Chapter 137 What's going on here? Did they come to the auction house for a big market?

Early morning.

It rained yesterday, and the weather was overcast this morning.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees; taking a few deep breaths made one feel much lighter all over.

Under the special instructions of Yu Shuo, Ling Yue wore a basic grey-toned tracksuit today.

The pants had large pockets, so she didn't even bother bringing a bag.

At the entrance of the villa area.

Yu Shuo was also dressed lightly, looking quite refreshed.

She seemed more like a living, breathing person compared to when she was seen at the birthday banquet before.

"Looking at your expression, has something good happened recently?"

As the automatic car door slid open, Ling Yue patted the seat beside her.

Yu Shuo got out of the back seat of her own car and accepted the invitation to sit in the back of Ling Yue's Cullinan.

"Thanks to Miss Ling's trust, I now have people to work with, my work is progressing smoothly, and I feel full of drive.

The Pingxi Public Auction we are going to today is the largest jadeite raw stone trading market in the country. I have brought the company's most capable raw stone appraiser, hoping to be of help to you."

Of course, what made Yu Shuo happiest was the stupid mistake committed by that idiot Huang Jingluo.

The lawyer's emergency handling was perfect. Fortunately, the tricycle driver was not seriously injured and chose to keep quiet after receiving huge compensation.

However, the shareholders still found out about the news.

For at least five years, Huang Jingluo wouldn't be able to shake off the label of being unreliable.

Her opportunity had finally arrived!

Ling Yue leaned back against the seat.

"Miss Yu, tell me more about the public auction."

"I often came here with my parents when I was a child..." Yu Shuo talked on and on.

She showed a talkative side, and Ling Yue didn't feel bored at all during the journey of at least 80 minutes.

"We're here." Yu Shuo looked out the window and directed Master Qin to find a nearby parking space.

Getting out of the car, the roadside was full of pedestrians.

Most of them were walking in the same direction.

Yu Shuo raised her wrist to check her watch.

"There should be a lot of people at this time. Why don't we go stroll around the nearby jade street first?

I've already spoken with the person in charge of the public auction; we will go in when they clear the venue at 12:30 PM."

Once people arrive in a lively environment, it is easy to get swept up in it.

Ling Yue just wanted to follow the crowd and join in the excitement.

"It's fine, let's go take a look first and soak up the atmosphere." Ling Yue walked forward with her hands behind her back, taking long strides.

The auction was held in a very large factory area, with the auction venue, warehouses, and central building distributed in different areas.

There were roadblocks at the entrance of the factory area, and many security guards were wandering around nearby.

To enter the factory area, one had to swipe a membership card.

Through Yu Shuo's introduction, Ling Yue successfully became a member of the Pingxi Public Auction and entered without obstruction.

Moreover, she was able to bring her staff in as well.

Passing through the turnstiles, Ling Yue paid the deposit at the payment counter and picked up a bidding form.

Then, following the bustling crowd for a long time, she finally arrived at the auction venue.

Ling Yue's eyes were opened.

She had imagined the raw stone auction to be a magnificent auction hall where, with the auctioneer's gavel, a certain lot would be won by a wealthy person in luxurious clothing, while the others would put down their paddles with regret, yet full of anticipation for the next lot.

In reality, the raw stone auction was just like a wet market; everywhere one looked, there were heads.

It felt just like coming to an auction to attend a street market!

Look, all the cut raw stones, whether fully or partially exposed, were either placed on the ground or on small makeshift stalls.

There were no evening gowns, just a sea of dusty grey.

Almost everyone was holding small white or yellow lights, scanning and shining them over the stones.

One second Ling Yue was curious about why there were bottles of mineral water on the stalls, and the next second she saw someone squeeze a mineral water bottle, and water began to squirt from the perforated cap, washing over the stone... it seemed to serve the purpose of cleaning.

Yes, everything was so simple, unpretentious, and down-to-earth.

"Wow! Is this the auction? There are so many people!" Luo Shanshan rubbed her eyes, visibly surprised.

Qu Shu swallowed and said, "It's completely different from what I imagined."

Luo Shanshan: "I thought it would be high-class, just like in the movies."

Qu Shu nodded: "It seems we were ill-informed."

"Oh my god, look at that stone! It's red!" Luo Shanshan exclaimed, looking like she had never seen the world before.

Ling Yue looked at them, then thought of herself.

There is no harm without comparison.

Ling Yue felt balanced instantly.

By comparison, she was actually quite calm.

The path was almost blocked halfway.

The left side was slightly quieter, while the right side was packed so full that heads merged into one.

In short, there was nowhere to step on either side.

With so many people fighting for air, Ling Yue felt her breathing become heavy and her head dizzy before she had even gone in.

Forget it.

She scratched her head, "I think we should wait until the venue is cleared before coming back."

She wanted to attend the street market.

But this market was so crowded she couldn't even squeeze in, so how could she attend it?

Yu Shuo knew it would be like this, so she had booked a tea house private room in advance on the commercial street opposite the factory area.

The road over there was Jade Street; according to Yu Shuo, the water here was very deep.

Even a master of treasure appraisal could be deceived here.

Ling Yue instantly lost her desire to buy anything.

She could throw money around, but if she spent money on fake goods, she would probably die of anger.

12:30 PM.

The factory area was cleared.

As a long-term VIP client of the Pingxi Public Auction, Yu Shuo naturally enjoyed special treatment and could take Ling Yue with her.

Of course, it wasn't just Yu Shuo's company; other jewelry merchants were also on the list.

Compared to the clamor of the morning, the factory area at noon seemed much quieter; the large and spacious area echoed with every step.

"The venue will be cleared at 2:00 PM, so we have an hour and a half to observe quietly." Yu Shuo explained the situation and took Ling Yue straight to the biggest star lot of the event.

The raw stone appraiser began to examine it.

It was a large stone weighing two tons, shaped like a tree trunk, with a huge cut surface.

In the middle of a large grey-green cut surface, a transition from light green to dark green at one edge formed a pure green cut surface about the size of a 14-inch laptop.

The cut surface had cracks, but as the color got deeper, the cracks became fewer and fewer, until at the edge of the stone, it bulged into a 'jade pocket' the size of a bowl.

The edge of this 'jade pocket' had been finely polished according to the stone's texture, and the entire raised 'jade pocket' had not a single crack or impurity!

It was the purest and most intense color area within the entire green section.

Ling Yue was a layman watching the fun, but based on her experience from purchasing jadeite a few times, she knew without thinking that this 'jade pocket' was definitely the most valuable part of the entire stone.

However...

She pointed to a red tag attached below the jadeite and asked, "The price marked on this is 0?"

Yu Shuo explained, "There are three types of tags in the auction venue.

White tags are for ordinary raw stones and are the most common identification at the Pingxi Public Auction.

They usually set a reserve price, and bidders cannot bid lower than that. If you are not satisfied after winning a white-tag raw stone, you can return it, but the deposit is non-refundable.

Yellow tags are for high-quality raw stones, usually those with excellent window displays; the marked price is generally 0, and bidders can set their own prices.

Red tags are for the star lots or top-tier raw stones of the auction. Like the yellow tags, the marked price is generally 0, and they use a sealed-bid format; usually, the highest bidder wins.

Once a yellow or red-tagged raw stone is won, the transaction must be completed, and you cannot abandon the bid, otherwise, you will be blacklisted by the industry."

Ling Yue leaned in close to look at the star lot.

"Then how much is this raw stone worth approximately?"

Yu Shuo looked at the raw stone appraiser.

The appraiser stepped forward, pointing to the bulging 'jade pocket' and said:

"Miss Ling, Miss Yu, look at this 'jade pocket'. It belongs to the high-ice, vibrant green variety. The color is incredibly pure; it is absolutely top-tier merchandise on the market.

Judging from the current window display, producing one full green jadeite bracelet is absolutely no problem. On the market, it would be worth at least 50-80 million, belonging to the top collection tier.

It is expected to produce another 1-2 high-ice pendants or cabochons, which would also be worth no less than 10 million.

Including these large cracked cut surfaces you see, if there is material underneath, this area could grind out a glutinous-ice vibrant green bracelet, and these areas with many cracks could also grind out some small cabochons.

My estimate is that the auction price of this raw stone is at least between 80 million and 120 million.

If this 'jade pocket' could go one inch deeper inside, or one inch further down, then it is very likely to open up two bracelet slots. In that case, the value of this raw stone itself would definitely exceed 200 million.

Of course, 'if' is an unknown variable in itself. For now, winning it for under 100 million is still considered safe, but above 100 million, the risk gets a bit high."

Considering there was a complete layman present, the master tried to use colloquial language for the introduction.

Ling Yue did indeed understand.