Zombie Bodyguard
Chapter 165 - 164: The Older, the Wiser

Chapter 165: Chapter 164: The Older, the Wiser

Boss Lu had a bad premonition. With the top-quality red jade carved earlier, the joy of having fleeced an ignorant customer was gone.

Even Boss Zhu and Boss Qian sensed something off in Boss Lu’s tone. Could it be that this young man had carved out another piece of top-quality jadeite?

Many people who had gone inside overheard their conversation and stopped in their tracks. They had all heard about the low-grade raw material in booth number one that had yielded top-quality red jade and were curious to see what this expert looked like.

When the onlookers saw Lin Tian, they couldn’t believe it. They had heard it was a young man, but he was too young, still looking like a student.

Lin Tian hadn’t expected that just by carving out a piece of top-quality red jade, he would become so famous, nor did he know if it was a good or a problematic thing.

In response to Boss Lu’s question about the uncarved piece of jade, Lin Tian deliberately spoke in an analytical tone, "Boss Lu, regarding the piece I purchased from you, if I’m not mistaken, the jade’s texture should be from an ice-type material."

Hearing that it was ice-type material, Boss Lu was a bit pained, but he could accept it. After all, although ice-type jadeite was also high-class, it was one grade below glass-type, but there were still many in the jade market. Besides, with Boss Zhu’s top-quality red jade as a benchmark, it offered some consolation to Boss Lu.

The onlookers also clearly heard the conversation between the two, and an old man who was a bit older interjected, "Young man, the value of ice-type jadeite varies greatly. Just speaking of its color, the prices can differ astronomically based on the color grade! What color is your piece?"

The old man spoke with authority, clearly an expert. The others nodded in agreement. After all, the value couldn’t be estimated by just looking at the texture. If the ice-type came in uneven gray-green or gray-blue shades, the value would be greatly reduced.

Lin Tian turned to the old man and casually smiled, "It’s not cut yet, but I have previously carved Emperor Green jadeite, and based on the characteristics of that piece, I’m 80 to 90 percent sure it’s Emperor Green."

"Emperor Green?" The old man was visibly taken aback. Emperor Green was very rare, something he hadn’t expected.

Despite Lin Tian’s casual tone, his confidence was unmistakable, and the onlookers caught another piece of information—that this was not Lin Tian’s first time carving out Emperor Green jadeite.

Lin Tian felt their gazes on him shift to a mix of envy, admiration, and skepticism, but mostly admiration. Boss Lu’s mouth hung open, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.

Just yesterday, he had scoffed at Lin Tian, thinking he was just a rich, foolish, second-generation kid and feeling smug about making a bit of money off him. But the tables had unexpectedly turned, and it turned out that Lin Tian had struck it rich. Considering the size of that piece of jade, Boss Lu, with his experience, estimated it could be worth tens of millions in Emperor Green ice-type jadeite.

That was tens of millions! No robbery could match such rapid gain, yet the money slipped right through his fingers, stirring intense regret in Boss Lu’s heart.

"Compared to the tens of billions in top-quality red jade that Boss Zhu missed out on, I consider myself lucky," Boss Lu whispered to himself in consolation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading in," Lin Tian said with a light smile, glancing around.

For the emerald roughs worth tens of millions, Lin Tian was now uninterested; what he was urgently keen on doing was getting his hands on the first lot of rough material. So, he, along with the Xiao sisters and Secretary Xu, were about to head inside the exhibition hall, but a cold snort brought him back.

"Hmph..."

The cold snort, laden with deep resentment, came from behind the crowd. Lin Tian knew instantly who it was, as the only person who held such animosity towards him was Bai Yuze.

This person had been bested by Lin Tian every time, losing face and nearly losing his life. Lin Tian could guess without even thinking that Bai Yuze’s hatred was as deep as the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The onlookers, too, heard this ill-intentioned sound and turned to look back, parting to make a way. Bai Yuze and his entourage then appeared before Lin Tian.

It was only the three from the Bai Family; the Japanese man, Futian Shenyi, and Sun Hai with his son were nowhere to be seen, probably because Sun Hai wanted to avoid suspicion. The last encounter in the hotel had been an accident, and to keep the relationship between both parties secret, Sun Hai couldn’t always appear in public with the Bai Family.

"Lin Tian, you even dare to brag about an uncut rough, shameless, aren’t you!" Bai Yuze stepped forward, expressionless.

But at the moment, he was not in a position to make any expressions, for his face still bore the wounds from the harsh beating Lin Tian gave him on the mountain road last night. The injuries on his forehead were still covered with adhesive hemostatic bandages.

"Hey, if it isn’t Brother Bai, worrying about my roughs even with injuries on your face, you really are a good man!" Lin Tian deliberately greeted loudly, and then changed his tone, "But Brother Bai, you seem to have forgotten about our bet yesterday, the top-quality Red Jadeite that was cut out in the end? My eyes are not just good for admiring beauties, but also for picking roughs as well."

The surrounding crowd, hearing his frank talk, emitted sounds of good-natured laughter, only Miss Xiao muttered to herself about how thick-skinned he was, managing to boast so confidently about sneaking peeks at beauties.

Having made a blunder and allowed Lin Tian to cut a top-quality Red Jadeite, Bai Yuze’s reputation took a heavy hit. Now that it was brought up again, his face turned even uglier. He wanted to make a face to express the hatred in his heart, but when his facial muscles moved, they tugged at his wounds, causing him to sharply inhale with pain.

Bai Yuze had always liked to present himself as elegant and graceful, but at this moment, he looked utterly discomfited. Especially the disdainful looks from the people around him made him wish he could rush forward and tear Lin Tian to pieces, because all his glory had been shattered by Lin Tian.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." Just then, Bai Yuanhao was about to speak, as this situation was not only making his son look worse, but also damaging the Bai Family’s reputation. He said with cupped hands, "Ladies and gentlemen, it’s normal for young people to be vigorous and competitive. Many of us here have been young and have gone through the same, a loss at one time doesn’t signify everlasting failure, and a win doesn’t signify everlasting success, does it not?"

Experienced and cunning, Bai Yuanhao hit right on the button with just a few words, getting nods of agreement from the others and easing the awkwardness. His words not only defended his son but also implied that Lin Tian’s success was merely a fluke and not indicative of everlasting triumph.

Seizing the mood, Bai Yuanhao continued to guide the conversation, saying with a smile, "Today’s key event is the bidding, and the first and second lots are the highlights. They are today’s protagonists. Whoever wins the bid and acquires the critical lots, whoever manages to cut a jadeite of peerless value, demonstrates true strength and real skill, do they not?"

With two "do they not?", Bai Yuanhao completely shifted the onlookers’ attention, steering them toward the upcoming bidding event and the critical rough material. Moreover, his words suggested two things, that the bidder who wins is truly wealthy, and cutting a top-quality jade from the critical roughs is a sign of genuine skill and excellent judgment.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on (f)re𝒆web(n)ovel.com