Han Haowei's jewelry company is quite famous in China. As a veteran who has been in the jade industry for nearly 20 years, many people still believe what he says.
"Wow, blue-green jadeite with floating flowers, this kind of jadeite bracelet is very sought after..."
"If we can really pull out ten or so kilograms of that material, then this piece of fabric would be worth at least forty million RMB!"
"That's right, Teacher Zhuang bought it for 100,000 euros, he really made a fortune!"
Boss Han's words ignited everyone's excitement, as if they'd been injected with adrenaline. Buying the foreigner's scrap material and then unearthing a priceless jadeite was a legendary story, enough for them to brag about back home.
After examining the jade's cut surface, Han Haowei squeezed next to Zhuang Rui and whispered, "Boss Zhuang, how about I have half of this piece?"
Unlike other traditional businesses, jade trading relies heavily on distribution channels; whoever controls the sales terminals gains a competitive edge.
However, the jade business is not like that. To be honest, the jade ornaments displayed in the store are all low-end goods. At most, there may be one or two pieces that are relatively valuable, but those are just for show.
The truly prized items are sold through other channels. Jewelry merchants like these have lists of powerful buyers, and they usually notify these people first when they have good items.
Let alone imperial green jadeite, which is mostly used for collection, it goes to auctions. Even blue-water icy jadeite jewelry with floating flowers sells out in specific circles. There is no need to display it in jewelry stores and promote it piece by piece.
Many people see that jewelry stores are deserted and assume they have little business, but they are wrong. This is called "the meat in the bun is not on the pleats," which is somewhat similar to the antique business model of "not making a sale for three years, but then making enough to live on for three years."
The spending power of Chinese people today is absolutely terrifying. Even the famous luxury brand stores on the Champs-Élysées in France have specially assigned Chinese-speaking staff to serve Chinese tourists.
Therefore, these jewelry merchants are not afraid of not being able to sell their good products. Whoever can get high-quality jadeite will have a high-end consumer group. That's why Boss Han shamelessly asked Zhuang Rui for jadeite.
Zhuang Rui shook his head and said, "Old Han, there's not much material here. I promised to give Boss Guo 20%, so let's let it go this time. I'll think of you next time I have good stuff..."
Zhuang Rui's "Qin Ruilin" jewelry store in Beijing has now become a top-tier consumer destination for jadeite jewelry, attracting numerous celebrities and wealthy individuals. Basically, as soon as high-quality jadeite jewelry is put on display, it is immediately snapped up.
Some auction houses even send people to Zhuang Rui's shop every few days to try and buy some top-quality jadeite that can be auctioned. This amount of material is indeed what Zhuang Rui needs, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to bid in the afternoon.
Although Zhuang Rui didn't care much about these jewelry transactions, it was still his own business, and he couldn't just leave his business to benefit others.
After rejecting Han Haowei, Zhuang Rui turned to Lao Guo and said, "Lao Guo, this small piece of material can be considered your share of the 20,000 euros. That's about 20%, what do you think?"
According to Han Haowei's estimate, the two pieces of jade are worth 40 million RMB together. 20% of that would be 8 million RMB. Old Guo spent about 200,000 RMB and got 8 million RMB for free. He was a little dumbfounded for a moment.
Not only was Lao Guo dumbfounded, but the onlookers also looked at Lao Guo with envy, jealousy and hatred. They all regretted that they were too slow to react and did not contribute to Zhuang Rui's cause.
If Zhuang Rui were to make another call now, raising one or two billion RMB in the shortest amount of time would be no problem at all.
It's important to know that in recent years, each jade auction has seen a transaction volume exceeding 10 billion RMB, and most of that money ends up in the hands of these jewelers.
"Old Guo, you've really struck gold! You don't even need to gamble on stones this time..."
"Yes, Mr. Guo, you'll have to give me a red envelope later..."
"Yeah, let's treat Lao Guo to dinner tonight. We'll order a seafood feast and rip him off..."
Some of Lao Guo's close friends offered their congratulations. Since Zhuang Rui had spoken, it must be true.
After hearing the cacophony of voices, Lao Guo finally realized what was happening. He looked at Zhuang Rui and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Teacher Zhuang, this...this won't do, I...I can't accept it. Just give me back the 20,000 euros, I really can't accept this..."
It's not that Lao Guo doesn't want the eight million, but if he really takes on this piece of material, there will definitely be people gossiping behind his back, and he himself would be a bit tactless, after all, there is quite a big difference between two hundred thousand RMB and eight million.
"Alright, Mr. Guo, we've met by chance. I'll leave this piece of material to you. I'll start by cutting open this big one..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand to stop Lao Guo from speaking. He had a good impression of this middle-aged man, probably because Lao Guo had mentioned seeing him gambling on stones, which reminded Zhuang Rui of his past experiences.
"Well... thank you, Professor Zhuang..."
They were all grown men, and they had agreed on two separate payments beforehand. Old Guo didn't hesitate and took the small half of the raw stone from Zhuang Rui. However, his eyes were a little dazed, as if he hadn't quite processed what had happened yet.
"Brother Guo, what are you planning to do with this piece of material?"
As Zhuang Rui held the large piece of jade, preparing to continue polishing it to extract the jade, Boss Han, who hadn't gotten any advantage from Zhuang Rui, approached Lao Guo.
Zhuang Rui doesn't care about money, but that doesn't mean others don't. Lao Guo doesn't own a jewelry store; he makes his profits by gambling on stones. If Lao Guo is willing to buy, then of course he's willing to sell.
After whispering for a while, Lao Guo transferred half of the rough stone to Han Haowei, and in return, he found himself with a check for nine million RMB.
Zhuang Rui caught this scene out of the corner of his eye, smiled and shook his head, then focused his attention back on the material in front of him. If he took good care of it, this large piece of jadeite could still be used to make more than ten bracelets.
"Steve, how much is that...that piece of material worth?"
There is never a happy ending in this world. For every person who is happy, there is someone who is sad. At this moment, Mr. George's expression was not very good. He could not understand Chinese, so he could only wait for Steve to finish his examination before asking questions.
"George, it's all my fault. I didn't insist on solving it..."
Steve's face was even uglier than George's, and his words were slightly sarcastic. He had spent 3.8 million euros to carefully select a rough, uncut stone, only to have it end up being sold to a Chinese person. This made Steve feel as if he had been scratched by a cat.
Of course, Steve hated his boss the most... George. If it weren't for this greedy guy, he might be the one in the limelight right now.
Chapter 989 Revisiting Hpakant
Actually, Steve wasn't optimistic that the last piece of material would yield jade, but of course he had to say it, and given his previous insistence, he believed he wouldn't have to bear any responsibility for this.
"Steve, it's my fault. It's all my fault for not listening to you and insisting on making another cut..."
Fortunately, George wasn't like some leaders in China who were always right. These words made Steve feel a little better.
Seeing Zhuang Rui surrounded by onlookers like a star being fawned over, Steve and George both felt a bitter smile.
After a long day of hard work selecting a rough stone, it turned out to be a gift to someone else, practically a freebie. This made Steve and George remember the name Zhuang Rui.
The news of this bargain-hunting event that occurred at the jadeite cutting site quickly spread, becoming known not only to everyone who participated in the Myanmar jadeite auction, but also to people back home.
Many things cannot be publicized. The result of word of mouth was that Zhuang Rui displayed great power that night, using his divine eye to identify stones, snatching a piece of top-quality jadeite worth hundreds of millions from a foreigner.
The antique and jade trades are inherently intertwined. All of Zhuang Rui's friends in the antique circle called to congratulate him, which initially made Zhuang Rui quite depressed. He hadn't had a wedding night or anything, and he'd just picked up a bargain while cutting a stone. Was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it?
Finally, Zhuang Rui learned from Uncle De that he had been described as Sun Wukong, with fiery eyes that could see through all jadeite, and that the piece of jadeite worth 30 to 40 million had been inflated more than tenfold in other people's mouths, directly becoming 300 to 400 million.
This news left Zhuang Rui both amused and alarmed, wondering if he had been too high-profile lately. Although no one believed the rumor, it was indeed the truth.
Not only was it widely discussed in China, but even in Myanmar, Zhuang Rui was treated like a living Buddha. Whenever he entered the jade trading center, a group of people would follow him wherever he went.
These people weren't genuinely interested in asking Zhuang Rui about the raw stone; they were just looking to take advantage. As soon as Zhuang Rui stood next to the raw stone, without him even asking, they all pulled out paper and pens and wrote down the stone's markings.
Even when Zhuang Rui was writing down the numbers in his notebook, several pairs of eyes would pop out from behind him, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. Those people wished they could stay by Zhuang Rui's bedside every night, because who knows, even if he talked in his sleep, he might be able to come up with some good material numbers?
Moreover, Zhuang Rui couldn't kick people out or show any impatience, otherwise people would immediately say that Zhuang Rui was putting on airs, which made Zhuang Rui so angry that he almost lost his temper. "I'm neither a celebrity nor a panda, do I need you guys to pay so much attention to me?"
At this moment, Zhuang Rui truly realized what it meant to be burdened by fame. Being a celebrity wasn't easy. Fortunately, these people weren't interested in his body; otherwise, the scandalous photos of Zhuang Rui showering in the manor would probably be all over the internet.
After persisting for four or five days, Zhuang Rui finally gave up and hid in Hu Rong's manor, refusing to show his face again. However, he had already seen most of the materials at this public auction and would have Li Zhen or Peng Fei, who had returned from China, bid for him every day.
Although Zhuang Rui had already set a high bid, he still underestimated the sensation caused by his two stone-cutting operations. The price of raw stones at this public auction was three times higher than in previous years, and two-thirds of the raw stones that Zhuang Rui had his eye on were snatched up by others.
The direct consequence of the booming demand for raw jadeite is a surge in the price of jadeite jewelry in China. Almost any slightly better piece of jewelry will have its price tag changed, and the numbers on the tag will jump several times over.
Just like Zhuang Rui's Qin Ruilin store in Beijing, a piece of icy jadeite pendant that could be bought for 30,000 yuan last year is now priced at 100,000 yuan. And that's a limited edition, attracting many wealthy people to rush to buy the top-quality jadeite jewelry.
All of this stemmed from Zhuang Rui, who, like a butterfly flapping its wings in Myanmar, triggered a price surge in the domestic jade market. Upon learning this news, Zhuang Rui was so shocked he was speechless for a long time. ...
Although Zhuang Rui didn't go to the auction site for more than a week afterward, the merchants who participated in the auction kept coming to his residence day and night, all seeking his help in inspecting materials.
"Brother Zhuang, why don't we go back to sea and go treasure hunting? We're so bored staying in this manor..."
After seeing off another group of people, Peng Fei wiped the sweat from his forehead, took out a beer from the refrigerator, gulped it down, and started complaining to Zhuang Rui.
Do you think I wanted this?
Zhuang Rui glared at Peng Fei with annoyance. If he didn't want to stock up on some raw stones for Qin Ruilin, Zhuang Rui would have already dragged Hu Rong to Hpakant. It would be better than being a free appraiser for someone here.
After more than a week, Zhuang Rui had grown to admire Old Master Tang immensely. He was already on the verge of collapse after just one week, and he wondered how Old Master Tang could tirelessly help people examine raw stones for free for decades.
Upon seeing Qin Haoran and Hu Rong walk in from outside, Zhuang Rui quickly went to greet them and said, "Dad, tomorrow is the last day for the sealed bid opening, so I won't participate. I'll go directly to Hpakant with Brother Hu..."
Over the past few days, although Zhuang Rui hasn't won many bids, each piece has been of high quality, and most are mid- to high-grade jadeite, enough to sustain Qin Ruilin's shop in Beijing for three to five years. Therefore, Zhuang Rui wants to leave as soon as possible.
I've been in Myanmar for about 20 days now. News came from Beijing that the ancient shipwreck museum is about to be completed. When the ancient Song Dynasty shipwreck is moved into the museum, Zhuang Rui, the discoverer, will definitely have to make an appearance.
"Alright, although this trip cost nearly 100 million euros more than the budget, the gains were considerable. Xiao Rui, you and Xiao Hu go to Hpakant tomorrow..."
As Zhuang Rui's father-in-law, Qin Haoran has been quite troubled lately. Those who have no way to contact Zhuang Rui have actually set their sights on him.
Imagine how you would feel if you were observing raw stones every day while surrounded by a group of people trying to get close to you.
"Dad, these pieces of jade are up for auction tomorrow. Please keep an eye on them, and if you have enough money, please buy them all..."
Zhuang Rui handed Qin Haoran a slip of paper with more than ten numbers on it, along with the reserve price. Qin Haoran took the paper, glanced at it, and laughed, "You kid, you actually have some stock hidden away. Are you out of money?"
"Hehe, Dad, if you don't want it, I can eat it all myself. At most, I'll let Peng Fei stay for one day to bid..."
Zhuang Rui laughed. He had spent a lot of money this time, but he still had more than 200 million US dollars in deposits in Swiss banks, so eating these ten or so pieces of food was not a big problem.
"Alright, if this batch of materials yields good quality goods, you'll definitely get your share..."
Qin Haoran quietly placed the note into his handbag. He no longer doubted Zhuang Rui's eyesight; in fact, he was starting to believe in the saying "eagle eyes can see through anything."
The next morning, Zhuang Rui, along with Li Zhen, Peng Fei, and others, flew directly from Yangon to Mandela in his own plane, and then transferred to an old-fashioned helicopter that Hu Rong had found to reach Myitkyina.
Finally, after a long and arduous journey by car, we arrived in Hpakant again and checked into Hu Rong's Chinese community in Hpakant. By then, the Myanmar jade auction, which had lasted for more than 20 days, had finally come to an end.
Zhuang Rui received a call from his father-in-law, informing him that eight of the last ten or so pieces of jade had been sold, bringing the total transaction amount at this Myanmar jade auction to an all-time high of over 18 billion RMB.
Another piece of news is that, in recognition of Zhuang Rui's contributions to this auction, the Myanmar military government has actually granted him the title of Honorary Citizen of Yangon. In a few days, a special envoy will travel to Hpakant to present Zhuang Rui with the Honorary Citizen certificate.
This news left Zhuang Rui somewhat amused and exasperated. He wanted to ask his father-in-law if this title would allow him to experience the Burmese marriage system.
You see, in Myanmar, as long as a man can afford it, he can marry a hundred wives and no one will mind. Of course, Zhuang Rui only dared to think about it in his heart; he was already being a burden to his wife by running around all day. ...
"Brother Hu, what's going on? We're not going to fight a war..."
After resting for a night in Chinatown, Zhuang Rui and Hu Rong prepared to head to the jade mine early the next morning. However, upon going outside, they found that their two off-road vehicles had been replaced by armored vehicles.
"There's been another war in the Golden Triangle lately, and many drug lords have fled here. The situation in Hpakant is a bit unstable, so it's safer to use armored vehicles..."
The richer a person is, the more they cherish their life. Zhuang Rui never thought his life was more important than others. After hearing Hu Rong's words, he immediately obediently crawled into the armored vehicle.
"Hey, Brother Zhang, we meet again..."
Zhuang Rui sat in the back seat of his car and peeked out. The driver was Zhang Guojun, whom Zhuang Rui had met two years ago. He couldn't help but laugh. Back then, when he ventured into the Savage Mountain, he had given this guy quite a fright.
With one hand on the steering wheel, Zhang Guojun said with a smile, "Boss Zhuang, how about we go hunt some wild game tonight?"
"That would be great..."
Upon hearing Zhang Guojun's words, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but recall the time he and Peng Fei ventured into the Savage Mountain, as if it had happened just yesterday.
"Come on, if you disappear again, my heart can't take it..."
Hu Rong interrupted their conversation. In terms of both wealth and influence in the industry, Zhuang Rui was no longer the same as before. If anything went wrong, Hu Rong couldn't afford the consequences.