"This way, ladies, please." Zachary Qu glanced at the assistants and bodyguards following behind Cecilia Gu and Sophie Mo, knowing full well these two were either wealthy or noble.
From the very beginning, his attitude was extremely courteous, without a hint of rudeness.
The three of them quickly left and headed to a nearby upscale leisure club.
Because R City has a thriving jadeite gambling market, people from all over the world come here to play.
Naturally, the economy here has become quite prosperous.
All kinds of supporting facilities are also very complete.
Leisure facilities are everywhere, making it convenient for people to discuss business.
They randomly picked a place, and the environment was great—perfect for business talks and casual chats.
After ordering three coffees, Zachary Qu got straight to the point: "Here's the thing. I was sent to work in one of our family’s subsidiary companies for training. This year, I was just allowed to come back home."
He grinned, showing his teeth, and said, "It just so happens my grandfather’s eightieth birthday is coming up. I’ve been trying to find the perfect birthday present, but nothing seemed good enough. That’s why I came here—to see if I could pick out something special. Our family may be based in Malaysia, but we’re true Chinese descendants, loyal to our roots generation after generation."
"You don't have to be so formal. We're both Chinese, but we're not here to conduct a background check."
"I just want you to know, I'm one of you—I'm not an outsider. You both have elders in your families, so I’m sure you understand my eagerness to show my filial piety. You’re obviously from distinguished families and may not care much about these things. If you’re only keeping the jade as a memento or giving it away, why not sell it to me so I can make the most of its value? We can discuss the price in detail."
With a sweet mouth like yours, I bet even if you didn’t bring a gift, your grandfather wouldn’t mind.
"You really know how to flatter, but my sweet talk is reserved for beauties like you two. I’m actually pretty sharp-tongued with ordinary folks," Zachary Qu said with a grin.
Cecilia Gu couldn’t help but laugh.
Someone this straightforward is genuinely hard to dislike.
Even though he was complimenting me, I couldn’t find it in myself to dislike him.
Compared to those greasy flatterers, his skill is clearly top-tier.
"We Chinese have an inexplicable obsession with jade, especially jadeite," Zachary Qu continued. "Our ancestors loved and excelled at using jade in every aspect of life. My family is no exception. My grandfather is now eighty, but he still has a Chinese heart—he eats, lives, and dresses by Chinese customs. He doesn’t care for diamonds, preferring jadeite above all. But as you know, most of the jadeite mines are nearly exhausted. Finding a high-quality piece is like searching for a needle in a haystack—it’s all luck. To be honest, I’ve visited three jadeite gambling markets already, and this is my fourth. Today I heard someone just found a top-grade 'glass type' jadeite. That’s why I stopped you—I’d like to make a deal."
"It wasn’t me who found the glass type jadeite," Sophie Mo replied, waving her hand.
'So it was you,' Zachary Qu immediately smiled warmly at Cecilia Gu. 'May I ask your name?'
'I...,' Cecilia hesitated, then said, 'My surname is Yun, Yun Xi. I’m from the Yun Family in K City.'
'K City’s Yun Family?' Zachary Qu mused. 'Sounds familiar, I think I’ve heard of it somewhere.'
'Is Young Master Qu not very good at studying?' Sophie Mo asked with a smile, holding her cup.
Zachary Qu looked as if she’d seen right through him, surprised. 'How did you know?'
He put on an embarrassed face and said, 'Honestly, it’s embarrassing! I never liked studying as a kid. With eight older brothers ahead of me, I knew the Qu Family’s future wouldn’t be handed to me, so I decided early on to be a playboy.'
Cecilia Gu: '...'
Sophie Mo: '...'
Well, this guy really is something else.
'I never liked studying as a kid. Apart from causing trouble, I didn’t have any other talents. That’s why my family sent me out to toughen up, and only now let me come back.' Zachary Qu looked embarrassed. 'So, the Yun Family must be really impressive, right?'
No wonder he doesn’t know.
He makes it sound easy, but I bet it’s not that simple.
Cecilia Gu isn’t the same person she once was.
She’s not naïve enough to believe everything Zachary Qu says.
Sophie Mo is even less likely to fall for it.
She’s a proper daughter-in-law of a big family—she’s seen her share of drama.
Zachary Qu probably got set up by one of his brothers and sent off to some backwater to suffer.
Then he fought his way back with his own skills and finally caught the family head’s attention.
Basically, he’s back for his comeback.
Stuff like this is pretty normal in rich families.
After all, there are only so many resources. One less brother fighting means less competition.
So, winner takes all—no need to say more.
His brothers couldn’t keep him down. He fought his way back and got close to the family head—bet they’re grinding their teeth in frustration now.
Still, neither Cecilia Gu nor Sophie Mo plan to get involved in the Qu Family’s drama.
"It’s nothing special," Cecilia replied with a smile. "Just a family of teachers. My dad’s taught students at some well-known universities, so we have a bit of a reputation, that’s all."
"So your father’s a university professor? My respects," Zachary Qu said.
Zachary Qu knew she wasn’t being completely honest.
But he didn’t mind.
Everyone keeps a little something back. That’s normal.
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Cecilia Gu said, "But I am a little curious, Young Master Qu, what price do you plan to offer for my jadeite rough?"
"I heard someone offered ninety million inside, but Miss Yun didn’t seem satisfied." Zachary Qu thought for a moment, then said, "I’m willing to offer one hundred and twenty million, plus a personal promise—if you ever need my help, I won’t refuse. The Qu Family may not have much influence elsewhere, but in Malaysia, we have some pull."
Sophie Mo said casually, "You’re only ninth in line at home. Can you really make decisions for the Qu Family?"
As soon as she finished, the air between Zachary Qu and Sophie Mo seemed to crackle with tension.
Everyone understood—they weren’t fools.
"Maybe not now, but in two years, I definitely will," Zachary Qu promised, full of confidence.
In other words, he plans to take control of the Qu Family within two years.
Heh, definitely an ambitious guy.
Cecilia Gu shook her head. "Sorry, I’m not short on money, and your promise isn’t much use to me. I don’t plan on developing in Malaysia, so I’ll have to pass."
A flash of disappointment and regret crossed Zachary Qu’s eyes, but he kept his composure and said politely, "No worries. Even if the deal doesn’t go through, it’s an honor to meet two lovely ladies. Who knows, maybe we’ll become good friends someday."
Cecilia Gu smiled and nodded, "Thank you."
"So, may I ask your name?" Zachary Qu turned to Sophie Mo.
Not wanting him to know her real identity—since the Mo Family is pretty well-known in Malaysia—Sophie Mo replied smoothly, "I’m from the same family as her. My surname is Yun too, and my name is... Elaine Yun."
"Alright, then I won’t take up any more of your time," Zachary Qu said politely. "I’m off to try my luck again. Maybe after chatting with you two, I’ll pick up some of your good fortune!"
"Then let me wish you the best of luck in advance, Young Master Qu." Cecilia Gu and Sophie Mo stood up together, shook hands with Zachary Qu, and watched him leave.
Once Zachary Qu left, the two women sat down again.
"Xixi, this guy’s pretty interesting!" Sophie Mo said, sipping her coffee with a laugh. "It’s been a while since I’ve met someone so fun."
"Too bad I don’t want to get mixed up in someone else’s family mess." Cecilia Gu switched to a cup of Blue Mountain coffee and said, "I don’t believe he won’t look into our identities. We didn’t hide who we are when we came here. If he’s determined, he’ll find out you gave a fake name sooner or later."
"So what?" Sophie Mo shrugged, totally unconcerned. "He wouldn’t dare mess with the Mo Family. Y Province is my brother’s turf!"
"I’m more worried he’ll pretend not to recognize you, then use you to get close to the Mo Family and leverage their influence in Malaysia to take over the Qu Family faster," Cecilia said, relaxed. "Isn’t that kind of move pretty common?"
"You’re sharp, Xixi!" Sophie Mo pinched Cecilia’s nose. "You’ve grown so much! You can see right through things like this now."
"You said it yourself—after seeing enough, you just know." Cecilia made a face at Sophie Mo. "You only care about looks! Remember how you swore you’d never talk to Jing Rong, and now you’re totally smitten with his body and face? Zachary Qu’s got a pretty good figure, you know!"
Sophie Mo immediately started playfully wrestling with Cecilia Gu. "You sure took a close look! So, who’s got the better body—Zachary Qu or my brother?"
"How would I know? I haven’t seen your brother’s body." Cecilia joked back, "If you’re that curious, just get someone to secretly snap a photo of Zachary Qu and compare it to your brother!"
"Ha! You just want to see my brother’s body and you’re trying to get me to do the dirty work! Tell me the truth, have you seen my brother’s body or not?" Sophie Mo teased, getting more and more worked up.
Not far away, a few people overheard their banter and didn’t know whether to walk away or stay.