Chapter Thirty-Three: The Mysterious Woman

Three minutes later.

Our names, mine and Hu San’s, were now listed under the company called Jadeite Group.

Both Hu San and I received a name badge. The stall was handed over to us as well.

Hu San immediately set to work, swiftly clearing away the boss’s fake goods, then moving in the raw jade materials I had stored in Sister Hong’s basement, arranging them neatly on the stall.

We divided our roles clearly—my job was to attract customers, Hu San’s to display and explain the characteristics of each stone.

Soon, a crowd of curious customers gathered in front of our stall.

Before long, two people managed to get two pieces of raw jade from us, each making about half the profit!

“Brothers, come and see! This stall’s got something special! Blind bets are paying off!”

With the word spreading among the jade gamblers, our stall was soon packed with people.

In a short time, the jade materials in front of us dwindled down to just over a dozen pieces.

The fake goods team from earlier stood stunned, unable to fathom why we would willingly do business at a loss.

I kept an eye on the market leaderboard and asked Hu San how things were going.

Half an hour later, Hu San said we’d made the list!

But there were still ninety-nine competitors ahead of us.

“Keep going!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, take a look at these stones—directly imported from Myanmar, guaranteed authentic, fair prices!”

I called out loudly, drawing plenty of attention.

Hu San, with his robust frame and professional gaze, tagged each stone, describing its features and potential value in detail.

The customers watched intently, many reaching for their wallets.

Another half hour passed, two more pieces sold, bringing in 200,000!

Our ranking climbed to ninety-two.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a suit approached, his gaze sharp—clearly not an ordinary customer.

He stopped at the stall, scrutinizing us.

“Business seems good here,” he remarked, his tone probing.

My heart tightened, but outwardly I stayed calm. “Thank you, sir, for the compliment. Our stones are genuine and high quality. Please feel free to browse.”

The man nodded, then pulled out a business card and handed it to me. “I’m the manager of the VIP venue. I’ve heard your goods stand out. Judging by the quality, your company must have some top-tier jade, correct?”

I nodded.

He smiled, “Alright, keep doing business. If you have something exceptional, outside the top three, we can give you a chance.”

I took the card, wildly elated inside, but kept cool on the surface. “Thank you for the opportunity. We’ll be sure to come.”

Seeing the man, Hu San suddenly remembered something and whispered, “Tiger, isn’t this Chen Leopard? Does this mean we qualify for the VIP hall?”

I shook my head. “No, he’s just letting us know we’ve caught his attention. Didn’t you see he’s handing out cards everywhere?”

Hu San looked a bit disappointed.

“He’s telling us not to waste resources—if we have top-grade jade, save it for the VIP venue. That’s the purpose of the card!”

“But we don’t have any exceptional pieces!” Hu San protested.

I laughed. “Of course not. Where does one find so many top-grade jade stones in the world?”

I said lazily, “Don’t think about shortcuts. Let’s sell what we have—if we manage to sell these remaining eight pieces well, maybe we’ll make a million or so… That should qualify us for the top ten!”

“But top ten isn’t enough; we need to get into the top two!”

Hu San looked at me, anxious.

I smiled, patting his shoulder, giving him a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. When the crucial moment comes, I’ll bring out our trump card. For now, let’s focus on selling the rest.”

Hu San nodded, still a bit doubtful, but didn’t press further.

He knew I was never one to boast lightly.

We kept busy, and the crowd at our stall grew ever larger.

Hu San’s introductions became increasingly adept, even adding some humor that had the customers laughing heartily.

Meanwhile, I continued to greet new arrivals, guiding them to Hu San’s demonstrations.

Time flew by—another hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Only three pieces remained on the stall, and our earnings had already surpassed one million.

On the leaderboard, our rank had climbed to eighteenth.

I had little choice at that point but to ask the temporary boss for some of their display-grade, low-quality jade to restock the stall.

“Wait, Tiger, didn’t you say we don’t sell inferior goods?”

I looked at Hu San, smiling. “When the crowd was big, of course not. Now that the main consumption peak has passed, it’s time to harvest! Sell what we can, to whom we can!”

No sooner had I spoken than our temporary boss arranged for four or five stalls’ worth of material, and suddenly our stall was piled high again.

About thirty pieces in all.

By now, our reputation was well established.

Many said our stall had a high rate of striking luck.

Over the next half hour, we sold a dozen more pieces.

By then, we had climbed into the top ten on the leaderboard!

Hu San, wiping sweat from his brow, said to me, “Damn, I never thought I’d make a living selling honestly!”

I chuckled, ignoring him, just reminding him that this was business.

Just then, a tall young woman approached.

She wore stylish professional attire and carried an exquisite leather handbag—clearly not an ordinary customer.

She stopped at the stall, scanning the goods sharply before meeting my gaze.

“I’ve heard your raw jade is pretty good?” she asked, her voice crisp and confident.

I smiled and nodded. “Yes, all our jade is shipped directly from the mines, guaranteed authentic, fairly priced.”

She smiled slightly. “Good, then I won’t hold back.”

She began to carefully select among the raw jade, occasionally asking Hu San technical questions.

Hu San, having learned a bit from me, answered her every query thoroughly.

Yet, as she picked, she kept glancing at me, making me wonder if she’d come for me.

After careful consideration, the young woman chose three pieces, totaling half a million.

Without hesitation, she pulled out her checkbook, signed the amount, and handed it to me.

“Good luck!” she said with a smile.

I quickly nodded. “We certainly will. Thank you for your patronage.”

After she left, Hu San and I exchanged glances, both filled with joy.

Yet I couldn’t shake the odd feeling—why did she say “good luck”?