18: Imperial green, the heart of a beauty!

"Pfft~"

Someone couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing on the spot.

Immediately after, like a chain reaction, bursts of laughter erupted in the exhibition hall.

Everyone wanted to hold it in, but they just couldn't... This kid was practically offering a full funeral service, and even performing rites for the deceased?

Too brilliant!

By the time Lin Jianren reacted, his face had turned dark with anger.

Not only was this kid in front of him devious and ruthless in his moves, but his tongue was also incredibly venomous.

His 'one-stop service' talk almost made him faint.

If it came to a fight, the few good-for-nothings around him probably wouldn't even be enough to fill the other party's teeth.

"Hmph!"

He snorted coldly, forcing himself to find a way out of the awkward situation.

"I won't stoop to your level, you barbarian!"

"Being aggressive and violent is what low-class people do!"

"President Bing, some people are only good with their mouths. Don't let yourself be fooled."

"Spending five hundred thousand to buy a stepping stone, tsk tsk..."

"I'll wait to see how you cut it. Don't you dare back out, that would be truly shameful!"

It was a very crude provocation.

Bing Lan originally didn't want to get entangled, but the other party was pressing hard, so she had no choice but to accept the challenge.

Otherwise, Shuyue Group would appear to be afraid of Yuezi Group.

Moreover, having witnessed Ye Chen's ability to appraise stones just now, she had confidence in him.

Bing Lan's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she retorted, "What if we cut out jade on the spot?"

Lin Jianren burst into laughter.

"You expect jade from this piece of junk?"

"Forget about cutting out jade; if it can even show a hint of green today, I, Lin Jianren, will eat all the scraps!"

Ji Boduan was the first to chime in, "President Bing, this is the difference between you and President Lin. It's no wonder this old man temporarily abandoned the dark and joined the light. If this stone can show green today, this old man will eat it with President Lin!"

Master Wang also puffed out his chest, "Count me in too!"

Seeing that there was more excitement to watch, the surrounding people stopped leaving.

Bing Lan said no more and gestured to the stone-cutting master, "Please, cut the stone here."

"No trouble at all!"

The master swiftly secured the raw stone. "President Bing, how do you plan to cut it?"

Bing Lan looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen stepped forward, drew a line on the stone's skin with a pen, "Master, from here, open a window."

The master nodded and operated the machine to grind along the line.

The stone skin peeled off, and dust flew.

The next second.

A breathtaking splash of green suddenly burst into everyone's vision!

That green... was rich! Pure! Vibrant!

It shimmered with crystalline luster under the lights, transparent like water, yet so green it seemed to drip!

The entire exhibition hall instantly fell into a dead silence, where a dropped pin could be heard.

Everyone's eyes widened, staring intently at the thumb-sized window, as if they had witnessed a miracle.

Immediately after, the whole place erupted!

"Im... imperial green! It's imperial green!!!"

"My heavens! Such pure imperial green, hidden in this waste material?"

"A huge surge! This is a super big surge!"

"This clarity, this color... I've been in this business for decades, and this is the first time I've seen such a fine specimen!"

...Bing Lan gazed at that astonishing green, her heart filled with shock.

She had guessed there might be green, but she never expected it to be glass-grade imperial green!

This was more than just a successful gamble; what was it?

This was practically a meteoric rise!

Five hundred thousand, exchanged for a piece of imperial green worth tens of millions?

She subconsciously looked at Ye Chen beside her, her beautiful eyes shimmering with brilliance.

Yet, Ye Chen remained calm, directing the stone-cutting master.

"Don't stop; grind slowly along the edge of the green flesh and take it out completely."

"Good! Good!"

The master's hands trembled with excitement as he cautiously continued to operate.

When the last piece of stone shell was removed and cleaned with water, a piece of imperial green jadeite, larger than an adult man's fist, lay quietly in the tray.

Under the lights, the emerald green shimmered, illuminating the entire hall.

Countless people watched, dumbfounded.

Ye Chen then turned his gaze to Lin Jianren and the other two, pointing at the stone scraps on the ground.

"President Lin, Master Ji, Master Wang."

"The three of you, please, you can start eating!"

All eyes in the hall once again focused on Lin Jianren and the other two.

Lin Jianren's face instantly turned a purplish-red, and he pointed at Ye Chen, his finger trembling incessantly.

"You... you, you..."

After stuttering 'you' for a long time, he couldn't utter a complete sentence and instead felt his vision dim.

To think that Lin Jianren had dominated the business world for many years; when had he ever suffered such a monumental humiliation?

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, if he really ate the scraps, he wouldn't be able to stay in the circle anymore!

But if he didn't eat, it would mean breaking his word and losing all face!

Caught between a rock and a hard place, a surge of anger rushed to his head!

"Pfft—"

Lin Jianren's throat sweetened, and he actually spat out a mouthful of old blood from sheer anger!

Immediately after.

He rolled his eyes and fell straight backward.

"President Lin! President Lin!"

"Quick! Call an ambulance!"

Ji Boduan and Master Wang were scared out of their wits. They no longer cared about eating stones and frantically rushed to support Lin Jianren, desperately pressing his philtrum while shouting in panic to those around them.

The scene instantly devolved into chaos.

Ye Chen turned to Bing Lan and said softly, "Miss Bing, let's go."

Bing Lan nodded slightly, then gestured for the staff to pack the imperial green.

Then.

Holding the item, she walked directly out of the hall.

As she sat in the passenger seat, Bing Lan turned her head to look at Ye Chen's profile and suddenly chuckled.

"What's wrong, Miss Bing?" Ye Chen started the car and asked casually.

Bing Lan's eyes shimmered, and for the first time, she showed a hint of playfulness: "I'm wondering, how many more abilities do you have that I don't know about?"

"I have many abilities."

Ye Chen turned the steering wheel, half-joking, "For example... I'm particularly good at appreciating beautiful and cool female CEOs like Miss Bing."

Bing Lan's ears felt slightly warm: "Then, does your appreciation come with a fee?"

"Depends on the person."

Ye Chen glanced at her, "For Miss Bing, it's a free trial with a lifetime warranty."

Bing Lan couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile, then turned to look out the window: "Smooth talker."

The car was quiet for a moment.

Bing Lan looked at him again, having reverted to her usual strong businesswoman demeanor.

"This piece of imperial green is valued at at least eighty million according to market price."

"According to industry practice, after it's sold, you can receive ten percent of the profit."

This reward was quite generous, enough to make anyone's heart flutter.

Ye Chen, however, shook his head: "Miss Bing, I can't accept it."

Bing Lan was startled.

"Is it too little?"

"No, quite the opposite."

Ye Chen said calmly, "I only need two million, just enough to pay off all my debts. I don't want a single cent more."

"Why?"

Bing Lan was even more puzzled. Who would refuse millions and only take enough to pay off debts?

Ye Chen smiled, feigning arrogance.

"Rules."

"The law does not grant without cause, doctors do not knock on doors, and stone appraisal is the same!"

"I make a move once, solving your urgent problem; I take two million, settling my own troubles, and we're even."

"These are the rules. If broken... they won't work."

This was, of course, made up. Ye Chen also loved money.

But he couldn't be greedy.

Since he had already gained Bing Lan's favor, why ruin it for a moment of greed? With his inheritance, there would be many opportunities to make money in the future, but building trust often only happens once... Bing Lan gazed at Ye Chen, a flicker of light in her eyes.

In this profit-driven world, she had seen too many greedy individuals who were obsessed with money.

A young man like Ye Chen, who could uphold his principles and adhere to rules even when faced with millions in profit, was almost unheard of for her.

This character surprised and impressed her far more than the imperial green itself.

She smiled with understanding, took out her phone, "I understand the rules. It's as you wish."

The next second.

Ye Chen's phone chimed with a text message notification.

He glanced at it: two million credited.

"Thanks, Miss Bing."

"I should be thanking you, Ye Chen." Bing Lan paused, then asked, "Speaking of which... you just graduated from university, how did you end up owing two million?"

Ye Chen was about to explain when he suddenly slammed on the brakes.

The car model came to a steady stop by the roadside.

He looked out the window and said, "Because of her."

"Hmm?"

Bing Lan was surprised and followed his gaze.

She saw.

In front of a pet shop, a long-haired woman with a disheveled skirt and torn stockings was desperately dragging a short-haired woman in a white lab coat back into the shop... The long-haired woman's cheeks were flushed, her eyes glazed, and she looked insane: "Quick... quick, give me an injection! I'm burning up!"

The short-haired woman clumsily protected her waistband, wailing, "I'm a vet! A vet who gives injections to cats and dogs..."

"I don't care! You have to give me a fever-reducing shot right now!"

The long-haired woman shrieked, forcibly dragging the short-haired woman into the shop... Ye Chen: "..."

Bing Lan: "..."

Bing Lan: "..."