"Ahem... well... we have many friends in China, and they all say that Mr. Zhuang, you were blessed by a Living Buddha, and your luck... well... you're incredibly good..."
The official from the organizing committee seemed a little embarrassed, and his words were somewhat hesitant, but he managed to convey the meaning: to put it bluntly, we know you're lucky, which is why we decided to choose your rough stone for cutting.
"Depend on!"
Hearing this reason from the other party, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but roll his eyes. Wasn't this too hasty? If his luck wasn't as good as the other party imagined, and he failed again, the impact on this Myanmar jade auction would be huge.
Although Zhuang Rui knew that Myanmar was a Buddhist country, he, as someone without faith, did not understand the fervor of the Burmese people for their religious beliefs. Zhuang Rui's information was something they were very interested in, so immediately after he won the bid, a senior member of the organizing committee issued instructions to dissect the raw jadeite that Zhuang Rui had won.
"But... I didn't plan to have the stone cut in Myanmar..."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and still refused, but he was a little uneasy. He was afraid that if the other party's persuasive tactics didn't work, they would resort to force, since they were on someone else's country and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
"Mr. Zhuang, you can reconsider. We will offer you some compensation. To be specific, if you agree to have the jade cut in Myanmar, we can lower your winning bid by 10%. That is, from 7.5 million euros, you only need to pay 6.75 million. Furthermore, you will become a lifetime honorary guest of the Myanmar Jade Auction, and you will be able to enter the jade gambling venue without an invitation in the future..."
When the official from the organizing committee saw that Zhuang Rui was unwilling to have the stone cut in Myanmar, he finally pulled out his trump card. The offer was incredibly generous, with 750,000 euros equivalent to more than 7 million yuan. Myanmar was indeed offering a substantial sum.
"Okay, we agree. We can have the stone cut on-site tomorrow..."
While Zhuang Rui was still hesitating, Qin Haoran unexpectedly agreed on his behalf.
After the organizing committee member expressed his gratitude and quickly signed the "Winning Bid Contract" with Zhuang Rui, and after Zhuang Rui paid all the fees, Zhuang Rui and Qin Haoran left the office.
"Uncle Qin, why do we insist on having the stone cut in Myanmar? Won't that attract unwanted attention?"
After leaving the office, Zhuang Rui asked Qin Haoran with some confusion.
"A discount of 750,000 euros is equivalent to nearly 8 million RMB. That's a considerable discount. Besides, that person should be from the Myanmar Ministry of Mines. It's not a bad thing to have good relations with them. Maybe you can even get your hands on a jade mine in Myanmar someday..."
Qin Haoran joked with Zhuang Rui with a smile. Actually, he was mainly interested in the discount equivalent to more than 7 million RMB. Qin Haoran is a businessman, and business is business. Of course, he was willing to acquire this rough stone at the lowest possible cost.
Furthermore, if the on-site stone cutting yields a winning bet, Qin's Jewelry will make a huge splash in the industry. In the jewelry business, people are never afraid of attracting attention; the more eye-catching, the better, saving them the expense of hiring celebrities for advertising.
Chapter 461 Sealed Bidding (5)
After Zhuang Rui and Qin Haoran came out of the organizing committee's office, Fang Yi had already completed the bidding procedures for the other three rough stones. Since the office and the bidding window were separated by a corner, they were not discovered by others. After contacting each other by phone, the three of them boarded the minibus back to the hotel.
"Come on, Xiao Rui, let Uncle Qin toast you. I wish you great success in cutting the stone tomorrow!"
There were several jade gambling consultants on the minibus, so although Qin Haoran and his wife were very excited, they didn't say much. However, after returning to the hotel, the group had a simple meal in the restaurant, and Qin Haoran immediately pulled Zhuang Rui to his room and had a bottle of red wine brought over to start the celebration.
"Uncle Qin, I can't accept that. It's all thanks to your strategic planning that we were able to bid on those four pieces of material..."
Although Zhuang Rui wasn't the smooth-talking type, he still tried to flatter Qin Haoran whenever possible. At least if his future mother-in-law ever made things difficult for him, his father-in-law wouldn't stand idly by, right?
"What does it have to do with him? It's your achievement, so it's yours. Xiao Rui, have a drink with Aunt Fang..."
Fang Yi was also extremely excited. Although she hadn't cut any rough stones yet, based on Zhuang Rui's past record in the jade gambling circle, she expected those rough stones to perform well.
"Aunt Fang, Uncle Qin, it's getting late. I have to have the stone cut tomorrow, so I'm going back to rest now..."
After Zhuang Rui saw his mother-in-law drink a glass of red wine and become dazed, he quickly said goodbye. As for what happened between the couple in the room, that was beyond his comprehension.
"Hey, where did you go? I just saw you at the restaurant, and you disappeared in the blink of an eye? You didn't answer my calls, I thought you'd been kidnapped..."
As Zhuang Rui arrived at his room door, he saw two fat men standing there, one happy and the other sad. The happy one was Song Jun, who, despite cursing Zhuang Rui, had a big smile on his face. As for Fatty Ma, he looked miserable, as if he had been caught by the Burmese police for soliciting a prostitute.
"I went to talk to my mother-in-law about something. Brother Ma, what happened to you? Did you lose your wallet last night?"
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he opened the door and let the two of them in.
"Hey, don't even mention it. I had a really bad day. I had my eye on a piece of jade, but because I was short 500,000 euros, someone snatched it away. Damn it, if Fatty finds out who it was, I'll make him pay..."
Fatty Ma was still somewhat indignant, and said with a fierce expression.
Not getting the raw material was a minor issue; the key problem was that it made him doubt his own judgment. Was there really someone in the world better at understanding people's intentions than him? If so, Fatty Ma would definitely find that person and exchange some insights.
"Brother Ma, which piece of raw jade did you bid on?"
Zhuang Rui asked somewhat guiltily, "Fatty Ma just said he was only short 500,000. Then the material he bid for definitely won't be cheap. Maybe that 4 million that's been hanging on the big screen is Fatty Ma's bid."
"5220, damn it, this is infuriating! I already put up 7 million, I should have added another 500,000 euros..."
Ma Pangzi's words made Zhuang Rui's expression instantly become quite interesting. He wanted to laugh, but he tried his best to hold it in, his eyes and eyebrows almost squeezing together.
"Hey, wait a minute, what's with that look on your face? Hey, you were the one who bought that piece of fabric, weren't you?"
When Fatty Ma looked up, he saw Zhuang Rui's face. With his quick wit, he immediately understood what was going on. He stood up and started rolling up his sleeves, as if he wanted to have a spar with Zhuang Rui.
"Brother Ma, even if you add another 500,000, the material still won't be yours. Wouldn't you be even angrier then..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled and dodged Ma Pangzi's bear hug, jokingly saying that when he was bidding, he suddenly remembered the situation on the first day when the two of them won the bid at the same time, so he deliberately bid an extra 1,000 euros. That was exactly what he was wary of.
"Hey, you're right, losing 500,000 isn't a loss. But if I'd lost 1,000 euros, I, Old Ma, would be jumping into the river..."
When Fatty Ma heard Zhuang Rui say this, he nodded in agreement. Knowing that Zhuang Rui had won the bid for the raw material, Fatty Ma's resentment had long since disappeared. After all, Zhuang Rui was a brother of him and Song Jun, and at least the good stuff hadn't gone to outsiders.
Song Jun, who had been silent all along, suddenly grabbed Zhuang Rui and said, "No way! You snatched the rough stones that Lao Ma and I chose. Kid, what do you say we do about it?"
"Alright, I've also picked out a few pieces of jade. You guys can go bid on them tomorrow..."
Zhuang Rui took out his notebook, but before he could open it, Song Jun snatched it away.
"What kind of nonsense are you remembering? Let me tell you, you need to name at least five pieces of material, or I'm not finished with you..."
Song Jun frowned as he glanced at the numbers Zhuang Rui had written in the notebook. He then tossed the notebook back to Zhuang Rui; the numbers were completely random, and he couldn't make any sense of them.
"Alright, five bucks it is. But let's be clear from the start: if you win, it's your good luck; if you lose, it's not my fault. You two can't hold me accountable later..."
Zhuang Rui had already reserved more than a dozen pieces of jade for these two. This trip to Myanmar was arranged by Song Jun, and he couldn't let Song Jun and Fatty Ma make a wasted trip. Besides, Zhuang Rui had his eye on so many rough stones that he couldn't possibly bid on them all by himself. Just as Fatty Ma thought, it's better to keep the good stuff in the family.
Zhuang Rui selected six or seven relatively good rough stones and explained to them one by one what kind of jadeite could be extracted from these rough stones and what a suitable price would be. Of course, he didn't guarantee anything; it was up to the two of them to believe him or not.
After pestering Zhuang Rui for over an hour, Fatty Ma and Song Jun finally left, satisfied. Today's auction had exhausted Zhuang Rui's brain cells. He knocked on Peng Fei's door, but finding no one inside, Zhuang Rui took a shower and went to bed. ...
"Peng Fei, where did you go yesterday? It's past nine o'clock and you're still not back at the hotel?"
The next day, Zhuang Rui got up very early as well, getting up at six o'clock, because his time for cutting stones was also from seven to nine in the morning. In half an hour, he would be taking a car to the stone gambling venue.
"Brother Zhuang, I prepared some things yesterday. You'll see when you need them..."
"Well, if you're free today, come with me to the venue. I'm going to cut some stones today, and I'll show you..."
Seeing that Peng Fei was unwilling to talk much, Zhuang Rui didn't ask. Although he hadn't known Peng Fei for long, Peng Fei was someone Zhou Rui had vouched for, and Peng Fei's sister was still living in his house. Putting himself in Peng Fei's shoes, Zhuang Rui didn't believe that Peng Fei would have any ill intentions towards him.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Zhuang Rui unexpectedly received a call from the same organizing committee official from yesterday, offering him a private car to take him to the venue. Naturally, Zhuang Rui wouldn't refuse such treatment. After calling Song Jun and Qin Haoran, Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei boarded the organizing committee's air-conditioned car.
"Brother Zhuang, is this the stone you bought for over 70 million RMB?"
Arriving at the open space in front of the Myanmar Jade Exchange Center, Peng Fei stared in disbelief at the enormous rough jade stone. Just a few weeks ago, Peng Fei was carrying heavy bags at the Beijing West Railway Station freight yard, which was simply unimaginable.
"Hehe, if it can generate several times more than 70 million RMB in revenue for me, do you think I should buy it?"
Zhuang Rui answered Peng Fei's questions in the simplest and most understandable way.
“That’s quite straight…”
Peng Fei scratched his head, which made Zhuang Rui laugh. Zhuang Rui felt that after spending more time with Peng Fei, his personality was still very cheerful, and the indifference he felt when he first met him had completely disappeared.
In fact, Peng Fei was originally a cheerful person in the army. However, after such a big change in his family, coupled with his sister's autism for a period of time, Peng Fei felt somewhat depressed. Now that all the problems have been resolved, he has naturally returned to his true nature.
"Alright, let me first see how to cut this rough stone..."
After seeing this enormous piece of red jadeite on the first day, Zhuang Rui had refrained from going over again. He had even forgotten where the jadeite was inside. Taking advantage of the fact that the hotel guests hadn't arrived yet, Zhuang Rui walked over to the rough stone and began to examine it carefully.
This piece of jade is about two meters long and almost two meters wide, nearly square in shape. There is a window cut on one side, but no red or green jadeite was found. There are only some faint red crystalline particles. Even the most experienced jadeite gambler cannot see anything from it.
Directly opposite the polished surface is the infamous crack that chills the hearts of all those skilled in jade gambling. The crack is almost entirely piercing through the entire rough stone. If the stone weren't nearly two meters thick, preventing others from betting on how deep the crack would be, probably no one would dare to offer a price for it.
The jade flesh was actually very close to the polished surface, only a dozen centimeters away. After carefully examining it, Zhuang Rui began to ponder whether to cut along the evil vein first or to make a direct cut from the polished window.
"Xiao Rui, how's it going? Are you confident?"
Just as Zhuang Rui was deep in thought, the minibus carrying Qin Haoran and the others arrived at the stone-cutting site. Following behind the minibus was the convoy of five buses.
"It's alright, we shouldn't go bankrupt..."
Zhuang Rui nodded confidently, and the people who got off the bus all had different expressions on their faces when they saw Zhuang Rui and the others standing next to the wool.
Chapter 462 Secret Bidding (6)
The world of jade gambling is all about winning and losing. No matter how famous you are, if you lose on a single rough stone, your reputation will plummet. But conversely, if you can win big in front of everyone, you'll become famous overnight.
Zhuang Rui is now a prominent figure in the domestic jade gambling circle. Many people know him. Seeing Zhuang Rui standing next to that rough stone, many people are conflicted. Why didn't they think of investing their money in this rough stone?
The first person to get off the second bus was Xu Zhendong. Although he had almost suffered a stroke from Zhuang Rui's anger a few months ago, the old man had good eyesight. As soon as he got off the bus, he spotted Zhuang Rui and stumbled. If his son hadn't supported him, he probably would have fallen to the ground.
"Dad, are you alright?"
Although Xu Qi was not very capable, he was still quite filial.
"It's nothing. That...that person...is Zhuang Rui!"
Looking at Zhuang Rui, who was wearing a white silk double-opening mandarin jacket, Xu Zhendong felt helpless. Zhuang Rui had grown up completely and was no longer the nobody he was at the Pingzhou Public Auction. In the future... no... perhaps he would have to look up to him now.
Although Xu Zhendong also had his eye on this piece of red jadeite rough, he lacked the financial resources of others and could only stand there watching Zhuang Rui cut the stone. Gambling on stones isn't just about eyesight and luck; money is the primary factor determining success or failure. ...
The number of people who came to watch Zhuang Rui cut the stone today was even greater than the day before yesterday, because the value of this rough stone was also far higher than the day before yesterday, at 7.5 million euros, which is nearly 80 million RMB. This is the highest price for a single lot offered so far at this Myanmar jade auction.
Of course, everyone knows that the real prize is yet to come. When the sealed bids are opened, that's when the real battle begins. It's believed that the top bid at this year's Myanmar jade auction will be at least over 100 million yuan.
After the military government in Myanmar intensified its crackdown on smuggled jadeite, it has become extremely common to see jadeite rough stones priced over 50 million yuan in both domestic Chinese jadeite trading and at Myanmar jadeite auctions. However, it's worth noting that last year's top-selling jadeite lot at the Myanmar jadeite auction was only around 30 to 40 million yuan. This simple comparison clearly demonstrates the current surge in jadeite prices.
"Beting is now open! I, Big D, am the bookmaker! Anyone want to place a bet? If you win, the odds are 0.5; if you lose, the odds are 1.5. Come find me, Big D! I guarantee honesty and fair dealing..."
Just as everyone got off the car and gathered around the stone-cutting site, that guy named Dai Jun from yesterday started shouting again, carrying a tattered sack. This kid had some good luck the other day. He had a fight with the people from Jixiang Jewelry and spent 80,000 yuan to buy a piece of scrap material. Who knew that it would actually be cut into jadeite and bought by a rough stone merchant for 500,000 yuan. Having tasted success, Big D is shouting again today.
However, after returning home, Big D reflected on his mistake and realized that a 1:2 payout was too unfair. If it were 1:1, he could earn nearly a million without selling the jade, so he changed the rules today.
"Big D, my brother is cutting stones, how dare you interfere?"
Fatty Ma stretched out his large, fan-like hand and pulled Dai Jun, who was placing a bet, to his side.
"Oh, Mr. Ma, how is this considered causing trouble? It's not a lot of money, just for fun. Would you like to place a bet?"
Big D, grinning, didn't take Fatty Ma's words to heart at all. Faced with such a shameless person, Fatty Ma had no temper at all. He snorted coldly and said, "I'll bet 100 million on a winning bet. Do you dare to take it?"
"Mr. Ma, you're kidding me. Boss Zhuang's skill in judging rough stones is no joke. If you bet on a bad stone and it turns out to be a loss, then I'll take the bet..."
Big D grinned and shook off Fatty Ma's hand, then went back to being the dealer.