Chapter Forty-One: I’ll Watch Him Like a Hawk, Even If It Kills Me

Gao Youde sneered, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes. "Afraid? I, Gao Youde, have never known what fear even means! Years ago, you, Old Leopard Chen, set me up and drove me out of the stone gambling world. I've returned today for revenge! But seeing you act as both banker and contestant—it’s unacceptable!"

Old Leopard Chen maintained his faint, knowing smile, as if he’d anticipated Gao Youde’s challenge from the start. He gently waved his hand to calm the crowd. "Gao Youde, I understand your concerns. But let me assure you: today’s competition is open and transparent. Every raw stone will be evaluated and traded under the supervision of a third-party agency. Besides, in the stone gambling world, it’s always the strong who prevail. If you have real skill, let your prowess speak for itself."

At this moment, Li Zhen stepped forward to add, "Everyone, to ensure fairness, we’ve invited an internationally renowned team of stone gambling experts to serve as judges. They’ll monitor the entire event, guaranteeing impartial assessments of every stone."

Upon hearing this, the crowd relaxed a little, though Gao Youde remained persistent. "Even with third-party oversight, you, Old Leopard Chen, being both banker and contestant, who can guarantee you won’t manipulate things behind the scenes?"

The smile vanished from Old Leopard Chen’s face, replaced by a stern expression. "Gao Youde, if you continue to slander me, I won’t remain polite. Today’s competition is transparent—if you don’t trust it, you’re free not to participate."

Gao Youde snorted, utterly unimpressed. "See? I struck a nerve, didn’t I?"

It had to be said, Gao Youde’s words sowed a seed of doubt in everyone’s mind.

Old Leopard Chen faced the crowd’s uncertain gazes...

Suddenly, a smile tugged at his lips. "Fine, Gao Youde, do you know why you were expelled from the stone gambling world back then? Because you set traps everywhere, passed off fakes as genuine, mixed inferior with superior stones... Your tricks were impossible to guard against. I merely gave you a minor punishment on behalf of all our brothers! You should be grateful I didn’t force you to ruin!"

"That’s my business and has nothing to do with today’s competition! If you want to play, you play fair!"

Old Leopard Chen looked at the others, their opinions divided.

Then, Red Sister, who hadn’t spoken in a while, spoke up. "Brother Chen, though Gao Youde’s words are harsh, there’s some truth in them!"

"In this situation, no matter how many supervisors there are, the raw stones are yours, the roller coaster is yours... Even the safety monitoring in this room could be under your control. So... I think you should avoid any appearance of impropriety!"

Old Leopard Chen closed his eyes to ponder, then replied coldly, "Let me tell you all: I, Old Leopard Chen, stake my honor and integrity on this—never in my life would I cheat as a banker! I’ve spent years in the stone gambling market, built the only local jade industry chain company… Everyone knows my reputation is my foundation!"

Gao Youde snorted, eyes full of disdain. "Save your sentimentality; I don’t have time for your nonsense. If you agree, solve the problem of the banker!"

Old Leopard Chen’s face darkened. The banker represented the market, and he was its owner—how could he avoid suspicion?

Should he shut down the market for this?

After a moment’s silence, he finally spoke. "Fine, I won’t act as banker, but the competition rules must remain unchanged. We’ll appoint a neutral third party as banker. How’s that?"

Gao Youde considered, then nodded. "Agreed, but the third party must be approved by both sides."

Old Leopard Chen nodded. "Very well, let’s have everyone present suggest suitable candidates."

The crowd began to discuss. After some debate, they decided to draw lots.

"The competition venue must be changed, and it can’t be at any of the top ten jade markets, as there’s too much overlap and cooperation among them!"

"How about we each nominate ten backup venues, then move the competition there, with the opposing side providing the raw stones?"

Red Sister suggested this.

Truth be told, Gao Youde wasn’t well liked, especially by Old Leopard Chen, who found him particularly irritating.

But with Red Sister speaking, Old Leopard Chen felt less resistant.

"If everyone agrees, let’s begin." Old Leopard Chen shot a cold glance at Gao Youde, signaling it was time to decide and draw lots among several smaller jade markets.

Soon, the names of several small markets suggested by each participant were tossed into the ballot box.

"Everyone, the box contains names of several small jade markets in Rui Jing. Whoever draws a name will have that market provide the venue and raw stones," the chairman announced. "This way, no one has any objections, right?"

The crowd nodded in agreement. Gao Youde and Old Leopard Chen said nothing further, exchanging icy glances filled with competitive fire.

Old Leopard Chen handed the ballot box to Gao Youde. "Mr. Gao, since you’ve voiced the most objections, please do the honors."

Without hesitation, Gao Youde reached into the box, rummaged around, and pulled out a slip of paper. He unfolded it, glanced at it, then handed it to the chairman.

The chairman took the slip and read aloud, "Lu Family Old Jade Market, Field Number Three."

Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat.

Wasn’t that Lu Yi’er’s venue?

I turned to look at Hu San; he realized it too.

Gao Youde addressed the crowd, "The venue’s been chosen, but I want to check for any cheating in the ballots."

With that, he tore open the ballot box, gathered the slips together, and found each one unique. Only then did he nod in approval.

...

Ladies and gentlemen, since the roller coaster is rather large and arranging its transfer will take some time, there isn’t enough time for the final round today!

To ensure the last round is properly completed, we’ll move the competition to tomorrow morning.

Half an hour later, Li Zhen came out to announce the results.

Gao Youde snorted, "Fine, no problem. But since you’re the ones making all these arrangements, you’ll be responsible for meals and accommodations. And I want a woman—you’ll have to find one for me!"

"I can’t sleep without a fragrant woman in my arms!"

Li Zhen nodded, "Of course. To prevent anyone from causing trouble and disrupting tomorrow’s competition, all six participants will be sent to a villa."

"The villa will be under full lockdown, with 24-hour outdoor surveillance. This will ensure all five remain inside, and tomorrow morning we begin directly!"

Gao Youde laughed coldly. "I don’t care about the rest, but I have one demand: Old Leopard Chen must sleep with me tonight! Even if I don’t sleep, I’ll keep an eye on him!"