The saying "one cut makes you poor, one cut makes you rich" perfectly describes the situation we just witnessed.
Yang Hongtao made a fortune with that one cut. He bought a full-gamble material for 10,000 yuan and sold it for 65 million yuan.
Huang Lianshu just cut himself out of the world with that one slash, and 65 million went down the drain in an instant!
Since Huang Lianshu had accepted the bet, he had to accept defeat. Otherwise, if he were to settle scores with Yang Hongtao now, not only would he be looked down upon, but he would also be breaking the rules of the industry, making it difficult for him to make any progress in the antique and jewelry business in the future.
So Huang Lianshu had no choice but to swallow his anger and leave without saying a word.
As for the uncut rough stone, I'll just have to wait until I get home to cut it slowly, so as not to embarrass myself here.
When Yang Hongtao saw Huang Lianshu's furious expression, he felt incredibly pleased and almost burst out laughing.
"Mr. Zhou, are you still going to cut this rough jade?"
The staff member who was accompanying Yang Hongtao to deliver the raw materials noticed that Yang Hongtao was staring blankly at Huang Lianshu's departing figure and couldn't help but go up and ask him about it.
"Untie...of course it needs to be untied! I don't own a jewelry company, so if there's jade inside, there's no use for me keeping it...Untie...untie it for me now..."
Yang Hongtao was also worried that if the stones he picked were all worth more, it would attract too much attention.
But thinking about it... although he made 65 million from that rough stone, anyone with eyes could see that it was probably only worth a few hundred thousand at most. As for Yang Hongtao making money, it was just "lucky" that he happened to cut out the two green sides.
So... that piece of rough jade didn't actually make a huge profit, but now that he's cut another piece of rough jade and made a profit, people will probably just say he's lucky today, and won't think anything else!
Besides... just like Yang Hongtao said, he doesn't own a jewelry company, so there's no use keeping this piece of glass-type jade. Today, almost all the famous jewelers in the country are here. If a good piece of jade comes out, these people can drive up the price among themselves and sell it for a good price. If he waits until he cuts out this piece of jade in the future and then looks for a buyer, there will be no one to compete with him, so his profits will definitely be greatly reduced.
The stone-cutting master was somewhat familiar with Yang Hongtao, so when he saw that Yang Hongtao still wanted the stone cut, he didn't hesitate. He immediately lifted the rough stone onto the stone-cutting machine with the staff, asked Yang Hongtao's opinion, and then turned on the machine and cut it in one stroke...
"It's green...it's green...it's glass-type jadeite! My God...it's a top-quality glass-type jadeite with a secondary green hue!"
After the stone-cutting master made seven cuts as instructed by Yang Hongtao, a small piece of the jadeite hidden inside the rough stone was finally revealed.
At this moment, the stone-cutting master was so excited that his whole body was trembling... Glass type! He had been cutting jadeite rough for half his life, and this was only the second time he had seen glass type jadeite. He had almost forgotten what he had seen last time. Based on his experience, this rough did not look like it could yield jadeite. But after a few cuts, not only did it turn out green, but it was also an extremely rare glass type material!
Although the stone-cutting master was extremely excited, he did not forget his duty. He first washed the green area with clean water, and then stepped aside to wait.
Since Yang Hongtao has already said that this rough jade is meant to be sold, and now that green has been cut out, according to the rules, the jewelry company owners who are watching can come up and take a look at the exposed jade, and then the bidding will begin.
When the owners of the jewelry companies heard that a piece of glass-type jade had been found, they were all very excited. They took out magnifying glasses and squeezed to the front to take a look at the exposed jade.
After they finished reading, they simply stepped aside and remained silent, and for a long time no one offered a price.
The stone-cutting master was extremely puzzled by what he saw. He couldn't understand what was wrong with the owners of these jewelry companies today. They had encountered such a rare glass-type jade, yet no one wanted to bid on it?
The stone-cutting master didn't understand what was going on, but Yang Hongtao could guess. He knew that the owners of these jewelry companies were probably all frightened by Huang Lianshu's recent gambling failure.
Sixty-five million! In the blink of an eye, it's turned into a pile of broken stones. Anyone would be in deep trouble over this.
It's only because Huang Lianshu, a big shot on the Chinese Forbes list, wasn't seriously injured; any of them present would have been severely weakened! And the piece Huang Lianshu just bid on was only an icy jadeite, but now a legendary glassy jadeite has appeared... How much would it cost to bid on this piece? And what risks would be involved!
So... the glass-type jadeite in this rough stone really tempted them, but at the same time, it also terrified them! They were afraid of following in Huang Lianshu's footsteps and wasting tens of millions of dollars, which would be a huge loss! So everyone became very cautious, and no one dared to bid easily.
The fact that these jewelry company owners dared not bid was exactly what Yang Hongtao wanted. After all, this piece of material was not fake; it contained a real piece of glass-type secondary green jadeite the size of a small bowl. If the jadeite was not fully cut out, he figured that even if these people bid, they wouldn't dare to bid too high. Therefore, it would be best to wait until the entire piece of jadeite was cut out before auctioning it off to maximize profits.
Yang Hongtao simply smiled, beckoned to the stone-cutting master, and said, "Keep cutting... Hehe... Anyway, this rough stone isn't very big, it won't take long to cut it all out. Since no one is willing to bid, let's keep cutting... until we've completely extracted the jade from this rough stone..."
The jewelry company owners blushed upon hearing this, realizing that Yang Hongtao was mocking their cowardice. However, Yang Hongtao's words were exactly what they wanted to hear.
It's better to wait until the entire piece of jade is cut out before bidding. Although the profit margin will be much smaller that way, there's no risk involved! If it were just ordinary jade, they could gamble and place an offer, but this... this is glass-type jade! If they bid too low, no one will sell! And if they bid too high, what if they encounter an empty shell?
Volume 1 The Rebirth of a Prodigy Chapter 79 A windfall of 80 million
As the rough stone shrank under the stone-cutting machine, revealing more and more of the jade inside, all the jewelry company owners' eyes lit up.
Several people had already raised their hands and bid during this time. The first bidder directly offered a high price of 20 million, and that was when the rough stone had just been polished to reveal its second green color.
However, Yang Hongtao remained unmoved, deliberately putting on a stern face and appearing very stubborn, urging the stone-cutting master to cut the entire rough stone. He said he would not sell it to anyone, no matter who offered a price, until the entire rough stone was cut open.
At first, the jewelry company owners didn't pay much attention, but when they watched the entire piece of high-quality glass-type jadeite gradually unfold before their eyes, they couldn't help but look at each other, and they could see regret and remorse in each other's eyes.
Everyone was thinking... Why was I so cautious just now? It's not like I just learned that gambling on stones is risky. How come seeing Boss Huang suffer such a big loss today scared us so much? If we had been even a little bit bolder just now, and had offered a reasonable price when no one else dared to bid, we might have already won the bid for that piece.
But now... the risk is gone, but how much profit will be left? The owners of several well-known jewelry companies across the country are watching closely. Even if I'm willing to lose money to gain publicity, I might not get this opportunity!
"Alright... Now that the entire piece of jade has been extracted, everyone can start bidding now if they're interested. If anyone is still worried about the quality of this jade, then there's no need to place a bid..."
Yang Hongtao waited until the stone-cutting master had completely extracted the bowl-sized piece of jade from the rough stone before calmly addressing the eye-catching jewelry company owners.
After listening to Yang Hongtao's words, the jewelry company owners looked at each other again, and finally, it was Mr. Zhong who gritted his teeth and quoted a price.
"I'll offer sixty million!"
Other jewelry company owners didn't react much to Mr. Zhong's quote, but Yang Hongtao was immediately taken aback.
Upon first seeing the rough jade, Yang Hongtao had already determined its value based on the experience he inherited from the remnant soul of the jade carver. He estimated that the semi-finished jade was worth around 30 million, and if it were carved into a finished piece of jewelry, it could easily sell for 60 to 70 million.
But now Boss Zhong has directly asked for a price of 60 million. Even if they buy it back and carve it, they probably won't have much profit left, right? Has Boss Zhong lost his mind?
However, Yang Hongtao soon discovered that Boss Zhong wasn't the only one who was out of his mind...
"I'll offer sixty-one million..."
"Sixty-two million!"
"Sixty-five million!"
"I'll offer sixty-eight million..."
"Seventy million!"
In the short time it took Yang Hongtao to react, the price of this piece of jadeite had already exceeded that of the previous piece of fake icy jadeite.
The price has even reached the peak that Yang Hongtao predicted after the jade was carved into a finished product. If the price continues to rise, whoever buys it will probably lose money!
Yang Hongtao knew that it was impossible for all the owners of these jewelry companies to have lost their minds, so there was only one possibility: his judgment on the market price of jadeite materials, which he had inherited from the remnant soul of the jade carver, was no longer accurate.
Yang Hongtao thought this was quite likely, after all, the jade carver was a criminal executed in the same period as him, so the jade carver's memory was still based on the market conditions three years ago. Now that three years have passed, it is not surprising that the jade market has changed.
In fact, things were not as Yang Hongtao imagined. Three years had passed and the market situation had changed somewhat, but the price fluctuations were not that significant.
This piece of jadeite was priced at 70 million, which actually leaves little room for profit. However, the owners of these jewelry companies are well aware that in the past two years, the amount of jadeite rough produced in Myanmar has been decreasing, and high-quality jadeite is even rarer. For example, a piece of jadeite that can reach the glass type has not appeared on the market for at least a year.
Therefore, the owners of all jewelry companies want to win back this piece of material, even if they don't make a single penny from it. At least they can use this opportunity to enhance their company's reputation and boost sales of mid-to-high-end jewelry.
Alternatively, you could buy this material and not sell it to the public, but display it as a prized possession of the store. This would attract the attention of many high-end consumers. These kinds of benefits are something that no amount of money can buy!
When the bid for this piece of material reached 75 million, the atmosphere finally cooled down.
Frankly speaking, this price is already a loss-making proposition, and there seems to be little point in continuing to bid.
After all, there are many benefits to winning the bid for this piece of material, but if the price is too high, they have to consider whether it is worth it.
If the losses are too high, it would be better to save that money and use it for TV advertising!
Just then, Xin Yue suddenly pushed through the crowd, hurriedly walked up to Yang Hongtao, and formally bowed to him, saying, "Mr. Zhou, I formally apologize for my offense just now. I hope you can forgive me and allow our Bairui Group to participate in the bidding for this jadeite raw material, is that alright?"
"sure……"
Yang Hongtao gave a wry smile upon hearing this. He wasn't really angry with Xin Yue just now; it was just that they were quite familiar with each other, and he was too embarrassed to use that empty shell of material to cheat their family out of their money. But now, the piece of material he had was a genuine, high-quality one, so he naturally didn't mind if Bairui Group joined the bidding.
Of course... it's just giving them a fair chance to bid. As for selling it to them at a low price, that's absolutely out of the question. Yang Hongtao isn't so easily swayed by Xin Yue's two winks.
"Thank you... thank you for giving us this opportunity..." Xin Yue excitedly raised her head and said loudly, "Then I will now offer 80 million on behalf of Bairui Group!"
"Well……"
Xin Yue's bid was five million higher than the previous highest price, instantly shattering the psychological defenses of all the bidders. After hesitating for a long time, none of the jewelry company owners made any further bids. As a result, the glass-type jadeite was sold to the Bairui Group, represented by Xin Yue and Zheng Jingren, for a sky-high price of eighty million.
Xin Yue immediately rushed forward excitedly and gave Yang Hongtao a warm hug to celebrate, which made all the men present extremely envious, their eyes filled with jealousy as they looked at Yang Hongtao.
What does it mean to have both wealth and beauty? This is it... Damn it, how come we never had such a wonderful thing?
Volume 1: The Rebirth of a Prodigy, Chapter 80: Stinky Tofu
After another successful transfer, Yang Hongtao's account balance had increased to over 140 million!
So he became a billionaire?
After returning to the hotel and taking a shower, Yang Hongtao lay in bed, still feeling a bit unreal, as if he were in a dream. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, one moment Huang Lianshu's hateful face, the next a long string of numbers displaying his bank balance on the computer screen. He drifted off to sleep in a daze after a long while.
"Knock knock knock..."
Yang Hongtao felt as if he had just fallen asleep when there was a loud knocking on the door.
Upon hearing the knocking, Yang Hongtao knew without using his soul power to see through things that it was Xin Yue, that fiery woman, again.
Sure enough… Yang Hongtao yawned as he opened the door, only to see Xin Yue dressed in a more casual dress, standing in the doorway like a sexy goddess, her hands on her slender waist. Seeing Yang Hongtao still in his pajamas, she immediately rolled her eyes at him, snorted, and said, “You lazybones! We agreed to go out for dinner at six o’clock, look at the time! Uh… I really don’t understand how a grown man like you can sleep so much all day… It seems like you’re only awake for a few hours out of the 24 hours!”
Upon hearing this, Yang Hongtao scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said, "Well... I'm still growing, so of course I need to make sure I get enough sleep!"
Upon hearing this, Xin Yue bent over as if to vomit and said, "Ugh... You think you're still growing? Do you think you're still a cute little boy in your teens?!"
Yang Hongtao shrugged and said, "Who says that boys can't grow taller if they're not little cuties... Fine, I'm not going to discuss this with you. Come in and wait a bit! I'll just go wash my face..."
After saying that, Yang Hongtao took the coat he was going to change into and went into the restroom.
Actually, Yang Hongtao wasn't lying just now; he was indeed growing... but not in height, he was growing stronger.
He now practices Niu-style Tai Chi twice a day, which has a strong effect on stimulating and strengthening his muscles and bones, and is also constantly improving his body's microcirculation system. These changes not only require him to eat a lot of high-calorie food every day, but also to ensure sufficient sleep, which is why he has become more sleepy recently.
Yang Hongtao quickly finished washing up, changed his clothes, and came out of the hotel with Xin Yue.
"Where do you want to eat?" Xin Yue asked Yang Hongtao seriously after getting into the luxurious Cadillac.
"How would I know!" Yang Hongtao shook his head and said, "This is my first time in Kunming, I can't even tell which way is north, south, east, or west... Anyway, you figure it out. Just don't sell me to a brothel!"
Xin Yue chuckled at Yang Hongtao's antics, then glared at him fiercely and said, "You wish! Even if I wanted to sell you to a broth shop, they wouldn't want you! Look at your skinny frame... you can't even see a muscle. What rich woman would be blind enough to want you? Humph... someone like you would be better off being thrown into a bone broth shop as a spare rib to make soup!"
Yang Hongtao retorted, unconvinced, "Who says that being thin means you won't attract rich women? Don't you women all like thin women?"
Who says women only like thin women?
"Don't like thin women? If you don't like thin women, why are you all desperately trying to lose weight?"
"Uh... what kind of logic is that!"
Xin Yue was finally defeated by Yang Hongtao. After rolling her eyes a few times, she thought for a moment and said, "How about this? I'll take you to eat some outdoor barbecue, hehe... Last time I came to Kunming, I secretly went to eat there by myself, and the taste... tsk tsk... I still get hungry just thinking about it. It tastes much better than the food in big hotels. Uh... it's just that the hygiene there is a bit poor. I definitely have to buy some medicine after we eat, otherwise I'll easily get an upset stomach!"
"Alright... let's go have an outdoor barbecue!"