Jiang Yan really wanted to just walk away, but she couldn't. She didn't want to run anymore. No matter how much of a fool Lin Yu made of himself, she would stay by his side. She wanted Li Junyi to see—*I'd rather choose a useless loser than you!*

  "Let's go with this one. This looks good."

  Lin Yu had already picked out a medium-sized raw stone.

  From the moment he entered, this stone had caught his attention. The vibrant green spiritual energy radiating from it was dazzling—it was undoubtedly top-grade jade. That was why he had dared to boast so confidently.

  "Good choice, young man!"

  The crowd burst into laughter again, some even wiping tears from their eyes.

  Because the stone Lin Yu had chosen was just *too* outstanding.

  The stone's shell was brown with a faint whitish hue, no moss or cracks, and even a slight hint of *chun* color (a purplish tint often associated with poor-quality jade). In the jade trade, there was a saying: *"Ten chun, nine failures."* Based on appearance alone, this stone was practically worthless.

  "Jiarong, you really don’t know anything. This stone obviously won’t yield any jade," Shen Yuxuan said, his heart bleeding. He regretted listening to Lin Yu earlier. He’d thought Lin Yu actually knew something about this, but now he’d picked a dud.

  "Jiarong, this stone was just a throw-in with the other one. It’s practically worthless," Zhou Chen sighed, exasperated.

  "That’s perfect. I don’t have much money to spend anyway. Any more and I’d have to ask my wife," Lin Yu chuckled.

  The crowd roared with laughter again. So this idiot was also *henpecked*?

  At Lin Yu’s insistence, the staff weighed the stone and sold it to him—800 yuan per pound, totaling less than 100,000 yuan.

  "Oh, He Jiarong, you’ve *really* picked a gem this time. How about we cut them together?" Li Junyi sneered, his eyes full of mockery.

  "Sure," Lin Yu agreed without hesitation.

  The staff quickly radioed for equipment, and soon a small forklift brought in a large cutting machine. Two burly men secured the stone and prepared to cut it.

  The crowd gathered eagerly, though their excitement was mostly for Li Junyi’s two stones—they were certain those would yield high-quality jade.

  One of the workers asked respectfully, "Mr. Li, would you like to mark a cutting line?"

  Li Junyi took a piece of chalk and drew a line on the 50-million-yuan stone. "Cut here. If it yields good jade, there’ll be rewards."

  The two men nodded and, with great effort, aligned the cutting machine to the line.

  **SCREECH—**

  The deafening roar of the machine filled the air as white dust sprayed out, forming a mist. The crowd covered their mouths.

  The blade dug deeper, the noise growing more piercing. With a **CRACK**, the stone split in two—revealing two dull gray surfaces.

  "*Failed! It failed!*"

  The crowd erupted. Some were disappointed, others gleeful.

  "How is this possible?!" Li Junyi’s face darkened. "Cut it again!"

  The workers quickly took the two halves and cut them further—four pieces, then eight—but still, no trace of green.

  At this point, it was clear: the stone was a *complete bust*.

  "What a waste! Such a high-quality raw stone, and only a thin layer of green."

  "That’s a huge loss."

  "Thank goodness I didn’t bid. I’d have jumped off a building."

  Shen Yuxuan wiped cold sweat from his forehead and gave Lin Yu a thumbs-up. "Jiarong, thank God for you. If not, I’d be ruined. My dad would’ve killed me."

  Zhou Chen and Jiang Yan also glanced at Lin Yu in surprise. Earlier, he’d said this stone wasn’t worth the starting bid—and he’d been *spot on*. The outer layer of green, even if polished into jewelry, wouldn’t fetch more than a few million.

  Someone in the crowd reminded Li Junyi of his *other* stone—the 90-million-yuan one. He immediately ordered the workers to cut that one next.

  This time, Li Junyi was more cautious. He carefully drew a small line near the top where the stone showed signs of potential and instructed the workers to cut from there.

  The machine roared to life again. This time, after just a few centimeters, a hint of green appeared in the white dust.

  "*Green! It’s green!*"

  The crowd stirred, necks craning to see.

  Li Junyi exhaled in relief. If this one also failed, he might as well jump off a building. Not just because of the money—over 100 million yuan—but because of the *humiliation*.

  But his relief was short-lived.

  The machine sprayed white dust again, and with another **CRACK**, the stone split—revealing *another* two dull gray surfaces.

  Only the initial cut had yielded a finger-sized sliver of jade—and even that was just mid-grade *oil-green jade*.

  "*Cut it again!*" Li Junyi refused to believe it.

  The workers obeyed, splitting the fragments further—two, four, eight, sixteen pieces—but still, *no green*.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Li Junyi’s face turned deathly pale, sweat pouring down his forehead. In all his years of stone gambling, he’d never been so utterly *wrong* about two high-quality stones.

  Shen Yuxuan was also drenched in cold sweat, thanking his lucky stars he hadn’t won the bid.

  Seeing Li Junyi’s ashen face, Jiang Yan felt a surge of vindication—as if the heavens were punishing him for her.

  The crowd was equally stunned, especially the jewelers who’d competed with Li Junyi earlier. They silently thanked their own restraint.

  "Incredible! Two such fine stones, and only *that* much jade?"

  "Maybe it’s fate. Don’t be too arrogant in life."

  "That young man was *right*—both stones failed. He’s a *master*!"

  Suddenly, everyone remembered Lin Yu and turned to look for him.

  Lin Yu stood calmly, unsurprised. He smirked at Li Junyi. "Mr. Li, no need to look so grim. This pocket change shouldn’t matter to you, right?"

  "*Nonsense!* This is nothing to me!" Li Junyi forced a composed expression, though his hands trembled behind his back.

  The loss was painful, but what *really* stung was losing face in front of Jiang Yan—and being proven wrong by Lin Yu, the *useless loser*.

  "Young man, hurry and cut your stone! Let’s see what you’ve got!"

  The crowd’s attitude toward Lin Yu had softened. Though they still doubted his stone would yield anything, their mockery had vanished.

  "Sir, how would you like it cut?" The staff, knowing Lin Yu was Zhou Chen’s friend, treated him respectfully.

  "*Polish it*," Lin Yu said after a moment’s thought.

  "Is there even a point? That’ll take all night! Just cut it in one go!" someone complained.

  "Jiarong, with a shell this thick, even if there’s jade inside, it won’t be much. Polishing *will* waste time," Zhou Chen said helplessly. He figured Lin Yu’s correct guess about Li Junyi’s stones was just luck—not skill.

  "I believe in Jiarong. *Polish it*," Shen Yuxuan said firmly. After Lin Yu had saved him from financial ruin, he’d follow Lin Yu’s lead even if he claimed a *table* contained imperial jade.

  At Lin Yu’s insistence, the workers began polishing.

  **SCREECH—**

  The blade whirred, white dust flying—until suddenly, the dust turned *green*.

  "*Heavens! It’s rising! It’s green!*"

  The crowd’s jaws dropped. People surged forward, eyes glued to the stone.

  "*Full green! My God—it’s* ***glass-grade imperial jade***!"

  "*A skyrocketing fortune! This is divine!*"

  "*His eye is* ***too*** *sharp! He said imperial jade, and it* ***is*** *imperial jade!*"

  "*Master! Holy shit, a true master! Sir, take me as your disciple!*"

  As more green emerged, the crowd grew wilder. Many rushed to hand Lin Yu their business cards.

  The workers, excited by such a rare find, polished meticulously. Once finished, they splashed the stone with water—revealing a *massive* piece of imperial jade: lush, vibrant, and radiant.

  The entire hall gasped in awe.

  Jiang Yan stared in shock, her eyes wide. *Two correct predictions in a row—was this still just luck?*

  Nearby, Li Junyi’s face twisted with fury, his body shaking uncontrollably.

  "*Impossible! Impossible! How could this useless trash be so accurate?! There must be a trick—there* ***has*** *to be!*"

  His lungs burned with rage.

  "Young man! I’ll pay *three million* for this stone!" a plump jeweler shouted.

  "*Four million!*" another bidder countered—the same one who’d competed with Li Junyi earlier.

  "Jiarong, this stone is *mine*! You *have* to sell it to me!" Shen Yuxuan grabbed Lin Yu’s arm, trembling with excitement. With this imperial jade, he could finally earn his father’s respect.

  "Fine. Three million, it’s yours," Lin Yu agreed, apologizing to the other bidders.

  "No! *Five million!* I won’t let you lose out!" Shen Yuxuan insisted.

  "I’m not losing out. Three million is enough. Just save me some nice pieces when you craft the jewelry," Lin Yu said, planning to keep a few for himself.

  "*Deal!*" Shen Yuxuan immediately had the jade taken away.

  Lin Yu’s performance tonight had stunned everyone. He became the star of the show, with people begging for his advice on the remaining stones.

  Lin Yu obliged generously, helping them evaluate their choices.

  Meanwhile, Li Junyi watched from the shadows, his face dark—until a cold smile crept onto his lips.

  Jiang Yan, still reeling from the shock, felt her phone vibrate. She glanced down—and her expression changed. She looked up to call Lin Yu, but he was already surrounded.

  After a moment’s hesitation, she turned and left the hall.

  As Lin Yu and Shen Yuxuan chatted with the crowd, a hotel manager pulled Shen Yuxuan aside.

  "What’s so secretive?" Shen Yuxuan frowned.

  He knew the manager well from frequent visits.

  "Young Master Shen, I’ve got something to show you. If you like it, a small tip would be nice," the manager smirked slyly.

  He pulled out his phone and played a video.

  "*Ah—ah—!*"

  "*Slower—!*"

  Shen Yuxuan’s jaw dropped.

  The video, shot from above a bathroom stall, showed a half-dressed man and woman passionately entangled on a toilet.

  Such scenes weren’t rare—but the woman was *Li Junyi’s wife, Shen Aijia*!

  *No wonder she’d been absent during the auction. She was busy in the bathroom with her lover!*

  "When did you film this?" Shen Yuxuan grinned, slinging an arm around the manager’s neck.

  "Just now, on the fourth floor. I recognized her as that guy’s wife—the one who challenged you—so I brought it straight to you," the manager fawned.

  "You’re *good*. I haven’t spoiled you for nothing." Shen Yuxuan lowered his voice. "Anyone else seen this?"

  The manager shook his head.

  Shen Yuxuan glanced around, then whispered, "I’ll give you *500,000 yuan* for this video. But such a *good* thing shouldn’t be kept private. Later, when Li Junyi gives his speech on stage, make sure this plays on the big screen. Let’s *liven up* the atmosphere."

  *This plan was* ***brilliant***.

  Shen Yuxuan felt like a *genius*.

  "Young Master Shen, this... this isn’t appropriate. I’ll get *fired*," the manager hesitated.

  "Who cares? If they fire you, come work for me. *One million yuan a year*. Deal?"

  "*Deal!* For you, Young Master Shen, I’d climb mountains of swords and seas of fire!"

  Satisfied, Shen Yuxuan returned to Lin Yu’s side and winked. "I’ve got a *big gift* for you later."

  Meanwhile, Jiang Yan had reached an empty conference room on the fifth floor.

  A man in a suit stood inside, holding a glass of red wine, his back to the door—*Li Junyi*.

  "You came. You *do* still have feelings for me," he said softly.

  "*Wrong.* I’m here to *end* this." Jiang Yan’s voice was ice.

  She pulled a pair of earrings from her bag and hurled them at him. "*Take them. We’re even now.*"

  "*Yan Yan!*"

  Li Junyi rushed forward, grabbing her hand. "*Please. Give me one more chance. If you say yes, I’ll divorce Shen Aijia immediately. I’ll marry you. I promised to take care of you forever—*"

  "*Enough lies!*" Jiang Yan’s eyes welled with tears. "*Li Junyi, your lies fooled me once. They won’t fool me again.*"

  Li Junyi hung his head, fists clenched, tears falling. Suddenly, he began slapping himself. "*I’m scum! I’m scum!*"

  "*This act again? Save it.*" Jiang Yan scoffed. "*He Jiarong might be useless, but he’s* ***ten times*** *the man you are! If you have any pride left, stay out of my life!*"

  "*Fine. I’ll let you go.*" Li Junyi grabbed her hand, his voice thick with fake grief. "*But drink this with me. One last toast—then I’ll never bother you again.*"

  He picked up two wine glasses, downed one in a single gulp, and closed his eyes—tears streaming.

  Jiang Yan took the other glass and drank it all, then smashed it on the floor. "*Keep your word.*"

  She turned to leave—but after two steps, her legs gave out. She collapsed, her body limp, her breath growing rapid.

  A strange heat spread through her, her skin flushing.

  "*Leave? Where do you think you’re going?*"

  Li Junyi’s pained expression melted into a smirk. He crouched beside her, stroking her cheek. "*You’ve grown even more beautiful.*"

  "*You—you bastard...*" Jiang Yan’s voice was weak, but her mind was *horrifyingly clear*.

  Li Junyi had obtained a *special drug* from abroad—just for this moment. He didn’t just want her body.

  He wanted her to *remember every second of it*.

  "*Come on, darling. Let’s make this quick. I still have a speech to give.*"

  He lifted her onto the large round table.

  He’d already bribed the staff—*no one would disturb them*.

  Jiang Yan’s mermaid dress clung to her curves, her skin flushed from the drug. She squirmed helplessly, soft moans escaping her lips—ripe for the taking.

  The sight was *too much* for Li Junyi.

  Gasping, he tore at his shirt, his eyes locked on her delicate feet in beige heels—ready to claim what he thought was his.