PCJ – Chapter 580 Worry

“This time, the Jasper Spirit Tea is mine.” A plump man declared boldly. His name was Sun Guangyi. He was a speculator by trade. In the past, speculation was illegal, and he had suffered plenty of penalties for it. But now that policies had loosened, such speculation was simply considered a type of market behavior. Suddenly, he had room to operate.

He had already won a few bids for Jasper Immortal Drink and Ruby Immortal Drink, and soon after, the auction prices of both had risen due to increased production costs. He made a big profit in one go. Though this profit wasn’t significant compared to his current wealth, it still got him excited. For him, the success of speculation wasn’t just about making money—it gave him a thrill.

“Sun Guangyi, don’t speak too boldly. This is the capital. Anyone who steps out could be someone you can’t afford to offend,” his friend quickly warned him.

Sun Guangyi immediately quieted down. Under the emperor’s watchful eye, this wasn’t the place to show off.

“I’m just bragging, don’t take it seriously. I haven’t seen much of the world,” Sun Guangyi said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He had clearly noticed several unfriendly glances cast his way.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua showed zero interest in the various auction items. Whether it was oil paintings, sculptures, or antiques, none of them held any value in his eyes. He couldn’t understand why collectors would spend so much on such things. But that was someone else’s business—he couldn’t be bothered to worry about it.

What he didn’t know was that even before the auction ended, Gu Heling’s people had already dug up every detail about him.

A capable woman in her thirties named Ren Tiantian, who worked closely with Gu Heling, leaned over and whispered, “Sister Ling, you really have sharp eyes. You spotted something off immediately. That young man is definitely not ordinary. He’s Zhang Jiaohua, the only son of Zhang Youping, chairman of the Jasper Immortal Drink Group. He’s quite remarkable—living alone in the capital for school and even co-founding a restaurant. The recently popular ‘Koufu Restaurant’ in the capital is his, and he’s the major shareholder.”

Gu Heling was clearly excited by this news. “So you’re saying the spirit tea being auctioned by Xu’s Auction House might have come from him. But I don’t get it—he could’ve just supplied some Jasper or Ruby Immortal Drink to Xu’s Auction House, and that would’ve been more than enough. Why release a new variety from the Jasper Immortal Group? People in the group shouldn’t be that shortsighted.”

She frowned, puzzled.

“Unless the Jasper Immortal Group doesn’t even know about this new variety,” Ren Tiantian casually suggested.

Gu Heling’s eyes lit up. “Could it be that this tea was developed by Zhang Jiaohua himself?”

“That’s entirely possible,” Ren Tiantian replied. “I heard that when Zhang Jiaohua first created Jasper Immortal Drink, his parents were still working in Guangdong. It was only after the drink won an award that they returned home to manage the business. If he really is the original creator, then it all makes sense.”

After comparing the information they’d gathered, the two women were increasingly convinced.

Their eyes widened in disbelief—the world’s number one luxury tea brand was actually created by this young kid? Back when Jasper Immortal Drink first came out, Zhang Jiaohua must’ve been just a child! Both women were much older than him, and yet, what were they doing at that time? This boy had already built a tea empire.

“Xu Yanzhang’s daughter really has a good eye!” Gu Heling exclaimed.

“So what should we do now, Sister Ling? Are we still going to participate in the auction?” Ren Tiantian asked.

“Of course we are. And we should do everything we can to win the tea. If it really was created by Zhang Jiaohua, we must not give him any reason to dislike us,” Gu Heling said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoting looked at Zhang Jiaohua with concern. “Zhang Jiaohua, maybe… maybe you shouldn’t let our auction house handle your tea anymore.”

“Why?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, puzzled.

“I just… I don’t want our classmate relationship to feel like some kind of transaction. I really value our friendship, and I don’t think we should mix it with anything else,” she said, her eyes glistening with tears. She was afraid Zhang Jiaohua might start to look down on her.

Zhang Jiaohua panicked a little—he couldn’t bear to see girls cry. Whenever one did, he got flustered.

“Don’t cry. I never thought that way—really. I put the spirit tea up for auction with Xu’s Auction House not because I wanted to help you or your family, but because I needed an auction. I didn’t trust anyone else. I only feel comfortable working with Xu’s.”

Xu Xiaoting immediately broke into a smile through her tears. “Really?”

“Of course it’s true. You know how unfamiliar I am with this city. If I handed the tea to some other auction house, I’d probably get ripped off without even knowing. At Xu’s, your dad didn’t even charge me a fee. In the end, I’m the one profiting. But if you really don’t want to do it anymore, I guess I’ll have to find someone else.” Zhang Jiaohua joked.

“No, no! As long as you want to, I’ll make sure my dad gets you the best price possible.” Xu Xiaoting finally felt relieved. She had been carrying a heavy emotional burden over this. On one hand, she wanted Xu’s Auction House to get a good price. On the other, she worried that Zhang Jiaohua was only using their relationship to help her.

“Don’t worry. The spirit tea is about to be auctioned. Let’s see what price it can fetch this time,” Zhang Jiaohua said with a smile.

As expected, the auctioneer Luo Aiqi had just placed the 188 grams of Spirit Tea on the platform.

“This is a new variety from the Jasper Immortal Drink Group this year—Jasper Spirit Tea. It will completely redefine people’s perception of tea, building upon the standards set by the original Jasper and Ruby Immortal Drinks. Those were already above any premium tea in the world, but Jasper Spirit Tea goes a step beyond. The term ‘Spirit Tea’ suggests it’s imbued with spiritual energy. Only those who’ve tasted it will understand its value. There is only one box for auction this time, totaling 188 grams. Who knows when such a fine tea will be available again? One thing’s for sure—its yield is far lower than the previous varieties. This means it’s not only great for drinking but also for collecting. The box itself is made from rare wood and carved with exquisite craftsmanship. Just the container is valuable, not to mention the supreme tea it holds.”