Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Carlston brewed sweet, fragrant coffee for Li Du.
They sat in a small hall on the west side, looking out to the red sky and the setting sun,
all the way to the endless green space of Central Park.
Even though it was already winter, all was still greenish everywhere below.
“It’s great here,” Li Du put down his coffee cup and sighed softly.
He had never felt so different from the past.
Although he had money and possessions before, in Australia and Africa, no matter how
much money he had, he was not much different from any ordinary tourist.
Back in the States, he lived in a suburban villa in Phoenix. It was a big villa, but it was
not a rich man’s house. Even an average income family might have lived there.
Therefore, even with more than $4 billion in his bank account, he still didn’t think much
of it. It was just a bunch of numbers.
Now, sitting in the sky over New York City, he finally realized how different he was from
what he used to be.
Before he became involved in the gem industry, Li Du could not have imagined that he
would have such wealth and status as he did now. That he would sit in the private
house of a famous New York rich man and enjoy the sunset and drink coffee with him.
As for before getting the little bug? He even kind of forgot what life was like back then.
Trying to choose between a beef burger and a chicken burger, feeling bad for buying a
Jeeves, deciding between renting a place of $200 or $300 a month, sometimes terrified
by the growl of a stranger in a back alley.
Slowly, Li Du remembered himself at that time.
“What are you thinking about?” Carlston asked curiously. “Believe it or not, I would
guess.”
“Guess what?”
“You were thinking about your life way back and comparing it to what you have now.
And you feel that life is amazing, you didn’t expect it to turn out this way,” said Carlston.
Li Du was stunned but calmly said, “What you said was right, life is really wonderful. I
did not expect to achieve all this.”
Carlston laughed, and Li Du added, “Now you can add that some people are so clever
that they can read minds.”
These words made Carlston laugh. “No, no, no. I’m not a master of mind reading. It was
just that your expression looked familiar to me. Compared to you, your man looks
indifferent.”
Brother Wolf sat beside him drinking coffee in silence. Occasionally, he would look
around, but his eyes betrayed no expression.
Li Du smiled and said, “It’s not fair to compare me to him. He has really seen the world.”
Brother Wolf, in his work as a bodyguard, has been to many places, such as Germany’s
imperial palace, Cologne Cathedral, and New Swan Castle. He had even climbed the
Brandenburg gate.
“Look, I was wrong. I picked the wrong person to go against. The first time we met, I
took you for an ordinary kid.”
Li Du said, “We did have some misunderstanding at that time. Maybe I hurt your child
before, and when we met, I was a bit arrogant.”
“You know, we’re both victims in this, right? The conflict between you and my two
asshole sons is no accident,” said Carlston while he shook his head.
Yes, this was Cole’s plan. He knew how much trouble the two boys could make, and he
believed that Li Du would not be able to get along with these two young men, and they
would end up in conflict.
His plan was successful, and Li Du and Carlston became rivals.
“My worst mistake was underestimating you. The bet I made with you was the biggest
mistake I’ve made so far in my life,” he added.
“It was not necessarily a mistake, it was mostly my luck,” said Li Du.
“It is the silliest thing to go against a man of good fortune. Some people have favorable
backgrounds and some people have strong abilities, but nothing can compare with good
luck. In fact, everything can be explained by luck, can’t it?” said Carlston.
“It is your good luck that you come from a large family. You are lucky to have the
support of good people. You have a lot of power and you still need good luck to give
you a chance to show it.”
Li Du nodded. He did have good luck, even more than Carlston thought. He received
the unexpected gift of the little bug, a mysterious and unusually powerful object.
“My motto in life is, if I’m not lucky, I try to be friends with lucky people,” he added.
“It’s a smart life philosophy,” Li Du said with a thoughtful expression.
In fact, he thought it was bullshit. What is a lucky person? Luck was an uncontrollable
and unpredictable thing. What was the difference between the pursuit of such an illusory
thing and the pursuit of immortality?
He knew, of course, that Carlston was saying this to flatter him, to gain his friendship.
Li Du played along and they had a pleasant conversation.
The sun had set and the starry sky covered the earth.
Mrs. Carlston came to greet the three. “It’s time for dinner, gentlemen. Let your money
talk stop, it’s time to regain some energy.”
Li Du smiled and stood up, saying, “I confess I have been impatient. The smell from the
kitchen made me secretly drool.”
At the dinner table, Mr. and Mrs. Carlston did not talk about the Harry Winston shares,
just as Carlston had promised when he invited Li Du. They talked about marriage and
life instead.
After a plentiful and delicious dinner, Li Du wanted to leave, but Carlston asked him to
stay overnight.
“Believe me, it is beautiful here in the morning. When you open the curtains, you’ll see
the sun rise out of the ocean. I’ll bet your soul will tremble for a moment!” said
Carlston’s wife.
Li Du was moved by her words. He liked beautiful scenery, especially the magnificent
natural wonders.
New York was located on the East Coast of the United States. To the east of it was the
vast Atlantic Ocean, and one had a view of it from Carlston’s windows.
Carlston’s wife continued to smile and said, “I have rarely seen Carlston talking so
cheerfully with someone young. He enjoys the company of old men too much. I am
worried that he will get old too soon. If you are willing to stay overnight, I would be very
grateful.”
It made Carlston laugh. “Are you going to throw me away when I grow old?”
Carlston’s wife said carelessly, “Of course, I’ll send you to Mars, and then we’ll be alone
together.”
Looking at their gentle smiles, Li Du nodded and said, “That is really too intrusive, it
would be a little presumptuous for me to spend the night here on my first visit.”
“It would be our pleasure,” Mrs. Carlston’s expression was particularly sincere.
She had won Li Du’s appreciation. No matter what she spoke or did, it revealed a kind
of frankness and sincerity.
After getting along with Carlston, he found that he had no more animosity toward him,
which made him a little confused. His plans were out of order, and he had not expected
this.
