Zhao Lao Er still clutched his precious stone tightly, regardless of how much the price might rise later. But at least it had already reached over seventeen million—a real number, the price he'd heard!
The rest area was located on the square outside Zhou Bo's factory. Zhou Bo had the workers bring over dozens of chairs, provided everyone with bottled water, and then made a phone call to his friend. Zhou Xuan noticed that the merchants who had just been bidding were also on their phones. (To find out what happens next, please log in to Jixiu. More chapters available. Support the author and support genuine reading!)
Volume 1, Chapter 158: A Mighty Dragon Meets a Local Snake
The screen reading paused, and the matter was discussed and then continued. This was Zhou Fu's first time handling this matter. He found it amusing that although this was the largest distribution center for jade in the country, the price of raw materials here was much lower than in the mainland. No wonder gambling jade players like Boss Ling could make such high profits.
Another point is that wealthy people are more concentrated in inland areas, and jade prices there are closer to those in marketplaces. Therefore, whether it's raw jade or jadeite rough stones, the prices there are much higher than in Tengchong. It's like city merchants buying goods in the countryside; the goods are naturally much cheaper in the production areas.
Zhou Bo's place is just a factory; his own family can't possibly feed so many people. Usually, merchants who come to buy and sell go to hotels in the county after finishing their business. Now, with the market closed for an hour, everyone can only sit there idly. However, most merchants are making phone calls to secure funding. Only with money can they buy Zhao Lao Er's goods. As long as the price isn't below their target, they're willing to sell within 20 million.
This is actually a safe way to make money. The profit margin is much smaller than that of gambling on stones, but it's much safer. There's no risk. Although the profit from gambling on stones is far greater, the risk is also much higher. Moreover, the chance of actually winning big in gambling on stones is extremely slim.
As long as the price is set below 20 million, there is no risk of loss, whether it's borrowing money or partnering.
Zhou Bo called Jin Baiwan, the biggest raw jade dealer in Tengyue Town, who had plenty of money. He asked Jin to buy the jade, making a profit without tying up his own working capital—a win-win situation.
Almost no businessman knows Jin Baiwan's real name. Literally, a million dollars isn't much these days. But the name Jin Baiwan was famous twenty years ago. How much would a million dollars twenty years ago be worth now? An astronomical figure!
In about twenty minutes, Jin Baiwan arrived with six of his men in two Grand Cherokees.
This area is all mountainous, with treacherous terrain. There are no railways, only airplanes and highways. Apart from the main roads connecting cities, the other roads are all winding and steep, constantly going uphill or downhill. Here, wealthy people generally prefer powerful off-road vehicles, unlike in inland areas where people like luxury cars and sports cars. Sports cars are practically untouchable in most parts of Yunnan.
Jin Baiwan lived up to his name, with a protruding belly and a bloated appearance. He was in his fifties, but his face was white, beardless, and oily, just like the legendary Grand Eunuch.
Zhou Xuan watched as six or seven burly men, resembling bodyguards, escorted Jin Baiwan as he got out of the car and walked over. Jin Baiwan's chest was exposed, with a thick gold chain hanging from his chest, and a jade ring on his left thumb. His face was full of arrogance.
Just from that expression, Zhou Xuan disliked Jin Baiwan intensely; he was no different from any other nouveau riche.
Of course, Zhou Xuan had no idea that he was the biggest raw material merchant in Tengchong.
In fact, Jin Baiwan only graduated from primary school. He was uneducated, but he had a relative in Myanmar who had a good relationship with an old mine owner. Because of this connection, Jin Baiwan got his hands on raw jadeite. Over the past ten or twenty years, he has become the largest raw jadeite merchant in Tengchong. Furthermore, although Jin Baiwan was not highly educated, he knew the power of connections. He had excellent relationships with influential units in Tengchong. There was only one way to build connections: money. For twenty years, this method had indeed been successful.
Zhou Bo quickly went to greet him, invited Jin Baiwan to a small room in the middle, and had a worker bring him a large executive chair to sit down.
Jin Baiwan's six or seven henchmen stood behind him like tree stumps. Zhou Xuanxing snorted again, "You think this is the mafia? This is no small matter."
However, Zhou Xuan wasn't worried at all. Only now did he realize the advantages of having Zheng Bing and his men. Looking at Jin Baiwan's demeanor, if he were to cause trouble on Jin Baiwan's turf, Zhou Xuan would be at a real disadvantage. But with Zheng Bing and his three special forces soldiers with him, he had nothing to worry about. Even if Jin Baiwan was just a businessman, or even a local official, or a member of the underworld, he would be a piece of cake in the eyes of a soldier like Zheng Bing. No matter how powerful a local person was, they wouldn't dare easily offend someone in the military. Besides, Zhou Xuan wasn't just backed by Zheng Bing and his men; he also had Li Lei, the deputy commander of the military region. Even the provincial party secretary would treat him with utmost respect.
Zhou Xuan didn't know Jin Baiwan, but the group of merchants did. In Tengchong, who in the jade rough business didn't know Jin Baiwan?
Zhou Bo had already discussed it with Jin Baiwan over the phone. Some things simply couldn't be said openly on the spot.
Jin Baiwan squinted at the people present. His expression, especially when squinting, was quite comical for such a fat man. However, none of Zhou Bo's merchants dared to utter a word. They all guessed that Jin Baiwan had come to Zhou Bo's place mainly for Zhao Lao Er's jade. "If he also comes to interfere," they thought, "then they can forget about it. Forget about fighting like petty local bullies; even in terms of money and power, they're far inferior." They all had their own thoughts. If Jin Baiwan were to ask for Zhao Lao Er's things, they would remain silent; this item was out of their reach.
After Jin Baiwan sat down, he glanced at everyone, his gaze immediately settling on Zhao Lao Er, who was holding a piece of jade in his hands. Zhao Lao Er had only glanced at it casually; having been in the raw jade business for twenty years, his knowledge of jade far surpassed that of the average person. Even with just that casual glance, a glint flashed in Jin Baiwan's eyes, and a thought crossed his mind!
This piece of jadeite is now considered a rare gem among raw jadeite, extremely rare in recent years. Due to the frenzy of mining and the depletion of resources, top-quality jadeite has become a matter of chance, and the price of high-quality jadeite has risen sharply, almost to the point where there is a price but no goods available.
Zhao Lao Er's jade piece, the top two-thirds of which is a glassy, highly translucent layer with an imperial green hue, is truly top-grade. This wouldn't escape the notice of Jin Baiwan, a seasoned veteran of the market. Although the lower part is slightly inferior, it's still a flawless, icy jade. If he takes it back, polishes it, and invites his old connections and big clients, this jade will definitely sell for over fifty million!
In any business, factors like timing, location, and people all play a role. The value will only be equal to the position one holds. With Zhou Bo's connections, the most he could get his hands on would be worth at most 20 to 30 million. If it were Jin Baiwan, the price would naturally be 20 million more.
Jin Baiwan glanced at Zhao Lao Er again, chuckled, and asked, "How much do you want for this jade?"
They really came for this top-quality jade!
Once Jin Baiwan spoke, Zhou Bo's other merchants fell silent, stood up, bid farewell to Zhou Bo, and left.
Zhou Xuan paused for a moment, then squinted at Jin Baiwan. This man was rather strange; there was probably something wrong with him.
Zhao Lao Er was also stunned. He wanted to ask the other merchants who had bid alongside Zhou Bo why they had left. If they had left, wouldn't all their high bids have been for nothing? Even if they offered a hundred million, it would be a waste if they hadn't gotten the money!
Fortunately, there was this fat guy from the internet asking him how much he wanted. Judging from his demeanor, he was no less impressive than them, if not more so. Then he noticed the gold chain around Jin Baiwan's neck, which gleamed brightly. He thought to himself, "That's really something," but he couldn't tell if it was real or fake gold.
Near his hometown of Wudang Mountain, Zhao Lao Er saw it being sold at street stalls. It was as thick as the one Jin Baiwan wore around his neck, and it cost twenty yuan a meter. He would definitely buy a meter of it next time he went back to his hometown to wear around his neck and show off!
Seeing that Zhao Lao Er was staring blankly at the gold chain around his neck, seemingly not having heard what he said, Jin Baiwan asked again, "How much does your jade cost?"
Zhou Xuan kicked Zhao Lao Er, who then realized what was happening. He chuckled, showed off the jade in his hand, and said, "They just bid 17.5 million!"
Jin Baiwan chuckled again and said, "Seventeen million five hundred thousand? You're kidding me. I'll give you three million. Do you want cash or a check?"
Zhou Bo was also taken aback, thinking to himself that Jin Baiwan was really ruthless. Three million? Just consider it as if he picked it up. How much should he give him?
Zhou Xuan immediately understood that this fat man was a local thug who was involved in forced buying and selling!
Zhou Xuan really didn't expect to run into something like this. He had never thought that in Shenzhen and Yangzhou before, there were scams and traps, but he had never encountered forced buying. This guy must be used to being arrogant in the local area.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Lao Er immediately stuffed the jade into his pocket and snorted, "Someone online offered 17.5 million, and you're offering 3 million? Do you think I'm some country bumpkin you can easily scare? 3 million? I won't even show it to you!"
"Hahaha!" Jin Baiwan couldn't help but laugh loudly, and it took him a while to stop laughing. He then said, "Let me tell you, my name is Jin Baiwan. Go and ask around. What I, Jin Baiwan, say here is law, it's a decree. You've already lost your chance for three million. Hmm, one million, check or cash?"
Zhao Lao Er immediately realized he was in trouble. He glanced at the six or seven burly men behind Jin Baiwan and felt a little uneasy. After all, this was Jin Baiwan's territory, and as the saying goes, even a powerful dragon doesn't fight a local snake. Besides, how could they be considered powerful dragons? Zhou Xuan coldly replied, "Not for sale!"
"Seven hundred thousand!"
Jin Baiwan spoke calmly, completely ignoring Zhou Xuan's words.
"Not for sale!" Zhou Xuan replied coldly once again.
"Four hundred thousand!" Jin Baiwan squinted, speaking indifferently to Zhou Xuan. He seemed not to have heard him at all.
Volume 1, Chapter 159: A Frustrating Beat
The two glanced at the people behind Jin Baiwan. Then they looked at Zheng Bing. Zheng Bing... gave a fake smile. Seeing that he looked relaxed, Zhou Xuan felt relieved.
Ordinary people wouldn't know. But Zhou Xuan understood that there was no comparison between ordinary people and special forces soldiers. Ordinary thugs could only show off their toughness and scare ordinary people. But special forces soldiers were killing machines; their honed skills meant to take a life with a single strike!