"How much for this rough stone?" Lin Xiao Tian approached a stall, pointing to a large rock.
The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a hooked nose and a sly look,'s eyes lit up when Lin Xiao Tian indicated the stone.
"Sir, you have a good eye. This is a genuine snow flake rock. If you cut open jade from it, it would be priceless."
"The price is five thousand yuan. Don't worry, boss, you won't lose money if you find jade!"
The middle-aged man enthusiastically praised the stone to Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian nodded, ready to pay.
Just then, someone stopped him.
"Wait, you can't buy this stone!"
Lin Xiao Tian turned his head and saw that the speaker was none other than Jessica, the blonde beauty he had met at the auction.
Jessica wore sharkskin shorts and a crop top, accentuating her proud figure. In an instant, she captured the attention of countless men present.
"Hey! Miss, you can't do this! The boss has already decided to buy it, what do you mean?" The middle-aged man was immediately displeased.
He had finally found a gullible customer like Lin Xiao Tian, hoping to make a big profit, only to have someone suddenly appear to disrupt things.
"What do I mean? Don't you know what I mean?"
"Are you ashamed to cheat people?"
"Genuine snow flake rock? This stone has no texture at all, and you dare call it snow flake rock?"
Jessica's words immediately rendered the middle-aged man speechless.
He hadn't expected Jessica, who looked so young, to know so much.
But he wouldn't let the bird in his hand fly away so easily.
"Boss, don't listen to her nonsense. This is a genuine snow flake rock. Look, there are some patterns on it," the middle-aged man said, pointing to the stone for Lin Xiao Tian.
In reality, most stones had some patterns to varying degrees. The middle-aged man was sure Lin Xiao Tian was an amateur and thus felt emboldened to deceive him more brazenly.
"You're the one talking nonsense!"
Jessica said, and then she grabbed Lin Xiao Tian's arm.
Foreign customs were more open, and Jessica, having received such an upbringing, naturally didn't mind physical contact.
"Believe me, he's definitely trying to trick you!"
"Besides, the rough stones in this area are generally priced around three thousand. He's asking for five thousand, clearly taking advantage of your ignorance."
"You young lady, why are you slandering people at such a young age? The value of this stone is worth this much, and I'm losing money selling it for five thousand!" the middle-aged man retorted immediately.
The argument between the two quickly attracted the attention of the surrounding people.
Hu Tao and others, who had been at other stalls moments ago, now spotted Jessica.
"This little girl!" Hu Tao sighed helplessly when he saw his daughter once again becoming the center of attention.
Since bringing Jessica back to China, she would argue with vendors almost every time they came here.
The main reason was Jessica's strong sense of justice; every time she saw vendors deliberately inflating prices, she would go up and reason with them.
However, as an experienced jeweler, he also understood the rules of the trade.
Buying rough stones was inherently a high-risk investment. Even if one lost money, they had to accept it; it was all about eyesight and luck. Those who were ripped off by vendors could only blame themselves and no one else, and there was no need for anyone to step in to uphold justice.
Thinking that he only had this one daughter, who would inherit his company's assets in the future, he was truly worried about her personality.
"Let's go." Hu Tao said to the appraisal experts around him and then headed towards Jessica.
Soon, he saw Jessica and, naturally, Lin Xiao Tian as well.
"Mr. Lin, I didn't expect to see you here."
Lin Xiao Tian also saw Hu Tao and politely nodded in acknowledgment.
"Jessica, what's going on?" Hu Tao asked his daughter.
"Dad, please judge! This person is terrible. He lied and said this was snow flake rock, and asked for five thousand. When I refuted him, he accused me of slandering him!" Jessica looked at Hu Tao with a wronged expression.
Hu Tao listened and had a general understanding.
If it were usual, he would have pulled his daughter away. After all, he didn't want to do something that disrupted the established trade practices.
But now that the other party was Lin Xiao Tian, the situation was different.
Lin Xiao Tian had close ties with the Fang Group. If he could help him, he might be able to build a good relationship.
With this thought, Hu Tao walked to the stall.
When the middle-aged man saw Hu Tao, his face immediately turned grim.
He naturally recognized the biggest jeweler in Jiang City. If it were an ordinary person, he wouldn't be afraid at all, but Hu Tao held great prestige in the Qingzhou jewelry industry. If he offended him, how could he continue in this line of work?
"Haha, Boss Hu, it's all a misunderstanding!" the middle-aged man said with a fawning smile.
"Is this your snow flake rock?" Hu Tao pointed to the stone in Lin Xiao Tian's hand, his face expressionless.
"No, this is just an ordinary stone," the middle-aged man immediately backed down.
Seeing the man's sincere attitude, Hu Tao nodded with satisfaction. Then he turned to Lin Xiao Tian.
"Mr. Lin, this stone is not snow flake rock!"
"In terms of origin, it might come from a jade mine, but look at its quality and size; it's unlikely to yield much jade."
"Believe me, Mr. Lin. With my years of experience, this is just an ordinary stone. Forget five thousand yuan; even a hundred yuan would be too expensive for it."
Hearing Hu Tao's professional analysis, the middle-aged man's face turned red.
He had thought he had found a fool, but unexpectedly, he had bumped into someone tough and was publicly criticized by a big name in Qingzhou's jewelry industry. If his peers found out, he would surely be laughed at.
Beside him, Jessica happily wrapped her arms around Hu Tao.
"Dad, you're amazing."
"You! Tell me, how many times has this happened? If you act up like this again, I won't bring you to the Jade City next time."
"Ah! Dad, don't be like that. I don't want to stay home with Mom. I promise I won't do it again." Jessica started to act spoiled.
While the father and daughter were talking, Lin Xiao Tian approached the middle-aged man again.
"Are you still selling this stone?"
"You want to buy it?" The middle-aged man thought he had misheard.
"Yes." Lin Xiao Tian nodded.
"Ah... this..." The middle-aged man didn't react immediately.
"Hey! What are you doing? Didn't I tell you he was a fraud?" Jessica immediately ran over.
"Jessica, why are you being so impolite!" Hu Tao said helplessly. Then he approached Lin Xiao Tian, "Mr. Lin, please don't mind her. The young lady is used to being wild abroad, but her intentions are good. This stone is really worthless."
Both father and daughter were trying to dissuade Lin Xiao Tian, but he shook his head.
"Thank you both, but I want to buy this stone," Lin Xiao Tian said seriously.
Hearing Lin Xiao Tian's words, everyone present was stunned.
Was someone really eager to be a fool?