C24 You Won't Benefit from It!

Observing Zhang Xiaolong's self-assured grin, Chen Yaru couldn't help but feel a bit bewildered. Could the item really be a fake?

Lee Donghua and Chen Zhaomin shared a puzzled look, clueless about Zhang Xiaolong's intentions. They opted to stay quiet and observe how the situation would unfold.

They were somewhat comforted by the fact that Zhang Xiaolong didn't seem to be acting on a whim; he appeared to have a plan in place.

"How do you propose we bet?" Wang Changyu couldn't contain his excitement. He had been eager to make a fool out of the young man, and now the opportunity had presented itself.

"The terms are straightforward. If I prove that this is an inexpensive craft, then I win. If not, I lose," Zhang Xiaolong stated succinctly.

Wang Changyu stole a glance at Xu Shaoning, seeking confirmation from his expression. Feeling reassured, he boldly accepted the challenge, "Fine, I'll take that bet. But besides the clothes you're wearing, what else do you have to wager?"

"Hehe, it looks like Young Master Yu is eyeing my outfit. How much do you think it's worth?" Zhang Xiaolong inquired.

"No more than twenty thousand yuan," Wang Changyu replied with a sneer.

"Alright, then I'll bet these clothes against your twenty thousand yuan," Zhang Xiaolong declared.

Wang Changyu perked up his ears, "Am I hearing this right? If you lose, you'll strip down to your skin and leave here bare?"

"Exactly. And if you lose, you owe me twenty thousand yuan," Zhang Xiaolong responded evenly.

"Hahaha..." Wang Changyu laughed heartily, never expecting to encounter someone so easily played. He hadn't even resorted to taunting, and yet his opponent had willingly taken the bait. "Okay, it's a deal. If you win, I'll pay you a hundred thousand yuan."

"There's no need for that. I prefer a fair game. I'll bet twenty thousand yuan to win the same amount from you," Zhang Xiaolong insisted, not interested in taking any undue advantage.

"Fine, you said it yourself," Wang Changyu, wary of any backpedaling, quickly turned to the others, "Mr. Lee, Director Chen, and all present, you are my witnesses."

Lee Donghua was still at a loss about Zhang Xiaolong's intentions, and Chen Zhaomin was equally perplexed. But at this point, with no other options, both parties reluctantly agreed to the wager.

"Alright, you can start proving your point now," Wang Changyu said with a smug toss of his head. "But don't blame me if I didn't warn you. Don't even think about smashing it with a hammer. Even in pieces, it's still jade, not plastic."

"Could you lend me a lighter?" Zhang Xiaolong requested. "To avoid any accusations of cheating, let's have you provide the item for verification."

"A lighter is the least of it. If you asked for a flock of flying turkeys, I'd find a way to get them for you," Wang Changyu retorted, eager to see the spectacle unfold. He was intent on embarrassing this naive country boy.

Chen Yaru, sensing the gravity of the situation, instinctively reached out to hold Zhang Xiaolong back. He simply smiled, reassuringly patted her hand, and took the lighter with a composed demeanor.

Somehow, Chen Yaru found herself feeling at ease in response to his confident manner, and she stood by patiently, waiting to see what would happen next.

Zhang Xiaolong wiped the lighter, cranked the flame to its highest setting, and tested it. A flame shot up a good five or six centimeters.

Satisfied with the height of the flame, he then took the jade, reportedly worth millions, into his other hand.

"Hey, you're not planning to use fire, are you?" Wang Changyu mocked.

"You guessed it. With this type of artifact, a simple burn will reveal its true nature," Zhang Xiaolong confirmed with a nod.

"This is ridiculous. If you actually set it on fire, that jade worth millions will be ruined."

"It looks like this kid is just trying to wreck the piece. We can tell if it's jade or not just by looking at it. Does he really think we'd mistake plastic for jade?"

"But destroying it is pointless. Even if it's real jade, he loses if it's damaged. He'll only embarrass himself in the end. I have no idea what he's trying to achieve."

There's a folk belief that if you tie your hair to jade and burn it, the jade will remain intact, indicating its authenticity. However, this method is hardly foolproof.

Zhang Xiaolong, on the other hand, was taking a far more straightforward approach, not even bothering with the hair... The onlookers murmured among themselves, baffled by Zhang Xiaolong's seemingly destructive tactic.

Everyone was discussing why Zhang Xiaolong would do something that seemed to harm others without benefiting himself.

Just as the emerald was about to be scorched, Xu Shaoning interjected, "No need to burn it. Wang Changyu has also called off the wager. Zhang Xiaolong is Yaru's friend, and since the Wang family is hosting today's party, we should at least save face for Yaru."

Wang Changyu quickly offered a conciliatory smile, "Young Master Xu, out of respect for you, I can't disregard Miss Chen's honor. But this young man insisted your emerald is a fake, and I couldn't just stand by. However, since you've spoken, if he simply apologizes to you, we can consider the matter closed."

"Yaru," Xu Shaoning said, looking somewhat troubled, "This is undoubtedly a real emerald. Do you really think I would give a fake to the girl I love? I don't want to put you in an awkward position, so perhaps you could persuade Mr. Zhang."

"Young Master Xu certainly wouldn't believe it's a fake, or else he wouldn't have purchased it as a gift," Zhang Xiaolong cut in before Chen Yaru could respond, "But nowadays, the craftsmanship of fakes is so sophisticated that even experts can be fooled. It seems Young Master Xu was simply misled."

"Damn, this kid's got nerve," Wang Changyu thought gleefully, though he feigned outrage, cursing openly, "Young Master Xu, don't hold me back. I can't stand this kind of pretentious pauper. Burn it, we must burn it today. If not, he can strip and crawl out of here."

Xu Shaoning shrugged helplessly at Chen Yaru, who paid him no mind and kept her gaze fixed on the emerald in Zhang Xiaolong's hand.

The tension in the room escalated. In the expansive hall, the crowd fell silent, eagerly anticipating the outcome.

Zhang Xiaolong calmly struck his lighter and held the flame beneath the emerald.

As the flame illuminated the emerald, its translucency seemed to enhance, yet the person wielding the lighter showed no remorse as they applied the flame directly to it.

"Ha! You fool, do you really think you can turn an emerald into a mere stone by burning it? Or perhaps you believe a bit of fire could reduce it to unrecognizable ashes?" Wang Changyu watched as the flame licked the gemstone. Apart from a slight blackening on its surface, the emerald remained unchanged, prompting him to burst into laughter. "You're really throwing away the respect I'm offering. You'd better just..."

His taunting was cut short, and Wang Changyu's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

After subjecting the emerald to the lighter's flame for several seconds, Zhang Xiaolong pulled the lighter back and gently blew on the gem. He touched it, testing its temperature, and pinched the emerald between his fingers. Then, to everyone's astonishment, the emerald flattened!