Chapter 8: The Showdown at the Jade Exhibition

The Jade Exhibition Hall buzzed with a restless crowd. Under the bright lights, the dazzling jade pieces sparkled, each one whispering untold secrets of value and beauty. Elara Vance strolled through the maze of displays, her sharp eyes fixed on the raw jade stones. To a novice, they were just ordinary rocks—but to Elara, every single one hid the potential for massive fortune.

Beside her, Lily—Zhang Qiaoling, daughter of Arthur Sterling, the event's organizer—rolled her eyes in boredom. "Jade? What's so special about it? I can't tell a two-million bracelet from a twenty-dollar one," she scoffed, clearly more interested in the gossip swirling around.

Elara smiled faintly, nodding toward a bracelet under a glass case with clear admiration. Lily's curiosity piqued. "You really like jade?"

"Yeah, since I was a kid," Elara answered simply.

Lily gave her a skeptical smirk. "Don't fake it. Can you even tell what kind of jade is in that case? And how much it costs?"

With calm confidence, Elara said, "It's a fat, round piece with floating blue patterns. The quality's fully developed and even throughout. Market price sits around mid-six figures. If I were the seller, I'd start at seventy million, and a fair deal would close around fifty-eight."

Lily's eyes widened, stunned. Elara smiled slyly, "Your dad's the organizer, right? Why don't you just ask him if I'm bluffing?"

Lily didn't hesitate. She made a quick call to her father. Two minutes later, she returned, face full of disbelief.

"Elara Vance, you actually know your stuff!" she exclaimed. Her dad confirmed Elara's estimate was shockingly accurate.

Elara shrugged, "That's just the market. Nothing fancy about it."

Still doubtful, Lily dragged her to another bracelet. Elara glanced once and said, "Glass-grade white 'moonlight' jade. Good clarity, price should start just under seventy million." Another call. Lily came back, eyes shining with respect, "Dad says it'd sell for 110 million."

At that moment, Elara spotted Silas Crawford across the hall—still commanding attention as usual. But her eyes were locked on one prize: Stone #55.

"Uncle Zhang," Elara told Arthur Sterling, "I'm taking #55."

"That's it? No second look?" Arthur asked.

Elara shook her head. "No need. This one's a high-grade icy jade—top tier."

Silas Crawford approached quietly, casting her a sideways glance, then told Arthur, "Zhang, put this on my account."

Arthur chuckled and quickly called over staff to log the purchase.

"Zhiwei," Arthur called her by her real name, clearly aware of her history, "do you want to open this stone now, or pick a few more to open together?"

Elara scanned the room. "Sure, I'll pick a few more."

After selecting more stones, she casually wandered the hall. It wasn't a big place, but fate had other plans. Running into Damian Blackwood and his crew was inevitable.

Her gaze landed on Stone #75. Damian hadn't noticed her; he was busy pestering Elder Qiao, the jade expert.

"Elder Qiao, you've been eyeing #75 for a while. What do you think? Is it valuable?" Damian asked eagerly.

The elder stroked his beard, a mysterious look on his face. "Looks like glass-grade jade to me…"

"What? That means it's worth a fortune!" Damian grinned.

"But…" Elder Qiao hesitated.

Before he could finish, Elara interrupted coolly: "I'll take #75."

The crowd that had gathered around Elder Qiao instantly turned their eyes to her. Damian shot her a glare but quickly looked away, intimidated by her aura. He fell silent beside Elder Qiao, unwilling to argue.

Whispers spread among onlookers: "Isn't that Miss Song from earlier? She wants the same stone?" "Both want this one? Must be really good!"

Elder Qiao scowled, "Little girl, do you even know jade? Don't make trouble here."

Elara stared at the stone and retorted, "You've been staring forever and figured nothing out. Just wasting time."

The crowd stepped back, shocked—Elder Qiao was a respected elder in their circle.

Damian bristled, defending Elder Qiao: "Watch your tone! Elder Qiao's a senior! We were here first; a few more looks won't hurt."

Elara chuckled coldly: "You've wasted thirty more seconds just talking. What's stopping you from buying it?"

Elder Qiao was speechless. Honestly, he wasn't confident either—but Elara's words struck a chord. For face's sake, he had to back Damian now.

"Mr. Jiang! Buy it! It's a good stone!" Elder Qiao urged.

Damian's face lit up, nodding eagerly. Then, with a sharp glare at Elara, he declared, "I'm buying."

Arthur stepped forward. "Stone #75, 50,000."

Damian pulled out a black card and handed it over. Elara's eyes darkened instantly—this was her card, originally given to Damian by the previous owner. She sneered inside: shameless.

The moment the card was handed over, Elara surprised everyone: "I'll pay 100,000."

Gasps echoed. A bidding war over a single stone wasn't common at the exhibition. Damian's body tensed, eyes wide: "What are you doing?"

"Buying the stone. Here, all customers are equal. Highest bid wins. Got a problem?" Elara's voice held a teasing edge.

Damian swallowed hard, turning to Elder Qiao, "If I pay more, will I still make a profit?"

Elder Qiao looked at Elara, sensing a familiar, unsettling confidence—the kind he hated in women who acted like they knew everything.

Elara caught his hesitation and said coolly, "Don't trust him. That stone won't yield jade."

Fuming, Damian clenched his fists and turned to Elder Qiao: "She says the stone won't yield anything!"

"Why listen to her? Trust me! Even if you spend 510,000, if it's glass-grade jade inside, you'll profit!" Elder Qiao reassured him.

Damian nodded, signaling the staff: "Let's open it now!" Then he shot Elara a venomous look and left with the crew.

Elara followed with a grin: "Funny, I just bought #55 too. Let's open them together."

The crowd grew excited, swarming around the cutting table. Silas Crawford stood by her side, intrigued.

"Really opening together?" he asked. "I remember you said #55 is top-grade green, but theirs is glass-grade."

"They won't find glass-grade," Elara said confidently. "That stone's worthless."

Silas looked down at her, eyes full of admiration. In her element, Elara shone like a blazing star—impossible to look away.

He smiled, "So you're sure they'll find nothing, and that's why you pushed the price up?"

"Exactly."

"Why not push it higher then?"

Elara lifted her chin, "Over 500,000? What if he backs down? This number's perfect—just confusing enough without overdoing it."

The cutting machine whirred to life. Elder Qiao examined stone #75 confidently. The blade sliced in—then stopped abruptly. Inside was dull gray.

Damian and Elder Qiao's faces drained. The crowd murmured and snickered.

Next, Elara's #55 stone was cut open. As the blade passed through, a brilliant splash of vibrant green—top-grade "Zhengyang Green"—flashed before everyone's eyes. Gasps erupted.

Silas Crawford watched the scene unfold, especially Elara's sparkling, confident gaze. Memories of the past flashed—of the woman holding the black jade under moonlight, full of ambition. Deep down, he almost believed she was that very same "Miss Wei."

Lily and Arthur Sterling hadn't left. Lily clasped her hands in admiration, whispering to Silas:

"Mr. Qin, can I ask you something a bit bold?"

Silas paused, then smiled gently, recalling their first meeting—the dusty girl with nothing but her bright obsidian eyes shining pure in the moonlight.

Qin Shuyan—no, Silas Crawford—nodded softly, a faint chuckle escaping his nose.

Lily's eyes sparkled with stars. "That's wonderful~"

Arthur jumped, realizing his daughter had asked a delicate question. He quickly explained, "Mr. Qin, Qiaoling is young and didn't mean to be rude…"

Silas only smiled warmly, but his eyes never left Elara Vance. There was something deep and complicated hidden in his gaze—a mixture of respect, longing, and recognition.