"Zhang Pengpeng, is that you?"
Ling Feng turned around and spotted Zhang Pengpeng grinning at him.
"How are you feeling? Better yet?"
Ling Feng asked, genuinely concerned.
"Much better! Thanks so much! I didn't expect your medical skills to be this good!" Zhang Pengpeng replied gratefully.
"Are you here alone?" She glanced around and noticed Ling Feng was by himself.
Before Ling Feng could answer, a young man standing next to Zhang Pengpeng stepped forward. He looked at her with gentle eyes, but when he turned to Ling Feng, his gaze turned icy and disdainful.
"This is my high school classmate!"
Zhang Pengpeng responded sharply, clearly unimpressed by the guy, even skipping the introduction.
"I just got here. How about you show me around?"
With a smile, Zhang Pengpeng walked closer to Ling Feng. The young man's face darkened instantly.
He had been pursuing Zhang Pengpeng for a long time, but she showed no interest in him, not even a smile. Seeing her cozying up to Ling Feng, a guy who looked like a poor nobody, made him furious.
But he wasn't worried. He knew how to handle guys like Ling Feng. Just by revealing his status, he could make Ling Feng back off.
He'd done it before, chasing away countless "poor kids" and eventually winning over the girl he liked.
"Bro, I'm Wang Cong. I'm the general manager of Wang Jewelry, and the chairman is my dad!"
Wang Cong approached with an air of confidence, extending his hand as if to shake hands with Ling Feng.
But before Ling Feng could respond, Wang Cong swiftly pulled his hand back.
"Nice to meet you!"
Ling Feng nodded but made no move to shake hands.
He'd heard of Wang Jewelry; it was a decent brand in Jiangcheng, but he didn't care much for it.
For him, friendship was about character, not status. Wang Cong's intentions were clear, and when Ling Feng saw him pull back his hand, he understood the hostility right away.
"Pengpeng, why don't we bring your classmate along to check out the raw stones?"
Wang Cong was annoyed, but with so many people around and Zhang Pengpeng right there, he held back his frustration.
He figured he'd just pick a raw stone and later gift it to Zhang Pengpeng. That would put him ahead of Ling Feng.
"Ling Feng, what do you think?"
Zhang Pengpeng asked Ling Feng before agreeing to Wang Cong's suggestion.
This made Wang Cong's blood boil.
"I'm all in!"
Ling Feng was initially planning to look at the raw stones anyway, hoping to pick something good for a gift for Zheng Miaoyi.
Since Wang Cong had suggested it, he had no objections. Besides, he wanted to annoy Wang Cong a bit.
Soon, they arrived at the raw stone section.
"Pengpeng, what do you think of this one?"
Wang Cong picked up a seemingly nice-looking raw stone and asked Zhang Pengpeng.
"I don't know much about raw stones. You choose," she replied, shaking her head.
"Ling, what do you think?"
Wang Cong didn't genuinely want Ling Feng's opinion; he thought Ling Feng wouldn't know anything about raw stones and saw it as a chance to show off in front of Zhang Pengpeng while humiliating Ling Feng.
He wasn't stupid; he knew if he directly insulted Ling Feng, Zhang Pengpeng would get mad at him. So he devised this tactic: let Ling Feng reveal his ignorance instead.
"This raw stone looks decent on the outside, but the color isn't great, so it's not very valuable!"
Ling Feng replied straightforwardly, not thinking about Wang Cong's ulterior motives.
"Really?"
Wang Cong didn't say much, but he was grinning inside.
His family was in the jewelry business, and he'd been dealing with raw stones since he was a kid.
The stone in his hand had a good chance of turning out exceptional, and for Ling Feng to say it wasn't valuable was hilarious.
He didn't need to say anything else; he'd have the stone cut and let the results do the talking.
But when the cutter opened the stone, Wang Cong was suddenly shocked. "What's going on?!"
While the jade inside was decent-sized, the color wasn't pure, only flower green.
Zhang Pengpeng looked at the result and immediately gave Ling Feng a thumbs-up.
"I didn't know you knew about raw stones! You're amazing!"
This reaction made Wang Cong's face flush with embarrassment.
It felt like a punch to the gut, a humiliating defeat.
"Wow, Ling Feng, you're quite the expert!"
Wang Cong forced a smirk, trying to maintain his composure.
"I just got lucky and spoke out of turn!" Ling Feng replied casually.
Something felt off. Ling Feng could see Wang Cong's hostility, but the compliments weren't genuine.
"Ling Feng is just being modest!" Wang Cong chuckled.
"Are you interested in trying your luck with some gambling stones?"
Wang Cong looked at Ling Feng, thinking through their earlier conversation.
He figured that while Ling Feng got the result right, he hadn't given any reasoning, so it was likely just luck.
He couldn't believe he would lose to a poor kid when he had been handling raw stones his whole life.
"Gambling stones? No thanks, I'm not interested!"
Ling Feng replied disinterestedly.
"C'mon, Ling Feng! This is just a friendly skill challenge, no pressure!"
"If money's a problem, I can cover the cost of the raw stones!"
Wang Cong thought Ling Feng was hesitant because he couldn't afford the stones.
A few people had already come over to greet Wang Cong, showing he was a well-known player.
Seeing Wang Cong say this made Ling Feng hesitant, and others started mocking him for not being manly.
"Alright then!"
Ling Feng reluctantly agreed.
The crowd erupted in laughter, mocking him for needing someone else to front the costs.
"Let's do this: the loser pays for the raw stones."
"Deal!"
Wang Cong clapped his hands, saying, "These stones are subpar; let's head to the premium section!"
Ling Feng readily agreed.
As they walked, more people greeted Wang Cong.
Even Zhang Pengpeng, who didn't know much about raw stones, could tell he was quite skilled.
"Ling Feng, maybe you should sit this one out? Wang Cong seems like a pro."
Zhang Pengpeng whispered to him.