Willful Even Without Money

As the stone was being cut, people kept arriving in a steady stream. The price had already surpassed five million, and every jewelry firm had to send someone of importance; at this price point, it had to be appraised on the spot, and someone had to be there to make the final call, right?

This time, Feng Jun truly saw it all. It was just like the novels described: the heads of each firm were shouting out bids, and the sparks flying from their intense glares were almost enough for him to use as a power source.

It was clear that once the bidding ended, more than a few grudges would be formed.

Only then did Feng Jun have a realization: even though these jewelry firms were wealthy and powerful, it didn't necessarily mean they looked down on small change.

The reason no one bid yesterday was mainly because that piece of material wasn't worth much, making it not worth the effort to bid—after all, one had to consider the cost of forming a grudge, right?

In the end, Henglong Jewelry won the bid for the ice-variety jade at 6.89 million. Manager Wang from Jubaozhai had bid 6.8 million, but he simply couldn't go any higher.

Manager Liang from Henglong teased him, "Come on, add another ten thousand. Who knows, maybe I'll stop."

Manager Wang was so angry he bared his teeth. He knew full well that this guy surnamed Liang was harboring malicious intent. Even though he was filled with immense reluctance, he could only let out a cold snort, "That seven million is going to tie up your capital for two years!"

Manager Liang gave a cold laugh, "Henglong doesn't have much else, but we have plenty of cash. I'll just treat it as stocking up. What, you're not convinced? If you're not, then raise your bid."

Feng Jun saw that the timing was perfect, so he squeezed his way over.

There were two men standing beside Manager Wang who watched him coldly, but he just smiled nonchalantly, "Manager Wang, are you interested in some nephrite?"

"Of course I am," Manager Wang glanced at him sideways and answered without hesitation, "What kind of nephrite?"

Feng Jun fished half of a jade box out of his bag, handed it over, and said with a smile, "Take a look first."

Manager Wang took it, examined it, felt it, and then pulled out a magnifying glass to inspect it.

Manager Liang stood to the side, watching the scene with a grin.

Manager Wang put down the magnifying glass and was just about to speak when he suddenly remembered something. He glanced at Manager Liang before looking back at Feng Jun and saying indifferently, "You're quite something, young man. You know how to seize an opportunity."

This was a carved jade piece, and a damaged one at that, so his instinct was to offer a low price.

However, with a crowd of industry insiders nearby, he couldn't afford to lose face by offering a lowball price.

Price-gouging was something everyone in this business did, and it was an unspoken rule, but he was a man of status and couldn't act recklessly in full view of the public.

Whether it was due to a lack of skill or an attempt to swindle, once word got out, it wouldn't be good for his reputation.

Not to mention, the guy surnamed Liang was standing right there, watching like a tiger.

Feng Jun smiled slightly and replied with thick skin, "You flatter me."

If you guys hadn't teamed up to drive the price down, would I have had to resort to this?

"Sixty-eight thousand," Manager Wang said, sounding very decisive. "It's green jade, and it's old. I don't know if there's any bad energy attached to it."

"Young man," Manager Liang said with a smile, "may I take a look?"

Manager Liang was about ten years younger than Manager Wang. He looked at it for a minute and offered directly, "Eighty thousand."

He didn't give a reason; he simply raised the price.

This was normal, though. Knowledge was priceless; if he was willing to explain why, that was a favor, but not doing so was just business.

Manager Wang didn't even look at him and continued to bid, "Ninety thousand!"

Manager Liang glanced at him and spread his hands with a smile: Please, I'll stop competing, alright?

Manager Wang still didn't look at him, instead turning to Feng Jun and asking expressionlessly, "Cash or transfer?"

Feng Jun thought about it; eighty thousand in cash wasn't that much, and it would easily fit in his bag. It would save him from having to reveal his account name.

So he smiled and said, "Cash, please."

"Wait a moment for the cash," Manager Wang said, still expressionless. "My nephew is carrying the cash and will be here soon."

"Understood," Feng Jun nodded with a smile, then tentatively asked, "Manager Wang, you're a straightforward man. I have some more jade... shall we find a place to talk?"

He had asked for a price at Jubaozhai before, and they had quoted him nine thousand or nine thousand five—he couldn't remember, but it was definitely under ten thousand.

But that was the quote from the staff, not Manager Wang's. Looking at it now, Manager Wang still had quite a bit of boldness.

"Hm?" Manager Wang looked at him strangely and gave a slight nod, "My people will have to come along. That's not a problem, is it?"

In the business world, it was normal to be cautious, and those who dealt in jade were especially prone to running into trouble, so it was perfectly normal for him to be careful.

Manager Liang from Henglong didn't like hearing that. He still wanted to see the goods, so he furrowed his brows slightly, ready to speak up.

Just then, a loud shout came from the distance, "Uncle!"

Feng Jun nodded with a smile, "Of course, your people are no—"

Halfway through his sentence, he looked into the distance in astonishment, "What the hell, it's you?"

A young man came running from afar. Who else could it be but the guy who tried to snatch his strange stone?

Wang Weimin saw Feng Jun and froze, then looked away as if he didn't recognize him, walking toward Manager Wang.

In truth, he hated Feng Jun to death. He had seen people posting everywhere slandering him for robbery, and friends had forwarded him screenshots of others' social media posts, laughing and asking, "Hey, are you planning on changing careers to become a robber?"

Wang Weimin felt immense pressure; he didn't even dare to go to Jubaozhai anymore for fear of being recognized.

It was precisely because of this that he didn't know Feng Jun had once taken half a jade box to Jubaozhai to ask for a price.

He had instructed the clerks to watch out for someone carrying a strange stone, but no one had expected that the guy would show up with jade pieces.

Likewise, Feng Jun didn't know that Jubaozhai was connected to this guy.

Wang Weimin hated Feng Jun so much that he could barely contain himself. Never in his life had he been bullied like this; a gentleman would never let such a grudge go unavenged!

He had even used a burner ID to post on the Yang City Hotline, claiming he would pay ten thousand for that strange stone.

Clearly, it was a trap. His plan was to send someone to buy the stone and then quietly tail Feng Jun.

Once the guy was alone, he would gather his men and teach him a harsh lesson.

As for whether he would snatch back the ten thousand during the beating, he hadn't really thought about it—Young Master Wang wasn't short on that kind of pocket change.

However, he planned to get some thugs to help, and whether those thugs decided to rob him or not was none of his business.

Now, Wang Weimin was here to help his second uncle, but he hadn't expected to run into this bastard here.

Still, today's business was important, and he couldn't let personal grudges get in the way. In a setting like this, he couldn't even bring it up.

Manager Wang saw his nephew approach and waved a hand at Feng Jun. "Get him ninety thousand in cash."

"Ninety thousand?" Wang Weimin stared at Feng Jun in shock. "Damn it... you're really ripping us off, aren't you?"

He had come prepared for that ice-variety jade; with over six million in cash, he figured no one would dare walk away, but what if the other party wanted some cash on hand?

Besides, coming to Jubaozhai this time, he might run into other jade pieces, and there were some outstanding accounts here that needed settling.

That was why he had brought a million in cash.

He hadn't expected to pay Feng Jun at all. Hearing that he had to pay this guy, his subconscious reaction was: You actually sold that strange stone to my second uncle?

Fine, if he sold it, he sold it, but... damn it, you actually dared to ask for ninety thousand?

Feng Jun was also quite surprised. He paused for a moment and looked at Manager Wang. "Is he with your Jubaozhai too?"

Manager Wang blinked. He could hear it now—his nephew and the young man across from him were clearly on bad terms.

But in his mind, business was business, and everything else could be set aside.

Regardless, with so many people present, he couldn't deny it, so he nodded quite straightforwardly. "I am his second uncle."

Manager Wang was only the general manager of Jubaozhai; the chairman was his older brother.

Feng Jun waved a hand decisively. "I'm not selling to you anymore!"

He was a poor man, truly poor—so poor he felt embarrassed to go home and visit his relatives.

But at the same time, he was a proud man, and it was precisely because of that pride that he felt "embarrassed."

So what if your price is high? I'm not in the mood, so I'm just not selling to you!

Manager Wang was stunned. "Why are you like this? We already agreed on the terms."

Feng Jun rolled his eyes at him. "So what if we agreed? We didn't sign a contract."

Then he looked at Manager Liang of Henglong Jewelry and asked with a smile, "Manager Liang, do you still want this jade?"

"Oh my," Manager Liang laughed, his expression meaningful. "Haha, young man, I'm offering ten thousand less than him."

"Then it's ten thousand less," Feng Jun waved a hand dismissively. "What are we working so hard to make money for? Isn't it just to live happily?"

Manager Liang nodded with a smile upon hearing this and gave a thumbs-up. "That makes sense."

He was a straightforward man, and since the other party was straightforward, he was too. "To be honest, I haven't fully appraised this jade, but if it's truly worth ninety thousand, I'll give you ninety thousand. Don't worry... Henglong Jewelry won't ruin its own reputation."

Manager Wang snorted coldly, his face darkening. "As if only your Henglong has a reputation, and no one else's does."

Just as Manager Liang was about to retort, Feng Jun sneered. "You'd better ask your nephew how he's bringing glory to Jubaozhai."

Manager Wang's mouth hung open in shock when he heard this. "Huh?"

Feng Jun couldn't be bothered to deal with him anymore. He turned to look at Manager Liang and asked with a smile, "Manager Liang... shall we find a place to talk?"

Manager Liang laughed. To him, the damaged jade box was just a small deal; what really mattered was that he was also eyeing the other jade pieces in the young man's possession. "That would be perfect."

The two looked around and headed off to a quiet spot. Manager Wang, however, looked at his nephew with a sour expression and asked with a dark face, "What is going on between you and this guy?"

Wang Weimin hadn't told his second uncle about the matter before because it was embarrassing, but there was nothing that couldn't be said. In business, if you don't fleece a layman when you see one, can you even call yourself a businessman?

Especially in the antique and jade trade, the gap between an expert and a layman was vast; in this industry, knowledge was truly priceless.

Of course, when Wang Weimin spoke, he naturally picked the parts that favored him, portraying himself as completely innocent in his account.

After listening, Manager Wang sighed in disappointment. "Sigh."

His nephew didn't have any major flaws, but he was too reckless in his dealings. This time, he had caused Jubaozhai to lose an opportunity.

Wang Weimin was still angry. "It was just a broken box, a few tens of thousands of yuan. If we don't do business with him, we don't. Why are you sighing, Second Uncle?"

Manager Wang sighed again. "That box was just testing the waters. The guy has more goods on him, and look at the mess you've made!"