Chapter Seventeen: The Consultant

“These people are really something. I already told them I’m not selling the remaining two jade pieces, yet they still shoved their business cards into my hand,” Yang Qi said with a bitter smile. When did these jewelers become so careless? Although he had made over five million by selling two pieces of jade, compared to these jewelers, his money was probably just a fraction of theirs.

“They’re not interested in the jade itself,” Shen Yuxuan said with a start, shaking her head with a smile.

“Not the jade?” Yang Qi was taken aback.

“They’re interested in you!” Shen Yuxuan looked at Yang Qi.

“Me?” Yang Qi was stunned, then scornfully replied, “Why do you rich people all have the same taste?”

Hearing this, Shen Yuxuan’s expression darkened, and she ground her teeth. “They’re interested in your jade gambling skills. Don’t tell me you think it’s just luck that you’ve had four consecutive wins and even uncovered such rare emerald-quality jade!”

Yang Qi’s heart skipped a beat. Though he wanted to say it was all luck, he knew his streak had already made an impression on these jewelers. Each one was shrewd and wouldn’t easily overturn their judgment.

“Don’t tell me you’re interested in me too?” Yang Qi mused.

To his surprise, Shen Yuxuan nodded. “Your jade gambling skills are impressive—not quite at the master level yet, but definitely skilled. More importantly, you’re very young. I’m sure you heard about the current difficulties facing the Shen Jewelry Company. We desperately need a jade gambling expert!”

“Haha, I wouldn’t call myself a jade gambling expert,” Yang Qi said, shaking his head repeatedly.

He had heard bits about the conflicts between the Liu and Shen families but didn’t want to get involved. He carried many secrets, and jade gambling was originally just a method to cultivate his yuan crystals—a fortunate discovery rather than a pursuit. Now that he had a few million, he was content and saw no need to get entangled in the battles of two major jewelers.

Shen Yuxuan’s expression didn’t change at all when Yang Qi spoke, as if his polite refusal didn’t affect her. In truth, jade gambling experts or masters are not easy to recruit. Otherwise, with Shen Jewelry’s strong foundation, how could they be in trouble just because a jade master resigned?

Less than half an hour later, a capable woman entered the hotel suite with a contract. After reviewing it and finding no issues, Yang Qi signed his name.

“I’ve transferred the payment through the bank. You can check to confirm receipt,” Shen Yuxuan said.

Yang Qi logged into his online banking, saw the string of zeros, and his heart raced.

“Miss Shen, looking forward to working together.”

“Likewise.”

Just a few days ago, he was dressing up as a cartoon character for fifty yuan. Now, he was a millionaire—nearly six million in wealth. Thinking about the changes in the past few days, Yang Qi felt like he was dreaming.

“Mr. Yang, would you be interested in becoming our Shen Jewelry’s jade gambling consultant?” Shen Yuxuan suddenly asked just as Yang Qi was about to leave.

“Not interested at the moment,” Yang Qi shook his head.

“Won’t you hear my offer?” Shen Yuxuan pondered.

Yang Qi was curious. “What offer do you have in mind?”

“Ten percent commission on jade gambling below the ice category, eleven percent for ice jade, twelve percent for high ice jade. Even jade masters only get ten percent,” Shen Yuxuan explained.

Yang Qi had no doubt about her words. Such information wasn’t a secret and could be easily verified.

Although the offer was generous, Yang Qi showed no intention of accepting immediately.

“There are too few raw jade stores in Qingzhou. With your potential, Mr. Yang, it wouldn’t be difficult to train further and reach jade master level. Then whether you gamble jade yourself or serve as our consultant, it would be a win-win situation,” Shen Yuxuan said again, sensing his hesitation.

This made Yang Qi pause. Four yuan crystals wouldn’t last long for his cultivation. He needed more yuan crystals, and until he found new ways to obtain them, jade gambling was his only option. While wealth didn’t matter much to him, Shen Yuxuan’s point was valid—there were too few raw jade shops in Qingzhou, and the raw jade market hadn’t even formed yet. To acquire more jade to gamble on, he would have to leave Qingzhou and go to the raw jade market’s location.

The main source of raw jade was Myanmar, and though there were several large raw jade markets in China, they were either in Yunnan Province or coastal cities, unlike the stability of Qingzhou. Transporting jade back alone would be a huge hassle, not to mention the security, channels, and social connections required.

After a moment’s thought, Yang Qi realized that going it alone to secure yuan crystals was not only troublesome but dangerous. If he affiliated himself with Shen Jewelry, any problems could be handled by them, which would help him keep his secrets safer.

“Must say, Miss Shen, your offer is tempting. I can hardly find a reason to refuse,” Yang Qi smiled slightly and agreed immediately.

“Xiao Xu, the contract,” Shen Yuxuan breathed a sigh of relief. Though her offer was generous, she wasn’t entirely sure Yang Qi would accept.

“Do you bear the losses if the jade gambling fails?” Yang Qi was puzzled. This contract was unlike any he had seen before—there was no fixed employment term.

In fact, contracts for jade gambling consultants were usually like this, similar to casino dealers. Their main income came from commissions, and they were essentially attached to the casino or jeweler. Aside from when the company needed them, they were free agents. Although the contract was loose, if losses piled up, the lack of a fixed term became significant.

Casino dealers who lost too much money could simply be dismissed; jade masters were no different. If they lost too often, they were fired on the spot.

“Even when not gambling, there’s a monthly salary of 60,000?” Yang Qi was amazed.

A 60,000 monthly salary was unthinkable to him and quite high for a jade gambling consultant. Shen Yuxuan had offered well above the usual terms to attract a jade expert.

“Mr. Yang, from now on, you are our Shen Jewelry’s jade gambling consultant,” Shen Yuxuan said with a slight smile.

Yang Qi chuckled bitterly. “So starting today, should I call you President Shen?”

“No need for that. Just call me Sister Shen,” she replied with a smile.

“Sister Shen.”

“Xiao Yang, I don’t think you drove here, right?” Shen Yuxuan suddenly asked.

Drive?

Yang Qi smiled wryly. Drive? He didn’t even own a car; he had come by chauffeur-driven car service.

“So how do you plan to take your two pieces of jade with you?” Shen Yuxuan looked at him.

“Uh…” Yang Qi twitched his mouth. Forget a car, he didn’t even have a bag. Now that she mentioned it, how exactly was he going to carry the jade? Pocket them? They were worth over a million!