Sure enough, An Yiqing began to speak.
"According to Mr. ng Po’s suggestion, should I be thanking you profusely?" She smiled, her gaze at ng Po was clear and gentle, but inexplicably gave ng Po a slight chill.
ng Po tried to suppress the panic in his heart, stiffened his neck, and shalessly sighed, "Miss An, please understand, I really an well. There aren’t many young people like you interested in rough stones nowadays. I just don’t want you to give up because you lost this competition."
"Oh!~" An Yiqing looked as if she had an epiphany, "Mr. ng Po, you’re being quite considerate. I should really thank you for going easy on . However...I happen to have a slightly different opinion."
ng Po’s eyelids twitched, but he remained silent.
"Mr. ng Po, how can you be so sure that the rough stones I selected are inferior to yours?" Though An Yiqing smiled, there was an inexplicable chill about her.
ng Po coughed to hide his guilty conscience and argued plausibly, "Miss An is just too young and lacks experience in stone gambling. Everyone who understands this field knows that experience is a crucial reliance for success in stone gambling. I noticed the rough stones Miss An chose didn’t look good on the surface, so I paid more attention."
ng Po’s explanation was logical, and everyone nodded, thinking he made so sense.
An Yiqing glanced over the crowd, taking in everyone’s expressions. Her brows raised, and a layer of frost settled deep in her eyes.
"I didn’t realize that Mr. ng Po was so clear about the codes of the rough stones I selected for the competition. It seems that my team’s confidentiality work was insufficient, for such important information to be uncovered by Mr. ng Po."
ng Po’s smile froze, "I just have a bit of an information advantage, Miss An, no need to mind too much."
At this point, if An Yiqing continued to fuss, it seed she was being petty. In everyone’s way of thinking, with An Yiqing’s age, it was absolutely impossible for her to choose very good rough stones. Although ng Po’s actions were not ethical, he was, in a way, helping her after all.
The situation seed to have reached an impasse, and it appeared that An Yiqing had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill. Zhang Yuksheng, Ruan Xue, and others looked extrely grim, not expecting that with both evidence and testimony, they would still be outmaneuvered by this cunning ng Po.
ng Po took in the expressions of everyone, an inscrutable smile of satisfaction unknowingly appeared on his face. He looked at An Yiqing, the mockery and contempt in his eyes deepening.
Zhang Yuksheng and the others glared at ng Po angrily, a blocked anger within, wishing to tear him to pieces with their bare hands.
Suddenly, An Yiqing chuckled softly, and everyone felt a tremor in their hearts, a chill crawling up them.
ng Po was also taken aback by An Yiqing’s laugh; he looked at her impassive and indifferent face, and his brows furrowed in unexplained unease.
"Mr. ng Po, I appreciate your good intentions. But I am very confident in my stone gambling skills, and no matter how inferior my chosen rough stones might be, they can’t be worse than the junk you swapped."
"What do you an by that? I helped you out of goodwill, and now you’re saying I did it wrong?" ng Po’s face darkened, and he questioned harshly.
The onlookers also felt An Yiqing’s words were a bit excessive, and they looked at her with disapproving eyes.
An Yiqing’s smiling eyes subtly swept over the crowd, and everyone felt a strong pressure descend, making it difficult to breathe.
"Mr. ng Po, your mind is very ticulous, and the excuses you’ve thought up are very careful, it seems that everyone already believes your words. However, you probably don’t know, I made so adjustnts to the rough stones I selected."
An Yiqing glanced at ng Po, then turned to walk toward the Stone-Cutting Table. Her steps were calm and leisurely, completely exuding an air of assured victory.
"After I selected the rough stones to compete with you, I instructed my n to apply sothing on the stone’s surface. You should know, I’m a doctor; although my dical skills aren’t advanced, I’ve researched quite a few odd potions and powders. So, to prevent tampering from soone with ulterior motives, I instructed my n to apply a colorless and odorless potion on the stones after retrieving them yesterday. As long as this potion contacts what’s in this bottle, it will turn pink." An Yiqing shook the small porcelain bottle that suddenly appeared in her hand, smiling as she watched ng Po’s face turning a shade of dirt, "Mr. ng Po, I think the rough stones you selected resemble mine quite a lot, lend a few scraps of the stone skin you cut, would you?"
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