"President Li, this time I bought three uncut stones, I'm sure something good will come out of them!"
Gu Yanran excitedly ran up to Li Yun, proudly showing the results of her latest purchase.
"How much did you spend?" Li Yun asked indifferently.
"Not much, just half a million." Gu Yanran replied casually.
Upon hearing those words, Li Yun's face darkened.
Half a million was nothing more than a number to Li Yun, something he didn't care about at all. However, looking at the three stones Gu Yanran had bought, they clearly weren't worth anywhere near that amount.
At these small stalls, you couldn't find quality goods. Compared to the shops, the products here were at least half as cheap, but also half as reliable.
Clearly, the stall owner had seen Gu Yanran as an easy target: young, naive, and with plenty of money. Surely, he had scammed her mercilessly.
From the moment he first saw the owner, Li Yun had felt that he was not a good person. And now he was sure that the man was a unscrupulous merchant.
"Sir, three uncut stones for half a million. Aren't you being a bit shameless?" Li Yun said with a cold tone.
"My esteemed customer, these are high-quality stones from ancient deposits. They're not ordinary stones, so their price is naturally high."
"Moreover, the deal is already done. You are a respected businessman, wouldn't it be dishonest to retract? Half a million is nothing for someone like you. What matters is enjoyment. If it turns out that one of these stones contains crystal-type jade, your profits could exceed five million, or even fifty million!"
The merchant, shrewd and persuasive, had calculated that Li Yun, being wealthy, wouldn't make a fuss over such a trivial amount.
In reality, these three stones weren't even worth fifty thousand yuan. The original price was barely five thousand, but seeing the wealth of his customers, he decided to blatantly inflate the price.
Li Yun, observing the merchant's expression, confirmed that he was a completely unscrupulous man.
Still, one of his statements was true: for Li Yun, the amount didn't matter, as long as Gu Yanran was happy.
However, if she ended up upset, he would have no problem settling the score with this merchant.
Not because he couldn't tolerate it, but because he didn't want someone like that to get away with it.
"Fine, get someone to cut these three stones. I hope there's something in them that can make Gu Yanran happy."
"If not, you better pray that she doesn't feel disappointed, because if you upset her, I'll make sure you never have peace again."
These words weren't spoken aloud, but thought by Li Yun as he looked at the merchant.
"Of course, of course, I'll find an expert to cut them right now," the merchant replied with a flattering smile.
The merchant quickly brought a cutter to open the stones. Both Li Yun and Gu Yanran were novices in this type of betting, so they left everything to the expert.
The sound of the machine filled the air as the first stone was cut open.
When it was opened, it turned out to be an ordinary rock, with no trace of jade.
"Continue, cut the other two stones as well," Li Yun ordered when he saw Gu Yanran looking somewhat upset.
The expert turned the machine back on. After about twenty minutes, all three stones were opened. As Li Yun had suspected, none of them contained jade, they were simply worthless rocks.
Though he wasn't an expert, he was now convinced that everything this merchant sold were common stones disguised as something valuable.
The merchant, however, apologized with a false smile:
"What bad luck, sir. This time you didn't find anything, but don't worry. Maybe with another stone, you'll have better fortune."
"By the way, the cutting fee is one thousand yuan per stone, so it's three thousand total. Please proceed with the payment."
"What?"
"Wasn't it your responsibility to cut the stones? Now you want to charge us for that too?"
Gu Yanran, already upset from not finding anything in the stones, became even more enraged upon hearing the merchant's request.
"Miss, that's not fair. If nothing was found, it was just bad luck. But as you can see, I had to bring the expert from another place. It wouldn't be reasonable for him to work for free, don't you think?"
"You're influential people, surely you don't want to put pressure on someone who is just trying to make a living."
The merchant tried to smooth over the situation with reasonable and flattering words, but Li Yun wasn't fooled.
He recalled that, from what he knew, the place where the stones were bought usually offered free cutting unless something valuable was found, in which case it was common to tip the cutter.
"Are all your stones common rocks? Did you bring these from somewhere to scam us?" Li Yun asked, starting to seriously suspect.
"Sir, you're crossing the line! I've been in this business for decades, and I would never sell something fake. If I'm lying, may a lightning strike me right here!"
"Whether you live or die, that's your problem. What I'm saying is that you're selling trash," Li Yun replied with disdain.
The merchant, upon hearing this, began shouting to attract the attention of the crowd:
"Come and see! This well-dressed gentleman refuses to pay three thousand yuan for the cutting and now accuses me of selling fake stones."
Soon, people began to gather, pointing and murmuring about Li Yun and Gu Yanran.
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