NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28: Warring States Command Token
Su Wanqing was fully aware that she didn't like Wang Ye and was very unwilling to accept the engagement with him. However, under such circumstances, she would still get jealous seeing Wang Ye and Fang Feifei getting close.
For Su Wanqing herself, this was also a strange thing.
Perhaps, it was because Fang Feifei's radiance was too dazzling! If it were any other woman getting so close to Wang Ye, Su Wanqing wouldn't have felt anything at all.
Just then, Wang Ye happened to turn his head, and their eyes met.
Su Wanqing immediately froze for a moment and quickly looked away from Wang Ye's gaze. If Wang Ye discovered her watching him, wouldn't that lead to a misunderstanding?
"Doctor Wang, what are you looking at?"
Fang Feifei noticed Wang Ye's gaze fixed in Su Wanqing's direction and looked over as well.
"It's nothing," Wang Ye covered up casually.
Fang Feifei had already seen Su Wanqing and roughly understood what was going on. Such a beautiful girl, it was normal for Wang Ye to be somewhat enamored.
"Well then, Doctor Wang, you go ahead with the competition. How about we have dinner together after it ends?"
Fang Feifei did this not only to express her gratitude but also with another purpose in mind.
Patriarch Fang's illness—Fang Feifei had long known it wasn't so simple. Now that the old master was better, Fang Feifei felt it was imperative to investigate clearly.
And Wang Ye was just the right person to help her uncover the truth.
"That won't be necessary, Miss Fang," Wang Ye declined.
"Doctor Wang, how can you refuse? It's decided then. I will come to find you after the competition," Fang Feifei didn't give Wang Ye a chance to refuse.
Chen Li saw the situation and the corners of her mouth slightly curled into a smile.
After Fang Feifei left, she said softly to Wang Ye, "Junior Brother, you really are popular!"
"Senior Sister, I'm not, they..." Wang Ye wanted to explain but didn't know how to.
"Alright, Junior Brother, no need to explain, your Senior Sister won't blame you. Being popular isn't your fault! Treasure tonight's dinner, okay?"
The two chatted below the stage while the competition was fiercely underway on the stage.
Several dozen contestants were intensely selecting the appropriate paintings.
Twenty minutes later, the competition time was up. All the contestants had selected their paintings and submitted them to the judges for registration and authentication.
The authentication process would take more than half an hour.
While waiting for the authentication results, the judges on stage announced the rules for the second round of the competition.
The second round of competition didn't differ much from the first. The only change was that instead of choosing paintings, contestants would now select jewelry. Over ten thousand pieces of jade and jewelry would be displayed on stage.
The competition time was still half an hour.
Displaying so many jewels and fine paintings through these two rounds of competition was actually to generate publicity. It made those following the competition aware that Yun City was a treasure trove. Once the reputation was built, the jewelry and jade market of Yun City, alongside the trading of antiques and calligraphy, was bound to attract more attention in the future.
The third round of competition would be the most challenging.
Because the third round intended to highlight what the organizers most wanted to promote.
The content of the competition was gem gambling.
In Yun City, this was a very common occurrence. The jade trade market of Yun City had always been rife with gem gambling.
Untreated rough stones, simply evaluated by the naked eye, would be traded. How the stone turned out after it was cut would determine the success of the transaction.
Some may soar in a single leap, while others may plunge into an abyss.
Amidst excitement and surprises, gemstone betting propelled the commercial development of Yun City.
Half an hour later, the results of the first round of the competition were announced.
As expected, Wang Ye advanced to the next round without any surprises, though his ranking was not very high.
Fortunately, the results of the first round did not affect the subsequent competitions.
The first place in the first round went to Su Wanqing. The painting she selected was appraised at sixty million.
The piece Wang Ye chose was worth only nine million.
However, compared to those who failed to select any authentic works, Wang Ye was certainly strong. Besides, Wang Ye had not even exerted his full strength in the first round.
"Alright everyone, our first round has ended. Along with the results, I have an important announcement to make. The valuable authentic works selected in this round will all be auctioned off at the Fang Family's auction in five days. Interested friends, be sure to attend!"
The host declared enthusiastically on stage, clearly advertising for the Fang Family.
Hosting this event was probably for the sake of that auction.
As long as the enthusiasm was high, the turnover at the auction was sure to be substantial.
In that case, the Fang Family would make a hefty profit.
"Well, let's not dwell on small talk and proceed immediately to the next round of the competition."
The host stepped down, and the referee took the stage, announcing the new round.
This time, less than fifty contestants remained.
Due to her outstanding performance in the previous round, Su Wanqing obtained some privileges. Her time for the second round could be extended by twenty minutes. Those who ranked second to fifth in the previous round also received an additional ten minutes. The fifth to ninth places got an extra five minutes.
Everyone else had the standard thirty minutes.
This second round posed a bit more of a challenge for Wang Ye.
Due to the large number of participants in the last round, one only needed to be in the top fifty to advance.
But this time, it was not so simple to outperform the last twenty-five contestants.
After all, those who made it through the first round all had strength to show.
Moreover, unlike calligraphy and painting, the age of a gemstone does not completely determine its value. As long as it has good quality, even modern gemstones can be very valuable, especially jadeite.
So this time, Wang Ye spent a long time selecting among the jewels.
After over twenty minutes, Wang Ye finally settled on a palm-sized jade stone. It seemed inconspicuous compared to the dazzling stones around it.
After handing the jade to the referee, the referee glanced at it and disdainfully said, "Wang Ye, with so many jade pieces to choose from, why pick such an unremarkable one?"
"This jade has quite a history. It is a General's Jade used as a Commander's Seal during the Warring States period," Wang Ye confidently stated.
"Warring States?" The referee scoffed.
He did not believe that the Fang Family would bring out treasures from the Warring States period for this event.
After all, those were extremely valuable. If it really were a Warring States Command Token, it could be worth hundreds of millions.
As Wang Ye submitted his jade, Su Wanqing had also made her choice and was heading toward the judge's bench.