Chapter 18: The Robber

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Carrying a million yuan’s worth of jadeite and taking the bus home? Yang Qi thought the idea was utterly idiotic.

“We’re just about to leave as well. I’ll take you home,” Shen Yuxuan offered.

Yang Qi nodded slightly. He had no reason to refuse.

Shen Yuxuan had two cars: one she had driven there herself, and another brought by her assistant, Xiao Xu.

The two bodyguards traveled ahead, while Shen Yuxuan and Yang Qi rode in the car driven by Xiao Xu.

“Mr. Yang, where do you live?” Xiao Xu asked from the driver’s seat.

“Qingzhou University.”

“Qingzhou University? Xiao Yang, don’t tell me you’re still a student?” Shen Yuxuan asked in surprise.

Although Yang Qi’s youthful appearance made it clear that he was rather young, Shen Yuxuan had never expected him to still be a university student. How could a student possess such extraordinary skill at gambling on rough stones?

“I’ll be graduating this year. You could say I found a job ahead of time.” Yang Qi smiled faintly, then continued, “Sister Shen, now that I’m technically part of the company, could you tell me how things stand?”

“The Shen family’s current situation is about what you heard before—if anything, it’s even worse.” The moment the company was mentioned, Shen Yuxuan’s expression grew solemn.

Even worse?

Yang Qi was taken aback, though not entirely surprised. For the sake of a single emerald, Shen Yuxuan had been willing to pay four million yuan, forcing even the competing Liu family to withdraw from the bidding. She had been prepared to accept a deal that was practically guaranteed to lose money. That alone showed how dire the Shen family’s circumstances had become.

“The Liu family didn’t just poach our rough-stone consultant. They’ve also blockaded our supply channels,” Shen Yuxuan said gravely.

“Our supply channels? Liu Family Jewelry has the power to cut off the company’s sources?” Yang Qi asked, somewhat astonished.

A rough-stone consultant mainly handled high-end jadeite. Low-end jadeite was generally obtained through middlemen and suppliers. From the conversations he had overheard earlier, Liu Family Jewelry and Shen Family Jewelry seemed to be evenly matched in strength. How, then, could the Liu family possibly blockade the Shen family’s supply?

Once their supply was cut off and their rough-stone consultant poached, Shen Family Jewelry was nothing more than an empty shell. What happened to a jewelry merchant with no jewelry to sell? It was like a supermarket with no merchandise—the only possible outcome was closure.

“The general manager of Liu Family Jewelry has a younger brother who is a deputy mayor of Qingzhou. He intervened personally and made the necessary arrangements. Although my father left behind some connections, we’re still being subjected to tremendous pressure when it comes to supplies.” Shen Yuxuan gave a bitter smile. “At present, the Shen family is relying mainly on our old stock and whatever scattered shipments we can obtain. Even so, our various branches are already beginning to experience shortages.”

“I had no idea things had become this serious.” Only now did Yang Qi fully understand the Shen family’s predicament. Shen Family Jewelry was already on the brink of collapse. If they failed to secure new sources of supply and high-end jadeite, then once their existing stock was sold, they would have no jadeite left to offer at all.

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“If that’s the case, Sister Shen, why didn’t you look for a rough-stone consultant sooner?” Yang Qi asked, puzzled. Since Shen Family Jewelry had already fallen into such dire straits, Shen Yuxuan should have sought a consultant earlier and resolved the problem of obtaining high-end jadeite.

“Do you think I didn’t want to? It’s just that a master of stone gambling isn’t so easy to recruit…” Shen Yuxuan had barely finished speaking when the sharp screech of brakes suddenly rang out ahead.

“Boom!”

A deafening crash erupted. The car carrying Shen Yuxuan’s two bodyguards, traveling ahead of them, was suddenly struck by a heavy truck.

“Skreee!”

Xiao Xu slammed on the brakes. Shen Yuxuan’s body lurched forward, and she nearly struck the back of the passenger seat.

“Was there an accident?” After steadying herself, Shen Yuxuan frowned slightly as she looked at the sedan that had collided with the truck. This was an intersection, and accidents were hardly unusual when drivers were in a hurry.

“An accident?” Yang Qi’s expression darkened. As a martial artist, he possessed exceptionally keen senses. Though he had been speaking with Shen Yuxuan, he had seen from the corner of his eye that when the truck burst through the intersection, it had shown no intention of stopping. In fact, it had even accelerated.

“How do you people drive?” someone suddenly roared from behind them.

“Xiao Xu, drive!” At the same moment, two men leapt down from the truck. Yang Qi’s expression changed, and he shouted urgently.

“Drive?”

Xiao Xu froze and did not start the car immediately.

“This wasn’t an accident. They’re targeting us!” Yang Qi hurriedly explained.

“Xiao Xu, drive!” Shen Yuxuan ordered at once. She had not noticed anything herself, but she sensed that the circumstances were far too coincidental.

At her command, Xiao Xu hurriedly started the engine.

“Not good!”

Yang Qi’s expression suddenly changed. He reached out, pressed Shen Yuxuan down, and shielded her beneath him.

“Boom!”

The next instant, an enormous impact struck them, and a deafening explosion burst beside their ears. The entire car lurched violently forward, its frame twisting out of shape. Under the tremendous force of the collision, every window shattered, spraying broken glass throughout the cabin. Xiao Xu, in the driver’s seat, collapsed over the steering wheel and lost consciousness.

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Clearly, the car behind them had rammed into them the moment its occupants realized that Xiao Xu was attempting to drive away.

“Call the police!”

Before the words had even left his mouth, Yang Qi kicked the car door.

“Bang!”

The door was blasted off its hinges by the terrifying force of his kick, and Yang Qi shot out of the vehicle.

“Xiao Xu?” Shen Yuxuan had just risen and did not see Yang Qi rush outside, but she did see the unconscious driver. She quickly pulled out her phone and called the police.

The instant he emerged from the car, Yang Qi saw four burly men surrounding the rear of the vehicle, each wielding a cleaver. The two men who had climbed down from the truck were also carrying broad-bladed machetes.

It was obvious that they had come prepared. The collision had been deliberately staged. As for their motive, Yang Qi could think of only one: the jadeite worth several million yuan.

“Break this kid’s limbs, take the goods, and leave!” the burly leader ordered coldly after glancing at Yang Qi.

At his command, three of the men immediately swung their cleavers and charged at Yang Qi.

“Hmph.”

Watching the three men rush toward him, Yang Qi let out a quiet snort. The primordial force within him began to circulate. With a light push of his foot, he lunged straight toward his attackers.

“Looking for death!”

The three men sneered coldly as Yang Qi charged. They raised their cleavers and brought them down toward him. If the blades struck, Yang Qi would suffer grievous injuries even if they failed to kill him.

“Yang Qi!”

Shen Yuxuan had just finished calling the police when she saw the scene. Her face changed dramatically. She could almost see the three cleavers descending and blood splashing through the air.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Just as the three blades were about to strike Yang Qi, the three burly men suddenly saw their vision blur. A terrifying force slammed into them, sending them flying backward like broken kites. They crashed heavily onto the road and lost consciousness.

“A trained fighter?”

The leader’s expression changed drastically. He hurriedly shouted, “Grab that woman!”

The three men had been no match for Yang Qi even with weapons in hand. Although their leader was more vicious in a fight than his subordinates, he was certainly no match for Yang Qi either. His only chance was to seize Shen Yuxuan. As long as he captured her, Yang Qi would have no choice but to surrender.