Chapter 75 Stone Cutting

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“Sui Yi, you…” Old Tang started to speak, but immediately fell silent. Someone like Sui Yi couldn’t be swayed by a few casual words. In their line of work, nothing was certain; first impressions, or rather intuition, were paramount, and the greatest taboo was being influenced by others’ opinions.

Since Old Tang said nothing more, neither did Old Han or the others. Instead, Zhang Guangbiao let out a soft “hmm,” his interest in Sui Yi growing.

Meanwhile, the people from Boss Qian’s side looked utterly grim. Sui Yi was blatantly slapping them in the face!

Watching from the sidelines and frowning, Quan Ling overheard his father mutter, “Far too arrogant. I suppose her previous bit of luck has gone to her head. Turns out, Sui Yi is nothing special after all.”

Quan Ling agreed. He thought to himself that he couldn’t let a woman like her ruin the family business. It seemed best to win her over, keep her as a plaything, and nothing more…

From a hundred thousand in one breath to two hundred thousand, the young professional woman stared intently at Sui Yi for a moment, then abruptly made up her mind.

“Let’s do it. Open this one up.”

Her tone was as decisive as a soldier going into battle—resolute and unwavering.

Many sighed. Many shook their heads. They felt the young woman was too audacious.

She should have sold it to Sui Yi for two hundred thousand—better than gambling it all away!

Still, quite a few were doing their own calculations, secretly wishing for the rough stone to be a bust.

Sui Yi, meanwhile, glanced at the resolute young woman—twenty-four or twenty-five, she guessed… rather daring.

“Then open it!” Zhang Guangbiao sensed the first real spectacle was about to unfold. Grinning, he casually drew a line across the stone with his pen and ordered his apprentice to begin.

Drawing the line was not a trivial matter. It was important not to destroy the texture of quality jade, and sometimes the natural shape of the jadeite was crucial. Marking the right line could make all the difference to the stone’s value and future craftsmanship, unlocking its full potential as a beautiful piece of jewelry.

The stone-cutting machine whirred to life once more, slicing away a quarter of the stone. The shrill sound filled the air as stone dust flew from the cut, momentarily clouding vision with a fine mist. Yet all eyes remained fixed as a hint of green extended along the fresh cross-section.

With a final crack, the quartered piece split open, and many hearts swayed with anticipation.

Beneath the bright daylight, before everyone’s eyes, a vein as wide as a thumb and two decimeters deep appeared—bean-green, not especially dazzling, but undeniably beautiful, particularly to the young professional woman…

“Wow, it’s gone up!” someone exclaimed.

“Just look at that depth!”

“From a hundred thousand—how much is it worth now?”

“At least five hundred thousand, easy!”

The crowd erupted in excitement. The young woman, tense just moments before, was now the calmest of them all. Amid the various reactions from her colleagues, her first instinct was to glance at the striking young woman who had spoken to her earlier. She saw nothing but tranquility and poise on her face, as if she’d never cared about the outcome from the start.

“Five hundred thousand,” Boss Qian said stiffly, his expression sour. What should have cost only a couple of thousand had been driven up to half a million, thanks to Old Tang and Sui Yi—how could he possibly swallow this?

As soon as he called out his offer, someone laughed.

“Five hundred thousand? Come on, Old Qian, everyone agrees it’s worth at least that. I’ll offer five hundred and fifty thousand!” Old Tang chimed in, a direct slap in the face.

“Five hundred and sixty…” Boss Qian gritted his teeth.

“It’s not just between you two—I want in as well,” Boss Quan said cheerily. “Miss, may I ask your name?”

“Ah?” For the first time treated so courteously by these business types, Lin Yun hesitated, then replied, “My surname is Lin.”

She was smart enough not to reveal her full name.

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Money moves the heart, and trouble finds its way easily.

Boss Quan’s eyes flashed as he smiled. “Miss Lin, I’ll offer six hundred thousand!”

“Six hundred and ten thousand,” Boss Qian upped the ante, fixing his gaze on Lin Yun with a menacing look that said if she didn’t sell to him, she’d regret it.

In truth, some bosses did bully ordinary people without power or connections, either pressing down the price or forcing a sale…

But with so many onlookers, these bosses usually watched their behavior.

With all eyes upon her, Lin Yun instinctively felt she should check with Sui Yi. If Sui Yi wanted the jade, Lin Yun would gladly sell it to her.

After all…

“Miss, do you want to buy it?” Lin Yun’s question left the bosses speechless.

Hey now, we’re the jewelers here—why ask that girl?

Old Tang smiled. This Lin girl was genuine.

Sui Yi looked up at her, lips curving slightly. “I don’t have enough money to buy it, nor am I in this business.”

A perfect refusal. For the first time, Boss Qian found Sui Yi somewhat agreeable.

Lin Yun felt a little disappointed. She’d assumed Sui Yi came from a family of jewelers—her bearing certainly suggested it, and she was far more forthright than Boss Qian’s crowd.

Suddenly, Sui Yi turned her head slightly towards Old Tang, Old Han, and Boss Quan, her gaze lingering on Quan. “But the three gentlemen with me are very likely interested. If you feel you can trust them, you can talk to them.”

Trust?

Lin Yun, sensitive to the word, felt she’d grasped something. She studied Old Tang, Old Han, and Quan…

Being recommended by Sui Yi left the three in a good mood. After all, Sui Yi’s words were a subtle endorsement of their trustworthiness.

Especially Boss Quan, who smiled and said, “We do need such jade at home. I could give it to my wife, or keep it for my son in the future… Miss Lin, I’ll offer seven hundred thousand. What do you say? We can handle the paperwork right now, or transfer the money directly—you can rest assured.”

Seven hundred thousand—he’d increased the bid by ninety thousand, and pledged in person.

Absolutely reliable!

The crowd murmured. Everyone knew this man was a major businessman in Nanxun, someone who could turn a humble bike shop into a luxury dealership.

No way he’d cheat a young woman out of seven hundred thousand in front of all these people.

“Alright, I’ll sell to you…” Lin Yun made her decision before Boss Qian or anyone else could object.

She still remembered Qian Shuangyu’s overbearing face. So what if you’re rich? I just won’t sell to you!

Boss Quan smiled.

In fact, the jade wasn’t expensive at that price. Its value would only appreciate; it was an excellent collectible. Now that the rough stone had revealed its worth, even selling it immediately would fetch at least seven hundred thousand.

Especially if he had it worked into jewelry—the price would soar.

Sui Yi had done him a real favor.

Well, it was worth having his son befriend her!

The two went to the nearby Industrial and Commercial Bank to complete the transaction under everyone’s watchful eyes, setting the crowd abuzz.

Two hundred yuan had turned into seven hundred thousand in the blink of an eye—enough to buy an apartment in Nanxun!

Such is the fortune of life.

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Even Lin Yun’s colleagues looked at her with odd expressions—envy and jealousy all mingled together.

Without hesitation, they all reached for their wallets to buy up rough stones. When even ordinary people were swept along, the buying frenzy flared up once more.

All the cheap stones were quickly snapped up.

“That two-hundred-yuan one must’ve been the cheapest, right? If that one hit the jackpot, who’s to say the next cheap one won’t?” This was the prevailing thought, making Old Tang and the others chuckle.

After the transaction, Boss Quan returned. With so many of his own people around, he wasn’t worried about the jade going missing. Approaching Sui Yi, he whispered, “Young lady, you’ve got quite the eye. I have a feeling the rough stone you picked will be a winner, too.”

Sui Yi’s lips curved faintly. “I think so as well.”

Her calm, forthright demeanor eased Boss Quan’s earlier suspicions about her.

He’d wondered if Sui Yi had some special ability with rough jade, but realized he’d been overthinking—after all, they’d all favored that stone earlier.

After being outbid by Sui Yi and the others, Boss Qian and his group were in a foul mood, with Qian Shuangyu and Qian Fengling especially resentful.

Fortunately, Old Tang and Boss Quan both lost money on the stones they bought afterward—nothing good came out of them. Since they hadn’t spent much, they weren’t upset.

This cheered Boss Qian a little.

But when his own two-hundred-thousand-yuan rough stone turned out to be a bust, his anger returned.

After Old Tang and Boss Quan, Zhang Guangbiao, still intrigued by Sui Yi, said, “Miss Sui, may I do the honors with your stone?”

Was this preferential treatment?

Sui Yi nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Zhang.”

As soon as Sui Yi’s rough stone was about to be opened, Qian Shuangyu and the others pricked up their ears, eyes glued to the small piece. They could only hope Sui Yi had spent a fortune on it and would now suffer a colossal loss…

Then she’d fall from grace, wouldn’t she?

The stone was carried over. Sui Yi wasn’t nervous at all—this was simply her nature. It would be strange if she put on a show of anxiety.

Those who knew her were used to it. Lin Yun, on the other hand, didn’t leave; instead, she stood beside Sui Yi for a long while, glancing at her from time to time…

This girl, so young and beautiful, her skin flawless as if drawn from a painting, possessed an innate poise that drew all eyes.

Sui Yi glanced at her, said nothing, then turned her attention back to her own rough stone.

What mattered still mattered—she was curious to see how much this jade might be worth.

Lin Yun found it odd that a high school girl could make her feel self-conscious, even awed. She’d felt it before, but now, standing close, it was even stronger.

Was it because the other girl was from a wealthy family too?

No, there was something different.

The stone-cutting machine started up. Zhang Guangbiao’s usual grin faded into a look of solemn concentration.

He ran his fingers over the stone, studied it carefully, then drew a line. Sui Yi’s eyes flashed.

A good mark—right along the edge. Enough to reveal green, but not to slice through the entire jadeite.

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