Chapter 1709 - 1704: Preparing a Trump Card?

"It’s alright!"

Hearing such a cheeky remark, Xiaobei’s eye twitched...

Just as he was about to say something else, Xiaobei suddenly felt her leaning towards him.

"What’s going on with you?"

Looking at Shangguan Xue, who was holding onto his shoulder, Xiaobei furrowed his brows in surprise...

At this moment, Xiaobei really had no idea what her intentions were.

Hearing Xiaobei’s surprised voice, Shangguan Xue chuckled softly and said with a smile, "Brother Xiaobei, since we’re in the same boat now, help me solve the problem I’m currently facing."

Seeing the perfect face so close, Xiaobei was moved, and he retorted noncommittally, "The problem you’re facing now? Could it be the same problem you encountered before?"

Shangguan Xue, caught out by Xiaobei, shyly bit her soft lips, "Don’t mind the details!"

Hearing such a softly voiced argument, Xiaobei knew she had admitted it!

Slightly helpless, Xiaobei rubbed his nose and turned to look at Lv Xinxin not far away. At this moment, he heard her say softly, "Brother Xiaobei, you’ll soon realize that Xue’er is even more shameless than you imagined."

"Soon? I feel like I already know now!"

"Even if you know, it’s too late, you’ve already signed the contract!"

Hearing such a triumphant remark, Xiaobei chuckled helplessly again. At this moment, he really felt like he had boarded a pirate ship.

Knowing it was too late to say anything now, Xiaobei didn’t continue idly chatting but instead smiled lightly, "Alright, tell me then, what is the problem you’re facing now!"

Xiaobei purposely emphasized the word "now"...

This made Lv Xinxin smile involuntarily...

Lv Xinxin found watching them bicker to be quite entertaining.

"Alright!"

Although Shangguan Xue heard the implication in Xiaobei’s words, she pretended not to hear it.

Just like that, Shangguan Xue quickly recounted the events.

It turns out she had an evenly matched competitor named Ou Jingtian. Previously, she and Ou Jingtian had been in a mutually beneficial competition, but six months ago, it turned into vicious competition. Now it’s become even worse because the other party wants to completely acquire her.

After hearing her account, Xiaobei was moved. "The changes have only been happening in the last six months? Haven’t you investigated the reasons behind it?"

"I have investigated, but not very thoroughly. I only found out that there’s a powerful family backing the other party. They seem to want to monopolize jade sales to reap greater profits."

Squinting in surprise, Xiaobei asked the question on his mind directly, "Trying to monopolize jade sales, that should be very hard, right? After all, so many people are selling jade."

"Brother Xiaobei, you really are an outsider!"

"Why do you say that? Did I make it very obvious?"

"Yes, you just asked a question only an outsider would ask! Xinxin even knows the answer to this; let her explain it to you."

Hearing Shangguan Xue mention her, Lv Xinxin looked at Xiaobei and began to explain softly, "There are a lot of people selling jade on the market now, so it’s actually not easy to monopolize. But if you monopolize high-end jade, it’s simpler!"

"High-end jade?"

"Yes, high-end jade is the most profitable. So as long as you monopolize high-end jade, you can practically dominate the entire market. Here, only a few have the capability to sell high-end jade, so acquiring them would essentially monopolize the market."

"I see!"

Xiaobei nodded lightly...

"Yes, the other party has already acquired several others, so if they acquire my jade store, they really would monopolize the entire high-end jade market. By that time, they would dictate the prices of jade."

"We definitely can’t let that happen!"

"I think the same, but I can’t come up with a good plan, so I want to borrow your wisdom!"

"I see!"

Xiaobei and Lv Xinxin exchanged a glance.

At the moment, they too couldn’t think of a particularly good plan.

Seeing that Xiaobei and Lv Xinxin couldn’t come up with a plan right away, she didn’t hurry them but said softly, "No need to rush, we can head back later and have a look together. Once you meet our competition, you’ll surely think of a plan."

"Okay!"

Hearing her suggestion, Xiaobei and Lv Xinxin exchanged a glance and didn’t refuse.

Because they knew Shangguan Xue had a point.

As the saying goes, know your enemy, know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat!

Knowing more about the opponent really does increase the chances of success.

Seeing their agreement, Shangguan Xue laughed heartily and said, "From now on, we are partners. Please take good care of me in the future!"

With that said, she extended her hand...

Xiaobei smiled gently and also extended his hand.

...

While they were reaching an agreement, Shangguan Xue’s competitor Ou Jingtian was coldly asking, "Still no movement from Shangguan Xue?"

Ou Jingtian’s assistant, hearing such a gloomy inquiry, quickly responded, "Yes, the news that we’re opening a store has already been released, but there’s still no movement from her side, as if she hasn’t noticed. Maybe she has really given up resisting. After all, she knows that everything is an inevitable trend now."

"Given up resisting? From what I know about Shangguan Xue, she would definitely not give up resisting."

"Then why isn’t she reacting now? Could she be preparing some big move?"

Ou Jingtian picked up a cigar, lit it skillfully, and spoke indifferently, "I think it’s very possible. Previously I asked you to find out where she is currently, did you?"

"I did, she was stationed at the jade shop, but earlier, she suddenly drove off like crazy after receiving some news!"

"Where did she go?"

"Sun Family!"

"Sun Family? The one with the depleted Jade Vein?"

"Correct, that’s the one."

"What’s she doing there? Is she planning to collaborate with them? But their Jade Vein is depleted; collaborating with them is pointless."

"Who knows, maybe she’s acting out of desperation!"

After pondering a moment, Ou Jingtian slowly nodded, "Desperation is a possibility, but there could be other reasons, so keep an eye on her, and report any movements she makes. Understood?"

"Understood!"

"Alright, there’s nothing more here, you may leave now."

"Yes!"

The assistant agreed promptly and quickly left the room...