“Miss Wilde, it’s your call,” Nicola said to Coral, understanding her intention.
“Mr. Harper, you can pay a deposit of one million,” Coral said to the middle-aged man.
“No problem, thanks, Miss Wilde,” the man replied.
Upon hearing this, the young woman beside him became very excited. She tiptoed and planted a kiss on the older man’s cheek, leaving a red lipstick mark.
“Miss Wilde, I want a bracelet too!”
“Miss Wilde, I want a ring, and a pendant…”
“Miss Wilde, I want a small ornament!”
With the man taking the lead, others who admired the water-type jade also placed orders with Coral.
Seeing her jade gain so much popularity, Nicola raised her head triumphantly and looked at Leo. “The value of the jade I picked and cut is around eight million. My purchase cost was only one hundred fifty thousand, which means I’ve won more than fifty times. Leo, you should give up now.”
Nicola exuded confidence, believing Leo’s stone couldn’t possibly outperform hers. In her view, even if Leo managed to cut jade from his stone, it wouldn’t be worth more than hers.
“Miss Pater, don’t celebrate too early. The outcome is still uncertain,” Leo said with a mysterious expression on his face.
“Leo, you can pretend all you want, but your luck has run out with me,” Nicola replied, skeptical that Leo could achieve another breakthrough. After all, the rough stone he picked had such poor quality.
If such a stone could yield top-grade jade, then everyone in the gambling circle would be making a fortune.
Leo placed the rough stone he picked on the cutting machine’s surface and followed Nicola’s example by drawing a line on the stone’s surface.
“Hey, Leo, you’re acting like a pro,” Nicola teased with a smile.
The spectators’ eyes were fixed on the cutting machine, eager to see if the young man’s luck would hold.
“Guys, can you imagine cutting jade from such a poorly colored stone? If that happens, all these years of gambling will have been for nothing.”
“It’s from Guatemala, right? It’s unlikely to have high-class jade inside; even getting a low-quality green one would be like striking gold.”
“Hey, remember this guy cut glass-type jade from a piece of scrap.”
“Dude, you can’t rely on luck alone in this gambling game…”
Listening to the discussions, Antony couldn’t help but snort disdainfully. “This kid is just a pure rookie. When he fails to cut anything, he’ll realize that not everyone can play the gambling game!”
Amidst the chatter, Leo had already begun to press down the cutting blade. It swiftly penetrated along the marked line. Due to the poor quality of the rough stone, the cutting machine’s noise was even more grating this time. If not for the water lubrication and cooling, sparks might have been flying by now.
The tough outer shell of the stone required more time for the cutting blade to completely slice through. Nicola took the water ladle and poured it on the stone’s surface.
The cut surface was smooth but revealed the color of ordinary rock, without any trace of jade.
“As expected, no jade,” someone remarked.
“This kind of poor-quality rough stone couldn’t possibly yield jade,” another added.
“It seems this young man’s luck ran out with that piece of waste,” someone else commented.
Antony sneered inwardly.
With a triumphant air, Nicola looked at Leo and said, “Accept reality, young man.”
“It’s just one cut; my rough stone is quite large. Who knows, the jade might be deep inside,” Leo responded calmly.
However, his expression was met with disbelief by the onlookers. They had been there before, starting out in the gambling world with the same mentality-always believing the jade was still within and they just hadn’t cut to it yet.
Leo suddenly felt that he was missing out by not becoming an actor; setting up this kind of drama was quite thrilling.
Nicola challenged, “Fine, you continue cutting. I want to see what you can find.”
Nicola watched Leo use a marking pen to draw another line on the rough stone before making the next cut.
“Seeing this young man, I can’t help but recall my younger days. Back then, I was just as reluctant to give up without seeing the tragic result,” a bystander reminisced, feeling emotional.
“Handsome guy, just give up. There’s no jade inside this stone,” someone advised.
Leo seemed unperturbed by the discussions, and the cutting blade had already entered the interior of the rough stone.
With a “crack” sound, the rough stone split into two again amidst the chatter of the crowd.
Reluctantly, Nicola poured another ladle of water onto the cut surface. Though everyone knew it was unlikely to reveal jade, they squinted to get a better look.
The two sides of the cut surface were still the color of stone.
“No green yet.”
“Definitely a hundred percent waste.”
“Forget it, I’m not watching anymore. It’s a waste of time. I’ll go pick some gemstones instead.”
Leo remained composed; this cut was intentionally deceptive. It was the classic strategy of “suppressing first and then surprising.” They would be astonished later.
Leo pressed the power button of the cutting machine again, and the blade started spinning at high speed.
“Still cutting?”
“Young man, if it fails, it fails. Not every stone holds jade. Your mentality isn’t suitable for gambling.”
“That’s the mentality of a gambler-unable to accept failure.”
“This young man’s mentality is really poor.”
Hearing the discussions, Antony’s face displayed a contemptuous smile. He couldn’t fathom what Coral was thinking, bringing someone like Leo to the Starry Nebula Gemstone Festival.
With a “crack” sound, amidst the crowd’s discussions, the rough stone split into two again.
Nicola didn’t bother to pour water this time, and many people lost interest, not bothering to watch.
The water washed over the cut surface, and the color of the interior changed. At the center of one side, there was a slight reddish tinge.
Nicola glanced casually and said, “Still no green. Three cuts, and your rough stone is a complete waste, Leo. Stop wasting time and admit defeat so you can fulfill your bet.”
“Take another look,” Leo reminded her.
Nicola approached and got closer, but her smile suddenly froze.
“It’s reddish… This… seems to be…”
Nicola quickly took out her phone, turning on the flashlight, and shining it on the cut surface.