However, Fujimoto himself was unaware that the fate of the jade had been changed. He didn't care because he didn't hear anyone else bidding. Someone had just offered more than six million, so he figured it would have to rise to more than ten million before making a decision!
Thinking about this, Fujimoto felt a surge of joy, always dreaming of making tens of millions with a single bet. It was too easy; he had only made a few cuts, each with a different price. Each cut increased the price by millions, and each subsequent cut increased it by millions more. Fujimoto admired Zhou Xuan's composure, remaining unmoved and continuing to work his way up to the end, thus maximizing his profits.
Fujimoto waved to Master Zhao again, signaling him to cut more.
At this point, Master Zhao could no longer use cutting; the jade was practically touching the surface. He could only use a rubbing technique, taking a fine grinding wheel and slowly rubbing the rough stone.
Master Zhao was quite quick. Actually, he was also aware that the jade was of poor quality and was not afraid of any minor damage. About half an hour later, the entire jade was revealed.
The jade was about the size of a large bowl, and in many places, Master Zhao had directly rubbed it against the solid surface, revealing five small impurities. Everyone couldn't help but sigh inwardly; the exposed areas were all the same as the spot where Master Zhao had initially made a cut—impurities and particles filled the jade's interior. Judging from this, the entire piece of jade was worthless, a complete waste; even a fake dealer wouldn't want it!
The price, which peaked at six million, has vanished in the blink of an eye, now worthless. The process was so short, so dramatic. Everyone thinks it's a scam, but F only has itself to blame for not seizing the opportunity. Greed can sometimes be a good thing, but more often than not, it's the easiest way to ruin things!
Master Zhao wiped the jade clean of the stone chips, making it a little cleaner. Then he handed it to F.
Fujimoto was excited, but also knew little about jade, especially since it was just a rough piece. He didn't know the quality of the jade, but he was certain that the seller had offered him six million.
Fujimoto carefully held the blue-and-white porcelain, smiling as he addressed the surrounding merchants: "Everyone can bid freely now, hehe, I'll start with a base price of eight million!"
Upon hearing Fujimoto's words, the surrounding merchants couldn't help but chuckle. Fujimoto, naturally unaware of the implications, joined in the laughter. "Damn it," he thought, "laugh all you want, as long as you pay a high price. Laugh all you want!"
The merchants thought Fujimoto was naive and chuckled without saying anything. Lin Shitu, however, spoke up. After all, he was the boss, and he had an obligation to explain things to customers who were gambling on stones for the first time.
“Sir, this is what you call this piece of jade after it was cut open.” Lin Shitu pondered for a moment and said, “After cutting it open, the jade quality is average, the translucency is average, and the transparency is semi-transparent, but the texture is extremely uneven. If it were just like that, such a large piece could still sell for five or six thousand, but the key issue is that there are many impurities inside. Look, these fine particles, like sand. This means the jade is impure; it's a piece of waste jade. Even at five or six hundred, people probably wouldn't want it!”
Fujimoto and Ito Kinji were both stunned. This dramatic change was truly unexpected, mainly because the price had increased by one hundred to two million in a single cut. It kept rising until it reached six million, and by then, both of them were only thinking that this was something worth tens of millions, definitely not a piece of junk!
After a while, Fujimoto saw that the surrounding merchants were all sighing, and he gradually came to believe that the jade was a piece of junk. Besides, with his knowledge and ability, and with Lin Shitu explaining it to him so clearly, he realized that he had lost the bet, but deep down he was extremely unwilling to believe it!
Unable to stay in Japan, he followed Ito Kinji to the mainland and swindled millions. He lived in constant fear, thinking that he had finally found a real way to make money. But then he watched Zhou Xuan and Zhao Lao Er make a fortune, so he gritted his teeth and took the gamble himself, only to lose everything. How could he possibly stay calm?
Panting heavily, his hands and feet trembled for a moment. Fujimoto suddenly jumped up, pointing at Lin Shitu and Zhou Xuan, shouting wildly, "You're liars! You're liars! You conspired to cheat me! I'm a Japanese businessman! I'm going to report you to your government for fraud and demand my money back!"
Ito Kinji also joined in the frenzy. These days, they both knew that the national policy welcomed foreign investment with preferential conditions, especially from local officials. The poorer the region, the more officials fawned over these foreign investors, making them hold their heads high, as if they were always superior. Because of these officials, many foreign swindlers came to the country to commit fraud, and they repeatedly caused trouble.
Lin Shitu had never encountered such a situation before. Plus, Fujimoto was Japanese, so he was indeed a bit hesitant and hadn't quite grasped the situation yet. The other merchants, however, didn't care about such things. In the jade gambling business, it's all about mutual consent—one party is willing to pay, and the other is willing to pay. Besides, it's a legal business. Jade gambling, like stock trading, is risky. How can you just renege on a bet after losing? Fujimoto continued, "We were invited by your city government to be investors. If you return our money, that's fine, otherwise I'll report you to the city authorities and make sure you regret it!"
Lin Shitu was genuinely hesitant. To be honest, he understood the nature of relationships with city guests. Some were acceptable, others absolutely unacceptable. Making money was important, but some money was simply unacceptable. He was even considering returning the money to Fujimoto Tsuyoshi, as if the business deal had never happened. He'd just earn a little less, but it wouldn't be a loss. When Fujimoto mentioned being a city guest, Zhou Xuan immediately realized that this guy claimed to be investing in the city. Knowing the two of them as he did, Zhou Xuan knew they were no good; they were always up to deception. He'd overheard that their total assets were only four million, meaning they weren't exactly wealthy. How could investors like them be short of money? If they weren't, it could only mean one thing: they were there to scam him!
If it were anyone else, Zhou Xuan wouldn't care. There are plenty of corrupt officials in the local area; letting them suffer a little is none of his business. But Fujimoto and Ito Kinji are different. Especially that Japanese guy, Ito. He once threatened Fu Ying's life. Back then, he didn't have the guts or the ability, but now he's more mature. It's not gentlemanly to leave a grudge unavenged. Fu Ying also said that if she ever saw Ito again, she would never let him go. Now that he's seen him, he's no different from Fu Ying. Besides, this guy is here to cheat his own compatriots! Zhou Xuan coldly snorted, "Mr. Fujimoto, do you know that the jade gambling business in our country is legal? Whether you gamble to your death or live, that's your own business. If you lose, you bite the hand that feeds you. But if you just won big and made tens of millions, what kind of face would you have then?"
Since all pretense of civility had already been laid bare, Fujimoto had no more reservations. Pointing at Zhou Xuan, he cursed, "Zhou, I wouldn't have guessed if you hadn't said anything. Now that you've said this, I suspect it's all a trap you set to lure us into. I'm going to have your officials and police arrest you!"
Zhou Xuan sneered and said, "Fujimoto, if you want to tear off the mask, fine, I won't say anything either. If you want to talk like this, then fine, let me tell you, if you run into someone else, consider yourself lucky. But if you run into me and still try to be tough and ruthless, let me tell you, you're just unlucky!"
After Zhou Xuan finished speaking, he turned to Zheng Bing and said, "Little Zheng, notify the city and have them investigate this Fujimoto Tsuyoshi. I suspect he's a fraudster. Invest, huh? Invest in what? Invest in a scoundrel!"
Zhou Xuan's words immediately made Fujimoto Takeshi uneasy. He knew their true nature well; if they were investigated thoroughly, their past might be exposed, which would be disastrous. They had defrauded several places of four or five million, and if it were discovered, this was all within their country's borders. He had done illegal things, and if he were to be imprisoned here for ten or eight years, he would be truly in deep trouble.
!
Then Fujimoto thought of Zhou Xuan's mysterious identity. Although he didn't understand it, he had witnessed Zhou Xuan taking care of Fatty Jin on the way with them!
The thought of Fatty Jin suddenly made Fujimoto feel alarmed. Didn't Zhou Xuan's men arrest the police? Later, it seemed that city leaders came, but they still treated him politely.
Oh no! Fujimoto suddenly realized that if they were real large corporate investors, it would be fine, but the key was that he and Ito didn't represent any company. They were just a bunch of swindlers, and no matter how they talked, he would be the one who lost. If the other party wasn't Zhou Xuan, but an ordinary citizen, then they might have a chance to win, but since even the city leaders didn't dare to offend them, how could Fujimoto win?
His heart was ice-cold! Four million two hundred thousand was his only remaining asset, but he'd given it all to Lin Shitu, leaving him with nothing. Where could he run? At this point, he and Ito Kinji probably didn't even have two thousand yuan in cash combined, and they still had to pay the tour guide!
Fujimoto quickly realized he was in trouble. He needed to get Ito to sneak away with him. If the tour guide found out, he wouldn't even get his guide fee. If things got out of hand, it would be even more troublesome. He didn't even have enough money for a plane ticket, so he had no choice but to escape Yunnan by bus!
Ito was still grumbling and trying to find fault. But the four men around Zhou Xuan—Zheng Bing, Jiang Jin, and others—were no pushovers. If it were just one of them, Ito might have a slight chance of winning, but with four of them, he had no chance at all. He glanced at Fujimoto Tsuyoshi and saw that Fujimoto was also deflated. Fujimoto was his backbone; if even he couldn't handle it, Ito gave up.
Fujimoto was much more astute. He knew that if he was caught, there was no chance to get his money back. Not only would he not be able to get anything back, but he also had to run away for his life. If Zhou Xuan had really brought the city leaders and the police, he might not have been able to leave!
Zhou Xuan's goal was to prevent them from leaving and to get to the bottom of things. If they weren't lying, he'd let them go back to their hometowns naked. If they were liars, they'd be locked up in jail. For people like Fujimoto and Ito Kinji, who were used to a good life, being driven penniless was worse than death. Even death wouldn't be as miserable as this!
Zhou Xuan gave a signal, and Zheng Bing, along with Jiang Jin, Zhang Shan, and Wu Feng, immediately surrounded Fujimoto and his companion. Fujimoto's expression immediately tensed up; he couldn't afford to fight.
Ito had some martial arts training, but ever since Fu Ying and Fu Tianlai, grandfather and grandson, chopped off several fingers from his hands, his skills had been greatly diminished. Moreover, he had witnessed Jiang Jin, Zhang Shan, and Wu Feng's attack; while their martial arts foundations weren't as strong as his, their close-quarters combat skills were quite different. In a one-on-one fight, he might have a slight chance. Against two, he was already at a disadvantage; against three, he would undoubtedly lose; and against four, he would die however he pleased!
Without hesitation, Zhou Xuan ordered, "Take him down and send him to the Municipal Bureau for investigation!"
Fujimoto didn't resist; Jiang Jin twisted his arm and pinned him down. Zhang Zhi and Wu Feng pounced on Ito Kinji and began fighting him. If they had fought in a more relaxed and undistracted environment, Ito wouldn't have been in such a sorry state. But now, he was clearly flustered and disorganized. Fujimoto had already been captured, and his mind was in disarray. Furthermore, since his hands were crippled, he hadn't been able to focus on martial arts training and had fallen behind. Fighting Zhang Shan and Wu Feng, and worrying about the powerful Zheng Bing watching from the sidelines, further distracted him. As a result, he was quickly overpowered by Zhang Shan and Wu Feng.
After receiving the call, the municipal police station first notified the town police station to assist in the arrest, and then rushed over.
The city leaders were still quite worried after their brief meeting with Zhou Xuan and his group. Now they received another call from them. They didn't yet understand how the matter would be handled, but they were very clear that Zhou Xuan was someone they absolutely could not afford to offend.
After the police officers from the police station came and locked up Fujimoto and the other person, Zhou Xuan remembered the jadeite rough stones they had found at Lin Shitu's factory earlier, and quickly said to Lin Shitu, "Boss Lin, let's take another look at the rough stones!"
Volume One: The Lotus Buds Just Begin to Emerge, Chapter 168: Not Judging by Light
Mo Shi couldn't help but feel uneasy. He also began to speculate more about Zhou Fu's identity. Was he some kind of powerful figure, like a princeling in Beijing? The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, judging from the four cold-blooded assassins like Zheng Bing and Zhou Xuan's bodyguards. Zhou Xuan's style of handling things, his magnanimity, and his fearless demeanor—only this could explain it!
However, Lin Shitu was absolutely certain that Zhou Xuan was not a figure in officialdom, but his background was certainly not low!
Although Zhou Xuan is not a princeling, Lin Shitu's guess is not wrong. Given Zhou Xuan's current standing in the hearts of Li Lao and Wei Laozi, his words and deeds are definitely no less influential than Wei Haihong's!
Lin Shitu then simply shrugged off the other customers and cheerfully accompanied Zhou Xuan to the factory to select stones. The rough stone that Zhou Xuan had just brought back was placed on the auction stage, to be discussed later after the selected stones and rough stones were returned.
Actually, among all the colored rough stones in the entire factory, only that one piece and the one Zhou Xuan initially cut were of the best quality—truly top-grade bright green, glassy, and translucent jadeite. Moreover, the jadeite pieces in this uncut rough stone were larger; Zhou Xuan's smaller piece sold for over 30 million. Just thinking about it, one can imagine the value of this one. Lin Shitu made a decision: he absolutely had to get on Zhou Xuan's good side. While this kind of business was legal on the surface, there were many shady dealings behind the scenes. If you had good connections, these things could be easily overlooked. But if you were serious about it, it would be a big deal. Therefore, Lin Shitu always kept a low profile and tried his best to cultivate relationships with officials. Although he and Fatty Jin were among the largest rough stone merchants in Tengyue Town, in the eyes of others, he was far less arrogant than Fatty Jin.
If we can get in touch with someone like Zhou Xuan, the powerful heir of the capital, then what's a little trouble here at Tengyue?
Lin Shitu beckoned five or six employees to follow Zhou Xuan as he selected stones. This time, Zhou Xuan focused on rough stones with little and barely visible green on the surface. Of course, he wanted rough stones with jadeite inside, because less and paler green meant a lower price. Considering the jadeite inside, he figured he would make a profit no matter what. Some rough stones had better green on the surface, even if they contained jadeite, Zhou Xuan didn't choose them. Judging from the appearance, these rough stones were quite expensive, but the jadeite inside wouldn't fetch that much. Apart from the two best stones, the better ones were egg-white jadeite, some were greenish-blue jadeite, and the best were watery jadeite. There were also two pieces of red jadeite. He didn't know the value of red jadeite, but since it was the first time he had seen it, Zhou Xuan picked them out as well.
When it came time to pick them out, more than thirty pieces of raw material of various sizes were selected. Lin Shitu's employees carried them back and forth to the table, while the slightly larger pieces were hauled over in small trolleys.