Chapter 48: Top-Quality Imperial Purple
Xu Youyou sneered from the side, “Young Master Lu, why are you so stubborn? I told you to quit while you were ahead, but you just wouldn’t listen.”
Lu Shaoyan’s expression darkened. Having played in the gambling stone market for so long, he was well aware that the imperial green jade he uncovered—only the size of a coin—was worth at most a few hundred thousand.
Compared to the tens of millions he had invested, this was a devastating loss.
Despite knowing the man was in a bad mood, Bald Liu still approached and offered, “Two hundred thousand.”
If Gu Xueying weren’t standing beside him, Lu Shaoyan would have told him to get lost right then and there. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, “Not selling. I’ll keep it for myself.”
Xu Youyou smirked. “Young Master Lu really likes hoarding things. First, he refused to sell the half-open stone, and now he won’t sell this either.”
Lu Shaoyan was so furious his nose almost went crooked. But in front of so many people, he had to maintain the dignity of a wealthy heir, so he forced himself to ignore Xu Youyou’s taunts.
He grabbed Gu Xueying’s hand, ready to leave.
Xu Youyou reminded him, “Young Master Lu, why the rush? You still have a stone left to open.”
Lu Shaoyan stopped in his tracks. She was right—there was still another stone. Gu Xueying had picked one as well.
Sensing the situation was turning unfavorable, Gu Xueying gently said, “Shaoyan, why don’t we just take the stone home to admire?”
Lu Shaoyan shook his head. “No, we’ll open it here. Xueying, you’ve always had good luck—maybe this small stone will yield something valuable.”
The stone Gu Xueying had chosen was relatively cheap, costing only 200,000 yuan. It was also quite small, so the cutting process was quick.
Boss Chen personally handled the cutting. This time, he was much faster than when working with Lu Shaoyan’s stone.
“It’s green!”
Gu Xueying indeed had decent luck—her stone revealed a hint of bright green jade. However, due to its small size, the resale value was also around 200,000 yuan, meaning she neither gained nor lost money.
She immediately agreed to sell it to Sun Lao’er at his offer price, planning to use the money to buy a gift worth the same amount for Lu Shaoyan before gradually cutting ties with him.
After today’s incident, she realized that Lu Shaoyan lacked composure and class—he wasn’t someone worth keeping in her social circle.
Lu Shaoyan had no idea that his “goddess” had already removed him from her list of backup suitors. At the moment, he was only eager to leave.
However, Boss Chen’s words made him pause once more.
Boss Chen announced loudly to the gathered gambling stone enthusiasts, “The next stone I’m cutting is truly remarkable. Do you all remember Miss Xu Youyou, the one who uncovered jade worth a billion yuan?”
The crowd immediately recalled Xu Youyou’s legendary moment.
Xu Youyou cleared her throat and said, “Boss Chen, don’t flatter me. Just get on with it—I don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”
Even if they had lost everything, the gamblers’ eyes still shone with excitement when watching others open stones. Xu Youyou’s words spoke directly to their hearts, and they all urged Boss Chen to start cutting quickly.
Lu Shaoyan was naturally curious, and even Gu Xueying no longer wanted to leave.
She also wanted to see what Xu Youyou’s stone would reveal.
The machine roared to life again, and to the crowd, the sound was like the most beautiful music in the world.
Watching their intoxicated expressions, Xu Youyou silently warned herself—if the system ever left her, she would never set foot in this place again.
Everyone here was a gambler, trapped in a shared illusion. Even those who struck it rich today wouldn’t stop. Instead, they’d dream of finding stones worth even more—tens of millions, or even billions.
That was the nature of gamblers. No matter how much they won, they would eventually lose it all.
If the system hadn’t given her a cheat-like hint, she would never have spent 5 million yuan on a single stone.
The machine stopped, and after a quick rinse, the true contents of the stone were revealed.
“This… this is… Imperial Purple!”
“What a dreamy color!”
“Why couldn’t I have bought this stone?”
“It’s top-tier Imperial Purple! It’s worth just as much as Imperial Green!”
“Miss Xu’s luck is incredible!”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. What if it turns out like the last Imperial Green—just a tiny patch?”
Seeing the envious looks from the surrounding gamblers, Xu Youyou snapped her fingers, and four bodyguards in black suits stepped forward, shielding her from the crowd’s hostile gazes.
The two new bodyguards had been recommended by Shen Ju’an—both were retired soldiers with exceptional combat skills. Xu Youyou had seen them spar with her previous two bodyguards, and the difference was staggering.
The new arrivals had completely dominated the fights, easily becoming the team leaders of her security detail.
The gamblers were merely obsessed with stones—they weren’t blind. It was clear that these four bodyguards were not to be trifled with, so they instinctively stepped back.
Sun Lao’er hesitated before making an offer. “Miss Xu, I trust your instincts. I’ll buy this half-open stone for 30 million yuan.”
Xu Youyou frowned. “That’s not the same price you offered Young Master Lu just now.”
Lu Shaoyan, who had been trying to fade into the background, was suddenly thrust back into the spotlight.
Sun Lao’er felt awkward—he didn’t want to offend Lu Shaoyan, but he had no choice. “With half-open stones, there’s always a risk of a flop. If I end up like Young Master Lu, I’d lose my shirt.”
The crowd burst into laughter, and Lu Shaoyan clenched his fists in fury. As a wealthy heir of the Lu family, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
Ignoring Sun Lao’er, Xu Youyou turned to Gu Xueying and asked, “Miss Gu, do you think I should sell now?”
Gu Xueying hadn’t expected to be dragged into this.
“I don’t know much about gambling stones,” she said carefully. “But if Miss Xu wants to play it safe, selling now would guarantee a 25-million profit.”
Xu Youyou nodded and decisively told Boss Chen, “Miss Gu’s advice makes sense—so I’ve decided to keep cutting.”
Gu Xueying’s smile stiffened. She knew Xu Youyou was deliberately embarrassing her.
But this was a subtle kind of embarrassment—one she couldn’t directly call out. She could only pray that Xu Youyou’s stone would collapse like Lu Shaoyan’s.
However, fate had other plans.
As time passed, the stone was gradually revealed, until its full form was on display before the crowd.
“Another top-tier jade…”
“This weight—it’s at least ten pounds.”
“The color is rich and pure—this is the best of the best Imperial Purple. Its price will likely surpass the previous Imperial Green!”
Lu Shaoyan watched Xu Youyou uncover another fortune, and he was so furious he could practically breathe fire.
Seizing the moment, Sun Lao’er shouted, “Three hundred million! I’ll buy it!”
