Chapter Thirty-Four: A Chance Encounter (Part Two)

"I want your bracelet. Could you give it to me?"
Damn, she really is a con artist—her very first words are to ask for this gold bracelet, something worth nearly eighty thousand yuan. She can actually say it out loud! No matter how beautiful she is, just being pretty doesn’t mean she can simply take away something worth seventy or eighty thousand; that’s probably just a legend.

Zhang Can let out a cold laugh, took out a ten yuan bill and handed it to the girl, saying lightly, "Miss, in this world, you earn your living with your hands and feet. No matter how pretty your face is, do you really think you could topple cities or kingdoms? Here’s ten yuan, go buy yourself a quick meal."

"You..."

The girl froze, then her brows shot up, her eyes widened, anger flushing her cheeks. She bit her lip, her chest heaving a few times, but ultimately didn’t explode. After a few breaths, she calmed down.

"Ten yuan—you should keep it and buy your own meal. I’m not asking for the bracelet for free; I’ll pay the original price!"

The beautiful girl kept her composure and explained, realizing her earlier behavior had caused Zhang Can’s misunderstanding. Anyone with a brain could figure out the situation; there was no need to get angry. If someone randomly asked you for something worth tens of thousands, you’d think they were either crazy or stupid.

"My grandmother’s birthday is today. I’d already picked out this bracelet, but since I wasn’t in a rush, I wandered through the supermarket before coming back to buy it. Unexpectedly, you bought it first. I asked before—this bracelet is limited edition, the only one of its kind. That’s why I wanted to discuss with you, to see if you’d be willing to sell it to me."

Zhang Can’s face flushed instantly; he quickly put the ten yuan away and hurried off, mortified in front of the crowd. Just moments ago, he’d been feeling proud, and now he was utterly embarrassed.

"Hey... wait, don’t go!" The girl rushed forward and grabbed Zhang Can’s hand, stopping him.

Zhang Can tried to pull away but couldn't, and didn’t want to use too much force. The dozen female shop assistants were all watching them intently; his face turned even redder, all the way to his neck. Anger flared in his heart, and he resolved not to let go of the bracelet.

"Sell me your bracelet. The original price was seventy-eight thousand eight hundred, right? I’ll give you eighty thousand. Is that alright?" The beautiful girl added another twelve hundred, thinking that earning an extra thousand was more than generous.

Zhang Can didn’t care about the extra thousand or so. He pulled his sleeve free from her grip and said gruffly, "Not selling. Not for any price."

The girl was stunned and quickly asked, "Why? If it’s not enough, I can add more. Just tell me—how much do you want?"

Zhang Can snorted, "Didn’t you get it? I said I’m not selling, not that I want more money!"

The girl frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Fine, I’ll give you ninety thousand. Is that alright?"

No doubt, this girl was wealthy—a second-generation rich kid, surely. Throwing money around was easy for her. Zhang Can, who earned his own money, often resented the rich, especially arrogant rich kids. Though she was pretty, he didn’t care. If she’d simply pleaded kindly, saying it was for her grandmother’s birthday, he might have relented. But using money to force his hand only made Zhang Can even more resistant.

"Not selling."

Zhang Can’s refusal was cold and final. The shop assistants were filled with envy and jealousy—they never had such an opportunity. If only they’d known the girl would insist on this bracelet, they could have bought it themselves and made a quick ten thousand. The girl seemed relentless, likely ready to keep raising the price if refused. Yet this annoying man didn’t care at all, especially the shop assistant Zhang Can had embarrassed earlier, who was particularly infuriated.

"One hundred thousand!"

The beautiful girl raised her offer, though her expression grew awkward—Zhang Can’s response was unexpected.

Seeing her persistence, Zhang Can replied coolly, "Do I need to repeat myself?"

The girl, now both embarrassed and angry, stared at Zhang Can and said, "I’m not joking. I need to go now; this is a birthday gift. If you think it’s not enough, name your price!"

Zhang Can laughed, "Well, you know it’s a gift. Mine is for my mother, so I won’t sell. Look over there..." He pointed to the counter and other jewelry stores, "So many stores, so many styles—why insist on this one?"

"Yes, I want this one. It’s a Chow Tai Fook limited edition pure gold bracelet, only one exists."

The beautiful girl gestured to the diamond ring in the display and said, "How about I buy that one—worth one hundred twenty-eight thousand—and trade it with you? That would be an even more prestigious gift for your mother."

A clever shop assistant chimed in, "Exactly, this is a high-quality South African diamond ring, this year’s trendy style. It’s valuable and classy. It’s one hundred twenty-eight thousand this year; next year it might be one hundred fifty or sixty thousand. Diamond prices are soaring."

The girl nodded, persuading Zhang Can, "See, your bracelet is seventy-eight thousand; this ring is one hundred twenty-eight thousand. I’m offering fifty thousand more, all for family gifts. Why not swap? Miss, please ring it up!"

"Wait!"

Zhang Can unhesitatingly stopped the shop assistant, snorting, "As I said, whether it’s money or a diamond ring, I won’t trade. Second, to prevent you from being deceived, I’ll tell you—the South African diamond ring isn’t worth one hundred twenty-eight thousand. The diamond is a broken one, a miscut stone."

His words stunned everyone. The shop assistants—and even their manager—gathered around, protesting, "Sir, you may refuse to buy, but don’t malign our products’ reputation, or we’ll call the police!"

Zhang Can laughed, "Sure, call the police. I said it, I admit it: your diamond is a worthless stone. You’re guilty of fraud. Let’s see who loses in the end!"

The beautiful girl, seeing Zhang Can’s calm demeanor, grew curious and asked, "Sir, could you explain what’s wrong with this ring? If you claim the diamond is flawed, you need evidence."

Indeed, the shop assistants were even angrier; this diamond ring was their newest and costliest piece.

Zhang Can shrugged, "Alright, I’ll make it simple. Rings are generally set with live or dead mounting. Live mounting means the diamond or other gem can be removed and reset freely. Dead mounting means the gem is fixed and can’t be taken out—forcing it would ruin the ring. You see, this diamond ring uses dead mounting."

Everyone fell silent, listening as Zhang Can spoke. The shop assistants were furious but held back, waiting to see what he would say.

Pointing to the diamond’s surface, Zhang Can continued, "A diamond’s quality is judged by the international 4C standards: carat, clarity, color, and cut. Carat is the weight; clarity refers to flaws; color is the grade; and cut is the craftsmanship. The first three are natural, the last is man-made. Sometimes, a raw diamond worth a million can be ruined by poor cutting, dropping its value to ten thousand or less. Who would buy a damaged diamond?"

The shop assistant Zhang Can had embarrassed stepped forward, snapping, "Don’t lecture us—we know the basics. Just say what’s wrong with our diamond. You may not buy, but don’t insult our store!"

Zhang Can had no patience for forceful people. These shop assistants, slick-tongued, had duped many customers. He could accept it for business’s sake, but their attitude annoyed him—and now he wanted payback for his earlier embarrassment.

"Yes, I said it. Let’s make a bet: I say this diamond is worthless, its back is miscut, so it’s set with dead mounting. You claim it’s perfect. Here’s the deal: open it. If the diamond is damaged, you take responsibility. If it’s flawless, I’ll pay you triple the price. Do you dare?"

The shop assistant hesitated. Talking tough was easy, but if the ring turned out flawed, she couldn’t afford to pay one hundred twenty-eight thousand. She couldn’t risk it.

The beautiful girl wasn’t in a hurry now; she watched with keen interest.

The jewelry store manager, a voluptuous woman, stepped forward, irritated. "Fine, I’ll take the bet and the responsibility. But if the diamond is perfect, you, sir, must buy it at triple the price—is that what you said?"

"Yes, that’s fair. With this lady as witness, I’ll transfer three hundred seventy-four thousand right now to your store, then we’ll open the ring for inspection. If the diamond is perfect, I’ll take the flawed ring and leave. If it’s miscut as I said, you’ll refund me three hundred seventy-four thousand in cash."

"Deal." The manager clapped her hands, then turned to the only male employee in the store. "Xiao Liu, open the ring and inspect the diamond!"

The male employee was the store’s repair specialist. At the manager’s order, he brought his tools to the counter, picked up the ring, and began the inspection under everyone’s watchful gaze.

The manager knew this was the latest batch sent from headquarters, guaranteed quality. She was confident; inferior products were well-known among the staff. If the inspection proved the diamond perfect, they’d pocket fifty-five thousand six hundred in cash—a windfall. She wondered if this young man was just nitpicking for sport.

Zhang Can took out a bank card and handed it to the shop assistant, who ran it for three hundred seventy-four thousand, and he signed the receipt.

Only after Zhang Can signed did the male employee begin opening the ring for inspection. Dozens of eyes were fixed on his hands, lest they miss any detail and Zhang Can deny the outcome.