Chapter 77

Update time: April 5, 2013

As Zhang Yang spoke with a teasing tone, Ma Guojun's face turned so red it seemed about to bleed, it was so embarrassing. Indeed, even if Duan Fei had stolen jewelry from outside, the loss wouldn't have been as great.

According to Zhou Yiran's statistics, the value of the raw materials that had been cut open exceeded eight million yuan. This was just the principal, not including the profit. If the profit were included, it would be an astronomical figure, which also shows how huge the profit margin of the gemstone company is. The entire inventory of jewelry in the Jade轩 (Jade轩 is a transliteration of 翡翠轩, which means "Jade Pavilion") was only three million yuan. More importantly, Duan Fei had cut open so much raw material and only managed to extract three small pieces of jade, which together were worth less than one million yuan. In other words, Duan Fei had exerted all his strength to do something that was harmful to others and not beneficial to himself. Even if he managed to escape, he would only profit one million yuan.

Thinking of this figure, Ma Guojun felt like spitting blood. After all, Duan Fei's annual salary, including benefits, commissions, and bonuses, amounted to this much in a year.

"By the way, where is Brother Duan? Why haven't I seen him?" Zhang Yang asked deliberately.

Ma Guojun could no longer maintain his composure and said angrily, "Don't mention that scoundrel to me."

Zhang Yang exclaimed in displeasure, "Manager Ma, although I have the intention to cooperate with you, you shouldn't slander Brother Duan behind his back. If it weren't for him, I might not be where I am today."

Ma Guojun's face fell, thinking to himself: I'm slandering him? He sent me away, came back to cut the stones, and caused such a huge loss, making me get scolded by the boss. Now, even here, it's my fault.

"Xiao Ma, don't hide it. Boss Zhang was also deceived by Duan Fei. It's better to tell him," Zhou Yiran said, walking over with a sad expression.

"What do you mean? What deception?" Zhang Yang asked, pretending not to understand.

Ma Guojun, in his helplessness, recounted what had happened last night.

"You mean, when the police came, Brother Duan was still cutting stones?" Zhang Yang asked, somewhat disbelieving. How could someone be so greedy?

Ma Guojun said helplessly, "That's right. He was like a madman. I don't understand why he would do this."

Zhou Yiran found a seat and sighed, "At that time, he was already possessed. Like a gambler at the table, once he started losing, he wanted to win back his losses, and he wouldn't stop until he did. Look at all the broken stones on the ground; he was already out of his mind, cutting one piece after another, refusing to stop. Fortunately, we discovered it early; otherwise, all the raw materials would have been cut open, and Boss Lei's efforts would have been in vain."

Zhang Yang asked in confusion, "What do you mean, Boss Lei? I heard from Brother Duan that this was Boss Xiao's business, and he said it was no different from his own. If that's the case, cutting the stones isn't a big deal, right?"

This was also what Zhang Yang was worried about. If Xiao Fei, like in Jin City, forgave Duan Fei again, his efforts would be wasted.

Ma Guojun shook his head and said, "Boss Zhang, you don't know. This store is a joint venture between Boss Lei and Boss Xiao. Boss Xiao set up the store and prepared the jewelry, but the raw materials are all Boss Lei's."

Zhang Yang finally understood. It was quite complicated.

Boss Lei had brought the raw gemstones for Duan Fei to sell, while his people managed the store. This was to prevent one party from becoming too dominant. This meant that not only was the raw material at stake, but Duan Fei's actions could also affect the cooperation between the two companies.

Seeing Zhang Yang's expression of realization, Ma Guojun smiled bitterly and said, "Boss Zhang, do you understand now? The situation is very complicated, and we don't know how the two bosses will resolve it."

"What about my jade?" Zhang Yang deliberately changed the subject to avoid being detected by Ma Guojun.

"We'll take it, of course. As long as we haven't received any instructions, we'll continue doing business. An exchange is no longer possible; the old pit material has already been cut open. But, Boss Zhang, it's a good thing you didn't exchange it; otherwise, your loss would have been significant," Ma Guojun said with a sigh.

"You mean there's no jade inside? Impossible, my feeling was very good," Zhang Yang said, not believing it.

"There is jade, but the quality and size are not as good as the one you have," Ma Guojun said.

Zhang Yang exclaimed in surprise, looking somewhat disbelieving.

Zhou Yiran sighed, "That afternoon, Duan Fei came to me and specifically asked about the old pit raw material. At that time, he might have already decided to cut the stones. I should have noticed; he had never been interested in raw materials before. Well, let's not talk about it. Boss Zhang, we've already appraised your jade. It's worth 3.8 million yuan. This is the highest price we can offer."

Zhang Yang saw Ma Guojun nodding slightly and smiled, "Alright, let's go with this price."

Yesterday, Liang Fatso had offered up to 3.2 million yuan. After one night, the price had increased by 600,000 yuan. It seemed that Ma Guojun was quite capable.

"Boss Zhang, let's finalize the transaction," Ma Guojun said.

The two returned to the reception room, and Ma Guojun closed the door and whispered, "Boss Zhang, if this incident hadn't happened, the price could have been even higher."

"I'm very satisfied with this price. Manager Ma, 3.7 million yuan is fine for me. You can keep the rest," Zhang Yang said.

Ma Guojun's face turned red, "That's too much!"

"It's only right. We'll be cooperating in the future, won't we?" Zhang Yang said.

"Of course," Ma Guojun said.

Looking around, Ma Guojun leaned close to Zhang Yang's ear and said, "Boss Zhang, I have some good news. If everything goes well, Boss Lei and Boss Xiao's cooperation will end soon. At that time, I'll be in charge of the store, and we'll have more opportunities to cooperate."

Knowing that Ma Guojun wasn't aligned with Xiao Fei, Zhang Yang no longer had any reservations about cooperating with him. He smiled, "That's great. I was really worried about losing such a good partner."

Ma Guojun smiled smugly.

Zhang Yang soon received a text message notification. Seeing the amount of 3.7 million yuan, he was very satisfied.

"Manager Ma, there's one more thing I need your help with," Zhang Yang said.

The transaction completed, Ma Guojun was very happy, especially since he had an extra 100,000 yuan.

"Tell me, and I'll do my best to help," Ma Guojun said.

"Regardless, Duan Fei has helped me. You don't know how much I value old relationships. I want to see him. What do you think?" Zhang Yang said.

Ma Guojun frowned, "That's not easy. Duan Fei has been criminally detained."

"Can't I see him?" Zhang Yang asked, disappointed.

Ma Guojun paced back and forth, "It's not impossible. Boss Lei called, and Boss Xiao will be here tonight. He might visit Duan Fei tomorrow. If you really want to see Duan Fei, come with me. I'll talk to Boss Xiao for you."

Hearing that Xiao Fei was coming, Zhang Yang almost lost his composure. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

Xiao Fei is coming?

I haven't even seen him face to face yet.

"Alright, I'll trouble you, Brother Ma. I have some other matters to attend to, so I'll leave first," Zhang Yang said.

Ma Guojun nodded, "Alright, Boss Zhang. Wait for my call tomorrow. In my opinion, you don't need to see him. People who betray others from within won't have a good end."

At that moment, Zhang Yang's mind was preoccupied with the news of Xiao Fei's arrival, and he didn't notice the unusual tone in Ma Guojun's words. It wasn't until he learned of Duan Fei's fate that he realized Duan Fei's destiny had been sealed long ago.

Leaving the Jade Pavilion, Zhang Yang got into his car. He was still in a daze, and when he came to his senses, the car had already stopped in front of a private restaurant. He wondered why he had come here.

Well, since I'm here, I might as well go in and sit for a while.

Zhang Yang didn't realize that his actions were driven by loneliness. He had no close friends to confide in, and when he was in a daze and had nowhere to go, the first place he thought of was here. After all, after Hong Yaqin's initiative to visit him, the two could be considered friends.

"Why are you here?" Hong Yaqin asked in surprise when she saw Zhang Yang enter.

Zhang Yang didn't say anything. He took a bottle of beer from the counter and found a seat.

"Is something troubling you?" Hong Yaqin asked, concerned.