Seeing that Ye Fan indeed held the piece of scrap stone in his hand, Hu Xiaofei burst into laughter.
"Ye Fan, I thought you would at least choose a decent one. I didn't expect you to be so foolish. Don't you know, when choosing raw stones, it's better to choose a large one than a small one? Even if this raw stone can yield jade, how much can it yield? By this alone, you have already lost."
"Moreover, there is no jade inside at all. It's just a piece of scrap stone. Ye Fan, today is your death day."
Hu Xiaofei gloated, his eyes filled with a presumptuous smile. It seemed, in his eyes, he could already see Ye Fan kneeling and begging for mercy before him. Zhi Jiangtao, standing beside him, gritted his teeth, ready to have his subordinates make a move to seize Ye Fan.
At this moment, Ye Fan looked at Hu Xiaofei impatiently, "You talk too much. Let's cut the stone."
"Hmph, I'll grant your wish."
Seeing Ye Fan unwilling to give up until he saw the Yellow River, Hu Xiaofei snorted disdainfully and waved to a worker. "I'll cut my stone first and make you completely convinced."
Four or five workers carried the raw stone to the cutting machine. A cutter was already prepared and began cutting under Hu Xiaofei's direction.
With a single cut, a patch of glistening green was revealed.
"We've seen green! We've seen green, and the water content is good!" Someone exclaimed in surprise.
"As expected of Young Master Hu, this eyesight is unparalleled." Flattering voices arose again.
Hu Xiaofei's smile deepened, and he imperiously ordered the cutter to continue. As the scrap stone was gradually removed, the glistening jade finally revealed its true form. A piece of jade the size of a cheek, crystal clear, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.
"Deep water content, lustrous color, a top-grade water-type jade, preliminarily valued at three million." The raw stone had cost 1.5 million, but the jade yielded was worth three million, a doubling of the profit. Proudly lifting his head, he looked at Ye Fan, "A mere doubling of profit is not my full strength, but it's enough to deal with you." He was arrogant, as if he were about to trample Ye Fan underfoot.
Next was Ye Fan. To win, the profit from the raw stone he chose had to be at least 1.5 million more than its cost. For the piece of raw stone in his hand, earning 1.5 million would be as difficult as reaching the heavens.
Jiang Zhitao's expression grew more somber. He had been hoping Hu Xiaofei would fail and not uncover valuable jade, but unexpectedly, he had struck gold. Now, Ye Fan's situation was becoming increasingly perilous.
However, Ye Fan's lips curled into a slight smile. He slowly raised the stone in his hand, "Such a small piece of raw stone, I don't think it needs cutting. How about getting me a hammer?"
Upon hearing Ye Fan's words, the surrounding crowd grew cold, and then erupted into boisterous laughter.
"Did I hear correctly? This kid actually wants a hammer. Does he need a crowbar too?"
"This kid is here to be funny. He actually dares to bring out such a small stone. How laughable!"
"We truly cannot understand the world of a madman. Hurry up and get him a hammer, I really want to see if he can forge a treasure."
...
The noisy laughter made the atmosphere even more awkward. Jiang Zhitao's face was as dark as if it could drip water. Even Ye Fan frowned slightly, his gaze growing a little colder.
"A bunch of stupid pigs, how dare you point fingers here? Or do you also want to gamble with your lives?" His icy voice reached everyone's ears, enraging them. But Ye Fan was not afraid, "If you don't want to gamble with your lives, then shut up and be mute. Such barking only makes you look like fools." He showed them no quarter; these people were not worthy of even a shred of respect from Ye Fan.
"Kid, you're on the verge of death, and you still dare to boast."
"Every one of us here could drown you with a single spit."
"What do you think you are, to dare be so presumptuous here?"
...
These people all turned their spears towards Ye Fan, as if they were about to condemn him to death with their words. Hu Xiaofei quickly raised his hand to stop them, "Please, everyone, calm down. Just give me some face. Anyway, this kid is doomed. After I make him lose convincingly, I'll give you all the chance to kill him, and then you can do as you please." With that, he ordered his subordinate to get Ye Fan a hammer.
Letting out a long breath, Ye Fan took the hammer, placed the raw stone on the stone table, and began to tap it gently. The force was perfectly controlled, not an iota more, not an iota less. *Ding ding dong dong*, the sounds possessed a strong rhythm. Everyone watched with cold smiles, and many were already calculating how to deal with Ye Fan later.
About ten minutes later, the raw stone suddenly made a crisp cracking sound. Then, a crack appeared in the middle of the stone's surface. Ye Fan quickly dropped the hammer, cupped the raw stone with both hands, and applied a little force. The crack grew wider.
*Clack.* Finally, the raw stone split into two.
The next moment, everyone was stunned, especially those who were preparing to mock Ye Fan, whose mouths hung open in surprise. In the middle of the two halves of the stone, there was a jadeite the size of a pigeon's egg! A thousand-year-old jadeite, a hundred-year-old jade; compared to jadeite, jade's value was much higher.
"Old pit glass type, saturated color, deep water content, round and full, crystal clear, top-grade, this is top-grade jadeite!" An expert exclaimed in shock, his voice trembling.
*Clack.* Someone's phone slipped from their hand and fell to the ground. A piece of top-grade jadeite was something one might never see a second time in a lifetime! This sound completely jolted everyone, especially Jiang Zhitao, who rushed over with a face full of excitement.
"Top-grade jadeite, and the size of a pigeon's egg, valued at least ten million to start. And Young Master Hu mentioned earlier that this raw stone was just scrap material, meaning it had no value. This means the outcome has already been decided." His words seemed to remind everyone that Ye Fan was the ultimate winner.
"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible. How can a piece of scrap material contain top-grade jadeite? It must be that Ye Fan tampered with it." Hu Xiaofei panted heavily, his pupils dilated, his face contorted, looking extremely terrifying.
"What? Afraid of dying?" Ye Fan handed the piece of top-grade jadeite to Jiang Zhitao, then walked towards Hu Xiaofei with a cold smile.
"The bet is right there, with Young Master Hu's signature on it. Fate is destiny, now, it's time to honor the bet." Ye Fan's lips curved into a faint smile. However, this smile, to Hu Xiaofei, was like that of a devil from hell.
"No, you can't kill me. I can give you money, a lot of money. As long as you let me go, from now on, I will follow your lead. From now on, this life of mine belongs to you." Recalling Ye Fan's terrifying methods during the appraisal meeting, Hu Xiaofei completely collapsed.
But Ye Fan shook his head, "Do you think I'm short of money?" Saying that, he raised his hand and grasped Hu Xiaofei's throat, his eyes narrowing slightly, a strong killing intent erupting suddenly.
Just then, a roar sounded from outside the door, "Stop...!"