Chapter 37: Chu Yanran's Dilemma

For Jiang Cheng, the moment lot number 14 was successfully bid upon, his war was over. He had secured all four of the most valuable pieces out of the sixteen lots. This trip had been incredibly profitable, and he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He had no interest in the remaining auctions; his only thought was to have Murong Shan’s people transport the stones away for cutting as soon as the event concluded. If it weren't for his ability to see the true value of the jadeite raw stones, he never could have successfully acquired these four prime pieces. He was essentially cheating.

Thinking of this, Jiang Cheng’s mind drifted to the woman in red. Her image in his heart was truly complex. If you asked if he hated her, he did. If you asked if he was grateful, he was that too. Her sudden appearance had caused his car accident, yet, paradoxically, she had pulled him from the wreckage, called an ambulance, saved his life, healed his eyes from the glass shards, and granted him his supernatural ability. Thanks to that power, he had made a fortune, transforming from a lowly driver bullied by his boss and dumped by his girlfriend into a multi-millionaire. The magnitude of this change, occurring in just one week, felt surreal and hallucinatory.

Bringing his thoughts back to reality, lot number 15 was brought out by staff and placed on the auction block. The auctioneer began the introduction. The stone was quite large, weighing 87 kilograms, with a starting bid of 23 million and a minimum increment of 2 million. It was a piece from Maw Sit Sit. Murong Xue naturally asked Jiang Cheng if he wanted to bid. She was unaware that Jiang Cheng had already thoroughly analyzed the true value of the next two lots using his X-ray vision and appraisal ability. He already knew everything he needed to know. She was genuinely afraid that Jiang Cheng might impulsively place another bid. After all, this was a twenty-million-plus stone; if it turned out to be worth less, he would suffer a massive loss. Murong Shan and Liu Ruiming also watched Jiang Cheng quietly. Jiang Cheng gave a faint smile and shook his head.

He had expected this lot to go without bids, as the "King of Lots" was next, and a rational person would save their capital to compete for the grand prize. What Jiang Cheng didn’t know was that many people were beginning to hesitate. Everyone wanted the King of Lots—it was from the famous Hpakant old mines and had come out of the Myanmar national gem auction, a pedigree that was beyond reproach. But there was only one King of Lots, and with so many bidders, the final price would certainly be astronomical. It was uncertain if one could even win it, and what if the King of Lots turned out to be waste material?

Wouldn't that mean losing everything down to one's last penny? Consequently, many of the more rational bidders had abandoned the idea of the King of Lots and shifted their focus to lot 15. As a result, lot 15 received several bids. However, the bidding was agonizingly slow, with everyone trying to drag it out to the last possible second in hopes of picking up a bargain. Even with this sluggish pace, the price was eventually pushed up to 35 million, where it was finally claimed by a middle-aged man with a receding hairline. Of course, only three people present felt any sympathy for him: Jiang Cheng, Chu Yanran, and her master, Wei Qinglin. Only they knew that lot 15 was nothing but worthless stone.

At this point, even Chu Yanran, who also possessed a "cheat," began to feel nervous. Her master’s "Qi-Viewing Technique" was like a cheat code for raw stones; he could reliably determine whether a stone contained jade or not. However, Chu Yanran knew that her master’s ability was better suited for picking up cheap bargains rather than competing in high-stakes auctions. He could not judge the actual value of a stone. If her master’s technique were a cheat code in a game, it would be the cheap, five-dollar variety found online, whereas Jiang Cheng’s ability was like an invincible hack written by a top-tier hacker. Even though both were cheating, the difference was like heaven and earth.

Neither Chu Yanran nor Jiang Cheng knew the other’s true capabilities; both believed they were the only ones in the room with an edge. For Chu Yanran, if the final King of Lots turned out to be worthless, that would be fine—she would just skip it. The terrifying possibility was that the King of Lots might contain jade, but its true value could be far lower than the final bid. Her master could detect the presence of jade, but not its quality. If the stone was worth only a few hundred thousand but sold for hundreds of millions, what then? Her heart began to race. She was already hesitating about whether to bid if her master confirmed there was jade inside.

As she deliberated, the auction’s only King of Lots made its grand entrance. The starting bid was 50 million, with increments of at least 5 million. Once the beautiful auctioneer finished her introduction, the room erupted in a buzz. 50 million! And 5 million per jump! It was incredibly intense. Those who had been determined to win suddenly wavered; they were afraid. This was 50 million, not 500 dollars. The final price could easily reach over a hundred million. If it turned out to be a huge success, that would be great, but what if it was waste, or worth only a few tens of thousands?

Everyone wished they had X-ray vision to see inside the stone so they wouldn't have to struggle with such uncertainty. Chu Yanran asked Wei Qinglin with a solemn expression, "Master, is there anything in this stone?" Wei Qinglin carefully examined the 16th lot. He saw a faint, milky-white halo emanating from the surface. It meant there was jade! Everything in existence had its own unique aura. A newborn baby had the aura of life, while a dying elder exuded the aura of decay. Wei Qinglin’s technique allowed him to sense the nature of an object through its aura. By his standards, jadeite was different from ordinary stone; it emitted an intangible aura that appeared as a milky-white halo under his sight. Ordinary stones showed no such reaction. This was the foundation of his ability to find bargains and ensure every stone Chu Yanran bought contained jade.

But now, with the starting price at 50 million, his technique had lost its significance. Even if he knew there was jade inside, did he dare to bid? Did he dare to commit to this stone? This was gambling—a high-stakes gamble that could reach hundreds of millions. However, Wei Qinglin did not care about the outcome. They had an agreement: he would only state whether there was something inside; the decision to bid was entirely up to Chu Yanran. If they made a profit, he would take half; if they lost, he bore no responsibility. Thus, Wei Qinglin stopped holding back and gave a slight nod.

Chu Yanran understood the gesture perfectly—it was their pre-arranged signal. If there was jade, he would nod; if not, he would shake his head. Seeing his reaction, Chu Yanran’s brows knitted together tightly. She almost wished there were nothing in the stone so she wouldn't have to agonize over the decision. The worst part was that there actually was something inside. If it was a massive piece, she would be wealthy beyond measure, but if it was only worth a few hundred thousand, she would lose everything. While she was lost in these thoughts, a buyer began to bid. The most harrowing part was that this bid acted like a fuse, sparking a rapid-fire series of calls that filled the room. In no time, the price was pushed to 85 million, and it showed no signs of stopping. Chu Yanran’s psychological defenses began to crumble.