Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Spending Day 45
Upon learning that Liu Yue was going to buy jadeite, Ren Zhen, who was originally flying to Shenzhen to wait for her, changed his flight and met her in Ruili.
Liu Yue thought that Ren Zhen was worried about her safety. After all, Myanmar has been very unsafe in recent years, and Ruili is a border city.
This reason is correct, but after seeing the above, Liu Yue knew another reason: she can appreciate jadeite.
Buying jade is a complex subject, its price completely unreliable, unlike gold. The jade trade is even more complex, with a plethora of industry jargon that can leave one bewildered and disoriented.
Although Ren Zhen said that she only "knows a little bit", it is like timely rain for Liu Yue who has no idea what's going on.
She and Zhang Cheng knew nothing about jadeite. Sang Yu had some theoretical knowledge, but had never seen it in person.
Ren Zhen was different. She once protected a jade merchant who specialized in jadeite, and developed some vision by following the boss.
She could estimate the approximate value based on the quality and color of the jade, preventing people like Liu Yue from being taken advantage of as ignorant buyers. After all, the jade trade was full of pitfalls, and newcomers simply couldn't escape them all.
When they first met, Liu Yue was shocked by Ren Zhen's height.
She was exceptionally tall. Although she was only 1.76 meters tall, Liu Yue always thought she was 1.80 meters. Zhang Cheng was 1.9 meters tall, and the slight height difference between them when they stood together made Liu Yue believe she was indeed 1.76 meters tall.
However, Ren Zhen's aura was no less impressive than Zhang Cheng's. Liu Yue could imagine how she had managed to knock down ten strong men as she watched her.
Having one bodyguard is a sense of security, having two is double the security. With the two of them beside her, Liu Yue's mind automatically rang with "Star of the Troubled Times."
Liu Yue: "It's a good thing you came. Yesterday I was thinking of finding someone to go shopping with or to help me with shopping."
She really thought so - if she could leave the negotiation of prices to others, and she only needed to happily choose jade and buy, then what a happy girl she would be.
But Liu Yue quickly dismissed the idea. She had asked Sang Yu to do this before because she trusted him, but it was hard to say for these shopping companions. They were locals, and she was from outside. Who knew if they would negotiate rebates with the merchants and collude to cheat her?
Liu Yue was really happy that Ren Zhen came.
Not only was she skilled in jadeite appraisal, she also had connections in the local area. Ren Zhen was a bodyguard sent by Clo, and Liu Yue naturally trusted her more than the bloggers she found online.
After they met, Ren Zhen asked her what kind of jade she wanted to buy and what her budget was.
Liu Yue thought for a moment and said, "I see everyone else is wearing jade bracelets, so I mainly want to buy a bracelet. Other accessories are a bit more secondary."
"I did some research yesterday and the best jade is definitely imperial green, but I don't necessarily have to buy it. I wear it for fun, based on my aesthetic taste and preferences, not considering investment appreciation."
"As for my budget... I'm not particular about price, but I'm pretty intolerant of flaws. It has to be at least million-dollar quality, otherwise it's pointless to buy it. My total budget is 10 million. If there's something really good, I'll just take one home."
Ren Zhen nodded. It seemed that her need was to buy for fun, so she knew what to take Liu Yue to see.
She reminded: "It is difficult to accurately set a budget for jadeite. Jadeite worth tens of millions of yuan is available, but it is not necessarily suitable in all aspects."
Either the price is five million and the quality is far behind, or the price is fifty million and the budget is far exceeded.
"It's okay." Liu Yue didn't care. "If I can't buy it today, then it's not my destiny. Then I'll buy a few more million-level ones for those who are destined to buy it."
It’s enough for her to spend all the money. No matter how valuable the jade is, she just buys it because it looks good.
Ren Zhen smiled and gained a better understanding of the character of the person he was going to protect this time.
When Cloe's secretary found her, she told her that this was a semi-retired, long-term job. Because the people she had to protect were not public figures, basically no one would want her life, and she would not go to particularly dangerous places.
Ren Zhen didn't care about these things. She only cared about how much benefit Cloe could give her. She was very satisfied with the treatment he gave her, and that was enough.
However, if the person being protected is someone who is easy to get along with, then of course it is the best of both worlds.
A few days ago, Liu Yue was walking on the street, Sang Yu followed her half a step behind, and Zhang Cheng was two steps behind them.
Now, Sang Yu and Zhang Cheng remained in their positions, while Ren Zhen and Liu Yue walked side by side. With Ren Zhen's height, she completely blocked Sang Yu's view, forcing her to step back a bit to see the road ahead clearly.
Ren Zhen didn't do it on purpose. She was standing in a position where she could protect Liu Yue in the first place if an accident happened, while Zhang Cheng still played the role of observing the environment and predicting risks. Their positions did not conflict.
Sang Yu couldn't help but sigh. It was precisely because she didn't mean it that it was difficult to deal with.
This was the first time Liu Yue's impromptu hobby had collided with an area she had little experience in. A sense of crisis welled up in Sang Yu's heart. Everything had gone too smoothly before. While she wasn't exactly complacent, her progress had certainly slowed.
Ren Zhen took Liu Yue into a jade shop. The decoration inside was very elegant, and the store manager was a middle-aged woman who looked very friendly.
She greeted Ren Zhen first. Liu Yue didn't understand what she said, so Ren Zhen explained that she was speaking Burmese.
Ren Zhen asked her to speak Chinese, so she spoke to Liu Yue in Chinese with a strong accent. Although it sounded a bit strange, she could still understand it.
Since Liu Yue needed to buy jadeite for her own use, after entering the store, Ren Zhen first asked her to measure her hand circumference to confirm the ring size that could fit her.
Liu Yue then realized that the circumference is also an important factor to consider when buying a bracelet. If the circumference is not suitable, or it looks ugly when worn, then no matter how excellent the water quality and color are, it will be useless.
The size of jade bracelets cannot be adjusted. No wonder people say buying jade depends on fate.
After understanding her needs, the store manager took her to the inner room.
Oh no, it turns out there is a "small black room" for buying jadeite. The service level in street shops is no worse than that of luxury goods.
When buying jadeite, one should first look at the green color. The store manager brought out many bracelets and gave her the imperial green color first.
The imperial green color was indeed beautiful, but it was not very uniform. The store manager quoted her a price of 15 million.
Well... although the budget is not exceeded by much, Liu Yue looked at a lot of pictures and videos of jadeite yesterday, and it seems that the water content and luster of this bracelet seem to be slightly lacking?
Has she seen too many beautified jadeite, or is the imperial green worth tens of millions of yuan of this quality?
Liu Yue quickly realized it was the latter. If a bracelet of this color were perfect in every way, the transaction price would be in the hundreds of millions.
Even if Liu Yue brought enough money today, she might not be able to buy such high-end products because they might not be in stock.
Seeing that she was somewhat interested, but felt that the quality of this one was not good enough, the store manager took out all the other imperial green bracelets.
There were 10 million, 20 million, 30 million, 60 million, and 70 million. Because it was so far over the budget, Liu Yue felt no emotion at all. Instead, she simply watched the show and had no intention of negotiating the price at all.
Seeing her like this, the store manager not only did not show any negative emotions, but instead said more attentively that he would find a better quality imperial green bracelet for her. If there was good material, he could also customize one according to the circumference of her wrist.
Judging from the store manager's tone, it seemed that she believed that Liu Yue was not short of money, but simply looked down on the goods in her store. If she wanted to buy imperial green, she would only buy the best.
Liu Yue agreed without hesitation. After all, finding the jade depended on fate, and so did she have to wait for the system dial to work.
But she didn't quite understand why they were so sure she was so rich that she could spend nine figures on jadeite. Could it be that the aura of wealth she exuded was simply too much to hide?
——The truth is, the store manager didn’t know her, but he knew Ren Zhen who was sitting next to her.
If you weren't rich and powerful, how could you hire Ren Zhen as a bodyguard? She had a lot of contact with the Jade Boss and occasionally heard him mention him a little, so she probably knew how popular Ren Zhen was in the bodyguard industry.
Because of this, although her quotes could make money, they were all real prices. She did not try to open the business and make a living for ten years, and then take advantage of Liu Yue.
It's okay to make a small profit. After all, this industry relies on vision, and people with tens of millions can afford it. But what if the profit is too great and people get angry and come to cause trouble for her?
Since there was no high-quality imperial green, the store manager recommended Yang Green instead.
She said with a smile: "You don't have to buy collector's grade jade. These ones are all good. You can wear them as jewelry for fun. You won't feel bad if they fall or get bumped."
In fact, a bracelet worth millions is considered collectible for many people.
But Liu Yue didn't know much about this business, and the tone of the words was very natural, so she nodded naturally, making the store manager believe the truth he had made up in his mind.
——Everything rich people do makes sense, because others will automatically make sense of it for you.
Liu Yue tried on this high ice-type Yang Green Jade bracelet. This green is not as deep as the imperial green, but based on Liu Yue's aesthetic taste, she thinks this one looks better.
This Yang Green is very tender and fresh, as if water is flowing through it. Although its color is not completely uniform and is slightly lighter in one place, this sense of flow makes it look more like a vivid painting.
There are several similar Yang Green models. Liu Yue tried on several of them, but the first one was the one she liked the most.
The store manager quoted a price of six million. Ren Zhen frowned and asked her to give a real price.
The store manager said: "Oh, the price of Bingyang Green has increased dramatically in recent years. This is the most realistic price I have. In other words, I will only give you the lowest price if you bring someone with you. Others start at tens of millions."
Six million is actually within Liu Yue's budget, but who would want to spend more if they can save money?
Ren Zhen asked her in a low voice, did she want this bracelet, or did she want to look at something else?
There is an unwritten rule in the jade industry. If you are sure you want something, then you can bargain further. If the store accepts your offer, then the deal is usually done.
Liu Yue thought about it and decided that this was it. She liked it, so this was destined to be hers.
Liu Yue wants it, Liu Yue gets it!
Ren Zhen: "Actually, you can take a look again. You might find something you like better in other stores."
Liu Yue said without hesitation: "It's okay, I'll buy it next time."
Jade is a good way to spend money. Who said she would only buy it this time?
If there were more jadeite that matched her taste, it would prove she had plenty of other places to spend her money. It wasn't far to fly over, and by then, she'd have the jadeite, completed her mission, and received the cashback. It was truly the best of all worlds!
The store manager echoed this, thinking to himself, "A million-dollar jadeite is really just a hobby for her! She only cares about whether she likes it or not, and doesn't need to compare prices at all."
The store manager and Ren Zhen started bargaining back and forth, and in the middle he even found time to recommend other bracelets to Liu Yue. He was still thinking in his heart that finding good materials for this young lady should be given the highest priority.
After all, Ren Zhen has more than just her connections. If this customer is poached away by a competitor, she will be so angry that she will die.
Liu Yue tried on the white with green background. She quite liked this transitional color and the water head was also good, but the tire was too thick and it did not have that fairy-like feeling. Instead, it looked a bit bulky.
There were round bars and imperial jades, but unfortunately, either they were not the circumference she wanted, or the quality was not good enough, so she didn't like them. It turned out that buying jade still depends on fate.
Better spring colors are even harder to find. Liu Yue likes the feeling of even distribution and perfect transition, but she hasn't found a suitable one in stock.
"Let's look at some other colors," Liu Yue said. "Do you have any violets? Imperial purple is too dark. I want a lighter, gentler violet."
"I just happen to have some top-quality violets!"
The store manager quickly agreed and said that if she bought two, she could give her a smaller refund.
The violets she brought out were indeed very beautiful. Perhaps the store manager had already figured out Liu Yue's aesthetic taste, and these bracelets were quite to her liking.
Liu Yue discovered that she preferred the water quality rather than the color. This crystal clear luster deeply touched her heart.
The store manager first let her try on a full-circle ring. Liu Yue said she wanted a thinner one that would look lighter, but after trying on the next few, she felt that the thin ones were not strong enough to support her aura, and the full-circle ring she had at the beginning looked better.
"This one is in perfect condition, without any marks or cracks."
The store manager said enthusiastically, "Including the Ice Sun Green bracelet just now, if you feel that the indoor lighting is not clear, you can also take it outside to see it in the sun. Our bracelets are of very high quality and are not afraid of any light. There will be no flaws no matter how you look at them."
"I'm not bragging, but if you wear this violet around Ruili later, you won't find anything better at the same price. You don't even have to pay for it first, just compare it. If you say you don't want it when you find something better, it won't matter to me."
The store manager is so confident? Liu Yue was a little surprised.
The price of this violet was seven million, and the Ice Green one was thirteen million. The store manager said that if I bought both together, the total would be eleven and a half million.
Ren Zhen and Liu Yue exchanged glances, and after realizing that she also wanted this violet, they bargained down the price to 9.5 million.
The store manager said that she had cut the price too harshly and that she really wouldn't make any money at all. Ren Zhen refused to give in and said that Bingyang Green was too tender and that Violet had too much cotton in it. These were Liu Yue's personal preferences. If she sold it to someone else, it would definitely not fetch 9.5 million.
Liu Yue, like always, just nodded in agreement. Ren Zhen was worried that she was showing too much desire and that the price would be difficult to negotiate, but Liu Yue wouldn't be like that.
Humph, since connecting to the system, she has honed her acting skills to some extent. When she was negotiating the billion-yuan house, she didn't reveal her true feelings in front of You Jingchuan. How could she act so impatient when buying a jade bracelet worth millions now?
If we can't come to an agreement, then don't buy it. She has so many jewelry in her closet that she really doesn't need one or two pieces.
Sang Yu wanted to join in the bargaining, but she couldn't fully grasp half of the technical terms Ren Zhen and the store manager were discussing. Therefore, she could only sit quietly and refill Liu Yue's tea.
Ren Zhen was very eloquent and had a wide range of knowledge. Sang Yu also learned that the reason why Ren Zhen was a gold medal bodyguard was not only because she was a good fighter, but also because she could mediate conflicts and try not to put the people she protected in danger.
If Ren is truly an all-rounder, which field should she focus on in the future to secure her position?
Sang Yu was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she almost didn't even hear Liu Yue calling her.
When she came back to her senses and looked at Liu Yue, the latter's eyes were still as clear as ever.
Sang Yu suddenly felt more at ease. She heard Liu Yue ask, "How do you think these two bracelets would look good with your clothes?"
Well, after thinking about it for a moment, Sang Yu came up with many alternative plans.
She pulled out her tablet and opened an app, which showed a mannequin designed based on Liu Yue's figure. Sang Yu clicked the wardrobe icon, found the scanned image of the clothing, and dragged it onto the mannequin.
Then, she drew a green jade bracelet on the model's hand to show Liu Yue the approximate effect.
Liu Yue exclaimed that it was interesting: "What is this, a miracle... Uh, me?"
——In fact, she wanted to say Miracle Yueyue, but when she said it out loud, she felt a little embarrassed.
"Of course it's not that detailed," Sang Yu said. "This can only be used as a color reference for clothing matching. If you want to take more factors into consideration, the effect will be very limited."
After all, there are always differences when converting real clothes into images. Sang Yu hadn't considered making them 3D. After all, with current technology, it's not possible to make clothes adjust to the body shape. Even if AI were introduced, the calculation results might not be accurate, and there would be the risk of privacy leakage.
But the current level is enough to make Liu Yue feel fresh.
She took the tablet from Sang Yu and opened her wardrobe to check things out. To be honest, she hadn't worn many of the clothes she bought... Moreover, she had bought a lot of Shu brocade fabric before, and even the stock wasn't finished. The tailors should still be producing new clothes for her.
Everyone is on holiday for the Chinese New Year, but when she returns to Shenzhen, there should be more blanks and samples waiting for her to try on.
"It's great to have you around." Liu Yue said happily, "I know you're very busy, but you're the one who oversees the Shu brocade production process. I don't even need to pick out a design; I know the one you choose for me will look great."
"You usually take care of a lot of things, and sometimes you really work too hard. Fortunately, Ren Zhen is here now, and you should be able to relax a little in the future."
If someone else said these words to Sang Yu, she would have to consider whether the other party had any hidden meaning, or whether they were criticizing or expressing dissatisfaction with her.
But Liu Yue would not be like this - it's not because she is stupid, but because her character is so sincere, and wealth will give her more capital and confidence to be calm and open-minded.
At this moment, Sang Yu gave up thinking and wondered if she said that because Liu Yue had noticed what she was thinking.
None of this matters, because the above is Liu Yue’s true words.
Liu Yue often says that with Sang Yu around, she feels safe and doesn't have to worry about anything.
In fact, for Sang Yu, it was Liu Yue who gave her a sense of security.
"It wasn't that tiring before," Sang Yu continued, "but if someone shares the work, we'll have the energy to do a better job."
Liu Yue nodded and told them not to get too tired.
At the same time, Ren Zhen and the store manager finally agreed on the price.
Ren Zhen refused to give in. The store manager was still thinking about finding good materials for Liu Yue. In the end, he took out the purchase order and showed it to her, saying that he really didn't make a random offer. He had to make some profit, right?
This was the store manager's limit. In the end, Ren Zhen raised the price a bit, and the deal was done at 9.88 million, a lucky number.
Oh wow, Liu Yue was actually prepared to pay some more money herself, but she didn’t expect to save money within the budget again!
Although she has no idea how to bargain, she has two bargaining experts around her.
After the payment, Liu Yue said that she wanted to give Ren Zhen some bonus, but unexpectedly Ren Zhen refused.
She said that Cloe paid her a generous enough salary and she should not ask her for any more benefits, which was against her professional ethics.
Liu Yue asked curiously how much it was, and after learning the number, she fell silent.
What she asked Zhang Cheng again shocked her as well.
Are you two truly worthy of being the two big guys who can fund the Shenhao System? You guys are truly rich!
This is good news. At least she doesn't have to worry about them being poached by others, and her team will be very stable.
She looked at Sang Yu and said, "I'll give you a raise when we get back."
"No, it can't go up any more." Sang Yu reminded her, "I've taken your bonus."
Of course, you can only choose one between additional incentives and daily high salary.
If she was greedy and wanted both, even if Liu Yue didn't mind, wouldn't her parents have any objections? Even Sang Yu herself would feel guilty about it.
Well, Liu Yue originally thought that since it was all the system's money, as long as the system allowed it, it didn't matter if she was given a little more. What she cared about was the cashback; but since Sang Yu said so, she just listened to her.
Although she may not buy another house, as a boss, she can definitely find many reasons to give some benefits to her team members.
With 120,000 yuan left, Liu Yue wandered around Ruili. The store manager hadn't lied to her; at least according to Liu Yue's taste, the goods there were the best in the same price range.
Jade bracelets worth tens of thousands of yuan always have some flaws, so Liu Yue disliked them. Guanyin pendants, Wu Shi plaques, and the like also failed to move her heart. She browsed around but didn't see any small jewelry worth buying.
When she passed by the gambling stone stall, she suddenly became interested.
"Is this reliable?" Liu Yue asked Ren Zhen, "Can it really produce good materials?"
Ren Zhen carefully answered, "I only know how to look at finished jadeite, not rough jadeite. There are two types of people who gamble on jadeite: those who want to invest for value appreciation or those who want to get rich overnight. If you have the latter mentality, then I strongly advise against it."
There was a strong emphasis on the ending of her voice, almost saying that this thing was a trap and asking her to stay away from it.
"Of course I don't expect to get an imperial green. How could I possibly get such a good stone?"
Although Liu Yue didn't know much about gambling on stones, she had common sense. Otherwise, why were some stones expensive and others cheap? With technology so advanced these days, perhaps there were machines that could directly detect the inside of a stone.
She added: "I just treat it as a blind box for fun. If I pull out something interesting, I'll process it. It can also be considered a travel souvenir. If it's all waste, I'll take it home and put it in the fish tank."
Although she doesn't have a fish tank at home yet - she can buy one.
Well, since Liu Yue has this mentality, Ren Zhen won't stop her.
Liu Yue went to choose stones excitedly, and went home after spending 120,000 yuan here. The plan worked!
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