Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du’s trip to New York was fruitless because Carlston played tricks on him. However,
unlike the average opponent Li Du had met, Carlston had not been hostile.
He talked to President Cole, and as soon as he got out of the office building, Carlston’s
car, also a Rolls-Royce, drove up.
Li Du looked at him coldly to see what he was up to.
Carlston, however, gave him a smile that looked genuine. “Li, it’s getting late. Why don’t
you come over to my house and be our guest? Yesterday was our porcelain wedding
anniversary, and my wife and I have a unique perspective on our relationship.”
Americans paid special attention to marriage anniversary, giving each year’s wedding
anniversary its own name. The first anniversary was called paper, the second was
called cloth, the ten-year mark was tin anniversary, and fifty years was gold.
China wedding was a code name for the twentieth wedding anniversary. It would seem
to the Chinese that this marriage anniversary was named the China porcelain, indicating
its fragility, but this was not the case in American culture.
China’s porcelain does not symbolize something easily breakable like what the Chinese
might think. In the West, especially in the past when they gave names to wedding
anniversaries, Chinese porcelain was a precious thing that could be picked up and
repaired even after it was broken.
Therefore, Porcelain Anniversary was in the same line as gold and silver wedding
anniversaries, referring to a certain number of years since marriage.
Li Du was rather surprised by Carlston’s words. He had never thought that his marriage,
which lasted for twenty years, was so successful.
It was also odd to think that Carlston’s children were in their twenties, while his marriage
had only lasted .twenty years.
If Carlston had invited him under any other pretext, Li Du would refuse, as he did not
have a good impression of Carlston.
It would not be polite to reject this invitation, however, because Li Du was about to get
engaged to his fiancée. He envied those couples who held hands after a lifetime
together. He and other young people about to enter the married life were eager to learn
from these older couples.
Li Du was silent for a moment, then got into the car along with Brother Wolf.
He could not show hatred towards a smiling person. He had to accept the invitation.
That’s the way to do business in America.
In the car, Carlston began to talk to him like an old friend. He had a great talent for
interpersonal relations. Carlston did not mention jewelry, diamonds or their disputes, but
first congratulated Li Du on his engagement, and then recalled his own courtship of his
wife when they were young.
This successfully attracted Li Du’s attention. Li Du was interested in hearing stories
about America of twenty years ago in the first place, and then Carlston included fun
details about how he had fallen in love with his wife, so that Li Du could not feel
antipathy.
When they got out of the car, Li Du was ready to talk and laugh with Carlston.
He might even have been friends with Carlston now if it were not for the billions of
dollars in a conflict of interest.
This kind of rival made Li Du a little perplexed. He was good at dealing with those
opponents who attacked like mad dogs, such as Bauer and York, Dog ear Rick,
Princeps and so on.
If someone attacked him, Li Du could always find a way to outsmart his enemy and hit
back. Carlston, however, was so pleasant and friendly that Li Du was disarmed.
However, he also knew that it would be unwise for him to go against people like
Carlston, a billionaire with countless powerful connections.
At their level, this was a game of interests, not a fight to kill.
Carlston had beaten him down because he was a newcomer to the Cole clan, but he
changed his mind when he quickly ascended in his career and became a major
shareholder.
He now saw Li Du as someone with great potential, someone whom it was better to
have as a friend than an enemy.
Carlston’s lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, one of the most affluent
neighborhoods in New York.
To Li Du’ surprise, Carlston did not live in a villa but in an apartment building. Li Du was
astonished when Carlston told this as they drove.
However, when they arrived, he didn't think so anymore. Carlston’s house was called
432 Park Ave, a tall building with a height of 426 meters.
It was the second tallest building in New York and the third tallest building in the United
States after the new world trade center. It was, in fact, the tallest residential building in
the world!
Carlston lived on the 92nd floor, which was luxuriously upgraded from bottom to top. On
the ground floor, there were two staircases and four households, and as the floors went
up, there were two staircases and two households. The whole of the 50 th floor was
occupied by one family.
The elevator went straight into Carlston’s apartment from the underground garage, and
when the door was opened, they entered a sort of living room of twenty square feet.
They had to pass through two more doors to actually enter Carlston’s house.
In the elevator, Carlston told Li Du about his apartment, which occupied a space of
8,255 square feet, or 767 square meters, with eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and
six living rooms.
As for the price, Carlson said carelessly, “I’m not sure, should be 80 million or so. I do
not really pay attention to housing prices, as I do not invest in real estate.”
No wonder Carlston didn’t live in a villa in Phoenix. How much was a villa there worth?
Two or three million.
Carlston’s wife was already waiting in the living room. She was a mild-mannered
woman, a little older than her husband, with long hair and cool air.
After a friendly greeting, Carlston’s wife went to the kitchen, where she cleaned up
some things and let Li Du wander around by himself.
There were only two people and a maid in the whole huge room. Li Du strolled over to
the window and looked out towards the famous Central Park of New York.
432 Park Ave was located on the southeast corner of Central Park, a popular tourist
destination for many Americans. For people like Carlston, however, it was just a back
garden.
The vitreous sitting room wall was about 10 square meters, while the house wall was 4
meters tall. There were French windows all around, out of which they could admire a
360-degree panoramic view of New York City.
Big Apple was under Li Du’s feet now. He felt like an emperor overlooking the city
known as the heart of the world. Inevitably, a lofty spirit emerged in his heart.
Taking a deep breath, Li Du decided to buy a house. Now that he had plenty of money,
he wanted to buy such a big house.
A house was not just a place for eating and sleeping. Living in a place like this was a
great help for one’s vision, heart, and career.
