"What did you say? Say that again?" Cai Yuantu's voice was icy, giving away no hint of his thoughts.

The business manager spoke rapidly, his tone edged with excitement. "I said, since those people have no proof anyway, why don't we just screw them over? That’s Emperor Green Dragon Stone grade! It’s enough to buy a small villa in a Tier 1 city like Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou."

"Enough for a villa?"

"Close enough, you know how crazy the price of jade has been these past two years, it’s been like a massive surge..."

"A surge? I'll surge a mouthful of spit into your face!" Cai Yuantu suddenly erupted in curses. "Ai Yongzhi, **are you completely driven mad by money? To dare come up with such a terrible idea! Back when I was running the streets, it was about loyalty; now that I'm in business, it’s about integrity. I’ve educated you long ago not to use that lowlife garbage, are you deaf? Do you still want my reputation? Do you still want my face? Ai Yongzhi! Get out to the door right now and wait. The first thing I do when I get out of this car is slap you!"

The spittle seemed to fly out of the receiver across the airwaves. Business Manager Ai Yongzhi, verbally flayed by Cai Yuantu, hung up the phone, his legs trembling as he shuffled towards the main entrance.

If Cai Yuantu was going to hit him, he wouldn't even dare dodge; after taking a slap to the left cheek, he would have to proactively offer up the right!

The Audi finally pulled up to the entrance of Qishifang and stopped. Ai Yongzhi, tail between his legs, quickly hurried forward to open the car door.

"Where are they?" Cai Yuantu glared at Ai Yongzhi, his eyes wide and darting.

"They have been ushered into the VIP room," Ai Yongzhi replied timidly.

"We'll settle our score later!" Cai Yuantu shoved him aside and strode quickly inside.

Ai Yongzhi carefully followed behind, looking for an opportunity to salvage the situation.

...

It was already dark. By Qishifang's rules, the back courtyard was closed for business. The stone gamblers, politely ushered out of the back area, lingered in the main showroom as if attending some grand convention.

Even though Qishifang was the largest dealer in the city's antiques and jewelry sector, they had never encountered such a scene.

As soon as he entered the hall, Cai Yuantu was surrounded by clients, friends, and industry peers. Some offered congratulations, others expressed regret, and still others tried to use him as a bridge to purchase that piece of jade. The scene could only be described as a cacophony of voices.

"Gentlemen, ladies!" Cai Yuantu calmly raised his voice slightly and spoke loudly. "I, Cai, rushed back as soon as I heard the news and don't yet grasp the full situation. If you have business, we can discuss it later. I need to see those few friends first!"

"Boss Cai, take us with you?"

"Yes, Yuantu, my friends and I just arrived and haven't even seen the rough stone yet. Can we take a look?"

"Brother Cai, we must make an appointment. If this piece of jade is carved as a single item, then forget it. But if it's cut into smaller pieces, you absolutely have to reserve one piece for me, no matter the price!"

"Old Cai, Old Cai, listen to me about something first..."

Cai Yuantu managed a polite smile that held a hint of weariness, squeezing through the crowd. He nodded frequently to everyone who spoke to him but refused to engage with any conversation.

After passing through the hall, he turned back and addressed the large group following him in a loud voice. "Everyone, Mr. Cai has arranged dinner for you all at the Desheng Tower Restaurant. We will treat you to fine wine and food. Please accompany me there; give Mr. Cai some face, and we must drink until we are thoroughly satisfied!"

With that, Cai Yuantu cupped his hands in salute, shot a meaningful glance at Ai Yongzhi, and headed back into the rear courtyard.

The chance to prove himself had finally arrived. Ai Yongzhi exerted every ounce of his effort and finally managed to temporarily placate the crowd. He even had to loudly instruct the sales staff to close up shop and join the dinner at Desheng Tower to successfully complete the task assigned by his boss.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ai Yongzhi decided to give every beautiful saleswoman an extra three hundred yuan bonus this month. In a critical moment, he really needed these beauties to step up; they were invaluable!

"Old Zheng, do you think this Cai fellow will listen to Manager Ai's suggestion?"

Director Zheng had no interest in joining the revelry celebrating someone else's fortune. His party of four was already seated in the car. The speaker was Director Zheng's wife.

"This Cai is half a local snake. He's cleaned up his act pretty well these past few years, but his core nature won't change," Director Zheng said with a confident, strategic smile. "Just wait and see. After tonight, that piece of jade will have a new owner."

"Director, your thinking is always so sharp," Driver Xiao Li remarked excitedly. "When I mentioned that the kid bought the stone without an official invoice, Manager Ai got as wired as if he'd had a shot of adrenaline and excitedly rushed off. It’s a shame he used to run the streets; he has absolutely no composure."

Director Zheng’s wife chuckled. "Xiao Li, drive Xiao Zhang here again in a few days. That man surnamed Ai will surely give you a kickback. Considering Old Zheng's status, that gratuity won't be small."

"Will do!" Driver Xiao Li grinned broadly, and Secretary Xiao Zhang's face also lit up with delight.

The Director's luxurious Audi A6 melted into the night. Wang Zhuo had absolutely no idea that retribution would arrive so swiftly, being subtly manipulated by a public servant through his driver just a few hours later.

Only those who run the streets live day-to-day risking their lives with brawls. Those in the civil service are the intelligent strategists; they know that a hidden knife is what truly wounds.

...

"Brother Wang Zhuo, congratulations, congratulations!"

Upon entering the VIP room, Cai Yuantu gave Wang Zhuo a bear hug.

To say he didn't feel the sting of someone buying a rough stone from him that yielded a villa's worth of wealth would be a lie. However, Cai Yuantu was past his forties; having experienced many ups and downs in life, his temperament had long been honed to be exceptionally tough and open-minded. After a momentary pang of envy, he quickly let it go. If fate had arranged it this way, what good was resentment? He would just let nature take its course!

Wang Zhuo smiled as well. "Brother Cai, my apologies; I got lucky on your back."

"Hahahaha, Brother, no need to be so polite!" Cai Yuantu settled onto the sofa and said heartily, "Jade seeks a destined owner. The fact this treasure appeared in Qishifang was my destiny; that you cut it open was your destiny; that some master will carve it is that master's destiny; and finally, **... that’s another destiny! This concept of destiny has no notion of 'getting lucky' off someone else. What is meant to be yours will be yours; you can’t force it!"

Wang Zhuo could only return a smile. What else could he say? He had experienced Cai Yuantu's unique perspective many times before.

"Brother Cai, shouldn't you look at the stone first?"

"Better not. I know nothing about that stuff!" Cai Yuantu laughed heartily. "In my eyes, all jade looks pretty much the same. How much clearer can it be than glass?"

Guan Yingying and Qi Fei were completely defeated by his statement, while Qiu Lu and the other two Qishifang staff members struggled to suppress their laughter. Only Wang Zhuo felt that this sentiment resonated deeply with him and sincerely praised, "That's right."

After the laughter subsided, Cai Yuantu asked with a serious expression, "How do you plan to leave? Have you arranged for someone to pick you up?"

Wang Zhuo nodded. "We have arranged for people; they should be arriving soon."

"That’s good then," Cai Yuantu said with a touch of emotion. "Wealth moves the heart. Such a valuable item, now known throughout the city, requires extreme caution."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Cai Yuantu's words were undeniably true; this piece of jade was immensely valuable, and robbing it would yield profits far exceeding that of hijacking an armored cash transport vehicle.

"I'll escort you when you leave later," Cai Yuantu said, half-jokingly and half-seriously. "With me, Cai, around, it should be more of a deterrent than three or four police officers."

"Thank you for the trouble, Brother Cai," Wang Zhuo chuckled. His reply was ambiguous, neither accepting nor refusing the offer.

Cai Yuantu, being an old hand, naturally understood the subtext. He nodded toward Wang Zhuo with admiration. "Kid, you certainly know how to handle things."

In fact, it wasn't just him; even Guan Yingying, Qi Fei, and Qiu Lu were beginning to feel a degree of respect for Wang Zhuo. Tens of millions in wealth had dropped from the sky, yet this young man sat there calmly, chatting and laughing with ease. That composure alone was enough to command admiration.

Just then, the long-awaited phone call finally came—it was Guan Shichen calling his daughter, Guan Yingying.

After a brief conversation, Guan Yingying hung up and told everyone with unconcealed joy, "My dad is here, and he brought two armored escort vehicles!"

Armored escort vehicles? And two of them?!

This time, it was Cai Yuantu's turn for a wry smile. It seemed his considerable influence as a big boss wouldn't be needed after all!

[P.S. Armored escort services are not state enforcement agencies but private companies; businesses or individuals can hire them temporarily if needed.]

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