Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 160: Chapter 157 King Biao

However, having already known that the Sand Hole Raw Material was a trap, Huo Sining treated the auction bid as though it were a joke.

Because no matter who won the bidding, as long as the payment was made successfully, the loss was set in stone.

On the other side, Zhou Zhen and Jin Youtai were both holding their breaths, staring fixedly at the electronic screen, not daring to blink, afraid that they might miss the bid for number 2547 by a slip of attention.

The screen scrolled, and 2547 slowly appeared.

Seeing the following winning bid price, the entire venue was in an uproar.

Forty million!

“Isn’t that the Sand Hole Raw Material? Forty million, that’s more than ten times the starting price!”

“Who is this person with such guts, not afraid to cut the stone and lose everything?”

“The person who won this bid must be wealthy. They wouldn’t care about throwing away a few tens of millions. Besides, it hasn’t been cut yet, how can you know it will be a loss? If it reveals tens of kilograms of Ice Seed Jadeite inside, then this person will make a fortune!”

There was much discussion in the hall; forty million was the most expensive bid so far. Although there were still many sealed bids to be opened, it was obvious that bid number 2547, the “King Biao” of this year’s Pingzhou Public Plate, had likely already been decided.

Seeing the bid price of forty million, Zhou Zhen and Jin Youtai finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the price was high, both had high expectations for that piece of Sand Hole Raw Material.

“Didn’t brother just bid thirty-six million? This forty million doesn’t look like Zhou Zhen’s bid,” Su Qingqing said with some suspicion upon seeing the price of forty million.

Su Jinyuan also frowned slightly. Given Zhou Zhen’s modus operandi, to suppress Su Group’s Donghua, he would definitely bid thirty-six million and one yuan, as a way to humiliate the Su. But now the bid price was four million higher than his expectation, which did not seem to fit Zhou Zhen’s style.

“Perhaps he figured out the detail that I didn’t sign my bid,” Su Jinyuan laughed, not taking it too seriously, “Whatever, thinking too much is pointless now. Whether he is the King Biao or not, we will naturally find out after the event is over.”

Given Zhou Zhen’s personality, if he placed the forty million bid, it wouldn’t be long before he would make a fuss, wanting the entire world to know about it.

Su Jinyuan’s guess was not wrong. After learning he had won the bid, Zhou Zhen decided on the spot to contact the organizers for on-site stone gambling.

“Young master, perhaps report this to President Zhou first, to see what he thinks. If you make a decision on your own like this and something goes wrong, I cannot take the responsibility!” Uncle Zhao pleaded.

Zhou Zhen was determined to buy bid 2547, and Master Zhao couldn’t stop him, but now Zhou Zhen wanted to gamble the stone on the spot, Master Zhao felt he had to stop him no matter what.

The bid price was exorbitant, and if the cutting resulted in a loss, it would be a significant blow to Zhou’s Jewelry.

Father Zhou had been pressed for debts by the banks and various partners many times recently; if he knew that his son was spending a fortune on stone gambling, the Zhou Family would be facing immense trouble ahead.

Unfortunately, Zhou Zhen, eager for immediate success and joy, was already blinded by the upcoming success and happiness. All he could think about was cutting out a huge piece of jadeite to let the whole world know his name, Zhou Zhen. How could he listen to Master Zhao’s heartfelt advice?

“Don’t lecture me. It’s true my dad put you in charge of this purchase, but sooner or later the company will be mine. If you piss me off again, I’ll have HR fire you when I get back!”

This time in Pingzhou, Father Zhou had entrusted all the funds to Master Zhao, but Master Zhao gripped the money tightly, and no matter how hard Zhou Zhen tried, he couldn’t pry it loose. This caused Zhou Zhen to feel extremely dissatisfied with Master Zhao.

Now even his request to gamble on stones on the spot was blocked by Master Zhao, Zhou Zhen felt extremely annoyed, thinking that Master Zhao was taking advantage of his age and getting too big for his boots; he scowled and insulted him without politeness.

Master Zhao was a veteran employee at Zhou’s Jewelry, having been with Master Zhou from the establishment of the company, and was now in his sixties.

At Zhou’s Jewelry, Master Zhao’s authority was no less than that of Father Zhou, and he was even more respected by the employees, so on normal days even Father Zhou would give him face and respectfully call him “Uncle Zhao.”

However, he never expected that after having worked for Zhou’s Jewelry all his life, and now close to retirement, he would be rebuked so disrespectfully by a greenhorn.

Master Zhao felt humiliated, his face an iron shade of blue. Without dealing with Zhou Zhen’s request to gamble on stones anymore, he stood up and walked out of the meeting room, stepping outside to call Father Zhou and resign.

Master Zhao sensed that Zhou’s Jewelry was on a downward spiral. With Master Zhou lying in a hospital bed, his son was not very capable, and the grandchildren were running amok. How much of the family’s wealth could they squander? He estimated it wouldn’t take long before Zhou Zhen and his siblings wasted it all away.

What of a prominent clan? No matter how many businesses you fight for, it’s less important than raising a few good children and grandchildren.

The more he thought about it, the more disappointed Master Zhao felt, his heart sinking. He had no intention of getting involved in the Zhou Family’s domestic affairs any longer and firmly insisted on resigning.

Father Zhou was taken aback when he heard Master Zhao wanted to resign, and urgently inquired about the reason.

Master Zhao was disheartened and didn’t bother explaining the ridiculous things Zhou Zhen did in Pingzhou; he simply said he was getting old and it was time to retire and enjoy his remaining years.

In fact, a few years earlier, Master Zhao had submitted his resignation to Master Zhou, but Master Zhou had not agreed.

At that time, Master Zhao, seeing how earnestly Master Zhou had asked, didn’t bring up resigning again. Now, however, he felt compelled to consider his own future.

The Zhou Family business would always belong to Master Zhou’s son and grandson. Although Master Zhao had contributed to Zhou’s Jewelry, he was seen as a threat in the eyes of the Zhou descendants.

Rather than wait to be unceremoniously kicked out by the Zhou descendants in the future, it was better for him to resign now and leave Zhou’s Jewelry with dignity, preserving some face and pride.

Father Zhou was in turmoil. He had his own plans regarding Master Zhao but always showed him the utmost respect. Especially now, when Zhou’s Jewelry was in great need of capable people, Master Zhao’s talent was among the best. If the old man left, he didn’t know how much longer Zhou’s Jewelry could last.

But no matter how much he tried to convince him, Master Zhao refused to budge, only stating his desire to resign.

With no other choice, Father Zhou verbally agreed to let Master Zhao write his resignation letter, saying he would report it to Master Zhou later.

Master Zhao knew that Father Zhou was stalling, but since he had already made his decision, no matter how Father Zhou dragged his feet, he was determined to leave. As for Zhou Zhen, he decided to let go and stop interfering.

Zhou Zhen had no idea that Master Zhao’s resignation had caused such a stir in the Zhou Family. As soon as the bidding meeting ended, he eagerly contacted the organizers, asking them to arrange a venue as soon as possible. He was going to gamble on Jade Public Plate.