153: Chapter 152 A Love Rival Fell From the Sky

Seeing Jiang Hezheng like this, Cao Xiao frowned. He was certain of his victory, but in the eyes of others, the title of Jade King was a gold-standard reputation. He was just a wealthy second-generation heir; how could his stone gambling skills compare to the Jade King? Thus, when the Jade King asked for funds, some onlookers would surely be unable to resist the temptation of easy money. While Cao Xiao was naturally happy to earn more, the onlookers had no grudge against him, and he didn't want to involve the innocent. Furthermore, this behavior was considered illegal gambling. It might go unnoticed in private, but in public, with gambling stakes totaling 13 billion and many participants, the authorities would definitely investigate thoroughly afterward. The impact of such sensational, high-stakes gambling was extremely negative, and they would be severely sentenced if caught; no one would be able to protect them then. However, Jiang Hezheng was currently consumed by hatred and had lost his mind, completely failing to notice that they were in China and not at a Myanmar Jadeite Public Auction. If Jiang Hezheng wanted to court death, Cao Xiao wasn't about to let himself be dragged down with him.

“Old man Jiang, this is between us. We'll settle it privately. If you don't have enough money, I can take a bit of a loss and go easy on you. This is Huaxia. If you want to seek death, find a rope and do it yourself; don't think about dragging innocent people to spend their old age in prison with you!”

“Uh! Fine, then it's settled!” Jiang Hezheng's body jolted upon hearing this, and he was instantly drenched in cold sweat. He suddenly realized where he was. If not for Cao Xiao's reminder, a great disaster would have occurred regardless of whether he won or lost. Just a moment ago, he had been high-spirited and commanding, but now that he understood, he instantly deflated. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he said a quick word and hurriedly left with the others without looking back.

“Brother, can I beat him up later?” Watching Jiang Hezheng and the others disappear into the crowd, Liu Chang clenched her small fists and asked Cao Xiao, looking eager to try.

“Uh! You actually believed that!” Cao Xiao looked at Liu Chang, speechless.

“Isn't stone gambling just about luck! If I beat him up, maybe I can seize his luck like the protagonists in those Primordial-style novels, and his good luck will transfer to me. Even if it's not that magical, I think luck is a kind of mysterious magnetic field effect. If I beat him, it will disrupt his luck's magnetic field, and his luck will definitely turn bad. Then I'll specifically look for him to gamble stones and win big a few times!” Liu Chang said as if it were a matter of fact.

“Then go beat him up right now! From now on, whenever you see someone talented, go beat them up. Maybe one day you'll be the Queen of the Earth! Let's get this straight first: I don't know you!” Cao Xiao looked at Liu Chang seriously, at a loss for words regarding her bizarre logic, and could only silently offer her his blessings.

“Hehe~”

The others were also amused and gave Liu Chang encouraging looks.

With only about ten minutes left before the bidding ended, Cao Xiao hurried to pay the deposit and collect a stack of bidding cards. While filling in his personal information and bid prices, he asked everyone to help drop them into the corresponding bid boxes. For Cao Xiao, as long as he had enough funds, he could easily know the reserve prices of others. By bidding slightly higher than the highest price in the box, he could win any raw material he wanted. Of course, there weren't many he desired, but as long as the highest bid was lower than the actual value of the raw material, he would bid for it. In total, he spent 560 million to win twenty-three pieces of raw material, which was even less than he had expected. He didn't make his bidding prices too obvious, adding between 300,000 and 500,000 to the highest prices. To cover his tracks, he participated in the bidding for almost every piece, but his prices were neither too high nor too low. Coincidentally, several pieces of jadeite raw material that Jiang Hezheng had bid on were intercepted by him. When the stones were cut later, his expression would surely be quite spectacular.

After submitting the bids, there was nothing left to do. The results wouldn't be announced for another hour. The girls clamored to experience stone gambling, and Cao Xiao naturally wanted to fulfill their wishes. He didn't give them any hints, letting them choose for themselves, with each person picking one piece to cut open later.

Ten minutes later, Cao Xiao had to rent a small truck. Over ten bodyguards worked hard to move a jadeite raw material weighing over a ton onto a trolley and then onto the truck. Needless to say, this was Liu Chang's style. Cao Xiao regretted not setting a limit on the size of the raw stones, allowing Liu Chang to exploit the loophole. The others followed suit, picking only the largest ones for sale. The ten raw stones together weighed over three tons, yet they only cost him over a million. One could imagine how poor the appearance of these raw stones was—so bad that the stall owners actively lowered the price several times, fearing they wouldn't buy them. These girls felt they had gotten a great bargain and were secretly happy, not knowing they had done the sellers a huge favor by saving them a large amount in transportation costs. Seeing them happy, Cao Xiao didn't stop them. Anyway, there were a few pieces of jadeite in those raw stones; though the quality wasn't high and the size wasn't large, they would at least break even. However, he was really looking forward to seeing Liu Chang's reaction when she cut open her piece of raw stone.

Tussling with the ten raw stones took about an hour. By the time they returned, the bids had already been opened. Cao Xiao didn't even look at the winning information on the big screen; he went straight to the payment window to settle the fees. He kept three jadeite raw stones aside and had the staff deliver the remaining twenty pieces to Biyuntian Villa. Afterward, Cao Xiao took the three basketball-sized jadeite raw stones to the stone-cutting warehouse outside the exhibition area.

“Oh! You guys are certainly in a hurry. You've already taken your spots. Are you that anxious to give me your money?” Cao Xiao brought everyone over and saw Jiang Hezheng and the group from earlier waiting by two stone-cutting machines. He couldn't help but speak loudly and mockingly.

“Hehe! Since you're here, let's start the capital verification! On our side, a total of 6.5 billion huaxia currency has already been prepared in cashiers' checks from the same bank,” Jiang Hezheng said with a cold smile.

“My funds are not a problem, but I don't trust you. If you lose and refuse to pay, who am I supposed to cry to? There must be a notary public recognized by both parties present before we can proceed; otherwise, I don't have time to play with you.” Involving billions of dollars and a group fund, it was hard to guarantee that someone wouldn't be a sore loser and try to cheat. The reason the other party was willing to put up so much cash was to follow Jiang Hezheng and get a bargain; they never imagined that if Jiang Hezheng lost, their large sums of money would go down the drain. Although these people were well-dressed, arrogant, and could produce hundreds of millions at once, their net worth wasn't necessarily that high. If Cao Xiao guessed correctly, most of these people were jewelry merchants or collectors who always had large amounts of cash ready, but this cash definitely accounted for a large proportion of their assets, or it came directly from bank mortgage loans. Once they lost all their cash, their businesses would struggle, and they might even go bankrupt because of it. Moreover, this was an illegal activity. The two parties only had a verbal agreement and no written contract, so if they could renege on the money, they would definitely be shameless about it. Even if Cao Xiao won, he would end up in a mess.

“Where are we supposed to find a notary at a time like this! If you're scared, just admit defeat and stop making excuses!” one of them interjected.

“I'll join in the fun since this is so interesting. Do you think I, Linghu Yashu, can serve as the notary?” Just then, a young, clear voice rang out from the crowd nearby.

Jiang Hezheng looked over upon hearing the voice, and his eyes lit up. His old face instantly wrinkled into a smile like a chrysanthemum as he jogged over to the man with a bent back and said excitedly, “So it is Young Master Linghu! Weren't you studying abroad? It is truly fate to meet you here! I have always wanted to visit your father, but unfortunately, he is simply too busy to find time to see me. Young Master Linghu has always been fair; we naturally have no objection to having Young Master Linghu preside over this.”

Linghu Yashu only gave Jiang Hezheng a faint smile and a nod before turning his gaze toward Cao Xiao's side. His eyes then fixed on He Yueyou, flashing with a trace of heat. He laughed heartily and said, “Yueyou, Yueshuang, why haven't you greeted me? Have you forgotten your big brother after not seeing me for a few years?”

“Cao Xiao, this is a child from our neighbor's house when we were young. We used to play with him often when we were very little. Later, after he grew up, he became the kind of person my mother warned me about. I went to work in Xinyang County just to avoid him. Their Linghu Clan is one of the four great clans in this province, with deep roots and many branches; they have immense influence in all sectors of the province. Don't get agitated; let me handle him!” He Yueyou saw that Linghu Yashu had noticed them and knew they couldn't avoid him. Fearing a conflict between Cao Xiao and this man, she anxiously held Cao Xiao's arm and whispered in his ear.

Cao Xiao had thought it was a relative of He Yueyou's family, but he hadn't expected it to be a love rival! And a powerful one at that. The 'clan' He Yueyou mentioned wasn't those families whose skills were passed down through professions; the title of 'clan' originally referred to families of noble status that had continued for generations. Following changes in the times, it generally referred to families or large clans that had been prominent for generations. For a family to be called a clan, it must have been passed down for at least several hundred years without decline and still be glorious and magnificent today. The connections and wealth accumulated by a clan over hundreds of years in a region are terrifying. Although such clans usually keep a low profile, the energy and influence they can exert is something that even the top ten groups in this province combined couldn't hope to match.

No wonder even though Linghu Yashu had gone to study abroad, He Yueyou, the eldest daughter of the grand Hongdu Group, would still run to a remote area just to avoid him. Even the international giant Hongdu Group couldn't afford to offend them! Even the usually arrogant Jade King Jiang Hezheng lowered his noble head, and when the other party ignored him, he didn't dare show the slightest displeasure, even having to serve him with a smile. Although the Linghu Family was only one of the four great clans in the province, their influence was not limited to the province. There were interactions between clans. If one truly offended Linghu Yashu, he would only need to say a word, and someone would naturally help him take care of this famous Jade King, crushing everything he had as easily as squashing an ant.

Cao Xiao also grew a bit more serious. This Linghu Yashu was different from a minor playboy like Jiang Hengyu; one misstep could trigger a fierce conflict. It wasn't that Cao Xiao was afraid of the Linghu Clan—the two were destined to be love rivals and would clash sooner or later. For He Yueyou, Cao Xiao would not retreat half a step. The opponent was powerful, but Cao Xiao was no pushover. If truly pushed to the point of anger, he could use some forbidden methods, and even the largest family would vanish overnight. But things hadn't reached that point yet; Linghu Yashu's attitude toward him remained to be seen. If it could be settled peacefully, that would naturally be best; he just feared the man would be persistent. He and He Yueyou were getting engaged tomorrow, and at such a critical moment, it wasn't wise to stir up trouble. If the two clashed today, Cao Xiao certainly wouldn't be the one to suffer, but if hitting the young one brought out the old ones and a whole nest of them kept bothering him, tomorrow's engagement ceremony might be ruined. This was not what he wanted to see, so he must not be impulsive. As long as the other party didn't touch his bottom line, he would endure what he could today.

“This must be Brother Linghu! I am Yueyou's fiancé, Cao Xiao. It's a pleasure to meet you!” Cao Xiao held his breath, a slight polite smile on his face as he greeted Linghu Yashu.

“Yueyou, how could you be so hasty to choose such a person? You didn't even notify me about such a big thing as your engagement. I only found out yesterday and hurried back from the US to see you. In a while, come home with me; I'll go explain the pros and cons to your parents, otherwise, your whole life will be ruined!” Linghu Yashu didn't even spare Cao Xiao a glance; his gaze never moved from He Yueyou, speaking to her with both reproach and regret.

Jiang Hezheng gleefully appeared by Linghu Yashu's side at the right moment to chime in, “Yes! We also feel that Miss He has entrusted herself to the wrong person. How can such a nouveau riche bumpkin be worthy of the jewel of the Hongdu Group? Young Master Linghu, we all support you!”

Before Cao Xiao and He Yueyou could react, He Yueshuang had already stepped forward, pointing at Linghu Yashu and shouting, “Linghu Yashu, my sister's business is none of your concern! If you keep talking nonsense, watch out or my brother-in-law will beat you up!”

“Brother, let's beat him up together! This guy is a fat sheep! It's perfect to beat the old and the young together!” Liu Chang was also eager to see the world in chaos, rubbing her hands and urging Cao Xiao to take action. Her mind was completely dominated by her luck theory. Now that two experimental subjects had delivered themselves to her door, she looked at Linghu Yashu with glowing eyes, almost drooling.

The bodyguards scattered around naturally noticed the situation and slowly began to close in. The three girls, Mi Fan, Li Lanshan, and An Ni, were also glaring at Linghu Yashu, while the other girls stepped forward to gather around Cao Xiao.

“Where did this crazy girl come from! Get lost, you have no manners!” Linghu Yashu narrowed his eyes and glanced at He Yueshuang without saying anything, but he was not polite to Liu Chang.

Cao Xiao had long since reached his limit. It was one thing for Linghu Yashu to ignore him, but he hadn't expected the other party to directly challenge his bottom line, leaving him no room for reconciliation. Now he was even saying Liu Chang had no manners—who was he to criticize his sister? Since he could no longer endure it, he would just go for it! He suddenly raised his right hand and grabbed the other's neck, while his left hand patted the other's face, saying fiercely, “Linghu Yashu, is it? To hell with you! Now you either get the hell out of here or shut the hell up! If you dare look at Yueyou one more time, I'll teach you how to be a person! You dare interfere in my marriage? Who do you think you are? Do you believe I'll take care of the old fogies in your family along with you?”

Without waiting for Linghu Yashu to react—in fact, the man was struggling while being choked and couldn't speak—Cao Xiao also kicked Jiang Hezheng in the abdomen, cursing, “You old turtle, if you think you're not dying fast enough, I'll give you a push!”

Seeing Cao Xiao strike out boldly, the dozen or so people with Jiang Hezheng tried to step forward to help, relying on their numbers. Some of them knew the power of the Linghu Clan; now that the young master of the Linghu Clan was in trouble, it was their chance to show off. If they could use this to board the giant ship of the Linghu Clan, they would benefit for the rest of their lives.