I saw Lao Tie, no longer in his cleaner's uniform, but in slacks and leather shoes, his belly protruding as he stood next to a black Audi sedan. I walked towards Lao Tie, and before I could say anything, he spread his arms to me, "Brother, I did it."
"You made a killing?"
"A huge killing!"
"And the jade?"
"It's in the bank for collateral."
"Pledged to the bank?" I was a bit puzzled. Lao Tie laughed heartily, "Let's talk in the car."
...
While I was in the hospital, Lao Tie successfully cut open a raw stone. His reputation as a sucker in the jade gambling circle was finally redeemed. It was a Dragon Stone variety, a treasure beyond price. Lao Tie used this Dragon Stone as collateral at the bank, and then bought a mining operation deep in the Great Green Mountain.
Now, we were sitting in this Audi, heading towards that very mining operation.
"You bought a mountain with a stone?"
Hearing my question, Lao Tie burst into laughter, "Yes, you're absolutely right."
"What's in the mine? Coal, or gold?"
Lao Tie didn't answer directly. Instead, he said seriously, "Remember when you told me we were going to do something big? From today onwards, we brothers will soar to the heavens, control everything, and the fate of the entire city will be in our hands."
I smiled, "I was drunk that day, spouting some grand words. Making money is enough, I doubt we'll be in charge of the city's destiny."
Lao Tie chuckled, "Do you know what controls the world?"
"Money?"
"Wrong, it's energy. The mountain I bought has rare earth minerals."
"Rare earth? What's that?"
"For a university student, you're quite ignorant. We're almost there, you'll see for yourself."
...
In front of the dusty mine, two rows of color steel factory buildings were erected, surrounded by barbed wire. At the main entrance stood a large iron gate with two characters remaining: 矿业 (Mining). I looked up, puzzled at these characters. Lao Tie explained beside me, "I had the other two characters removed. From now on, this place will be called Nanshan Mining."
"Nanshan?"
"Yes, it's a combination of our two names. Though your name isn't on the mining operation yet, you'll be added as a co-investor later."
I smiled, "No rush, show me around."
Crushers, ball mills, flotation machines, and spiral concentrators. These massive pieces of equipment left me confused, but also filled with a little excitement. However, I noticed a problem: none of these machines were running, only two or three workers were present for maintenance.
"When do we start operations?"
"Although we bought the company, we don't have the license to mine rare earth."
At this point, Lao Tie's face fell.
"What do we do then?"
"I consulted experts. The mine we're looking at isn't a rare earth mine. To mine rare earth, besides getting the mining license, we also need a blasting permit to blow up this mountain."
I glanced at the equipment again, then at the dejected Lao Tie, "Are there difficulties?"
"One good news, and one bad news."
"Let's hear the bad news first."
"We're out of money."
With such large equipment and a whole mountain, I'd seen many workers when we arrived. Lao Tie had only used one stone as collateral, so it was logical that we were out of money. Therefore, when Lao Tie said we were broke, I actually felt a sense of relief.
"And the good news?"
"We've obtained the blasting permit, and can now blow up the mountain."
"How much will it cost?"
I didn't understand the procedures, so I went straight to the point.
"Three million."
"Alright, I'll get it for you."
As soon as I finished speaking, Lao Tie looked at me solemnly, "Tang Nan, brother, so much has happened between us in the past two to three years. Aren't you afraid I'll cheat you?"
"I trust you."
Hearing me say that, Lao Tie's eyes welled up with tears, "I swear on my life, when we make money, we'll split it fifty-fifty."
...
When I asked my father to transfer the money, he was very worried and said, "Winning the lottery doesn't happen every day, don't waste it all."
"Don't worry, I'm building a career here."
That money wasn't from winning the lottery, I lied. But what I'm saying now is the truth, I am building a career.
...
With the money, Nanshan Mining officially began operations. Lao Tie and I, holding scissors, celebrated with confetti in front of the mine. Almost simultaneously, a roar sounded behind me, and the ground trembled. I flinched, and Lao Tie hugged me, "The first blast, don't be scared."
The mining operation wasn't as profitable as imagined. Instead, the blasting team's exquisite skills were reported in the news multiple times. The rocks blasted away were transported daily as aggregate to construction sites.
As for rare earth minerals, not to mention mining them, we hadn't even obtained the license.
At this time, whispers spread among the mine workers that there were no rare earth minerals here, and it was just a quarry. No one bothered to hide it; even I, who occasionally visited the mine, heard this news.
"Lao Tie, could we have been scammed?"
I asked Lao Tie worriedly. He frowned, biting his lip, "I submitted the samples to the testing agency, and they didn't find any rare earth here."
This news was like a bolt from the blue. Now Lao Tie had added me as a co-investor, and this was no scam that a few million could cover.
"Lao Tie, this doesn't look good. If we've been cheated, promise me, we won't commit suicide this time."
I said this with great solemnity. Lao Tie laughed heartily, "Tang Nan, you have to believe me. I, Lao Tie, am a professional. Now, there's a good news and a bad news."
"Old rule, let's hear the bad news first."
"The samples submitted for testing today are still the same, no rare earth minerals."
I had already heard about this problem, so hearing it again didn't bother me much. I looked at Lao Tie, "Alright, what's the good news?"
"Where one door closes, another opens. Hongying Industry has a big contract with us."
Hongying Industry, to be precise, Hongying Real Estate, is a Hong Kong company that partners with the local government on many construction projects, worth billions. I had heard about it at school; this industry had many positions and was the most sought-after company in the city, bar none.
Such a super-industry cooperating with us, I looked at Lao Tie in confusion, "Selling building materials?"
"No, demolishing buildings for them."
"Demolishing buildings?"
I didn't understand, but ten days later, I watched a large building collapse before my eyes with a tremendous roar. It was then I understood that to speed up project progress, Hongying Industry chose to use demolition by blasting rather than conventional demolition. What surprised me most was that the city's foremost demolition expert was actually at our obscure mining operation.
We were in a building opposite the demolition site, watching the building spectacularly collapse before our eyes. The deep, bone-chilling tremor had not yet subsided when it was drowned out by the cheers of the Nanshan Mining staff from inside the building. We opened champagne and set off fireworks. Lao Tie, holding a champagne flute, pulled me to the window and said to me in a deep voice, looking at the ruins ahead, "Brother, there's a piece of good news and a piece of bad news, which do you want to hear?"
"The bad news."
"In a few days, Nanshan Mining will no longer be our property."
"And the good news?"
"The good news is Hongying Industry paid two hundred million to buy 90% of our mining company's shares."
"Two hundred million?"
I was stunned. That much money? Seeing my reaction, Lao Tie secretly wiped away a tear, "Brother, we've made a fortune."
...
When signing the contract, I met the CEO of Hongying Industry. He was quite portly but had clear eyebrows and a cheerful demeanor, much like the God of Wealth in New Year paintings. The CEO of Hongying Industry was named Jin, Jin Bengui. He was from Hong Kong and spoke with a distinctive Cantonese accent. On the day of signing, I learned that Nanshan Mining not only possessed the blasting permits required by Hongying Industry but also had another crucial point: recent samples sent to testing agencies had shown the presence of rare earth mineral resources in the area.
I still don't understand why rare earth is more valuable than gold. Perhaps, as Lao Tie said, energy controls the world. It's likely for this reason that Hongying Industry was willing to pay two hundred million for a mining company that had only invested three million.
...
The school somehow found out about this news and publicly announced my identity as an entrepreneur. As a result, wherever I went, I was met with enthusiastic gazes from admiring fans. Today was no different; the school was holding an appreciation ceremony for me, calling me the most outstanding student representative since the school's founding.
I looked nervously at the densely packed students in the auditorium and gently tapped the microphone. The students, who had been somewhat noisy, quieted down. I looked at them and said earnestly, "I don't know from when, but I became a capable person. Since then, I've looked at this world from a different perspective. More than once, I've thought, since I'm no longer ordinary, I must do something for the world."
At this point, I paused. Enthusiastic applause erupted from below. I hadn't intended to pause; it was because I saw someone walk in through the doorway. He was somewhat portly, limping, and his neck was crooked.
Lao Tie had arrived. His gaze held an unprecedented gravity. I looked at him and smiled, then picked up the microphone and said with even more fervor, "After countless sleepless nights, I have finally decided to change the destiny of this city with my own strength."
This time, the applause was thunderous. The easily swayed students stood up. I could even see the faces of my roommates completely consumed by the passion. They must have been proud to be my roommates.
Just then, I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out to look. It was a text message from Lao Tie: "One good news, one bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
On stage, in front of everyone, I began to text back: "Old rule, the bad news."
"You've been scammed. I've already transferred the two hundred million."
"And the good news?"
"We brothers taught 'Logical Paradox' a good lesson. That Jin Bengui from Hongying Industry is one of 'Logical Paradox' people. I know his alias, he's called 'The Gambler'."
After reading the message, I calmly put my phone in my pocket, then gently tapped the microphone to ensure it was working. I signaled to the impassioned students to quiet down. Everyone looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath into the microphone, "Call the police and arrest me. I'm a fraud."