"Young Master Zhang, this man is Li Yang. The Li family is a renowned antique family in our locality. Their ancestors have been dealing in antiques since the late Qing Dynasty, operating the Li Hao Antique Shop, a true old establishment recognized nationwide." Expert Zheng whispered.
He had a large nose, and when he spoke, the flesh around his mouth would move with his nose, making it seem like a fake nose.
In contrast, Young Master Zhang was shorter, with smaller features, especially his small eyes, which looked almost closed even when open if one didn't look closely.
Young Master Zhang frowned and said, "If that's the case, this kid has quite a background. It's best not to mess with him?"
"Heh heh heh, not necessarily," Expert Zheng glanced at Li Yang and sneered, "I was talking about when the Li family patriarch was still alive. Now, this Li family only has him as an only son, completely addicted to gambling on stones, unable to extricate himself. To make matters worse, he married a woman with a venomous heart. In just three short years, he was kicked out of the house."
"He, now, is at most a stray dog."
"I see. Expert Zheng, let's go over." Upon hearing this, Young Master Zhang's face immediately showed disdain, and a cold light shone from his eyes as he stared at Li Yang.
A stray dog dares to compete with me for a woman?
He's simply courting death!
Expert Zheng nodded and followed behind him.
"Young Master Li, which stone have you taken a fancy to tonight? I'll give you a preferential price. But if you find something good, you must treat me to a drink. I really want to get drunk in front of you." Sister Shui said with a charming laugh, her words full of ambiguity and provocation.
A smile appeared on Li Yang's face. Although he had been indulging in gambling on stones these past few years, he wasn't a fool. Sister Shui treated him fairly, but those ambiguous words were best taken with a grain of salt and never taken seriously.
This was just Sister Shui teasing him because she knew he was sensible and they were very familiar with each other. She knew Li Yang wouldn't really do anything to her.
Otherwise, even though she was sexy and alluring, she wouldn't say such teasing words to anyone else.
"Alright, I'll definitely treat Sister Shui to a glass of '82 Lafite later."
"Then I thank you, Young Master Li," Sister Shui said with a smile.
"What Young Master Li? He's just a good-for-nothing who ruined his family and was kicked out by his woman." Young Master Zhang walked over, skipping any pleasantries and directly launching into sarcastic remarks. "Boss Shui, instead of exerting yourself over him, why not spend more time with me."
"What are you saying, Young Master Zhang? I don't quite understand." Sister Shui's brows furrowed slightly, but as a shop owner, she couldn't openly offend a distinguished guest, so she chuckled and said.
"If there's nothing else, I need to take Young Master Li to the VIP room to look at things. Excuse me."
With that, she took Li Yang's hand and walked towards the VIP room.
"You,"
Young Master Zhang's face turned ugly, and he immediately glared at Li Yang, "Kid, you should know your place."
"If you're sensible, get away from Boss Shui immediately."
"Oh." Li Yang responded indifferently, then leaned his head on Sister Shui's shoulder, inhaling the subtle fragrance of her smooth hair, and said with a smile, "Sister Shui, you smell so good, I really want to bite you."
"Oh, don't mess around." Sister Shui gave him a sidelong glance, becoming increasingly surprised. Although Young Master Li had always been manly and not one to back down from trouble, today he was even more calm and casual, as if he feared nothing.
This was a qualitative leap from his usual bravery and confidence.
How could he have changed so much after only a day apart?
Young Master Zhang's face turned as black as coal, and he gritted his teeth, "You kid, do you dare to have a competition with me?"
"Oh?" Li Yang glanced at him.
In some traditional circles, there were ways to resolve conflicts. The simplest and most brutal method in the antique and stone gambling circles was a skill competition.
If the situation was serious, it could escalate to challenging each other's establishments or even duels to the death.
"How do you want to compete?"
"We each pick a stone here, and the one with the higher price wins," Young Master Zhang said. "If you lose, you'll have to stay away from Boss Shui from now on. If I lose, I'll give you a million."
"Alright, I thank you for sending me money," Li Yang said with a smile.
Young Master Zhang said with a cold face, "You can win first. Expert Zheng, please step in."
"Don't worry, Young Master Zhang. This kid only has three years of experience gambling on stones, and he's lost his fortune. His judgment can be said to be poor. Even if I don't step in, you can still win against him," Expert Zheng sneered.
As an experienced stone gambling player, many people present had interacted with Li Yang before. Hearing Expert Zheng say this, many nodded in agreement.
No one who knew Li Yang's skill had any confidence in him, so there wasn't even anyone to set up a betting pool for the outcome.
"Has this Young Master Li been blinded by beauty? With his amateur skills, he dares to compete in stone gambling?"
"Heh, I heard he was kicked out of his house by a woman. He must have gone mad."
"What a pity. Young Master Li's character is quite good. He accepts losses and wins fairly. Even after losing his fortune, he never complained."
"Indeed, he's a good person, but his skills are lacking. It's all useless now."
"Did you hear what everyone is saying?" Expert Zheng said with a smile. "Young Master Li, we're acquaintances, after all. I advise you to concede now. It's better than losing miserably later and having no face to see anyone."
"Expert Zheng, you should say that to yourself," Li Yang replied with a smile.
Expert Zheng grunted, "If you don't take the opportunity I'm giving you, then don't blame me for bullying the younger."
Saying that, he walked towards a nearby stone.
Unlike ordinary stone gambling players, Expert Zheng was called an expert for a reason. He didn't use a strong flashlight to observe the stone's translucency, nor did he feel the texture of the stone's surface with his hands. Instead, he tapped the surface of the stone.
Dong dong.
He would tap the stone twice to determine its quality.
Seeing him use this move, someone in the crowd immediately exclaimed, "Identifying stones by sound! Expert Zheng is using his ultimate skill. It seems Young Master Li has angered him."
"That's amazing! How long has it been since we last saw Expert Zheng use this signature technique?"
"To be honest, I've been studying it for years and still haven't figured out how Expert Zheng can tell the quality of a stone just by the tapping sound."
"Hey, if you could figure it out, you'd be an expert too."
"Young Master Zhang, let's go with this stone," Expert Zheng suddenly stopped, placing his hand on a stone about half a person's height.
Young Master Zhang nodded and said, "Okay, Boss Shui, how much is this stone?"
"Seven hundred thousand," Sister Shui replied, but her eyes carried a hint of worry as she looked at Li Yang.
The crowd followed her gaze and was stunned.
What was this guy doing?