Chapter 38: Evaluation

Chapter 38: Evaluation

The Shen Jewelry Company today could hardly protect itself, let alone go head-to-head with Liu Jewelry. Faced with Liu Xiangnan’s posturing, Shen Yuxuan had no choice but to endure it in silence.

"Ms. Shen, this Liu Xiangnan is quite capable and calculating," Yang Qi remarked to Shen Yuxuan, who stood beside him.

"Indeed," she replied. Although they were business rivals, even Shen Yuxuan had to admit that Liu Xiangnan was not someone to be underestimated.

In fact, a few years ago, the Shen family had been the largest jade and jewelry merchant in Qingchuan Province, with the Liu family trailing in second. However, after Liu Xiangnan joined Liu Jewelry, the company developed rapidly, showing signs of overtaking the Shen firm. Just as this was happening, the head of the Shen family fell gravely ill. While Shen Yuxuan was capable, she was suddenly thrust into the helm, and merely maintaining their existing business was a struggle; growth was out of the question.

Under Liu Xiangnan’s leadership, Liu Jewelry grew explosively, closing the gap and even threatening to surpass the Shen family. At that critical juncture, the second son of the Liu family was suddenly promoted to Vice Mayor. Liu Xiangnan then decisively moved against Shen Jewelry, plunging the newly stabilized company into chaos.

If not for their deep foundations, any ordinary jade merchant would have closed down long ago. Even so, under these circumstances, Shen Jewelry was finding every step an uphill battle.

"However, Liu Xiangnan has always been unscrupulous," Shen Yuxuan said coldly. "Such a person might succeed for a time, but they cannot succeed for a lifetime!"

Hearing this, Yang Qi was slightly taken aback and nodded to himself. The Great Emperor Hao Yang had lived for countless years and seen many powerful figures; those who truly achieved greatness were never the type to resort to unscrupulous methods.

"Little Yang, you must be careful," Shen Yuxuan said, looking at him. "Liu Xiangnan is not as simple as he appears. As long as he wants to annex the Shen family, he won’t attack me directly, but you are different."

Having experienced the incident with the kidnappers, Shen Yuxuan understood Liu Xiangnan’s character all too well. He would stop at nothing to take over her family. As the stone-gambling consultant for Shen Jewelry, Yang Qi was a direct obstacle to his plans, and it was highly likely that Liu Xiangnan would move against him.

"I will be careful," Yang Qi nodded. He was no ordinary person. Though his experience was limited, he had long sensed a faint hostility from Liu Xiangnan. Now that he knew how deep the man’s schemes ran, his vigilance only increased.

Despite his caution, Yang Qi did not belittle himself. With his current strength, it would be impossible for Liu Xiangnan to threaten him unless he dared to use firearms.

Shen Yuxuan nodded slightly. She had seen Yang Qi’s combat skills, and while she was concerned, she was not overly fearful. If Liu Xiangnan sent people to deal with Yang Qi, it would likely be Liu Xiangnan himself who suffered in the end.

"This Yang Qi is not simple," Liu Xiangnan mused, frowning.

"Young Master Liu, aren't you giving this kid too much credit?" Wu Shan asked, his brow furrowed. Having been sarcastically dismissed by Yang Qi earlier, he harbored a deep grudge and wished he could give the young man a sound beating.

"This person was able to ignore my status and speak his mind with ease; an ordinary person could not do that," Liu Xiangnan said in a low voice. "Moreover, he gives me a sense of being unfathomable. I have a bad premonition."

Liu Xiangnan’s ability to lead Liu Jewelry to its current position was unquestionable, and his eye for people was equally sharp; otherwise, he could not have easily poached the veteran stone-gambling consultant from Shen Jewelry. Yet, facing Yang Qi, he felt a sense of opacity—a situation that rarely happened to him.

"This..." Wu Shan frowned. Upon hearing Liu Xiangnan’s words, he calmed down. He realized that while Yang Qi seemed reckless, they hadn't gained any ground in their exchanges, and he still knew absolutely nothing about the young man.

"He is just a youth in his twenties after all; how much ability can he really have?" Wu Shan said, feeling a bit stubborn and unconvinced.

"Old Wu seems to forget that I am only a few years older than Yang Qi!" Liu Xiangnan said calmly.

"How could he compare to you, Young Master Liu?" Wu Shan quickly replied. As the consultant for Liu Jewelry, he had watched Liu Xiangnan lead the company to where it was today. He even knew that Liu Xiangnan’s own stone-gambling skills were exceptional, nearing the level of a master. It was likely that he would become the next generation’s master, though he rarely showed his hand, and few knew of it.

"Do not underestimate anyone," Liu Xiangnan said sternly. "I have planned for this for many years; I cannot afford a single mistake."

One had to realize that the strength of the two companies had been similar; devouring a competitor of equal standing was no easy feat. Even though Shen Jewelry was now on the brink of collapse, Liu Xiangnan dared not relax. If they managed to catch their breath, his years of effort would be in vain.

"Young Master Liu, shall I find some people to..." the tall man beside him muttered, a hint of killing intent on his face.

"Not for now. Doing too many things like that will eventually leave behind traces," Liu Xiangnan said, shaking his head slightly. Although Liu Jewelry had frequently targeted Shen Jewelry’s jade supply, they had always been careful. Such actions were a taboo in the industry; if caught, the reputation of the Liu family would be ruined.

"Old Wu, do not be careless this time. According to our information, this kid’s stone-gambling skills are quite good, and I do not want the Shen family to have any chance of a comeback."

"Young Master Liu, rest assured, I will be careful," Wu Shan nodded, though he remained dismissive in his heart. A young man—how much could he know? With his own techniques, he could easily crush him.

After breakfast, the group set off for the exhibition venue.

"This exhibition is a domestic warm-up for the Myanmar Jadeite Auction, intended to attract more merchants to attend the main event in Myanmar," Shen Yuxuan explained to Yang Qi on the way.

"Although it cannot compare to the Myanmar auction, it is a major event in the jade world. Aside from the proximity of Yunnan to Myanmar, the spring and autumn exhibitions here in Eastern Guangdong are quite large-scale. Each exhibition sees hundreds of millions in transactions," she added.

During this time, Yang Qi had learned a bit about the jade market. While hundreds of millions might not seem like much, one had to realize that even the Myanmar auction was only around five billion. Jade wasn't just sold in Eastern Guangdong; counting the larger autumn exhibition, the two events in the region alone exceeded a billion in transactions.

If it weren't for the geographical advantage of Yunnan, they might not even compare to Eastern Guangdong.

"For this exhibition, we aren't looking to bring back a huge amount of jade. The most important thing is for your stone-gambling skills to improve; if that happens, the trip will be worth it," Shen Yuxuan said.

"I understand," Yang Qi nodded. Though he said this, he had no intention of returning empty-handed. These jadeite stones were treasures for his cultivation; there was no way he would let them slip by.