Chapter 75

"Old Wang, your luck hasn't been good lately, huh? Hehe, this piece of raw stone is probably worth 5 to 6 million, right? Tsk tsk, you've cut it wrong again. How many pieces have you cut wrong this year? If your luck is bad, don't gamble. A few million is like throwing it into the water; you might hear a splash, but that's it, sigh!"

The crowd parted, and a man in his early forties walked in, his smile not reaching his eyes as he mocked, "Old Wang, a few million is just a small matter. You, Li Dasha, lost over 50 million at the Tengchong public auction last year, didn't you?"

Li Jinlong's smile didn't waver as he teased, "Last year, I made 600 million, so I can afford to lose. But I heard your 'Jinyuxuan' lost a few hundred million last year, didn't it?"

Someone in the crowd asked, "Who is this guy?"

"It's Li Jinlong, the boss of 'Jinlong Jade.' Don't you know him? He's one of the top figures in the jade industry in Shicheng!"

"Is that so? Do Li Jinlong and Wang Juekun have a grudge against each other?" someone asked curiously in a low voice.

"Hehe, you asked the right person. I'm one of the few who know the inside story. Not only do they have a grudge, but it's also a matter of a wife being taken. Originally, Li Jinlong and Wang Juekun were childhood friends. Later, they both became apprentices under the jade king of Shicheng, Liu Yishou. Liu Yishou had a daughter, and both of them fell for her. It's said that the young master's sister first fell for Li Jinlong, but Wang Juekun somehow stole her away. Because of this, they became enemies!"

Hao Meng, listening on the side, smiled and asked curiously, "So, did Boss Wang end up marrying the young master's sister?"

"No!" The man shook his head and sighed, "What a pity!"

Hao Meng frowned and didn't ask further. After all, it wasn't a pleasant topic. He thought for a moment, then pulled Xu Meng inside and asked Wang Juekun with a smile, "Boss Wang, are you still going to gamble on this piece of raw stone?"

Wang Juekun turned around and sized up Hao Meng, saying, "So, little brother, you're interested in this piece of raw stone?"

Hao Meng nodded. Before he could speak, Li Jinlong, standing nearby, interjected, "Young man, don't be fooled. This piece of raw stone has already been cut wrong. There's no point in gambling anymore."

Xu Meng, not knowing what had gotten into him, pulled on his arm, thinking, "There's no green in the cross-section, what's there to gamble?"

"Not necessarily!" Hao Meng squeezed Xu Meng's hand and said to Wang Juekun and Li Jinlong with a smile, "This piece of raw stone has just been cut in half; it can still be gambled." He paused and then said straightforwardly to Wang Juekun, "If Boss Wang is willing to let it go, I'm willing to pay half the price of the raw stone to buy it and take on the risk. What do you think?"

Wang Juekun was conflicted. He had high hopes for this piece of jade raw stone. Fifty million wasn't a huge amount to him, but he couldn't bear the blow of making a wrong judgment. As Li Jinlong said, he had cut dozens of pieces of raw stone this year, and not one had been a success.

Looking at the jade raw stone split in two, Wang Juekun didn't have the courage to cut it again.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll let it go. You can have it for 20 million. If it turns out to be a success, I'll throw a banquet to celebrate!"

Xu Meng frowned and whispered to Hao Meng, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I feel this piece of raw stone will yield jade!" Hao Meng smiled and replied. He walked over to Wang Juekun, and since the jade stall had a POS machine, he transferred 20 million to Wang Juekun on the spot to avoid any trouble later.

He bought the jade raw stone split in two!

Xu Meng didn't stop Hao Meng; she just rolled her eyes and muttered, "Crazy, definitely crazy!" But she knew that 20 million wasn't a huge amount for him now, and he could afford to play and lose.

"Ah, the young man is too impulsive. I can guarantee that this piece of raw stone definitely doesn't have jade," Li Jinlong sighed, shaking his head.

Both Wang Juekun and Li Jinlong were experts in gambling on raw stone.

Hao Meng, however, smiled and didn't say anything. He pointed to the half of the raw stone that had no "goods" inside and said to the worker at the jade stall, "Master, please cut this one first, right down the middle!" He already knew there was nothing in this half, so it didn't matter how it was cut. He just wanted to make a show of it in front of everyone.

"Sure thing!" The worker started cutting, and in a few moments, the half of the raw stone was cut into small pieces, revealing nothing.

The crowd sighed. That was 20 million, gone to waste. Jade raw stone wasn't something everyone could handle!

"One cut to poverty, one cut to wealth, even the gods can't judge a piece of jade," Li Jinlong said, laughing with a hint of schadenfreude.

Wang Juekun stood nearby, his face dark, but he didn't say a word.

Hao Meng turned to look at him and said with a smile, "Everyone makes mistakes. If you're a horse, you can trip. Boss Li, there's still half of the jade raw stone left. Can you be sure there's nothing inside?"

He turned back, squatted by the cutting machine, and drew a line on the surface of the raw stone according to his memory. He stood up and said, "Master, please cut along this line this time!"

The cutting machine hummed to life again. The crowd, which had been noisy, fell silent. Xu Meng clenched her fists and watched, looking quite tense.

"Jade, jade! Yang green, ice jade!" the worker suddenly shouted.

Wang Juekun reacted even faster than Hao Meng, taking two steps forward and pouring some mineral water on the cut surface, then exclaiming excitedly, "Yes, ice jade!"

The crowd erupted in excitement, crowding forward, and Hao Meng, the owner, was pushed to the side.

"Little brother, congratulations! This piece of stone has turned out to be a success, not just a success, but a big success, ha ha!" Wang Juekun laughed heartily, looking even happier than if he had made the successful cut himself.

Li Jinlong also came over to take a look, but his face was not so pleasant. He stepped back and said nothing. If no jade had been found, he could have mocked and laughed, but now that it had turned out to be a big success, it would definitely be said that he had made a mistake.

"Young man, are you going to sell this piece of jade? I'll offer you 2 million. You'll make ten times your investment and won't have to bear any more risk," someone suddenly asked.

Before Hao Meng could speak, Wang Juekun interjected with a cold laugh, "2 million? That's not a fair deal. If you want to sell, I'll buy it for 8 million." He paused and added, "But if I were you, I'd dig out the jade first to maximize the profit. I estimate the value of the jade inside is definitely more than 8 million!"

Hao Meng smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'll follow your advice, Brother!"

Wang Juekun rolled up his sleeves and personally helped Hao Meng cut the stone!