Chapter 108: Openly Riding on Your Head

The price of five hundred thousand came effortlessly from Zhang Can’s lips, without a hint of hesitation. Su Xue was taken aback for a moment before asking, “Why? Last time, you said it was worth three million, and that there was room to negotiate.”

Zhang Can replied calmly, “Miss Su, I don’t know if you’re deliberately testing me or if someone has deceived you, but I can only tell you this: these beads are no longer the original ones.”

“Oh? Are they not?” Su Xue fixed him with a curious gaze, tilting her head as she asked again, “Aren’t these the same beads I originally had? Why do you say they’re no longer the original beads?”

He chuckled softly and answered, “Miss Su, you know what I do for a living. If I couldn’t even recognize a string of beads like these, what would be the point of my job? The material of your beads is indeed sandalwood, but not rosewood—they are fragrant sandalwood. The colors are very similar, but fragrant sandalwood is slightly less valuable compared to rosewood. And here’s the crucial point: your original beads were likely worn by a venerable monk; the beads carried the monk’s aura, which is what truly increased their value.”

Su Xue’s interest was piqued. “A person’s aura can remain on an object they wear? I’ve never heard of that. I’ve worn these beads on my wrist for over ten years since I was a child. Why haven’t you sensed my aura then?”

Zhang Can smiled faintly. “I can’t explain that. Maybe you’re just an ordinary person. Monks’ cultivation is a different matter altogether. If you ask me to explain, I can’t, but I can tell by looking.”

Even Su Xue found these words hard to believe. Aura? That was too mystical. She could accept Zhang Can’s ability to distinguish rosewood from fragrant sandalwood, but that an aura could be preserved in an object? Absolutely not.

Yet Zhang Can insisted. Su Xue pondered for a moment, then reached into her pocket and pulled out another set of beads. By color, texture, and size, they were exactly the same as the ones on her wrist.

“Well, I’m curious. Both strings are identical, even made of sandalwood. How do you tell the difference?”

Faced with her skepticism, Zhang Can chuckled, eager to showcase his skill. After all, he had long been at her mercy, and finally had a chance to leave her stunned—he wasn’t going to pass it up.

“Heh, I don’t just distinguish these two strings by sight—I can tell with my eyes closed, just by touch.”

Su Xue was momentarily stunned, then smirked, refusing to believe him. The two bead strings looked completely identical. She had been told a secret mark to recognize them, otherwise she would never have known. That subtle difference was visible only to the eye: the rosewood beads bore a deep yellow character for "Buddha," while the fragrant sandalwood beads had a lighter yellow. Everything else was exactly the same. So she definitely didn’t believe Zhang Can could tell by touch alone.

And the claim that beads carried an aura? Preposterous.

She placed both strings on the tea table before Zhang Can, then grabbed a pillow from the sofa, removed its cover, and handed it to him. “Put this over your head to prevent cheating. Touch the beads and prove to me you can tell the difference by hand.”

Zhang Can laughed dismissively, opening the pillowcase and pulling it over his head. It was thick and completely blocked his vision, but his extraordinary perception remained unaffected.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Xue mixed the two strings thoroughly before pushing them back to him. Zhang Can reached out, casually running two fingers over each string—no need for meticulous inspection or delay—and immediately placed the rosewood beads on the right and the fragrant sandalwood on the left.

“My right hand holds the rosewood beads, your original ones. The left hand holds the fragrant sandalwood.”

Su Xue was stunned, utterly speechless. How could this be?

Not trusting him, she wrapped the pillowcase over her own head and tried herself. Pitch black enveloped her; not a glimmer of light passed through. The pillowcase was thick, pure cotton with extra padding—there was no way to see through it.

After a moment’s silence, she asked, “How did you do that?”

“This is skill. It’s how I make a living. Do you think I’m going to reveal my secrets to you?” Zhang Can said bluntly, no longer bothering with formalities. Now that Su Xue had let him go, likely thanks to Mr. Wang Qian, there was no reason to fear her anymore—she wouldn’t arrest him again.

Su Xue glared at him, somewhat vexed, then scrutinized the beads once more, comparing the subtle differences to see if any could be detected by touch. Unfortunately, both strings were truly identical. Without the secret others had told her, even with her eyes, she couldn’t distinguish them.

Zhang Can chuckled again. Rarely did this determined woman suffer such a setback; he relished her discomfort. If she asked, he would not explain; as he had said before, secrets are secrets and must not be revealed.

Su Xue was fiercely competitive and never accepted defeat. Throughout her life, whether studying or working, she refused to be surpassed. Now, with Zhang Can’s provocative smugness, how could she stomach it?

She took the two strings again, examining them closely, determined to find the difference—especially one discernible by touch.

Zhang Can let her have at it. The secret would never be known to Su Xue. No matter how much she looked, even if her hair turned white, she would never see through it.

She frowned, gazing at the beads in her hand, painstakingly searching for any slight variation in color or size that could be felt.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes, half an hour, an hour passed...

Time slipped away, but no matter what, Su Xue could not find the tactile difference. Unbeknownst to her, Zhang Can had deliberately misled her: even the most skilled expert could not tell the beads apart by touch alone.

Zhang Can sipped his tea, thoroughly satisfied. He had long been on the receiving end of Su Xue’s relentless pressure, unable to fight back. Now, seeing her completely baffled was immensely gratifying.

Moreover, Su Xue was strong-willed and intelligent; she always sought real reasons and compared herself to others. Now that Zhang Can had outwitted her and belittled her, she was furious, grinding her teeth to find a flaw and punish him, to teach him a lesson.

The more serious Su Xue became, the more pleased Zhang Can was. He knew full well that no matter how hard she looked, she would never uncover the truth.

“Lonely people are always very lonely...” a low, hoarse voice sang—Su Xue’s phone rang, startling her.

She quickly answered, holding the phone to her ear while still staring at the beads. “Hello, who is this?”

Upon hearing the voice, she exclaimed, “Uncle... you’re here? Where are you? ... Oh, I’ll open the door for you.”

She rose hurriedly. It was her uncle Wang Qian, who had arrived after she had given him detailed directions during a previous call.

Opening the door revealed Wang Qian, whom Zhang Can hadn’t seen in a long time. He stood in the doorway holding a small briefcase, his face calm and smiling, never showing signs of anxiety or agitation.

“Little brother, heh, we meet again!” Wang Qian said, handing the briefcase to Su Xue. He casually patted her shoulder and strode into the room toward Zhang Can with a cheerful smile. “I was actually planning to come find you. Little Xue called me just now, so I hurried over.”

Zhang Can formally thanked him. “Mr. Wang, thank you for today.”

Wang Qian waved him off. “Don’t mention thanks. I only consider those I respect as friends. For those I don’t, even if they gave me millions or billions, I wouldn’t care. You, heh, don’t call me Mr. Wang anymore—call me Brother Wang. I consider you a true brother.”

Zhang Can glanced at Su Xue’s displeased expression but raised his voice with a smile, “Alright, Brother Wang.”

Su Xue frowned deeply. Her uncle was clearly favoring Zhang Can; she couldn’t reprimand him, and now even in terms of seniority, she was at a disadvantage. How could she feel comfortable?

Zhang Can was overjoyed, relishing one upset after another from Su Xue. With Wang Qian here, she was less likely to make a move against him.

Wang Qian paused and then asked Zhang Can, “Little brother, what’s going on? It wasn’t clear on the phone.”

Zhang Can glanced at Su Xue before awkwardly explaining, “A few days ago, while swimming and diving by the sea, I saw some people throw three large boxes into the water. After they left, I dragged the boxes close to shore and buried them under the sand underwater. At the time, I didn’t know what was inside, but I sensed those people weren’t good. Later, I found out the boxes contained drugs, which worried me and kept me awake. I decided to quietly tell Miss Su the truth, but she ended up arresting me. Then, I remembered the phone number Brother Wang gave me when he left, so I called it, and it turned out to be Miss Su’s number.”

Wang Qian nodded and smiled. “Don’t worry, I understand now. It’s a small matter. I know and believe you’re not a drug dealer. When Little Xue told me, I came right away. Also...” He pointed at Su Xue. “She’s my sister’s daughter, very strong-willed since childhood. Don’t mind if she offends you; think of her as a child.”

“That’s right, that’s right,” Zhang Can said with a smile, pleased that Wang Qian regarded Su Xue as a child.

Su Xue seemed unable to argue with her uncle. She wore a stern expression, staring at the two bead strings. Her mind was in turmoil, and she couldn’t figure out their difference. Frustrated, she pounded the tea table. “What’s wrong with these beads?”