This piece of jadeite may only be the size of an egg, but its quality is excellent—it's an ice-grade jadeite, something extremely rare and valued at at least two hundred thousand.
"Is it worth a hundred thousand?" Lin Tiancheng asked.
"A hundred thousand? You wish! It's worth at least two hundred thousand!"
Lin Tiancheng hadn't expected it to be worth so much. Two hundred thousand meant he could get a hundred thousand, which, although not much to a wealthy person, could bring a significant improvement to his family's financial situation.
"Um, you're not going to back out of the bet, are you?" Lin Tiancheng asked.
Wang Mengxin rolled her eyes at Lin Tiancheng and said, "You just broke up with your girlfriend, and now you're trying to make a move on me?"
Lin Tiancheng smiled awkwardly, "If you don't want to, then forget it. I was just kidding."
If she had known how things would turn out, Wang Mengxin certainly wouldn't have made the bet, but it would be unreasonable to go back on her word now. More importantly, Lin Tiancheng had been confident about this piece of jade, and whether it was luck or not, he managed to cut out something worth two hundred thousand, even giving her a share. To back out now would make her feel guilty about taking her share.
"Close your eyes."
As Lin Tiancheng looked at Wang Mengxin, who was so close, his heart skipped a beat. In truth, although Wang Mengxin was petite, she was far more attractive than Wang Xiaomin in both looks and figure.
Lin Tiancheng had cheated at jade gambling, and though he felt a little guilty, he couldn't help but close his eyes, eagerly anticipating Wang Mengxin's kiss.
"I'm almost out of battery soon, and I don't know what will happen. If I can get a kiss from Sister Xin, such a beautiful woman, at least I won't have any regrets in life."
Seeing Lin Tiancheng close his eyes, a mischievous glint flashed in Wang Mengxin's eyes. She extended her index finger and lightly tapped Lin Tiancheng's face.
Just as she was about to tap him a second time, she hesitated, then withdrew her finger. After a moment's pause, she finally stood on tiptoe and gave Lin Tiancheng a light kiss on the cheek.
After Wang Mengxin kissed him, Lin Tiancheng opened his eyes, his face filled with astonishment.
Seeing Lin Tiancheng's stunned expression, Wang Mengxin blushed and spat, "Lin Tiancheng, I'm telling you, I've kissed you now, so we're even. Don't get any ideas about me. If I ever get married, it'll be to a man worth at least a hundred million."
Lin Tiancheng wasn't thinking about Wang Mengxin at all.
Just now, after Wang Mengxin kissed him, he noticed that the battery icon had increased from 8% to 10%.
"Did I just charge up? Does Sister Xin actually have the energy I need?"
If it was true that the human body held the energy he needed, then why hadn't he charged up when he had physical contact with Qian Haoming or Wang Xiaomin?
Recalling the electrifying sensation he'd felt when Wang Mengxin kissed him, Lin Tiancheng felt a sense of realization, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope.
Could it be that since he had merged with the phone, the power the phone needed was also the power he needed, and what he needed was that "spark" between a man and a woman?
Back at Silver Bay, he had already lost his feelings for Wang Xiaomin. Without that feeling, her kissing his hand wouldn't have given him that spark.
These were just Lin Tiancheng's speculations, and he needed further research to determine the truth.
"Sister Xin, do you believe me now?" Lin Tiancheng asked.
Wang Mengxin glared at him, "You think your luck will always be this good? Nine out of ten bets on jade end in a loss, you know that."
Lin Tiancheng said, "I trust my instincts."
"Alright then, go ahead and pick two more pieces from my shop and see if you can cut out anything valuable."
Lin Tiancheng's expression immediately turned awkward. The rest of the raw materials in Wang Mengxin's shop weren't great—most of them had no potential, and he didn't want to waste his battery.
Wang Mengxin knew that after Lin Tiancheng had a big win, his confidence had skyrocketed, and there was no way he would quit now. But she also knew that with his limited experience, he would only end up losing everything if he continued gambling.
After thinking it over, Wang Mengxin said, "In two days, Yun City will be hosting a jade gambling event. If you really want to play, I'll take you to check it out. But let me be clear—if you lose even one bet, you're not allowed to touch jade again. You need to focus on your studies."
"No problem." Lin Tiancheng agreed readily.
His original battery level was 33%. Downloading the flashlight app had used 20%, and by the time he returned to the jade shop, he was down to 8%. This meant that the time he spent using the x-ray vision and gambling had used up 5% of his battery.
He had already realized that as long as he didn't use the phone's functions, the battery consumption was minimal. With 10% battery left, he should be able to make a big impression at the upcoming jade gambling event.
For now, Lin Tiancheng's priority was to figure out exactly how he could recharge.
"Oh, right, Sister Xin, you said you'd only marry a man worth a hundred million. If I make a hundred million, would you consider me?" Lin Tiancheng asked.
In fact, Lin Tiancheng had always thought highly of Wang Mengxin. She was beautiful and treated him well, but his focus had always been on Wang Xiaomin, and his poor circumstances had made him hesitant to even think about pursuing Wang Mengxin.
But now things were different. If Lin Tiancheng could figure out how to keep his battery charged, success and wealth were within reach. If Wang Mengxin held the key to his power, he wouldn't be able to leave her.
Wang Mengxin put one hand on her hip and tapped Lin Tiancheng's forehead with the other. "You cut one piece of jade, and now you don't even know who you are anymore? Daring to flirt with me now? You're so ugly, and you're someone's leftover—I wouldn't even consider it for less than a billion."
"Well, what if—just if—I really make a billion?" Lin Tiancheng asked.
"We'll talk about it if you ever do."
Ling Yuanshan sat in his office, a cigar in his hand. His expression was calm, but he exuded a powerful aura of authority.
"Boss."
A tall, broad-shouldered man entered the office. A scar ran down his cheek, like a fleshy centipede stretching from the corner of his eye to his chin, giving him a menacing appearance.
"How did it go?" Ling Yuanshan asked.
"I offered them ten million, and they refused." The man hesitated before lowering his voice, "Boss, since they're from out of town, should we…"
Ling Yuanshan smiled faintly and said, "They may be from out of town, but they know this is my territory. If they dared to come here and cause trouble, they must have some backing. Besides, we're running a business here—every guest is welcome. We can't treat them poorly just because they made money. And I promised Moxin, no killing."
"You're right, boss."
Ling Yuanshan wasn't surprised by this outcome at all. He nodded slightly and asked, "Has Mr. Li Yiming been invited?"
"Yes, he has, but the earliest he can come is in two days."
"Then let them keep winning for two more days."
"Dad." At that moment, a beautiful figure entered Ling Yuanshan's office.
"Moxin, what are you doing here so late?" Ling Yuanshan asked.
"Dad, have those Dutchmen left yet?" Ling Moxin asked.
"Why do you ask?" Ling Yuanshan said suspiciously.
Ling Moxin hesitated before saying, "I know someone who played seven rounds of cards with someone else, each round drawing a single card to determine the winner, and he won all seven rounds."
Ling Yuanshan chuckled. "A little better memory and faster hands—just simple tricks."
Ling Moxin shook her head. "But the key is, he never touched the deck, and he never saw anyone shuffle. The cards were already shuffled when he joined."
"Oh?" Ling Yuanshan's expression changed slightly. "Who is he?"
"He's a student at my school."
Ling Yuanshan's face showed a hint of disappointment, and he smiled. "Alright, I understand. Moxin, don't concern yourself with this. Just focus on your studies."
"But…"
"Moxin, it's late. Go home and get some rest."
Clearly, Ling Yuanshan had lost interest in the conversation. If someone hadn't seen the cards being shuffled and still won seven times, it could only be attributed to sheer luck.
Besides, if someone had extraordinary gambling skills, how could they possibly be hiding at a traditional Chinese medicine university? They would already be making a name for themselves in major casinos and living in luxury.
...