Li Yang noticed the woman's gaze and turned his attention back to her, smiling, "Beautiful lady, you have quite the background, don't you?"
"Reasonably so, I'm just one of the future heirs of this jade gambling establishment," the woman replied with a smile. "You look new, this must be your first time here."
"Yes," Li Yang nodded.
"For your first visit to encounter such a situation, it reflects poorly on our hospitality. As the person in charge here, I should apologize on behalf of the establishment," the woman said, looking at him. "How about this, you can pick any stone here, and the cost will be on me. No payment needed."
Wow!
Such generosity!
The sheer quantity and value of raw jade at the Haolong Jade Gambling Establishment were beyond compare to ordinary establishments. Allowing someone to pick any stone here meant that even stones of the "King of Stones" caliber, worth tens of millions, could be taken for free!
This was a significant apology indeed!
Many people looked at Li Yang with envy. This young man had truly turned misfortune into fortune.
With this money, if they quickly emigrated, even the Zhou family wouldn't be able to do anything to them, right?
However, Li Yang merely curved the corner of his lips and said with a smile, "Beautiful lady, you are truly kind-hearted. But I, Li Yang, never take things for free."
"I'm not asking you to take it for free; this is my apology on behalf of the establishment," the woman shook her head.
Li Yang waved his hand, "One matter is one matter. I don't feel the establishment has wronged me in any way. My conflict with the Zhou family has nothing to do with the establishment."
"Therefore, this gift is not meant to be accepted."
"Hmm?" The woman's beautiful brows slightly raised, a hint of surprise in her voice. "You probably don't know the scale and class of our Haolong Jade Gambling Establishment, do you?"
"There are many 'King of Stones' here, worth tens of millions. There are even stones worth hundreds of millions. You can take them all for free."
"After taking them, you don't even need to cut them yourself. You can sell them at a discount to the other jade gamblers here, and I'm sure someone will buy them."
"I know," Li Yang nodded. "But as I said, I don't take what isn't mine."
"You, you're interesting." The woman paused for a moment, then her lips curved into a smile. "Judging by your attire, you don't look wealthy, yet you're passing up benefits worth tens or even hundreds of millions. It's truly unfathomable."
"But don't think that just because you refused, I'll force it upon you."
"Naturally not," Li Yang shook his head. "However, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."
"Heh, go ahead," the woman's face showed a hint of disdain. She thought this man had some backbone, only to find out he had other intentions.
What a waste of my finding him interesting.
Unexpectedly, Li Yang said, "Earlier, we saw fireworks blooming in eighteen petals in the night sky. We speculated someone here had unearthed an Imperial Green jade. Could you allow us to take a look?"
"What did you say?" The woman was stunned.
"I said, could you let us see the person who unearthed the Imperial Green? If it's inconvenient, letting us see that Imperial Green jade would also be good."
"This is the favor you want me to do?" the woman asked, surprised.
Li Yang nodded. "That's right. I'd trouble you, if possible?"
"I..." The woman opened her mouth, her mind filled with disbelief. She had expected Li Yang to ask for something more beneficial than picking a free raw jade. She never imagined he would ask for such a small favor!
This was a favor that almost any jade gambler here could have helped with!
"Don't you realize this favor doesn't require my help at all?"
"I know, but since I started talking to you after coming in, I thought I'd ask you to help me out," Li Yang smiled. "If it's not possible, I can just find someone else."
"Knowing this and still asking, I truly don't understand you, man." The woman stared at him for several seconds before finally drawing a rose gold business card from her waist pouch and handing it to him. "My name is Long Lingling. My contact information is on here. If you need anything in the future, feel free to call me."
"Alright. My name is Li Yang. I don't have a business card yet, but I will soon. This is my contact information. If you need anything in the future, you can also call me." Li Yang smiled, took out his phone, and showed her his number.
What was he saying?
He wanted her to contact him for help?
Long Lingling almost burst into laughter, but seeing Li Yang's serious expression, she couldn't. She nodded and said, "Understood. Come with me."
"Okay." Li Yang put away the business card and followed her inside with Lin Xiaoyu.
The surrounding people whispered in admiration, "Brilliant! This young man's strategy of retreating to advance is truly brilliant!"
"Exactly. Taking a stone is only worth tens of millions, but if he makes friends with Miss Long, won't he have plenty of opportunities to earn more money in the future? And the Zhou family might also have to reconsider their stance."
"Amazing! I thought he was proud and foolish when he refused earlier. Now that I think about it, I was the idiot!"
"Brother Li, you've struck it rich!" Lin Xiaoyu whispered.
Li Yang asked curiously, "Struck it rich with what?"
"Don't you know? This is the eldest daughter of the Haolong Jade Gambling Establishment. If you've become friends with her, aren't you considered rich? Don't you feel excited?" Lin Xiaoyu said with some excitement.
Li Yang uttered an "Oh." "I saw that long ago. There's nothing to be excited about."
"When did you see it, Brother Li?" Lin Xiaoyu was surprised. She only found out after overhearing some people nearby discussing.
Li Yang replied, "When she first arrived, the attitude and address used by Old Man Zhou towards her made it clear."
"That early?"
"Isn't it obvious? Didn't you see it?" Li Yang asked.
"I... of course I saw it early on, I was just giving you an opportunity to show off, Brother Li."
Lin Xiaoyu's cheeks would redden when she lied, and she immediately changed the subject, "Wow, Brother Li, look at that stone, it's so big and tall!"
"It is indeed quite large." Li Yang turned his head and saw a raw jade stone about six to seven meters high and four to five meters wide.
This stone would undoubtedly cost tens of millions.
The market value of raw jade depended on several factors: firstly, whether it was from an old mine; secondly, the quality of its texture and clarity, meaning how fine its outer shell was and how transparent it was under a strong light; and thirdly, its size and volume.
Stones from old mines and new mines had different prices. However, it didn't mean that stones from old mines were always better. Even legendary old mines like Mogansha could occasionally yield disappointing results. The reason old mines commanded higher prices was purely due to market speculation and buyers following trends, much like most diamonds!
But the larger the stone, the more valuable it would certainly be!