Urban God-level Youth

Li Moying softly uttered an "Oh."

She thought Qin Hao made sense, but she felt a bit awkward hearing Bai Jing's tone of speech.

This is my master; no one should tease him!

Bai Jing did not keep Qin Hao waiting long, and she arrived here a few minutes later.

She and her secretary got out of the car, followed by two bodyguards.

"Hao, sorry to keep you waiting. Oh, who is this beautiful lady? Your girlfriend, young brother?" Bai Jing hurriedly changed her manner of addressing seeing a beauty standing next to Qin Hao.

Qin Hao replied with a smile, "This is my friend Li Moying."

"Hello, Sister Jing," Li Moying said politely.

Bai Jing nodded, "Hello, don't be so formal. Since you're a friend of the younger brother, you are my friend too. It's so hot outside, let's go inside and talk."

Qin Hao nodded, "Yes, that sounds good."

As they walked, Bai Jing curiously asked, "Young brother, what brings you here? Planning to enter the jewelry business?"

Qin Hao replied, "I heard the gem betting here is pretty good, so I came to just have a bit of fun."

Bai Jing was taken aback, "Young brother, let me advise you, it's better not to get involved with this stuff. I've seen too many millionaires, even billionaires, go bankrupt."

"It's okay, Sister Jing, I'm just playing occasionally. Isn't buying rough gems also a gamble?" Qin Hao asked curiously.

Bai Jing shook her head, "I usually purchase the cut rough stones directly, only making a move when I'm sure they're good quality. I rarely bet on rough stones directly, or buy the ones that have been 'windowed.'

Qin Hao asked, "Windowed rough stones? What does that mean?"

Bai Jing was somewhat speechless, "Young brother, you don't even know this and still want to bet on stones? 'Windowing' means removing a bit of the outer layer from the rough stone to reveal the jade inside.

Based on the texture and quality, you can roughly judge what quality of jade will come from the stone. It's another form of gem betting but with much less risk.

However, there are also losses involved. In Myanmar, there are experts in windowing who reveal small areas of the stone that look good in terms of color and quality but end up being worthless once they are fully cut.

Of course, there are also fakes, where they attach a high-quality jade exterior to a worthless stone and then bury it in soil soaked with acid or alkali to create a similar-looking genuine exterior, disguising the man-made traces. I paid a lot of tuition fees to learn these things." She spoke in detail and seriously.

Finally, she added, "The place I'm taking you to is frequently where I do business. It's a big operation; there's no counterfeit stuff there, all authentic from the Nangong Country mines. Many jewelry companies from across the country come here to buy their stock."

Li Moying was also listening to Bai Jing's explanations, hearing about these matters for the first time.

As they talked, they walked through the market to a row of large courtyard houses behind it.

Bai Jing led them to a courtyard called Yushiyuan.
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Above the entrance hung an antique sign that read 'Yushiyuan.'

They entered through the open gate, guided by Bai Jing, into a bustling, crowded interior.

The courtyard was large, with dozens of people standing inside.

Some wore business suits with secretaries and bodyguards, while others stood in ordinary clothes among the crowd.

These people were gathered around a cutting machine, watching the rough stones being cut.

When the stone was cut, there was a collective sigh of disappointment.

Clearly, the cut had been a loss.

When a group entered, the crowd turned to look. Seeing Bai Jing, someone jovially said, "The beautiful Bai has come, and oh, this time she's brought a handsome guy?"

Bai Jing replied, "Mr. Liu is joking. This is Mr. Qin Hao from Jiangshan Roasted Duck."

Liu Feng glanced at Qin Hao but did not greet him, as from his perspective, Qin Hao was too young to be of any significance, possibly here just to gain some experience.

Nobody else greeted Qin Hao either.

Bai Jing's expression became a bit uncomfortable; after all, she had introduced Qin Hao, and Liu Zhen Tao not acknowledging him was embarrassing her.

"Welcome, Mr. Bai," the owner of Yushiyuan, Xu Yunfu, greeted Bai Jing with a smile.

Bai Jing: "Mr. Xu, long time no see."

"Is this your friend? Won't you introduce us?" Xu Yunfu asked Bai Jing, looking at Qin Hao.

Bai Jing introduced, "Qin Hao, the chairman of Jiangshan Roasted Duck Company."

Xu Yunfu extended his hand proactively, "Mr. Qin, hello, welcome to Jade Origin."

"Hello, Mr. Xu."

Qin Hao shook hands with him as a courtesy.

Xu Yunfu chatted for a bit, then went off to attend to other matters.

There were quite a lot of people today, not only from Xuan Country but also blond and blue-eyed foreigners.

And people were continuously coming in from outside.

Qin Hao had been quietly watching from the side after he came in.

Li Moying stood by his side, also observing.

The others, seeing Qin Hao's actions, knew in their hearts that he must be a novice here to gain experience.

Bai Jing had a fairly good social standing here, but there were also people who disliked her.

For example, Liu Zhen Tao, whose gaze at Bai Jing carried a hint of lasciviousness.

Among the people whom Qin Hao surveyed, many brought along elders aged around fifty or sixty.

These elders were jade gambling experts maintained by big companies, having dealt with jadeite raw stones almost all their lives.

They were specifically employed by companies to select raw stones.

Such masters were not easy to find, and their prices were not something ordinary jewelry companies could afford.

At that moment, another group of people came in from outside.

Qin Hao turned his head to look, and saw Li Da Mei, Yuan Zhengxiang, and a middle-aged man entering.

Li Da Mei spoke, "Dad, I heard there's a new batch of goods here this time. Let me help you pick a few stones today?"

Li Qiangsheng replied, "Nonsense, Master Guo is a master. You two should learn properly from Master Guo."

Mr. Guo said, "Mr. Li, you flatter me. I'm no master, I only know a bit."

Bai Jing also saw Li Qiangsheng; the two were competitors in Jiangshan City, and these days Yumei Jewelry Company had been edging out her Jiuchang Jewelry.

Because Li Qiangsheng had somehow recruited a jade gambling expert.

Therefore, Li Qiangsheng's side had produced a lot of high-quality goods, which sold very well.

Yuan Zhengxiang spotted Qin Hao, and then noticed Li Moying by his side, his look somewhat enviable and jealous.

Damn, how come this guy changes the girl beside him every day?

Wasn't it rumored that he was with Du Wanrou?

He's really a scumbag, just you wait, I'll let Du Wanrou see your true colors, Yuan Zhengxiang thought grimly.

By ten in the morning, many people had arrived.

Someone spoke up, "Mr. Xu, it seems everyone is almost here. Bring out the new goods, let us have a look."

Smiling, Xu Yunfu said, "Alright, everyone, come with me."

He led the crowd to the backyard, where stones of various sizes and shapes were laid out on the ground.

There were hundreds of them.

Xu Yunfu said, "These are all materials from the old pits, recently mined. I wrapped them up immediately and just had them transported here. Each stone has a price tag; feel free to make a purchase if you like any."

Qin Hao quietly asked Bai Jing, "Jing, what does 'materials from the old pits' mean?"

Bai Jing explained, "Old pits are mines that have been excavated for decades or even a century. Stones from such old pits are very likely to produce top-grade gems.

Raw stones from new pits are cheaper. Although top-grade jadeites have been found in new pits, jadeites excavated from new pits often change color and turn gray when worn over time!"