Chapter 276: 275, Admit Defeat Chapter 276: 275, Admit Defeat Li Tianyu let out a laugh and felt a sigh of relief inside, “Don’t jump to conclusions yet, wait until the rough is cut. If I win this time, at least I’ll have saved face and won’t be the butt of jokes.”
Liu Xin smiled carelessly, “Mr. Li is right, let’s wait for the results. It’s too early to celebrate; it’d be embarrassing if things turned around.”
“Master, let them be happy for a little while, and wait until the results come out. They probably won’t be able to laugh then, hahaha…” Li Tianyu’s apprentice boasted proudly, walking towards their stone cutting booth.
Li Tianyu and Zhang Yun exchanged a knowing smile and walked to the stone cutting booth as well. They were eager to find out what quality of jade awaited inside their rough, looking forward to the moment Liu Xin and his group’s expressions would change.
After waiting about ten minutes, their rough was finally cut open.
Upon seeing the results, Li Tianyu quickly squatted down to inspect, but his face changed the next moment, “How could this be?”
Hearing this, Zhang Yun and Li Tianyu’s apprentice also hurried over and squatted down. Upon seeing the cut edges of the rough, their expressions turned very grim.
The jade at the cut surface of this rough was dry green jade. The flesh of dry green jade is coarse, dry, and opaque, typically having a white or gray-white base. Its crystals are large and its surface is rough, making it of very low ornamental value. It’s an easily identifiable variety of very low grade.
Liu Xin burst into laughter upon seeing the rough’s cut surface, “Looks like our luck prevails. We even beat the White Base Green variety. Are you ready to admit defeat now?”
The faces of Li Tianyu and his companions turned sour as they stood up and faced Liu Xin, “You’ve won, what’s there to gloat about?”
“So what if I gloat? Weren’t you also gloating earlier? Do you think only you are allowed to do that?” Liu Xin laughed even louder.
Li Tianyu and his companions, frustrated and pale, found themselves without a retort.
“We admit we’ve lost. Master, let’s go,” said Li Tianyu’s apprentice, tugging at Li Tianyu.
“Wait a minute! Haven’t you forgotten something?” Liu Xin wasn’t about to let them off easily, stepping forward with a cheeky grin.
Li Tianyu’s face reddened, “I lost fairly and squarely.”
He turned to face Song Yan Ning, “I’m not your equal; I lost.” Then, he quickly walked out. Had he known he would face such public humiliation, he would never have come.
Li Tianyu’s apprentice glared harshly at Song Yan Ning and Liu Xin before hurrying after Li Tianyu.
Song Yan Ning shook her head, smiling as she looked away, “Let’s go back.”
Qin Yushen nodded, reached out to hold Song Yan Ning’s hand, and together they headed outside.
“Young friend, could you help me choose some roughs? I’m willing to pay a premium to hire you,” a middle-aged man approached, blocking the path of Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen. He had only arrived recently and had heard that the young girl had selected roughs that resulted in two pieces of glass type, showing her deep understanding of roughs.
Before Song Yan Ning could respond, Liu Xin stepped up, smiling amiably at the middle-aged man, “Mr. Yang, she’s my boss and does not accept engagements from others.”
“What? She’s your boss?” Yang Qi pointed at Song Yan Ning in disbelief. Given her age and her ability to judge roughs, it was extraordinary, and she was also Liu Xin’s boss? She looked to be only around twelve or thirteen years old. He knew the world had many geniuses, but she seemed excessively talented.
Liu Xin nodded with a smile, “Mr. Yang, take your time choosing. We’ll be leaving now.” The boss had only arrived in Myanmar today and hadn’t rested since then.
“Okay.” Yang Qi nodded, still a bit slow to react. He had heard that Liu Xin’s business had been growing larger over the years, thanks to his boss. If Song Yan Ning was indeed Liu Xin’s boss, how young must she have been when she became the boss?
When Song Yan Ning and her group returned to the hotel, Liu Xin offered his own room to Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen. The jade trading conference had just started in Myanmar, and all rooms had to be booked in advance. He had previously reserved a room for his boss, but because the boss didn’t arrive on time, the hotel had canceled the reservation.
“Liu Xin, you keep the room. We’ll look for a hotel,” Song Yan Ning said, knowing that rooms were hard to book at this time.
Liu Xin shook his head with a smile, “Boss, I’m fine, I can squeeze in with my guys.” It was his fault for not securing a room for his boss; how could he let his boss search for a hotel themselves?
“Let’s have a look around, and if we can’t find anything, we’ll see,” Song Yan Ning said before she pulled Qin Yushen out of the room.
“Boss!” Liu Xin chased after them, but the corridor was already devoid of Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen. He could only sigh helplessly and return to his room.
Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen didn’t look for hotels in the city; the jade trading conference was held here, and the surrounding hotels were surely fully booked.
“I found a very interesting hotel. Want to check it out?” Qin Yushen smiled suggestively.
Song Yan Ning raised an eyebrow, “Of course.” If Qin Yushen found it amusing, how could she miss it?
Soon, Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen arrived at the hotel, a hot springs resort. Because it was located quite far from the venue of the jade trading conference, there weren’t many guests staying there.
“Welcome!” A woman dressed in a suit came up to greet Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen as they approached.
“I’d like to book a room,” Qin Yushen said.
The female attendant looked them up and down for a long while, “Just the two of you? No adults with you?”
“Yes,” Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen nodded.
“Please follow me,” the attendant led them ahead.
After assisting Song Yan Ning and Qin Yusheniny with their check-in, the attendant took them to a suite with a hot spring, “For safety, please try not to enter the hot spring at night.”
“Okay,” Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen nodded and closed the door behind them.
After taking a look around the room, Song Yan Ning shook her head and chuckled, “This really is an interesting hotel.” While the hotel’s surroundings were pleasant, it had a strong eerie aura, even during broad daylight. There were several transparent shadows flitting around their room.
With a casual grab, Qin Yushen suddenly had a faint shadow in his hand, “Why are you gathered here?” He had just swept the hotel with his Divine Sense, and aside from being somewhat old, there was nothing particularly attracting these lost souls.
The lost souls trembled, “We don’t want to stay here either, but we can’t leave.”
Qin Yushen swept them with his Divine Sense again, “There’s no restriction on you.”