"Ah... I won the bet, I won the bet..."
Immediately, a sharp-eyed merchant exclaimed.
The craftsman quickly wiped away the stone chips with a towel, and in the middle of the round stone slab, which was about 70 or 80 centimeters in diameter, a palm-sized, bright green jade surface appeared. This cut was truly extremely risky.
Any more cut would damage the jade, but any less would only reveal the green instead of the jade itself. This cut just barely removed the surface of the jade, and miraculously, this side is somewhat flat, unlike the previous side which was just a pointed tip. From this side and the other side, you can basically see that this piece of jade is a cone shape.
Because this side was more exposed, everyone could see more clearly that the jadeite seemed almost dripping with water, with a moist feel and excellent translucency. The other side, however, was still inside the stone and couldn't be illuminated. The jadeite contained no impurities and had a superb color. Although not very large, it was indeed a piece of jadeite of extremely high quality.
The merchants watching were all amazed. Zhou Xuan's luck was truly incredible. Despite his seemingly haphazard cutting, he managed to cut perfectly on the fourth cut, thus revealing the entire jade piece. The merchants were all pondering what kind of objects could be made from this jade.
This piece of jade can be used to make a bracelet. A bracelet made from this material would be worth between 15 million and 20 million. The remaining material is a bit too narrow to make bracelets, but it can be used as material for rings. At least ten rings of various sizes can be made from this material. A ring made from this material would be worth at least 5 million. The total value of this piece of jade is approximately 60 million.
Of course, these are all the selling price, the price of the finished product. If we only consider the value of the jade itself, it is usually half of that, which is still worth around 30 million, which is no small amount.
Manager Gao never dreamed that Zhou Xuan would actually have such good luck. After cutting out the green jade, someone offered 1 million, and then Mr. Yang offered 8 million, but he remained unmoved. At that time, everyone, including Mr. Yang himself, thought that Zhou Xuan was too strange or too greedy, not knowing when to stop.
However, it now seems that Zhou Xuan's determination and boldness, or even greed, have truly paid off in the end. His initial investment of 250,000 has now turned into a value of tens of millions.
Among the dozens of people, everyone felt envious. This was a typical example, an example of getting rich, a real example of a dream coming true.
Amidst the envious exclamations and praises of the crowd, the craftsman stood there stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and quickly asked Zhou Xuan, "Sir, if you want to completely polish this piece of material, it will take some time..."
Zhou Xuan waved his hand and said with a faint smile, "No need. With so many friends here, I think everyone can see clearly. I want to resell this piece of material. Which friend is interested?"
As soon as Zhou Xuan said this, dozens of merchants started whispering among themselves. Gambling on stones is one thing, but most of them are jewelry merchants. If there is good material, they naturally want to buy it back. However, the quality of Zhou Xuan's stone is now clear. Others who want to buy it at a low price or find a bargain and make a big profit are no longer welcome. Just think that Zhou Xuan was not tempted by Mr. Yang's sky-high price of eight million. That shows that he will definitely not resell it unless it reaches his desired price.
After hesitating for a moment, a businessman in the crowd finally tentatively asked, "Fifteen million?"
Zhou Xuan smiled but didn't say anything. In his heart, he had a general idea. He was in this business and knew the basics. For this piece of material, a price of 30 million was more reasonable. If someone bought it and handled it well, they could easily make a few million by reselling the raw material without processing it. If they processed it into a finished product, the value would definitely double. He definitely wouldn't sell it for 15 million; he would just treat it as a warm-up.
Moreover, Zhou Xuan had another purpose: to take the opportunity to intimidate Manager Gao and make him feel inferior, so that he could talk to him about buying those waste stones later.
Those were Zhou Xuan's main objectives. Although these were all colored rough stones, they were expensive, and Zhou Xuan had already used his special ability to detect them, so there was nothing of value left. His jewelry company needed a large quantity of jadeite raw materials, not just one piece. No matter how good the quality, it was too little to support the whole company.
After a pause, another customer raised the price again: "Eighteen million."
Although the price was increased by three million, it was still far from the true value. Of course, the bidder did not expect to close the deal immediately after the price was announced. They would take it slow and see who could resist the pressure while still making a profit before someone would buy it.
This is quite different from the original pure stone gambling. Stone gambling is entirely based on luck. If you are lucky, you can make a fortune like Zhou Xuan. If you are unlucky, you will lose everything. Of course, most people who gamble on stones lose everything and it is very difficult to win it back or make a fortune.
Now that Zhou Xuan's rough jade has already been cut, there's no risk of losing money if he gambles on it. It's just a matter of how much profit he'll make. At the very least, those who are scrambling to buy it now will definitely be looking at the profit. At its peak, after processing, it's estimated to be around 60 million. If the price exceeds 55 million, it's unlikely that anyone will want it. Taking it back to make a few million while putting in a lot of effort is something most people wouldn't do.
Buying something doesn't guarantee its actual value. Nowadays, products also require a marketing strategy. It's one thing for a product to be good, but when it comes to buying things, especially when there's a large crowd, things can change. Something that was originally worth only a hundred might be sold for a thousand or even more.
"I'll offer twenty million, twenty million..."
Another customer made a bid, adding another two million. This is the usual practice; by gradually increasing the price like this, everyone's strength can be seen.
However, Mr. Yang seemed not to give them that chance. He stepped forward, held up three fingers, and said, "Thirty million, I'll offer thirty million."
Mr. Yang, who had remained silent until now, startled everyone when he spoke, reminding the merchants that he was still present.
At first, everyone was stunned by him, but later all the attention and brilliance fell on Zhou Xuan, and everyone began to forget about him. Now, he has suddenly added another ten million, shocking everyone.
Manager Gao became eager, his face flushed and his heart pounding as he said, "Thirty million! Thirty million! Is there anyone willing to offer a higher price? If not, then this piece of material belongs to Mr. Yang."
In his excitement, Manager Gao treated this as the start of his bidding for raw jade, forgetting that the jade no longer belonged to him. Even if someone offered 100 million, if Zhou Xuan himself did not agree or nod, then no matter how high the price, it would be useless, and he would not be able to get the jade.
That's how private sales work. Even if someone is willing to sell, they have to choose a suitable price. It's not like whoever offers the highest price can sell. For example, if someone wants 50 million, but only someone offers 30 million, even though that's the highest offer, the owner can still choose not to sell. The decision is in the owner's hands.
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Mr. Yang offered 30 million. That's a reasonable price. You should leave some room for maneuver. He also needs to make money. You can't be too greedy."
Just as he was about to nod, another businessman suddenly raised the price: "Thirty-three million, I'll add three million."
The sudden, unexpected move caught Mr. Yang and the others off guard. Mr. Yang, in particular, had been the last person to challenge his price after he made his initial bid. Judging by his aggressive stance, it seemed likely that if he raised the price, the other party would raise it even further, leaving him even more embarrassed and unable to back down.
Mr. Yang was stunned for a moment, then his face turned very ugly. This person dared to raise the price and compete with him at this time because his momentum had been squeezed out by Zhou Xuan, so some people didn't care.
After a pause, Mr. Yang grunted and then said, "Thirty-five million."
"Thirty-seven million," the merchant insisted, seemingly aware of the material's value; his offer was still within his profit margin.
Volume 1, Chapter 594: Jade Gambling Doesn't Rely on Luck
Forty-five million!
When Mr. Yang saw that the businessman was still fighting with him, and that Zhou Xuan had worn down his initial domineering attitude, making these people no longer afraid of him, he got annoyed and immediately raised the price by eight million, bringing it up to a high price of forty-five million.
Mr. Yang's fierce move this time stunned the merchants, and the scene fell silent; no one spoke again.
"Forty-five million once, forty-five million twice, forty-five million three times... Congratulations, Mr. Yang, this jadeite is yours now, you may..."
Manager Gao impatiently called out the price three times, and after announcing that the jadeite belonged to Mr. Yang, he was about to let him take the goods directly. Suddenly, he remembered that the item did not belong to him. The owner was Zhou Xuan, and Zhou Xuan had not yet spoken. He looked at Zhou Xuan awkwardly, hoping that he would not embarrass him. If Mr. Yang did not get the jadeite, he would probably be really angry!
To be honest, Zhou Xuan's own asking price was around 30 million, and he was happy to receive 45 million, but not so excited as to be overjoyed. Money couldn't sway him, but he could still see the pleading look in Manager Gao's eyes.
Zhou Xuan still needed to cultivate a relationship with Manager Gao to facilitate future actions. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this, since he's Manager Gao's friend, I'll give him five million for this material, and forty million for Mr. Yang. Is that alright?"
Manager Gao was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately said with a smile, "Sure, sure, why not!" Then he said to Mr. Yang, "Mr. Yang, this immortal... this young man is my friend. He's given you a discount of five million. Is that alright?"
Mr. Yang hadn't expected that after Zhou Xuan raised the price to its peak, he would casually reduce it by five million yuan with ease. He had gained favor and secured a high price. He was truly an extraordinary person, and it was no wonder that Mr. Yang couldn't control him.
"Alright then, young man, what's your surname?" Mr. Yang saw that although Manager Gao said Zhou Xuan was his friend, he couldn't even say his name when introducing him. Coupled with his previous indifference towards Zhou Xuan, Mr. Yang immediately realized that he didn't actually know Zhou Xuan. Given Zhou Xuan's outstanding behavior, he immediately had the idea of befriending him.
"My surname is Zhou, Zhou as in Duke Zhou, and Xuan as in propaganda, Zhou Xuan!" Zhou Xuan didn't hesitate to reveal his real name, then added, "I own a jewelry company in the capital, Zhou's Jewelry, and I welcome cooperation from all of you!"
Manager Gao suddenly realized, "No wonder Zhou Xuan is so experienced. Although he is young, he is the owner of a jewelry company. Perhaps he is benefiting from his father's influence and becoming a ready-made rich second generation. But he is a rich man after all. No wonder he was unmoved by Mr. Yang's offer of eight million just now, and then easily reduced the price by five million with just one sentence!"