Chu Feng's sudden outburst immediately drew everyone's attention.
Those present were all people of distinguished status, and what they contended for in this place was merely face.
Now, being ogled like a monkey by so many, President Wu's face instantly turned a patchwork of green and purple.
However, he already found himself in too deep to back out now. It would be difficult not to gamble with so many eyes on him.
Having already lost face, backing out of the gamble now would only lose him more respect. Not only did President Wu need to gamble, but he also had to win. Otherwise, he would suffer an even greater blow to his dignity.
"How do you want to gamble?" President Wu said through gritted teeth.
Chu Feng replied, "Of course, the loser must withdraw from the pursuit and never bother Yanyan again."
As Chu Feng spoke, he tightened his hold on Cui Jingyan's slender waist, while simultaneously shifting from 'Sister Yan' to 'Yanyan'.
Cui Jingyan hadn't expected Chu Feng to be so bold. Her hand reached up to Chu Feng's waist, giving it a fierce twist.
Although Chu Feng's physique had improved, it didn't mean he was impervious to pain. The twist made him grimace with discomfort.
Meanwhile, Cui Jingyan whispered in his ear with a breath as soft as orchids, "If you lose, I'll have you accompany this old man."
To outsiders, Cui Jingyan's gesture seemed incredibly intimate, as if President Wu was the third wheel.
However, Chu Feng felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing her words—losing and having to keep company with this old man was an appalling thought that made his skin crawl.
Chu Feng lowered his head and bit Cui Jingyan's earlobe, saying, "Don't worry, I won't lose."
When Chu Feng bit her earlobe, Cui Jingyan felt a tingling sensation, and a blush crept onto her face.
Watching the two share such intimacy, President Wu felt as though his lungs were about to explode. Whether he won or lost, it seemed he was destined to be branded a homewrecker, which made him wonder how he could face anyone in the future.
"Merely gambling on this isn't thrilling enough. We need to add something more exciting," President Wu said with malice rising in his heart.
Chu Feng looked at President Wu and said, "Oh! What exciting stakes are you thinking of adding, President Wu? You can't possibly want to bet yourself, because I have no interest in men."
"Boom!"
Upon hearing Chu Feng's words, the crowd burst into laughter once again, and President Wu's face turned the color of liver.
President Wu forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "We have professional jewelers here. If both parties cut open the jade stones, we will appraise them on the spot. If there is a difference in value, we will pay the difference tenfold as a reward to the other party."
Upon hearing President Wu's words, Cui Jingyan's eyebrows furrowed.
The disparity in the value of jade stones could be enormous. The difference between ordinary glass jade and standard jade was beyond rational calculation.
Hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars were possible outcomes. And if it were tenfold, that could mean rewards of several million or even tens of millions. This was clearly a bet against her entire wealth, intended to leave her penniless.
A few hundred thousand dollars was nothing to the Wu Family, but for Cui Jingyan, it was already a significant sum. This Mr. Wu was clearly making a play to bankrupt her.
After President Wu finished speaking, he looked at Chu Feng and Cui Jingyan smugly and said, "Don't tell me you're scared to bet?"
Chu Feng really couldn't decide on this matter, as it wasn't his wealth that was at stake. Although he was confident in winning, he thought it best to let Cui Jingyan decide for herself. Chu Feng looked at Jingyan, and after a moment's hesitation, she nodded and said, "Let's bet."
Compared to being entangled with this old man, Cui Jingyan would rather risk losing her entire fortune.
Seeing his scheme succeed, President Wu revealed a smile and said, "Since you agree to the bet, let's start selecting the raw stones now."
"Hold on!"
Chu Feng saw President Wu rushing to choose a stone and called out to stop him.
President Wu, having heard Chu Feng calling out to him, halted his steps and turned back to look scornfully at Chu Feng, saying, "What, you want to back out?"
Chu Feng retorted, "Backing out would make you my dad. No, that's not right. Backing out would make you my son. Still not quite there!"
Chu Feng's words had the whole room erupting in laughter once again.
President Wu, seeing Chu Feng making fun of him, completely darkened his expression and said, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Chu Feng said, "Before worrying about what I am, I just want to say that the stone is yours, this place is yours, you raised the bet, so shouldn't we get to choose the stone first?"
Pausing for a moment, Chu Feng continued, "Or are you saying that you've already had someone inspect these stones and you already know whether there's anything inside them?"
President Wu's face changed at Chu Feng's words, indeed he had had someone inspect them, and he even knew there was something inside one of them. Now Chu Feng was saying he wanted to choose first, and Wu was genuinely afraid that Chu Feng, like a blind cat finding a dead mouse, would take the very stone he had his eye on.
Looking at President Wu with scorn, he said, "What, you're afraid? Or are you just scared of losing? If you really are scared of losing, I can let you choose first."
"Hmph! You go ahead!" President Wu snorted and let Chu Feng choose first.
Chu Feng walked up to the row of raw jade and examined each one, looking as if he truly understood what he was doing.
In the end, Chu Feng stopped in front of the largest piece of raw jade. It was the biggest one of them all, weighing several hundred pounds.
"This one!" Chu Feng declared, pointing at it.
Seeing Chu Feng's choice, President Wu breathed a sigh of relief, then said with contempt, "Just because a stone is big doesn't mean there's definitely something inside."
Hearing these words, Chu Feng's expression changed and he said, "Is that not the case? That's what the books all say!"
President Wu burst into laughter at Chu Feng's words, "You've been fooled by the book! If the people who wrote the books could find jade, why would they write books in the first place? They'd go straight for jade hunting. If you find jade in that stone, I'll eat the stone skin."
A barely noticeable smile crept onto Chu Feng's lips, then with a prideful tilt of his neck, he said, "I'll stick with the book's word and choose this one; I look forward to seeing you eat stone skin."
The audience, watching Chu Feng's confident manner, couldn't help shaking their heads, certain that this young fellow was doomed to lose without a doubt.
Cui Jingyan's face turned sour; even she didn't expect Chu Feng to be so impulsive. Although she wasn't very knowledgeable in this field, she understood that bigger wasn't necessarily better and that often the larger stones were empty inside.
President Wu paid no mind to Chu Feng and directly selected a stone he had previously examined, confidently saying, "I've made my choice."
After speaking, President Wu looked toward Chu Feng and said, "Do you want to start the cutting, or shall I?"
"Cut what? Big hand or little hand? You're the elder with kidney issues, you go first."
President Wu, bursting with anger at Chu Feng's words, retorted, "Cut the stone!"
Chu Feng said, "No need to explain, what's there to say about bad kidneys, I'm not a doctor."
"Boom!"
The crowd below laughed so hard their stomachs hurt, all of them curious about where this guy came from and how he could be so hilarious.
President Wu, trembling with fury, turned and ordered, "Someone, cut open my stone."
No sooner had President Wu finished speaking than a professional came forward and started the stone-cutting machine right there on the spot.
As the machine roared, layers of stone skin fell away and soon a touch of green burst from within the stone.
"It's there! It's there!"
The sight of that touch of green set the crowd's hearts racing with tension.
President Wu, glimpsing the deflated look on Chu Feng's face, finally felt a measure of satisfaction.
Cui Jingyan, seeing the dense green, also felt her heart sink to the bottom of a valley.