Hua Yan's inquiries were met with a smile by Gao Ruoqing, as if she possessed some mysterious power in the jade gambling world. She then turned to the boss and asked, "Boss, can you solve stones in your shop?"
"We can. Let me personally handle it." The boss replied in a manner that brooked no refusal. Hua Yan, oblivious to the intricacies of the jade gambling world, paid no heed to the surprised gasps around her.
However, Hua Fu was not as ignorant as his daughter. Upon hearing the eccentric boss volunteering, excitement ignited in his previously anxious heart. He had been informed discreetly by an acquaintance about the remarkable nature of this inconspicuous shop and its eccentric owner.
This boss hailed from a lineage of several master jade gamblers. He had made a name for himself in the gambling world at the age of twelve and became unstoppable in the following years, with every gamble resulting in profit and jade of the highest quality. However, fate seemed envious of his talent; he vanished from the gambling world at the age of thirty, reappearing in the antique and jade street of the seaside city five years ago. He was usually lazy and had a peculiar temperament, rarely engaging with others. It was clear he had a story of his own.
His sudden intervention indicated that he saw potential in Hua Yan's jade gambling, or perhaps he sensed that the piece she selected would yield a full green.
"Thank you." Facing the boss's straightforwardness, which matched Hua Yan's temperament, her gratitude was sincere. All that remained was for the first green to appear. The more she anticipated it, the harder it became to contain her excitement. Though she had been reborn into a life of hardship, abandoned with only half a million to her name, the expenses of living in a villa with various maintenance fees for the property, garden, utilities, etc., added up to two to three hundred thousand a year.
Living lavishly came with expenses far beyond what she, a former orphan, could have imagined. She sighed at her laborious fate.
"Miss, which one would you like to solve first?"
"Let's start with the one in the inner room." Hua Fu, noticing his daughter's interest in the piece supporting the table, trembled with concern. He was particularly cautious about jade gambling and worried that the discarded piece might bring trouble.
But Hua Yan, accustomed to following her heart, was immediately drawn to the piece. Her most pressing concern was whether it held any value. Urgently, she exclaimed, "No, Father... the first piece chosen by your daughter should be solved first. How could it be left behind? Father..."
How could Hua Fu not understand his daughter's intentions? He chuckled and agreed repeatedly. Onlookers smiled at the affection between father and daughter, secretly envious.
As the hour approached eight, darkness descended, accompanied by a gentle breeze. The clinking of stones and the murmurs of the crowd filled the air. Amidst the dim light, the golden glow of fireworks and the continuous gasps of the crowd enlivened the atmosphere of the small shop.
At this moment, the gazes directed at Hua Yan almost matched those directed at Gao Ruoqing. Even the eccentric boss, though less fervent than others, couldn't help but tremble involuntarily. Hua Yan herself was overwhelmed with excitement as the piece supporting the table revealed a vibrant green. Its fresh hue surpassed even the ice-like quality of Gao Ruoqing's piece, capturing everyone's attention.
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Interested parties began bidding, hoping to acquire this jade. When all the jade was revealed, two pieces were of the highest ice-like quality, each the size of a grown man's fist, with even better characteristics than Gao Ruoqing's piece.
Observing people bid over eight million, Hua Yan calculated that selling one piece for eight million and both for over ten million would fill her pockets handsomely. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. With two such exceptional pieces, she had no intention of keeping them all for herself. However, she knew that at least two of the remaining five pieces could yield a green, while the other two were undoubtedly deliberately chosen stones. As for her father's piece, she hadn't checked whether it yielded a green.
In the end, Hua Yan sold one piece to Gao Ruoqing for nine million eight hundred thousand. It was then that she realized that Gao Ruoqing was not only a skilled jade gambler but also a top decision-maker in a national jade company. Hua Fu went to the nearby bank to confirm that the money had been deposited. After selling her father's piece, three more pieces yielded greens. Combining the three lower-quality pieces, they sold for five hundred thousand. Such ample earnings left people both envious and perplexed, wondering why Hua Yan and her family were so lucky, while some had never yielded a green in their jade gambling endeavors.
The complex looks from the surrounding people made Hua Yan feel uneasy, vaguely worried that she might be robbed. She silently regretted her lack of foresight. At that moment, the peculiar boss approached and said, "Miss, you've brought good fortune to our store today. Please allow me to invite you inside for a cup of tea as a token of gratitude."
While Hua Fu hesitated, Hua Yan sensed that the boss had no ill intentions and was genuinely kind-hearted. She nodded to her father and followed the boss inside.
With the usually composed Gao Ruoqing suddenly speaking out, "Boss, would you allow me to join you for tea as well?"
Hua Yan, curious about this unusual behavior, closely observed his facial expression. When he noticed her gaze, he didn't avoid it but smiled gently.
"Perhaps another time," the eccentric boss replied, displeased, directly rejecting Gao Ruoqing's inexplicable request. It might have been the first time Gao Ruoqing had been so ruthlessly turned down. Yet, he maintained his smile, appearing calm. Hua Yan's estimation of him rose once again.
"Then next time, I'll invite the old sir for tea. Please accept my business card, Miss. If you decide to sell the jade in your possession or wish to create jewelry from it, feel free to give me a call."
It turned out that Gao Ruoqing's commotion was all because he was still thinking about the rare jade in her possession. Perhaps he also had intentions of getting acquainted with her. Given his lack of malicious intent, Hua Yan smiled and accepted.
After all, with her current knowledge of her abilities, Hua Yan had plans to open a unique jade jewelry store. Getting to know the eccentric boss could secure a potential business partner for the future, not to mention the Cordial Jade Group, which not only had several major jade carving workshops but also sold jade jewelry nationwide.
Inside the clean, tranquil room of the boss, they enjoyed a cup of fragrant tea similar to the ones served at the Grand Banquet Hotel. During the tea session, Hua Yan and her father learned that the peculiar boss had indeed stepped in to protect them from the scrutiny of the crowd. Shortly after, the intermediary went out and returned with a few people to accompany them back to the hotel.
Hua Fu still wasn't sure whether to trust the boss. However, persuaded by Hua Yan's keen intuition about people, he reluctantly agreed. Later that evening, as they returned to the hotel, they received news that the collaboration between Cheng Jie and Alice had fallen through. Not long after, Cheng Jie also turned his attention to the jade business and headed to the seaside city.