C9 A Peerless Treasure

The stakes were incredibly high, with the loser set to forfeit a staggering four million yuan. The crowd was drawn in, eager to witness who would emerge victorious. The organizers, recognizing the benefit to their own interests, not only refrained from intervening but actively encouraged the wager, even clearing a dedicated area for the contest. The sole stipulation was that each party must first hand over the two million yuan they had spent on purchasing the conch shells.

Xia Hee, unaware that Cao Jiang had previously sold pearls to amass over two million yuan, pulled him aside and asked anxiously, "Where did you get two million yuan to gamble with? If you lose, you're looking at a total loss of four million yuan!"

"It's okay..." Cao Jiang began, about to reveal his financial situation, but Xia Hee exhaled a heavy sigh and walked away to swipe her card at the organizer's booth, paying the two million yuan.

Watching Xia Hee handle the transaction, Cao Jiang was suddenly transported back to his childhood memories of misdeeds, when his mother would scold him, then silently clean up the mess he had made. His mother had passed away over a decade ago, and now, seeing someone else extend such kindness to him stirred a complex mix of emotions. As Xia Hee hurried back, he couldn't resist asking, "Why are you so good to me?"

Xia Hee was taken aback by the question. She couldn't pinpoint why she felt compelled to be so kind to Cao Jiang; it was simply that from the first moment she saw him, she found him agreeable, and that feeling had only grown with time. Annoyed, she replied, "Focus on figuring out how to pick out some valuable conch shells instead."

Cao Jiang touched his nose, resolving to win and to give all the prize money to Xia Hee.

Meanwhile, Huang Zhongtian had begun selecting conch shells, proclaiming that he would share the winnings with anyone who assisted him in his search. This enticed many seasoned beachcombers, some of whom were keen to see Cao Jiang make a fool of himself. Compared to Huang's growing entourage, Cao Jiang's side seemed at a disadvantage, with only Qin Danfeng and Xia He offering occasional advice.

Qin Danfeng focused on shells with apparent external value, while Cao Jiang, using his gift of clairvoyance, uncovered numerous hidden gems, filling his basket quickly. As their funds dwindled, Cao Jiang paused, his gaze fixating on an exceptionally large conch shell before him.

This conch was a coconut vortex. With a stroke of luck, one could harvest a Melo Pearl from it. Even a single pearl the size of a fingertip could fetch over a million dollars.

But the odds of finding a Melo Pearl were slimmer than winning the lottery. Despite the size of this coconut vortex, there was no guarantee it would yield a pearl, and the price tag was steep—over 1.2 million.

Qin Danfeng shook her head, saying, "I've seen countless coconut conches over the years and not once have I found a pearl. Let's consider other options."

Cao Jiang inhaled deeply and declared, "No, I've set my sights on this one. I'm not interested in the others."

"What!" The two women with him were taken aback. Xia Hee, aware of his stubbornness, had given up on trying to dissuade him. Qin Danfeng, however, persisted patiently, "Don't count on sheer luck. You might not find a pearl in tens of thousands of coconut conches. Since my father started in the jewelry business, we've never come across a conch with a Melo Pearl. You do realize how unlikely it is?"

Cao Jiang simply smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern, President Qin, but I'm set on this conch."

"Alright then!" Qin Danfeng, seeing her efforts to persuade him were futile, handed over the basket with a resigned expression. Cao Jiang removed the sea clams and other conches he had previously selected and placed the massive conch inside before confidently making his way to the stage.

Qin Danfeng let out a sigh and turned to Xia Hee, "Why didn't you talk some sense into him? Four million is no small sum."

Xia Hee gave a wry smile, thinking to herself that no one could sway a man who feared nothing, not even death. She could only silently hope for a miracle this time.

Meanwhile, Huang Zhongtian had finished his selection and was waiting for Cao Jiang on the stage.

The crowd below watched with keen interest. Someone chimed in, "How about we place bets on who will come out on top?"

This suggestion, with its gambling undertones, piqued the curiosity of the affluent onlookers. The organizer took charge of the betting, with bystanders eagerly placing their wagers. In the end, only two people bet on Cao Jiang—Qin Danfeng with 50,000 and Xia Hee with 100,000, at staggering odds of 9.6.

Upon seeing the figure, the room erupted in laughter. Cao Jiang discreetly passed his bank card to Xia Hee, whispering, "It's got 2.3 million yuan in it—all on me to win."

Xia Hee, feeling her nerves go numb, silently bet the entire 2.3 million yuan on Cao Jiang.

The organizer promptly announced, "President Xia has placed an additional 2.3 million on Mr. Cao."

The crowd was astounded. One person exclaimed, "Has this lady lost her mind? You can't just throw money away like that, no matter how rich you are. This guy is clearly going to lose. Just look at his choices!"

Then, Cao Jiang's items were laid out, revealing a massive coconut vortex. Huang Zhongtian burst into laughter, "This is truly an eye-opener. He's picked a coconut vortex and expects to find a Melo Pearl? He must be dreaming."

The seasoned gambler at Huang Zhongtian's side couldn't stop chuckling, "I've never seen betting like this. He's clearly here to hand over his money. Boss Huang, you've got this in the bag. I'm adding another two hundred thousand to my bet."

Suddenly, the bets on Huang Zhongtian surged, and the odds that had been falling shot up again. Cao Jiang had achieved the effect he wanted and drawled, "Enough talk. Let's open them."

Huang Zhongtian had a sea clam opened immediately, revealing a small red whorl pearl, which Cao Jiang estimated to be worth about fifty thousand yuan. He mused that Huang's luck wasn't too shabby. Then, he opened a sea clam next to him and extracted a gold pearl the size of a fingertip, worth just over ten thousand yuan.

A chorus of boos rose from the crowd. Huang Zhongtian gloated, "Prepare yourself for a loss!"

He ordered the rest of the sea clams to be opened. After the organizers' experts tallied the results, they declared, "Mr. Huang's jewels are valued at approximately 3.55 million yuan. Congratulations!"

Meanwhile, Cao Jiang had opened almost everything except for the coconut vortex. After the final count, it was announced, "Mr. Cao's jewels are valued at a total of 800,000 yuan."

Zhong Wan'er burst into cheers, wrapping her arms around Huang Zhongtian and planting a kiss on him before turning to Cao Jiang with a smug look. "See? Some folks are just destined for a life of poverty, never to strike it rich. Better come to terms with it." Her words, laced with a sense of revenge, were brimming with satisfaction, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Huang Zhongtian joined in with a hearty laugh. "Time to pay up, kid. Let's see if you can cough up two million yuan. If not, no worries. Just sign a labor contract with me and work off your debt cleaning toilets at my company until you've earned every penny."

Cao Jiang laid a hand on the last coconut viper shell and said calmly, "The game's not over yet. What's the rush?"

Incredulous, Huang Zhongtian retorted, "You can't be serious. Still clinging to pie-in-the-sky dreams at this point? Snap out of it. If you manage to find a Melo Pearl in there, I'll eat this coconut shell right here and now."

The onlookers jeered, "Exactly, a Melo Pearl isn't something you could ever uncover!"

"It's fine. In times like these, people will cling to any lifeline. Go ahead, open it. It'll be good for him to face reality."

Cao Jiang glanced at the audience and caught Xia Hee's concerned gaze. With a reassuring smile, he took up the knife and sliced open the coconut viper shell, revealing an egg-sized, orange pearl with fiery patterns, its surface radiant and lustrous—a pearl of exceptional quality.

He lifted the pearl high, its brilliance dazzling under the lights. The hall fell into a hushed silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The appraiser, visibly thrilled, carefully took the pearl from Cao Jiang's hands. After a moment, he announced with a quivering voice, "A twenty-six-gram Melo Pearl, a rarity in this world, its value beyond measure!"

The crowd erupted into a thunderous clamor, voices shouting in disbelief, "How is this possible? How can his luck be this good?"

"The biggest Melo Pearl known to date is only four grams!"

"I can't handle this... my heart..."

Xia Hee, overcome with emotion, clutched her mouth. She had braced herself for a financial loss but never imagined Cao Jiang would defy all odds and pull off a miracle.

"I declare Mr. Cao the victor!"

The event organizer couldn't contain his excitement. He strode onto the stage to shake hands with Cao Jiang, who responded with a calm smile. From a distance, he called out to Huang Zhongtian, "Time to make good on your promise. If you can't pay up, no worries. You can always fish by the seaside to earn the two million."

With all eyes on him, Huang Zhongtian knew he couldn't renege. He completed the transfer then and there. With a dark expression, he muttered, "I hope your luck holds," before he and Zhong Wan'er made a swift exit.

Cao Jiang sold most of the pearls to Qin Danfeng at bargain prices, except for the enormous Melo Pearl, which sparked a bidding frenzy. Offers soared to 18 million, and the organizer shattered records with a bid of 20 million. Such a rarity could fetch up to 100 million if expertly crafted.

Ultimately, the Melo Pearl was snapped up by the well-funded organizer for a hammer price of 26 million.

A system alert chimed in Cao Jiang's mind: "The total value of your treasure hunting is 29 million. Congratulations, you've earned 2900 points of good fortune."

In addition to the 29 million, Cao Jiang's account swelled with over 7 million from his earlier 2 million wager, not to mention the 2 million Huang Zhongtian owed him.

As the scene descended into chaos, Cao Jiang seized the moment to whisk Xia Hee away—high-profile trees do attract the wind, after all.

Once they reached the parking lot, Cao Jiang handed a bank card loaded with 29 million to Xia Hee, saying, "You fronted the 2 million, so this money from the jewelry sales is rightfully yours. Don't turn it down; consider it a thank you for trusting me."

Xia Hee chuckled, brandishing the card. "Alright, let's say the 29 million is your stake in Dream Ocean Hotel. No objections allowed."

Cao Jiang was about to respond when suddenly, a throng of masked figures emerged from the shadows.