Inside the rented apartment, the new leaves on the branch Xiao Zhu inhabited had already begun to wilt a little, a month sooner than Qu Nanzhu had expected.
Branches, things that grew between heaven and earth, naturally absorbed spiritual qi well. Since Qu Nanzhu had picked it, it had barely changed.
Qu Nanzhu had been away for one day, and the tip of one leaf had already wilted.
His good mood vanished.
Huo Sili's car had barely left the residential complex when Qu Nanzhu's message arrived.
He was asking for help.
He asked whether Huo Sili had any connections through which he could quickly buy a large piece of rough jadeite. His budget was seven million.
He had originally planned to save up for another week, but now it seemed there was no time.
Huo Sili did not ask why he needed it. Instead, he thought over his connections and gave an affirmative answer.
Huo: [I know someone in the rough jadeite business. I can send you her contact details.]
After that, he added: [Oh, she's also a fan of yours.]
Qu Nanzhu blinked when he received the reply and added the account.
The other person quickly accepted his friend request and sent a long string of incredulous reaction stickers.
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [!!! Are you really Master Qu?]
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [That old geezer Huo really wasn't lying!! Oh my god, oh my god, Master Qu actually added me himself!]
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [Master, what can I do for you?!! Can I really help you?!]
She was so excited that Qu Nanzhu scratched his cheek and replied: [Hello, Miss Shang. I'm Qu Nanzhu.]
Qu's Bamboo: [I'd like to buy some rough jadeite. Brother Huo said you could help me. Would it be too much trouble?]
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [You call that old geezer your brother?]
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [No, not at all. It's business-when is it ever not a hassle?]
The other party recalled a message.
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [I mean, it's all part of our job. But Qu Baobao, what sort of rough jadeite do you want?]
Qu Nanzhu: [A really big piece. Could I come take a look in person tomorrow?]
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [Of course~ I'll send you the address. It's not far from S City, just an hour by plane.]
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [Shared location]
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [Master, let me know before you set off. I'll send someone to pick you up!]
Aura 1.8 Meters Tall: [See you tomorrow, mwah!]
In the end, Qu Nanzhu barely got a few words in. Shang Ni'en arranged everything.
The Shang Family was a well-known jadeite supplier in F City, and she was also the second-highest donor in Qu Nanzhu's livestream.
When Huo Sili had messaged her just now to say that Qu Nanzhu wanted to add her, she had shot up from her bed.
Her first reaction was that the old geezer Huo Sili had already gotten in touch with Qu Bao behind her back. Could that old geezer have been the one who had dinner with Qu Bao today?!
Only then came her delight that Qu Nanzhu was actually going to add her himself. Oh my god, oh my god, what a gift from heaven!
She seemed to have been a little too enthusiastic just now. Qu Bao probably hadn't quite known how to handle it.
With that thought, Shang Ni'en put down the lavish, luxurious princess dress in her hands and picked up the limited-edition but simply styled tracksuit beside it instead.
At eight the next morning, Shang Ni'en was sleeping with her head where her feet should have been. The elderly housekeeper came upstairs to wake her, and after a few muffled replies, Shang Ni'en scrambled into a sitting position and held her muddled head.
Shang Ni'en, Shang Ni'en, have you slept yourself stupid? Did you forget you have something important today?!!
Qu Nanzhu had messaged her at six to say he had arrived at the airport. His flight was at seven.
Only now seeing the message, Shang Ni'en couldn't even spare time for breakfast. She quickly put on some makeup, grabbed her handbag, and headed out.
Amid the bustle, the elderly housekeeper slipped a carton of milk into her bag.
In the private car, Shang Ni'en applied her eye makeup in a mirror. The driver glanced at her and silently slowed down.
Shang Ni'en immediately urged him, "No, no, no, go faster. I have to pick someone up at eight thirty."
The car gradually sped up again.
Once she had finished her eye makeup, Shang Ni'en pulled a carton of warm milk from her little leather handbag, looking utterly baffled.
At the airport, Qu Nanzhu had already gotten off the plane.
He had just met a fan on the plane. This was his first chance encounter with a fan in person, and the fan had nearly fainted from excitement.
Qu Nanzhu hadn't fared much better, steadying the fan before they could fall.
The fan gazed at him with an expression that said they could now die without regrets and looked ready to launch into a heartfelt confession.
Qu Nanzhu steeled himself and interrupted, "Let's get going. The plane's about to take off!"
Only then did the fan reluctantly part with Qu Nanzhu, heading down a different passage.
After getting off the plane this time, Qu Nanzhu took out his little yellow duck hat again and put it on.
Outside the airport, Qu Nanzhu couldn't find Shang Ni'en anywhere nearby and felt a little puzzled.
She had just messaged him saying she would be there in ten minutes, but fifteen had already passed.
Only when he had been waiting for nearly twenty minutes did Shang Ni'en come running over.
Contrary to her screen name, Aura 1.8 Meters Tall, Qu Nanzhu estimated that she was only around 1.5 meters tall.
He was already considered short himself, yet standing beside Shang Ni'en made him look particularly tall.
Though she was tiny, she had plenty of energy.
She had been panting from running a moment ago, but the instant she saw Qu Nanzhu, she was no longer breathless and her legs were no longer tired. Her little mouth chattered away to him.
She had been too embarrassed to ask in the livestream before, but now that he was right beside her, she couldn't resist asking Qu Nanzhu about those mystical abilities of his.
Qu Nanzhu explained them in ways Shang Ni'en could understand.
On their way to the raw materials facility, Shang Ni'en wanted Qu Nanzhu to tell her fortune, so she took out her phone and briskly transferred three thousand.
Qu Nanzhu accepted it without declining.
"What would you like me to divine?"
Born into a wealthy family, Shang Ni'en had reached twenty-one without experiencing any major troubles. She wasn't particularly interested in romance either, and her family was happy, her parents loving. Put that way, she really wasn't sure what to ask about.
"Um, well, just divine whatever you can see!"
Amused by her words, Qu Nanzhu said, "I can see a lot. If you want to know everything, a three-thousand divination fee won't be enough."
Shang Ni'en scratched her neck. "Oh, I see. Then tell me whether anything major will happen to me soon, especially anything bad. See if there's a way to avoid it."
Only then did Qu Nanzhu say, "In that case, you really do have a bit of bad luck coming."
"Ah, will it be awful?"
"Not really, I suppose. It might leave you feeling a little repulsed and disgusted. Just keep a good mindset."
"That's good, that's good. My mindset is the best."
One month later, Shang Ni'en, with her excellent mindset, clutched her phone and complained to Qu Nanzhu about her experience all night.
The car left the urban area and arrived at the Shang Family's rough jadeite mining site.
Shang Ni'en had someone open the warehouse. The warehouse manager and an assistant accompanied them.
Walking at the front, Shang Ni'en said to Qu Nanzhu, "All the large rough stones that passed our initial screening are here. Take a look and see if there's anything you want."
In the three-hundred-square-meter warehouse, the rough stones were laid out on the floor in rows.
Qu Nanzhu swept his gaze over them and thought, A big company really is a big company. Almost every rough stone I can see is brimming with spiritual qi. It's only a question of how much.
With the help of his Heavenly Eye, Qu Nanzhu headed straight toward a rough stone that reached his thigh and asked its price.
The manager behind them promptly stepped forward, checked its serial number, and read it out to the assistant, who looked it up on a phone.
"Sir, we've priced this piece at 6.8 million."
Qu Nanzhu breathed a sigh of relief at the price.
"I'll take it."
Over the next few hours, they settled the other arrangements.
At Qu Nanzhu's request, they began cutting slowly inward from the outermost layer. After all, he was a major customer who had just spent nearly seven million, so the stone-cutting master was more than happy to oblige.
To everyone's surprise, cutting away less than a centimeter of the outer shell revealed evenly colored imperial green within.
Even the widely experienced Shang Ni'en couldn't hold back an exclamation.
"Oh my god, Nanzhu, that one cut has already raised its value!"
Without a doubt, if this entire enormous piece was imperial green of that quality, Qu Nanzhu would become a billionaire simply by selling it.
Shang Ni'en asked jokingly, "How about this? Sell it to me for two hundred million. You won't lose out. What do you say?"
From seven million to two hundred million-any normal person would know which choice to make with those stakes.
But Qu Nanzhu refused and explained his requirements in further detail.
"Please cut the remaining parts the same way. I need to make sure the jade I get in the end can be made into a normal human baby."
Knowing who Qu Nanzhu was, Shang Ni'en did not question this outrageous request. Instead, she told the people in charge to do as he asked.
Because it was a large undertaking, the person in charge said they would need a day to handle it and asked Qu Nanzhu to bring people to collect it tomorrow.