Divine Eye Appraisal: Starting with a Lucky Pickup of a Beautiful CEO's Family Heirloom

Jiangcheng Jade City, 9:58 AM.

Wen Zhaoye was pinned down on the floor tiles of Yumantang by two security guards, with the dragon plaque broken in two next to his face.

There were twenty or thirty people gathered in the store, some holding up their phones, others craning their necks to watch the spectacle.

Bao Dequan squatted down and kicked the broken jade with the tip of his leather shoe. "Wen Zhaoye, you're something else. You've even dared to steal from my Yu Mantang."

"I didn't steal it."

Bao Dequan chuckled and tapped his cigar against the ashtray.

"A jade dragon pendant worth three million fell out of your sleeve. You say you didn't steal it? Fine, wait until the police arrive, then you can tell them."

Someone in the crowd clicked their tongue, "Three million, this kid looks pretty honest."

"Even honest people need money. I just heard that his grandmother is still in the hospital."

Grandma is in the ICU at the Second Municipal Hospital and will have surgery tomorrow morning. He is short 60,000 yuan for the deposit, but after searching everywhere, he could only scrape together 2,800 yuan.

Bao Dequan called him in the morning, saying that a batch of goods had arrived at the warehouse and he would receive an advance of two months' wages after the goods were moved.

Less than three minutes after Wen Zhaoye entered the back warehouse, a security guard rushed up, grabbed his hand, and pulled the broken jade pendant from his right sleeve.

Bao Dequan now wants three million.

Bao Dequan turned and beckoned to the counter, "Wen Nian, come here. You're his girlfriend, say something fair."

Wen Zhaoye slowly raised his gaze.

Wen Nian stood by the counter, wearing a light beige dress, a small white bag, and a sparkling necklace around her neck.

Last night she texted me on WeChat, "Zhaoye, we'll all be alright." She added a hugging emoji.

She didn't hug him today.

She stood next to Bao Dequan, tears welling up in her eyes. "Zhao Ye, just admit it."

"I saw it. You were stuffing things into your sleeve. I know you were in a hurry, Grandma needs money for surgery, but you can't do this. Boss Bao has always been good to you, how could you steal his jade?"

The store erupted in a buzzing noise.

"My girlfriend said so, how could it be fake?"

"Even if you're short of money, you shouldn't steal."

"The live stream was on, now I'm famous."

Wen Zhaoye stared at Wen Nian, but she didn't dare to look at him.

He wanted to ask her, "What did you see?" But his throat tightened, and he couldn't get the question out.

The security guard cursed, "Still glaring at that girl?"

He pressed his knee down, and the blood from Wen Zhaoye's palm flowed down the broken glass to the edge of the jade pendant.

At that moment, several pale gold characters appeared next to the crack in the shattered jade.

[Item: Dyed Jade Dragon Pendant]

【Material: Scraps of bluish-white jade, acid-washed and dyed, machine-carved】

[Actual market price: 3,600 to 5,200]

[Source of damage: At 11:41 PM last night, Bao Dequan used a crack on the inside of his left-hand gold ring to sever the spine of the jade pendant]

[Transfer Record: At 9:42 AM today, Bao Dequan slipped the jade pendant into the right sleeve of the target's work uniform.]

[Residual Evidence: Bluish-white jade powder remained on the inside of Bao Dequan's gold ring on his left hand; the same batch of dye remained in the third drawer of the counter]

This is... a cheat system from a novel? Hmm?

Heaven rewards those who persevere; I have turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise.

I don't know if it's reliable or not, but I have to take the gamble.

Wen Zhaoye's thoughts wandered, and he slowly shifted his gaze to Bao Dequan's left hand.

Bao Dequan wore a large gold ring on his left hand, with a red stone set in the ring face. There was indeed a bit of bluish-white powder on the inside of the ring near the base of his thumb.

No one would notice unless they looked closely.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Bao Dequan leaned forward and patted his face. "Scared? That makes things easier. Kneel down and apologize to the live stream audience. Have your grandma mortgage the old house, and I might not call the police. You've been following me for half a year, and I don't want to push things too far."

Wen Zhaoye suddenly chuckled, "Boss Bao, is this thing really worth three million?"

"Nonsense. It's old mine jade, carved by a famous craftsman. What do you know?"

"I don't really understand," Wen Zhaoye said. "Then let someone who does understand take a look."

Someone in the shop started commotion, "Yeah, let's take a look!"

Bao Dequan's face darkened. "This is evidence. Who dares to touch it?"

Wen Zhaoye was still lying on the ground, but his tone was calm and methodical: "Didn't the live stream just now capture it quite clearly? Are you afraid someone will break it, or are you afraid someone will find out?"

As soon as these words were spoken, someone in the crowd chimed in, "That's right! Boss, it's a live stream, don't be stingy."

"Let him go." Bao Dequan waved to the security guard, his face not looking too good. "Let him see. I want to see what he can come up with."

When the security guard let go, he deliberately bumped into Wen Zhaoye.

Wen Zhaoye used to work as a handyman at Yumantang. Bao Dequan wouldn't let him handle the good products, but he had seen quite a few defective ones.

The acid-washed color and the precise, machine-carved feel of it gave him a sense of order, something he couldn't quite put his finger on before. Now, those pale gold characters gave him confidence.

"Uncle, you were just picking out jade pieces, could you take a look?" Wen Zhaoye handed the broken jade pieces to a middle-aged man next to him.

The middle-aged man was taken aback, then quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, I won't get involved."

"What are you afraid of? It's not like I'm asking you to pay three million."

The woman selling grilled sausages next to me chimed in.

The middle-aged man was brought here and had no choice but to accept the broken jade. After glancing at it a few times, his expression changed.

"This...this doesn't seem to be..."

Bao Dequan immediately glared at him, "Make sure you're sure before you speak."

Startled, the middle-aged man put the broken jade back on the counter and coughed, "I'm not sure."

No normal person would choose to confront Bao Dequan alone at this time.

If you offend them, you'll have to avoid this place from now on, which is not worth it.

Wen Zhaoye also felt a headache coming on. Those who were just watching the show couldn't understand it, and those who could understand it didn't dare to speak up. He himself couldn't seem to produce any evidence for the time being.

Just then, an old man in a gray Zhongshan suit squeezed through the crowd and said, "Let me see."

Bao Dequan was stunned for a few seconds. "Old Sun, what brings you here today?"

The old man ignored him, picked up the broken jade, looked at it, then took out a small flashlight from his pocket and shone it on, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Acid-washed and dyed, thin fabric, machine-carved lines. Three million? Boss Bao, are you trying to fleece this old man like a lamb to the slaughter?"

The store erupted in chaos.

"Fake? They dare to label something worth five thousand as three million?"

"I bought a Buddha amulet from him last month!"

Bao Dequan slammed his hand on the counter. "Old Sun! You can't just say things like that!"

The old man placed the broken jade pieces on the counter. "Am I talking nonsense? The jade appraisal point is on the second floor. Take it up there. If it's really worth three million, I'll kowtow to you in front of everyone today."

Seeing that the other party was in an awkward position, Wen Zhaoye didn't give him a chance to catch his breath. He pulled open the third drawer of the cabinet.

"What are you doing!" Bao Dequan lunged at him.

Wen Zhaoye took a small plastic bottle out of the drawer, and the camera immediately zoomed in. He then pulled open Bao Dequan's sleeve.

There was a semi-transparent glue mark inside the cuff, with fine jade powder stuck to the side.

"Boss Bao, the glue wasn't dry when you put it in."

Wen Zhaoye pointed to Bao Dequan's left hand.

"ring."

Bao Dequan instinctively hid his hands behind his back.

In that instant, everyone in the store saw it.

"He's hiding his hand!"

"What's wrong with the ring? Take it off!"

"Boss, don't chicken out, it's live streaming."

Bao Dequan retorted, "What do you know? He's just a poor hauler, why would you believe anything he says?"

Wen Zhaoye picked up a piece of white paper and placed it on the counter.

"If you scratch the inside of the ring and no jade powder comes out, I'll kneel down and admit to stealing it; if you do, you kneel down."

Wen Nian squeezed in, tears streaming down her face.

"Zhao Ye, stop making a scene. Boss Bao has already given you a way out, do you really have to make things like this?"

She stood in front of Bao Dequan, blocking the ring.

Wen Zhaoye asked, "Did you really see me steal the jade?"

Wen Nian's lips trembled.

"I……"

"Explain yourself clearly." Wen Zhaoye took a step forward. "Did you see me take it from where, how, and when?"

Wen Nian took half a step back and bumped into the counter.

"I had no choice," she cried. "Boss Bao said that if I testified for him, he would arrange a job for my brother and lend me money. He said he was just trying to scare you, to get you to mortgage the old house, and that you could pay me back slowly after Grandma's surgery..."

So she knew.

I knew Grandma was in the hospital, and I knew the old house was Grandma's lifelong dream.

She knows everything.

"So you even gave me a price that I can negotiate slowly."

Wen Nian shook her head, crying, "I didn't mean to put you in jail."

"You're thinking of me kneeling down and handing over the house," Wen Zhaoye said. "You haven't considered whether I can ever hold my head up high again."

Bao Dequan suddenly reached out to grab the live streaming stand.

Wen Zhaoye pressed down on it, and bloodstains fell onto the white plastic pole.

"Don't turn it off." He looked at the scrolling comments on the screen.

The people who were just criticizing him are now criticizing Bao Dequan.

Bao Dequan gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Wen Zhaoye, leave some room for maneuver. Your grandmother is still in the hospital. Do you really think you've won?"

Once he said that, the murderous look in Bao Dequan's eyes could no longer be concealed.

As Wen Zhaoye looked down, he saw a black stone lying under the money tree by the door, half of it buried in the soil.

The pale gold lettering emerged from the stone surface.

【Item: Mo Wan Old Mine Black Leather】

[Outer layer cracked and broken, inner layer concealing icy green]

Estimated value: 4.8 million to 6 million

Wen Zhaoye was startled after reading it, and then walked to the money tree and gently patted the trunk.

"Okay, then give me a way out. How much is your money tree worth?"

Bao Dequan was stunned. "Why are you asking this?"

"Will you sell it? Just consider it a lucky draw."

Bao Dequan smirked, "Hey! Have you lost your mind?!"

"I wonder who was caught selling inferior goods and getting exposed as a fake. You're the one who should be going crazy now," Wen Zhaoye said calmly. "Name your price."

Bao Dequan glanced around at the onlookers and deliberately raised his voice.

"Six hundred and eighty. I bought it for two thousand dollars. If you really want to buy it, I'll sell it to you for six hundred and eighty because we've been boss and employee. This money tree is a cashier's payment, and it's my compensation to you. Don't come back and say I cheated you."

Wen Zhaoye opened his phone and transferred 680 yuan.

"Received it, haha, 680 yuan for this much stuff, Wen Zhaoye, you've really broadened my horizons today."

Wen Nian panicked, "Zhao Ye! Grandma's still in the hospital, and you're spending money on this kind of thing?"

Wen Zhaoye walked to the money tree, struggled to lift it out, and then took out the black leather and glanced at her.

"From the moment you testified, it's none of your business what happens in my family."

After saying that, he weighed the stone in his hand for a moment.

"I'm thinking of cutting one open to see what happens; who knows, there might be treasure inside."

The crowd erupted in uproar, all saying that he had gone mad.

"Excuse me, could you please move aside?" a cool female voice rang out.

The crowd parted, and a woman in a white suit stood in the doorway.

Her hair was tied back, she wore a thin gold chain on her wrist, and she was followed by two bodyguards.

Bao Dequan's smile froze. "Miss Yu?"

This is Yu Tinglan, a well-known heiress in the area.

Yu Tinglan didn't look at him, but only at the stone in Wen Zhaoye's arms.

"Dare you cut it?"

Wen Zhaoye hugged the stone tightly and looked at her with unwavering determination.

"dare."

He turned to Bao Dequan.

"I'll use your stepping stones to pay for my grandma's surgery today."