Chapter 25: Le Can will win, indisputably win. Yes, I’m not as good…
Using grand publicity as bait.
A huge and sweet flatbread was laid out in front of him, yet Le Can, who knew the essence of “drawing a big flatbread” (making empty promises), didn’t feel a shred of guilt.
Although the plot had inexplicably fallen from Xi Yun onto his head. Although the public’s gaze would inevitably fall on him first, before turning to Xi Yun and Weiyuanjing.
But those two “Fiancé” calls Le Can specially made weren’t for nothing.
The current him was not just Le Can.
Once he became popular in the stone gambling circle, outsiders would naturally be curious to dig into this fresh face’s background. Then, wouldn’t people pay attention to the associated, more controversial Xi Yun?
Regardless of the truth, in the eyes of the outside world, Le Can, this person who suddenly popped up, was the fiancé of the talented young Xi Yun—his natural community of shared interests.
Their fates were linked.
If one glories, both glory; if one suffers, both suffer.
So, regarding the result of Le Can’s stone gambling, would it really not prompt people to continue associating? To think of the first large-scale auction hosted by Weiyuanjing after Xi Yun took over for the first time?
Moreover, Le Can knew that anyone aware of his identity, whether intentionally or unintentionally, would cast an ambiguous atmosphere over this tense, desperate counterattack.
A same-sex couple with a disparity in status naturally carried a considerable degree of topicality.
Especially since one of the protagonists was Xi Yun, who was highly watched in the larger circle and suspected to be an “iron tree blooming flowers” (a rare romantic occurrence)…
Le Can didn’t feel guilty at all; what did he have to be guilty about?
Once the bet was successful, everything would be as he described—grand, incomparable, and unforgettable to the world!
Perhaps not seeing this really affected Le Can’s performance. Or perhaps Xi Yun’s own rationality was very high, and he wasn’t confused by the big promise.
“How can you guarantee that you will definitely win?”
Everyone knew that all the various beautiful concepts were built on the foundation of winning the bet. But where did a rookie who just touched stone gambling get such huge confidence?
As if hearing the inner thoughts of Xi Yun or the crowd, Le Can covered his face with one hand and couldn’t help but laugh muffledly.
After laughing for a good while, and regretting for two seconds that no one could understand his current psychology, the youth, having laughed until tears appeared in the corners of his eyes, sighed lightly and raised a hand to wipe away the moisture casually.
The next second, he abruptly approached the man sitting upright in the wheelchair, pinching his chin with one hand and lifting the other’s face.
The hot and humid breath breached Xi Yun’s social distance, invading his space unreasonably, just like its owner who wore a faint smile and didn’t play by the rules either.
“You want to ask who gave me the confidence?”
“That is, of course…
Far in the horizon, yet right before my eyes.”
After saying this, Le Can casually tossed aside the sharp-edged jaw in his hand.
Without waiting for Xi Yun to react, the slim-waisted, long-legged youth stood up straight. “So, do you remember which stone it is?”
He took his time, stretching his limbs that were sore from being curled up for so long, and finally spared a glance at Xi Yun, who was slowly turning his head back.
“If you can’t trust me, can’t you trust yourself?”
This sentence was almost no different from showing his cards to Xi Yun, but Le Can didn’t care.
Anyway, it wasn’t the first or second time he had left flaws exposed to the male lead.
Since Xi Yun could tacitly approve of his behavior once—although the reason was unknown—after once, there would be twice, three times, four times…
People’s bottom lines always become lower amidst these repeated acts of tolerance and concession.
Xi Yun was so smart; Le Can knew he would understand.
It’s just that if he didn’t hurry up, Gu Xinxue, who was waiting impatiently to “take over,” would probably shove the selected jadeite raw stone in his face later.
He had to speed up and secure the victory first.
After that, let the play be sung however it should be sung; Xi Yun just needed to listen well.
Xi Yun lowered his head and remained silent. The gauze-like white silk ribbon covered his eyes, preventing outsiders from detecting the true emotions in those strange double pupils.
Le Can stood in place with arms crossed, silently counting down in his heart: “Five, four, three…”
Before he count to “two,” the person holding the clear, beautiful grey-blue jadeite raw stone with both hands slowly said: “Ten o’clock direction, third row from the front.”
Looking up to confirm the general direction and location, Le Can slowly bloomed a smile.
He walked two steps behind Xi Yun, waved to signal Yuan Cheng to leave, and took over his original job—pushing the wheelchair.
However, before pushing, the youth in a good mood leaned down to the black-haired man’s ear again.
“Happy cooperation, Mr. Current Fiancé.”
But what Le Can didn’t say was that he was about to take away Xi Yun’s “highlight moment” and would also bear the series of chain reactions or consequences that followed.
Ever played the domino game?
Le Can had, and he liked it very much.
Similarly, he was also looking forward to what interesting and unexpected changes would occur in this “brand new game” that had broken away from the original work.
Ten o’clock direction, third row.
Following Xi Yun’s instructions, pushing the wheelchair that didn’t require much strength, Le Can soon stopped in front of a pile of strangely shaped raw materials.
Before coming, the knowledge Le Can had crammed included several famous jadeite mines. Naturally, he also quickly skimmed over the rough skin characteristics corresponding to different mines.
For example: Dama Kan has many semi-mountain semi-water stones, with skins often brownish-grey or yellow-red; the Mu Na mine, which has the reputation of being supreme, has old seed and good water, mostly white skin, yellow skin, and bayberry skin; Mo Xi Sha, often mentioned in the saying “Ten ice floating flowers, nine are Mo Xi Sha,” has an exterior that is grey, grey-black, grey-white, a dusty patch…*
Le Can admitted that these summaries were very good, definitely key points that must be memorized for rookies just touching stone gambling.
But for a true layperson and newcomer, let alone the more advanced and deep pine flowers, ringworms, cracks, python belts, and fog on the material surface, just seeing the different colored stone skins would make them dizzy for half a day.
Unluckily, Le Can was in such a state right now.
Facing raw stones of all sizes and ugly appearances, it was really hard to distinguish them from ordinary rocks.
He feared that if he picked one at random now and threw it on the side of the main road Le Can passed every day, his reaction upon seeing it for the first second ten years later would likely still be to ignore it and walk around it.
Le Can stepped forward and casually picked up a piece weighing about five kilograms, a material that looked like rust—black with a glossy sheen.
Shining the strong light flashlight directly, from the back, at a forty-five-degree angle… unsurprisingly, nothing was observed.
“This is material from Mo Wan Ji, the mine recognized for producing the most high-color, high-green jadeite.”
Tan Man, who had disappeared for a while, walked over with a smile. “Sounds good, right? But the high risk of Mo Wan Ji raw material is just as famous as its high color and high green.”
“Everyone says ‘Ten Mo Wan Ji, nine are black chickens (Wuji)’; such elusive material is not good for betting.”
Le Can looked back at Tan Man’s expression. That face, favored by time, remained gentle, carrying not a trace of negative emotion.
With a smiling and teasing tone, she offered her advice to the young man in a very appropriate and fitting way.
The youth’s peach blossom eyes, originally devoid of emotion, instantly took on a soft and intimate smile.
“It’s all just messing around for fun; I didn’t expect it to reach Aunt Tan’s ears so quickly.”
He didn’t know which contemporary Lei Feng doing good deeds without leaving a name provided him with free publicity that didn’t cost him any effort, but this was… wonderful!
After speaking, Le Can weighed the Mo Wan Ji raw material in his hand. “The full gambling material for the bet has actually already been decided; this piece is a stone I personally want to buy.”
Originally, he had just randomly found a rough stone that looked pleasing to the eye, intending to try the feeling of using a strong light flashlight on raw material.
He actually didn’t have a strong desire to buy it.
But after Tan Man said that—nine losses out of ten bets, two extreme endings like heaven and hell—Le Can changed his mind.
He took out his phone to scan the code skillfully, placed the order, and swiped the card for payment.
With a piece of his own raw material in hand, Le Can glanced at Yuan Cheng, who had pushed the small cart up with puppy eyes sparkling full of expectation, and casually placed the rust-skinned stone on Xi Yun’s knees.
Feeling the weight on his legs suddenly increase, Xi Yun: “…”
He reached out to touch the extra raw stone.
The moment his skin touched the surface of the stone shell, another cool aura traveled up his fingertips, like an agile little fish, flowing along his meridians into his eyes.
The stinging pain in Xi Yun’s eyes completely disappeared at this point.
Under the white silk, the eyes that were instructed to remain closed trembled slightly, then opened a tiny slit. Soft and hazy light flooded into Xi Yun’s vision like a tide in an instant.
The next second, the youth with a faint arc hooked at the corner of his mouth, brows and eyes sly as a spirit fox, crashed into the center of Xi Yun’s retina.
“Aunt Tan, rest assured. Xi Yun is not to be exchanged for a thousand gold, so how could I easily lose?”
[After all, he outweighs a thousand gold; only a fool would pick up the sesame and lose the watermelon!]
An unprecedentedly clear inner voice broke into his eardrums; the lively and vivid tone was no longer short, headless, andtailless words.
In an instant known to no one, Xi Yun closed his eyes again amidst a whiteness that was like a stubborn nail house or the warm, fine texture of jade.
Similarly, only he knew about the chaotic change in his heartbeat.
He just didn’t know whether, under the synchronized chaotic breathing, there was more guilt for the offense, or other complex emotions that couldn’t be identified by their owner…
Tan Man, unsurprisingly, was amused. The doubts she had hidden well in the depths of her eyes also disappeared by half.
Le Can keenly noticed the other’s change. With an envious look, he looked at the guy luckier than himself—Xi Yun—and lifted his foot to kick the other’s shoe.
The toe of the pure white casual sneaker collided with the toe of the black formal leather shoe.
“Aunt Tan is here. To set the elder’s heart at ease, Brother Yun wouldn’t continue to tease me and keep me in suspense, right?”
With vision restricted, other senses were amplified.
For instance, at this moment, Xi Yun could feel the slight impact causing vibration in his leg. For instance, the urging meaning faintly revealed under the youth’s smiling words.
“It’s the biggest material in front of you.”
Le Can faced Xi Yun directly, raising his eyebrows slightly to look at the biggest thing in his line of sight. Not some jadeite raw stone, but the exceptionally large object close to him—himself.
Glancing at the white silk properly covering Xi Yun’s brows and eyes, Le Can amusingly raised his bank card, simulating a swipe over the man’s head.
Of course, if he really could swipe the card, the result would likely be: Insufficient Balance.
However, since they agreed the item belonged to Xi Yun, when buying that big fellow in his mouth at the end, it was Yuan Cheng who swiped the card on his behalf.
The seven-figure amount made Le Can click his tongue.
This time, he didn’t pass the jadeite raw material into Xi Yun’s arms like before. Of course, even if he wanted to, it wouldn’t fit.
Le Can raised his foot again and stepped on the leather shoe by his foot.
“With one more piece of windowed material, perhaps the person occupying half your bed in the future will have to change. Won’t you talk about your feelings, Mr. Current Fiancé?”
Silent for two seconds, Xi Yun asked back:
“Didn’t you say, if you can’t trust you, can’t I trust myself?”
Le Can placed one hand on the seat behind the man and covered his stomach with the other, bending over to laugh muffledly. Laughing and laughing, he squatted down, resting his head directly on one of the wheelchair’s armrests.
“So you think I won’t lose, right?”
Xi Yun gently raised his hand, using his palm to cup the head that was trembling with laughter and constantly bumping against the surface of the raw stone.
In his palm was a soft and fuzzy touch, completely unlike its sharp and flamboyant owner.
“I don’t know if you will lose, but I’m certain you won’t let yourself suffer a loss.”
From breaking ties and leaving the Le family, every step the youth took verified this point.
Le Can tilted his head, pressing against the warm palm, restrained his smile to look at Xi Yun, and sighed softly.
“Sister Jun was right; sometimes people being too smart makes them annoying…”
“So you are annoyed?”
“No, quite the opposite. I like smart people.”
Whether they were truly smart people or people pretending to be smart, Le Can liked them all.
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