Mind reading saves the whole family; I'm firmly in the role of a charlatan.

Chapter 216 Is there such a good thing?

There's another one... even bigger?

Xi Jingyue and Jiang Changbin both looked at the wooden box that Jiang Changbin was holding.

After confirming with Du Anrao that no more stones would be cut, the master craftsman packed the remaining rough stones into this wooden box so that Du Anrao could easily take them away.

The stone originally weighed eighteen jin (approximately 9 catties), and after cutting out the original stone containing the auspicious symbols of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness, along with some waste material, about ten jin (approximately 5 catties) remained.

Jiang Changbin already felt the box was heavy in his hands, but now that he knew there was an even larger raw stone inside that hadn't been cut out, it felt like it weighed a ton. In just a short while, he was sweating profusely, and his hands holding the box were trembling slightly.

"Since you're willing to part with them, I won't take advantage of you. How about this: the two jade pendants are worth 500 million, which will just offset the 500 million you borrowed from me. What do you think?"

Du Anrao couldn't help but gape, and after a long while, he said, "Let me see it again. What can I possibly see? Mr. Xi, your intention to give me money is too obvious, isn't it? Those two little plaques aren't worth that much."

She had been listening attentively to what Mr. Li said when the stone was being cut, and while everyone's attention was on the stone, she secretly glanced at the ornament that was said to have sold for 100 million overseas.

It certainly doesn't look as big as the stone she cut out, but it's not much smaller either. Even if you take into account factors like the water content and impurities in the material, your own rough stone would only fetch three or four hundred million at most if sold outside. Why would someone ask for five hundred million to take out two jade pendants from it?

Xi Jingyue insisted, "They are worth the price."

Once they've accumulated a certain amount of wealth, money becomes just a number to them; what's more valuable are things that money can't buy, like good health and freedom from illness.

If the efficacy of those few stones were revealed, let alone 500 million, even 1 billion or 10 billion, there would be plenty of people willing to buy them.

"It's not worth it. At most, I'll be a little ruthless and charge you 100 million for a single brand."

"Five billion."

"At most 300 million."

"Five billion."

"How can you be so wasteful?"

"Just five hundred million."

"you……"

Jiang Changbin: "..." Wait, did you two accidentally switch roles? What kind of reverse bargaining method is this? What kind of play are you guys doing that I don't understand?
However, he still agreed with Xi Jingyue's words. If the jade pendant was just an ordinary stone with the auspicious symbols of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness, it would definitely not be worth this price. The key is that it contains spiritual essence, and he felt that even doubling the price was too little!
To put it bluntly, this kid isn't a relative of theirs, nor is he a particularly good friend, so why should he get a share of the pie?

Thinking this, Jiang Changbin looked at Xi Jingyue, who was becoming increasingly agitated, and his words unconsciously carried a hint of sarcasm: "Since he is willing to pay this price, it means that our things have this value. You can just accept them. Why are you making so many complaints?"

"Brother, you..."

"Mr. Jiang is right, it's settled then."

Du Anrao: "..." I haven't even agreed yet, how is it settled already? Wait, when did you two become a team?
Two fists can't fight four hands. Du Anrao rolled his eyes speechlessly and decided not to dwell on the topic any longer: "Let's not talk about that for now, Mr. Xi. Let me confirm with you again, are you really not interested in that piece of land in the South District?"

Xi Jingyue's eyes flickered slightly, and he vaguely guessed what was going on.

"Why do you ask that? Do you want to sell that piece of land in the South District? Do you want to sell it to me?"

Du Anrao scratched his cheek sheepishly: "I do have that plan."

Her original goal wasn't the land in the southern district, but the wasteland in the northern suburbs. If the two plots hadn't been sold together, she wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble and spend so much money fighting tooth and nail with a group of people. Most importantly...

"And look at me, I have no company, no connections, I'm just holding onto this piece of land, I can't just conjure up a flower out of thin air."

If Du Anrao's words got out, they would infuriate the group of people who were bidding against her tonight. A group of big business owners losing to a small business owner—it's quite surreal. "So you're planning to transfer it to me?"

"...It's not that your family has so many businesses; you must have investment projects and connections in this area. It's not like this land has been wasted in your hands."

Xi Jingyue raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and casually asked, "So how much are you planning to sell it for?"

“Uh…” Du Anrao thought of the billions that made her heart bleed, and tentatively gestured, “Fifteen billion.”

Xi Jingyue remained silent.

"Four billion...?"

Xi Jingyue remained silent.

"That 1.2 billion?"

Xi Jingyue remained silent.

"If all else fails, then... a billion?"

"..."Even the lowest price ever seen is this low.

Xi Jingyue rubbed his temples, looking exasperated: "Aren't you afraid of going bankrupt selling like this?"

Du Anrao's eyes brightened slightly: "So you agree? Then I'll transfer this land to you right now."

"No!" Xi Jingyue quickly stopped him, "You'd better not transfer it to me yet."

"Why? Do you think it's too expensive? Hmm, this price is negotiable."

“No.” Xi Jingyue chuckled, then added meaningfully, “It’s just that if you resell it to me, you might have to pay taxes again.”

Du Anrao: "?!?!?!?!"

"What?! I...you..." She gestured to herself, then to Xi Jingyue, before finally managing to stammer out, "Are you going to pay or am I going to pay?"

"You both have to pay, but if it's calculated based on the transfer, you'll pay more than me."

Du Anrao: "?!?!?!?!"

"Why?!" Less than half a year after coming down the mountain, this person, who was experiencing a huge transaction for the first time, was completely furious. She had to pay for the purchase herself and pay for the sale herself. In less than a day, she lost hundreds of millions, which was all the money she had saved in her life. Wasn't this going to kill her?
"There's nothing we can do, that's the rule, so you shouldn't even think about selling the land for now."

[But if I don't sell this land, how am I supposed to pay everyone back? How am I supposed to make use of it? I can't just let it rot in my hands, can I? That's why people say if you're uneducated, you need to study more; one wrong step and you'll fall into a trap!]

So that's what it was for.

Xi Jingyue felt both helpless and amused.

"Although we can't buy your land, we can cooperate."

"Cooperation? How to cooperate?"

"Didn't you just say that you have a piece of land but no team or connections? I have all of those. Let's work together. I'll provide the manpower and you provide the land. We'll develop this land and split the profits 50/50, no, 30/70, I get 30% and you get 70%."

Du Anrao: "???" Is there really such a good thing?
Jiang Changbin: "..." He was speechless. He felt like he was watching a fantasy movie. Are there really people in this world so eager to give money away? Was this guy a benevolent benefactor in his past life?
(End of this chapter)