My Left Eye Can See Through Everything - Chapter 65 - Future Plans

Ji Lanyan’s explanation finally made everything clear to Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang indeed had the skills, but just like the boss of the pig farm, could he possibly handle all the stones in the jadeite rough market by himself? Even if he were exceptionally capable and managed to buy up all the good stones on Jadeite Rough Street within a few days, what about after that?

Suppliers wouldn’t replenish their stock daily. They would wait until the current batch was sold out or nearly so before bringing in new goods. After all, a Jadeite Rough Store isn’t like a supermarket where out-of-stock items are restocked overnight, sometimes even with factory delivery. These stores typically source their inventory once a month or even every few months, which means Zhou Yang could only ever earn a portion of the potential profits.

And that’s just one aspect. On another note, if every stone he cut turned out to be a masterpiece, with every single one yielding significant gains, wouldn’t people start to suspect something? Even if he secretly cut the stones he bought, where would he sell them?

His current collaboration with Jiang Xueru is based on the volume Zhou Yang can handle at the moment. But if Zhou Yang did nothing else and focused solely on Gambling on Stones every day, Jiang Xueru likely wouldn’t be able to absorb such a large quantity of jadeite.

The most critical issue is that it would arouse suspicion. Moreover, Zhou Yang couldn’t possibly spend all his time hunched over stones, gambling on them day in and day out. Life is full of important and meaningful things to do; he couldn’t dedicate his entire existence to stone cutting.

That’s why Ji Lanyan’s suggestion made sense. Zhou Yang simply needed to procure jadeite rough, open a store, and sell them to the public. As long as he ensured the quality of his jadeite rough was slightly better than that of other stores, he wouldn’t have to worry about business.

And he wouldn’t even need to manage the store himself. He could hire someone to oversee operations. After all, running a business today is very different from how it used to be.

In the past, transactions were mostly cash-based, which often led to discrepancies. Nowadays, everything is clearly priced, and payments are made via QR codes. Even if the store manager wanted to play tricks, there wouldn’t be much room for manipulation.

Having figured all this out, Zhou Yang felt a sense of relief.

“Lanyan, I think your idea is excellent. However, I’d like to start by opening an antique shop.”

“After all, antiques were my initial breakthrough, and I’ve already begun preparations for this. Plus, I now have a master.”

“Just imagine-once the antique shop is up and running, I’ll have my master and senior brother come by to lend their credibility. Then, with Old Huang and Tian Peng helping to spread the word, the business will undoubtedly thrive.”

“Once this business stabilizes, we can then consider opening a Jadeite Rough Store.”

“After all, it would be a waste not to leverage certain connections. What do you think?”

Ji Lanyan didn’t respond immediately but instead began to ponder.

From a broader perspective, Zhou Yang’s approach seemed necessary. For someone aiming to grow and strengthen their business, connections and backing are indispensable.

If he were to directly open a Jadeite Rough Store or venture into other businesses, his ties with Guan Chengru and others would gradually weaken. They wouldn’t be operating in the same circle anymore. And when people aren’t in the same circle, relationships inevitably fade over time.

Thus, establishing an antique shop as a bridge industry was indeed a wise move.

Additionally, Gambling on Stones isn’t a guaranteed way to make money. It carries significant risks, especially when opening a Jadeite Rough Store, which requires a substantial investment.

To put it bluntly, with Zhou Yang’s current financial standing, he could at most manage a small stall. He’s far from meeting the requirements for running a proper Jadeite Rough Store.

Opening such a store would require assets worth at least several hundred million. Other stores are filled with a dazzling array of stones, while his would only have a few pieces, maybe a couple dozen. Customers would take one look and leave.

This means the business wouldn’t be sustainable. There needs to be a buffer period-a time to accumulate funds.

Thus, opening an antique shop doesn’t conflict with Ji Lanyan’s plan. Once she thought it through, she had a clear strategy.

“Zhou Yang, your proposal is excellent. Let’s start by setting up the antique shop. That way, we’ll have a stable business foundation.”

“Then we can gradually build up our funds. However, we need a clear timeline. For example, within a year or six months, we should aim to reach a specific goal.”

“If someone doesn’t have a plan, they won’t achieve great things. So, we must take the time to draft a detailed strategy.”

“Also, we’ll need to make use of Jiang Xueru for now. At this point, she’s the only one who can…”

The two originally intended to enjoy the breeze and have a romantic moment-at least, that was Zhou Yang’s plan.

But in the end, their conversation turned into a business discussion.

That night, Zhou Yang didn’t return home. After all, he had already informed Fang Jie beforehand.

He stayed at the villa, though the scenario he had hoped for didn’t happen. Ji Lanyan claimed the master bedroom for herself.

Zhou Yang ended up sleeping in another room, feeling utterly wronged. The villa he bought was now being occupied by someone else.

What’s worse, he had to practically beg her to stay. How ridiculous was that?

On the bright side, Zhou Yang managed to absorb all the energy from the jadeite within that piece of jadeite rough.

This marked the most energy he had ever absorbed since acquiring the Ding.

However, this time, he didn’t refine the energy. Instead, he stored it in the Ding as a precaution, ready to replenish himself in case of emergencies.

After finishing up, Zhou Yang placed the now-empty jadeite rough in a corner of the backyard. At this point, it was just an ordinary stone.

The jadeite inside had turned to icy fragments.

The next morning, Zhou Yang was woken up by Ji Lanyan. He ended up sitting in the living room for over an hour before they finally left.

The reason for the delay? Ji Lanyan was doing her makeup. This was something Zhou Yang simply couldn’t wrap his head around.

If putting on makeup takes so long, why not let me sleep a bit longer? Couldn’t you wake me up after you’re done?

Why make me sit here like a fool for over an hour, just waiting for you to finish?

While he couldn’t understand it, he knew better than to question or complain. Raising objections would only make him look foolish.

On their way, Zhou Yang stopped by the bank to withdraw 200,000. This was one of the perks of being wealthy.

For most people, withdrawing more than 50,000 requires an appointment. But not for Zhou Yang. As a VIP client, all he needed to do was make a quick phone call.

As for the 200,000, part of it was intended for his maternal uncle and paternal aunt. The rest was for emergencies.

After all, not every place accepts card payments. Especially in rural areas, there might still be people who don’t use WeChat or Alipay.

By the time they were done, it was almost 9 a.m. Zhou Yang entered the address and activated the navigation system.