Li Yang noticed the woman's gaze and shifted his own back to her, smiling. "Beautiful lady, you must have quite a background."
"I suppose so, I'm just one of the future heirs of this jade gambling establishment," the woman replied with a smile. "You look new here, it must be your first time."
"Yes," Li Yang nodded.
"For your first visit to be met with such an incident, it's a failure of our hospitality," the woman said, looking at him. "As the person in charge here, I should apologize on behalf of the establishment."
"How about this, you can pick any stone here, and the cost will be on me. No need to pay."
Wow!
What a generous offer!
The sheer quantity and value of jade rough at Haolong Jade Gambling Establishment far surpassed that of ordinary gambling shops. Allowing someone to pick any stone here meant that even a 'Stone King' level stone, worth tens of millions, could be taken for free!
This apology was incredibly significant!
Many people looked at Li Yang with envy. This young man had truly turned misfortune into a blessing.
With this money, if they emigrated quickly, even the Zhou family wouldn't be able to do much to them, right?
However, Li Yang's lips curved slightly as he smiled. "You're very kind-hearted, beautiful lady. But I, Li Yang, never take things for free."
"You're not taking it for free; this is my apology on behalf of the establishment," the woman said, shaking her head.
Li Yang waved his hand. "One thing at a time. I don't think the establishment has wronged me in any way. My conflict with the Zhou family has nothing to do with the establishment."
"Therefore, there's no reason to accept this gift."
"Oh?" The woman's beautiful brows rose slightly, and she said with a hint of surprise, "You probably don't know the scale and class of our Haolong Jade Gambling Establishment, do you?"
"There are many 'Stone King' level stones here, worth tens of millions. There are even stones worth hundreds of millions. You can take them all for free."
"After taking them, you don't even need to cut them yourself. You can sell them at a discount to the gamblers here, and I'm sure someone will buy them."
"I know," Li Yang nodded. "But as I said, I don't take what isn't mine."
"You, are interesting." The woman paused for a moment, then her lips curved into a smile. "Judging by your attire, you don't look like wealthy people, yet you're foregoing benefits worth tens or even hundreds of millions. It's truly unfathomable."
"But don't think that just because you refused, I'll force it upon you."
"Naturally not," Li Yang shook his head and said, "However, could I trouble you with something?"
"Heh, go ahead," the woman's face showed a hint of disdain. She thought this man had some backbone, but it turned out he had other intentions.
What a shame I found you interesting.
Unexpectedly, Li Yang said, "We saw fireworks blooming eighteen petals in the night sky earlier. We guessed someone here found Imperial Green jade. Could we go and take a look?"
"What did you say?" The woman was stunned.
"I said, could we go and see the person who found the Imperial Green? If it's inconvenient, it would be good to at least see that piece of Imperial Green."
"Is this the favor you want me to do?" the woman asked, surprised.
Li Yang nodded. "That's right. I'd be grateful for your help, if possible?"
"I..." The woman opened her mouth, her heart filled with disbelief. She had expected Li Yang to ask for something more beneficial than picking a free rough jade stone, but she never imagined he would ask for such a small favor!
Almost any gambler here could have helped with this!
"Don't you realize that this favor doesn't even require my help?"
"I know, but since I started talking to you after coming in, I thought I'd just ask you to help," Li Yang said with a smile. "If it's not possible, I can find someone else."
"Knowing that and still asking, I truly don't understand you, man," the woman stared at him for several seconds before finally pulling out a rose gold business card from her waist pouch and handing it to him. "My name is Long Lingling. My contact information is on here. If you need anything in the future, you can call me."
"Alright. My name is Li Yang. I don't have a business card yet, but I will soon. Here's my contact information. You can call me if you need anything in the future." Li Yang smiled and took out his phone, showing her his number.
What was he saying?
He wanted her to contact him for help?
Long Lingling almost burst out laughing, but seeing Li Yang's serious expression, she couldn't. She hummed in acknowledgment and said, "Got it. Come with me."
"Okay." Li Yang put away the business card and, with Lin Xiaoyu, followed her inside.
The people around them whispered in admiration, "Brilliant! This young man's strategy of advancing by retreating is truly brilliant!"
"Exactly. Taking a stone is only tens of millions, but if he befriends Miss Long, won't he have opportunities to earn even more money in the future? And the Zhou family might also have to be more cautious, right?"
"Amazing! I thought he was arrogant and foolish when he refused earlier. Now that I think about it, I was the idiot!"
"Brother Li, you've hit the jackpot now!" Lin Xiaoyu whispered.
Li Yang asked curiously, "Hit the jackpot with what?"
"Don't you know? This is the eldest daughter of Haolong Jade Gambling Establishment. If you've become friends with her, isn't that hitting the jackpot? Aren't you excited?" Lin Xiaoyu said with some excitement.
Li Yang responded with an "Oh," saying, "I saw that long ago. There's nothing to be excited about."
"When did you see it, Brother Li?" Lin Xiaoyu was surprised. She had only learned about it from people whispering nearby.
Li Yang replied, "When she first arrived, based on Old Man Zhou's attitude and address towards her, I figured it out."
"That early?"
"Isn't it obvious? Didn't you see it?" Li Yang asked.
"I, of course, I saw it early too. I was just giving you a chance to show off, Brother Li."
Lin Xiaoyu's cheeks turned slightly red when she lied, and she immediately changed the subject. "Wow, Brother Li, look at that stone! It's so big and tall!"
"It is quite large," Li Yang said, turning his head. He saw a piece of jade rough that was six to seven meters tall and four to five meters wide.
This stone would surely cost tens of millions.
The market value of jade rough depended on several factors: firstly, whether it was from an old pit; secondly, the quality of the jade, meaning the fineness of its outer layer and its translucency under a strong light; and thirdly, its size and volume.
Stones from old pits and new pits had different prices. However, it didn't mean that stones from old pits were always better. Even legendary old pits like Mogansha could have a few duds. The reason old pit stones commanded higher prices was purely due to merchant hype and buyer herd mentality, much like most diamonds!
But if a stone was larger, it would definitely be more valuable!