He must be wondering if I was colorblind, seeing the high-quality green and remaining indifferent.
I said, "A partial reveal means nothing. You either cut the whole stone or make a clean break. Just showing a window doesn't prove anything."
As if to spite me, he told the master carver, "Give me a cut right down the middle. I want to see what a full piece of imperial green looks like."
I knew he was saying it for my benefit, wanting to prove me wrong and admit I'd lost to him.
The master carver advised, "I suggest you cut from the tail end. That way, if you find green there, you can decide on the middle cut. If you go straight for the middle and it's a failure, you won't have any chance to fix it."
That man retorted, "Why are you being so long-winded? Just cut as I say. It's not like you have to pay if it fails!"
The master carver said no more, securing the stone and making the cut.
The stone wasn't large; a cut across the middle took only a few minutes.
As the stone was sliced open, revealing more green, the man rushed over excitedly, his face beaming. If the quality remained as good as the initial reveal, this stone could be worth millions.
However, his smile froze, contorting into a look of extreme distress, as if his father had died – a truly ugly sight.
Everyone gathered around, and a sudden silence fell. Eyes met eyes, all stunned and bewildered.
The green was indeed high-quality, but it was riddled with fine cracks, much like tempered glass that had been impacted. The cracks spiderwebbed through the stone's interior, shattering the beautiful green into a thousand pieces.
The imperial green had instantly turned into imperial cracks.
He looked at me with a hint of malice and asked, "You knew, didn't you?"
I replied, "You overestimate me. My eyes aren't X-rays, they can't see through things. I just didn't want to argue with you. But I do thank you. Honestly, I felt it had potential for good color. If you hadn't intercepted, I would have bid for it."
He said, "You must have seen something wrong with this stone, otherwise you wouldn't have given up. Listen, if you're smart, you'll give me half your capital, and we'll split it. Otherwise, you won't leave Yangon. I'll make sure you don't see tomorrow's midnight."
I scoffed, "I doubt the gem fair would allow you to be so domineering. Why should I give you half? Dream on!"
As soon as I finished speaking, two burly Burmese men advanced, one on each side. They didn't lay a hand on me, but their presence was a clear threat.
I understood their tactic: they wanted to provoke me into retaliating, which would give them a reason to call the police and have me arrested, achieving their goal without lifting a finger.
The man continued to taunt me, "Where's that little girl with you? Did she go for reinforcements, or did she run off scared? Let me tell you, do you know how many of my people are around here? We don't even need to act; one person spitting on you could drown you. Call for help if you want, but they'll only be coming to their graves."
I glanced around and indeed, several people were lurking suspiciously, seeming to watch us intentionally or unintentionally. It appeared he wasn't lying.
However, I couldn't understand why they were targeting me. It wasn't just about competing for the stone.
I didn't see Lan Ya or Da Kui. I didn't know if they were at the venue. But standing there, I hoped they wouldn't show up, especially Lan Ya. Her presence would only put her in danger.
It was just me. At worst, I'd fight them to the death. Besides, with the police present, they wouldn't dare do anything too overtly.
I asked, "Can you tell me why you're doing this? Is it just because you want to cause trouble for me? We don't even know each other."
He retorted, "You're not in a position to ask me that. Not knowing each other doesn't mean you can leave Myanmar alive. Now, you will do as I say. No talking. Follow my men out the door. There's a black car waiting for you outside. Any questions can be discussed in the car!"
I felt two sharp objects pressing into my sides. I had no other choice but to follow his instructions and walk out.
The people on the perimeter didn't follow us but kept a watchful eye on the surroundings, fearing an ambush.
Our primary objective for coming here was to meet Brother Qing. Little did we know, Brother Qing himself hadn't shown up today, and neither had his men. With just the four of us, we were ill-equipped to handle any trouble.
I saw two police officers standing nearby. As we approached, they seemed to notice something was amiss, sensing my unease being squeezed between the two men. They likely sensed the abnormality and moved to question us.
Just then, a few more of their men stepped forward, blocking the police officers' line of sight. The two men beside me tightened their grip, whispering, "You'd better behave, or I'll leave you here."
We exited the building and indeed saw a black car parked not far away. The two men outside became less cautious. One of them grabbed my collar and pushed me forward.
At that moment, I saw Lan Ya and Da Kui hurrying towards us. Seeing me being manhandled, Lan Ya cried out in surprise, while Da Kui ran swiftly towards me.
Upon seeing Da Kui approaching, the two men hastily shoved me into the car. My upper body was already inside. I hooked my foot around the outside of the car. The man grew anxious and yelled at the driver to start moving. I was dragged forward by the car.
Da Kui, with his immense strength, grabbed the car door and me, pulling with all his might. He actually managed to stop the car. He pulled me away from the vehicle, kicked the man holding me, and then turned to face the group of Burmese men closing in on us.
They seemed to be armed with daggers or similar weapons, their faces filled with menace as they systematically narrowed our encirclement.
Da Kui and I stood back to back. Neither of us was armed. Even with Da Kui's ferocity, we were no match for so many attackers.
We were outside the security cordon. No police were visible here, or perhaps they had been bribed. We were on our own.
Da Kui whispered, "When the fight starts, you make a dash for it, towards the gem fair grounds. They won't dare do anything there. Brother Bao has contacted Brother Qing, and help will be here soon."
He was offering me a chance at survival, without mentioning his own fate.
Just then, I saw the man I had bid against walking towards us. He motioned for the men surrounding us to stay put and approached us himself. "What's this? Inviting yourself out and bringing a companion? Your girl is already in my car. Don't you two want to leave together? Then I won't be polite. You two play here, I'm off to have tea with the young lady."
I said I hadn't seen Lan Ya. So, they had captured her. Damn it, what did these people want?
Da Kui said, "I'll go with you, but you have to let the woman go. You can deal with me."
The man replied, "That won't do. You both have to come with me. And I want the woman too. Don't try any tricks. If you delay any longer, I can't guarantee what might happen to the girl's face."
I told Da Kui, "They've captured me, you go and find a way out. I'll go with them."
I said, "I'll go with you, but let my brother stay."
The man smirked, "You're both quite loyal. But you don't call the shots here. Get in the car, every last one of you!"