“Dong dong……” A series of knocks sounded at the door. The middle-aged man shouted angrily, “Didn’t I say, do not disturb us!” The man in the black suit pushed the door open a crack, just enough for his voice to come through: “Boss, the Jack Dare that Old Bennett sent to tail the target has returned.”

　　Old Bennett quickly said, “Let him in.”

　　Jack Dare was that capable middle-aged man, always cautious and reliable in his work, highly valued by both the boss and Old Bennett. But this time, when Jack Dare appeared before the boss and Old Bennett, he was drenched in sweat and fell to his knees with a thud as soon as he entered: “Boss, Mr. Old Bennett, I’m useless, I… I lost the target…”

　　The boss and Old Bennett exchanged a surprised glance. They knew what Jack Dare was capable of—if even he lost the target, that person must be truly formidable!

　　Instead, the boss let out a sigh of relief: “We have nothing to worry about now. Someone with such skills can’t be some spoiled rich kid. This deal—we can proceed without concern…”

　　Three days later, Adam Brooks arrived on schedule with the mirror stone. As expected, Old Bennett had arranged for several veteran experts, and together they put on a show of careful examination, while Adam Brooks watched coldly from the side. Ever since he’d left the shop last time and noticed someone tailing him, Adam Brooks knew exactly what these people were up to.

　　He didn’t bother to expose them. Whatever their intentions, as long as they were willing to pay, that was all that mattered.

　　“Sir, what do you think?” Adam Brooks asked with a smile. Old Bennett nodded in praise: “Excellent, excellent. We’ll take it. May I ask how much you want for it?”

　　Adam Brooks smiled faintly and held up five fingers. “Five hundred thousand?” Old Bennett probed. Adam Brooks casually brushed his clothes: “Sir, this outfit alone is worth seventy or eighty thousand. I’m no country bumpkin who’s never seen real money—don’t try to fool me…” Old Bennett blushed and gave an awkward laugh: “Hehe, just joking, just joking. Such a fine jade, how could it be worth only five hundred thousand? How about this—a flat price, five million!”

　　Adam Brooks said, “Sir, I’ve heard your Changfa Company has been around for a hundred years, but it doesn’t seem very prosperous here. I wonder why that is?” Old Bennett smiled casually: “Business always has its ups and downs.”

　　“But I’ve heard that your competitors, Deshengji and Ruifuxiang, each managed to acquire two pieces of chalcedony, and used them for publicity, constantly attacking your Changfa Company. Is that true?”

　　Old Bennett’s expression changed—he hadn’t expected this young man to be so shrewd. He nodded to Adam Brooks: “Please wait a moment. The amount is too large for me to decide alone; I need to discuss it with the boss.” He turned and went inside, made a phone call, and when he came out, he said, “Thirty-five million. That’s all the cash we can mobilize right now. As you said, business hasn’t been good for us lately.”

　　Adam Brooks’s gaze fell on the grand hall outside the VIP reception room. In the center of the hall, arranged in a nine-square layout, stood a luxurious solid rosewood display cabinet, carved into a seven-story pagoda. Each level held several precious jewels, with fewer and fewer as you went up. On the very top was a jadeite pendant priced at sixteen million yuan.

　　Gold has a price, but jade is priceless—this is especially true for expensive jadeite. In prosperous times, collecting becomes a craze. This jadeite was a top-quality piece, with a green as clear as water, about the size of a hen’s egg. Sixteen million was not considered expensive in the eyes of collectors. It was the treasure of Changfa Company.

　　However, though it was precious, compared to the chalcedony pieces owned by the other two companies, it was like the difference between a princess and a commoner.

　　Adam Brooks pointed: “Thirty-five million, plus that jadeite.” Old Bennett was put in a difficult spot: “Sir, this…” Adam Brooks said impatiently, “Sir, you know very well how important this stone is to Changfa Company. I won’t budge from fifty million. I’m already willing to accept goods as part of the payment—that’s my bottom line. If you’re not willing, China is a big country, and there are plenty of powerful businesses eager to challenge the top three jewelry companies. They won’t think fifty million is too much.”

　　Old Bennett was startled. Changfa Company was already being squeezed hard by the other two. If they lost their place as one of the top three jewelry companies in China, they’d truly ruin the family legacy.

　　“Please wait, I’ll ask again.” Old Bennett ran inside once more. This time, it was a long while before he came out. Seeing Adam Brooks’s impatient look, Old Bennett quickly said, “The boss has agreed. We can handle the paperwork right away!”

　　Adam Brooks left his account information and the mirror stone, and took the jadeite with him. Three days later, after the next account check, sure enough, there were thirty-five million more in his account.

　　The rest was simple. Adam Brooks found some people to buy magazines directly from the publisher, then filled out all the ballots for number thirty-five, sending out thousands of ballots every day.

　　He didn’t waste the verification codes on the ballots either. After mailing the ballots, he kept the codes. That way, fifty thousand ballots only required twenty-five thousand magazines—he saved half the cost.

　　And for that whole month, he hardly needed to go down himself—there were people below to handle everything for him. Money makes the world go round—even the money of immortals is still money.

Chapter 05: Gift-Giving Is Also a Skill