NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29 Fang Junxiang Has a Plot
Su Wanqing selected a pair of jade Ruyi, which appeared to be of exceptionally good quality. If genuine, they were worth at least thirty million yuan.
However, such products are the easiest to counterfeit. Without specialized equipment, it is not easy to distinguish. Moreover, the pair of Jade Ruyi was so obviously displayed that it could easily confuse the contestants.
Most people would think that such a high-standard competition would not make victory come so easily. Therefore, such obvious items are usually fake.
But Su Wanqing's daring choice indicated that she had sufficient confidence.
When handing over the Ruyi to the judges, Su Wanqing glanced at Wang Ye. She didn't speak to him, her eyes only conveying a hint of disdain.
Half an hour later, all the contestants had finally chosen their jewelry.
The appraisal this time required more than an hour.
And since it was nearly noon, the host directly announced a break, to continue at two in the afternoon.
...
Meanwhile, backstage at the competition venue.
Fang Junxiang was meeting with several staff members in an office.
This appraisal contest was originally Fang Junxiang's responsibility. However, Fang Feifei's arrival had snatched away his charge.
Though Fang Junxiang was displeased, he did not dare act out due to the presence of the old patriarch. Nonetheless, he had come to the competition site, intending to cause trouble and make things difficult for Fang Feifei.
"How is the competition proceeding so far?" Fang Junxiang asked the staff members.
"The competition is going smoothly, the atmosphere is still very good. There's no deviation from the plan," they replied.
"That won't do, if everything goes smoothly, then Fang Feifei…" Fang Junxiang said with a stern expression.
He wanted to find an opportunity to make trouble for Fang Feifei, but so far, no such opportunity had arisen.
Seeing Fang Junxiang's worried face, one of the female staff members had an idea.
She spoke up to Fang Junxiang, "Sir, I've noticed something unusual."
"What is it?"
"Miss Fang seems to be quite close to one of the contestants. Perhaps we could use that to our advantage."
"Oh? Really!" A plan immediately formed in Fang Junxiang's mind.
If Fang Feifei was indeed close to a contestant, then they could use that fact to accuse Fang Feifei of collusion. Once she was embroiled in scandal, he could step in to rescue the situation and take control of the appraisal contest once again.
"Sir, I've already looked into that contestant; his name is Wang Ye. He doesn't have any background, easy to manipulate…"
Upon hearing the name Wang Ye, Fang Junxiang interrupted the female staff member before she could finish, "What did you say the contestant's name was?"
"Wang Ye, Sir, what's wrong?"
"Wang Ye? Is he a young man in his twenties?" Fang Junxiang asked, somewhat excited.
If it was indeed the Wang Ye who had treated the old patriarch, then this operation was even more assured of success.
"Yes, a young man in his twenties, quite handsome too."
"Good, very good! How is Wang Ye performing?"
"He's doing quite well, already progressed to the second round."
"The second round, very good. It would be even better if he could make it to the final."
The better Wang Ye performed, the easier it would be to target Fang Feifei in the end.
"The final? I'm afraid that's unlikely. The contestants this time are all very strong."
"That won't do, Wang Ye must make it to the finals. Moreover, it would be best if he took the championship. I will personally figure out a way,"
Fang Junxiang said, his lips curving slightly into a sinister smile.
…
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the competition continued.
The results of the second round were tallied within half an hour.
The Warring States Command Token chosen by Wang Ye, after appraisal, was concluded by the judges to be genuine, estimated to be worth over a hundred million.
And Wang Ye smoothly became the victor of the second round of the competition.
Fang Junxiang was in a corner of the competition venue, watching closely.
Seeing the result, a smile appeared on Fang Junxiang's face.
"This kid actually has some skills! Looks like I don't need to do anything, and he can make it to the finals,"
Fang Junxiang had intended to use his own resources to help Wang Ye, but Wang Ye was very strong.
"This young man Wang Ye isn't bad at all! To think that he can identify the extremely rare round Command Token from the Warring States era, not simple at all,"
"Indeed, he's impressive! I wonder what his background is, I've never heard of him!"
"Right, it's so strange. The other contestants are all people with some reputation in the antiques and jewelry circles of Yun City. Only this Wang Ye lacks any background,"
Hearing people discuss this way made Fang Junxiang even more pleased.
Wang Ye had no background, but his performance was so outstanding. Thus, everyone should have their suspicions.
If it were said that Wang Ye was colluding with Fang Feifei, many would certainly believe it.
Because these people would never believe that someone like Wang Ye, without any background, could achieve such a great performance on his own strength.
They would certainly prefer to believe the kind of 'insider stories' they imagined.
On the stage, the third round of the competition officially began.
In this round, only twenty-four contestants remained on stage. And amongst these twenty-four, only six would be able to enter the finals.
So this round was the most critical and the most difficult.
However, as the winner of the previous round, Wang Ye did not receive any advantage.
Of course, Wang Ye didn't need any advantage, if he were to play to his normal strength, he would be able to smoothly enter the finals.
The third round involved betting stones, with one hour for selection. After the selection, the cutting would take place on-site, to examine the value of the raw stones.
Betting on stones was a daily activity for many people in Yun City. Moreover, as it was extremely thrilling, the live audience paid even higher attention. This time's appraisal would be displayed in front of the audience throughout the process.
After an intense hour of selection, twenty-four raw stones were placed on the stage. Some had chosen very large stones, while others had chosen quite small ones.
And the one Wang Ye selected was only the size of a fist.
From a distance, Fang Junxiang noticed the stone Wang Ye had picked and frowned.
Such a small stone, in Fang Junxiang's view, surely wouldn't be very valuable. Even if it contained jade, the room for appreciation wouldn't be too great.
But Wang Ye's previous performance had been so good, it showed he certainly had the skills. So why would he do this in this round?
Could it be he had heard some rumors and deliberately wanted to underperform? But that seemed implausible.
After thinking it over, Fang Junxiang decided to take action himself, to ensure Wang Ye would smoothly get through this round.