Boss Xie was a **shark, the kind that kills without drawing blood. How could I trick such a person? I pondered for days and handed the plan to Old Ghost. I found "Greedy Ghost" awkward to say, so Old Ghost felt more intimate and fitting.**
**Old Ghost looked at what I had written and smiled, a hint of mockery for newcomers at the corner of his lips.**
**"Is it unworkable, too naive?"**
**"It can be tried."**
**I couldn't believe that Old Ghost agreed to a plan I myself lacked confidence in. He was slurping noodles when he said it could be tried. Truly a greedy ghost, just like his name.**
**"Will it cost a lot of money?"**
**"Money is not an issue. If it succeeds, the wool comes from the sheep's back."**
**I understood Old Ghost's meaning. He would front the money, and as soon as I got the money from tricking Boss Xie, he would take back the items and money I had requested. It was only natural; I was already immensely grateful for his willingness to cover the costs.**
**"What if it doesn't succeed? How will I pay you back? I definitely can't pay it all at once. Can I pay in installments? Is your interest rate high?"**
**Old Ghost listened, finished his noodle soup in a few large gulps, and then laughed heartily, "Do you think I'm a loan shark? Think about it, if you fail, will Boss Xie let you off? Anyone who can set up such schemes must have a few lives on their hands."**
**These words sent a shiver through me. Old Ghost saw everything, and with a smile, he asked, "Are you still in?"**
**"In!"**
**"Then I'll add something: hire a caregiver for your brother. Hospital nurses aren't that dedicated."**
**"Thank you."**
**"Want to have a bowl of noodles with me?"**
**"Aren't you done eating?"**
**"Haven't I just started? One bowl isn't enough to fill me up."**
**...**
**A few days later, I returned to Jingxin Zhai. Boss Xie showed a subtle, almost imperceptible change when he saw me. If I hadn't been suspicious of him, I would have only seen his cheerful expression.**
**"Boss Xie, could you do me a favor?"**
**"Young man, still into gambling stones? Forget it, the previous incident is a lesson learned."**
**"No, after we bought that fake stone that day, we had some money left. I bought a pre-cut stone, but then my brother had an accident and I didn't have time to cut it. Could you cut it for me?"**
**It was a simple request, and Boss Xie had no reason to refuse.**
**"I'll cut it for you for free. Your brothers have suffered enough. It's my fault for not stopping you that day. How should I cut it!"**
**Boss Xie said with feigned sympathy. I scoffed internally but tried my best to show a grateful expression on my face. Acting was quite difficult.**
**The stone to be cut was about the size of a bowl, and its shape was not perfectly regular. When Old Ghost gave it to me, he had drawn a line and marked the cutting direction. Before cutting, Boss Xie shone a powerful flashlight on it and said it was a good piece. The moment it was cut, I clearly felt Boss Xie stiffen.**
**The cut surface was not polished, but I could sense the vibrant, luscious green. This green was oily and lustrous, looking as if it were alive.**
**"Imperial green, glass type?"**
**"Is it worth money?"**
**Boss Xie swallowed hard, biting his lip. I could feel him struggling to control his emotions. "It's alright, it should be worth about a million. Want to sell it? I'll buy it for 800,000, cash. That way, you'll have money for your brother's medical expenses, and you'll get back what you lost."**
**"I'll consider it."**
**"Leave your contact information. We can chat more when you have time."**
**"I'll leave you my QQ."**
**I could see that what Old Ghost had presented was truly awe-inspiring. This "imperial green, glass type" that Boss Xie was murmuring about had definitely sparked enough greed in him. We were tricked by Boss Xie because we believed gambling on stones could lead to sudden wealth. Now, Boss Xie's mind was also set. After so many years in the stone gambling circle, he surely believed that if this stone was handled well, it could make him a billionaire.**
**...**
**That evening, I returned home and gave the stone back to Old Ghost. Then I found a nearby internet cafe and logged onto QQ. As expected, Boss Xie added me as a friend shortly after and began chatting.**
**Boss Xie: "Little brother, that stone has good quality, but before a semi-transparent stone is cut, no one can be sure. If you trust me, I'll help you sell it for 1.2 million, and you give me a 100,000 service fee."**
**I didn't know how disdainful my expression was, but the words I typed were very candid: "Boss Xie. After leaving your place, I inquired. Imperial green, glass type, this size could make several tens of millions of bracelets. They said even a semi-transparent stone is worth five million." I wasn't lying; after leaving Jingxin Zhai, I specifically asked at other shops.**
**"Who's talking nonsense? Don't be fooled by hearsay. In Ruili, only one person bought stones for millions. Although they cut out hundreds of millions, they bought a lot! They bought a ton. Yours is just a small piece?"**
**"I'm inquiring, inquiring. Thank you, Boss Xie. I'll go offline now."**
**Not letting him get what he wanted was the first step of my plan: make Boss Xie tempted, then lure him into the trap.**
**After going invisible on QQ, I contacted Old Ghost: "Brother, where are you?"**
**"Downstairs, coming up now."**
**I wanted to contact Old Ghost privately, but he didn't seem to have that intention. He bought a pot of steamed chicken from downstairs, even bringing the pot itself, and carried the steaming pot upstairs, along with a plastic bag of beer.**
**Old Ghost got a spot next to me. After opening his laptop, he unceremoniously placed the food on the table, broke open the disposable chopsticks, and shoved two pieces of chicken into his mouth while it was still hot. Then he opened a beer, handed me a can, and drank half of it with a slurping sound.**
**Every time I saw Old Ghost looking like a starved ghost, I felt hungry. While drinking beer, I asked, "Will Boss Xie fall for it?"**
**"How could he not? I've seen jade jewelry from Myanmar at auctions. There was a jade egg pendant, imperial green, glass type, pure and clear, transparent as water."**
**"How much?"**
**Old Ghost, with his mouth full, gestured with three fingers.**
**Pendants, there are them everywhere on the streets of Ruili, in all sorts of styles. 3000 yuan at most. However, coming from Old Ghost, the price definitely wouldn't be low. I bit my lip and said, "3 million?"**
**"Silly brother, if it were 3 million, would I bother remembering it? That jade egg's final transaction price was 30 million."**
**My head buzzed. "You can forge something that expensive?"**
**"What's forged?"**
**"Isn't that stone fake?"**
**"A few years ago, I went to Myanmar with a friend and spent millions to buy over a ton of raw material. I cut it myself and found many good things. The piece you have in your hand is a top-quality one that he was reluctant to cut."**
**"It's real?" Cold sweat streamed down my face. I had been carrying a ten-million-dollar item in my bag, completely unconcerned. Knowing this now, my legs suddenly felt weak.**
**"That Boss Xie is also a shark. He can't be fooled by fakes. What was his reaction?"**
**I didn't answer immediately. My QQ pinged. Even though I was invisible, Boss Xie had left me a message. He said he wanted to find a few friends to appraise my stone and discuss the price after the appraisal.**
**As I read the message, Old Ghost tilted his head and sneered.**
**"Continue as planned."**
**The plan was mine, but Old Ghost helped me set it up. His display of a jade worth tens of millions had stunned me. I began to realize that some things weren't as simple as they seemed. Could my plan really work?**
**"Brother, why don't you make me a fake stone?"**
**Old Ghost finished his beer in one go, threw the can on the ground, stomped it flat with a crunch, and chuckled, "CS, host a game, one-on-one. If you can beat me, I'll listen to you."**
**"What if I can't win?"**
**"Then stop talking nonsense."**
**I'm a homebody, and I'm good at CS, but in my matches against Old Ghost, I didn't get a single kill. I was headshotted the moment we met.**
**"How are you so good?"**
**"Haven't you suspected me of using cheats?" Old Ghost asked with a smile.**
**"Did you use them?"**
**"That's a secret!"**
**This really piqued my interest. I just needed to see Old Ghost's computer. But what Old Ghost did next left me dumbfounded. He opened a can of beer and poured it onto the computer tower, instantly short-circuiting it.**
**"Boss, beer spilled on the computer. How much? I'll pay you. 4000? Don't kid me, is that your configuration for 4000?"**
**...**
**Old Ghost acted as if he were drunk, but I always felt there was a deeper meaning to his actions.**
**After the negotiation, Old Ghost moved to another spot, still happily eating the steamed chicken and drinking beer. The boss looked somewhat uneasy, urging Old Ghost to stop drinking. Old Ghost glared, "What are you afraid of? I'm not not paying you."**
**"Brother, let's continue. Let's see if you can still get headshots with every shot?"**
**"I'm done playing. I'll watch a movie."**
**If he doesn't play, I'll never know his true strength, but I had an epiphany. Old Ghost taught me a trick: when deceiving someone, the real and the fake don't matter as much. What matters is making the other party curious.**
**"Brother, no need for fake stones. Just take a picture for me."**
**Hearing me say this, Old Ghost showed a look of a student who could be taught. Then he picked up the phone: "Hello, boss, another pot of steamed chicken. Please send it to the internet cafe. Yes, the one next to your shop."**