Chapter 39: The Stone Breaking Site, A Living Hell

Jiang Cheng spent a total of 25.05 million Dragon Coins on the raw stones. This amount was well within Murong Xue’s capability to handle herself, so there was no need to borrow money from Murong Shan.

The buyers who won the raw stones each transferred their payments to the auction organizer’s account and signed the agreements. Thus, the auction phase came to an end.

Next came the thrilling and nerve-wracking on-site stone cutting. Some buyers had their stones moved out immediately and left the auction venue, but most chose to stay and witness the cutting firsthand.

The on-site cutting was far more exciting than the dull bidding process because this was the true gamble of jade stones. One decisive cut could mean fortune or loss—it was all up to fate.

Jiang Cheng was not particularly interested in watching the cutting; naturally, he preferred to take the stones home and cut them himself. After all, the five stones he won were each quite valuable. He was just worried that if he made a fuss, he might attract envy or trouble.

He only wanted to keep a low profile, but he couldn’t resist the rivalry between Chu Yanran and Murong Xue, who insisted on competing on the spot.

Jiang Cheng felt helpless; after all, Murong Xue had provided the money for the stones. If she wanted to show off, let her.

Murong Xue was eager to see Chu Yanran waste 180 million on worthless stones, left with nothing but lace underwear.

Chu Yanran, on the other hand, hoped for a skyrocketing cut that would earn her hundreds of millions, driving Murong Xue crazy.

Both women harbored their own schemes and refused to yield.

Murong Shan was also keenly interested. He wanted to see if Jiang Cheng, who his daughter had praised so highly and who was willing to borrow money to bid, was truly as capable as claimed.

Whether he was trustworthy or not would be revealed after the stones were cut.

Soon, the organizer arranged for staff to transport the stones destined for on-site cutting to a temporary pavilion set up in the hotel’s rear plaza.

The crowd followed and gathered tightly around the pavilion, all eager to witness the heart-pounding cutting process.

“Did you hear? The final top bid went for 180 million!”

“Damn, 180 million? That’s insanely expensive! Who’s the big shot who bought it?”

“I heard it’s the eldest daughter of the Chu family from Qingzhou, Chu Yanran!”

“Wow, the Chu family in Qingzhou really has deep pockets. Nearly 200 million on one stone—just like that! Isn’t she afraid that it might all turn to waste with a single cut?”

“Maybe the contents are worth even more. Who can say with gamble stones? The bold get rich, the cautious starve! Chu Yanran might just make hundreds of millions in one go!”

“Bro, you must be dreaming. If it were that easy to make hundreds of millions, wouldn’t all the big shots be gambling on jade stones? I bet that 180 million is mostly a sunk cost.”

“Look! There goes Chu Yanran, the Chu family’s eldest daughter!”

“Damn, she’s stunning, like a fairy. If I could spend a night with her, I’d die happy!”

“Count me in!”

“Wait! Who’s that gorgeous beauty next to her? She’s breathtaking! If only…”

“Count me in too!”

Amidst the noisy chatter, Chu Yanran and Murong Xue slowly appeared, instantly drawing all eyes.

One exuded an ethereal grace, the other a cold and noble beauty—each dazzling in her own way.

But having spent 180 million to win the top stone, Chu Yanran quickly outshone Murong Xue.

Before long, Murong Xue was ignored as if invisible.

There were countless beauties in the world, but only Chu Yanran could casually drop 180 million on raw stones.

Murong Xue glared coldly at Chu Yanran, snorting, “So proud? You’ll be crying bitterly soon enough!”

Seeing Murong Xue’s resentful expression, Jiang Cheng found it somewhat amusing.

What grudge was this? Was it really necessary?

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline who had won a raw stone stepped forward, volunteering to be the first to cut.

He had paid 8.8 million for his stone.

“Master, just cut right through the middle. No need to open a window!”

The man was confident, certain of the stone’s value.

Everyone watched expectantly.

“Think he’ll get lucky on the first cut? A sudden surge in value?”

“Hopefully! But usually, the first to cut doesn’t end well.”

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

The middle-aged man stared intently at the rapidly spinning blade of the cutting machine, nervous yet hopeful.

Everyone was eager to see the result, their expressions tense and conflicted.

Of course, Jiang Cheng, Chu Yanran, and Wei Qinglin remained calm.

Only they knew that, aside from the stones won by Jiang Cheng and Chu Yanran, the rest were all worthless.

The valuable stones had all been claimed by Jiang Cheng, while the less valuable ones were taken by Chu Yanran at low prices.

Chu Yanran thought she had found a bargain, unaware that she was actually picking up the leftover stones that Jiang Cheng had rejected and which would only cause losses.

It was no exaggeration to say Jiang Cheng was the sole winner of this auction, while Chu Yanran was the biggest loser—left with nothing but lace underwear, metaphorically speaking.

Every stone she bought was at a loss; not one yielded a profit.

Soon, the experienced cutter sighed softly: “Worthless. Pure waste.”

“What? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

The middle-aged man’s face turned green with anger, grinding his teeth fiercely, his eyes bloodshot.

“Damn, 8.8 million for a worthless stone! If it were me, I’d just find a tofu block and bash my head against it.”

“This is insane! Losing 8.8 million hurts, but if that top stone is worthless, that’s a 180 million loss!”

“Such is the gamble—one cut to heaven, one cut to hell!”

For over an hour, the scene was nothing short of a living hell.

One by one, buyers cut their stones on site, each one suffering devastating losses.

The most extreme case was a lucky buyer who spent 35 million on stone number fifteen. Upon cutting, he was so furious he vomited blood and fainted, and within five minutes was taken away by emergency personnel.

The crowd watched in horror and disbelief.

By this point, only Jiang Cheng and Chu Yanran had yet to cut their stones.

All eyes on them were filled with complex emotions—sympathy, worry, and a touch of schadenfreude.

Everyone else had been dealt a harsh blow, all holding worthless stones.

Some buyers even protested, accusing the auction of cheating and nearly coming to blows with the organizers.

Security quickly dispersed the troublemakers.

All buyers had signed agreements stating they were bidding voluntarily and that the auction bore no responsibility for the outcome.

Even if taken to court, it would be futile.

Watching the grim fate of the earlier bidders, Murong Xue began to worry faintly about Jiang Cheng.

If he ended up with worthless stones, how would he repay the money?

She even began to doubt whether partnering with Jiang Cheng had been the right choice.