Qin Wenxuan never expected that simply attending a charity auction would bring him such undeserved trouble. He had always prided himself on being above such things, and at this moment, he was seething with anger.
“Preposterous!”
Just then, Jiang Ci swiftly raised her paddle.
The auctioneer glanced over and announced with obvious surprise, “Ms. Jiang bids ten thousand dollars!”
All eyes in the room immediately turned to her.
Jiang Ci sat calmly in her seat. She turned slightly to look at Liao Junfeng across the aisle and said slowly, “Fine jade is like a thoroughbred horse; it only reaches its true potential in the hands of one who understands it. To sell it blindly to an amateur who knows nothing about stones would be a desecration. I would rather buy it back for ten thousand and smash it myself, letting it fulfill the saying: ‘Better to be a broken jade than a whole tile’.”
“You insolent girl, you have no idea how high the sky is!” Liao Junfeng leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and lifting his chin arrogantly. “I own Jubao Zhai! We are an established brand from the previous dynasty. We were here long before you were even born!”
At that moment, the auctioneer looked toward the back row and announced, “Mrs. Pan bids twelve thousand dollars!”
Everyone turned to look. Mrs. Pan fiddled with the diamond ring on her finger and said clearly, “This isn’t selling antiques. What does age have to do with value?”
Liao Junfeng’s face darkened. He slammed his paddle on the table and declared, “Today, I am going to buy this jade, no matter what!”
“Mr. Liao bids twenty thousand dollars!”
Hearing this, most of the other interested bidders hesitated and decided to back down.
Zeng Juemi let out a cold laugh and immediately raised his sign.
“Second Master Zeng bids thirty thousand dollars!”
Liao Junfeng stared at him sarcastically. “Second Master Zeng, bidding up your relative’s item to save face? That hardly seems honorable, does it?”
“Business is business. If I like it, I have every right to bid. Why should we bring family into it? Besides, some people treat their own kin just as badly, so why should I hold back? Isn’t that right, Mr. Liao?”
“It seems, Second Master Zeng, that you lack the eye for judging jade. Why not let me have it? I’ll take it back and smash it myself, so it doesn’t become a laughingstock!”
“Mr. Liao bids thirty-five thousand dollars!”
Jiang Ci stood up, her expression serious as she looked at Liao Junfeng. “Mr. Liao, are you bidding on behalf of the Liao family, or on behalf of Jubao Zhai? If it is on behalf of Jubao Zhai, then I am afraid we have some serious matters to discuss today!”
Seeing a young girl dare to challenge him, Liao Junfeng slammed his hand on the table and stood up. “Ridiculous! So what if it is on behalf of Jubao Zhai? Your father-in-law is sitting right there, and even he is my junior by generation! Who do you think you are, daring to question me here?”
From the crowd, Qin Yanting made a subtle gesture to the auctioneer, signaling him to remain silent for now.
Jiang Ci scoffed. “Mr. Liao, you are a businessman. Must you resort to talking about seniority and family hierarchy to win an argument? In ancient times, Bian He presented the Heshibi to the King of Chu. First King Li, then King Wu, both failed to see its value and thought it was just a common stone. It was not until King Wen came to the throne that the treasure was recognized. Those two kings were the uncle and father of King Wen, yet were they more knowledgeable about jade than he was? Clearly, talking about seniority is just an excuse used by incompetent people.”
She cupped her hands slightly toward the audience. “Mr. Liao, you need not use your status to silence me. Justice is in the hearts of men. Everyone here knows full well what Jubao Zhai did to get their hands on that top-grade piece of jade I possess. Instead of accusing others first, perhaps you should go home and clean up your own mess!”
“Nonsense! What top-grade jade has Jubao Zhai not seen before? You are just an ignorant girl with no experience, spouting wild claims!”
“Unlike you, Mr. Liao, I speak with evidence. I happened to bring that very piece of jade with me today. It is right here, waiting to be auctioned. Whether it is good or bad, everyone will see for themselves soon enough. I only hope you won’t continue to talk nonsense with your eyes wide open.”
Jiang Ci’s words piqued everyone’s curiosity, and then she calmly sat back down.
Suddenly, Mrs. Pan raised her paddle again.
“Mrs. Pan bids forty thousand dollars!”
Jiang Ci turned around and saw Mrs. Pan’s husband smiling helplessly at her, playfully tugging at her earring like one would tease a child. Mrs. Pan swatted his hand away, then noticed Jiang Ci looking at her. She winked, clearly saying “I’ve got your back.”
With that, the atmosphere became lively again, and bids flew back and forth.
“Fourth Master Lin bids forty-two thousand!”
“Mrs. Dong bids forty-five thousand!”
Not everyone present understood jade, and seeing two pieces of colorless glass jade reach such heights left many confused.
Behind Qin Huai’an, a few people were whispering.
“Although Liao Junfeng is unreasonably bullying a girl, the price is ridiculously inflated. Why are people still bidding?”
“Probably just giving face to the Qin and Zeng families!”
An older man interjected, “You don’t understand. Jade ornaments are different from jewelry; they are for collection. It’s just like calligraphy or painting by a famous master. The first of its kind is always special. Didn’t you see the reporters here today? Once tonight’s events get reported, this pair will be priceless.”
“How so?”
“Need you ask? Colorless jade is usually cheap, and having ‘cotton’ flaws makes it even worse. But Longchang Jade Shop turned those flaws into snow scenery—that is pure genius. Furthermore, they were the first to pioneer this ‘Snowflake Cotton’ style. Add the drama of tonight’s auction and the media coverage, even if others copy them later, they will always be second best. The more popular this style becomes, the more valuable this original pair will be!”
Listening to this, Qin Huai’an felt a complicated mix of emotions.
Although he and Jiang Ci were constantly at odds, he had to admit that she had been incredibly brave just now.
Yet, asking him to genuinely praise her was something he simply could not bring himself to do.
While he was lost in thought, the bidding had already reached fifty-five thousand.
“Mr. Lu bids sixty-five thousand!”
Qin Huai’an snapped back to attention and looked toward Lu Fengchun.
Lu Fengchun looked at Qin Yanlou, who had just bid, with a half-smile. “Mr. Qin, weren’t you just saying that increasing the bid by five thousand at a time is too petty? Why are you eating your words now?”
Qin Yanlou slowly raised his hand. “Whether five thousand is petty depends on who is doing it. For instance, when Mr. Liao added five thousand earlier, it looked quite stingy. But as for me…”
He raised his hand high in a dramatic gesture. “No matter who bids, I will add exactly five thousand dollars every time.”
He looked directly at Lu Fengchun. “Whether I put this hand down or not depends entirely on what you and Mr. Liao are capable of.”
Liao Junfeng immediately raised his paddle.
“Mr. Liao bids seventy thousand!”
“Seventh Master Qin bids seventy-five thousand!”
“Mr. Lu bids…”
As the price skyrocketed, cold sweat began to break out on Liao Junfeng’s forehead.
He stared at Qin Yanlou’s raised hand and finally lowered his own paddle, unable to go higher.
Lu Fengchun frowned, bid once more, but eventually gave up as well.
“One hundred and twenty thousand going at once! One hundred and twenty thousand going twice!”
“Sold! Thank you for your generous donation, Seventh Master Qin!”
Mrs. Pan watched for a while, then nudged her husband. “Why did they stop?”
“They are businessmen, not charity organizations. Naturally, they are saving their money for the grand finale. This item is risky; if they can’t resell it later, they’ve effectively donated over a hundred thousand for nothing. They aren’t that kind-hearted. As for the Liaos, they deal in jade, they have plenty of money, but they need cash flow to buy new raw materials. They can’t just throw it around like that.”
In the front row, Qin Yange patted Jiang Ci’s hand and gestured toward Liao Junfeng. “Look how furious he is! Running his mouth when he doesn’t have the money to back it up. They just lost hundreds of thousands worth of goods a few days ago and are probably scrambling to cover the losses. Seventh Brother must have known exactly how much he could afford. Later, I’m going to have some fun with him too!”
Seeing Jiang Ci didn’t respond, she added, “Don’t take it to heart. We only do this once a year anyway. Oh right, what is the grand finale? You have to tell me now!”
Jiang Ci leaned close to her ear and whispered.
Qin Yange laughed loudly. “I should have ordered a banner that says ‘Blind as a bat’! Jubao Zhai already proved they have no eye for talent by missing out on Master Ge. But when this second item goes up, some people really ought to have their eyes gouged out!”
Liao Junfeng’s face grew darker and darker.
Because Jiang Ci had built up such anticipation, the rest of the auction went much faster, everyone eager to see the final masterpiece.
After a hundred or so items were sold, the moment finally arrived.
The entire hall held its breath.
The auctioneer pulled away the silk cloth, revealing a statue of the Green Tara, carved from three-color “Fu Lu Shou” jade.
“It’s Fu Lu Shou! It looks like a Glass Type!”
“No, it’s Dragon Stone Type! I heard Ms. Jiang say it herself earlier.”
“How could she be so generous? This is the kind of treasure you keep as the mascot of your shop. Donating it means she gets nothing in return…”
As the crowd murmured, Liao Junfeng shot to his feet, staring at Jiang Ci in utter disbelief.
“This… this is impossible…”
He had thought that bringing out the “Spring with Color” piece was the limit. He never imagined she would actually be willing to donate the most valuable piece of all. He slumped back into his chair, looking devastated, as if deaf to the world around him.
The auctioneer began his introduction. “This statue of the Green Tara is carved from top-grade Dragon Stone Type ‘Fu Lu Shou’ jade. The yellow jade forms the five-leaf crown, the green jade forms the body, and the light lavender below creates the lotus throne resting on purple clouds. The materials are priceless and the craftsmanship divine. The starting bid is one hundred thousand dollars!”
The auction hall was filled with prominent figures from all over. Immediately, the bidding war erupted, voices rising and falling in a deafening roar.
In the end, the statue was sold for a staggering six hundred and eighty thousand dollars to a merchant from Guangdong.
Thunderous applause and the sound of camera shutters filled the room.
Several bold reporters rushed straight toward Liao Junfeng, snapping pictures of his pale face.
Liao Junfeng came to his senses and scowled, trying to chase them away, but he realized the guests were already moving toward the ballroom.
As people walked past him, their expressions were filled with barely concealed mockery.
“I was wondering why such an old shop would stoop so low as to hire an opium addict. Now I see, it’s all about greed. Losing hundreds of thousands worth of jade? That must be karma!”
Liao Junfeng’s face turned bright red. He spun around trying to find who said it, but couldn’t tell. To him, everyone looked like they were laughing at him.
He had never been humiliated like this in his life. Burning with rage, he stormed into the ballroom and blocked Jiang Ci’s path.
“Stop right there!”
“Liao Junfeng, what do you think you are doing?”
Jiang Ci gently pushed Qin Yange aside and stepped forward. “What can I do for you, Mr. Liao?”
Liao Junfeng glared at her. “I admit I underestimated you today. But Jubao Zhai is a century-old establishment and will not be trampled on. On behalf of Jubao Zhai, I challenge you, Longchang Jade Shop, to a Stone Gambling Duel! Jiang Ci, do you dare accept?”
He tapped the floor with his leather shoe. “According to the rules of our trade, one cannot refuse a challenge. However, since you are a woman, I will grant you a way out. If you are afraid, just kneel here, kowtow three times, and we will consider this matter settled.”