Chapter 129: The Jade Tycoon!
“Why can’t you just get lucky and beat me?” Ye Tianci retorted coldly.
“I…” Zhao Xiujie was left speechless, his face darkening further. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he snapped, “This bet doesn’t count anyway!”
Ye Tianci replied coolly, “You willingly challenged me. Everyone here is a witness, and there’s even a notary.”
“In front of all these people, isn’t it a bit late for you to back out now?”
Those around them turned to Zhang Mingyu, the owner of Mingyu Studio and the notary for the bet.
Zhang Mingyu cleared his throat and said, “In my opinion, Young Master Zhao does have a point.”
“You, young man, your luck was indeed better than Young Master Zhao’s, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve won.”
A murmur of surprise swept through the crowd. No one expected Zhang Mingyu to openly favor Zhao Xiujie.
But Zhang Mingyu’s mind was clear as a mirror. He was acquainted with Zhao Qing Shan, Zhao Xiujie’s father, and Qing Shan Jewelry was one of his major clients. Offending them was out of the question.
Naturally, he had to defend Zhao Xiujie.
Ye Tianci sneered coldly, “Boss Zhang, as the notary, what exactly do you mean by that?”
“I think Young Master Zhao is more skilled, and your luck was better. Let’s call this stone appraisal competition a draw.”
“No one needs to pay the bet; everyone pays their own way. How about that?”
Zhang Mingyu shamelessly proposed.
He had already decided that even if the crowd mocked him or looked down on him, he would never let Zhao Xiujie lose face at his establishment and risk offending Qing Shan Jewelry.
“Boss Zhang, you’re so biased—how can you be a notary?”
“Yeah, no credibility at all. Mingyu Studio might as well shut down!”
“Is this how notaries behave? Disgusting!”
“With such broken trust, I say we stop supporting him!”
...
Countless jeers erupted, Zhang Mingyu’s words igniting public outrage.
His expression changed drastically, and thinking quickly, he said, “Everyone, quiet down. I still have something to say.”
The crowd settled, and Zhang Mingyu looked at Ye Tianci. “Brother Ye, since you’re wagering these three unsolved rough stones, I, Zhang Mingyu, will bet with you again.”
“If at least two of these three rough stones turn into jade, you win.”
“That will also prove you didn’t rely on luck just now.”
Ye Tianci stared at him expressionlessly. “What gives you the right to bet with me?”
Zhang Mingyu’s face twitched awkwardly but he shamelessly insisted, “If you refuse to bet with me, that means you admit you were just lucky earlier.”
“That’s right, Ye Tianci. You’re afraid to bet with Boss Zhang—that’s the truth!”
“So it should be as Boss Zhang said: it’s a draw, no winner, no loser!”
Zhao Xiujie jumped in excitedly, shouting.
Ye Tianci snorted disdainfully, “People who break their word aren’t worthy to bet with me!”
---
The crowd began to roar in support of Ye Tianci, almost unanimously condemning Zhang Mingyu.
Zhang Mingyu’s pride took a hit; he found himself in a difficult position.
At that moment, an elderly man with white hair and beard stepped forward, pointing at Zhang Mingyu. “Boss Zhang, this isn’t fair.”
“Who are you? Mind your own business,” Zhang Mingyu rolled his eyes.
The old man slowly removed his sunglasses.
Seeing his face, Zhang Mingyu’s knees buckled, nearly falling.
“Pei... Old Master Pei! It’s you?” Zhang Mingyu stammered in fear.
“Who is this person?” someone whispered.
“In Shucheng, only one man is called Old Master Pei: Pei Qingzhi.”
“The jade tycoon of Shucheng, Pei Qingzhi?”
“That’s him!”
The crowd murmured amongst themselves.
Pei Qingzhi, somewhat angry, reprimanded Zhang Mingyu, “You openly took sides. What kind of notary are you? Do you want to disgrace the entire jade community of Shucheng?”
“Old Master Pei’s criticism is well-deserved. Mingyu acknowledges his mistake,” Zhang Mingyu dared not argue.
Pei Qingzhi continued, “This young man has already won. There’s no need for another bet. If you want to wager, you must first officially notarize the previous bet.”
“Yes, yes. We’ll follow Old Master Pei’s instructions,” Zhang Mingyu nodded submissively like a beaten dog.
Turning around, he declared sternly, “Zhao Xiujie, you lost the bet just now. You will pay for all the stones Brother Ye selected—twenty thousand each, totaling one hundred thousand!”
Zhao Xiujie’s face twisted in dissatisfaction. “You didn’t say that before! Twenty thousand a stone is outrageous!”
Two burly men stepped out from behind Zhang Mingyu, flanking him, glaring fiercely.
Zhao Xiujie immediately grew fearful, forcing a smile. “Boss Zhang, let’s talk this over. I’ll speak with Ye Tianci.”
He looked shamelessly at Ye Tianci. “Ye Tianci, why don’t we just forget the bet from earlier?”
“Just forget because you say so?” Ye Tianci’s eyes turned cold.
“It was just a casual bet. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
“Let’s just let this matter drop.”
He turned to leave.
“Smack!”
A crisp slap echoed. Ye Tianci slapped Zhao Xiujie across the face.
Covering his cheek, Zhao Xiujie glared furiously. “You dare hit me?”
“So what if I did?”
“You make the bet, then you say it’s not serious? Have I been giving you face or what?”
Ye Tianci shouted in anger, having tolerated Zhao Xiujie for too long.
“Zhao Xiujie, you said you could eat stones—then eat them!”
“If you don’t eat the stones, then pay up obediently!”
---
“Anyone who dares not pay, we’ll help Brother Ye teach him a lesson!”
...
The crowd shouted loudly, piling on the pressure.
Zhao Xiujie was trapped in the center, unable to escape.
“Who do you think you are? A bunch of fair-weather friends only good at making noise! Who dares touch me? Try it if you dare, you bunch of trash!” Zhao Xiujie glared wildly, trying to intimidate the crowd.
“Hit him!”
Someone in the crowd yelled, and three hot-blooded young men rushed forward together.
“Slap!”
“Bang!”
“Thud!”
Zhao Xiujie took a slap to the face, was kicked to the ground, then grabbed by the shoulders and slammed down hard.
“Ouch!”
He cried out in pain. Before he could struggle, three or four more men charged at him.
Seven or eight people surrounded him, raining blows of fists and kicks.
Zhao Xiujie howled and begged for mercy continuously.
When they finally stopped, Zhao Xiujie’s face was covered in blood, swollen like a pig’s head.
“Stop hitting me! I’ll pay! Isn’t that enough?” he wailed.
He realized two teeth had been knocked out, making his speech slurred.
“Waaah…”
Holding the teeth on the ground, Zhao Xiujie sobbed like a wronged woman.
“Should’ve paid earlier, why act so tough!”
“Exactly. I thought he was something special, turns out he’s just weak!”
“Total loser!”
The men mocked him mercilessly. Zhao Xiujie dared not retort; crying, he paid the one hundred thousand yuan and fled as fast as he could.
Zhang Mingyu turned to Pei Qingzhi. “Old Master Pei, are you satisfied now? Can we continue with the bet between Brother Ye and me?”
Pei Qingzhi nodded. “This young man is right; you have no obligation to bet with him. If you want to wager, you must show sincerity and raise the stakes.”
“All right.”
Zhang Mingyu gritted his teeth and looked at Ye Tianci. “Brother Ye, as Old Master Pei said, I’m raising the stakes. If you win, I’ll let you select ten more rough stones—all free to take!”
“However, I must change the conditions: all three of your remaining rough stones must contain jade to count as a win.”
“If not, it counts as a loss.”