When the bidding officially began on July 25, Qin Su and Tu Qing went together to bid on the rough stones they had selected.
Without question, the one Qin Su cared about most was Rough Stone No. 2125.
The first items to be auctioned were the open-bid lots.
From the outside, Rough Stone No. 2125 looked completely ordinary and attracted very little competition. Qin Su successfully won it with a bid of 1,203,000 euros.
The atmosphere of an auction really did make adrenaline surge and emotions run high.
She watched quite a few jewelers let pride get the better of them, paying exorbitant prices for rough stones, only to regret it moments later.
In the end, she spent over five million euros to acquire five open-bid lots, successfully accomplishing her goal.
Having already tasted success, she planned to keep the best piece for her own cultivation. As for the rest, she would cut them open and sell the jade inside to recover her capital.
After all, the jade auction was held twice every year. If she saved up more money this time, she could buy even more at the next one.
The next five days were when she truly shined.
By the time she successfully secured the final rough stone on July 29, Qin Su sadly discovered that she had only six million yuan left from the money she had brought.
This year’s auction king was a rough stone weighing over 800 kilograms. It was a classic one-line heaven stone, where one cut could lead to paradise or ruin.
The opening bid alone was more than five million euros, a price high enough to scare off many jewelry merchants.
This was the very stone Qin Su had previously recommended to Cui Mingyu. Judging by the spiritual energy surrounding it, she ranked it second among all the stones at the venue.
The one with the strongest spiritual energy had already been bought by Qin Su herself.
In the end, Cui Mingyu purchased the rough stone for fifty million euros, breaking the all-time record for an auction king at the jade auction.
It could be said that he had staked nearly his entire fortune on this single stone.
If he lost the gamble, his future would be ruined on the spot.
From that alone, it was clear that Cui Mingyu possessed extraordinary courage.
After buying the stone, instead of waiting to transport it back to China, Cui Mingyu decided to cut it open immediately, fully prepared to accept whatever outcome awaited him.
The moment the first cut was made, the entire venue erupted in gasps.
The brilliant emerald green revealed inside dazzled everyone’s eyes.
When the cut was completed, the venue fell completely silent.
The outer layer of the rough stone was ice jadeite, encircling the glass jadeite at its center like a loyal knight.
That brilliant emerald green was as clear and luminous as a pristine emerald lake, flowing gently into everyone’s hearts.
It was none other than the legendary Imperial Green.
Normally, discovering even several dozen kilograms of Imperial Green jadeite was already an enormous windfall.
Everyone estimated that this piece contained at least two hundred kilograms of Imperial Green.
At current market prices, that alone was worth around two billion yuan.
Adding the rest of the jadeite inside, the entire rough stone was valued at well over three billion yuan.
Without question, Cui Mingyu had won the gamble.
Many people looked on with envy, their eyes practically turning red.
They regretted it so much that they wished they had mortgaged everything they owned to buy that rough stone.
Cui Mingyu himself stood frozen for quite a while before letting out a long breath.
Even if every other rough stone he had purchased turned out to be worthless, as long as he had this one, he would still be the biggest winner.
Usually calm and composed, he could not help revealing a radiant smile.
The first person he wanted to thank after recovering his senses was Qin Su.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he walked over to her.
One was a handsome man, the other a beautiful woman, making it impossible for the crowd not to speculate about their relationship.
The next moment, Cui Mingyu bowed deeply to Qin Su.
The entire venue erupted into an uproar.
He had made the gesture purely because he was overwhelmed with excitement.
Once he regained his composure, he realized it might create unnecessary rumors about Qin Su, so he quickly came up with an explanation and said loudly,
“A few days ago, I couldn’t decide which rough stone to choose. I had heard that Miss Qin was exceptionally lucky, so I made a lottery tube containing slips with ten rough stone numbers and asked her to draw one for me. She picked this one.”
Only then did everyone understand.
Many people in this industry believed strongly in feng shui and fortune.
The odds of choosing the correct stone from ten possibilities were only one in ten.
Quite a few jewelers quietly wondered whether they should copy Cui Mingyu’s method in the future.
Qin Su raised an eyebrow, her expression calm.
“When you’ve made bracelets from this jade, remember to give me one.”
A bracelet made from Imperial Green jadeite like this would easily be worth tens of millions of yuan.
Cui Mingyu answered without hesitation,
“Of course.”
Even if his uncle, Cui Hang, had been present, he would have made the same decision.
A faint smile appeared on Qin Su’s face.
“Since you’ve finished cutting yours, let’s cut mine next.”
She selected the largest rough stone among those she had purchased and asked someone to cut it open.
Qin Su only knew that the stone contained abundant spiritual energy.
As for what was actually inside, she honestly had no idea.
The master cutter who had just uncovered the Imperial Green jadeite found his hands trembling slightly with excitement as he began working on Qin Su’s stone.
Today’s experience alone was enough to become the crowning achievement of his career, something he could boast about for the rest of his life.
If Miss Qin’s stone also turned out to be exceptional, then his luck today would truly be unbelievable.
Although the venue was crowded, everyone held their breath.
After polishing open a small window and rinsing it with water, the revealed translucency made the cutter’s eyes light up.
“Could this be another glass jadeite? Strange. Normally glass jadeite is incredibly rare, but today we’ve already uncovered two pieces.”
“It looks colorless. Although the transparency is excellent, it still can’t compare to Imperial Green.”
“Finding glass jadeite is already amazing! I’ve dreamed of owning just one my entire life.”
The crowd excitedly discussed the possibility.
As mining continued year after year, glass jadeite had become increasingly scarce.
Ordinarily, an entire jade auction might not produce a single piece.
Yet today, two had appeared.
The cutter was highly experienced, and despite his excitement, his hands remained steady.
Two hours later, the rough stone finally revealed its true form.
The jadeite contained three colors: red, yellow, and green.
The three hues blended together harmoniously with an elegant, flowing beauty.
Simply resting on the table, it already resembled a priceless work of art.
Each color was exceptionally pure.
The vivid red resembled fresh rooster’s comb blood, the yellow was the noble shade of imperial gold, and the green was the unforgettable Imperial Green that captivated everyone’s hearts.
Everyone stared blankly.
This was actually the incredibly rare Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity (Fu Lu Shou) glass jadeite.
Fu Lu Shou jadeite alone was already exceedingly rare.
Finding one that was also glass jadeite was rarer still.
Qin Su looked regretful.
“What a pity it isn’t Imperial Green.”
Cui Mingyu almost spat out blood.
Under normal circumstances, Imperial Green was indeed more valuable than Fu Lu Shou. However, the colors in Qin Su’s jade were simply too pure. It was genuinely difficult to say which was worth more.
If it happened to catch the eye of someone who believed in feng shui and mysticism, they would gladly spend a fortune to own it.
Coming back to his senses, Cui Mingyu asked, “Miss Qin, are you willing to sell this piece?”
Qin Su thought for a moment.
To be honest, the three colors really were beautiful. She wanted to keep part of it to make jewelry for herself. If she ever found herself in danger, she could also directly use the spiritual energy contained within the jade.
“I can sell half of it.”
Judging from everyone’s reaction, it seemed to be extremely valuable. Selling half should still earn her a considerable sum.
Before Cui Mingyu could even name a price, the other jewelers rushed over.
“I’ll offer two hundred million!”
“Old Wang, are you trying to fool the young lady because she doesn’t know the market? A rough stone this size can make at least ten bracelets. It’s worth at least three hundred million.”
“I’ll pay four hundred million!”
“I’ll add another fifty million!”
The crowd began bidding on the spot.
At that moment, a steady male voice rang out.
“Six hundred million.”
Qin Su turned around and saw Xu Xiao walking over in a tailored suit.
She turned back to Cui Mingyu.
“I remember the Cui family runs auctions, right?”
Cui Mingyu, who had been staring at the tri-colored Fu Lu Shou jade in fascination, nodded.
“Yes. If it’s for Miss Qin, we won’t charge any commission.”
In other words, no matter how much the jade sold for, every cent would go directly to Qin Su.
Some people simply could not be envied.
Instead of being jealous, it was better to hold tightly onto someone like Qin Su.
For that reason, Cui Mingyu wanted to maintain a good relationship with her more than anyone else.
Qin Su nodded in satisfaction.
“Then let’s stay here for another two days and auction this piece. Just leave me enough to make one bracelet.”
After thinking it over, she added,
“I can also sell half of it directly to your family.”
She was confident the Cui family would not be stingy.
Cui Mingyu’s eyes lit up.
The other jewelers, meanwhile, were already planning to attend the auction themselves.
Qin Su ignored Xu Xiao completely.
Now that she was about to receive an enormous sum of money, she happily linked arms with Tu Qing and left.
The Cui family would arrange to ship the rest of the rough stones she had purchased back to China.
The thought of paying customs duties immediately made Qin Su feel a bit of pressure.
Leaving everything else to others, she returned to the hotel to cultivate.
After cultivating for an hour, someone knocked on the door.
Qianjin went to answer it.
Standing outside was Xia Jiayi, holding her phone with an unpleasant expression.
Xia Jiayi walked in and casually closed the door behind her.
“You’re living quite comfortably here.”
Qin Su glanced at her, then suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right, you still haven’t paid me for the talisman. Transfer the money for your boyfriend’s one too, so I don’t have to chase him down and explain everything again.”
Seeing Qin Su acting as though nothing had happened, Xia Jiayi was speechless.
She transferred 100,000 yuan to her.
After receiving the payment notification, Qin Su smiled.
“So, what brings you here?”
Xia Jiayi handed her phone over.
“See for yourself. The internet back home has been in an uproar these past few days.”
Qin Su glanced at the screen.
The headline read:
“Qin Su and Xu Xiao Suspected of Rekindling Their Romance? True Love or Homewrecker?”
The accompanying photo showed her talking to Xu Xiao.
From the angle it had been taken, they appeared rather intimate.
The corner of her mouth twitched.
“It’s fake.”
Xia Jiayi’s tone became calmer.
“I know. I’ve acted in so many dramas that I know all about forced perspective.”
“And besides, the one you like is Tu Qing.”
If she had once considered Qin Su her romantic rival, she was now completely certain that Qin Su no longer had any feelings for Xu Xiao.
At most, the feelings were entirely one-sided on Xu Xiao’s part.
Qin Su continued scrolling through the phone.
Some of the insults online were so vulgar they were almost unbearable to read.
Then she came across a certain post and burst into laughter.
It was Xia Jiayi publicly condemning the false rumors and speaking up for Qin Su.
She stated that if Qin Su had truly wanted to reconcile with Xu Xiao, they would already have gotten back together.
Lifting her chin, Xia Jiayi said,
“I always repay my debts. Consider this my way of thanking you for saving me in the elevator.”
In truth, Xia Jiayi had only been dragged into the incident because of Qin Su.
Thinking of that, Qin Su decided that if Xia Jiayi ever wanted to buy talismans from her in the future, she would give her a discount.
Xia Jiayi frowned in confusion.
“Aren’t you angry after seeing all these reports? Someone is obviously trying to frame you.”
Instead of answering directly, Qin Su abruptly changed the subject.
“Do you know I opened another rough stone before I came back?”
Xia Jiayi blinked.
“…?”
Qin Su continued,
“I asked around. If that rough stone goes to auction, it’ll probably sell for at least five or six hundred million.”
“So tell me, when I’m this rich, why would I bother arguing with an idiot?”
Xia Jiayi fell silent.
…Damn it, she was so jealous!
Qin Su smiled.
Since this whole mess had something to do with Xu Xiao, she decided to hire someone to deliberately drive up the auction price and fleece him properly.
Given Xu Xiao’s personality, he would probably spend an enormous amount of money to buy that jade.