Chapter 90

Lin Lin Mengye didn't know what Ye Chenjing was thinking; she nodded at Sun Yao as a greeting, then walked up to Ye Chenjing and whispered:

"General Manager, may I have a word? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

When Ye Chenjing lifted his eyes again, his expression had returned to its usual stern look; he nodded, then turned and headed toward the VIP room.

Lin Lin Mengye quickened her pace to follow; Sun Yao thought for a moment, then followed as well.

He thought that by following he might get to hear the boss's gossip; as long as the boss didn't chase him away, he would shamelessly stick around.

Several fellow stone‑gambling experts saw the General Manager being called away by a young woman, exchanged glances, and could only agree to leave first.

At the elevator entrance, Su Xingyao, dressed in a luxurious Chanel‑style suit, gazed doubtfully at the spot where Ye Chenjing had left, taking off her sunglasses to look again and again.

Just now she thought she saw Ye Chenjing, but why was there a woman beside him?

Wasn't it said that Ye Chenjing had not even a female mosquito around him? All employees who needed to work face‑to‑face with him were exclusively male.

For a moment, Su Xingyao felt a sense of unease rise in her heart, a feeling of crisis…

Inside the VIP room, Ye Chenjing's expression was restrained, showing no emotional fluctuation; only he himself knew that, working in Li Shi, he could happen to run into Lin Lin Mengye, and his heart actually felt a little excited.

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

Ye Chenjing spoke in a light tone; Lin Lin Mengye had gradually grown accustomed to his aloofness, so she replied indifferently:

"Nothing much, really—I just heard the registration for the Stone Gambling Convention has closed, and I very much want to take part, so I wanted to discuss a cooperation with you, to let me join your Ye Family's stone‑gambling team. Is that possible?"

Ye Chenjing never expected that Lin Lin Mengye was looking for him for this matter.

What surprised him even more was that she understood stone gambling.

"You know stone gambling? Or are you just wanting to play around and experience it?"

Lin Lin Mengye replied confidently:

"Of course I understand stone gambling, which is why I came to discuss cooperation; stone gambling isn't child's play—it requires money. I do have some funds, but I won't waste them."

Lin Lin Mengye spoke very bluntly; although she was a newly rich person from a poor background, she absolutely had no nouveau riche behavior.

She would never spend money just for the sake of making a noise.

Her answer, together with the calm confidence she showed when saying she understood stone gambling, made Ye Chenjing unable to help but believe her.

But upon reflection, he felt something was off.

A few days ago Lin Lin Mengye had just provided a batch of top‑grade medicinal materials; Ye Chenjing had originally thought she must have her own unique expertise in medicinal materials, and with the pills beforehand, her specialty should lie in the medical field.

Medicine and stone gambling are two completely unrelated industries.

Yet Lin Lin Mengye said she understood stone gambling.

After a moment of contemplation, Ye Chenjing said:

"My stone‑gambling team is already full; Miss Lin, what do you have to offer that would let me drop one expert and recruit you instead?"

"To be honest, although the Ye Family Group could dominate the business world, in the jade and jewelry trade it is still at the starting stage."

"The outcome of this Stone Gambling Convention affects the priority mining rights of several key stakes; I must ensure the team has absolute strength to compete for the championship."

After hearing Ye Chenjing's words, Lin Lin Mengye suddenly understood.

She hadn't expected that the Ye Family, the nation's richest, would still be a newcomer in the jewelry industry.

With their wealth and influence, buying a few companies outright would not be difficult.

It seems they intend to proceed step by step, accumulating bit by bit—no wonder Ye Chenjing came in person this time.

Regarding this, Lin Lin Mengye no longer hid her abilities.

She curled her lips and said:

"Just talking won't convince you; how about this—you go fetch a few raw stones, and I can demonstrate my ability right in front of you."

Seeing Lin Lin Mengye's assured demeanor, not like she was joking, Ye Chenjing's interest was also piqued.

With just a glance, Sun Yao understood, and quickly returned to the room with five raw stones.

"Miss Lin, among these five stones, one contains material."

Sun Yao placed the raw stones down and, by the way, gave Lin Lin Mengye a hint.

Lin Lin Mengye merely glanced at them and immediately identified which stone Sun Yao said contained material.

Her mental power had grown much stronger; compared to the last time she gambled on stones in Yun Cheng, her judgment was now more stable, accurate, and swift.

The next second, she pointed to a nearby stone with a dull black‑gray skin, lacking luster, and said:

"This raw stone contains material; its quality is decent, so it should appreciate."

After all, she doesn't truly have X‑ray vision, and she hasn't studied jade in depth; she can only tell whether the interior is good or poor.

For a stone like this, her mental power fluctuates greatly, but not to an extreme degree.

Lin Lin Mengye therefore guessed that the material inside is of high quality, but not top‑grade.

Ye Chenjing raised his eyebrows and looked at Lin Lin Mengye.

"You don't need to pick it up and examine it more closely?"

Lin Lin Mengye shook her head. "A single glance lets me judge about seventy‑eighty percent. Assistant Sun, please have the master cut it open. If I misjudge, you don't need to drive me away—I'll leave on my own."

Watching Lin Lin Mengye grow ever more confident, Ye Chenjing felt a bit uncertain for a moment.

Sun Yao hurried off with the five raw stones.

Cutting the stone would take a little time; Lin Lin Mengye didn't want to just stare at Ye Chenjing, so she found a suitable topic to chat about.

"How did the senior elders react to the medicinal materials I provided?"

When the topic turned to medicinal materials, Ye Chenjing recalled that before coming to Li Shi, Elder Zhu had indeed gone to the Ye family specifically to see him.

It was nothing else; Elder Zhu just wanted to wear him down, to find out from him who stood behind the medicinal‑material supply.

Ye Chenjing thought for a moment and said:

"Several seniors of the Chinese Medicine Association have been inquiring about the source of the medicinal materials, and they have already stirred up the whole association—even the president knows."

He stared at Lin Lin Mengye's expression; seeing her remain calm and composed, he couldn't help but become curious.

"Can I ask, where do your Medicinal Materials come from?"

Lin Lin Mengye raised an eyebrow at Ye Chenjing, not answering the question.

Her silence made Ye Chenjing feel a pang of defeat; it seemed he was nothing more than a trading partner to her, far from enough to earn her trust and have her tell him her secrets.

After some thought, Ye Chenjing compromised.

"Then I'll change the question: can you continue to supply those Medicinal Materials?"

Old Huang went to see him, his main purpose still being to hope to continue purchasing Medicinal Materials of the same quality.

Lin Lin Mengye finally spoke this time, after thinking she said:

"I can continue to supply the Medicinal Materials, but I have to wait; I can't be sure when there will be stock."

Ye Fan is still in seclusion; it seems that bottle of cola is very powerful, the spiritual energy inside letting him refine for several days and still not finish.

If he wants to continue exchanging Medicinal Materials with Senior Brother Song Yun, he can only wait for Ye Fan to emerge from seclusion.

For cultivators, seclusion is commonplace; no one can predict when they will emerge.

Lin Lin Mengye herself was also a bit anxious; if Ye Fan became so absorbed in his cultivation that he took years to emerge, she would only be able to keep taking those Aperture-Opening Pills, remaining merely a somewhat capable ordinary person.

The crucial first step into cultivation, Ye Fan hasn't taught her yet.

Just don't seclude yourself for decades; by the time he emerges, Lin Lin Mengye will already be middle-aged, even elderly.

By then starting cultivation would be a bit late…