Chapter 122: Ten Ores

"First, you will be given the five minutes to pick ten ores. Then it is time to bet which one has the best gems. You can, of course, bet on yourself. As usual, we only accept diamonds. No cash. Anyone who will not follow the rules won't be able to attend any future events." The man smiled and look at every one. "First come, first-serve basis."

Then he smiled at the people below the stage. "Alright. We will start. It Is already one in the morning. Those who are late can't join us anymore." He looked at his watch and smiled. "Time starts now!"

"Three stones to your left, two stones down, and one stone left," Lyca said under her breath as she and Shen Qui approached the table where the ores are located. 

"How did you— " Shen Qui was about to pick one of the stones when another hand quickly held the ores and pulled it away from Shen Qui. Mr. Li's smiling face interrupted them. "You— "

"For that," Lyca uttered. She already felt that this man had been watching them since the man in white started talking. She knew this Mr. Li would try and snatch whatever it is that Shen Qui would try to pick. 

"Ops. Sorry about that." Mr. Li chuckled, but Shen Qui ignored him. Lyca, on the other hand, continued pointing ores and glared at him as he picked every one of Lyca's choices and put it in a designated transparent box with his name on it. "Pretty lady… since you are already staring at me like that… why don't you just accompany me for the rest of the evening?"

Lyca fought the urge to roll her eyes. By now, Mr. Li already got his ten ores. With these, he won't be allowed to pick any more ores. Lyca pretended to frown. "Now, everything that I want is taken by him!" Lyca crossed her arms across her chest, looking extremely irritated. 

"You don't have to worry too much. How about I pick some ores for you? How about this…" Shen Qui suddenly said. "If I give you jadeite, you will — " He leaned and whispered something to Lyca, making her giggle. Seeing this, Mr. Li snorted before leaving the table.

The rules are simple. Once you are done picking your ores… you have to leave so others can still pick up their ores. When he saw Shen Qui started holding the smaller ores, Mr. Li let out another snort, his gaze full of disgust. As someone who is a veteran, he knew that the smaller ores don't have any good jades inside. And if they do… they have smaller ones. Meaning it is not as valuable as the big one.

He decided to look at other people and stop staring at this Shen Qui. Clearly, the man is nothing but a horny young master trying to show off to his date. How disgusting.

Slowly, everyone started retreating from the table. However, Shen Qui and Lyca were still there. The two needed to choose twenty stones for both of them, and from the looks of it, Shen Qui was the only one choosing stones by touching them. 

"Hmph! Look at that young man pretending to know about ores. Isn't he a first-timer?" Mr. Li immediately started talking to the men and women next to him. "Just look at him acting like an expert," he chuckled.

"Mr. Li… isn't that the couple from the bar earlier? Are you saying that because the girl doesn't like you? I remember you even fell on your knees to try and convince her to come with you, no?"

"Shut it!" Mr. Li hissed at the woman.

"It seems that they are choosing smaller ores. Was it because they think it would do them any good?"

"I think it was the girl that wanted the stones."

"He is trying to show off," another one chimed in before the group started laughing. Of course, it was normal to see some foolish rich heirs that though they own the world just because of their rich parents. "Look at the time. Seconds."

"Oh? They still needed five more ores. Why is the man pretending to examine the ores? There's no way to know the kind of jade inside without opening it. Was he trying to fool the girl?" Mr. Li continued. 

"Probably told her that he knows sh*t." Another one shrugged. "This is a game of luck. The lucky ones win. It's that simple."

*DING*

*DING*

*DING*

"Times up!" The man in white went up on the stage and smiled at everyone. "Ready to bet?" the man gave a meaningful glance at Shen Qui and Lyca. Of course, the man knew that they were first-timers. And just like most first-timers, they still don't understand that this was a game of luck. They also tend to bet higher than the usual one.

"We only accept diamonds for the initial bet. The person who will get the highest number of jade or the highest quality of jade will automatically win the initial bet. Let's start with five grams of diamonds. Put your bets on the pouches with your names on it and put it right here," he pointed at the middle in front of him. On top of the table, there was a transparent box so, there was no way that anyone would dare touch the pouches after they put it on the box.

He then watched as everyone complied. Using a small scale to weigh the diamonds and putting it inside their pouches. Of course, no one would bother cheating in an even like this. After all, this is a very prestigious gambling facility owned by one of the five great kings that run the huge black market in Kong City. 

"Wonderful!" the man beamed and clapped his hands in excitement. "Now… it is time to bet on your own ores. Here is the deal about betting… you can bet anything! And I mean… anything under the sun. Once you win, the company will double it for you. You can bet a hundred million dollars and, if you won we would give you another hundred million dollars. It is that simple. However… if you lost… there is no way of getting back your hundred million. Is that good? Of course, this is just an example. We accept everything except cash. Most people would bet diamonds and even properties. This is already up to you!" He beamed and side-eyed Shen Qui. To be honest, he was a little excited about what this young man would bet to try and show off to the beautiful woman in his arms.

....

Please don't forget to vote.