The nonchalant expression on Chen Fan's face immediately irked many.
"Chen Fan, do you know how much loss you've caused Rui Xiang Jewelry?" Tang Yuchen, naturally, seized the opportunity to attack Chen Fan. He knew that only by bringing Chen Fan down could he secure his position as chief appraiser.
"Loss? I've made so much money for Rui Xiang Jewelry, how could there be any loss?" Chen Fan asked, feigning confusion.
Tang Yuchen sneered, "Heh, making money? If you weren't blind, you'd see the raw stones you bid on yourself. I'd love to know what money you've made for Rui Xiang Jewelry."
Chen Fan and Qin Shuran looked at the piles of cut stones. Only a few pieces contained jade that was worth noting. Qin Shuran's face paled. Although she wasn't an expert in stone gambling, having grown up in a prominent family, she could still recognize valuable jade. More importantly, she knew the prices Chen Fan had paid for these raw stones – not a single one was less than ten million.
Seeing Qin Shuran's expression, Qin Yuyan smirked triumphantly and couldn't resist taunting, "Qin Shuran, Father and Second Uncle entrusted Chen Fan with the stone gambling大会 out of trust. I didn't expect you to treat this matter so lightly."
Qin Xiaotong also chimed in, "Chen Fan, if you don't give us a satisfactory explanation today, Rui Xiang Jewelry will not let you off!"
"Exactly, Miss Qin is right. Chen Fan, you must give us a reasonable explanation today," Tang Yuchen quickly echoed. Even the managers of the surrounding stores looked at Chen Fan and Qin Shuran with displeasure.
Qin Hongguo, his face ashen, finally spoke, asking Qin Hongwei, "How much did we spend on the blind bids this time?"
Qin Hongwei replied, "Big brother, it cost a total of two billion!"
"What? Two billion!" Qin Hongguo's face turned extremely grim.
Qin Shuran quickly tried to explain, "Dad, it's not like that."
But before she could finish, Qin Hongguo berated her, "Shut up! You have no right to speak here."
Qin Shuran was extremely anxious. She wanted to explain that fifteen of the two billion were won by Chen Fan through his own gambles, but her father clearly wasn't listening. Chen Fan gently squeezed Qin Shuran's hand, giving her a reassuring look. Then, he turned to Qin Hongguo and said, "Uncle, Shuran may not have the right to speak, but as the person in charge of this stone gambling大会, I do, don't I?"
Qin Hongguo's cold gaze fixed on Chen Fan, but he remained silent.
Tang Yuchen sneered, "Chen Fan, the facts are right in front of us, and I've already shown the Qin family head your bidding prowess yesterday afternoon. What else can you say?"
Qin Yuyan mockingly added, "Chen Fan, our family has lost two billion because of you. I'm eager to hear what excuses you can come up with." In Qin Yuyan's eyes, Chen Fan was cornered with no way out. Two billion was a significant loss even for the Qin family. She knew her father would be furious and might even break off Chen Fan and Qin Shuran's engagement. Then, she wouldn't have to marry into the Liu family in Qin Shuran's place. The thought brought a gleeful smile to Qin Yuyan's face.
"Who told you we lost two billion?" Chen Fan retorted.
Qin Xiaotong pointed at the broken stones on the ground, "Chen Fan, does that even need asking? You spent two billion on this pile of trash. It's all over the internet now. Not only has our Qin family suffered losses, but our reputation has been severely insulted. Chen Fan, I even suspect you did this deliberately to get revenge on our Qin family for not letting you marry Qin Shuran."
Her words sent a shockwave through the crowd. What made it worse was that Qin Xiaotong's analysis seemed plausible, leading many to believe Chen Fan might indeed have a motive for revenge. Qin Shuran was about to retort, but Chen Fan stopped her. He calmly stated, "What if I told you we didn't lose money this time?"
"Heh, Chen Fan, are you saying we can't count? We can't figure out how much we've lost?" Qin Yuyan couldn't help but sneer.
Chen Fan pointed at the remaining dozen or so raw stones and the two-ton piece of jade, "Haven't we finished cutting yet? It's too early to talk about losses. I've always had good luck. I've never lost in stone gambling."
"Hahaha!" Tang Yuchen burst into laughter. He pointed at Chen Fan's remaining raw stones and said, "Chen Fan, are you implying that you can find raw stones worth two billion within this pile of garbage?"
Chen Fan nodded slightly, "That's right. I believe in my luck."
"Hahaha, Chen Fan, do you want to kill me with laughter? If these raw stones can yield twenty billion worth of jade, I'll never gamble on stones again in my life!" Tang Yuchen made a bold bet. For a dozen raw stones, plus a large, uncut rock, finding twenty billion worth of jade was pure fantasy.
Chen Fan glanced at Tang Yuchen, ignoring him, and turned his gaze to Qin Hongguo.
"And what if you can't find jade worth over two billion?" Qin Hongwei's mocking voice rang out.
Chen Fan smiled calmly, "If I can't, then any losses Rui Xiang Jewelry incurs will be my personal responsibility."
Qin Hongwei sneered, "Your personal responsibility? Kid, do you think you can afford to pay back two billion?"
"I believe in my luck," Chen Fan repeated.
"Luck? Heh, that's a joke," Qin Hongwei said with utter disdain.
Chen Fan looked at Qin Hongguo again, as he was the head of the Qin family and the ultimate decision-maker.
"Dad, just let them keep cutting. Otherwise, this kid will never be convinced. After they're cut and it's still a pile of waste, let's see how he can argue his way out!" Qin Yuyan urged.
Qin Xiaotong quickly chimed in, "Yes, Uncle, we can investigate thoroughly then. Perhaps this kid is here for revenge on our Qin family. You must not go easy on him!"
Hearing this, Qin Hongguo's cold eyes turned to Chen Fan. "Fine, let them continue cutting. I want to see just how good your luck can be."
Upon hearing Qin Hongguo's words, Qin Yuyan and the others wore smug expressions. Qin Hongwei waved his hand and instructed, "Bring more machines. Let them cut together to avoid wasting our time." The staff quickly nodded, and two more stone-cutting machines were brought in.