Chapter 748: Treated as a decoration
Translator: eunimon_ Editor: Caron_
Ye Wanwan brought Feng Xuan Yi, Nameless Nie and the others downstairs to meet with Xue Li and the group of experts.
Aside from Eleven and Feng Xuan Yi, Ye Wanwan had five new faces with her. With a total of eight people walking beside her, she seemed quite powerful.
When Xue Li saw this scene, he knitted his brows. He didn't care for the people Ye Wanwan brought with her and he said directly, "Miss Ye, our time is limited for this trip. Let's not waste any more time and head straight for the biggest jade trade store in H city. Director Qin already made arrangements beforehand and got the boss to reserve a batch of top-quality materials for us."
The three experts behind Xue Li were also Qin Ruo Xi's people and they chimed in, "Miss Ye, you don't have to worry about this trip at all. Director Qin is very familiar with the market in H city and has more experience than us. She's already done quite a bit of research already."
"That's right. The goods handpicked by director Qin won't lead you astray; you just have to shop accordingly and provide payment!"
These people sounded very kind, but they were obviously mocking her and treating her like a decoration.
Ye Wanwan didn't object. She simply smiled and said, "Sure, let's go and take a look!"
H city was truly the city of gambling with precious stones in Myanmar; various shops lined the streets. Present were businessmen from all around the world to rich bosses to tourists - the street was extremely lively and busy.
The so-called gambling with precious stones was a term used in the jewelry industry. When jade was extracted, a layer of weathered skin would be wrapped around it. With the present existing methods, there was no way of determining the quality of the raw stones inside and whether or not there was jade inside at all - the only way to find out would be to cut it open.
If high-quality jade was found inside the rock, it was considered a win in the gamble, but if there was nothing inside, it was just a piece of scrap and this meant the gamble was lost.
Currently, the lowest price for a raw stone was below the hundreds while raw stones with a higher probability of containing a jade could go for up to hundreds of thousands, millions, or even over a hundred million. Once the gamble was lost, one could lose an entire family fortune. Of course, if one won, the returns would be at least a hundredfold and one would become rich overnight.
The precious stone industry was one of the areas the Si Corporation dealt with, with the jade business making up a huge portion.
In the jade business, the most crucial part was the purchase of raw stones.
For example, not long ago, a competitor of the Si family in the precious stone industry acquired a piece of top-quality, glass type of jade through gambling in precious stones. It was invaluable and they shot to fame very quickly, attracting many first-rate clients.
Seeing that Ye Wanwan was looking around, a hint of disdain flashed in Xue Li's eyes. "Miss Ye, you don't have to look at all these little shops here - many of them are counterfeit. They make fake outer layers and stick a piece of glass inside then paint it over, pretending that the rocks are weathered. Not to mention their inferior quality... you don't know anything about this industry at all; you'll be cheated easily!"
With Xue Li leading the way, the group of people arrived at the largest jade trade store in H city - Hui Cui Workshop.
At the spacious and well-lit hall downstairs, the shelves were stocked with stones of all sizes and many people were holding magnifying glasses and flashlights while examining the stones carefully.
The moment Ye Wanwan and the others entered, a sharp-eyed shop assistant stepped forward immediately and welcomed them enthusiastically.
"Oh, Mr. Xue, you're here! Quick, come in!"
Xue Li and Qin Ruo Xi had been to the store multiple times before, and the shop assistant recognized him instantly. He knew Xue Li was working for the top management of Si Corporation in country Z, so he was obviously very attentive towards him.
Seeing that Xue Li had a very beautiful lady with him this time, the shop assistant couldn't help but stare for a bit. Of course, he didn't want to be nosy and ask about her.