Chapter 41: Chu Yanran, Losing Money on Every Cut

Chu Yanran stared at Jiang Cheng, stunned, her head spinning. She even doubted if her ears were playing tricks on her. She had offered 15 million for Jiang Cheng’s jadeite, yet he had voluntarily lowered the price by 3 million to sell it to Murong Xue instead. Had this Jiang Cheng’s math been taught by a gym teacher?

"Why? Even if you are friends, you don't have to lose 3 million just to sell it to her, do you?" Chu Yanran could not fathom it.

Jiang Cheng shrugged helplessly and said, "I apologize, Miss Chu, but I have an agreement with Miss Murong to reserve any high-quality pieces I cut for her."

Murong Xue immediately chimed in with a gloating, sarcastic tone, "Oh my! So sorry, Miss Chu! Such a magnificent piece of top-tier colorless icy jadeite, it’s all mine now. If I turn this into jewelry, Miss Chu, tell me—should I aim for a profit of 20 million, or maybe 30 million?"

Watching Murong Xue’s mocking, petty triumph, Chu Yanran’s liver trembled with rage. Glaring viciously at both Murong Xue and Jiang Cheng, she turned away, ordering the master cutter to start on her own stones.

*Do you think you’re the only one who can cut good jade?* Chu Yanran sneered inwardly.

She had purchased four stones containing jade, one of which was the "King of Bids" from the Hpakant old mine in Myanmar. She refused to believe she couldn't cut a single valuable piece. Her four stones had been bought for 1.35 million, 2.1 million, 3.3 million, and 180 million respectively. She had bought the first three with the mindset of grabbing a bargain, so winning or losing didn't affect her much, but the final "King of Bids" was the real main event.

Four cutting machines started simultaneously. The scene erupted in excitement, with everyone’s eyes glued to the King of Bids.

"Damn! Miss Chu is bold! Cutting four at once—isn't she afraid they'll all fail?"
"Forget it! I'd believe it if you said all four would rise in value, but for all four to fail? The odds are way too low!"
"Exactly! How could they all fail? There were only 16 stones auctioned; if they were all scrap, the organizers would have to be corrupt!"
"That’s right. Didn't that young man just cut a winner? If they were all junk as you say, and so many people participated, only that kid would be making money? That would be too fake!"

Amidst the chatter, the first cutting machine stopped. Everyone turned their attention to the master cutter’s movements. After a long while, the master wiped the surface clean and presented it to the crowd.

"It’s got jade! It’s got jade! I knew it! How could they all be scrap?"
"Wait, don’t celebrate too soon. Look closely—it’s cracked to pieces. It’s not even big enough to make a pendant. It’s worth nothing!"
"Sigh! This one is a total loss."

The crowd had barely felt envy before a bucket of cold water was poured over them. The jade looked high-quality at first glance, but it was riddled with cracks like a spiderweb, rendering it worthless. This piece was a massive loss.

Seeing the cut fail, Murong Xue’s mouth stretched wide, her heart filled with wicked delight. "Hmph! That’s for trying to steal my stones and always cutting out winners! Spent 1.35 million just to throw it down the drain! Hahaha!"

Chu Yanran frowned as she watched the first stone fail, but she wasn't overly disappointed. She had encountered such situations before, but they were usually rare exceptions. Overall, relying on her master Wei Qinglin’s "Qi-observing technique," she usually came out ahead. She didn't take it to heart. *Four stones—they can't all be scrap, can they? Impossible, absolutely impossible!* She had only bid after confirming they contained jade. How could every single one fail?

A while later, the second stone was revealed to the crowd.

"It’s got jade! Bean-variety yellow jade!"
"Sigh! The core is so small, and it’s just bean-variety. It looks like it’s only worth about 100,000!"
"Another loss!"
"2.1 million completely down the drain!"

Everyone looked at Chu Yanran with pity. Her beautiful face was now clouded with gloom. Although these were small sums, it was infuriating. It would be one thing if they were total waste, but the worst part was that they were worth *just* enough to be annoying. She had bought them for over a million only to have them be worth a fraction of that! She couldn't understand why her luck was so bad today. Was she really having such a run of bad luck? She even suspected the auction house of foul play.

Murong Xue was laughing so hard she was twitching. "Oh! Another loss! Miss Chu, your luck is really something else! I think you’d better stop cutting, lest you lose everything and get so frustrated you have a heart attack! Giggle..."

Chu Yanran looked at her coldly. "Miss Murong, what? Are you jumping for joy already?"

Murong Xue covered her mouth, giggling. "I wouldn't say jumping for joy. I’m sure a few million is nothing to you, Miss Chu. I’m just worried for you! You spent 180 million on that King of Bids! What if that one fails too?"

Chu Yanran sneered, "Hmph! That is no concern of yours, Miss Murong!"

At that moment, the third stone was presented to the crowd.

"This... this is bean-variety again!"
"Damn! Another loss! How can Miss Chu's luck be this cursed?"
"If it were total waste, that’d be one thing, but it’s just worth peanuts—isn't that just aggravating?"

Chu Yanran, usually so poised and elegant, finally lost her cool. How could her luck be this abysmal today? Three stones cut, three losses! If you said she was unlucky, every piece *did* have jade—compared to those who cut nothing, she was a chosen one. But if you said she was lucky, every piece was worth a pittance compared to the auction price; she was losing money everywhere!

Chu Yanran felt as if she had swallowed a fly. Her face was as dark as coal. Why did that guy Jiang Cheng cut one stone and make a profit of over 10 million, while she cut three and lost on all of them? Why was heaven so unfair? Who was the one cheating?

She didn't know that every stone she had bought was the leftover scraps Jiang Cheng had discarded—guaranteed losses. It was just a cruel coincidence that she had bought every single one of them. To say she was the only loser in the room would be an understatement.

Murong Xue decided to stir the pot again. "Oh! Miss Chu, what’s wrong? You used to cut winners every time, how come now you lose on every one? Could it be karma? Giggle..."

"You!" Chu Yanran was choked with rage. She wanted to retort, but no words came out. Looking at Murong Xue’s smug face, she wanted to rush over and slap it. Grinding her teeth, she refocused her gaze on the final "King of Bids."

This was her last hope! 180 million! Everything rode on this one. If she won, all the previous humiliation would be wiped away. She would use this stone to stage a comeback and slap the smug look right off that little wretch Murong Xue’s face. At the thought, a flicker of fanaticism crossed her eyes.

As the screeching sound of the spinning blade came to an abrupt halt, everyone’s heart tightened to the breaking point. Everything before this was mere distraction. Even if those millions were wasted, what did it matter? If this stone rose in value, it would be by hundreds of millions, perhaps even billions. At that point, the faces of everyone who mocked her would be shattered!

But would reality truly favor Chu Yanran as she wished?