"Put him on the bed," Cheng Zhili’s voice interrupted Su Meng’s wandering thoughts.
"Yes." Su Meng, inexplicably embarrassed, quickly placed Gu Wending on the bed.
"Su Meng, you can leave now. I have something to discuss with Mr. Gu," Cheng Zhili added.
"But…" Su Meng hesitated.
Two men alone in a room, how was he supposed to explain this to the General Manager later?
Cheng Zhili raised an eyebrow, seemingly reading his mind. "Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility for anything that happens."
Su Meng had no choice but to bow his head. "Yes." Then he left, closing the door behind him.
Gu Wending looked at Cheng Zhili, waiting silently for him to speak. Dressed in a pristine white bathrobe, his demeanor was reserved, like a refined scholar stepping out of an ink painting.
He was just Cheng Zhili’s type!
Cheng Zhili almost found himself swayed.
He cleared his throat, then smiled warmly. "That car accident, do you think it was an accident or deliberate?"
"What do you think?" Gu Wending countered, his gaze fixed on Cheng Zhili’s eyes, as if trying to see through him.
Cheng Zhili lowered his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips. "It was deliberate."
The smooth, white bedspread was suddenly wrinkled.
Gu Wending stared at him intently. "Was it the Cheng Family?"
Cheng Zhili nodded.
"Because my family was interfering with their business?"
Cheng Zhili nodded again.
"Ha! Ha ha!" Gu Wending laughed bitterly, his laughter tinged with despair. He grabbed the pillow beside him and hurled it to the floor. The soft pillow landed silently. Gu Wending roared, "What do they take human lives for? What do they take my parents’ lives for? What do they take them for!!!"
Cheng Zhili watched him quietly, watched him cry and rage, and then gradually calm down.
After a long while, Cheng Zhili handed him a tissue and softly asked, "Do you want revenge?"
Gu Wending looked up sharply.
"I have a grudge against Cheng Wenbin too. I wish he would drop dead in front of me right now. But wouldn’t it be too easy for him to just die like that? I want to see him struggle like an ant, unable to escape my grasp, and eventually wait for death. Doesn’t that sound satisfying and delightful? Ha ha!" Cheng Zhili grinned, his smile even more crazed than Gu Wending’s.
Gu Wending looked at him deeply. "You need me."
"That’s right, I need you." Cheng Zhili chuckled. "I’m planning to start a jewelry company to compete with the Cheng Corporation, so I need your gambling stone talent. How about it, will you join me?" Cheng Zhili extended his hand to him once more.
His fingers were long and slender, his palm soft.
Gu Wending grasped his hand without hesitation. "Pleased to work with you!"
Cheng Zhili beamed. "Pleased to work with you." After a pause, he added, "Since we have a common enemy, I’ll trust you completely. To be honest, my company isn’t even set up yet, not even registered."
"Is the company name registered?" Gu Wending asked, wiping his tears.
Cheng Zhili shook his head.
"You have funds… right?" Gu Wending asked, exasperated.
Cheng Zhili nodded obediently, grinning. "I’ll handle the investment and be the legal representative, but I’ll leave the company’s operations entirely to you. Is that okay?"
"Leave it all to me?" Gu Wending frowned, puzzled. "Do you really trust me that much?"
"Of course, I said I’d trust you." Cheng Zhili smiled, then shrugged innocently. "Besides, I’m not interested in managing a company. I just want to be a carefree playboy, not interested in company management."
Gu Wending was speechless.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Alright."
"Then I’ll have Su Meng handle your security from now on. Give me your bank account number, and I’ll transfer three million to your account, how about that?"
"Three million might not be enough." Gu Wending frowned instinctively.
The jewelry industry is definitely a money pit in the early stages, given the need to purchase a large amount of raw jadeite.
"Hmm…" Cheng Zhili rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then asked, "Your gambling stone skills haven’t declined, have they?"
"Though I haven’t gambled stones in a long time, I think I should be fine." Gu Wending couldn’t help but glance at his hands, then asked, puzzled, "Why do you ask?"
"Hehe~ How about we go make some money right now?" Cheng Zhili grinned.
"Huh?"
*
Half an hour later, Cheng Zhili pushed Gu Wending, who was seated in a wheelchair, into a Gambling Stone Shop.
"I’ve already asked Su Meng to take your dog to the pet shop for a bath and then to the vet for shots. Where do you plan to live in the future? Should I help you rent a place? The cost will be deducted from your president’s salary this month. Oh, and the cost of the wheelchair will be deducted too~" Cheng Zhili chattered on.
Gu Wending listened to his rambling, his eyes full of helplessness.
Finally, the wheelchair stopped amidst a pile of jadeite raw stones.
Cheng Zhili said, "Pick out the five raw stones you think are the best, and I’ll consider buying them."
"Alright." Gu Wending nodded.
He hadn’t expected that he’d have to earn the money to start the company himself.
But…
It was quite interesting.
Gu Wending quickly got into work mode, and in just an hour, he selected the five stones he was most satisfied with from countless raw stones.
"How about it?" Gu Wending asked for confirmation.
Cheng Zhili used his special ability to see through the stones, examining each one.
To his surprise, the first stone opened his eyes wide.
The jade inside the stone was incredibly transparent, not quite reaching the level of Glass Type, but close. The key was, the jade was as large as a basketball. Even though Cheng Zhili didn’t know much about jadeite, he could tell this piece was valuable.
The second stone was average, with only a thin layer of jade, a bust.
The third and fourth stones contained jade, but the quality wasn’t great. But when he saw the fifth stone, Cheng Zhili’s eyes widened.
The jade inside was so green it seemed to be brimming with water, ready to drip out at any moment.
—Glass Type, Imperial Green!
Though only the size of a woman’s fist, it was Glass Type Imperial Green!
Cheng Zhili held his breath, instinctively clutching his chest.
It was exhilarating!
"What’s wrong?" Gu Wending asked, puzzled by Cheng Zhili’s reaction.
"Nothing." Cheng Zhili shook his head, decisively saying, "Our funds are limited, so I’ll buy three stones." With that, he chose the first, second, and last stones. He didn’t move them himself but called over a shop assistant. At the same time, he phoned Su Meng, instructing him to bring over some of his security company brothers!
After hanging up, the shop assistant kindly asked, "Sir, would you like to have the stones cut?"
"Yes, cut them now!" Cheng Zhili replied.
"Alright, please follow me." With that, the assistant pushed the three stones and led Cheng Zhili and Gu Wending to the backyard.
The backyard was bustling, with some people selecting raw stones and others gathered around a Stone Cutting Master watching the cutting.
"Sir, the number 6 Stone Cutting Machine is available. Six is a lucky number, would you like to choose it?" the assistant asked.
"Thanks for the good omen, let’s go with it." Cheng Zhili smiled slightly.
"Great, I’ll arrange for a Stone Cutting Master right away."
Soon, the Stone Cutting Master arrived.
"Start with this one!" Cheng Zhili pointed to the stone just below the Glass Type Imperial Green.
"Alright!" The master agreed enthusiastically.
The sound of the Stone Cutting Machine soon filled the air.
Hearing the noise, many people gathered around, some casting curious glances at Gu Wending in the wheelchair.
Gu Wending paid no mind to the attention, focusing solely on the stone being cut.
"It’s green!" someone shouted.
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, countless eyes were drawn to the patch of green.
"This is…" someone murmured.
"Ice Glutinous Type, not bad." Gu Wending smiled faintly.
"Oh my! It’s Ice Glutinous Type!"
"The outer layer is Ice Glutinous Type, what about inside?"
"Not necessarily… it might be a bust further in."
The crowd whispered among themselves.
Cheng Zhili was bewildered.
"What’s so special about Ice Glutinous Type? Does it mean it’s good?" he asked Gu Wending, puzzled.
"Yes." Gu Wending nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "The best jadeite quality is Glass Type, followed by Water Type, Ice Type, Ice Glutinous Type, Bean Green Type, and so on. The quality level of jadeite increases from the outside in. So, if the outside is Ice Glutinous Type, the inside might evolve to Ice Type or even Glass Type."
"Wow…" Cheng Zhili felt a bit dizzy from the explanation.
He realized he really wasn’t cut out for this field.
The stone cutting continued.
After a while, several black-suited bodyguards pushed through the crowd to Cheng Zhili, bowing. "Young Master Cheng, Brother Su sent us to protect you."
"Alright." Cheng Zhili nodded at them.
Just then, the first stone was fully cut.
"It’s High Ice Type Huang Yang Green! It’s huge! It’s about the size of a basketball!" the Stone Cutting Master exclaimed excitedly as he wiped the stone.
"Young man, I’ll offer four million!" a portly man nearby shouted immediately.
"Tch! Four million for High Ice Type? I’ll offer eight million!" a tall, thin man sneered.
Cheng Zhili smirked, speaking slowly. "The starting price is twenty million. Feel free to bid, the highest offer wins." He paused, looking at Gu Wending. "Is that alright?"
"No problem." Gu Wending’s eyes curved with a smile.
"Twenty-two million!"
"Twenty-five million!"
"Thirty million!"
The price kept climbing.
The black-suited bodyguards skillfully surrounded Cheng Zhili and Gu Wending.
"Fifty-two million!" the portly man suddenly shrieked.
The crowd fell silent.
Fifty-two million was about everyone’s limit.
"No more bids?" Cheng Zhili asked.
No one responded.
Cheng Zhili paused for three seconds, then said, "Okay~ Fifty-two million, sold! Bank transfer, someone accompany him to the bank."
"Yes!" A bodyguard stepped forward and left with the portly man.
Cheng Zhili smiled at the Stone Cutting Master. "Continue cutting!"