Song Jun and his colleagues didn't know much about diamonds, but they did know about the different grades of diamond quality. Internationally, diamond purity is divided into nine grades: VVS, VS1, VS2, VS3, SI1, SI2, SI3, P1, and P2. Among them, the highest grade, VVS diamonds, have no impurities when observed under a 15x magnifying glass, making them rare.
Diamonds of VS3 or higher are those that have no impurities even under a 10x magnifying glass. Diamonds of SI3 or higher have no impurities visible to the naked eye, but may have small white or black spots or other impurities under a 14x magnifying glass. Diamonds of P1 or lower have impurities visible to the naked eye. This is why Qin Xuanbing was able to identify the grades of these diamonds after just a quick look under the light.
"Miss Qin, your statement is a bit arbitrary. Our company has a GAC diamond grading certificate issued by the Gem and Jewelry Association of China. How could we possibly pass off inferior products as superior ones and deceive consumers? Besides, this is the most popular design this year by Master Carol Bonney, which has received high praise from our domestic peers. How could it be worthless? Does Miss Qin think she is more knowledgeable than Master Carol Bonney?"
Qin Xuanbing's previous words had exceeded Xu Wei's tolerance, as they concerned the reputation of his family company. Therefore, at this moment, he put aside his lust and began to speak sharply to her.
Qin Xuanbing smiled faintly, seemingly ignoring Xu Wei's accusations, and said, "I don't know or have ever heard of the Carol Bonney master that Mr. Xu mentioned. However, I do know that he is a person of low character. The reason I say that this necklace is worthless is because the necklace he designed was one of the pieces in a batch of jewelry ordered by the British Royal Family last year. In other words, Carol Bonney is a plagiarist. If you put this necklace on the market, I believe you will soon receive a court summons."
"You're talking nonsense. What evidence do you have to prove that what you're saying is true? This is slander against our company, Ms. Qin. Words can be dangerous, so please be careful what you say."
Qin Xuanbing's words completely ripped off Xu Wei's pretense, and his fair face twisted in anger. You see, Carole Bonney was someone he had personally recruited from England at a high salary, despite opposition from his family. If what Qin Xuanbing said was true, then his position in the family would definitely be severely impacted. After all, the Xu family has many talented people, and there are quite a few who are eyeing his position and want to take his place.
"Because I am the designer of this jewelry, I am certainly qualified to say this. You can go back and tell the so-called Master Carol Bonney that Katherine will pursue his infringement against him when the time is right."
Katherine is Qin Xuanbing's English name. In the international jewelry industry, when people describe Qin Xuanbing, they refer to both her name and her as a person, just like the beautiful and elegant jewelry she designs.
Qin Xuanbing's words completely devastated Xu Wei. He had no idea that the designer he had hired was a plagiarist. What made it even more embarrassing was that he had actually flaunted his plagiarized work in front of the original author, which was a complete disgrace. At this moment, Xu Wei was ashen-faced and wished he could disappear into a hole in the ground.
Chapter 46 Mountain Villa
Under the incandescent light of the private room, Xu Wei's face was deathly pale, devoid of any color. At this moment, Qin Xuanbing's beautiful face appeared as terrifying as a demon wielding a steel fork in his eyes. Xu Wei knew that if what happened here today were to be publicized, it might only be a minor problem for Xu's Jewelry Company, which could be resolved by spending some money to smooth things over. However, for him personally, it would be a huge problem, and could very likely cause him to fall from his position as the general manager of the company's East China region.
Xu Wei didn't know why Qin Xuanbing was targeting him so much. As the saying goes, "Don't be too unreasonable, and leave some room for maneuver." He didn't have any deep-seated hatred for her. On the contrary, he was amazed by her beauty when they first met and tried to curry favor with her. But he never expected her to be such a vicious woman. Thinking of this, Xu Wei's eyes were full of resentment as he looked at Qin Xuanbing.
Most people like Xu Wei, who are self-centered in everything, are used to shifting blame onto others. He doesn't even consider that if the designer he hired hadn't plagiarized Qin Xuanbing's design, Qin Xuanbing wouldn't have gone to such extremes.
In the international jewelry industry, borrowing design concepts from others is understandable and acceptable. However, this British woman named Carole Bonney simply copied one of Qin Xuanbing's jewelry pieces from last year without making any changes. Furthermore, the platinum and diamonds she used were of very low quality, which was the most unacceptable thing for Qin Xuanbing.
In addition, Qin Xuanbing had some emotions she couldn't explain. For some reason, when she saw Zhuang Rui, who was very knowledgeable but low-key, she felt inexplicably annoyed by Xu Wei, who was flamboyant and had deliberately provoked Zhuang Rui several times. She forgot that just a few days ago, she had felt the same way about Zhuang Rui.
As for Qin Xuanbing's initial request to appraise the jewelry Xu Wei was carrying, it was purely to see the jewelry design level of Xu's Jewelry Company and thus infer the market trend of jewelry in mainland China. Who knew that the fake would meet the real deal? It can only mean that Xu Wei didn't check the almanac before going out today and was having a run of bad luck.
“Ms. Qin, I personally have absolutely no knowledge of Carol Bonnie plagiarizing your work. I would also like to thank you for exposing that fraudster's true colors. I will report this matter to the company headquarters immediately upon returning and will stop the production and promotion of this jewelry. If you have any further requests, please feel free to make them here, and we will consider them carefully.”
To say that Xu Wei was able to become the general manager of Xu's Jewelry East China Branch shows that he has some quick wit. These few words he said were very skillful. He not only shirked all his responsibilities, but also proposed solutions to the problems, demonstrating sufficient sincerity.
"I have no demands, I just hope that your company can conduct fair trade and do less of the things that deceive consumers. As for Carole Bonney, he probably won't be in the jewelry industry anymore."
Qin Xuanbing replied calmly. From Xu Wei's company's business practices, she could already make a general judgment about the mainland jewelry market. It is understandable for businessmen to value profit, but abandoning morality for profit is a very short-sighted behavior. She believed that these companies would suffer the consequences for this in the future.
As for the British man who plagiarized her work, Qin Xuanbing didn't take it to heart at all. After this matter got out, she believed that no company would hire that person again, especially in the overseas jewelry industry, where it is almost impossible to stand without integrity. Often, a small reputation crisis is enough to bring down a big brand. In this regard, some domestic companies have not paid attention to protecting their brands while building them.
"Mr. Lü, what do you think..."
When Xu Wei heard that Qin Xuanbing was unwilling to offer any terms, he felt uneasy. He looked at Old Master Lü, hoping that he could smooth things over. Little did he know that Qin Xuanbing had no intention of pursuing the matter further. For her and Lei Lei, the more chaotic the mainland jewelry market was, the greater their opportunities for development after entering the market.
Old Master Lü had been keeping a sullen face and hadn't said a word. Xu Wei was the one he brought along, and not only did he bring out inferior jewelry, but he also plagiarized other people's work, putting on such a good show of the real deal beating the fake. He had long lost face. If it weren't for the fact that Xu Wei was introduced by an old friend, he would have already reprimanded him.
Hearing that Xu Wei seemed to be asking for help, he couldn't help but sneer and said, "When you get back, you'd better keep a close eye on the product quality. Otherwise, if you enter the Pengcheng market, I, this old man, will lose face."
Old Master Lü's words were very blunt, meaning that Xu Wei should no longer try to enter the Pengcheng market through his connections with his inferior and counterfeit jewelry. Xu Wei's face turned red and white in turns, feeling extremely embarrassed.
"Let's go eat now, as a way of making amends to Miss Qin..."
Xu Wei made a final effort. If Qin Xuanbing would not pursue the matter of plagiarism, his room for maneuver within the company would greatly increase. As for passing off inferior goods as superior ones, that was a common phenomenon in the industry. As long as he put some effort into the media, consumers would never understand the intricacies of the matter.
"No need..."
Qin Xuanbing immediately refused Xu Wei's invitation, even though he should have been the one to treat her to the meal.
"Mr. Xu must have a lot to deal with right now, so let's postpone this meal and make it up to him next time."
Song Jun, the host, spoke up. He was extremely displeased with Xu Wei. Almost everyone who collects things has been fooled and paid a price for their mistakes, so they all deeply resent those who manufacture counterfeit goods. Song Jun and his company's practice of passing off inferior goods as superior ones was also something that Song Jun and others looked down on.
After hearing Song Jun's words, Xu Wei had no face to stay any longer. He said a few perfunctory words and then took his leave. However, the cold glint in Xu Wei's eyes after he left the private room showed that he already resented everyone in the room.
After Xu Wei left the private room, the atmosphere in the room immediately became relaxed. Liu Chuan said to Zhuang Rui with a grin, "Damn it, I can't stand that pretty boy. Now it's all good, the world is peaceful. By the way, I say, Mu Tou, that pretty boy has been picking on you. Miss Qin just stood up for you. So, did you treat us to lunch at Tiandu?"
"Da Chuan is right."
"That's right, Xiao Zhuang, the money you've made from this one manuscript is more than I've made in decades. You absolutely have to treat us to lunch."
Everyone started to egg Zhuang Rui on, clamoring for him to treat them to a meal.
"Okay, it's my treat today. Let's go to the Tiandu Hotel. I've never been to a five-star hotel before. We'll each have a bowl of porridge, and plenty of dried radish..."
Seeing that he couldn't defy the crowd's anger, and feeling confident after checking the check in his pocket, Zhuang Rui readily agreed. However, his next words surprised everyone, and then they burst into laughter.
The group, sharpening their knives, headed straight for the Tiandu Hotel. At lunchtime, no one tried to save Zhuang Rui any money; they picked out the most expensive dishes from the menu. Even Lei Lei and Qin Xuanbing, using the excuse of needing beauty treatments, each ordered a bowl of shark fin and bird's nest soup. Zhuang Rui was sweating bullets watching this. If it weren't for the salary card with over 20,000 yuan and the cash check with over 3 million yuan in his pocket, he probably would have run away to pee before even ordering the food.
After finishing the meal, Zhuang Rui realized that the millions of yuan in cash he had in his pocket was not as large as he had imagined. He discovered that the 20,000 yuan salary he had earned from a year of hard work was wiped out by this one meal. By that logic, the 3 million yuan was only enough to eat for a few months.
However, the meal was not without its merits. Zhuang Rui clearly sensed that Qin Xuanbing's attitude towards him had improved considerably. She praised his knowledge of antiques several times during the meal. Although Zhuang Rui believed he had never had any romantic feelings for this beautiful woman, he still felt a little flattered to have her favor. He no longer seemed so unwilling to spend the more than 20,000 yuan.
"What are you grinning about, kid? Are you thinking about that ice queen? They're leaving for Nanjing tomorrow. How about I arrange it again tonight and give you two a chance?"
On the way home, Liu Chuan drove and said to Zhuang Rui with a smile.
"Just drive carefully. We're going to Tibet the day after tomorrow, haven't you packed everything?"
Zhuang Rui didn't want to discuss this issue with Liu Chuan, because he knew that after a few words, Liu Chuan would mock him about being a virgin.
"Hehe, don't worry, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. We'll go buy some necessities for going out. Oh, and I'll give you a surprise later."
Liu Chuan slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a smooth stop in front of Zhuang Rui's building. He then looked at Zhuang Rui with a mysterious expression and said...
"Hey kid, is this what you call morning?"
Zhuang Rui glanced at his watch and was immediately furious. He had gotten up at around 8 o'clock to wait for Liu Chuan, but he hadn't seen him at all. He couldn't get through on the phone either, and it kept saying that the other party was out of service area. It was almost noon before the guy finally showed up.
"Hey buddy, don't be angry. I'm just taking those two ladies to the airport first. We can take care of our business this afternoon. It won't take up much time."
Liu Chuan bowed and greeted everyone as soon as he entered, which made Zhuang Rui unable to vent his anger. Actually, Liu Chuan had been on the phone with Lei Lei yesterday, and his phone was dead and he forgot to charge it. When he went to drop off Lei Lei and Qin Xuanbing this morning, he remembered that he had arranged to meet Zhuang Rui in the morning. However, when faced with the choice between male friends and female friends, Liu Chuan thought for a second and still chose the latter.
"Da Chuan, Xiao Rui, let's talk after we finish eating..."
When Zhuang's mother saw the two boys playing around at the door again, she called out to them.
"Da Chuan, you and Xiao Rui are going to Tibet. Be careful on the road. It's several thousand kilometers. Rest when you're tired. Don't drive when you're fatigued."
After dinner, while clearing away the dishes, Mrs. Zhuang gave her two sons some instructions. Zhuang Rui had told her about the trip to Tibet yesterday. Although Mrs. Zhuang always trusted her sons, as the saying goes, "a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles," she couldn't help but feel a little worried about driving such a far place.
"Godmother, it's alright. I drove to Yunnan last year, which is even farther than Tibet. Don't worry about it. When we come back, we'll bring you some Tian Shan snow lotus and saffron. We guarantee it will make you look twenty years younger."
While bantering with Zhuang's mother, Liu Chuan pulled Zhuang Rui downstairs. He had been deeply influenced by his mother and godmother's teachings since childhood, and hearing these words gave him a headache.
After getting in the car, Liu Chuan drove towards the outskirts of the city. Zhuang Rui saw that he was driving towards Yunwu Mountain Villa. Sure enough, after about ten minutes, Liu Chuan drove the car to the gate of Yunwu Mountain Villa.
Yunwu Villa is located at the confluence of Yunlong Lake and Yunlong Mountain. It is a high-end residential area with only 32 stacked villas, with a total construction area of more than 60,000 square meters. The surrounding environment is extremely beautiful, adjacent to tourist attractions such as Yunlong Mountain, Yunlong Lake, and Xiaonan Lake. With clear waters and green mountains, picturesque scenery, numerous cultural relics and historical sites, and extremely rich tourism resources, it has been a treasure land in the hearts of countless literati, scholars and wealthy gentry since ancient times.
In addition, the government's strict restrictions on land use in scenic tourist areas near Yunlong Lake in recent years have made land resources in this area extremely scarce. As a result, Yunwu Villa has become somewhat mysterious in people's minds, and the identities of the owners of these 32 villas have become a selling point in people's daily conversations.
Zhuang Rui had heard people say in casual conversation that even the cheapest villa here costs tens of millions of RMB, yet many people still flock to it, seeing it as a symbol of status. Zhuang Rui was astonished when he heard this. Although he had heard of it for a long time, this was Zhuang Rui's first time visiting.
Security at the resort was extremely tight. After checking Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan's ID cards, the security guard at the gate spoke with the resident Liu Chuan was going to via walkie-talkie before letting them in. However, their car was left in the parking lot outside, and a security guard drove them in in a golf cart.
Upon entering the resort, Zhuang Rui discovered that most of the trees planted there were southern species. Although it was winter and the treetops in the city were almost bare, the resort was a completely different world from the outside. Even the lawns were cold-resistant green varieties. Everywhere he looked was lush and vibrant, making him feel relaxed and happy without even realizing it.
The villas in the resort are all unique. Although the exteriors of the villas are generally the same, they are all distinctive in the details and have some changes. Some people have transformed the gate of their villas to resemble Western architecture, while others have built artificial hills and pavilions at the gate of their villas, which are full of the beauty of classical Chinese architecture.
Zhuang Rui even saw that in the front yard of one villa, there was a huge vegetable garden covered with plastic film, like a rural greenhouse. Zhuang Rui couldn't help but be speechless. These rich people really have unique hobbies.
The electric scooter stopped in front of a villa. Liu Chuan jumped off and, without ringing the doorbell, started banging on the door, seemingly quite familiar with the owner.
"You little brat, why didn't you ring the doorbell? Why did you kick the door? Are you looking for a beating?"
The door opened with a click, and a person came out to greet them. Zhuang Rui looked up and was taken aback. Hey, it was someone he knew...
Chapter 47 Sandalwood
"Hehe, Brother Zhuang, it's only been a day since we last met, you wouldn't have forgotten your brother, would you?"
The man who walked out of the door laughed loudly. This man was none other than Song Jun, who had bought Zhuang Rui's manuscript of Wang Shizhen yesterday.
Zhuang Rui was slightly taken aback, but then he understood. Putting everything else aside, it was perfectly reasonable for someone like Song Jun, a shareholder of the Tiandu Hotel, to own a villa there. Moreover, although Song Jun spoke in a friendly manner, he possessed an imposing aura that suggested he might have other identities that Zhuang Rui was unaware of.
"Da Chuan brought me here without mentioning that we were here to see you, Brother Song. But we're unwelcome guests, so please treat us to dinner tonight..."
Zhuang Rui joked that although he came from the Ping family, he was always humble and respectful to people because of his mother's upbringing. Perhaps there are class distinctions in this society, but this is absolutely not reflected in Zhuang Rui.
Song Jun was taken aback by what he heard. It seemed like it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him in such a tone, which made him feel a little strange. He patted Zhuang Rui's shoulder affectionately, put his arm around him, and walked into the villa. As they walked, he said, "Okay, let's go to Tiandu again today. You can order as much abalone and lobster as you want. Look how green your face was yesterday. I'll let you eat back what you spent yesterday. Is that alright?"
"Hey Song, just lend us your car, I'll treat you to dinner, how about that..."
Liu Chuan followed behind, speaking whenever he could find an opportunity.
"You brat, you've been nagging me about this little thing for over half a month. Fine, today I'll let you use that car for Brother Zhuang's sake. Damn it, I haven't even driven it more than a few times yet, don't you dare break it to pieces. Also, if I'm not satisfied with the Tibetan Mastiff you found for me, you won't get a single penny..."
Song Jun turned his head and looked at Liu Chuan fiercely, but he had a smile on his face, so he was obviously not really angry. Zhuang Rui also understood that the old customer that Liu Chuan was talking about was actually the man in front of him.
It's understandable that they wouldn't give it to them. On the way here, I saw several villas with fierce wolfhounds chained up in their yards. When they saw strangers approaching, their bared teeth and snarled appearance was quite frightening. I imagine that thieves would avoid them from a distance.
In fact, Zhuang Rui did not know that in such a heavily guarded villa area, keeping these things was not entirely for theft prevention, but more to show a symbol of status. In some private luxury villas in big cities, some people even keep large carnivorous animals such as black leopards and crocodiles.
Upon entering the villa, Zhuang Rui was immediately struck by its unique features, not its luxurious interior. Directly opposite the entrance was a massive mahogany screen, about two meters high, divided into twelve panels, adorned with carvings of dragons and phoenixes, effectively separating the room from the outside world.
After passing the screen, Zhuang Rui discovered that the hall was about fifty or sixty square meters in size, and the walls on all sides were covered with a kind of purple wood, which emitted a light fragrance that calmed people down without them even realizing it.
The furnishings in the hall were very simple, consisting of old-fashioned antique-style furniture. They were called antique-style because they lacked the sense of time that comes with age. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that they were newly made. There was not a trace of modern appliances in the entire hall. As soon as Zhuang Rui entered, he felt as if he had been transported back to the dwelling of people from hundreds of years ago.
Zhuang Rui stared intently at a square sandalwood table beside him. Sure enough, it contained no spiritual energy whatsoever, which proved that although the furniture was made of very precious materials, it was a modern product.
"Brother, what do you think of my place? Isn't it even more antique than that private room in the teahouse? I put a lot of thought into these rosewood furniture pieces."
Song Jun's tone revealed a hint of pride. He bought the villa for about 20 million RMB, but the money he spent on the renovation alone has already reached 30 million RMB. The vast majority of the money was spent on the rosewood, which he personally selected from Southeast Asia. This type of rosewood has become extinct in many places, and Song Jun went to great lengths to buy it from some people at high prices. Then he hired skilled carpenters to craft it.
"Brother Song, you're really generous! You probably can't find another room like this in the whole country."
Zhuang Rui's compliment was genuine; he estimated that these rosewood furniture pieces alone were worth several million, but he didn't realize that he had underestimated their value.
Rosewood is a hardwood that grows only one inch every hundred years. Currently, there are very few mature rosewood trees in the world. A Chinese rosewood table made during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty in the 18th century was sold for more than $35 million at a Sotheby's auction in the United States in 1994. The saying "an inch of rosewood is worth an inch of gold" is indeed true. Its value far exceeded Zhuang Rui's imagination. Even if it is not an antique from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the price is still extremely expensive and not something that ordinary people can afford.
Rosewood is hard and heavy, sinking in water. Objects made from it naturally exhibit a dark brown color without the need for varnishing. In addition, due to its remote origin and extreme difficulty in cultivating the wood, it has been hailed as the "King of Woods" throughout history!
In the dynasties before the Ming Dynasty, even the imperial family only possessed a very small number of exquisite chess sets, scrolls, song boards, and small stands, made with minimal materials.
It wasn't until Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) ascended the throne that, in order to promote the prestige of the Celestial Empire, he dispatched the eunuch Zheng He to lead a fleet on a voyage to the Western Ocean. The fleet was loaded with gifts such as tea and silk, which were presented to the countries along the way. On the return journey, the ships were much lighter because the cargo had been unloaded. Fearing that they could not withstand the wind and waves at sea, ballast containers were needed.
Zheng He and his entourage discovered that some countries had purple wood that was very solid and heavy, so they ordered people to cut down this wood for ballast. After returning to China, some royal families and nobles began to use this "ballast wood" to make furniture. Later, people discovered that this wood was not only strong and hard, but also water-resistant and insect-proof, so it became more and more popular, and large-scale logging began.