Five million in cash is a sum of money that most people could never earn in a lifetime. The fact that Zhou Xuan could do it so easily shows that five million is a small amount that he doesn't care about at all.
"Mr. Zhou is truly a young man of great talent; I never would have guessed!" Mr. Yang exclaimed in admiration, then introduced himself, "My name is Yang Tiancheng, a British citizen of Chinese descent. I've been investing in China these past few years, mostly in Yunnan. Mr. Zhou, you're truly remarkable! I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with you!"
After Yang Tiancheng finished speaking, he took out a check and wrote out a amount of 45 million. Then he smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, I appreciate your kindness. But since this is our first meeting, I can't take advantage of you. Consider this 5 million as my treat for you to a meal."
Zhou Xuan chuckled and immediately said, "Well then, please have Manager Gao cash this check for me. I'll be going out to buy some raw materials later, so consider this as an advance payment. Any overpayment will be refunded, and any underpayment will be collected. Also, the five million is a small token of my appreciation. I'll give it to Manager Gao. Manager Gao is very busy and tired, so consider it Mr. Yang's treat to dinner to help him relax!"
Zhou Xuan immediately gave the five million to Manager Gao, ostensibly as a gift from Mr. Yang. This served two purposes: it flattered Mr. Yang and made Manager Gao feel good about him.
Manager Gao naturally knew who had given it to him, but he still quickly thanked Yang Tiancheng and Zhou Xuan repeatedly!
Manager Gao was just an employee, not the owner of the factory. He earned a considerable income, but it was nothing compared to the five million that Zhou Xuan casually gave him. This was more than his total annual income, so how could he not be grateful!
Mr. Yang paid more and more attention to Zhou Xuan. Not only did Zhou Xuan not flinch when Zhou Xuan casually threw out five million, but his methods of winning people over were even better than his own. What he couldn't understand was why Zhou Xuan was spending so much money to win over Manager Gao, whom he knew very well.
Yang Tiancheng absolutely did not believe that there was no ulterior motive. Businessmen don't get up early for nothing. Who would do something without profit? Moreover, Zhou Xuan's offer was five million. He wouldn't have done it if there wasn't a huge profit involved. But Manager Gao was just a raw material wholesaler. What was Zhou Xuan's purpose in trying to curry favor with him?
If it's just about the rough stones, there's no need to treat Manager Gao like this. Buying rough stones and gambling on rough stones is all about money. There's no need to build a relationship with Manager Gao; money makes everything easier. Besides, gambling on rough stones is basically about luck. Skill and experience do play a part, but in the end, experienced experts who have failed in the gambling on rough stones are as numerous as carp crossing a river. This gives Yang Tiancheng the idea that what's most needed in gambling on rough stones is luck.
Manager Gao tried to pretend to accept the check Zhou Xuan handed over, but ended up taking it without saying anything, "I can't accept this..."
Zhou Xuan didn't reveal his intentions. Giving Manager Gao five million now would make things easier later, and he would be more likely to agree to the conditions Zhou Xuan proposed. He was indebted to him, and Manager Gao would definitely make things convenient for him after receiving five million from him. There were hundreds or thousands of tons of waste stones outside, but Zhou Xuan couldn't possibly buy them all and transport them back; that would be too much trouble. It would be much simpler if he just focused on the rough stones containing jade, like before.
Normally, jade wholesalers like Manager Gao don't let you choose the lowest grade of raw jade. If you want it, you have to buy it in bulk, by the ton, or they won't give it to you!
Because of Zhou Xuan's sudden rise to prominence, the scene became incredibly lively again, reigniting everyone's dreams of getting rich. Initially, their confidence had been dashed by Yang Tiancheng's failed gamble, but Zhou Xuan then raised their confidence and dreams to their peak. At this point, they eagerly stepped forward to ask the stone-cutting master to cut the stone again.
Several stone-cutting masters were also excited by Zhou Xuan's incredible luck. Some people wanted to have more stones cut, so they immediately had the workers bring the rough stones over.
Zhou Xuan wasn't in a hurry, so he watched slowly with the crowd. However, he knew perfectly well that none of the people in the future would be able to figure it out. In fact, even if all the rough stones in the factory were cut open, no valuable jadeite would be found. Watching any longer would just be watching a few more dramas of people dreaming of getting rich only to be crushed back to square one by reality.
At this point, two stone-cutting masters stepped in to showcase their skills. There were five or six players who wanted their stones cut on the spot. Almost everyone was playing with all their might, using money they had scraped together to gamble. If they lost, they would have to run away. Most of the others were merchants who had been in the jewelry and jade business for a long time, so they were in a better position. There were also a few pure secondary wholesalers. After winning back their losses here, they would gamble on stones locally, transferring the risk to others.
The process of cutting quickly was too slow because no jade could be found. Once jade was found, the pace had to slow down, and greater care was required. However, none of the rough stones contained jade. One cut yielded nothing, another cut yielded nothing, and the owner of these two rough stones' face darkened. In the end, not even a trace of green appeared. No matter how it was cut, its value never increased by even a fraction!
After the rough stone was cut down into a pile of rubble, the two men's faces turned ashen, devoid of any vitality. Zhou Xuan shook his head at the sight. These people were pitiful, but not deserving of pity. If Zhou Xuan wanted to help them, there would be no problem. But if he helped them now, these two would have money and would immediately continue gambling. Human nature is never satisfied. They would think it was just luck. There's a saying that clearly states that gamblers are not worthy of sympathy!
The other four stone gamblers became uneasy, but they still wanted to see how their luck would be. Would they rise to the top or fall to the bottom? They asked the stone-cutting master to cut their stones again, but the result was the same as the first two. The excitement that Zhou Xuan had mentioned gradually disappeared due to the bad luck of the six of them.
Yang Tiancheng originally wanted to buy a few more pieces of jade to make up for the 80 million he had lost earlier. Zhou Xuan's piece of jade helped him recover 20 million of his losses, but he still lost a lot.
But none of the people behind him had Zhou Xuan's luck. Looking at them, they were all dejected. How could they compare to Zhou Xuan's composure and calmness?
Not to mention that Zhou Xuan won big in the bet later, even before that, Zhou Xuan never showed any emotion or lost his composure from beginning to end. Just based on this composure, those people were incomparable. In Yang Tiancheng's opinion, they deserved to lose!
All six jade gamblers who wanted their stones cut on the spot lost money, and the other merchants had no intention of having their stones cut either. Thus, the jade gambling gathering came to an end, and most people left.
Even Yang Tiancheng, accompanied by his bodyguards, walked out of the factory and said to Zhou Xuan, "Mr. Zhou, I have something to attend to. Let's find some time to have a meal and chat sometime later!"
Zhou Xuan smiled and extended his hand, saying, "Alright, goodbye!"
Yang Tiancheng's bodyguards first carried the jade rough that Zhou Xuan had bet on to the car, and then got in themselves. Yang Tiancheng rolled down the car window and waved to Zhou Xuan.
Once Yang Tiancheng left, there was no one else on site except Zhou Xuan, Manager Gao, and a few workers who were busy inside and out.
Seeing that there were no more customers, Zhou Xuan said to Manager Gao, "Manager Gao, I'd like to pick out some raw materials from the rough stones in your plaza outside, this... hehe..."
Zhou Xuan chuckled, then leaned closer to Manager Gao and lowered his voice, saying, "Manager Gao, it's like this, I know quite a few people in this circle in Beijing, and I'd like to pick out some stones that are somewhat decent, and then let them gamble on them!"
Manager Gao chuckled and said, "Understood. Don't worry, Brother Zhou is a good friend. I'll treat this as nothing. You can choose whatever you want. I can even contact other factories so you can pick and choose!"
Zhou Xuan was overjoyed. If Manager Gao could talk to the other factories in the wholesale market and let him choose, it would be much better than him having to go through all that trouble himself. After all, Manager Gao was a local bigwig and was familiar with the other factories, so it would be much easier for him to talk to them.
Manager Gao said this because he received a reward of five million from Zhou Xuan, and he naturally had to express his gratitude. However, since someone could casually reward him with five million, it wasn't just about the money. Besides running the wholesale factory for his boss, he had no other skills. If he wanted to help Zhou Xuan, he could only do so within his own capabilities.
If Zhou Xuan had asked him for the rough stones from the factory, Manager Gao would have been in a difficult position. "These rough stones were carefully selected, the boss had them registered, and a minimum price had been set. He couldn't make the decision. But Zhou Xuan didn't want the stones from his factory; he wanted the scraps from outside. So this was within his authority."
Those stones were the leftovers, but they were dug out from old mines in Myanmar. Even colorless waste could still sell for tens of thousands of dollars a ton.
The other factories were basically the same, which is why Manager Gao dared to say those things to Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan gave him five million, and now he only needed to spend a few thousand to treat the managers of those factories to a meal, and everything would be solved. He could also easily repay Zhou Xuan's favor, so why not do it!
Furthermore, Zhou Xuan mentioned that he owns a jewelry company, so there might be opportunities to make acquaintances in the future. The more customers like him, the better!
Zhou Xuan looked at the square. It was really big. The factories he used to work at in Tengchong couldn't compare to this. Of course, it's not that the overall scale here is bigger than in Tengchong. Every place has its own characteristics. Tengchong is characterized by small-scale operations and a quiet environment, while Ruili is characterized by its large, concentrated market.
Manager Gao was thinking that since Zhou Xuan wanted to pick out such stones to make money, he would help him out. Anyway, Zhou Xuan hadn't asked for a lower price, it was just a matter of picking them out. It was no problem since they were acquaintances.
Zhou Xuan looked at it again, remembered the previous method, and immediately said: "Manager Gao, please ask your workers to find a can of paint, and ask the workers who are free to come out and help me carry out the stones. I will carry out one stone after another as I paint it. I will give each worker an additional salary of five hundred yuan!"
Manager Gao chuckled. It seemed that although Zhou Xuan was young, he was indeed good at dealing with people and had a real knack for doing things. He had considered everyone's needs. The workers under him only earned two or three thousand yuan a month, but Zhou Xuan had given them five hundred yuan. It was quite a generous gesture.
Manager Gao naturally wouldn't covet such a small amount of money from the workers. He immediately beckoned to call out all of his dozen or so workers and told them what Zhou Xuan had said. The workers were all overjoyed. They already had wages, and this was an extra reward from Zhou Xuan, and it was so generous, it was truly rare.
It wasn't uncommon for customers to ask for help with chores before, but the pay would never have been this high. Zhou Xuan's move won them over, and they all huddled around him enthusiastically.
One of the workers carried a small bucket of paint and a small brush. Zhou Xuan circulated his supernatural abilities several times, and when he felt it was at its best, he took the brush to the pile of stones. In order not to make a mess, Zhou Xuan systematically started to probe from the first row on the left. Each row of stones was four or five meters wide and nearly fifty meters long. The open space in the middle was a pedestrian walkway, five meters wide, to facilitate trucks to drive in and load.
As Zhou Xuan had thought, colored stones are not necessarily good materials and do not mean that there is jade inside. The stones in the factory are a case in point. On the other hand, colorless waste materials are not necessarily waste materials. Those who make a fortune by chance often find treasures in these waste materials.
Zhou Xuan's superpower allowed him to scan from beginning to end in one go. The entire pile of stones was only fifty meters long, so it was no challenge for Zhou Xuan. He used his superpower to scan the stones and found that about ten of them contained jade. However, the quality of the jade was not as good as the one he had obtained earlier. Two of them were clear water stones, which were of decent quality, and there was also a violet jade stone. Finding more than ten pieces was not bad.
Inside Manager Gao's factory, only one piece of the colored, high-quality raw material, worth thousands of yuan, is actually valuable. The rest outside is essentially worthless scrap. If you can find more good pieces than those inside, then you've made a profit. Of course, this only applies to Zhou Xuan personally. For others, the raw materials inside the factory are not worthless. They could be worth a fortune after a gamble. Others don't have X-ray vision, so they don't have Zhou Xuan's keen insight.
And people won't specifically chase after the waste materials outside.
Manager Gao's factory was the largest in the square, with more than twenty long piles of waste. Zhou Xuan picked out more than a dozen pieces from the first pile, but only five or six pieces from the second pile, and only one piece from the third pile.
Judging from Zhou Xuan's appearance, Manager Gao guessed that he probably wouldn't be able to pick out many pieces, maybe just a few to take back to the capital for some fun. However, just as he was thinking this, Zhou Xuan actually picked out more than forty pieces from the fourth pile, and more than ten of them were very large stones. The total weight of these forty pieces was probably no less than three or four tons.