chapter 34 The scumbag was cheated, but he became the winner by hanging his thread.

With a snap, the stonecutter made another cut! "Still crap, not a hint of green!" "It's a bust again!" "Man, looks like Mr. Hong's 40 million is really going down the drain!" The onlookers were shouting, most of them taking pleasure in his misfortune. "I just can't believe this bad luck. Cut it again!" Bandon Hong's face was ashen as he instructed the stonecutter. Snap, the cutter made yet another cut! The cut surface was still, without a speck of green! "Man, still crap, Mr. Hong's 40 million is totally gone!" "Good thing I didn't fight Mr. Hong for this piece of junk, or I'd be bankrupt by now." Hearing this, Mr. Hong felt like he was bleeding inside. 40 million for a huge piece of crap, utterly worthless. Such a big loss. If his wife Lina found out, how would he ever face her? Sweat was also dripping down Jimmy Xu's forehead. Just a moment ago, he truly wanted to snatch this piece of crap from Bandon Hong's hands. Thank goodness Stanley Du stopped him in time! Meanwhile, Dinah Yang felt terrific. This jerk, Bandon Hong, spent 40 million on a huge piece of crap. He's now the super fool in everyone's eyes here! "Haha, Stanley Du, you were spot on. The highly sought-after number three raw stone really is just a piece of crap. It seems none of the experts here can compare to you." The words of Hedy Yao made the faces of many experts there turn hot with embarrassment. After a pause, Hedy Yao continued to mock, "Mr. Hong, you spent 40 million on a big piece of crap. How do you feel now?" "Don't mock me. I can still afford the 40 million loss!" "Heh, your money, all of it comes from your wife. Even if you lose another 40 million, you won't feel the pain." "You... you insult me! From now on, I and the Yao family are at daggers drawn!" Bandon Hong was so angry that he was grinding his teeth. Many in the crowd whispered amongst themselves. A lot of people knew how Bandon Hong made his money. But, of course, they didn't dare to say Bandon Hong's embarrassing affairs to his face. "Alright, Bandon Hong, arguing with a woman, do you have no shame?" Stanley Du scoffed, "Let's get to the point. You haven't forgotten our bet so soon, have you?" "So what if I forgot? What can you do about it?" He had a bet with Stanley Du that if number three raw stone turned out to be all crap, he'd have to kneel and kowtow to Stanley Du and let Stanley Du slap him across the face. Kneel and kowtow? He would never do such a thing. Let Stanley Du slap him and not fight back? That was even less likely. So, Bandon Hong decided to deny it outright. "Heh, looks like your word is just like a fart." Stanley Du mocked Bandon Hong, "If you act in bad faith, who will dare to do business with you in the future?" As he said this, a few people who had been considering business with Bandon Hong looked serious. Bandon Hong was taken aback, cursing in his heart, "Damn you, Stanley Du, you want to ruin my reputation!" He came to Ning City this time representing the Gold 9 Fortune Jewelry Group to expand the business and market. If the news of him losing a bet and then reneging got out, he'd be labeled as untrustworthy. And most businessmen, under normal circumstances, wouldn't want to cooperate with someone who is untrustworthy. "Stanley Du, I apologize for not honoring the bet I lost. That was wrong of me. But don't be unreasonable when you have the upper hand," Mr. Hong's tone softened quite a bit. For Bandon Hong, this was already a big concession. The crowd was surprised to see Bandon Hong actually apologizing to Stanley Du. After all, Bandon Hong's wife, Lina, was worth twenty billion—a truly wealthy woman in Tiandu! And among these smaller tycoons in Ning City, the richest was only worth several billion at best. Usually, these smaller rich folks would compete for Bandon Hong’s attention, eager to please him. Even if they were wronged by Bandon Hong, they wouldn’t dare demand an apology from him. Then Flora Han also spoke up, pleading on behalf of Bandon Hong, urging Stanley Du to let bygones be bygones. Stanley Du, in a show of goodwill, let it go for Flora Han’s sake. He then picked out a very unremarkable No. 54 raw stone and said to Hedy Yao, “If you want to make some pocket money, buy this one.” “Huh, you chose this rock?” “The green vein is only a few centimeters, and the moss on the surface is clumpy and ugly.” “The starting price is only five thousand. This is the cheapest raw stone here.” Everyone started to question Stanley Du's judgment. “Alright, I'll buy this one. Even if I lose the bet, I don't care. It's only five thousand, after all.” Hedy Yao, however, had full faith in Stanley Du's judgment. “Hmph, I don't believe a beautiful jade is hidden in such an ugly stone!” Bandon Hong scoffed. “What, did my slap not hurt your face enough just now?” Stanley Du glanced at Bandon Hong with a sneer. “If you’re itching for another, I'll be sure to satisfy you more enthusiastically this time.” At those words, Bandon Hong was so angry that he was grinding his teeth, yet he managed to hold back from saying anything. Jimmy Xu and Hedy Yao couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Dinah Yang felt a pang of emotion, too. Once upon a time, Bandon Hong had been an outstanding guy, and she had even taken a liking to him. But the current Bandon Hong, despite having made his fortune with his wife’s support, was nothing but a weakling in front of Stanley Du, completely devoid of fighting spirit. Truly, without comparison, you can't see the highs and lows, the good and the bad. “Sir, cut along this line,” Stanley Du instructed, drawing a line on the raw stone’s surface. The machine started again, and with a cut, even before the stone was fully split, green was already showing. “Wow, it's gone up. It looks like ice-type!” “Green means skyrocketing prices. I'll offer one hundred thousand! Miss Yao, would you let me have this rock?” “You're nuts! Does Miss Yao look like she's short on cash?” “You're right, but remember, Mr. Du chose this rock for Miss Yao, and his judgment is really divine.” “Yeah, this Mr. Du is truly remarkable. Calligraphy, antiques, and now raw stones—he has picked winners in all of them.” Soon after, the cutting stopped, and the stonecutter presented the now-cut raw stone to Hedy Yao. “Wow, it's full green ice-type jade, enough to make six pairs of bracelets, easily worth eight hundred thousand!” “Five thousand turned into eight hundred thousand. That's a one hundred and sixty-fold increase!” “Mr. Du really has a divine eye. Whichever jewelry company gets him on board is sure to become a leader in the jewelry industry!” These gambling stone experts took turns flattering and sucking up to Stanley Du. Hedy Yao was beaming with joy. She thought to herself, “I originally thought that Stanley Du was only skilled in medicine and cooking, but he's also a pro at gambling stones. Mom was right; Stanley Du is like a walking money tree. If I can snatch Stanley Du away from Dinah Yang, our Yao family can hope to become top-tier nobility.”