It was half-past eight in the evening when Wang Zhuo finally dragged himself home, exhausted from the day. Thankfully, now that he had money, he didn't have to cook on an empty stomach and could order takeout from a decent restaurant.

"Reporting to the Emperor, there is a commoner seeking an audience—"

"Hello, Sister Guan?" Wang Zhuo answered the phone.

Since he didn't have a computer at home and hadn't had time to visit an internet café, he still hadn't changed this ringtone.

"Wang Zhuo, I didn't realize you were so skilled," Guan Yingying’s voice held a hint of excitement and delight.

Wang Zhuo managed a wry smile. "You saw that video too?"

"Yes, I just saw it this afternoon. You’re incredible, taking on five guys, and they even had a gun," Guan Yingying spoke rapidly. "Was that gun real or fake?"

Wang Zhuo didn't correct her mistake in numbers and chuckled, "It was real. A criminal police officer even came to school today to ask me about the whereabouts of that gun."

"So cool!" Guan Yingying continued, "You're famous now. People have already doxxed your information. At school, your nickname is 'Action Choreographer.' Your height is 1.78 meters, blood type AB, you're a romantic Pisces, and you rank in the top five when tests are ordered in reverse. They even have your landline number, but I called and it’s been disconnected!"

Wang Zhuo thought to himself, Damn, online sleuthing is this fierce?

In reality, the doxxing was far more extensive than he imagined. Throughout the entire afternoon, the school's external affairs phone lines had been swamped by netizens—fans, pranksters, and the merely curious—creating such a flood of calls that it severely disrupted the school's normal operations.

"The person who recorded this video is also quite skilled; they should really go into filmmaking," Guan Yingying commented thoughtfully.

In fact, the person who recorded the video was already filming, but not as a director—as an actor in a movie everyone was familiar with: The Fugitive.

Illegally possessing a firearm carries severe penalties, and buying or selling one results in a minimum sentence of three years in prison. The three security guards who picked up the gun sold it for five thousand yuan on the antiques street, splitting the illicit gains. Once the video went viral, the gun's location became the most scrutinized detail. Seeing the situation escalate, Da Yang and Xiao Huang turned themselves in, while Cheng Zi, who already had a record, simply fled the scene!

Wang Zhuo had already learned the video's origin from Liu Donghao, but he had no idea the security guards who spread it were already facing serious repercussions from the state apparatus.

"Sister Guan, are you free tomorrow? How about we go check out some jade roughs?"

"Great idea! I was just thinking about that. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning!"

...

At nine sharp, Wang Zhuo settled into Guan Yingying’s yellow Beetle, and the two headed for the Antique Street.

Guan Yingying had only recently gotten her driver’s license and didn't dare get distracted chatting while driving. She handed Wang Zhuo a few books on jadeite for him to pass the time.

When he opened the first book, he saw the date of purchase written neatly in Guan Yingying's beautiful regular script. It turned out she bought these books the day before yesterday. It seemed she had developed an interest in jadeite right after her last stone-gambling venture.

When they reached the parking lot, Wang Zhuo asked, "By the way, what gift did your father end up choosing for that elder relative?"

Guan Yingying parked the car and smiled. "We bought a jade Fu Shou Bi [A decorative plaque symbolizing fortune and longevity]. I helped pick it out. It’s already been delivered; the old man loved it."

"You helped pick it? Make sure you didn't end up with a Grade C fake..." Wang Zhuo teased.

"Hey, looks like you know a thing or two yourself," Guan Yingying lifted her skirt and stepped out of the car. "Where should we go first?"

"Let's find the biggest shop to start with."

"Okay!"

In a second-tier city on the North China Plain, finding a jewelry store that gambled on raw jadeite stones should have been difficult. However, due to the massive jadeite craze in recent years, fueled by relevant news and entertainment programs, quite a few jewelers had ventured into this business.

After a quick inquiry, they learned that the largest operation dealing in jadeite was called Qishi Fang (Strange Stones Workshop). The owner's partner was from Yunnan and frequently transported raw materials by truck.

Upon entering Qishi Fang, they couldn't help but marvel at the scale of the place. There were at least thirty display counters in the main hall, more than ten sales associates, and several burly security guards who clearly looked like experienced retired military personnel.

Wang Zhuo gave a thumbs-up. "This place is impressive; just looking at the setup, it screams professionalism!"

Guan Yingying nodded. "Let's stick with this one. We don't need to rush into examining the roughs; let’s check out the finished pieces and the 'bright materials' first."

For Guan Yingying, the crystal-clear, dazzlingly beautiful finished jadeite pieces were irresistible . In the last few days, she had been studying books and scouring the internet, cramming a lot of jadeite knowledge, and now she could finally apply theory to practice.

While Guan Yingying became engrossed in studying the finished products, Wang Zhuo’s attention was drawn to a few less conspicuous counters displaying ming liao (bright materials).

As mentioned earlier, ming liao refers to jadeite that has already been cut from the rough stone, fully exposing its texture, transparency, color, and other detailed characteristics. This is considered a semi-finished product; further steps involve designing patterns on the ming liao, then cutting, carving, grinding, and polishing it into the final attractive finished piece.

A flawless piece of jadeite, even one small enough for a ring setting, could be worth millions or tens of millions, inspiring awe. Its value stems from many aspects: beauty, rarity, distinguished provenance, noble origins, and so forth.

But to Wang Zhuo, no matter how beautiful the jadeite, it was only slightly more attractive than glass. Beautiful, yes, but lacking practical use. Therefore, he ignored the finished pieces and showed a strong preference for the ming liao, as examining these could give him a vital understanding of jadeite pricing, which would greatly assist his stone-gambling endeavors!

"How much is this piece?" Wang Zhuo pointed to a vibrant green ming liao, about the size of his fingertip and half a centimeter thick, and asked the sales associate standing nearby.

The saleswoman, who had a pleasant appearance and a kind smile, replied very politely, "Hello, sir. This ming liao comes from the northern Myitkyina mining area in Myanmar. It's an old-pit ice-type Imperial Green material. Its size is suitable for cutting into a cabochon face twenty millimeters long and thirteen millimeters wide. Its price is four hundred thousand RMB."

Boom! Wang Zhuo felt as if thunder had cracked beside his ear. This tiny thing the size of his fingertip dared to cost four hundred thousand? That was heavenly thunder indeed!

"Haha, haha. A bit expensive," Wang Zhuo chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head. This time, he didn't dare point to a ming liao displayed prominently like a crane among chickens. He pointed to a triangular piece in a box holding more than ten pieces and asked, "What about this one?"

The saleswoman maintained an excellent demeanor and replied with a smile, "This piece is a glutinous-variety flower-green material. Its dimensions are roughly thirty millimeters long and twenty millimeters at its widest point. It can be used to carve a piece like a Pixiu, a Buddha's hand, or a koi fish ornament. Its price is sixty thousand RMB."

This thing costs sixty thousand? Wang Zhuo considered himself somewhat knowledgeable about jadeite and asked skeptically, "Isn't sixty thousand a bit steep for such a small glutinous-variety flower-green?"

The saleswoman chuckled softly and explained, "Sir, this piece is from old Pakan material; the final appearance after processing cannot be compared to material from the newer mines."

Ah, so it came from a distinguished lineage; no wonder the price was slightly outrageous. Wang Zhuo nodded, suddenly intrigued by the saleswoman. "Big sister, your professional knowledge is impeccable. How much does Qishi Fang pay you per month?"

Since it was neither a weekend nor a holiday, there weren't many customers in Qishi Fang. At this moment, at least three or four sales associates were watching this young, student-like teenager select materials. As soon as Wang Zhuo asked his question, the women burst into laughter.

The saleswoman serving Wang Zhuo covered her mouth, giggled, and then made an effort to suppress her smile. "Our boss is a good person; the benefits are very good."

Wang Zhuo noticed her left hand resting on the counter secretly curl three fingers, and he suddenly understood—it meant two thousand a month.

Pretending not to have noticed, Wang Zhuo casually commented, "With your level of expertise and service attitude, I think you should be earning at least four thousand a month!"

Another woman nearby, looking about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, teased quietly, "Little brother, I also think she deserves four thousand a month, but you can’t earn that much here. Why don't you hire her yourself?"

"I'll give it serious consideration," Wang Zhuo winked playfully, nodding, and plucked a business card from the holder on the counter, slipping it into his pocket.