No one had much hope for this stone at first, but now, seeing Gu Shengsheng standing there, everyone held their breath and watched.
Some were even skeptical. After all, Wang Ruiqian had just suffered a huge loss.
‘Come to think of it, the prices on these multi-ton Jade King stones were only cut after Wang Ruiqian’s massive loss. So is Wang Ruiqian the only one who ever gets screwed?’
Now that Gu Shengsheng had also bought one of these “Jade King” stones, they wondered if she would make Big Money.
If she did, wouldn’t that make Wang Ruiqian a total chump?
The crowd was buzzing.
“I heard this Gu Shengsheng is pretty amazing at stone gambling. Even that old coot Qin Guocheng is always praising her, calling her a natural talent. But with a stone this big, it’s really hard to say.”
“Didn’t Wang Ruiqian take a huge hit last time? His company is still in the red. It’s such a serious matter, I didn’t want to say anything. But I have to say it now: there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
“Even if this Gu Shengsheng is that good, cutting a Jadeite rough stone like this is too risky. Anyway, I don’t think she can make Big Money like this. It’s just grandstanding.”
Wang Ruiqian himself wasn’t optimistic.
After he lost so much last time, it felt like it only took a few days for everyone in Rui City to find out. They all saw him as a fool.
Their words were incredibly harsh. He never expected the next unlucky person to be Gu Shengsheng, and so soon.
‘This Gu Shengsheng is willing to take on this mess, so what is there for me to say? This is all perfectly normal, isn’t it?’
He didn’t know about other things, but as for this “King of Bids,” he didn’t think much of it.
‘If it were an open bid, it would be a different story; it’s normal for those to sell for over a billion. But this was a blind bid. There’s nothing to go on.’
‘Is Gu Shengsheng relying on fate?’
‘With a bit of bad luck, she won’t even make back tens of millions. With a bit of good luck, the best she can hope for is probably that eighty million she paid.’
So they were all convinced Gu Shengsheng would meet her Waterloo over this.
But Gu Shengsheng seemed completely unconcerned, just waiting quietly for the cut.
At first, everyone was bored and just gossiping amongst themselves.
The stone-cutting master had been at it for ages, but he was still just working on the outer layer, seemingly reluctant to go any deeper.
Everyone was getting tired of watching:
“Master, just cut with some force! The rind and its patterns are all the same on the outside. You have to go deeper to see anything.”
“Just cut right into it. Don’t worry about it.”
“…”
The comments came one after another, but Gu Shengsheng just waited quietly.
The master was very resolute. A younger man might have been swayed long ago.
But this master only remembered Gu Shengsheng’s instructions. He knew she had said to just grind away the rind.
Finally, as he scraped away the last of it, every pass of the grinder revealed a patch of green.
It was all translucent, ice-type jadeite. At least, everyone present could tell that much.
The first cut… pure ice-type, translucent.
The second cut… still the same!
…
By the tenth cut, it was still completely translucent.
By now, the crowd was on shaky legs just standing there.
Their expressions had changed from their earlier indifference to envy, jealousy, and utter disbelief.
No one could understand why this Gu Shengsheng was always leaving people in shock, why it seemed like she could set a world record in everything she did.
‘Could she be one of those chosen ones, blessed by the heavens?’
Before, they thought it was just luck—that the young lady Gu Shengsheng was just luckier and bolder than most. Now, it was starting to feel like something supernatural.
‘Maybe she really does have some special skill.’
No one dared to look down on her anymore.
Because she had won the blind bid on the “King” stone and cut such a magnificent piece from it, the story was posted online by the media. Many experts came to see it and conduct a valuation. The final appraisal was 890 million.
Gu Shengsheng, however, was already used to it. Making 890 million was no big deal to her anymore.
Wang Ruiqian clenched his fists and walked up to Gu Shengsheng.
He looked like he had lost his mind. “Gu Shengsheng!”
“What are you trying to do! Did Rui City somehow offend you? How could there be such a good stone here?”
“Did you use some kind of trick? Are you some kind of witch? How have you managed to succeed at everything for so long? You’ve traveled all over the country… something’s not right with you.”
Gu Shengsheng smiled. “So there’s something not right with me getting what I want fair and square? But you think kidnapping someone’s grandma to lure me to Rui City is perfectly fine?”
“Gu Shengsheng!”
With that, he impulsively threw a punch. Gu Shengsheng didn’t plan to dodge; she was busy recording a video. Lu Shijing shot forward, grabbed Wang Ruiqian’s hand, and with a single arm, hoisted him up and slammed him to the ground!
As Wang Ruiqian hit the floor, Gu Shengsheng ended her recording. “You tried to hit me, so that’s assault. My party was merely acting in self-defense, that’s all.”
“That’s how things stand, Wang Ruiqian.”
“Don’t waste your time.”
“A loser is a loser.” Gu Shengsheng never intended to say anything nice; she said what needed to be said, good or bad.
“890 million. Your company’s total market value is only around 300 million, right?” Gu Shengsheng said. “Instead of trying to settle scores with me, you should think about yourself. Has your salary gone up? Have your skills improved?”
“And another thing, your company is about to go bankrupt, isn’t it? Well then, I wish you a speedy bankruptcy.”
Lu Shijing was standing by with a smile. “Don’t worry. I should be acquiring it in a few days. I’ll be waiting for the good news, Boss Wang Ruiqian.”
Wang Ruiqian: “…”
‘If he could, he would curse this couple to death. God, this couple was going to be the death of him. They were truly going to be the death of him.’
‘He cursed them to get divorced soon.’ The more he thought about it, the more furious he became.
Many of the surrounding merchants also gathered around.
“I can’t believe it! To think they’re a couple… Damn, Lu Shijing has been taking advantage of us a lot lately. He’s acquired so many companies, I’m afraid mine is next.”
“Boss Wang Ruiqian, this is just unbearable! Even if you can stand it, we feel indignant on your behalf!”
Wang Ruiqian sneered. “If I really sell the company, and I don’t sell it to Lu Shijing, how much lower would your offers be?”
“Don’t you know your own worth? And you still come here to sow discord. I don’t feel the way you do at all.”
He clenched his fists. “I’ve always seen that you people are nothing but trouble when you have nothing better to do. If you want to do something, go do it yourselves. Stop trying to fleece me and me alone.”
“All of you, get lost!”
‘So annoying!’
‘Who among them didn’t want to find a hidden bargain?’
‘It’s true that Gu Shengsheng is capable, and Lu Shijing’s ability is even more beyond doubt.’
‘Why were they able to acquire companies? It wasn’t through some trick or luck. They were just rich enough and had the guts to hoard inventory and drive down prices.’
‘That kind of maneuver was something almost no one in Rui City could pull off.’