Chapter 21: Bearer Shares Worth Billions

Since Xiao Yao had more than just the Jade Avalokitesvara from the Jadeite collection, the matter became much easier. Persuading him to sell this particular piece seemed rather promising.

"Miss Cheng's family is worth over ten billion. As long as the item is truly exceptional, Miss Cheng will certainly offer a good price. The only question is whether your brother is willing to part with one of his top-grade jadeites," Wang Chuanjie made a point of highlighting the Cheng family's immense wealth.

Learning that the buyer was a billionaire, whose financial capability was beyond doubt, Xiao Banxia felt this was indeed a rare opportunity. It was certainly worth discussing. "The piece belongs to my brother. Whether he wants to sell or not is up to him—you'll have to talk to him yourselves. I won't interfere, but I can convey your interest to him."

"Then could you help arrange a meeting with your brother? The sooner, the better," Mr. Wang quickly seized the opportunity to settle the matter.

"My brother will be returning to Hanzhou in a few days. Let me see if he's free this afternoon. Would that work for you?"

"No problem at all. This afternoon, I happen to be free," Wang replied at once.

With the arrangements made, Xiao Banxia concluded, "I'll contact my brother soon, and once we've confirmed a time, I'll give you a call."

Leaving Wang's office, Xiao Banxia found a quiet place and dialed her brother's number.

"What's up, sis? What made you think of calling me at this hour?"

"I'm introducing you to a chance to make a fortune. You'd better thank me properly if this works out."

"Isn't the million a month I give you for pocket money enough? That kind of money should be enough for you to serve me for a lifetime," Xiao Yao shot back with his usual banter.

"That's only right—I'm your sister," Xiao Banxia retorted confidently. "It's your duty to be filial. Or perhaps it's just the reward I earned for saving the world in my past life. If you ever dare stop my allowance, beware—I might just turn you back into a pauper."

"Alright, you win. If this really turns into a big payday, I'll prepare a precious gift for you afterward. How about that?"

"Now that's more like it." Xiao Banxia then recounted the meeting she'd just had with Mr. Wang.

"If Miss Cheng can really offer a good price, then let it go. I have mountains of top-grade jadeite—it's just sitting there anyway. Selling a few pieces for some cash isn't a problem," Xiao Yao replied unconcerned.

He possessed so many valuable items that it truly didn't matter much to him whether he sold them or not. If the buyer could impress him, he'd be willing to part with a few treasures. If not, he certainly wasn't lacking for money, and could just keep collecting them for himself.

If he only had four hundred million in cash, it might seem like a huge sum, but in truth, it wouldn't be enough for his needs. For a man to truly thrive in this society, he needed a few solid enterprises to his name. If he intended to invest, that amount wouldn't suffice.

The reason he was able to remain so calm and unhurried about selling his collection was that the Sacred Soul Ring still contained many items that could be converted to cash at any moment.

Antiques and jadeite, though highly valuable, couldn’t be liquidated quickly without some difficulty. If he ever needed a large sum of money in a hurry, he certainly wouldn't consider selling those. The easiest things to turn into cash at any time were gold and bearer shares.

The gold that Pan Wu had collected over the decades, through various channels, all came with legitimate paperwork—meticulously preserved in the Sacred Soul Ring. If Xiao Yao ever needed a large amount of cash, he could contact a bank and sell some at any time.

Of course, from an investment perspective, selling gold in the past two years would not have been a wise choice.

As Pan Wu's life entered its final phase, most of the cash he hadn't yet converted into supplies in the last two years had gone into buying up gold at rock-bottom prices, with an average purchase price between 200 and 230 yuan per gram. Gold prices were still in a slump, not the best time to sell. Unless absolutely necessary, he had no intention of cashing out the gold.

Besides gold, bearer shares could also be liquidated at any moment.

The bearer shares still stored in the Sacred Soul Ring had all been carefully selected by Pan Wu from high-growth companies. This batch of shares had been set aside as a contingency in case his soul transfer failed.

Pan Wu did indeed fail in his attempt, and even his true spirit was devoured by Xiao Yao, leaving him no chance of reincarnation. The bearer shares thus became Xiao Yao’s windfall.

When Pan Wu originally acquired these shares, he spent nearly ten billion US dollars. Because the holdings were so scattered, Xiao Yao couldn't yet estimate their total current value, but it was safe to say that their value had at least doubled.

If he ever had a pressing need for a large sum, he could sell off a portion of these bearer shares at any time.

However, just as with the gold, now was not the best time to sell. These shares were all high-growth picks Pan Wu had chosen in recent years—a man of near-mythical foresight. Their long-term prospects were exceptional, and selling now would be truly wasteful.

Of course, Xiao Yao was not as miserly or tightfisted as Pan Wu had been. If necessary, whether gold or bearer shares, he would consider selling.

After all, the wealth Pan Wu had accumulated was so vast that Xiao Yao could squander it for a hundred lifetimes and never run out. Whether or not he continued to grow his fortune simply didn't matter. What did matter was—whether he was happy, whether he felt fulfilled and accomplished.

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't plan to sell his gold or bearer shares. In that case, occasionally selling a few pieces from his vast piles of collectibles was actually the better choice from an investment perspective.

The agreed meeting was set for three in the afternoon. Wang Chuanjie drove his wife and Xiao Banxia to the entrance of Xiao Yao's traditional courtyard home.

Getting out of the car, Wang Chuanjie marveled, "Courtyards in Houhai are rare gems these days. Judging from the outside, your place looks enormous—must be a thousand square meters at least?"

"Actually, it's over 2,600 square meters," Xiao Banxia replied modestly. "But it's a pity—it was rebuilt after several courtyards were combined and renovated, so it lacks some of the patina and historical depth of the truly old homes."

"So large?" Wang Chuanjie exclaimed, surprised once more. "Such a massive courtyard is among the largest in all of the capital. This is what you call a grand estate!"