu Shaoyan, the bald man said, “Young Master Lu, I’ll offer one hundred million. That way, you’ll recover all the money you’ve lost in stone gambling over the years.”
Lu Shaoyan’s expression darkened. He instinctively glanced at Gu Xueying beside him. Seeing no reaction from her, he relaxed slightly.
Just then, another familiar face squeezed through the crowd—it was Sun Lao’er, one of the buyers from the previous auction where Xu Youyou had sold her stone.
“Liu, you think you can snatch this for just a hundred million? Don’t joke. I’ll offer two hundred million!” Sun Lao’er immediately doubled the bid.
Lu Shaoyan, who had been reluctant to sell before, now hesitated.
Gu Xueying whispered, “Shaoyan, maybe you should sell it. Turning one million into two hundred million is already impressive.”
She wasn’t a gambling stone enthusiast and believed in taking profits when they were available.
But Lu Shaoyan remembered Xu Youyou’s case—at first, people had offered high prices for her semi-open stone, but she had insisted on cutting it all the way, which ultimately led to a ten-billion-dollar sale.
As he wavered, Xu Youyou suddenly spoke.
“Mr. Lu, still not selling? Maybe you think the price is too low? How about Sun Lao’er raises it a bit more? Maybe then you’d be willing to sell.”
Sun Lao’er played along. “Fine, two hundred fifty million. For a semi-open stone, that’s the best I can do.”
Xu Youyou chimed in, “That’s already a very generous offer, Mr. Lu. If I were you, I’d sell. After all, a clean profit of two hundred forty million? You should be more grounded—not every stone sells for ten billion.”
Her words had the opposite effect. The moment she mentioned “ten billion,” it was all Lu Shaoyan could think about.
The Lu family was wealthy, but being from a branch family, their assets totaled only two to three hundred billion. A liquid ten billion was a considerable sum, even for him.
On top of that, he could sense Xu Youyou’s hostility. Given her track record—like misleading him into picking worthless stones before—he instinctively distrusted her advice.
“Miss Xu, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I’m not selling. I want to cut it all open.”
Boss Chen, sensing Lu Shaoyan’s recklessness, tried to advise him. “Young Master Lu, once you start, there’s no turning back. If the stone collapses, it’ll be a disaster.”
But Lu Shaoyan, having already stepped into the gambling arena, had a gambler’s mindset.
“Continue cutting.”
Seeing he couldn’t be swayed, Boss Chen restarted the machine.
As the cutting continued, the new exposed surface showed no trace of jade.
Lu Shaoyan’s heart sank.
Sun Lao’er sighed in relief. “Thank goodness! If he had agreed to sell for two hundred fifty million, I’d have lost my pants!”
Boss Chen asked, “Young Master Lu, should we continue?”
All eyes were on Lu Shaoyan. He hesitated briefly before gritting his teeth. “Keep going.”
The stone was massive—surely the green patch wasn’t just coin-sized. There had to be more top-grade Imperial Green inside.
The machine roared on for another hour, but no more green appeared.
In the end, to everyone’s shock, the massive King Stone did indeed contain Imperial Green—but only a tiny coin-sized patch. The rest was worthless rock.
