Volume 1 Chapter 10: One Madman Buys, Another Madman Sells

  "Haha... don't worry about it, I've already washed my hands and quit a few years ago. Now I just rely on drawing dividends to support my family. If you really want to try, this place is all about following the rules, absolutely no cheating or scamming, I can guarantee that." No wonder Liu Wenyu's club was so lively, if one didn't feel safe coming here to gamble, who would be willing to let him win?

  As Shen Fang entered the topic, Qiu Qinghe couldn't help but tense up and leaned in close to Shen Fang's ear, whispering, "The risk factor of this gamble is really too high, we don't understand the business, and we also don't have money to buy stones..."

  He pinched Qiu Qinghe's small hand, indicating that she didn't need to worry. Shen Fang borrowed a light from Liu Wenyu and said, puffing on his cigarette as he gazed at the lively crowd: "I know Old Man Liu has washed his hands of it all. What I'm saying is actually just a transaction - I just want to buy a guarantee from Old Man Liu."

  "What guarantee?" Liu Wenyu was stunned, "What guarantee?"

  "Haha, I'm not used to carrying too much money on me when I go out. After seeing the excitement, I really want to ask Liu boss if he can guarantee a purchase, so I can also buy a stone and have some fun." Shen Fang said with an extremely sly tone, even though Qiu Qinghe next to him was radiant and beautiful, but the fact that the two of them were sitting on the wall eating instant noodles was undeniable. What "not used to carrying too much money when going out"? Even an idiot wouldn't believe this nonsense.

  It was strange that Liu Wenyu didn't immediately refuse, he couldn't guess Shen Fang's age, feeling at most twenty years old, and his outfit didn't look like a rich and powerful family's son, but his expression and eyes were so confident, as if he would definitely agree.

  Are you going to swindle me with empty hands? The technical content is too low, right? What if I buy a stone and there's nothing inside when it's cut open? What then? Am I supposed to be held hostage here? Qiu Qinghe smiled wryly and shook his head, thinking that Shen Fang was still quite childish, but he didn't say anything to stop him, letting him make a fuss, just thinking that even if things went wrong, it would only cost tens of thousands of yuan, and at worst, he could cover for him himself, after all, there were still the relationships with Shen Yun and Yao Qili involved, not to mention Liu Wenyu was also a clever person, how could he possibly agree to Shen Fang's unreasonable demands.

  "Interesting..." Liu Wenyu slapped his thigh with force, "You tell me, how much money do you plan to spend to buy a guarantee from me?"

  "How much did I pay for the stone? Counting five times to buy your guarantee, this is a 100% return without taking any risk. I think Liu boss won't refuse, right?"

  "But isn't there a risk at all? I don't doubt your integrity, nor do I worry that you'll run away with the money. What I'm worried about is, what if you lose the bet and can't pay up... This is a new society now, I couldn't possibly have you work for me as a laborer for the rest of your life to pay off the debt, nor could I... force someone into prostitution?" Liu Laoban finally had a bit of his old swagger back, perhaps Shen Fang's proposal had rekindled the feeling he had when he was on top of the jade stone industry.

  "What you said makes sense, I really can't guarantee anything... What to do now?" Shen Fang shrugged helplessly, as if he had indeed left his hundreds of millions of assets behind.

  "Alright, let's see you try to swindle me today, I want to see if this young man with such great momentum is actually a fake hero!"

  Liu Wenyu surprisingly agreed with a big smile, Qiu Qinghe was very puzzled and looked at Shen Fang in disbelief, thinking that there were really people in the world who believed those nonsense he said?

  "I guarantee you won't regret it." Shen Fang said with a big smile, stood up and walked towards the crowd, then suddenly turned his head back to look at Liu Wenyu, "I think Boss Liu shouldn't go back on his word, right?"

  As soon as Shen Fang walked towards Ge Baozi's group, Liu Wenyu secretly cursed in his heart. Since Ge Baozi really went bankrupt that time, he almost never gambled on stones again and returned to his original route, smuggling stones from the producing areas. Due to his family's experience and keen eye, the stones he brought back usually had good results, so they were worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. Ge Baozi's stones became the most sought-after in the club.

  Liu Wenyu knew he was being led astray by this guy and couldn't help but smile wryly: "A word once spoken, a deed will be done! I, Liu Wenyu, will never swallow my words again. The question is, do you know how high the price of Ge Baozi's stone can be inflated to? Can you really afford the risk of losing the bet? You'd better think carefully!"

  "If I didn't know these things, why would I dare to argue with you?" Shen Fangchong's heart was racing as Qiu Qinghe smiled brightly and pulled her to stand at the edge of the crowd, not pushing forward.

  The old man from the countryside brought a stone about the size of a basketball, which looked like it had been melted by fire. The surface had many fine cracks, and between the cracks, you could vaguely see threads of yellow or reddish material. Several elderly experts in the field gathered around, holding the stone and carefully examining it with great attention to detail. Each person held a magnifying glass and repeatedly observed the cracks, occasionally tapping off small pieces of rock debris with a small hammer, looking more carefully than at anything else.

  "Nothing more to say." Ge Baozi wiped his already bright red forehead with a towel, looked around and said in a hoarse voice, "My old master always said that it's time for the ultimate treasure to appear. A year ago we missed it, but today, a year later, I still say the same thing - the extraordinary treasure is inside this stone!"

  Everything around fell silent, except for Shen Fang, everyone else stared at Ge Bao's oily and greasy face.

  "Our Ge family has been studying rocks for three generations, and our greatest wish is to see a rare treasure born in our hands. Unfortunately...!" Ge Baozi suddenly slapped himself on the ear, and five bright red finger marks immediately appeared on his face, but his eyes were even redder, like a trapped beast. "Don't mention these annoying things! This stone, starting price 800,000, one person at a time, highest bidder wins!"

  Boom! The crowd suddenly scattered!

  Whether it's a master or an expert, anyone can make mistakes at any time. Even gods find it hard to tell whether a jade is genuine or not, and they are just ordinary people after all. However, almost everyone present subconsciously holds a certain expectation, hoping that this stone will actually produce something precious, because only if it produces something precious will there be a chance of winning the gamble, and only then will there be an opportunity to become rich overnight. Otherwise, why would they all crowd together here?

  In the midst of the noise, no one spoke up to bid for a long time. In this era, 800,000 was a huge fortune for anyone; success would bring glory and prosperity, while failure would lead to ruin and desperation. Whoever it was would have to carefully weigh their options in their heart, even the most infatuated and crazy person had their own bottom line.

  "Eight, eighty thousand... I'll take eighty thousand!" Amidst the commotion, someone finally shouted out. He struggled through the crowd to squeeze inside, his face red and swollen with tension, even twitching, his pupils involuntarily dilating, his lips trembling like he was standing on a precipice of ten thousand feet. "Ge, Ge Baozi, I, I believe in you... Eyes... People only live once, I'll stake everything on this one bet!"

  Whoosh! People automatically dispersed to make way, familiar guys from far and near all rushed over, repeatedly slapping his shoulder to cheer him on.

  Qiu Qinghe shivered beside him, and Shen Fang turned his head to find her looking at him worriedly. He smiled calmly and said, "Don't be afraid, we won't compete with them. Hehe, 800,000 for a piece of stone is not worth it... what do you think, Manager Liu?"

  Liu Wenyu was watching the scene with great enthusiasm, and upon hearing this, he nodded, "Nonsense, if you want to spend 8 million to buy it, the guarantee fee would have to be 4 million for me. That way, you can only take out a rare treasure, and you won't lose money. I don't think you're that crazy."

  Just as the man stumbled and staggered to Ge Bao's side, someone suddenly jumped out from beside him, grabbed his right hand that was reaching for the stone, and shouted: "I'll give 9.5 million!"

  The price was raised by 150,000 yuan in an instant. This is a genuine buyer who wants to buy it and hopes to scare off the latecomers. Unfortunately, things don't go as wished. The hesitation in the minds of powerful buyers disappears at this moment, replaced by a resolute determination to rush towards the cliff without looking back. The entire scene was so intense that Shen Fang couldn't help but feel shocked. This is really a group of crazy people who don't care about their lives!