"Brother Song, don't joke around with your little brother..."
This time, Zhuang Rui's eyes widened in disbelief. He had valued this rough stone at 15 million in his mind, but now Song Jun had offered 18 million. If the jade inside was as visible through the window, that would be fine, but the problem was that this rough stone was completely counterfeit.
Song Jun has always been on good terms with him, and he has troubled him with many small favors. If Song Jun really wins the bid for this rough stone, Zhuang Rui will feel embarrassed to take his money. Of course, even if Song Jun wins the bid, he won't cut the stone. He will definitely hoard it for a few years before selling it, in order to avoid losing money.
The price offered by Song Jun instantly silenced the previously noisy venue. Eighteen million was not a low price. Even in a sealed auction, excluding a few top-tier rough stones, this price would definitely rank among the top three.
"Hehe. Brother Zhuang, others can buy it, but I can't. Sigh, why didn't I take a liking to this rough stone back then? I overlooked things right under my nose. Master Peng, I'm not talking about you, but back then we were only looking at semi-gambling stones."
After complaining for a while, Song Jun noticed that Master Peng's expression wasn't very good, so he quickly offered some words of comfort. In his previous words, he had included Master Peng in his complaint as well.
"Mr. Song, even if we look at all the high-quality materials, I still wouldn't choose this one."
Upon hearing Song Jun's words, Master Peng felt relieved and said with a wry smile.
Song Jun nodded and said, "That's true. The surface of this rough stone is indeed not very good. Brother, how did you choose such a rough stone? And you even managed to make a huge profit from it... Come on, don't say anymore. It must be that string of old dzi beads that brought you good luck."
"Brother Song, you know I'm broke. I only buy cheap rough stones, hoping to make a profit if I win, or just let it go if I lose. But I've been pretty lucky, haha."
Zhuang Rui was dismissive of Song Jun's words. If the old dzi beads could really bring people such luck, then spending a few million to get a string of them would surely bring good luck every day.
On another note, if this old dzi bead were really that effective, he wouldn't have gotten punched at the airport. Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui felt a bit itchy and couldn't help but look towards where Xu Wei and the others were standing.
Upon closer inspection, Zhuang Rui noticed that only Xu Wei was standing there, while Xu Zhendong and Master Zhao had gone to examine Zhuang Rui's jadeite. Not only Xu Zhendong and Master Zhao, but also seven or eight jade merchants were gathered around the rough stone. They didn't seem to care much about the price that Song Jun had offered earlier.
You should know that the two windows cut into Zhuang Rui's rough jade are exceptionally well done, revealing green color at the same time. Both are bright green icy jadeite. A bracelet made from such jadeite would have a pure color and be crystal clear. Apart from glassy, fully green jadeite, it can be considered a top-quality bracelet, and a single piece could sell for millions.
This rough stone weighs 52 jin (approximately 26 kg). Green jadeite is visible after rubbing down about 2-3 centimeters on both sides. This means that there is a high probability that the rough stone contains a whole piece of jadeite. Furthermore, it can be observed from the windows on both sides that the color and texture of this whole piece of jadeite are very uniform. If everyone is not mistaken, it would not be a big problem to extract 20-30 jin (approximately 10-15 kg) of icy green jadeite from this rough stone.
As mentioned above, a single bracelet can sell for over a million yuan. How many bracelets can be made from a rough stone weighing twenty or thirty kilograms and bundled together? Those present had already made a clear estimate in their minds, but based on this calculation, the actual value of this rough stone is no less than twenty million yuan.
Furthermore, the hollowed-out areas of the bracelet can be carved into numerous pendants and other ornaments, and these trinkets are quite expensive, costing at least eight or nine thousand to tens of thousands of yuan. As a result, the price of this rough stone has skyrocketed. Song Jun's earlier bid was merely a bit too aggressive, but it wasn't enough to intimidate these experts.
"Young man, I'll offer twenty million for this rough jade..."
"Twenty-five million, Mr. Han, you're not on a winning streak today, so don't get involved."
"Bullshit, I haven't lost anything gambling yet. You're the one who lost a piece just now, didn't you? Twenty million eight hundred thousand."
"Twenty-one million? I say, you two stop arguing. My company is currently short of some good materials, so give them to me."
After about seven or eight minutes, the people surrounding the raw material dispersed, and a new round of bidding started with Mr. Han, creating another climax.
Everyone wore a fanatical expression, determined to acquire the rough jade. Even Xu Zhendong's gaze towards Zhuang Rui seemed to carry a hint of flattery, though he hadn't yet made a bid.
This is understandable, as Xu Zhendong was founded before the liberation of China and is considered a long-established jewelry company in the country. In the early 1990s, it experienced rapid development. However, since Xu Zhendong took over the family business in the mid-1990s, several misjudgments have led to a decline in the company's business, and its current situation is far from what it used to be.
This year, Xu's Jewelry has been hit even harder. The failure of its jade gambling venture at the Myanmar jade auction not only resulted in huge losses for the company but also left its high-end products facing a shortage of raw materials. Furthermore, suppliers of ordinary raw materials are terminating their supply contracts. Xu's Jewelry is now in dire straits. If it weren't for its remaining resources, its branches across the country would likely be facing stockouts.
Those in the jade business know that while low-grade jade items are the easiest to sell, the profit margin isn't very high. Selling hundreds of low-grade jade items in a month might not even generate as much profit as selling three to five high-grade jadeite pieces. Furthermore, whether a store has good stock is also a way for others to gauge the overall strength of your company.
The old man's move to cut off the supply line from the bottom could not actually shake the foundation of Xu's Jewelry. Although the old man had a wide circle of friends, merchants have always been profit-driven. As long as Xu's Jewelry offered a high price, the supply of low-grade jadeite raw materials should not be a problem. However, the raw materials for high-grade jadeite cannot be provided by those rough jadeite merchants. This must be resolved by the various jadeite gambling venues themselves.
Xu Zhendong hadn't expected that the kid he had just ridiculed would actually cut out a high-quality piece of raw jade so quickly. He was filled with regret, fearing that Zhuang Rui would reject his offer, which was why he hadn't made a bid yet.
If Zhuang Rui knew what Xu Zhendong was thinking, he would probably be even more frustrated. "I was just waiting for you to bid," he thought, so after seeing Xu Zhendong's look, he returned a smile.
Zhuang Rui's attitude greatly encouraged Xu Zhendong. At this moment, in his eyes, Zhuang Rui had transformed from an ignorant and reckless young man into a sensible and capable young man who knew when to advance and retreat. Without further hesitation, Xu Zhendong shouted, "Xu's Jewelry bids twenty-three million!"
Xu Zhendong called out his company's name for two reasons. First, to tell everyone that he was determined to get this rough jade stone, and those who were not convinced should compare themselves; those weaker than him should not get involved. Second, he had some jade merchants he was on good terms with, and this was also a way of asking them for favors—a favor that could be repaid later, after all, everyone has difficult times.
"Han's Jewelry has offered 25 million yuan!"
Xu Zhendong is not the only powerful jewelry company. This plump, fair-skinned boss, Han Haowei, is the owner of Han's Jewelry, which has been very successful in recent years. The scarcity of high-grade jadeite raw materials is a problem faced by many jewelry companies today, so Boss Han will not give up on this rough stone easily.
On the other hand, the Song army has ceased its activities. He doesn't cut the stones; he's just hoarding them. If the price is too high, he won't make a move. Although he's optimistic about the future of the jade market, it would be unwise to put all his money into a few rough stones.
Song Jun raised 80 million yuan to make a good deal at this jade gambling conference. He had just looked at a few rough stones and estimated their value at over 30 million yuan. Naturally, he was unwilling to invest so much in Zhuang Rui's rough stone, since he hadn't even looked at the sealed bids from many other stalls yet.
"Xiao Han, you guys made quite a haul at the Myanmar jade auction last time, and now you're trying to snatch this piece of rough jade from this old man?"
Now, only Xu Zhendong and this Mr. Han are left to make offers.
"Mr. Xu, you're a senior, you know the market situation, nobody has any surplus grain..."
Han Haowei was equally unwilling to back down. Gambling on stones is inherently risky, with nine out of ten attempts ending in failure. Considering the entire stone gambling event, it was unlikely that a better rough stone would appear. Naturally, Boss Han was not willing to give in.
"Good, young man, you have energy! I'll contribute 27 million!"
Xu Zhendong laughed and immediately raised the price by two million, which was his way of showing the other party that Xu's Jewelry was determined to get this rough stone.
Mr. Han hesitated. After all, this rough stone was not an exposed one. Although the gamble was not great, there was still a risk. The price of 27 million was not low. Of course, if the inside of this rough stone was as good as the outside, then 27 million would be well worth it.
"Twenty-eight million!"
Boss Han gritted his teeth and added another million, but in terms of momentum, he was already weaker than Xu Zhendong.
Thirty million!
Xu Zhendong refused to back down and immediately raised the price by another two million.
"My God, this piece of rough jade is definitely going to be the top lot of the day."
"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; Xu's Jewelry still has considerable strength."
Immediately, the onlookers began to discuss among themselves. In such a setting, bidding up prices was, to some extent, free publicity for their own companies.
Chapter 201 The Crazy Stone (The End)
Thirty million!
The number Xu Zhendong shouted out made everyone present gasp in shock.
A price of 30 million RMB is rare even at major jade auctions. And today is only the first day of the Pingzhou Jadeite Rough Stone Conference. You should know that the winning bid for the rough stone at the last Pingzhou Jadeite Rough Stone Conference was only 30 million RMB. The price that Xu Zhendong has now offered has already matched the winning bid price of the last Jadeite Rough Stone Conference.
At this moment, Boss Han was also a little hesitant. The price that Xu Zhendong had quoted had exceeded his bottom line. Just as Xu Zhendong had said, he had won a piece of rough jade through open bidding at the Myanmar jade auction two months ago, and he had also won one of the two pieces of rough jade in sealed bidding. As things stand, his company does not lack medium and high-grade jade raw materials.
However, the saying "rivals in the same trade" is most applicable to the jade industry. Being able to intercept someone else's jadeite raw materials means one less competitor in the mid-to-high-end jadeite market, especially since it's now a two-way competition. If you weaken yourself, it will affect the company's reputation; at the very least, people will say you lack strength.
"How about it? Xiao Han, you've already made quite a splash in Myanmar. As for this piece of rough jade, you can give it to me."
Seeing that Boss Han hadn't spoken for a long time, Xu Zhendong said with a smug look on his face.
Xu Zhendong offered such a high price for two reasons: firstly, Xu's Jewelry is indeed in short supply of high-grade jadeite raw materials; secondly, they suffered a setback at the Myanmar jadeite auction a few months ago, which greatly affected the company's reputation. Xu Zhendong wanted to take this opportunity to showcase the strength of Xu's Jewelry.
Large beads of sweat were already forming on Han Haowei's forehead, and the towel in his hand was so wet it could be wrung out. This was partly due to the hot weather, and partly because Xu Zhendong had forced him into this situation. Once he made a bid, it would be worth millions, and if he made any mistakes, it would be too late to regret it.
Thirty-one million!
Han Haowei shouted out the price almost word by word, his fair face flushed red, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the towel in his right hand, with drops of sweat dripping from the towel onto the ground.
The crowd erupted in cheers once again. Last year's top bid at the Pingzhou Jade Auction was a small, glass-type rough jade stone, sold through a sealed-bid auction. It was only about ten kilograms in size and was sold to a jewelry company for 30 million yuan. This year, before the sealed-bid auction even opened, the record had already been broken, much to everyone's surprise.
Now, it's Xu Zhendong's turn to be hesitant. Although he appeared calm and collected just now, he was under a lot of pressure. After all, according to his and Master Zhao's estimates, they should be able to make a profit if they spent less than 30 million on this rough stone, but if it went higher, it was hard to say.
Xu Zhendong had already decided to spend money on advertising when he offered a price of 30 million RMB, and he was confident that this price would scare Han Haowei away. However, to his surprise, Han Haowei actually stood his ground. As a result, Xu Zhendong began to hesitate.
Xu Zhendong is now in a difficult position. The assertive attitude he displayed earlier has suddenly turned into a declaration of giving up. If this gets out, he'll probably become a laughing stock in the jade industry.
What are your opinions?
Xu Zhendong turned to Master Zhao and Xu Wei beside him and asked. Although he was a very strong parent, he was also a little undecided at this moment. After all, Xu's Jewelry had not been doing well in recent years and its funds were not so abundant. More than 30 million yuan accounted for nearly half of the entire Xu's Jewelry's working capital.
"Uncle, that kid surnamed Zhuang has a really strange knack for it. That time in Nanjing, the rough jade he cut open initially seemed only average, worth around three to five million, but after it was cut into finished pieces, its value skyrocketed..."
Although Xu Wei and Zhuang Rui did not get along and Xu Wei did not want to see Zhuang Rui make money, he also knew that the company was in poor condition and lacked high-grade jadeite materials. Therefore, he was still inclined to buy this rough stone.
"Judging from the current performance, it's highly likely that this rough stone will yield a jadeite worth around 30 million yuan. If it's worth more than that, then it's hard to say."
Master Zhao's suggestion was quite reasonable, but the choice was ultimately left to Xu Zhendong.
If Zhuang Rui heard what they were saying, he would definitely laugh his head off. The reason Liu Chuan's rough stone was cut into a finished piece was because Zhuang Rui did it intentionally. Since there was jade inside, it was natural to cut it into a finished piece to maximize its profit before selling it. If the rough stone really had the characteristics of those two skylights, Zhuang Rui wouldn't have gambled on it; he would have definitely cut out all the jade inside.
As for Master Zhao's claim of 30 million, that's completely wrong. If a layer of jadeite about three centimeters thick in this rough stone could be made into a piece worth 3 million, you should be incredibly lucky.
Thirty-two million!
Xu Zhendong practically gritted his teeth as he shouted out the new price. Securing this rough stone meant that Xu's Jewelry would not be out of stock of high-end jewelry for the next few months, which was undoubtedly very important for the reputation of a jewelry company.
"Let me take another look at this raw material."
Mr. Han couldn't hold back any longer. After greeting Zhuang Rui, he squatted down next to the rough stone and began to examine it carefully again. At this moment, Han Haowei wished he had X-ray vision so he could see through the jade inside the rough stone.
"Old Master Gu is here, everyone please make way."
The events at Yang Hao's stall finally caught the attention of the organizers of the jade gambling convention: the Pingzhou Jade Association.
Accompanied by several officials, Old Master Gu walked through the crowd to the center of the circle. He immediately spotted Zhuang Rui and was taken aback. He had only come to see the jadeite after hearing that a piece of rough jadeite had been bid up to 30 million, but he hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to be here as well.
"Zhuang Rui, is this raw material yours?"
Seeing Zhuang Rui surrounded by Wei Ge and the others like a star, Old Master Gu asked hesitantly.
"Hehe, Uncle-Master. A few days ago, I went to look at some smuggled goods with Brother Song and bought this piece. I polished it today and unexpectedly, it turned out to be a winning bet. It's all luck, pure luck."
Zhuang Rui chuckled and nodded, acknowledging that the rough stone was his.
Old Master Gu stared at Zhuang Rui for a long time until Zhuang Rui got a little scared before he finally spoke: "I've been playing with jade for forty or fifty years, and I've spent most of my life in the jade gambling circle, but I've never seen anyone with your kind of luck. Now I understand why the Living Buddha bestowed the dzi bead upon you. It turns out you're just naturally blessed."
"Hehe, old man, that's all thanks to your excellent teaching."
"Bullshit, what can I teach you in just two days? Alright, stop being so smug after taking advantage of me. I'm going to take a look at your rough stone."
Gu Lao waved his hand, both amused and exasperated. Zhuang Rui had indeed consulted him a lot about jade these past few days, but that knowledge had absolutely nothing to do with gambling on jade.
When Boss Han saw Old Gu approaching, he quickly stepped aside and looked at Old Gu with hopeful eyes, hoping to get some useful information from him to decide whether to buy the rough stone.
However, the old man's performance disappointed him. After carefully examining the rough stone for seven or eight minutes, the old man walked back to Zhuang Rui's side with his hands behind his back, without making any comments on the stone.
"Old Gu, what do you think of this piece of jade? It's already been bid up to 32 million. Is it really worth it?"
"Yes, Old Age, tell us about it."
Before Boss Han even had to ask, the onlookers in the crowd had already started shouting.
"We're all in the same business. Gambling on rough stones is all the same. Look at the cut, look at the polished surface. Once you see the window or the small opening, you know how it looks. I don't need to say more. These are all things you can see. The rest is all luck. But my nephew has been quite lucky. He cut out a piece of icy, full-green jadeite in two months. It was much smaller than this piece and sold for 20 million. As for this rough stone, whether it will yield a whole piece and whether the color and clarity will be the same as the outside, that also depends on luck."
The old man talked for a long time, but it was all for naught. He didn't comment on the quality of the raw material at all. He only talked about luck the most. However, the onlookers all understood that the old man was very optimistic about Zhuang Rui's luck.
"Alright, based on Chairman Gu's words, I'll add another 500,000, making it 32.5 million!"
Hearing what the old man said, Mr. Han seemed to be encouraged and offered a new price, which also broke the record for the highest bid at the Pingzhou Jadeite Gambling Conference.
As a result, everyone's attention was once again focused on Xu Zhendong and his group.