Chapter Fifty-Six: Sister Hong Makes Her Move?

Chen Laobao’s actions left everyone in the room momentarily stunned. Silence fell instantly, and all eyes focused on his old hand resting on my shoulder.

Especially Gao Youde—his face turned an ashen shade as he shouted angrily, “Chen Laobao, you black-hearted scoundrel! Wang Hu has already lost everything, and you’re still giving him money to keep losing? Are you trying to kill him? You pretend to be a good man, but you’re no better than the rest!”

Chen Laobao remained unmoved. He sneered and fixed his sharp gaze on Gao Youde. “Gao Youde, stop meddling. Since when does my business concern you? Whether Wang Hu loses or not is his own affair. I’m giving him a chance to start over, using my own money. I’ll do as I please. And you—taking advantage of the situation to buy up their positions—are you any better?”

Gao Youde was left speechless, glaring at me with resentment.

The others started to whisper among themselves, and the atmosphere in the room quickly became restless.

I turned to Chen Laobao and said slowly, “Chen Laobao, you’d better think this through. What you’re giving me is a gift, not a loan!”

Chen Laobao laughed. “The leg of a fly, the flesh of a mosquito—such trifles are nothing to me!”

Though unexpected, his gesture gave me a chance at a critical moment.

Taking a deep breath, I silently vowed to myself: This time, I cannot lose again. In fact, I cannot afford to lose again.

“Thank you, Chen Laobao,” I said to him with all due solemnity.

He waved his hand dismissively, smiling. “There’s no need for thanks among those who live by the code of the streets, Wang Hu. I’ve given you the money, but from here on, the wins and losses have nothing to do with me. I’ll carry on as I always do—understand?”

I nodded, clarity settling in my heart.

For the next round, I knew I had to give it my all—there could be no mistakes.

Just then, Lu Yier stepped forward, a look of both appreciation and warning in his eyes. “Wang Hu, Su Li, remember—this is your last chance. Any more mistakes, and there’ll be no way back.”

Lu Yier reminded us once again that the third round was about to begin.

Everyone responded in turn.

Lu Yier then beckoned to the staff by the stone table.

The third round began.

For the roller-coaster seating, Su Li was in first position, Sister Hong in second, Gao Youde in third, and Chen Laobao in fourth.

After some internal adjustments, Gao Youde was allowed three opportunities to claim the first position, but he’d have only five seconds after a stone appeared to make his decision.

Everyone nodded in understanding.

At this stage, Chen Laobao had become the wealthiest among us—he’d just scooped up ten million in the last round.

Now, his funds were close to twenty million.

The worst off, of course, were Su Li and me.

We’d suffered for two reasons: first, Gao Youde’s extraordinary luck that day; second, Su Li’s repeated interference in my choices.

Even now, Su Li had managed to take my spot, standing at the forefront.

There were twenty raw stones in this third round.

The staff reminded us from the side.

They began to adjust the table, arranging the formation, and placed the first raw stone into the miniature train before starting it up.

With a rattling sound, the little train’s engine appeared.

Su Li was visibly nervous, glancing at me instinctively.

I shook my head, signaling her not to move on this one.

She drew a deep breath, her gaze becoming resolute.

She followed my advice and did not act.

The first raw stone wobbled past everyone as the train pushed it along.

Su Li’s hand trembled slightly, but she held fast.

The others remained watchful, no one daring to make a hasty move.

Tick, tick. Second by second passed. The first raw stone was carried to the end by the train, unclaimed.

The tension in the room heightened as all eyes turned to the second stone.

Lu Yier swept his gaze around and intoned, “Second raw stone, begin.”

The train set off again, and the second stone appeared, moving forward slowly.

This time, a sly glint flashed in Gao Youde’s eyes. He quickly signaled the staff to stop the train.

“I’ll take it!” he declared, brimming with confidence.

Everyone held their breath, their attention fixed on him.

Gao Youde elbowed Su Li aside, picked up the stone, and examined it closely. A faint smile curled his lips. “I’ll take this one.”

Su Li looked helplessly at me.

I only shook my head, but inwardly, I spoke aloud, “It seems Gao Youde’s luck has finally run out.”

Gao Youde handed the stone to a staff member, indicating he was ready for the cut.

He stood aside, pulled out a pen and paper, and began scribbling his price.

The staff carefully operated the cutting machine, the tension in the room mounting with every passing second.

As the whir of the cutter grew louder, everyone’s heartbeats seemed to quicken.

At last, the machine stopped. The staff displayed the cut stone with care.

“This is a good piece,” one of them remarked after a close look. “Estimated value: six hundred thousand.”

Gao Youde’s smile widened at the sum. He swiftly wrote down a number and handed the slip to Lu Yier.

Lu Yier glanced at it, his gaze sharpening, before announcing loudly, “Gao Youde’s bid: eight hundred thousand!”

This was clearly a misjudgment.

With the rules for over- and under-bidding, the penalty was three times the difference for underbidding, and two times for overbidding.

This move would cost him one million two hundred thousand.

Yet Gao Youde didn’t seem rattled by the loss. He snorted. “Everyone slips sometimes—a man, a horse, what does it matter?” Then he shot Su Li a cold look. “Alright, I’ve used one chance. I have two left.” With that, he returned to his seat, his confident smile undiminished.

Su Li frowned, clearly displeased by his attitude, but quickly steadied herself and looked my way. I nodded, signaling her to remain calm.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Lu Yier motioned for the staff to start the miniature train again.

The third raw stone appeared before us.

Su Li looked at me…

I shook my head.

But as the stone passed Sister Hong, she glanced at Su Li, then back at me. Suddenly, in a rare, cool voice, she declared, “I’ll take this stone!”

I was taken aback.

Sister Hong had made a move?

Watching her slender, graceful hand caress the raw stone, I was struck by a sudden sense of foreboding. I wondered…

If Sister Hong could give me the “Blood-Eye Jade Appraisal” technique, perhaps she still had some hidden trump cards up her sleeve.