"Dad, why did you pull me just now? You know I can barely manage my own business, how could I have time to bother with anything related to the association?"
After getting into the car, Zhuang Rui complained to his father-in-law. What he said was true. In the past two years since starting school, Zhuang Rui had devoted almost all his energy to his studies and field archaeology. He hadn't been to antique shops or museums for a long time.
Especially after recently acquiring that cruise ship, Zhuang Rui yearns for freedom even more and plans to go to the Atlantic Ocean to salvage those unknown shipwreck treasures. He had previously surveyed the coordinates of many shipwrecks.
"You silly kid, this association isn't official, but it has a great reputation in the industry. Most jewelers can't even get a membership, and you're making excuses for not being the president for free. That's outrageous..."
Although Qin Haoran was satisfied with his son-in-law's performance, he still scolded Zhuang Rui with a stern face. He was just an ordinary member in this guild, yet Zhuang Rui still looked down on the position of guild president.
It's worth noting that the members of this association are almost all from the largest jewelry companies in the country. It's somewhat similar to the G14 alliance of European football giants. Although it's a non-governmental organization, it has a huge influence.
In many cases, the market pricing of jade jewelry in China and the distribution of market share in various provinces are negotiated and resolved within the guild. Previously, Qin Haoran was alone and powerless, but now that his son-in-law has become the guild leader, he naturally has more say, which is why Zhuang Rui agreed.
"But...but I really don't have time..."
Zhuang Rui isn't very interested in doing business right now. Even if he understood the benefits, he still wouldn't be interested. Besides, he only runs a jewelry store; what do rules and such things have to do with him?
"There's not much for you, as the president, to handle. It's just attending two industry conferences a year. Xiao Rui, no matter what, you have to agree to this..."
Qin Haoran displayed the authority of a father-in-law, and Zhuang Rui had no choice but to submit. He wouldn't dare to mess with anyone, not even his wife's father, son, or maternal grandfather.
Now Zhuang Rui understands why many people in society have endless meetings and social engagements; even he himself has quite a few meetings every year.
The museum attends the National Museum Work Conference every year, and the website alliance that Zhuang Rui founded also has annual events. As for the Jade Association, although Zhuang Rui has never attended a meeting, he receives an invitation every year.
In addition, there's the car sales company where he serves as chairman, which also has an annual meeting. Now, there's also a jade research and promotion association. Zhuang Rui is simply indifferent to the many problems he has; at most, he'll find someone to attend in his place.
"By the way, brother, look... you can't use these two pieces of material, right?"
After the father-in-law and son-in-law finished their conversation, Hu Rong turned around, and the smile on his face sent chills down Zhuang Rui's spine. He had never seen Brother Hu so obsequious before.
"Brother Hu, can we not do this? Just say what you want to say..."
Zhuang Rui knew that Hu Rong had his eye on his two pieces of jade.
"Hehe, brother, you know, my companies in Southeast Asia have just opened, and I don't have any good pieces to show off. Could you spare some of these two pieces of material for me so that my shops can have a few presentable items?"
Although Hu Rong is known as a jade tycoon, to be honest, he doesn't have many top-quality jade pieces. He's basically limited to icy jade, and even glassy jade with green hues is rare.
"Xiao Hu, don't even think about getting this material. There's only so little of it. I have hundreds of stores all over the world, how could that be enough?"
Zhuang Rui hadn't decided whether to give Hu Rongyun some material yet, but Qin Haoran disagreed first.
Are you kidding me? Let's not even talk about the imperial green jadeite that can only be seen at auctions. Even the glassy green jadeite, once made into jewelry, can be the centerpiece of any jewelry store.
Chapter 983 Influence
"I'm saying, with so little material, I'm trying to use it sparingly, so you two shouldn't even bother with it, right?"
When Zhuang Rui saw the two of them like this, he was immediately at a loss. He had some glass-type jadeite, so he didn't care much about it, but he was determined not to give the imperial green jadeite to anyone.
The rarity of imperial green jadeite goes without saying. The key issue is its scarcity. Zhuang Rui has an eye for quality, and in the past few years, the largest pieces of glass-type jadeite he has obtained are only the size of a fist, including the piece left by his deceased grandfather.
Zhuang Rui had already carved these materials into ornaments and given them to his mother, Qin Xuanbing, and others. But now that Zhuang Rui had a son and a daughter, he should make something for the two little ones, right?
More importantly, these imperial green glass-type items are practically impossible to buy. Even if one occasionally appears at an auction, it will be sold for a high price on the spot.
Therefore, Zhuang Rui would not easily give up on this rare and valuable item; he even planned to have two bracelets made as heirlooms.
However, Hu Rong immediately disagreed upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words. He didn't care about losing face at this moment and said, "Brother, you're wrong to say that. After all, that material came from my mine, didn't it?"
"Xiao Hu, how dare you say that? Using such a precious piece of material as a roadbed stone! If it weren't for Xiao Rui, you'd be crying your eyes out right now..."
Qin Haoran curled his lip, his words showing no mercy to Hu Rong, his subtle attack aimed directly at Hu Rong's weak spot.
"Uncle, I don't care, you have to give it to me, or I'll just take it!" Hu Rong was a junior in front of Qin Haoran, so he simply started acting like a rogue. The usually gentle and refined President Hu was actually behaving like this, which made the driver very surprised and almost swerved the car into the ditch by the roadside.
"You're almost forty, and you're still spouting this nonsense?"
Qin Haoran was both amused and exasperated. Hu Rong was a man of great status, especially with considerable influence in Myanmar. When the head of the family acted like a rogue, Qin Haoran was helpless against him.
"How about this, we'll divide these two pieces of material into five portions. Xiao Rui, you only have one shop, so you can take one-fifth. Xiao Hu, you don't have many shops either, so you can take one-fifth as well. The remaining three-fifths are mine. What do you guys think?"
Qin Haoran, being a businessman, disregarded even the father-in-law/son-in-law relationship in the business world, offering an extremely "reasonable" distribution plan.
"Don't even think about it!" Before Qin Haoran could finish speaking, Zhuang Rui and Hu Rong shouted at the same time. Zhuang Rui, in particular, was filled with indignation. Wasn't this bullying? Everyone said that when a son-in-law goes to his mother-in-law's house, he gets to eat and take things. Why was it the other way around with Zhuang Rui?
"Alright, Dad, you can forget about getting this imperial green material. I'm saving it to make things for your grandson and granddaughter, to be passed down through generations..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Qin Haoran was stunned. He was nearly sixty years old; he couldn't possibly compete with a toddler who was just over a year old for something, could he? Especially since they were his own grandson and granddaughter.
Zhuang Rui's reason was so compelling that even Hu Rong could only stare blankly, unable to open his mouth despite wanting it.
Hu Rong could imagine what would happen if Zhuang Rui taught those two kids to scratch their faces with their fingers and say to him, "Aren't you ashamed?" Where would he put his old face then?
"Alright, let's forget about the imperial green jade..."
Hu Rong glanced resentfully at the piece of jade that Peng Fei was holding in his arms, then looked at the piece of glass-like green jade placed in the back seat of the car and said, "You should at least give us a share of this piece, right?"
Glassy jadeite is the most precious type of jadeite. Even colorless glassy jadeite is very expensive in the market, with a small pendant costing tens of thousands of yuan.
Objects carved from a piece of material with a light green hue and an extremely even color distribution can fetch prices many times higher, easily selling for over a million.
So Hu Rong settled for second best and set his sights on this piece of glass-type jade.
"Fine, I bet you won't stop until you cut a piece of flesh off me today..."
Zhuang Rui gave a wry smile and said, "This piece of glass-type jade, as Dad just said, will be divided into five parts. I'll take one-fifth, and you can discuss the other four parts..."
Seeing the joy on Hu Rong's and his father-in-law's faces, Zhuang Rui added, "As the saying goes, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. You two know the value of this piece of material, right?"
If Zhuang Rui had the choice, he would rather keep the material than sell it. But circumstances are beyond his control. He can't let them take away something worth hundreds of millions for nothing. As the saying goes, a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup, and the father-in-law is an outsider too.
"You brat, you don't think I'd cheat you out of your things. I'll give you a fair price..."
Qin Haoran chuckled and cursed, then turned to Hu Rong and said, "Little Hu, look at this, I'll take three-fifths, and you..."
Regardless of the heated debate between the uncle and nephew, by the time the car arrived at Hu Rong Manor, Zhuang Rui had already passively secured a deal: 50 million euros would be deposited into his overseas account the next day.
To be fair, Hu Rong and Qin Haoran didn't shortchange Zhuang Rui. Even if these jade pieces were made into jewelry and sold, they would only be worth five or six hundred million yuan.
However, the impact of these accessories on the market far exceeds what money can measure. Having something that others don't represents real strength...
"Hello, Teacher Zhuang..."
"Hello, Teacher Zhuang..."
"Teacher Zhuang, could you show us that piece of imperial green jade again?"
"Yes, yes, we left too early yesterday, this is really... Teacher Zhuang, could we take another look?"
The next morning, as soon as Zhuang Rui stepped into the gate of the Myanmar National Jade Exchange Center, he was surrounded by jade merchants from China.
Yesterday, when those who left late returned to the hotel and boasted about it, those who left early were filled with regret, kicking themselves and beating their chests in despair.
If I had known I would get to see imperial green jade, I would have preferred to skip a meal or even live a few years less... Of course, living a few years less wouldn't be worth it, but I could at least cut back on my sexual encounters with my secretary.
"Oh, everyone, I'm really sorry. I sent this material back to China this morning. I'll let you all appreciate it later if it's carved into something. I'm truly sorry..."
Zhuang Rui repeatedly bowed to those around him. He was telling the truth. Peng Fei had taken that piece of imperial green jade back to China on a private plane early that morning. With such a piece of material around, some people might have ulterior motives.
Not only Zhuang Rui, but also Old Master Tang returned to China on Zhuang Rui's plane. Purple eyes and imperial green are of the same level, and it would be too much of a chore to leave them in Myanmar.
"Sigh, what a shame... I don't get to see this..."
"Exactly, I should have known better than to leave yesterday..."
"Alright, everyone, let's go look around some more. Maybe we can find some imperial green jadeite?"
For a jade merchant, owning a piece of imperial green jadeite is often their greatest pursuit in this lifetime, but it is also very difficult to achieve.
That's why these people were so interested in Zhuang Rui's jade, but now they don't even have the chance to see it. Everyone's faces showed a look of frustration.
They couldn't blame Zhuang Rui for this. Anyone who had that item would have sent it back to China immediately. After discussing it for a while, everyone dispersed. After all, no matter how good the item was, it belonged to someone else. Only what you have in your own hands is truly yours.
After yesterday's match with Old Tang, Zhuang Rui's reputation has become incredibly popular. Today, wherever Zhuang Rui goes, he is greeted by voices of greeting. There were even two foreigners pointing and whispering about Zhuang Rui. It's unclear which guy with good English leaked the news.
Many people followed Zhuang Rui, wanting to see how he selected the jadeite rough stones, but to their disappointment, Zhuang Rui only wandered around the bidding area for a while before returning to the shed to rest, which dashed everyone's hopes.
However, many people still came up to Zhuang Rui to ask him to help them examine the raw materials. Almost half of the day was spent by Zhuang Rui helping others examine the rough stones. This made him realize that his reputation as the "King of Jade" was not entirely commensurate with his achievements!
It's not an easy job.
Zhuang Rui didn't hold back, basically stating the facts as they were, describing the quality of the materials as they were, and leaving the selection to those people.
Of course, sharpening the axe doesn't delay the work of chopping wood. Zhuang Rui also selected several good pieces of material, including an icy blue-water floating flower rough stone, which was of very good quality and was the most popular material for jadeite bracelets.
This gave Zhuang Rui an unexpected surprise, because his father-in-law had snatched away a piece of blue-green floating flower stone before, which made him determined to acquire this piece of raw stone.
Two generations of "Jade Kings"!
The most direct impact of the legendary betting scheme was that when the semi-open bidding opened in the afternoon, the bidding hall, which could accommodate more than 2,000 people, was packed to capacity.
People who gamble on rough stones are often a little superstitious. Zhuang Rui's open bid revealed imperial green jadeite, which attracted many people who had no intention of participating in the open bidding to flock into the bidding hall and bid heavily on the rough stones that they did not actually think much of.
"Holy crap, what the hell is going on?"
After waiting anxiously for two hours, Zhuang Rui entered the price he had set into the bidding device. After the dazzling screen stopped flashing, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but curse inwardly as he looked at the numbers that had stopped jumping on the screen.
The reason was simple: the piece of jade that Zhuang Rui had his eye on was snatched away by someone else, and the offer was a full 500,000 euros more than his own.
Chapter 984 Foreigners Also Gamble on Stones
"Damn it, are stones free? Everyone's gone crazy!"
"Exactly, such poor quality material, and they're asking for 2 million euros..."
"Hey buddy, this isn't surprising. Yesterday, Teacher Zhuang's pick hadn't shown any movement at all, still only worth over 10 million euros. But what happened after the decryption? That wasn't just a big increase, that was a massive surge!"
When the numbers on the screen stopped flashing, the bidding hall erupted in chaos. Today's bids were simply outrageous, and many people almost burst into curses.
Zhuang Rui wasn't the only one sulking; almost half the people in the bidding hall looked dejected. The winning bids today were far beyond their expectations, and many of their sure-fire bids were snatched away.
This is also the impact of Zhuang Rui's explanation of the Imperial Green incident yesterday, which gave many speculators hope and directly led to a surge in today's open bid prices.
The Myanmar government was the happiest, as today's top bid was 21.8 million euros, more than double Zhuang Rui's 10.5 million euros yesterday, and the total transaction amount was three times higher than yesterday, making the organizing committee very wealthy.
Those who didn't win the bid had long faces, as if their imperial green jade had been snatched away by someone else, while the winner went to complete the formalities triumphantly. Zhuang Rui shook his head slightly and walked out of the bidding hall.
Since it gets dark late in Myanmar, the sealed bid ended at 7 p.m., and Zhuang Rui wasn't in a hurry to go back. He wandered around the sealed bid area. It was a rare opportunity to participate in a Myanmar jade auction, and a single piece of imperial green jade was not enough to satisfy Zhuang Rui.