"Mr. Zhang, I'm afraid there's no luck for you today!"

Seeing Zhang Jingshan's eager expression, Ye Chen lowered his voice and spoke.

"Hm? The remaining stones, No. 18 and No. 19..."

Zhang Jingshan had come this time specifically for Stone No. 19.

He had heard that Stone No. 19, which already revealed a green hue through a small window, might contain imperial jade.

"My gut tells me there's nothing inside," Ye Chen said.

Then he added, "But we can pull a trick on the young master of Sihai Group!"

"Got it. Understood!"

Zhang Jingshan, who had been feeling a bit disappointed, instantly perked up after catching on.

At this moment, the bidding for Stone No. 18 had begun.

Since the next two stones were highlights, after some inspection and analysis by the crowd, Stone No. 18 started at a price of three million.

"I'll take it!" Zhang Jingshan immediately called out.

"Three million, one hundred thousand!" someone quickly followed.

"Three million, two hundred thousand!"

"Three million, three hundred thousand!"

Seeing that Zhang Jingshan was with Ye Chen, several hesitant wealthy businessmen gritted their teeth and joined the bidding.

The scene escalated into an impromptu auction.

"Four million!" Zhang Jingshan feigned an excited and tense look, mainly for Li Mu to see.

However, internally, he was nervous. If Li Mu didn't take the bait, he might just lose big on this.

After all, Ye Chen had said that the next two stones were empty.

"Four million, two hundred thousand!"

After a moment's hesitation, Li Mu couldn't hold back anymore.

Like the others, he believed that the lucky Ye Chen wouldn't let Zhang Jingshan lose money.

Moreover, Ye Chen had already made a fortune earlier, so logically, he'd leave some scraps for Zhang Jingshan.

When inspecting Stone No. 18 earlier, Li Mu felt there was definitely a good chance of something valuable being inside.

Bit by bit, he got carried away.

"Four million, five hundred thousand!" Zhang Jingshan said sternly.

"Five million!" Li Mu smiled faintly, as if the money meant nothing to him.

"Five million, five hundred thousand!" Zhang Jingshan glared at Li Mu with apparent anger.

This angry look from Zhang Jingshan only reinforced Li Mu's belief that Stone No. 18 might contain something extraordinary.

With a sly smile, he called out, "Six million!"

At this, the entire audience gasped.

"Are these two crazy? A three-million stone, now up to six million just out of spite?"

At this moment, Ye Chen spoke.

"Seven million!"

Shh—!

As soon as Ye Chen opened his mouth, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

First, there was the old blue flower jade. Then, the full-flesh glassy jade.

Could Stone No. 18 contain something even more valuable?

"Eight million!"

Without hesitation, Li Mu raised the bid.

"Nine million!" Ye Chen followed immediately.

"Ten million!"

When Li Mu announced this figure, the entire audience fell silent.

Just as everyone, including Li Mu, thought Ye Chen would continue bidding, the latter fell silent.

Reflexively, Zhang Jingshan was about to bid again, not realizing Ye Chen had stopped. Ye Chen quickly nudged him with his elbow.

"That's enough. Stop here."

After all, there was no guarantee Li Mu would keep bidding. If he didn't, the ten million would go up in smoke.

"Ahem, forget it, I don't want it anymore," Zhang Jingshan reluctantly swallowed the words he was about to say.

For some reason, seeing Zhang Jingshan's face showing no trace of anger, Li Mu suddenly felt a sense of unease.

"Could Zhang Jingshan and that gambler be setting me up?"

Before he could think further, Zhang Jingshan laughed, "Congratulations, Mr. Li, on winning the bid. Let's bet on how this stone turns out. I say it won't even cover the ten-million cost!"

"Zhang Jingshan, you—!"

Unable to contain his anger, Li Mu roared, realizing he'd been tricked.

"What's wrong? Don't want to make a bet?" Zhang Jingshan teased.

"Zhang Jingshan, well played. Heh..."

Suppressing his fury, Li Mu let out a cold laugh, but his gaze turned sinister as he looked at Ye Chen.

"Just you wait."

He couldn't touch Zhang Jingshan, as the latter's grandfather was a retired senior official.

But Ye Chen, just a lowly gambler, was no one he needed to fear.

"Mr. Li, do you want to cut the stone now?" the middle-aged man overseeing the gambling den asked with a smile.

"Later," Li Mu replied, hiding his cold intent.

"Alright," the man said.

"For the last stone, No. 19, I'll take it for 20 million and open them together!" Li Mu declared.

"This..." The middle-aged man hesitated.

Normally, he'd agree immediately.

But this was a rare chance to watch a bidding war among wealthy heirs.

After a moment's indecision, he glanced at Zhang Jingshan.

"If Mr. Li wants it so much, let him have it. It's not like it's guaranteed to produce imperial jade!" Zhang Jingshan said mockingly.

"Alright, Mr. Li, both Stones No. 18 and No. 19 are yours for 30 million!"

"Would you like to open them now or later?"

"Now!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the cutting master began his work with utmost care.

When Stone No. 19 was cut open, Li Mu's face instantly turned pale.

"How is this possible?"

Aside from the green visible through the window, the rest was all rock.

This 20-million stone was a complete bust.

"Don't worry, Mr. Li. That was just one side; let's try cutting a few more," the cutting master quickly tried to comfort him.

"Let's go," said Li Changfeng, who had been mostly silent, in a low voice.

Considering Li Mu's impending rage, he feared Ye Chen might become the target.

"Agreed. Let's leave before that fool acts out," Zhang Jingshan chuckled softly.

Ye Chen, naturally, had no objections.

The three quietly slipped away amidst the murmurs of the crowd.

Under the night sky, their Land Rover sped through the outskirts.

"Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry you didn't get to make a fortune at the gambling den today," Ye Chen said in the car.

"Mr. Ye, don't say that! If you hadn't come today, I would have bid for that No. 19 stone myself. I heard it might contain imperial jade, which is why I came in the first place. If I'd spent 20 million on it, that would've been a disaster! Besides, I made 4 million on the side bet. Sure, Li Mu hates me to the core, but he can't back out of paying!" Zhang Jingshan said with a wide grin.

Then, as if realizing something, he added, "Oh, and Mr. Ye, don't call us Mr. Zhang or Mr. Li anymore. It sounds so distant. You're older than us, so just call us Jingshan and Changfeng. We'll call you Brother Ye!"

"That's right; Jingshan's got a point!" Li Changfeng added with a laugh.

"Alright, since you insist, I won't stand on ceremony," Ye Chen replied with a smile, not surprised by their change in attitude.

"Brother Ye, are you in a rush to go home? There's a new restaurant downtown called Jiangnan Water Town. How about we have dinner there before heading back?" Zhang Jingshan asked.

"Sure, and I've got a lead on a financial opportunity to make up for today's missed fortune!" Ye Chen said, his thoughts drifting.

"What kind of opportunity?" Jingshan and Changfeng asked excitedly in unison.

"It's related to Sihai Group. No rush—we'll talk about it over dinner," Ye Chen replied with a mysterious smile.