Looming Danger

Huo Xuan estimated the value of the large piece of jadeite—it's worth at least tens of millions. The ease with which such wealth fell into his hands felt like a dream.

"Truly, 'one cut leads to poverty, the next to wealth'!" he mused. Stone gambling is indeed a rapid way to amass fortune. With my ability, I need a long-term plan.

As he systematically inspected the stones, he noticed 80-90% of the roughs were overpriced. Buying all the stones here would guarantee losses—otherwise, sellers would cut and sell confirmed jadeite directly instead of marketing them as gambling material.

In the end, he selected ​fifty-four stones totaling ​2.98 million yuan, each carefully chosen to yield at least a ​tenfold increase in value when cut.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of Tianji Plaza:

Xu Bo stood deferentially before a middle-aged man in a crisp suit. The man's voice was icy: "Xu Bo, your self-control remains lacking. Gambling with lowlife trash? Pathetic."

Xu Bo bowed his head. "Uncle, your criticism is justified."

The man was Xu Yigong—patriarch of the Xu family and a figure of immense authority. Under his gaze, Xu Bo's usual arrogance vanished.

"The Lin family dominates jewelry trade nationwide, controlling nearly half of Jiangzhou's market," Xu Yigong stated coldly. "To expand our retail business, we must ally with them. ​You will secure Lin Yue—marriage is the fastest route to partnership."

Xu Bo's eyes flickered with greed—not just for Lin Yue's beauty, but for the Lin family's industry dominance.

Xu Bo clenched his fist. "Our Xu family leads the ​Jade Syndicate, controlling 80% of mainland China's jadeite supply. The Lins need us for raw materials. Unless they're fools, they'll force Lin Yue into this marriage alliance."

Xu Yigong nodded. "The Lin patriarchs are shrewd—they'll comply. But our true goal is to ​eradicate their retail dominance. Control pricing power, monopolize the jadeite trade—usher in an era of astronomical profits."

Xu Bo's pupils dilated with ambition. "Everything proceeds as planned. Lin Yue's Jiangzhou visit is their first probe."

"Go. Cultivate her affections." Xu Yigong dismissed him with a wave.

Exiting, Xu Bo faced a grim-faced subordinate: "The boy bought 2.98 million yuan in roughs. Let him leave—but track his residence."

"Elimination is simple," the subordinate cautioned. "But Lin Yue's reaction..."

Xu Bo's smile turned arctic. "Stage an accident. His proximity to Lin Yue is... inconvenient."

The subordinate bowed. "It will look like a tragic mishap."

Hu Xuan and Lin Yue supervised the loading of stones into a cargo truck summoned by Li Hu and five crew members. The operation concluded with military efficiency.

A floor manager processed Huo Xuan's 2.98 million yuan purchase—zero payment required per their wager.

"Junior, we'll store these in the jewelry vault. Cutting can be arranged anytime," Lin Yue offered.

Huo Xuan nodded. Discreet processing was imperative to avoid scrutiny.

Their convoy navigated to a suburban compound encircled by 10-meter electrified walls—a fortress guarded by ex-military personnel patrolling with Belgian Malinois.

As Li Hu's team unloaded, a sallow-skinned elder in black approached. His cataract-free eyes belied his septuagenarian frame.

"Your instructions, Miss Lin?"

"Uncle Zhu, appraise this stone." She indicated the four-windowed specimen.

The elder crouched, jeweler's loupe in hand. Wrinkles deepened with his smile. "Your discernment matures. This ​high-ice imperial green jadeite weighs approximately 7 kilograms. Market valuation: 30 to 40 million yuan."

Lin Yue chuckled warmly, her face radiant with delight. "Junior, I'll value it at ​40 million yuan. Your 20% share comes to ​8 million."

Huo Xuan waved a hand. "Senior, such generosity isn't necessary."

Her willow-leaf brows arched sharply. "This isn't generosity—you earned every fen. Even without our agreement, I'd allocate 20% as gratitude. ​You will accept this."

Recognizing further refusal would ring hollow, Huo Xuan smiled. "Then I'll accept gratefully."

Lin Yue drafted a ​10 million yuan check on the spot: ​2 million for the jadeite purchase, ​8 million as profit share.

The paper's weight ignited strategic calculations. Stone gambling yields astronomical returns—10,000 yuan can spawn millions. But alone, I'm vulnerable without connections or experience.

Why not ally with Lin Yue? Her industry channels paired with my vision—a perfect symbiosis.