Chapter 29: The Protagonist Slaps Himself!

At that moment, as everyone witnessed the birth of a legendary piece of jade, excitement filled the air.

People cheered, their faces alight with joy.

Everyone—except Ye Xingchen.

His face was ashen, his complexion pale and lifeless.

It was as if the color had been drained from his soul.

He looked absolutely miserable.

If depression had a face, it would be his.

He was so frustrated he wanted to die on the spot!

Originally, his plan was simple—just make Lin Beifan lose some money and vent his frustration.

But what happened instead?

Not only did Lin Beifan not lose money, but he made an astronomical fortune!

The jade alone was worth 400 million, and if you added the previous stone…

In a single day, he had profited 500 million!

Even in Ye Xingchen's past life, when Lin Beifan was still the Demon King of Chaos, he hadn't made money this fast!

Back then, it took over a week for him to accumulate 500 million!

But now?

Because of him, Lin Beifan completed that goal ahead of schedule!

The realization hit Ye Xingchen like a sledgehammer, and he couldn't contain his rage.

Slap!

He smacked himself across the face.

Slap!

And again.

"Serves me right for running my damn mouth!"

"Serves me right for meddling!"

"Serves me right for being an idiot!"

"Now look at what happened—my biggest enemy just got rich ahead of schedule!"

"If I hadn't interfered, it would've taken him at least another week to get here!"

"I'm such a useless piece of garbage!"

"Absolutely pathetic!"

At that moment, he suddenly fell into a firm embrace.

A warm, strong embrace.

Lin Beifan wrapped his arms around Ye Xingchen, patting his back enthusiastically.

"Good brother!" he exclaimed. "I knew you'd bring me a surprise, but I never expected it to be this big!"

"A stone worth less than 10 million turned into a 400 million jadeite! You really outdid yourself this time!"

"Fantastic job! You never let me down!"

"When we get back, I'll make sure to give you a big reward!"

Ye Xingchen forced out a strained smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin… I actually didn't do anything..."

Lin Beifan suddenly froze, then gasped.

"Huh? Your face looks terrible!"

"And… what's with those two handprints?"

"Who hit you?"

Ye Xingchen laughed awkwardly.

"Mr. Lin, I… I did it myself!"

"I drank too much last night, and my head is still foggy, so I gave myself a couple of slaps to wake up!"

Lin Beifan sighed with deep concern.

"Brother! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have let you drink so much!"

Just then, an elderly man with a cane walked over.

It was Old Master Huang.

His hands trembled slightly as he stroked the flawless jadeite, his eyes shining with admiration.

"This… truly is a priceless treasure… a jade that will be remembered for generations!"

"In all my 80 years, I have never seen such a perfect piece of jade!"

"Now that I have witnessed it with my own eyes… I can die without regrets!"

The crowd quickly intervened.

"Don't say that, Mr. Huang! May you live to be a hundred!"

"We still need wise elders like you!"

…

But Old Huang simply waved a hand dismissively.

"There's no need to comfort me—I know my own body."

"At most, I have a few years left before I go meet the King of Hell."

"But I have lived through countless experiences. It has been a wonderful life, and I am content."

His words were met with deep respect from the crowd.

His wisdom and calm acceptance of life were truly admirable.

Then, Old Huang turned toward Lin Beifan, his eyes filled with expectation.

"Young man… is this jade for sale?"

Lin Beifan nodded without hesitation.

"Of course! I'm here to make money!"

"Good!" Old Huang laughed. "Then let me make you an offer."

"I know it's shameless of me, but I would love to purchase this jade!"

"It will become the treasured masterpiece of my shop!"

"I'll pay 450 million! Will that be enough?"

The crowd gasped in shock.

"450 million?!"

"That's 50 million more than its estimated value!"

"Old Huang is really generous!"

"That young man just struck gold!"

…

But to everyone's surprise, Lin Beifan shook his head.

"Old Huang, 450 million is too much."

"400 million is enough!"

Old Huang smiled knowingly.

"To be honest, even at 450 million, I'm getting a great deal!"

"If this jade were put up for auction, it would easily go for 500 million!"

Lin Beifan insisted, "If anyone else were buying it, I'd sell it for the highest possible price."

"But for you, I refuse to take more than 400 million!"

"This extra 50 million is my gift to you!"

"If I took more, my dad would beat me senseless when I got home!"

Lin Beifan laughed helplessly.

Old Huang studied Lin Beifan closely for a moment, then let out a hearty chuckle.

"Fine! I'll accept your gift!"

"As expected… 'A tiger father has no dog son.'"

"Lin Nanshan has truly raised a remarkable young man!"

Then, he turned to the youngsters standing beside him.

"You young ones should learn from Lin Beifan."

"Learn from his vision."

"Learn from his attitude towards people and business."

"It will benefit you immensely in the future!"

The young man beside him nodded respectfully and smiled at Lin Beifan.

They even exchanged contact details in private.

The surrounding crowd watched enviously.

This was Old Huang's way of showing favor.

It was a public endorsement of Lin Beifan's potential!

And given Old Huang's status and influence, this favor was worth more than hundreds of millions!

…

Ye Xingchen, standing off to the side, was completely numb.

What… is this?!

Not only did Lin Beifan make money…

He also built powerful connections?!

…

Ye Xingchen wanted to cry, but he had no tears left.