Imperial Blue Hotel
“Young Master Shen, please make sure to attend this raw stone auction. Our Nalan family will treat you as an honored guest.”
A middle-aged man in a suit stood respectfully behind a handsome young man, offering him a gilded invitation.
The man was the Nalan family’s head steward. Ever since the young man before him had opened a top-grade Imperial Green jade from a rough stone a few days ago—and continued to produce jade with every attempt—he had become a highly sought-after talent among the top ten families.
As the number one jade tycoon family, the Nalans had extended their most formal invitation.
Unfortunately, the young man had previously rejected all factions.
That man was none other than Shen Xingbai.
Relying on his “golden finger” ability and the knowledge from his past life, he had already secured a foothold in the jade world. However, he came from a humble background, without any powerful backing. If he kept refusing offers like before, he might be suppressed—or even eliminated—by stronger forces.
The Nalan family, however, was more than powerful enough. As a dominant force in the jade industry, their protection would allow him to truly establish himself.
So this time, Shen Xingbai lowered his gaze, remained silent for a moment, and accepted the invitation.
“Tell your master that I, Shen Xingbai, accept this invitation. But I won’t accept it for nothing—during the auction, I’ll help keep an eye on things for the Nalan family.”
“On behalf of our master, thank you, Young Master Shen,” the steward said, bowing gratefully.
Shen Xingbai gave a slight nod, his expression calm and indifferent.
As the chief steward of the Nalan family, the man showed no displeasure at Shen Xingbai’s cold demeanor. Instead, he remained deeply respectful.
“Our master also mentioned that he recently obtained a piece of raw stone in Myanmar. He hopes you might honor us with your presence and evaluate it.”
“If I have time, I’ll visit your residence,” Shen Xingbai replied.
Hearing this, the steward left with satisfaction.
As they walked away, the bodyguard beside him couldn’t hold back his dissatisfaction.
“Uncle Quan, why are you being so polite to that guy? He’s dressed so plainly—he doesn’t even look like someone who knows anything about jade appraisal. Why go so far as to personally deliver him an invitation?”
Uncle Quan—head steward of the Nalan family—immediately changed expression at those words. Glancing around to ensure no one overheard, he sharply reprimanded him.
“Silence! Don’t underestimate him. The fact that he found Imperial Green jade from a pile of discarded scraps proves how exceptional his eye is.”
“Maybe he just got lucky,” the bodyguard muttered stubbornly.
He refused to believe someone from such a poor background could possess real skill.
“You…”
Uncle Quan was exasperated. He hadn’t realized his brother-in-law was this foolish.
Luck? There was no such thing. That man had produced jade every single time he opened a stone. Without real ability, how could that happen repeatedly?
And yet he dared call it luck!
Uncle Quan regretted ever agreeing to bring his brother-in-law along. If this fool offended Shen Xingbai, his own position as steward might be at risk.
He cast a long look at the bodyguard, whose face was filled with jealousy, and silently decided to send him back home as soon as possible.
The bodyguard, unaware that his job was already slipping away because of his own words, would only realize his mistake later—when it was too late.
Meanwhile, Shen Xingbai held the gold-embossed invitation in his hand, a glint flashing in his golden eyes.
His presence at the Imperial Blue Hotel today wasn’t a coincidence. He had come specifically to wait for the Nalan family’s invitation.
He remembered clearly—in this very auction, the Nalan family would end up purchasing a worthless stone.
That mistake would deal them a heavy blow, nearly driving them to bankruptcy.
This time, he would use the opportunity to repay that favor.