“Yes!” Ye Ziwei’s face was icy, her demeanor pushing others a thousand miles away. She didn’t even spare him a glance.
“That woman is really too arrogant! She didn’t even look at Young Master Qiang properly! She must have a death wish!”
Seeing this, several of the young masters couldn’t help but show a flicker of anger on their faces. They grumbled inwardly, feeling indignant on Young Master Qiang’s behalf.
Jiang Chao was also frantically signaling Ye Ziwei with his eyes, urging her to be more welcoming toward Young Master Qiang.
In Jinling, Yu Qiang, not yet thirty, was considered the heartthrob of many society beauties and young ladies from respectable families. The matchmakers and suitors practically wore out the threshold of the Yu family.
But Yu Qiang paid them no mind at all. He was infatuated with Ye Ziwei, going to great lengths to pursue and get close to her.
Yet Ye Ziwei was so haughty, showing Yu Qiang no warmth whatsoever, not even granting him a glance.
The Jiang family’s assets amounted to a mere couple billion, and currently, only Jiang Shouren held a position in the official circles—a deputy inspector in the Health Department, hardly a crucial post. Originally, the Jiang family was considered only a mid-tier clan in Jinling, while the Yu family ranked in the top ten. How was Young Master Qiang not good enough for her?
At this, Yu Qiang could only shake his head with a bitter smile, stealing another few glances at Jiang Tian.
He had heard that her feelings for this unrelated younger brother were extraordinary. But what exactly was the charm of this kid?
His features were somewhat delicate, his appearance passable, but he utterly lacked the boldness and poise expected of a scion from a prominent family.
Moreover, he had heard the boy was nothing but a good-for-nothing, neither studying nor learning a trade, and had brought tremendous disaster upon the Jiang family. Why was Ziwei so infatuated with him?
“Jiang Tian, are you interested in gambling on stones? If you want to try, I can teach you…” Yu Qiang offered with a smile.
“You teach me? What qualifications do you have to teach me? The audacity!” Jiang Tian replied coldly.
Jiang Tian also had some impression of Yu Qiang and didn’t think much of him.
While this man wasn’t some great villain, his heart was exceedingly narrow and petty, truly small-minded.
After Jiang Zhixing was wrongfully imprisoned, he and Ziwei had once sought out Yu Qiang, hoping he could help mediate.
Unexpectedly, burning with jealousy, Yu Qiang had put on a superior air, revealing his cruel and ruthless true nature.
He had sneered at and ridiculed Ye Ziwei, calling her a shortsighted, foolish country bumpkin. Now you realize my power? Isn’t it a little late?
Jiang Tian still remembered how Ye Ziwei had cried all the way back, feeling deeply humiliated and self-blaming. She had even considered submitting to Yu Qiang to save her adoptive father.
Even after ten thousand years, recalling those past events still made Jiang Tian feel uncomfortable. Why should he give Yu Qiang a pleasant face now?
“How can you speak to Young Master Qiang like that!”
“Young Master Qiang was only trying to be kind!”
“Did this guy swallow gunpowder? Picking fights with everyone!”
These words caused everyone’s expressions to change drastically. Jiang Chao was so frightened he nearly fainted.
Is this kid insane, daring to speak to Yu Qiang like that!
“Forget it, forget it, let it go!” Just as a few companions were about to make a scene, Yu Qiang raised a hand to stop them.
He hadn’t given up on Ye Ziwei yet, of course he needed to present a graceful, magnanimous front.
Putting on a concerned and patient tone, he said, “Jiang Tian, the waters of stone gambling run deep. Without a decade of experience, you can’t really see the way. If you don’t learn, your money will just vanish—a complete waste.”
“That’s right! Young Master Qiang has been immersed in stone gambling for years, even receiving guidance from a master!”
“Young Master Qiang’s calls are incredibly accurate; he almost never misjudges a stone. They call him ‘Iron Mouth, Straight Judgement, Worth a Thousand Gold Per Word’!”
The young masters all chimed in with praise, looking at Jiang Tian with disdain, as if he didn’t know his own limits.
Jiang Tian first frowned slightly, then a faint, seemingly amused smile appeared on his face. “In that case, do you dare to have a match with me?”
“Jiang Tian, are you crazy? You dare to gamble stones with Young Master Qiang?” Jiang Chao looked astonished, unable to believe it.
“Why wouldn’t I dare? What’s so special about him?” Jiang Tian replied with a light laugh.
Jiang Chao wore an expression that said “you’re doomed” and couldn’t be bothered to say more.
Yu Qiang’s face registered surprise for a moment, then he burst out laughing. “Jiang Tian, I’d long heard you were arrogant, reckless, and bold as brass. Seeing you today, it’s truly the case!”
The corner of his mouth curled into a hint of a sneer as he said coldly, “But, I’m afraid you don’t even know the basics of stone gambling. What are you going to compete with me with? If word got out, wouldn’t people say I bullied you?”
Beside them, the other young masters chuckled softly, as if Jiang Tian was simply asking for trouble.
“That’s right, Mr. Jiang, Young Master Qiang’s eye is truly precise!” At this moment, the owner of Qishi Tang, having heard the commotion, arrived and, hearing this, also smiled. “Young Master Qiang’s family has a jade carving factory. Usually, he’s often responsible for selecting materials. The raw stones he’s handled number in the tens of thousands! He has almost never had a bad gamble! Even several bosses in the Antique Street who started with raw stones admit they’re inferior when discussing Young Master Qiang’s eye!”
Seeing even the owner of Qishi Tang held Yu Qiang in such high esteem, everyone viewed Jiang Tian with even more contempt.
“Let it go, Jiang Tian, don’t provoke him!” Now, even Ye Ziwei felt Jiang Tian was being too impulsive. She tugged at his sleeve, trying to dissuade him.
She knew Jiang Tian was no ordinary person, but stone gambling was something he had never been involved in before.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tian stubbornly insisted, laughing, “What kind of thing is he, that I should get angry on his account? Competing with me, he’ll lose till he has no pants left!”
Hearing this, several young masters flared up, clamoring, “Young Master Qiang, gamble with him! Cut him down to size! Show him not to be so arrogant!”
“Jiang Tian, just how do you want to gamble?!” Yu Qiang couldn’t help but ask.
“Without asking the price, we each pick any stone. After cutting, whoever’s stone is worth more wins,” Jiang Tian stated plainly.
“Gambling like that, aren’t you just bound to lose?” Immediately, the young masters all looked at Jiang Tian as if he were an idiot.
“Fine, fine, fine! Jiang Tian, you really are something else!” Yu Qiang, looking supremely confident, slapped a car key onto the stone table with a laugh. “Since we’re gambling, let’s have a little wager. If I lose, this newly bought Aston Martin V8 Vantage is yours. If you lose…”
“This car of mine is worth two million. If you lose, I doubt you can come up with two million,” he glanced at Ye Ziwei, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Then let Ziwei have a meal with me. How about that?”
“Young Master Qiang is so cool!”
“A supercar worth millions against a meal—now that’s the domineering CEO style!”
“This guy wouldn’t dare to gamble, would he? If he did, wouldn’t he just be handing his own sister over?”
Everyone started egging them on.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tian replied with a faint smile, “Alright, I’ll gamble with you.”
“What? You’re really going to…” Yu Qiang looked incredulous, then a flash of joy appeared on his face. “Great! Let’s start picking stones then!”
Before starting, he didn’t forget to cast what he thought was a dashing, handsome smile at Ye Ziwei, the picture of someone who had her in the bag.
“Who? Who’s so blind as to dare gamble with Young Master Qiang?”
“Huh? It’s him? He looks unfamiliar, never seen him before.”
“I heard he’s a new player, first time here.”
“First time here and he’s already picking a fight with Young Master Qiang? He must have too much money to burn!”
The onlookers shook their heads and sighed, some gloating, some mocking, some sighing regretfully, some agonizing—all convinced Jiang Tian was doomed to lose.
Once the wager was set, the next step was stone selection. Many stone gambling enthusiasts heard the news and rushed over, vying to witness this super-gamble.
Accompanied by Shopkeeper Tang of Qishi Tang, Yu Qiang took out a magnifying glass and began picking and choosing here and there.
The stone gambling trade was a deep and murky world, rife with fakery and pitfalls everywhere.
Dyes could enhance color; lead pieces could be inserted to add weight; or a thin layer of jadeite could be pasted onto the ‘window’ of a semi-gambled raw stone… It might look like a treasure, but once cut open, you’d find a blank slate.
Shopkeeper Tang’s shop also had quite a few doctored raw stones, but he and Yu Qiang were on good terms, so naturally, he helped him pick out genuinely good stones.
This alone gave Yu Qiang an overwhelming advantage.
“Young Master Qiang, this semi-gambled raw stone is quite good. It already shows high ice jadeite, good transparency, and the depth looks promising…” Shopkeeper Tang grunted as he carried out a stone, showing it to Yu Qiang. “It’s just a bit pricey—a million!”
“Hmm, looking at the pine flowers and python bands, it should be good material. The skin is also quite thin, iron sand shell. Should be material from the old pit in Pagan, right?” Yu Qiang caressed the stone skin, took out an exquisite brass-handled magnifying glass, and used a small high-intensity flashlight to peer carefully through the window, muttering to himself, “Can’t see the bottom at a glance. Looking at this depth, it should be about ten centimeters square, not a small piece!”
“Young Master Qiang’s eyes are like torches! It is indeed material from the old pit in Pagan. This kind of old material is hard to come by nowadays!” Shopkeeper Tang gave a thumbs-up in praise.
“See that? That’s what an expert looks like. Just look at his equipment—it’s not something you can compare to!”
“Ah, I’ve seen this stone. It will definitely yield jade. Kid, you’re definitely going to lose!”
“Kid, admit defeat. Don’t gamble with him. In this entire Antique City area, those with a better eye than him can be counted on one hand!”
“The stone he picked is the treasure of Qishi Tang’s store, over a million!”
The young masters and onlookers discussed animatedly, some full of mockery, some speaking with sarcasm, some shaking their heads and sighing, some looking pained.
As they spoke, Yu Qiang slapped the stone, making his decision. “I’ll pick this one! Transfer the payment!”
Shopkeeper Tang immediately had a clerk bring over a wireless POS machine. Yu Qiang’s assistant swiped the card to transfer the money, completing the transaction. All that remained was to cut the stone and reveal the truth.
Despite Yu Qiang’s usual depth and cunning, with victory seemingly assured, he couldn’t help but show a trace of smugness.
He glanced at Jiang Tian and said with a smile, “Jiang Tian, I wonder which stone you’ll pick?”
Jiang Tian’s gaze swept around, then he ambled calmly toward the rockery in the courtyard.
“What’s this kid trying to do?” Everyone was puzzled, not understanding.
They saw Jiang Tian kick at a rectangular, brick-like, beige-colored stone at the base of the rockery and asked, “How much for this one?”
“How much?!” The shrewd clerk looked at Shopkeeper Tang in shock, not knowing how to respond.
Damn, this isn’t even a raw stone; it’s a landscaping rock. There’s no possibility of jade in it.
“Pfft!”
“Heh heh…” In that instant, many of the stone gambling players present snorted with laughter.
Such a yellowish stone, not a hint of green fuzz on it, no pine flowers, no python bands, no scales, no moss, no… every possible indicator of yielding green was absent.
