"Bullshit! Song and I bought that stone together this morning at the jade gambling fair. Hundreds of jade merchants saw it. How could I possibly fake it? Damn it, they can't stand losing and they're blaming me."
The third brother's words infuriated Zhuang Rui. What if it gave him a bad reputation in the jade industry? Who would dare to buy his things in the future? After all, Zhuang Rui still had a piece of red jade worth hundreds of millions.
Upon hearing this, Song Jun waved his hand and said, "Why are you so agitated, kid? This thing has a signed contract and has been notarized. There's no need to pay any attention to them. When people lose money gambling on stones, there are plenty of people who spread rumors and cause trouble. It's okay, brother, I'll be your witness."
"Yes. I don't believe it's fake, but Zhuang Rui, I have a feeling you knew about the material beforehand?"
Fatty Ma, with a chicken foot in his mouth, mumbled something, his small, squinted eyes looking at Zhuang Rui with a playful expression.
"I'm innocent, Brother Ma. I bought that stone because it was cheap. Brother Song knows that. Besides, if I had known there was no jade inside the stone, would I have bought it? I didn't even know Xu Wei and the others wanted to buy it."
Zhuang Rui cried out in utter injustice.
Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made sense. If Zhuang Rui had known that there was no jade inside the rough stone, he certainly wouldn't have bought it. He couldn't tell fortunes, so how could he have known that Xu's Jewelry would pay such a high price for the rough stone?
Zhuang Rui's words were three parts truth and seven parts falsehood. The lie was that he knew exactly what was going on inside the raw material. As for the truth, he originally just wanted to sell it for a few million, but he didn't expect Xu's Jewelry to be such a sucker who walked right into it.
"Zhuang Rui, you just answered Yue Jing by saying that there really was no jade in that rough stone, which means you already knew that. How do you explain that?"
Fatty Ma was convinced that Zhuang Rui knew about the situation beforehand, so he kept a close eye on him, determined to get Zhuang Rui to reveal the details.
“Brother Ma, you’re putting me in a difficult position. When I bought the rough stone, I just wanted to get a cheap price. But when I was cutting the stone, I felt something was strange. I don’t know why. I just felt that the jade inside the rough stone might not be as good as the surface of the window. That’s why I asked Fourth Brother to pass on the message and give the rough stone to Xu Wei.”
Seeing the disbelieving expressions on everyone's faces, Zhuang Rui smiled wryly and said, "Don't ask me why, I don't know either, it's just a feeling."
Zhuang Rui intends to keep his supernatural ability a secret for the rest of his life. If it gets out, he'll probably be captured by the government for dissection and research, or he'll be forced by some powerful force to pick out raw stones for them every day.
"I believe what Zhuang Rui said, Mr. Song. Have you forgotten? Last year, you cut open that rough stone worth 20 million. I said at the time that it didn't feel very good and I wanted you to keep it for later. But you still cut it open in the end, and it still turned out badly..." Unexpectedly, Master Peng, the jade gambling consultant who had been sitting quietly to the side, spoke up, and he was speaking up for Zhuang Rui. However, his words were a bit blunt, which made his boss roll his eyes in anger.
It's hard to explain this feeling. It's like rats moving house or cattle and horses neighing during an earthquake. It's a biological instinct. Zhuang Rui used this to explain it, and Fatty Ma had nothing to say. He himself also relied on an extraordinary intuition when observing others.
Song Jun was speechless after what Master Peng said; the 20 million he lost gambling was not much less than what he lost today.
"Hey, brothers, this isn't fair! I don't even know what happened. Can someone tell me?"
Zhuang Rui only knew that Xu Zhendong and his team had failed in their stone-cutting attempt, but he knew nothing about the specifics, which made him quite curious.
Song Jun said with a gloating look, "What's there to ask? One was so angry he vomited blood, and the other was kicked out of the company. Kid, you really brought trouble upon yourself."
It turns out that after Xu Zhendong regained consciousness in the hospital, he immediately convened a meeting with key members of his family to adjust the company's business direction. From now on, the company will mainly focus on dealing in low- to mid-range jade products and abandon the high-end market.
Although this will cause a significant shrinkage in Xu's Jewelry business, there is no other way. Xu's Jewelry no longer has the strength to compete with many other jewelry companies.
As for Xu Wei, he was dismissed from all his positions in Xu's Jewelry Company, and the company's debts under his control were immediately frozen. It is said that after Xu Wei learned of this news, he rushed to Xu Zhendong's ward and slapped himself repeatedly, but he still couldn't change Xu Zhendong's mind. From now on, Xu Wei can only receive a monthly allowance of ten or twenty thousand yuan, just like those idle people in the family.
Although Xu Wei now hates Zhuang Rui to the core, he doesn't even have the money to continue hiring Da Biao. He's even considering whether to get gold or porcelain veneers for the few teeth he's lost. It's true that good and evil will be rewarded eventually.
This news whetted Zhuang Rui's appetite, and he devoured all the snacks on the table in a flash. Just as he lit a cigarette after finishing his meal, his phone rang. It turned out that Han Haowei had arrived in the hotel lobby.
Chapter 207 Jade Gambling Consultant?
This four-star hotel next to the jade street has always been a place where jade merchants and customers from all over the country stay. If Han Haowei didn't have his company headquarters in Zengcheng and another residence in Guangzhou, he would definitely stay here as well. He often comes here to ask customers for favors, so he is quite familiar with this hotel.
Han Haowei, who was waiting in the hotel lobby, was filled with curiosity about Zhuang Rui, whom he was about to meet.
Han Haowei initially thought Zhuang Rui was just lucky, having won two mediocre rough stones in a row. However, after making some inquiries, his impression of Zhuang Rui completely changed. He won more than 20 million yuan in Nanjing and made more than 30 million yuan in Pingzhou in just one morning. This could no longer be explained by luck.
Han Haowei wanted to see Zhuang Rui out of curiosity. After having lunch with Xu Zhendong, he found Yang Hao and learned from Yang Hao that Zhuang Rui and Xu Wei were not friends and had a very bad relationship, which made Han Haowei's imagination run wild.
Han Haowei and Xu Zhendong are different. Xu Zhendong inherited the family business, while Han Haowei started in the mid-1980s with gambling on jade in Myanmar, gradually building his company and developing it to its current scale. In several southern provinces, he has firmly surpassed Xu's Jewelry. His expertise in raw jade stones is even superior to many so-called jade gambling experts.
Han Haowei couldn't find any flaws in the rough stone that Zhuang Rui had polished that morning. He was certain that the rough stone was definitely not fake. So, there's a question here: how did Zhuang Rui know that the jadeite in this rough stone was only concentrated on the surface? Given the relationship between Zhuang Rui and Xu Wei, he certainly wouldn't kindly sell a rough stone with such a high price to Xu's Jewelry.
Han Haowei certainly didn't believe that Zhuang Rui could see through the raw stone. After all, those special abilities like seeing through walls had long been proven to be hoaxes. Just like the people around you, if you were told that they had special abilities, your friends would probably call them crazy. Even if your friend occasionally showed some special abilities, they would probably be categorized as just having a stroke of good luck.
Han Haowei simply believed that Zhuang Rui had a keen eye and possessed gambling skills that Han Haowei lacked, which was the main reason why Han Haowei was so eager to see Zhuang Rui.
"Brother Zhuang, over here..."
Upon seeing Zhuang Rui emerge from the elevator, Han Haowei quickly waved and greeted him warmly.
"Mr. Han, hello. I'm so sorry to have troubled you to make this trip..."
Zhuang Rui had a good impression of this Boss Han. He felt that this person was a bit like Fatty Ma. Although he was mercenary, he was still cute and did not have the arrogant and domineering air of Xu Zhendong. Although they only said a few words on the phone, Zhuang Rui felt very comfortable.
This is actually the difference between grassroots entrepreneurs and spoiled rich kids. Although Xu Zhendong is not young, Xu's Jewelry was founded before the liberation. He didn't play a part in the struggle for power. After the liberation, his family became capitalists and were not well-liked. As a result, his generation did not receive a good education and their academic qualifications were not very high.
Due to policy restrictions, Xu's Jewelry did not revive until the 1980s. However, since the old guard was still around, he was not involved in the second phase of the business. It wasn't until the mid-1990s that Xu Zhendong took the position of president of Xu's Jewelry. From then on, Xu's Jewelry gradually began its decline.
Han Haowei was among the first batch of college students majoring in geology in the country in the late 1970s. He did the same thing as Zhuang Rui's grandfather, traveling to Myanmar to investigate the local geology and landforms. By chance, he came into contact with jadeite rough.
At that time, jadeite rough stones were not highly valued in Myanmar and their prices were not very high. Han Haowei, with his keen eye, quickly accumulated a fortune and founded Han's Jewelry. Therefore, whether in terms of marketing or professional knowledge of jadeite gambling, Xu Zhendong was far inferior to Han Haowei.
"Let's go to a coffee shop and sit down."
Zhuang Rui looked around. He didn't want to talk business in the hotel lobby anymore, making himself look like a panda being stared at. Luckily, there was a Starbucks on the first floor of the hotel, so the two of them sat down.
"Brother Zhuang, I really have to thank you for today's matter, otherwise I, Old Han, would have suffered a huge loss..."
As soon as they sat down, Han Haowei took out a cigarette and politely offered one to Zhuang Rui.
"Boss Han..."
"Don't call me boss, it sounds weird. Brother, your net worth isn't much less than mine now. If you think highly of me, just call me Old Han."
Although Han Haowei was among the first batch of college students after the Cultural Revolution and could be considered a highly educated intellectual, the ups and downs of the business world over the past two or three decades have shaped him into someone who speaks with a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) accent.
"Okay, then I'll call you Brother Han..."
It seems that Zhuang Rui is the one with the fewest [favorites] in this circle. Everyone calls him "brother" wherever he goes, so it doesn't matter if he's one more.
“Brother Han, I just heard about that rough stone. You’re a straightforward guy, so I won’t mince words. It’s true that Xu Wei and I don’t get along. At the time, I just felt that the rough stone wasn’t worth that much. Even if they bought it, they might not make any money. That’s why I had someone advise you, Brother Han.”
Zhuang Rui knew that talking nonsense that Wei Ge and others believed was useless to someone like Han Haowei, so he went straight to the point and mentioned the conflict between himself and Xu Wei, and casually moved on from the matter of the raw materials.
Zhuang Rui's words indeed made Han Haowei have a very good impression of him. Now, rumors are spreading like wildfire in the jade gambling circle in Pingzhou and even across the country. Some say that Zhuang Rui is a master of fake rough stones passed down from his ancestors, who have been dealing with stones for generations. Others say that Zhuang Rui is a direct disciple of the old master of the Jade Association. Still others say that he has special abilities and can tell whether there is jade inside a stone just by touching it. In short, there are many different opinions, both positive and negative.
And you know what? These rumors do all seem to have something to do with Zhuang Rui. His grandfather did indeed spend his entire life dealing with stones. And Old Master Gu and he were practically family friends. As for the rumor that everyone scoffed at the most, it was actually the most accurate guess. It's just that Zhuang Rui's special ability wasn't in his hands, but in his eyes.
"Did you just go by gut feeling back then, bro?"
Han Haowei frowned upon hearing this. Like Master Peng, he had also experienced choosing raw materials based on intuition.
Once, Han Haowei was looking at rough jadeite in an old mine in Myanmar. He was in a bad mood, but when he touched a piece of rough jadeite that didn't look particularly impressive, he suddenly felt very happy. So he bought the piece of rough jadeite and found that it was actually glass-type jadeite. Although the piece was not big, it was worth several million. Because he had experienced something like this before, Han Haowei believed Zhuang Rui's words to a great extent.
"To be honest, Brother Han, I bought this rough stone when I was digging up a house. I had already cut it, but I wasn't very optimistic about it. When it turned green, it was all luck. I didn't know that Xu's Jewelry would be interested in this rough stone. In short, I wasn't optimistic about it. If Xu Wei bought it and it went up in value, that was his good luck. If he lost money, I would feel better. Hehe, that was my mentality back then."
Zhuang Rui knew that if you wanted others to believe one lie, you had to tell nine truths first. So he told them the origin of the raw material, which made Boss Han's furrowed brows gradually relax.
"That's because you're lucky, brother. By the way, I heard you also have a dzi bead bestowed upon you by a living Buddha?"
Knowing that Zhuang Rui didn't have any special jade gambling skills, Han Haowei's attention shifted to Zhuang Rui's old dzi beads. This was something that Old Master Gu had intentionally or unintentionally spread; young people who are successful easily attract jealousy, so transferring good fortune to the dzi beads wasn't a bad idea.
"That's because I was lucky enough to gain the favor of the Living Buddha. This string of dzi beads is extremely precious..."
Seeing that Han Haowei was no longer dwelling on the topic of raw materials, Zhuang Rui breathed a sigh of relief and began to talk at length about the old dzi beads, almost claiming that he was the reincarnation of the Living Buddha.
Zhuang Rui realized that his decision to have Lao Si relay the message first was too rash and would certainly arouse suspicion from discerning people. He was now trying to make amends and believed that his conversation with Boss Han today would soon spread throughout the jade gambling circle.
"Hehe, my brother, you are truly blessed. With this string of dzi beads, good fortune will naturally accompany you..."
Han Haowei looked at the dzi bead on Zhuang Rui's wrist with envy, but he didn't mention wanting to buy it. Not to mention that someone had offered more than ten million, Zhuang Rui wouldn't sell this Buddhist treasure given his current wealth.
Upon hearing Han Haowei's words, Zhuang Rui put on a smug look and said proudly, "Hehe, since I got this old dzi bead, my luck has really been pretty good. A few days ago at the Pingzhou Ghost Market, I even found a complete set of Ru kiln porcelain fragments. After some repairs, they could be worth over a million."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Han Haowei's last remaining doubt vanished. Porcelain and jade were completely unrelated; it could only be said that this kid in front of him was incredibly lucky.
"Brother Zhuang, I'd like to hire you as a jadeite gambling consultant for Han's Jewelry. What do you think? Are you interested?"
"What? A jade gambling consultant?"
Han Haowei's suggestion came as a surprise, leaving Zhuang Rui momentarily stunned. He couldn't even tell how many old mines there were in Myanmar, yet he was going to become a jade gambling consultant?
Moreover, in Zhuang Rui's mind, jade gambling consultants should all be old men like Master Zhao, and even the younger Master Peng is over forty years old. Asking him to be a jade gambling consultant would be like asking a blind man for directions.
"Brother, please don't misunderstand. This jade gambling consultant job isn't for you to work for me. It's just a leisurely position, and you wouldn't be interested in the consultant fee anyway. How about this: if the rough jade you gamble on turns out well, you get 30% of the winnings. If it turns out badly, it's all on me. What do you think?"
Han Haowei's mind works very fast. It was just an idea that came to him on the spur of the moment, but he immediately came up with a plan.
Chapter 208 Postgraduate Entrance Examination
"Brother Han, you're not joking with me, are you? I'm still learning about jadeite rough stone identification from Master Gu. Aren't you afraid of losing everything if I become your jadeite gambling consultant?"
Zhuang Rui felt that Han Haowei's idea was really far-fetched. Although his judgment was very accurate and he could indeed make him win every time, it was impossible to explain it by good luck alone. Others would definitely have some suspicions. Besides, Zhuang Rui was not short of money and did not want to show off.
As the saying goes, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down," and "People are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat."
After talking with Wei Ge and the others, as well as Boss Han, Zhuang Rui has made up his mind that he will never cut stones in any public place again. As for his piece of red jadeite rough, Zhuang Rui was originally considering whether to cut it open and sell it at this stone gambling conference, but now he plans to keep it at home and deal with it slowly later.
"Brother Zhuang, I already said, any losses are on me, but we'll split the profits. How about it?"
As Han Haowei spoke, his eyes kept glancing at the dzi bead bracelet on Zhuang Rui's wrist, making Zhuang Rui both laugh and cry. If he really relied on this thing, he would probably lose everything, not even his pants.
"Brother Han, there's no need to mention this. I'm just here for fun. I'm not very interested in gambling on jade, and I have to take the postgraduate entrance exam next year, so time is very tight. But... I have a piece of jade at home, it's red jade. I'll show it to you when I have time."
Zhuang Rui gave Han Haowei a heads-up and deliberately described the uncut rough jade as a finished piece, so that even if Han Haowei saw the red jade later, he wouldn't have any suspicions.
"Alright, since you don't agree, just pretend I didn't say anything. I'll definitely go and take a look at your red jadeite when I have time. Jewelry made from other colored jadeites has been selling quite well these past few years..."
Han Haowei was somewhat disappointed. He had originally hoped to take advantage of Zhuang Rui's good luck, but he hadn't expected to be rejected. As for the red jade that Zhuang Rui mentioned, he didn't pay much attention to it.
Although red and blue jadeite have been extremely popular in the jade market in recent years, only the finest red jadeite of the glass type and the legendary blue jadeite are available. Such jadeite is rare and can only be found once every few years or even decades.
Generally speaking, the deep red jadeite with a hint of brown is not very valuable. It is often found in rough stones from old mines in Dakanmu factories, and even if it is a finished piece, the price is not very high.
Seeing that Han Haowei wasn't interested in the red jade, Zhuang Rui didn't say anything more. He figured that once it was made into a bracelet, he could probably sell it to Song Jun. After all, that kind of thing wasn't something that ordinary people could afford. Even some big jewelry merchants wouldn't put such things in their shops for sale; they only sold them to special customers.
"Alright, Brother Zhuang, I won't disturb your rest today. See you at the venue tomorrow, haha. I'm happy to know that old guy Xu Zhendong won't be able to come tomorrow."
Although Han Haowei didn't achieve his goal today, he was satisfied just to befriend Zhuang Rui. At least he confirmed one thing today: Zhuang Rui was indeed a family friend of Old Master Gu. In the future, when his relationship with Zhuang Rui deepened, it would be much easier to ask Old Master Gu for favors.
It's important to know that in the domestic jade industry, Mr. Gu's reputation carries significant weight.
Has Xu's Jewelry withdrawn from this jade gambling event?
Zhuang Rui didn't quite understand Han Haowei's words. It was just over 30 million yuan. A jewelry company that was well-known in China shouldn't have such a problem causing cash flow issues.
"It's practically the same as withdrawing, brother. Don't think that jewelry companies are rich. Most of our money is tied up in jade raw materials. Xu's Jewelry lost nearly 100 million in Myanmar this year. We should have had little cash on hand to begin with, and now we have another 30 million. Even if they continue to participate in this conference, they will probably only be able to deal with some low- to mid-grade raw materials."
Han Haowei's analysis was accurate. Xu's Jewelry now only has less than 40 million in working capital left, and all three grades of raw jadeite are in short supply. At present, their focus can only be on low- and medium-grade jadeite raw materials, and they have temporarily given up the high-end jade market.