Chapter 136: Worth Tens of Billions
"The auction has been going for about half an hour now. Why are you so impatient? Don’t worry, this auction runs for a long time, all the way into the evening. There’s a lot of stuff up for grabs this time."
"But it still can’t compare to the ones overseas. The overseas auctions are the real deal. They go on for days at a time, and the good stuff is endless. Next time there’s a chance, brother, I’ll take you there."
Zhao Liu said with a chuckle from the other end of the line.
Zhao Liu was always like this—unhurried, without a hint of urgency.
"Sounds good. When you get the chance, Sixth Master, take me to check it out," Chu Feng said, nodding.
"Alright, we’ll leave it at that for now. I’ll contact you after I finish eating. I have some inside information today. There’s a treasure that I know you’ll like, Brother Chu," Zhao Liu said mysteriously.
"Oh, really?" Chu Feng said.
"Of course! When have I ever lied to you? By the way, you’ve been looking around all morning. Did you find anything good?" Zhao Liu asked with a laugh.
"Nothing too great, just some passable stuff. I’m mainly focused on the auction. When it starts, Sixth Master, give me a call," Chu Feng said before hanging up.
Meanwhile, Zhou Ming’s stall had been completely cleaned out of raw stones. Not even the finger-sized pieces were left.
"They’re all gone," Chu Feng said, looking at the empty stall.
These people had found out that all the raw stones Chu Feng bought from Zhou Ming had yielded jade. Who wouldn’t go into a frenzy over that?
If it weren’t for the crowd, many people would have probably tried to buy out his entire stall.
"That was intense. I’ve never seen people buy things like that before." Zhou Ming felt a bit dazed; he hadn’t even had time to react before the money was in his hands.
From this one rush, he had made at least several million!
"Boss Zhou, congratulations! You sold out just a few minutes after opening. That’s amazing!" Chu Feng said with a smile.
As he finished speaking, numerous gasps of surprise erupted from the jade-cutting shop.
"JADE! IT’S JADE! THERE’S REALLY JADE!" someone shouted excitedly, dancing with joy.
This was one of the people who’d bought a raw stone from Zhou Ming’s stall. Unexpectedly, it had produced jade.
"Boss Zhou, look. That person bought a raw stone from your stall, and it’s already produced jade," Chu Feng said.
Zhou Ming was completely stunned for a moment. He was dumbfounded.
"No way. Is the probability of my raw stones yielding jade really this high?" Zhou Ming said in surprise.
"Isn’t the proof right in front of you? The jade-yielding probability here is probably the highest in the entire venue," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"Could it be because I brought them directly from the mine? They haven’t changed hands; they’re completely first-hand goods," Zhou Ming said.
In fact, it was precisely because of his identity and status that the raw stones he acquired would have the highest jade-yielding rate.
"I know, you told me that just now. You’re sold out here. Contact me next time you have stock," Chu Feng said.
"Alrighty. The main reason is that I just got here and didn’t bring much stock. I’d have to ship more in from overseas on short notice, and there isn’t enough time. I’ll bring more next time I get a chance," Zhou Ming said with a smile.
Seeing Chu Feng about to leave, Zhou Ming hurried to ask, "Boss Chu, where are you heading? How about you take me along to look around? I’m free now anyway since all my raw stones are sold."
"I’m going to the third floor. Isn’t there an auction there? Want to go?" Chu Feng asked.
"Hey, what a coincidence! You’re going to the third floor too? I was actually about to ask you to go up with me. Those guys upstairs are always pestering me to go over," Zhou Ming said with a smile, though he sounded quite impatient when he mentioned "them."
"Oh? Really? Then we might as well go together." Although Chu Feng was surprised, it didn’t seem so strange once he considered Zhou Ming’s potential status.
’This just means Zhou Ming’s status is much greater than I realized.’
The three of them took the elevator to the third floor. Just as they were about to enter, a female attendant asked them to show their membership cards.
Just as Chu Feng was about to call Zhao Liu, Zhou Ming pulled a black card from his pocket.
"Take a good look. These two are my friends. We’re all going in together. No problem, right?"
"No problem at all, sir. Please, this way." The attendant’s attitude immediately shifted, and a fawning smile spread across her face.
The way she looked at Zhou Ming was completely different now, filled with deference and respect.
Inside, it was much quieter than downstairs.
There were stalls, but far fewer of them, and not many people. Each stall was well-decorated, the kind that looked high-class at a glance.
Here, any random raw stone, even the cheapest, started at a six-figure price.
To get in, you first needed a net worth of over ten million, and you also had to be a member. Otherwise, you had no chance of ever setting foot in here.
"Boss Chu—no, Brother Chu, you don’t mind if I call you that, right?" Zhou Ming asked Chu Feng.
"It’s fine. Just call me Chu Feng," Chu Feng said.
"Where would you like to go, Brother Chu? I can take you." This Zhou Ming was very hospitable, seeming straightforward and without any ulterior motives.
"I’m not sure. I’m mainly here for the auction," Chu Feng said.
"The auction? It’s over there. To be honest, the shops here don’t have much good stuff. Plenty of people have lost their fortunes gambling on stones. Some of these guys are too unscrupulous; the probability of finding jade is even lower than at my stall," Zhou Ming said.
Although the marked prices were very high, giving the impression that the stones were valuable, in reality, they weren’t much different from the ones downstairs.
To put it bluntly, this stuff was basically an idiot tax, a pure scam.
Perhaps the only difference was that the stones here didn’t scam the poor.
One scammed the rich, the other scammed the poor.
As the three of them were walking, Zhao Liu suddenly emerged from a room, followed by a few chubby old men who were all impeccably dressed.
They were the kind of people you could tell were extremely wealthy at a single glance.
"Brother Chu, how did you get up here? I was just about to give you a call," Zhao Liu said, greeting him hastily.
"A friend brought me up. Sixth Master, have you eaten?" Chu Feng replied.
"Mhm, just finished. We were getting ready to head to the auction," Zhao Liu said.
"Let me introduce you all. This is my brother, Chu Feng. Don’t be fooled by his young age—he’s a real powerhouse, with a net worth in the tens of billions!" Zhao Liu announced to the men with him.
"Oh, are you the son-in-law of Su Linsheng from the Su Group? I’ve heard your name before." When one of the old men heard Chu Feng’s name, his eyes lit up. He walked right up to Chu Feng and extended his hand for a shake, looking very interested.