Chapter 11: Four Knives Seem a Bit Few, Now… You Even Want the Man…
It was just past noon.
Sinking into the genuine leather seat that felt exquisite to the touch, seated in the back of a prestigious luxury car that was so understated and smooth it offered almost no vibration, Le Can let out a long, gloomy sigh.
Looking back at the first one hundred thousand words of the original novel, the author had arranged for Xi Yun to hit rock bottom and feel desolate, but he had never been poor!
After all, as a member of the genuinely impoverished demographic, Le Can had never seen anyone who, at their “poorest,” could still fish out a hundred million yuan from their pocket.
A certain person with a four-digit deposit bites his handkerchief in secret.JPG
This scene couldn’t help but remind Le Can of a joke he had once stumbled upon: “Back when I was at my most destitute, I only had a cold, hard four billion left on my bank card.*”
Such obviously fake rumors allowed marketing accounts to rake in traffic, while uninformed passersby watched for amusement, and those who glimpsed the disparity within felt a sour ache in their hearts as they sighed.
One could see the whole picture from a small clue.
Xi Yun’s “limited funds” and Le Can’s “no money” were two completely different concepts that could not be equated.
The latter’s lack of money was a genuine lack, while the former’s “limit” was a fortune many couldn’t earn in a lifetime.
Le Can was very clear on this point.
Okay, fine, he was a little bit of a lemon—sour towards the Male Lead, Xi Yun, his current fake fiancé.
With the Spring Auction imminent, the top-tier lots that met Xi Yun’s requirements had either long been scooped up by other auction houses or were being clutched tightly by collectors waiting for the even more significant Autumn Auction.
To focus the industry’s gaze and achieve overnight fame in a short time, while also considering costs to maximize profit…
The item Xi Yun ultimately selected had to be something full of gimmicks, something that could leverage a small investment into a massive return.
Others might not know, but how could Le Can, who had read the original novel and knew about Xi Yun’s “Golden Finger,” not know what this high-leverage item was?
Opening raw jadeite stones, or rather—
—Stone gambling!
As the saying goes: “One cut poor, one cut rich, one cut wear sackcloth.” What gets cut here are raw jadeite stones that look completely unremarkable on the outside.
But who would have thought that inside these weathered, rough stones—ones no one would bother picking up if thrown by the roadside—were wrapped diverse, beautiful, expensive, and even breathtaking jadeite!
Thinking of the various gemstone deposits equally hidden deep underground, as a designer who often dealt with jewelry, Le Can marveled at nature’s eerie craftsmanship every time.
Jadeite, according to its transparency and texture (water and species), is generally divided from low to high into Bean species, Glutinous species, Ice species, and Glass species. The better the water and species, the higher the quality, and the price span could reach jaw-dropping levels.
Besides that, color also affects the price of jadeite. Hence the industry saying: “A single grade difference in color, a tenfold difference in price.”
There were many tricks and trades within this field, and Le Can actually didn’t know much about it.
As for why he didn’t know much?
Oh, that was simply because he never had the opportunity to own high-end jadeite jewelry, and low-to-mid-range jadeite didn’t hold its value. Miserly indifferent face.JPG
Stone gambling was, well, a gamble with high stakes. Whether in the early or late stages, laymen who invested heavily usually lost even more. After all, even gods find it hard to judge an inch of jade.
Therefore, for Le Can, who calculated every penny, jadeite—whether finished products or raw stones—had been kicked out of his little treasury’s collection options from the very beginning.
But now, things were different!
Le Can did a mental calculation; in about two days, Xi Yun should be going to see a private raw material seller.
That person had connections and had reportedly secured a batch of decent-quality “old pit” material recently. With old pit material becoming increasingly scarce nowadays, the arrival of this batch was being eyed by quite a few people.
So, what happened next in the plot would occur naturally.
Le Can’s focus wasn’t on how satisfying Xi Yun’s face-slapping would be. Instead, through the minute details in the plot, he keenly discovered that the quality of this batch of raw materials was indeed stable, not just the seller’s exaggeration.
Unfortunately, he knew the goods were excellent, and others knew it too. So, regarding the price… well, there were almost no loopholes to exploit.
The method to pick up free money was right in front of him, but alas, he lacked the capital.
Therefore, this trip back to get money was imperative!
Speaking of which, Aunt Liang was indeed worthy of being someone who could lead a whole family to earn three salaries under Xi Yun.
Le Can looked at the familiar buildings gradually approaching outside the car window. From the satchel she had handed him upon departure, he casually pulled out one of the four dining knives.
There were many types of Western dining knives: the round and blunt dinner knife, the fish knife that looked like a small shovel, the butter knife with its cute curve…
Although Aunt Liang’s eyes had revealed surprise and suspicion, in the end, what she packed for Le Can were the steak knives that best fit his requirements. The blade was thin and sharp, with serrations at the tip. Mn, very suitable for cutting meat.
Seeing that the Le family home was arriving, Uncle Zhao slowed the car down while glancing at Le Can in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
Old Zhao, with all his years of experience: !!!
He had just been preparing to speak, but upon seeing the scene in the back seat, he nearly stomped on the accelerator instead of the brake.
The young man had, at some unknown point, fished out the sharp dining knife his wife had wrapped so well. The key was, those layers of protective wrapping were nowhere to be seen!
Clearly, the new employer looked extremely handsome and spiritual, and his speech was very soothing. But the sight of those equally beautiful hands pinching the thin blade, rubbing it over and over again, looked creepy no matter how one viewed it!
With such a dangerous action, he didn’t even lower his head to look at his hand once!
Those peach-blossom eyes, seemingly containing mist, gazed at a spot outside the window, looking like he was in a daze or perhaps deep in thought. In any case, Uncle Zhao couldn’t understand what was in them.
Just as he attempted to open his mouth again, the young man suddenly smiled. A sweet and intoxicating smile bloomed at the corners of his mouth and eyes, causing Old Zhao in the driver’s seat to inexplicably shiver.
It’s over, he wants to call the wife again.
He wondered if the call the young man said he would make to the Young Master when leaving had been made yet. How did the Young Master reply? Aiyaya, was one phone call too little?
Imagining the scene of himself making big money, Le Can flicked the tip of the steak knife in an excellent mood. A crisp “ding” instantly rang out in the enclosed car.
Admiring the pleasant sound, he was just about to thank Uncle Zhao when he suddenly saw the other man flinch at the same time.
Le Can: ?
Although after getting out of the car, Uncle Zhao repeatedly explained that his constitution had weakened recently and the AC in the car was too low…
Why did it feel a bit weird?
Le Can stood at the entrance of the residence in his memory—”his” former home.
With annual maintenance, the detached villa before him still retained its appearance from twenty years ago. But the special meaning and emotions it contained seemed to have vanished along with the departure of its original owners.
Ironically, this house, bought to shelter “him” from the wind and rain, was now inaccessible to Le Can.
He had no right to enter.
Le Can stroked the cold handle of the dining knife. With his other hand, he nimbly opened WeChat on his laggy phone. After skillfully waiting five seconds for the page to refresh, he tapped into the chat interface with Le Ruisi.
The small red dot disappeared. The young man lazily lifted his eyelids and scanned a couple of lines. After receiving no reply, the other party had persevered in sending many new messages.
Mn, as expected, a pile of nonsense.
Le Can couldn’t be bothered to talk nonsense back. He neatly typed two words: “Open door,” and hit send.
Around 12:30 PM, the lighting was just right. The sunlight at this time wasn’t harsh; instead, it felt warm on the body. After basking in it for a while, Le Can felt a bit drowsy.
He had only been awake for a few hours. Degenerate! Oh, he had “married into a wealthy family” now and didn’t have a serious job. Never mind then…
Fortunately, while his cousin persevered in sending him messages, he was also devotedly waiting for a reply.
This free sunbathing session didn’t last long before movement came from the villa’s main gate.
Unhurriedly pressing the dining knife into his sleeve, securing the slightly exposed blade tip with the pad of his finger, Le Can stepped toward his former home.
The pain was slight, but just enough to keep him alert. Very suitable…
The person who came to open the door wasn’t any member of the Uncle’s family of four. But he wasn’t surprised that Le Wenxin, who was under the pressure of bankruptcy just yesterday, still kept quite a few servants at home.
Making them do housework with their own hands or go into the kitchen? Le Can’s half-drooping peach-blossom eyes filled with mockery.
That would be more serious than just killing them directly.
Le Can chose his timing perfectly. The moment he stepped through the villa door, he smelled the familiar aroma of food.
As he expected, in the kitchen of the Le family—who had just taken his one hundred million “selling price” last night—Le Qiushan, who had married out the year before last, had been summoned back today.
It was just… Le Can scanned the area around Le Qiushan. Confirming that only her husband, Wu Weixing, was present, and there wasn’t an extra child, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The child was still young; it was better not to experience this undeserved calamity. However, it was fortunate that the child’s father was not innocent.
Four knives seemed a bit few.
But it wasn’t a big problem; if he used them sparingly, it should be enough.
Le Can ignored Le Ruisi’s strangely solicitous behavior, as well as the increasingly poor expressions of the other three people surnamed Le.
“Everyone is eating?”
Or rather, celebrating?
Celebrating that the Le family didn’t have to go bankrupt and could continue living comfortably? Celebrating that they could continue swiping cards for luxury goods? Or celebrating that a marriage on the brink of collapse could maintain a superficial peace?
His gaze swept over every familiar face, circled the face of the only outsider, Wu Weixing, and landed on the dining table, where abalone, lobster, and sashimi were present in full force. Yo, they even opened quite a few beers and two bottles of expensive wine.
Not bad. This gout set meal was good.
Le Can rested his hand on the back of Le Ruisi’s chair, leaning down to look at the five people sitting around the table with subtle expressions.
“Why the faces? Surprised I came back?”
As if reminded by Le Can, Le Wenxin immediately shouted a reprimand, “Why are you here?! Does Xi Yun know you ran back privately?!”
Le Can cast him an indifferent sidelong glance.
Labeling it “privately” right from the start—what was the need for asking high-sounding questions? He really couldn’t understand this uncle’s brain circuitry.
Le Can truly couldn’t be bothered to argue with someone who had a hole in their head. He stood up leisurely.
“Although they say ‘water spilled is like a daughter married out,’* and I don’t consider myself part of your family anymore, I came back this time to get my things.”
“Get things?! Get what things? There are none of your things here!”
“Le Can, did you really marry Xi Yun? How could he agree? Last night you two…”
A piercing soprano suddenly spiked, mixing with a flustered, “green tea” sounding young male voice, exploding in Le Can’s ears like the left and right channels of a headset.
The points of ridicule were too dense; Le Can didn’t know which part his brain should process first.
However, he didn’t forget to cast a pitying glance at Le Wenxin, who wore an angry expression and hadn’t noticed any abnormality.
It seemed the scumbag uncle’s idea of passing on the family line through his “legitimate son” would likely never be realized in this lifetime.
But…
Even if he and Xi Yun were fake.
Le Can pressed his body down, suddenly closing in on Le Ruisi, who had turned to face him.
The other party clearly hadn’t expected this reaction and froze on the spot, his pupils—still filled with jealousy and malice that hadn’t faded—dilating slightly.
Almost touching the tip of this cousin’s nose, Le Can slowly tilted his head, the corners of his mouth hooking up into a playful smile.
“Cousin, I’m afraid you got used to snatching my things since childhood. Now… do you even want to snatch the man?”
The entire dining room fell abruptly silent.
First, no one expected the formerly soft-bun-like Le Can to speak this way. Second, they were shocked by the implication of his words.
After all, Le Ruisi usually hid it well; no one knew his true sexual orientation.
No! Le Can caught a glimpse of the aunt out of the corner of his eye—teeth clenched, trembling with hatred, yet surprisingly not cursing out loud.
It seemed it wasn’t the case that no one knew.
With the uncle having a pile of illegitimate children outside, hiding the only son’s sexual orientation for so many years must have been hard work, right?
Le Can laughed softly.
How interesting.
“No, no, I…”
Le Ruisi refuted belatedly. But his tone was too weak, lacking any credibility.
Before he could finish, a beautiful glint of silver flashed before everyone’s eyes.
Followed by a dull thud, Le Ruisi felt a sudden, thready pain rise on his neck.
Seeing the furious and horrified expressions of the others, staring with eyes about to split, Le Ruisi’s brain hadn’t yet realized what had happened, but his body reflexively went limp against the chair back.
The spine that supported his body lost strength and slid down, but that slight pain suddenly intensified.
Le Ruisi abruptly realized that under the watchful eyes of everyone, Le Can had taken a knife…
And stabbed it right beside his neck!
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