Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 15 Exorbitant Hush Money

The empty room had orchestrated such a scam, making those wealthy individuals willingly part with their money. From my perspective, I admired the schemer's ability. However, personally, I believed Brother Shun shouldn't have been swindled.

Brother Shun wasn't a spendthrift tycoon; he came from the northeast, working hard here to process raw stones, earning little, and burdened by his conscience. Such a person was already struggling, yet he was deceived out of 2 million by the empty room. Initially, Brother Shun thought the 2 million, funded by a good friend from years ago, would allow him to make a stunning comeback, but he was deceived again. According to the current information, that rare red jadeite was also fake.

How to break this news to Brother Shun, I truly had no idea for a moment.

...

The next day, I called Brother Shun all morning, but he seemed to be occupied with something. His phone remained switched off. In the afternoon, Brother Shun called me, informing me of an important dinner engagement that evening and asking me to accompany him.

"Brother Shun, I have something important to tell you."

"We'll talk tonight when we meet."

In the evening, Brother Shun picked me up in his Santana, with Li Dazhi also in the car. Seeing Brother Shun's joyful expression, and with Li Dazhi present, I didn't say much, mostly listening. I heard Brother Shun mention his intention to use this piece of red jadeite to fund his return to the northeast for business, stating he was done with gambling on stones. He said he had spent his life amidst rough stones, but his heart hadn't hardened like stone; instead, the tough exterior of his heart had been chipped away by the stones. Brother Shun also advised Captain Li Dazhi to retire from the gambling world. Li Dazhi chuckled and simply said, "Once you're in the martial world, you're no longer your own master."

The dinner was at a decent restaurant. A woman was already waiting in a private room, wearing a floral dress cinched with a patterned leather belt that perfectly accentuated her waistline and body curves.

I had seen this woman before; it was Qin Sisi from the empty room. I never imagined that the so-called important dinner tonight would involve Qin Sisi. Qin Sisi wore a translucent, emerald green jade bangle on her slender wrist. Judging by my recent dealings with jadeite, this bangle was incredibly valuable, easily worth seven figures at least.

Facing us, Qin Sisi's smile was as serene as still water, and her demeanor was elegant. I could say that Qin Sisi was the most elegant woman I had ever met. Even if she wasn't the most beautiful, she was enough to enchant any man.

The conversation revolved around stones, a topic I didn't understand well, so I remained silent, listening attentively and observing discreetly.

Midway through the banquet, Brother Shun received a phone call and walked out with a troubled expression. He didn't return for a long time. Captain Li Dazhi felt something was amiss and decided to go look for him.

Thus, only Qin Sisi and I remained.

Qin Sisi interlaced her slender fingers, propping her chin. Her delicate, curved eyes gazed at me calmly. She remained silent, yet her presence instilled in me an unprecedented sense of unease. I stammered, "Ms. Qin, perhaps I should also go out and see what's happening?"

"No need. I have something to ask you. What method do you use to identify those raw stones?"

Qin Sisi suspected me, which was natural. They were faking the goods, and my cutting methods perfectly aligned with their needs for counterfeit items. She had every reason to be suspicious.

"An ancestral method."

I replied, knowing clearly at that moment that as long as I didn't admit anything, she couldn't do anything to me. My answer made Qin Sisi chuckle softly. Then she said, " I won't trouble you. When Brother Shun comes to buy stones, help him pick out a couple of worthless ones so he can completely give up."

"Brother Shun won't be buying stones anymore."

I said with certainty. Knowing about Qin Sisi's scheme, I wouldn't let Brother Shun participate any further.

"That's not necessarily true. Gamblers don't give up until they've lost everything."

Just as I was about to speak, Qin Sisi made a shushing gesture. Her phone rang. Qin Sisi then deliberately put it on speakerphone, wanting me to hear.

"Sister Qin, I've done everything you asked."

"Has the material been sent back?"

"Yes!"

"Then go into hiding for a while. The theft is a minor matter; things will calm down after a few days."

"Okay, Sister Qin. What about the money?"

"It's been transferred to your account. Check it and leave as soon as possible. Don't cause me any trouble."

After speaking, Qin Sisi hung up and looked at me, asking with a half-smile, "Do you know what this person stole?"

"How could I possibly know that?"

"Brother Shun's red jadeite."

Hearing this, I finally understood the reason for Qin Sisi's dinner invitation: a diversion. She stood up, tidied her dress, and prepared to leave, not forgetting to remind me, "Little brother, don't forget our agreement."

...

When I returned to the shop, there was a police car outside. Brother Shun sat dejectedly in a corner. Captain Li Dazhi was yelling at someone, while two police officers were inside collecting evidence.

"What is the captain arguing about?" I asked, approaching Brother Shun.

"The police don't believe my raw stone is worth tens of millions. They think it's just a simple theft case."

"That raw stone was never worth tens of millions; it was fake."

"How is that possible?" Brother Shun looked utterly disbelieving.

"We'll discuss it in detail after the police leave."

...

After the police finished their investigation and left, the three of us remained in the shop, the atmosphere heavy.

"Brother, you don't need to comfort me with lies about fake goods. Jadeite is a matter of fate; it seems I wasn't meant to have it."

Brother Shun spoke first, his expression filled with pain. Captain Li Dazhi chimed in, "I wish I could believe the raw jadeite was fake, at least then we could demand an explanation from the empty room. But is that possible? Never mind those rich fools; their assistants are all celebrities in this circle. Don't you think they would have seen through the forgery?"

"I don't understand the empty room's forgery methods, brothers, you have to believe me."

"Brother, even if we believe you, we need evidence to demand an explanation from the empty room. If the red jadeite is lost, how can we accuse them of forgery?"

Brother Shun hit the nail on the head. They were forging goods, but did we have proof? Without evidence, who would believe a gambler's words? The empty room had established its reputation within the gambling stone celebrity circle in Ruili.

Just as Brother Shun and I were falling into despair, Captain Li Dazhi slapped his thigh, "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Brother Shun and I asked almost in unison.

...

Li Dazhi knew someone named Han Zhijie, a prominent figure in the food industry. Han Zhijie had only started playing with stones in recent years. A few months prior, Han Zhijie had also been investigated on suspicion of smuggling.

That time, it was during an auction event at the empty room, and the police had launched an arrest operation. Many were apprehended. Han Zhijie could have escaped, but he was also arrested because he had a particular fondness for a stone. However, Han Zhijie was experienced in dealing with the police; he adamantly refused to admit buying the stone and escaped unscathed.

Later, Han Zhijie privately approached Qin Sisi. Under Qin Sisi's guidance, he cut open that stone. The color was good, an ice-type jadeite, a piece weighing over twenty kilograms, worth several million. Qin Sisi immediately wanted to buy it, but Han Zhijie refused to sell. He didn't lack millions. He displayed the cut piece, with a large window opened, in his home, unfinished, in its raw state.

The next day, we managed to contact Han Zhijie. Li Dazhi directly offered to buy Han Zhijie's material for 5 million.

Brother Shun quickly stopped him, whispering, "Captain, I know how much money you have. Don't pretend to be richer than you are. Last time you went to the empty room, you couldn't get anything good for a million, and the 2 million you gave me was also from me being swindled. If you spend 5 million on another fake from Han Zhijie, wouldn't you be digging your own grave?"

Li Dazhi laughed heartily, "Don't forget, you saved my life. I wouldn't dare spend money on you if I weren't a real man. Shunzi, let's do this. If Tang Nan is right and the empty room is selling fakes, I'll accompany you through fire and water to confront them. If Tang Nan is wrong, Han Zhijie's ice-type jadeite is likely to yield a profit when cut, so we won't lose out if we split it."

In my eyes, Brother Shun and Li Dazhi shared a deep brotherhood. However, in Han Zhijie's eyes, it didn't appear that way. Han Zhijie sneered, "Are you two putting on a show for me? I spent millions on this treasure, and you want to buy it for 5 million? Fine, I'll part with it, for 50 million."

"Mr. Han, that's just an ice-type jadeite. Even 5 million might not yield a profit. 50 million? You're dreaming."

"In my heart, this stone is worth 50 million."

I looked at Han Zhijie, barely listening to their conversation. I had a feeling I had seen this Han Zhijie before. Where could it have been? At that moment, Han Zhijie walked towards me, staring at my face, almost with the same question: "Young man, haven't we met? Oh, I remember now. You're one of the two people who bought the red jadeite with Li Dazhi at the empty room, aren't you? You both bought that treasure, so why are you interested in my ice-type jadeite?"

No wonder he looked familiar. So we had met at the empty room. Thinking of this, an idea struck me: "We cut that red jadeite, and it was fake. The surface layer was red jadeite, but the inside had a layer made of chemical substances, adhering to worthless C-grade jadeite. Due to the cutting surface, we couldn't see the interior."

Han Zhijie listened, dumbfounded. "I understand A-grade and C-grade jadeite, but that's due to craftsmanship. How can an uncut raw stone be faked?"

I didn't understand either, so I couldn't explain. It was Li Dazhi who helped, saying, "Fake skin. That's an old Burmese forgery technique, specifically designed to trick outsiders. I've heard that some advanced fake skins are hard to detect even by seasoned experts. I'm not entirely sure how it's done, but I heard about it when I was mixing around in Myanmar."

Han Zhijie was somewhat swayed by my and Li Dazhi's explanations. Brother Shun seized the opportunity, "Cut a small window on the side; it won't affect the quality of this stone. If there's a fake layer inside, cutting vertically will definitely reveal it. Boss Han, why not try it?"

"Let's try it, but I hope it's not actually fake."

Han Zhijie was persuaded. He came with us to Brother Shun's shop to cut the stone. Following the previous cut marks, he made a shallow vertical cut. Seeing the result, Han Zhijie was stunned and remained silent for a long time.

Brother Shun: "Should we call the police?"

Li Dazhi ignored Brother Shun's suggestion and said to Han Zhijie, "Mr. Han, I'll give you two million, and I'll take this stone."

"What do you want with this piece of junk?"

"That's none of your business."

Han Zhijie pondered for a moment and felt it wasn't a loss. He took the stone and went to confront the empty room, but they would definitely deny it, and no one would know if this stone was bought from the celebrity circle.

After the transaction, Han Zhijie accepted his bad luck and left with a sigh. Brother Shun looked at the fake raw material, his face etched with pain, "If we call the police, it would be resolved. Why spend another two million? Money doesn't grow on trees."

"Call the police? We settle worldly affairs in the world. We'll take the stone and confront the empty room, demand a hush fee, and if they refuse, we'll expose their scam."

"That doesn't seem right."

"The majority rules. Tang Nan, what's your opinion?"

I'm not a police officer, nor a righteous hero. If we called the police, they would only catch the low-level operatives.

"Captain, how much of a hush fee do you plan to ask for? Shunzi's four million, my four million. We should at least get back eight million."

I snorted, "What about mine?"

"We'll help you get back two million. A ten million hush fee."

I shook my head, "This organization is both insane and disciplined. If I fight them, just asking for my principal back is incorrect. I suggest a twenty million hush fee. After getting the money, we'll split it and go our separate ways."