Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As he was greeting the other shareholders and joking with them, Li Du’s eyes were also
searching for Carlston.
After surveying the room, he had not seen Carlston. Quietly approaching Cole, Li Du
asked softly, “Carlston is not here?”
Cole said calmly, “He’s on his way. Don’t worry, he has to be here today. He can’t avoid
it.”
Li Du nodded, showing that he understood. Then, he spared no niceties and sat down
on the seat to Cole’s left.
Seeing that, some of the shareholders got together and started talking in hushed voices.
That seat had belonged to Carlston. Li Du had no qualms about sitting there, as that
was the seat of the second largest stakeholder. After all, he was going to be the official
holder of that post very soon.
The license and the information on the diamond mine were all laid out on the table.
Everyone could see it, and there was also a set of the contract that Li Du and Carlston
both had a copy of. That contract was to be the main subject of the day’s meeting.
After they had waited more than twenty minutes, Carlston strolled in slowly.
Once he entered the room, the shareholders stood up from their seats again.
To show his acknowledgment, Li Du followed suit and stood up as well.
Carlston first nodded at Cole. Then he looked towards Li Du and stretched out his hand
for a handshake. He said cheerfully, “Congrats, Li, very happy to see you here. This is a
very auspicious meeting.”
Li Du shook his hand and said, smiling, “I did it. I have succeeded.”
Carlston nodded. “Congrats to you again, and best wishes on your engagement.”
Hearing that, a few of the shareholders exchanged grins.
Li Du smiled too. What was Carlston trying to say? Was he still trying to be smart? All
these people here knew what Li Du had meant to say.
He had done it. He had succeeded in completing the condition set in the contract. He
had succeeded. He managed to find a brand new diamond mine.
However, he did not mind the remark about his engagement. He was happy all the
same with Carlston’s words. Cheerfully, he said, “Yes, I have managed to get engaged.
Hope that everyone will be able to attend my engagement party. It is a gift from God to
me, the best that can be.”
“I thought that the best gift you got was this diamond mine,” a shareholder named
Aubrey Tilden laughed.
Li Du waved his hands, saying, “It was a pleasant surprise to discover the diamond
mine, but my fiancé is the real gift from God.”
Cole added, “From what I know, your fiancé discovered the diamond mine with you,
wasn’t that so?”
He had shifted the topic back to the condition. He wanted Carlston to face that contract.
Just as Li Du had thought, Cole hated all the second largest stakeholders. Out of all of
them, he hated Carlston most. Compared to him, Li Du was a perfect candidate for that
role.
Li Du said, “Yes, my fiancée was by my side when we discovered the diamond mine.
Ever since I met her, my luck has made a turn for the better. It is really miraculous.”
“I suppose she’s a lucky star in your life. How do they say it in China? To describe that a
woman has helped a man a lot?” Cole asked.
Li Du replied, “Xian Nei Zhu, good wife? Or Wang Fu, bringing luck to the husband?”
“That’s right, Wang Fu. I have heard it before,” Cole smiled. “I hope that your union will
be blessed always and that your lady will help you achieve all your wishes.”
Saying that, he pushed the contract in Li Du’s direction.
Li Du picked up the contract and glanced at it. Then he passed it, along with the report
on the diamond mine, to Carlston. Smiling, he said, “Take a look.”
Carlston stayed cheerful as he took the documents from Li Du. He cast a quick glance
at them and instantly displayed an expression of being pleasantly surprised. He
exclaimed, “Ah, Li, you found a diamond mine? God, you lucky chap, you are going to
strike it big!”
Cole said, “That goes without saying. Every single diamond mine owner will be rich.
Besides, this wealthy man has agreed to accept the shares of Harry Winston, Inc. He
has full confidence in our company. Can there be something better than this?”
Carlston said, “Nothing better. If we have wine here, I would really like to make a toast
to Li.”
He had been trying to shift the topic to everything except the contract. Obviously, he did
not want to admit that he had lost.
Li Du was not anxious. He believed that Cole would help him. Cole was even more
interested than he was about that.
Back when they wanted to rent a villa in Phoenix, it was Cole who helped him. Cole had
deliberately looked for a house next to Carlston’s, causing him to clash with Carlston’s
children.
Having stayed in the villa for so long, Li Du understood more now.
For example, the owner of the villa had not had any intention to offer the house for rent.
It was Cole who had called the owner up, convincing him to rent it out.
At that time, the discrimination that the landlord had displayed towards Li Du was not
really racially based. It could be that Cole had negotiated with the owner to make the
rental looked more believable and normal. That was so that Cole could dissociate
himself from the rental.
After all, he was the one who recommended the house to Li Du.
Cole had painstakingly arranged for Li Du and Carlston to have a conflict. His purpose
was to cause the two of them to fall out, and it would be even better if Li Du could
replace Carlston’s position.
Now that all his efforts were about to pay off, how could Cole not be anxious?
After some further conversion, it was Cole who brought up the contract. He said,
“Carlston, my good friend, it’s time for us to act upon the contract. Are you ready?”
Carlston laughed and waved his hands, saying, “Don’t talk about that anymore, old
friend, that was just a joke. How can this kind of contract hold?”
“Isn’t that right, Li?” Carlston looked at Li Du, and even put his arm around Li Du’s
shoulders.
Li Du laughed. That man was really shameless. He said, “A joke? If it were a joke, there
would be no need to sign the contract. We Chinese take contracts seriously. A signed
contract is something that is endorsed by the law.”
“Besides, I want to know, if I had not found the diamond mine, would you have rejected
the ten million from me?” he continued.
Carlston disregarded everything he said at the beginning and said, “Of course, how
could I accept the money? Sorry, buddies, wouldn’t it be too mean of me to do that?”
He looked at the rest of the shareholders, trying to identify a supporter.
Finally, he went on. “A few buddies and I have discussed this privately. I told them, I’m
just doing this to put a bit of pressure on Li. Tell me, everyone, would the Fritz family
care about ten million?”
He continued to rally for help, trying to influence everyone by mentioning his family.
He also turned to Li Du, saying, “Honestly speaking, you’re too young, Li. You have
achieved the impossible. I’m worried that you won’t be able to succeed again!”
Li Du realized that he still lacked experience. Those old foxes were really shameless.
Thankfully, he had an old fox by his side too.
Aubrey Tilden spoke up suddenly. He said, “No, Carlston, your words are insincere.
Privately, when you were talking about this, you said it was a sure win for you. You
didn’t think anyone could find a diamond mine so easily.”
“However, you spoke the truth when you said you did not care about the ten million. You
had mentioned that it was just to teach him a lesson and to show him who he should
follow in the Harry Winston Inc.”
