Chapter 94: The Bet III
“I’m in!” An Xuliang readily accepted the bet without a moment’s hesitation.
In his opinion, having grown up handling stones, he was far superior to the inexperienced Gu Wanrong. He believed his previous success in Tian Guang Ji with the jadeite was simply due to him and He Yukang having already selected the best raw stones.
“Since it’s a bet, what are you wagering?” Gu Wanrong’s smile seemed to send a chill down the spines of those around them.
Gu Wanrong surveyed An Xuliang, shaking her head, her gaze lingering pointedly on He Jingkun: “Why don’t you ask your uncle if he can offer something that interests me?”
An Xuliang, stung by the disdain in Gu Wanrong’s eyes, roared, “If you win, I’ll give you all the uncut stones An Shi hasn’t yet auctioned off today! If you lose, I get your Fu Pearl Treasure!”
Gu Wanrong’s eyes narrowed, the playful charm gone, replaced by contempt. She thought it absurd that he would bet some already-picked-over stones against the Fu Pearl Treasure, believing his arrogance blinded him to the situation—no wonder An Jiahuan had been secretly undermining him without his knowledge.
She said coldly, “You can’t even make decisions for An Shi, yet you want my Fu Pearl Treasure? Pathetic.”
Then, raising her voice, Gu Wanrong addressed An Jiayan: “An Jiayan, your illegitimate brother wants my Fu Pearl Treasure. Care to join the bet?”
An Jiayan had stayed out of it, knowing An Xuliang and He Jingkun both had grudges against Gu Wanrong, and that He Jingkun would surely push An Xuliang to confront her.
However, hearing An Xuliang arbitrarily using An Shi’s stones as a wager, a crack appeared in his usually jovial demeanor. Today, without his permission, nobody could make decisions for An Shi.
While he appreciated Gu Wanrong’s initial belittling of An Xuliang, her subsequent inclusion of him in the bet hardened his expression again.
Everyone turned to An Jiayan, even those previously conversing with him paused, their gaze questioning.
An Jiayan had to respond, maintaining a gentlemanly smile: “Since Miss Gu is wagering the Fu Pearl Treasure, An Shi must accept.”
He thought internally: The Fu Pearl Treasure is a thorn in the side of An Shi’s Wan Xi Jewelry. They had been secretly sabotaging the quality of the raw jadeite materials supplied to Fu Pearl Treasure. Now, with the He family involved…
This Gu Dong is trying to drag both An Shi and the He family into this. Excellent. Today, we can legitimately take down the Fu Pearl Treasure.
In a few seconds, his thoughts raced. Approaching He Jingkun, he said humbly, “However, my authority in An Shi is not as great as Uncle He’s. Since the stakes between An Shi and Miss Gu are so high, perhaps Uncle He would place a bet to help me?”
His expression was deferential, his gaze fixed on He Jingkun, but he quickly glanced at An Xuliang, subtly hinting to He Jingkun: I know An Xuliang provoked Gu Wanrong first; it was your doing.
My good brother, An Jiayan! Gu Wanrong thought.
In fact, even if the An family failed to involve He Jingkun, Gu Wanrong would have found a way to include him. After all, she planned to humiliate more than one family!
“My stake is clear. If you can’t match it, I won’t bet,” Gu Wanrong said calmly, her gaze fixed on An Jiayan and He Jingkun, with a hint of impatience.
An Xuliang, despite being at the center, was ignored. He hated being underestimated. He rushed to He Jingkun, urging, “Uncle, agree! Am I, who’s grown up handling stones, really inferior to this young girl? Think of Yu Kang and your sister-in-law!”
The incident of withholding stones intended for Fu Pearl Treasure was a secret He Jingkun kept from He Jinghong and his son. He didn’t want to directly confront Gu Wanrong. After being approached by An Jiayan, He Jingkun remained silent, seeking an excuse to refuse.
But An Xuliang’s mention of He Jingkun’s son, He Yukang, threw all his considerations out the window.
“My twenty percent share in the Pingshan Jadeite Public Auction will be my personal stake,” He Jingkun said, putting a significant portion of his assets into the gamble.
He patted An Jiayan’s shoulder, feigning helplessness, as if forced to participate due to his nephew’s squabble, sighing deeply.
Then, turning to An Xuliang: “You and my Yukang grew up together. Consider this my support.”
He nodded, seeming to approve of An Xuliang’s abilities, turning to join others in observing An Jiayan.
After a moment’s thought, An Jiayan decided to wager his access to Burmese jadeite sources.
Concerned that others might not understand its value, he explained with a touch of boasting: “It’s one-third of An Shi’s Burmese jadeite supply. Miss Gu, if you win, it’s all yours. You’d control 10% of the domestic Burmese jade market.”
“Good.”
Gu Wanrong accepted without hesitation.
The scene erupted into chaos.
“Look, An Jiayan is clearly An Dong’s favorite son. He gets a third of the Burmese jadeite supply.”
“Exactly! We fight over scraps, yet he casually offers 10% for a bet.”
“What’s with He Jingkun? Doesn’t he want to confront Gu Dong?”
“He’s pushing An Xuliang. He probably got his son involved.”
“His son’s in Rongcheng Police Station.”
“Something to do with Gu Dong? It makes sense.”
“The scale! Pingshan Auction is the second-largest in the country; the profits are unimaginable!”
“Fu Pearl Treasure isn’t lacking?”
“Every wealthy matron has their jewelry! It’s a status symbol.”
“Amazing! I’ve never seen a bet this big!”
…
Fu Pearl Treasure’s entourage were stunned. They worried about their new owner’s potential loss. A split between An Shi and He Family would be devastating.
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