Volume 1, Chapter 8: The Trap

The bystanders all around began whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with amusement as they looked at Zhang Wenxuan.

Quite a few folded their arms, ready to enjoy the spectacle.

Zhang Wenxuan ignored their remarks. From the corner of his eye, he soon spotted Wang Dong. That damn fatso was still watching him from within the crowd.

It seemed the man had truly set his sights on him.

Heh.

Zhang Wenxuan sneered inwardly.

The stone-cutting machine soon roared to life. The grinding wheel bit into the rough stone, producing a steady series of harsh sounds.

The stone was slowly sliced open. Water washed away the powder flying from the cut, turning it into muddy slurry that streamed down through the cracks.

Everyone stared at the stone without blinking. Before long, a streak of green appeared in their view.

“Green! It’s showing green!”

“That young man is incredibly lucky. He actually struck jade!”

The crowd cried out in surprise. Their mocking looks toward Zhang Wenxuan quickly changed into envy and jealousy.

Soon, the rough stone was completely cut open, revealing its contents to everyone.

Nestled at its core was a piece of jade about the size of a baby’s fist.

The jade radiated a rich green luster, and beneath the sunlight, its color was exceptionally beautiful.

“That’s jadeite. Judging by its quality, color, and size, it’s worth at least fifty thousand yuan,” someone remarked.

The crowd erupted.

Their attitude changed completely.

“Fifty thousand! That young man is unbelievably lucky. Based on what I saw, that rough stone cost no more than twenty thousand yuan. Now he can sell it for fifty thousand—that’s a full twofold profit.” The crowd spoke with undisguised envy.

Wang Dong had witnessed everything from beginning to end. The jealousy in his eyes was so intense it seemed ready to spill out.

“How did Zhang Wenxuan get so lucky? He hit the jackpot again!”

“He bought that rough stone for fifteen thousand and can turn around and sell it for fifty thousand. That’s more than two months of my salary!”

Wang Dong’s breathing grew rapid, his face twisted with envy.

Watching Zhang Wenxuan make money was even more painful than losing money himself.

“That brat must have some special method for judging stones!” Wang Dong thought with certainty.

Just then, someone stepped forward.

“Young man, are you selling that jadeite? I’ll offer fifty thousand!”

Zhang Wenxuan smiled faintly. “Transfer the money.”

Ding!

The bank notification arrived moments later, and the smile on Zhang Wenxuan’s face grew even brighter.

Five months’ salary secured!

He pushed through the crowd and left. This time, he did not hurry to appraise any more stones. Instead, he began wandering around the exhibition.

After making several rounds, Zhang Wenxuan discovered that Wang Dong had been following him the entire time.

It seemed that the damn fatso had made up his mind to cause trouble for him today.

Since you’re determined to court disaster, I’ll grant your wish!

A sharp glint flashed through Zhang Wenxuan’s eyes. A bold plan had already taken shape in his mind.

Suddenly, as if he had discovered something extraordinary, he became visibly excited and hurried toward a nearby stall. Then he wrapped his arms around a rough stone weighing roughly a hundred pounds.

Zhang Wenxuan’s eyes shone as though he had just found a priceless treasure.

Not far away, Wang Dong watched the scene, and his heart immediately began pounding wildly.

“Why is Zhang Wenxuan so excited? Could that rough stone be top-grade material?”

Wang Dong grew excited as well.

Zhang Wenxuan had never shown such an expression before. This meant that the rough stone must contain something extraordinary. If he could snatch it away from Zhang Wenxuan, wouldn’t that mean making a huge fortune?

At that thought, Wang Dong did not hesitate. He rushed over, grabbed the rough stone, and beat Zhang Wenxuan to it.

“Boss, I’ll take this rough stone!” Wang Dong shouted.

Zhang Wenxuan pretended to fly into a rage. “Fatty Wang, what are you doing? I’ve already set my sights on this stone, and you’re actually trying to steal my treasure!”

Seeing how agitated Zhang Wenxuan was, Wang Dong became even more certain that the stone contained something valuable.

“Hahaha!”

“What do you mean, your treasure? You haven’t even bought it. What gives you the right to call it yours?”

“Boss, how much is this rough stone? I’ll take it!” Wang Dong urged the stall owner.

Watching the two men fight over the stone, the stall owner immediately realized that a major sale was about to be made.

“You both have excellent eyes. This rough stone came from a primitive mining pit, and there’s a very good chance it contains high-grade material.”

“I’ll take a small loss and sell it to you today. Two hundred thousand, and it’s yours!” the stall owner declared.

“What?”

Wang Dong was stunned. “Two hundred thousand? Why don’t you just rob us?”

“This rough stone isn’t worth anywhere near that much!”

The stall owner looked displeased. “My friend, that isn’t fair. The price of a rough stone isn’t determined by its size alone. Its place of origin is extremely important as well.”

“This one came from a primitive mining pit, so naturally it costs a little more.”

Wang Dong began to hesitate. Two hundred thousand was no small sum. If the stone turned out to be worthless, he would suffer a devastating loss.

Zhang Wenxuan watched his expression and immediately said, “The boss is right. A good rough stone is worth this price. Two hundred thousand, right? I…”

He paused briefly, then pulled a bank card from his pocket, appearing ready to buy the stone himself.

Seeing this, Wang Dong gritted his teeth and spoke first.

“I’ll take it!”

“I’ll pay the two hundred thousand right now.”

As he spoke, Wang Dong quickly pulled out his bank card.

After paying two hundred thousand by card, Wang Dong bought the rough stone outright.

Zhang Wenxuan pretended to be furious. “You good-for-nothing fatso! Every time I take an interest in something, you rush over and snatch it away. Don’t blame me when you lose money later!”

“Hahaha!” Wang Dong burst into laughter. “Who told you to move so slowly? This rough stone belongs to me now!”

His voice was filled with smugness, as if he could already see the scene of an exquisite piece of jade being revealed from inside.

The stone was enormous, and Zhang Wenxuan had reacted so excitedly. There had to be something valuable inside. He was certain it would make him rich.

Wang Dong eagerly called over several people and had them carry the stone to the cutting machine.

“Master, cut this rough stone open for me immediately!” Wang Dong ordered.

Zhang Wenxuan followed him over. He folded his arms across his chest. The anger and displeasure he had shown moments earlier had vanished without a trace, replaced by schadenfreude and mockery.

The stone cutter walked over. “How do you want it cut?”

“Well…” Wang Dong’s expression stiffened slightly. He turned to look at Zhang Wenxuan.

“Why are you looking at me? Figure it out yourself,” Zhang Wenxuan shot back.

Wang Dong gave a disdainful laugh. “The rough stone is already mine. Are you saying I can’t even have it cut?”

“Master, just cut it straight down the middle!”

“Very well.” The stone cutter nodded.

The machine started up, and the grinding wheel soon began its work.

A rough stone weighing more than a hundred pounds was quite a spectacle, and many people from the surrounding area came over to watch.

Curiosity filled their eyes, along with a measure of anticipation.

Only Zhang Wenxuan wore an expression of pure delight at Wang Dong’s misfortune and quiet amusement, as though he had already foreseen the outcome.

“The real show… is about to begin.”