134: Chapter 133 Jade Expo

The young man with the English name, Alan, did not listen to Fang Yongchang and return to his seat. Instead, looking down at Cao Xiao with some defiance, he asked, "Are you that toad—Cao Xiao? Just give me a straight answer on how much you want for that knife."

Before Cao Xiao could respond, a thick arm appeared in front of Alan, grabbing him by his clothes and lifting him up.

"Kid, when adults are talking, what are you yapping about? Is our boss someone you can question? Tell me, what is a toad? Huh? Is being tall something to be proud of? You're even taller now, why don't you try making that face you just made again?"

Just now, when Fang Yongchang approached Cao Xiao, the bodyguards had been watching. Seeing that he was an acquaintance of their boss, they hadn't intervened. But now that this Alan had jumped out to bark and insult their boss, Niu Zhen couldn't help but step forward. He didn't care whose son this person was; if someone harbored ill will toward Cao Xiao, they had to be dealt with severely.

"Cao Xiao, I'm sorry! My son just returned from abroad and picked up some bad habits; he doesn't know the rules. Please don't hold it against him. Let your bodyguard let him go, and I'll deal with him severely in a moment!" Fang Yongchang hadn't been able to stop his son from speaking recklessly, so he could only step forward and apologize sincerely.

"Brother Niu, don't be agitated, put him down." Seeing Alan looking terrified, Cao Xiao felt a bit vindicated.

This guy had no filter and must have heard about him and He Yueyou, actually treating him like a toad wanting to eat swan meat. Since when was it an outsider's place to gossip about his affairs? It was inevitable that others might have opinions without knowing the specifics of his situation with He Yueyou, but saying it out loud was unethical. Besides, was he really a toad?

The wealth he secretly possessed was likely no less than the total assets of Hongdu Group; calling him a golden toad overflowing with riches wouldn't be an exaggeration. Moreover, getting to eat swan meat was a great skill in itself; even a pig would be happy to root up a good cabbage. Thinking of this, he felt much better.

"Daddy…" "Slap!" "You bastard! Get back and sit down!"

After Alan was put down, he had just opened his mouth when Fang Yongchang slapped him across the face.

"Daddy, outsiders are bullying me and you don't do anything, you actually hit me!" Alan stood there stunned for several seconds before looking at Fang Yongchang in disbelief.

"Get back! Don't make a spectacle of yourself here!" Fang Yongchang was even angrier when he heard this.

Seeing Fang Yongchang's furious expression, Alan didn't dare say anything more and returned to his seat, looking dejected.

"I'm sorry. Alan's mother passed away early, and I'm usually busy, so I sent him abroad to study. He's been overseas for a long time and lacks discipline. Cao Xiao, please don't take it to heart." Fang Yongchang looked at his son's back with a hint of melancholy, then turned back and forced a smile at Cao Xiao.

"It's fine, I understand. By the way, Mr. Fang, why are you flying directly to Huanghe City this time?" Cao Xiao changed the subject.

"Oh! It seems you've been abroad for a while. We are going to attend the National Jade Expo held in Huanghe City. It starts tomorrow; you've returned just in time." Fang Yongchang said.

"National Jade Expo? Is it an exhibition of jade?" Cao Xiao was very interested in jade and didn't know the specifics, so he asked curiously.

Speaking of the expo, Fang Yongchang swept away his previous melancholy and said excitedly, "Yes, but not entirely. This National Jade Expo is nationwide, and the exhibits are very rich. It's not just jade; gemstones produced from all over the country are also on display. Furthermore, various gemstone jewelry and raw gemstone ore will be exhibited simultaneously. It is both an exhibition and a trading fair. Jewelers and jade merchants from all over the country will gather in Huanghe City to participate in this rare grand event. Among them, the jadeite raw material trade is the main event. The timing is just before the Myanmar jadeite public auction. Taking advantage of this momentum, jadeite prices are set to soar again this year. I'm going there not only to exhibit our company's jewelry but also to acquire a batch of jadeite raw materials and gemstone raw materials. I have a personal request; I don't know if I should say it?"

"Oh? Mr. Fang, just say it. I'll see if I can help." All of Cao Xiao's sleepiness vanished. He thought to himself that even if he hadn't met Fang Yongchang today, as long as he was in the country, the man would have come looking for him. The man had come prepared; he needed to be sharp now and not invite trouble for himself.

"Then I'll be direct. I'd like to invite you to be our temporary jade gambling consultant to help us select and purchase a batch of raw materials during the expo. Besides a five-million appearance fee, I will pay you thirty percent of the profits from the jadeite cut from the raw materials you select. What do you think?" Fang Yongchang probed.

"Mr. Fang, I really can't help with this. It's not about the money; my teacher has given strict orders not to let me participate in jade gambling, so I can't help you. Sorry!" Hearing that he was being asked to help with jade gambling, Cao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't even need to find an excuse; it was ready-made.

"I can understand Elder Chen's thoughts, but this doesn't really count as jade gambling. You just need to help me look at the stones; you don't have to bear any losses. Elder Chen sometimes helps us vet things too. Your worries are unnecessary. How about I go talk to Elder Chen?" Fang Yongchang said, still unwilling to give up.

Cao Xiao frowned almost imperceptibly. This Fang Yongchang was a bit too persistent. He wasn't short of that money; was it necessary to risk violating his teacher's orders to help someone he had only met a few times? He hadn't even shown any sign of being tempted, yet Fang Yongchang, for his own benefit, pretended not to notice and continued to argue and pester him. This was going a bit too far. So, with a cold expression, he said, "Mr. Fang, your company should have professional jade gambling experts. I haven't finished my apprenticeship yet; last time was just luck that I managed to gamble on a few good pieces. If you really want me to vet them, I'm afraid Mr. Fang will end up losing everything. How about this: forget about the money. If you encounter pieces you're unsure about, I can help give some advice, but I have important matters to attend to during this period and might not have time to go to the expo."

"I forgot, you're getting engaged in a few days. It was abrupt of me. If you have time to go to the expo, I'll still have to trouble you for help. I'm just forced into a corner; the supply from Myanmar has been cut off. It's a period of rapid development for the company, and our reserves are all used up. I've been begging everyone everywhere to spare some from their own inventories, but it's still not enough. If this continues, the company will have to give up its jadeite jewelry business." Fang Yongchang finally remembered that Cao Xiao's engagement date was approaching, so he didn't force him anymore and poured out his grievances to Cao Xiao with a bitter face.

Cao Xiao was somewhat impressed by Fang Yongchang. He ran a jewelry company but had completely offended the biggest raw material supplier. He really didn't know what this man had done in Myanmar to commit such an act of self-sabotage. He could only offer a second of silence for this. Having no heart to continue chatting with Fang Yongchang, he said, "Mr. Fang, I'm very sleepy now. How about we chat another day?"

"Ah! I'm sorry. As soon as I saw you, I just rushed over to say hello without considering how tired you were. Then I won't disturb you. Rest well. I'll contact you in a couple of days when the expo opens." Fang Yongchang slapped his own head and said apologetically.

With no one disturbing him, Cao Xiao slept until the plane landed. He squinted his eyes and waited for Fang Yongchang and his son to leave the cabin before getting up and stretching. Feeling refreshed, he walked off the plane. Due to the time difference, it was already afternoon in Huanghe City. He hadn't told his family he was coming back today, and no one came to pick him up, so he had to take a taxi home. However, the seven of them couldn't fit in one taxi. The airport was busy today, and getting a taxi wasn't easy. After waiting for a while in the underground waiting area at the airport, no taxis came in, so they had no choice but to squeeze onto a bus and then take a taxi home once they reached the city.

Fortunately, Duan Hong and the others weren't wearing uniforms today; otherwise, it would have been a bit strange to squeeze onto a bus with bodyguards. So, the six of them dispersed around him, pretending not to know him, and unobtrusively protected Cao Xiao as they easily squeezed onto the bus. It had been a long time since he'd taken a bus, and he actually found it a bit novel, turning his head to look around and observe the people on the bus.

Suddenly, his gaze met a pair of small eyes next to him. It was a little girl, three or four years old. The bus was packed with people, so she was being held by her mother and was also curiously looking around. The little girl was very cute, with big eyes, chubby pink cheeks, pigtails, and a white rabbit-ear headband. Cao Xiao couldn't help but stick out his tongue and make a funny face at her. He had intended to make her laugh, but unexpectedly, he ended up scaring her into crying.

Seeing the unfriendly gazes around him, Cao Xiao blushed with shame; it was too embarrassing. The girl's mother held her to her chest to comfort her and angrily turned back to glare at Cao Xiao. Cao Xiao was instantly stunned, because the little girl's mother was too beautiful. For that split second, Cao Xiao felt his breathing stop. He came to his senses and opened his mouth to explain, but she had already turned back after glaring at him, so he could only give up dejectedly.

He tried hard to push that beautiful face out of his mind and stopped looking around. He took out his phone, swapped the SIM card, and turned it on. Without surprise, there was another series of message notification sounds. Family and friends knew he was abroad and wouldn't contact him using his domestic number. Apart from some news alerts, there were actually over a dozen missed call reminder messages. He flipped through them and found that most were from a few college classmates, others were from former colleagues at Hengyu, and one was actually from Li Lanshan. This made him feel strange. Although he had Li Lanshan's number, they had never called each other. If Li Dongping had something going on, he would usually call him directly, but he didn't see any missed calls from Li Dongping. Could something have happened at Brother Li's house?

Cao Xiao's heart tightened. Li Dongping's position in his heart was very important. If Li Dongping hadn't helped him all these years, he wouldn't have been able to stay at Hengyu, and he couldn't have achieved what he had today. No matter how his own wealth and status changed, Cao Xiao would always be the little brother who stood behind Li Dongping back then. He checked the date of the missed calls; it was the night before last. He searched through his text message inbox and, sure enough, found the text message Li Lanshan had sent.

"Uncle Cao, I can't get through to your phone. Where are you? I'm so helpless right now! My dad is in trouble! He was arrested by the police. They said there was a mining disaster at a coal mine in Qian Province, and my dad is the main person in charge. I heard he's going to be sentenced, but my dad called beforehand and said he couldn't make any decisions there at all. They are using my dad as a scapegoat. My mom and I are rushing over there. My mom didn't want me to tell you. I won't say more; I'm about to board the plane."

After reading this lonely message, Cao Xiao's face turned ashen, so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

Calculating the time, Li Dongping had been in Qian Province for less than half a month; he probably hadn't even sorted out his work. At most, he was just a project manager, and a surface management staff member at that; how could he bear the main responsibility? The police arresting him directly meant this mining disaster was very serious. Everyone else was fine, yet they specifically arrested him, this newcomer from out of town. Moreover, Li Dongping had been brought there by General Manager Chen. That General Manager Chen Qing had actually pushed him into the line of fire to evade responsibility. To be able to do such a despicable thing, he had really overestimated him back then. The other investors weren't any better; they were sacrificing a pawn to save the rook, bullying an honest man.

It had been two days, and Li Lanshan hadn't called him again during this time. A mother and daughter, alone and unfamiliar with the place, must be having a very difficult time in Qian Province. Not to mention rescuing Li Dongping, they couldn't even guarantee their own safety. Those people wouldn't let Li Dongping out; otherwise, it would be their turn to be unlucky. To avoid going to jail, they wouldn't tolerate Li Lanshan and her mother making trouble at such a critical moment. Therefore, their current situation was very dire; it was highly likely that something had already happened to them.

Thinking of this, he wished he could fly to Qian Province immediately. But going there now wouldn't help; he didn't know anyone in Qian Province either. Moreover, this kind of matter couldn't be solved by force or money. To rescue Li Dongping, he needed to find sufficient evidence to prove that Li Dongping had no responsibility for this mining disaster, and he also needed support from people of sufficient weight; otherwise, even finding evidence would be in vain. Therefore, he had to ask his teacher for help first. Worried about the safety of Li Lanshan and her mother, he was extremely anxious and didn't plan to go home anymore. They were almost in the city now, so he would get off in the city and then take a taxi back to the airport.

He immediately called Li Lanshan, but listening to the power-off prompt, Cao Xiao's whole heart sank to the bottom.

"Teacher, I'm back. There is a very urgent matter I'd like your help with. A very important friend of mine has gotten into trouble over there, and his family might be in danger. Do you know anyone with status in Qian Province? Yes, I'm rushing to Qian Province right now. Okay, I understand. I will be careful. Teacher, take care of yourself. I will come to see you when I return from Qian Province."

Hanging up the phone, he secretly thought that he had been too anxious to think clearly. He clearly held a large amount of networking resources in his hands, yet he didn't know how to utilize them. The people who attended the Tianxing Auction last time were all wealthy and influential people from all over the country, and there were several from Qian Province. He had scarce resources in his hands that they needed; they would be eager for him to have something to ask them for help with. That way, a favor would be owed, and they would be able to ask him for good things in the future. Favor debts were the hardest to repay, but Cao Xiao couldn't care about that much now. As long as he could ensure the safety of Li Dongping's family, it was worth paying any price.

So, regardless of the strange looks from people around him, he turned to Li Quanshuo and said, "Brother Li, book the fastest flight to Qian Province online immediately. The sooner the better. If the waiting time for the flight is more than two hours, contact the airport to charter a plane."