Chapter 293 Fraud

"Okay, please wait a moment." After saying that, he went into the inner room, took out a wooden box, placed it on the table, and opened it. Inside were neatly arranged jade pendants.

Si Youlin couldn't help but take a second look. When he saw a jade pendant carved into the shape of a blue dragon, he felt a strange pull in his heart and unconsciously picked it up.

Just as he was looking around, his hand suddenly slipped, and with a "crack," the jade pendant in his hand shattered into several pieces.

Seeing this, Si Youlin felt a sudden panic and was at a loss, instinctively looking at Jiang Ran. But only for a moment before he shifted his gaze back to Si Zuochen, his brows furrowed and his face blank.

Before Si Zuochen could even offer a word of comfort, the shopkeeper abruptly stood up, his brow furrowed. Looking at the shattered jade pendant on the ground, he exclaimed with heartache, "Oh dear! These are priceless treasures!"

Her tone was full of reproach, then she looked up at Si Youlin with displeasure and shouted, "Can't you be a little more careful with things? Do you know how much this is worth?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Si Youlin pursed his lips and lowered his eyes, remaining silent.

Seeing the accusations in his words, Si Zuochen's expression darkened. He reached out to shield Si Youlin and replied coldly, "It's just a jade pendant. We'll compensate you however much you want. What do you mean by being a 'hurtman'?"

The boss frowned, a sinister glint appearing between his brows, before coldly scoffing, "Heh... easy for you to say, I'm afraid you couldn't afford to pay for it even if I sold you!"

The boss's tone was full of sarcasm. Although he was speaking to Si Zuochen, his gaze kept glancing at Jiang Ran, seemingly out of nowhere.

Seeing that the two were arguing, Jiang Ran did not get involved. Instead, she squatted down and picked up the jade pendant. She looked at it carefully with her eyes down. When the shopkeeper saw her attentive expression, he had a bad feeling.

Afraid that she would notice something amiss, he quickly stopped her, saying, "It's already broken, what's there to see? It's bad luck!"

Hearing his words, Jiang Ran's eyes suddenly sharpened. She placed the jade pendant on the table, looked coldly at the shopkeeper, and asked directly, "How much is this jade pendant?"

Upon hearing this, the boss assumed she was going to offer compensation, his eyes flickered slightly, and he simply held up a number.

"Fifty thousand?" Si Youlin asked first.

The shop owner shook his head, a hint of disdain flashing across his face, and sneered coldly, "But the labor cost for carving alone is more than that."

"Five hundred thousand?" Si Youlin asked again.

The boss waved his hand again, indicating his denial.

Seeing this, Jiang Ran's lips curled slightly, a cold glint flashing across her face, and she followed his words, asking, "Five million?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boss's eyes lit up, and he replied in a deep voice, "That's right, I specially bought this jade pendant at an overseas auction. The jade inside is entirely emerald green, it's an imperial green grade item, and five million is already the cost price."

"Heh..." Jiang Ran suddenly scoffed, standing in front of the twins and facing the boss, a mocking smile on her lips, before she let out a cold laugh.

The boss, displeased by her attitude, frowned and said coldly, "Madam, the evidence is right in front of you. You're not trying to renege on your debt, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow and said disdainfully, "It's not like I'd renege on the debt. It's just a mere five million. If it really was my child who broke it, I wouldn't mind paying fifty million."

As soon as he finished speaking, the boss's face lit up with joy. He hadn't expected that the person in front of him was actually quite wealthy.

When Si Zuochen and Si Youlin heard Jiang Ran refer to them as "my children," they were both taken aback, and a strange feeling immediately arose in their hearts.

"So how do you plan to pay?" the boss couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Ran raised her eyes and looked at him coldly, her face full of sarcasm, and replied in a cold voice, "This is not urgent."

"Compensation is only possible if the jade pendant is truly worth the price you claim. Otherwise, you're just making empty promises. I'm not a sucker; I won't just pay whatever you say."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, noticing a hint of unease flash across the boss's face, before continuing.

"A good jade pendant is made of natural jade, which is highly transparent and contains crystals. When it is struck, it produces a very clear sound."

As he spoke, he picked up his phone and tapped the broken jade pendants lightly, his voice sounding somewhat somber.

The boss was surprised to find someone knowledgeable, and his expression immediately darkened.

Si Youlin also noticed something amiss and strode forward, demanding sharply, "You've committed fraud!"

"Nonsense!" The boss's expression changed drastically, and he replied coldly, "What do you, a mere child, know?"

Then, he turned to Jiang Ran and said, "Every jade pendant here has an appraisal report. You can check it if you don't believe me."

"An expert report?" Jiang Ran's lips curled slightly, a hint of disdain flashing across her face. "Aren't expert reports mass-produced these days?"

"If you're thinking of using this opportunity to commit fraud, you've really miscalculated!"

Every word he spoke condemned the boss's unscrupulous nature.

The boss's expression grew increasingly grim, and seeing that his plan had failed, his eyes suddenly turned cold.

Jiang Ran continued, "If you still insist that this is Imperial Green, I can have it certified by a professional organization. But if it's a fake, you'll have to pay ten times the price in compensation."

“I will also have the group’s lawyers file a lawsuit against you.”

Hearing Jiang Ran's warning, the boss frowned, a hint of irritation flashing across his face.

He usually makes a fortune by swindling rich people, and this is the first time he has been successfully exposed.

However, in just a moment, his expression returned to normal, and he walked a few steps to Jiang Ran with a fawning smile on his face.

She spoke softly, "I'm so sorry, I must have made a mistake."

"I had too many orders in the store and I couldn't keep up with them all at once. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you."

The tone was official, with a slight hint of apology.

Jiang Ran didn't say anything more to him, but turned to Si Youlin and asked in a low voice, "What do you think?"

Si Youlin curled his lip and snorted coldly: "You think you can just wipe the stigma you just made with a few words?"

After saying that, he glanced coldly at the shop owner, his brow furrowing slightly, his face showing displeasure.

Seeing that Jiang Ran had crossed her elbows and was clearly indifferent, the shop owner quickly spoke softly to explain to Si Youlin.

Si Youlin, however, seemed not to hear, occasionally letting out a cold snort to show his disdain.

Seeing that Si Youlin was unwilling to back down, Si Zuochen's gaze darkened slightly. He looked up at the shop owner and said coldly, "Apologize."

Upon hearing this, the shop owner was taken aback. Since these words hadn't been spoken openly, he simply offered an apology.

But when I suddenly brought it up in a serious manner, especially when it was in front of a child, I immediately felt that I had lost all face.

Her lips pursed slightly, and a look of inner conflict flashed across her face.

Jiang Ran noticed the change in his expression, her gaze sharpened, and she scoffed disdainfully, "Can't you hear me?"

Upon hearing her urging him, the shop owner's heart sank. He closed his eyes briefly and sincerely said to Si Youlin, "I'm sorry, I wronged you."

Upon hearing this, Si Youlin's eyes flickered slightly, then he looked up at Jiang Ran and nodded slightly.

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow slightly and continued, "But an apology alone is probably not enough. The emotional damage to my child is likely..."

Before she could finish speaking, the shop owner instantly understood her unspoken meaning. In order to avoid trouble, he quickly replied, "Please wait a moment, please wait a moment."

Then he turned around and took out a jade pendant from the inner room, handed it to Jiang Ran, and said in a low voice, "Consider this my apology, please accept it."

Jiang Ran's gaze swept over the jade pendant, which was made entirely of white jade with a translucent luster, far superior to the inferior product from before.

He then scoffed, "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"

Having said that, he turned and left with the two of them.

The shop owner looked down at her departing figure, a wave of regret rising in his heart. If he had known earlier that she was knowledgeable about jade and gemstones, he would never have resorted to the same trick again, resulting in losing both his wife and his money, and having to bring out a fine jade pendant to make up for his mistake.

He used to target wealthy women for this kind of business, since they value their reputation and would not call the police or care about the money; they would usually settle the matter with compensation.

Although it was a one-time transaction, he was able to make a fortune, but he never expected to make a mistake at this moment and regret it deeply!

As soon as they stepped outside, Si Youlin couldn't help but ask, "How did you know that jade pendant was fake?"

Si Zuochen also cast a questioning glance, waiting for Jiang Ran to explain.