Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
That opportunity was a true jackpot to Li Qi. He had been wearing his Western suit in the underground market because he had been waiting for an opportunity like this one.
The conditions Li Du offered were very good. The first year’s annual salary was one hundred thousand. If he were able to fulfill a year of service, it would rise to two hundred thousand. In the future, he would get an annual increment of one hundred thousand. If he stayed in the role for ten years, his annual salary would be one million. With the bonus, it would be two million!
In terms of salary, Li Qi would not have gotten something similar if he stayed in his civil servant job.
Seeing that the two men exchanged a handshake, Yang Dong asked in shock, “D*mn, am I watching a movie? Mr. Li, what was the meaning of what you said just now? Are you hiring Brother Li?”
Li Du smiled. “Yup, exactly.”
Li Qi then added, “Boss, can I start straight away?”
Li Du said, “Of course, tomorrow you can bring your luggage and report in Los Angeles.”
Li Qi said, “Then before I start, I need to raise a suggestion. My job will be related to General Remonin in Mozambique, right? Then I will need an assistant. I can’t cope alone. His environment there is not too good. I need to change all of that, and there will be a lot of work on me.”
Li Du smiled. “You’re a smart guy. Did you guess?”
Li Qi grinned. “Just my conjecture. When I quit, I tried my best to learn and remember everything I could. For example, I know that there’s a young Chinese man investing in Remonin and backing him.”
Li Du was not surprised to hear that. If the States wanted to investigate Remonin, there was no way he would be able to keep it a secret.
“When you saw me, did you already know my identity?” Li Du continued to ask.
Li Qi shook his head. “No, our intelligence only told us that it’s a young Chinese man, no more details on that. However, right now, Remonin is not some famous character, and you’re very interested in him. At the same time, you are a young, wealthy man. Hence, the two of you must be related and it was not that hard to deduce your identity.”
Li Du laughed. “Your deduction is very accurate. I’m the one who helped Remonin.”
Yang Dong was stunned. “D*mn!”
Li Qi patted Yang Dong’s shoulder and said, “Pack up your things. Prepare to do some barbequing for Remonin in the future. That man likes our Chinese grills.”
The assistant he had in mind was Yang Dong. Yang Dong realized it too and looked towards Li Du.
Li Du turned to Li Qi instead and said, “For your assistant, what benefits do you think will be appropriate?”
Li Qi said, “A monthly salary of two thousand dollars and a performance review at the end of the year. If he has performed well, his bonus should be a years’ salary.”
Li Du was a bit taken aback. Yang Dong looked somewhat disappointed. “Brother Li, a monthly salary of two thousand dollars? Then I might as well stay here and do my grilling.”
Li Qi glared at him and said, “Talk less. Don’t let the boss take you for an idiot. Don’t you understand by now? As long as you follow the boss and there’s no issue with your work, you will be able to anticipate wealth and prosperity.”
Li Du laughed. “You really have a lot of confidence in me.”
Li Qi said confidently, “I’m just confident in myself. If I can help you to protect your investment in Mozambique, I believe that you will not treat us badly.”
It was nice dealing with smart people. Li Du shook hands with him again and the two of them reached a verbal agreement.
Li Du had yet to understand Li Qi’s background and did not fully trust him. However, he had to make use of him. That was because, based on what he knew, Remonin’s situation was not optimistic.
Perhaps Li Qi could change all of that. As Li Du did not have anyone else that could help him, he chose that man.
Li Du had intended to take a stroll around the underground market but instead, he ended up gaining two new subordinates. As one of them was obviously a real talent, Li Du was very pleased.
Later, he could enjoy shopping in a more relaxed manner. Whenever he saw a snack he liked, he would buy some and try it. In the end, he had his fill before returning to the hotel.
Li Qi did things with like a military man. He reported to Li Du on the morning of the next day. He only brought with him one suitcase, a backpack, and a tablet.
Li Du booked a room for him at the hotel and got him to connect directly with Remonin as his assistant. He gave Li Qi the full responsibility of dealing with Remonin.
Jesus Bell, Magic Hand Johnson and the rest had arrived. At noon, they had lunch. Later in the afternoon, Bell contacted some of his friends in Seattle and the bunch of them met up.
The atmosphere of the meeting place was very high class. It took place at a golf course.
Li Du changed into a polo t-shirt and put on a baseball cap. He said, “Are we going to a golf course? Gosh, I have never tried that. I’m afraid I will embarrass myself later.”
Bell rubbed the golf club and smiled, “That’s okay. I will be embarrassing myself too.”
“If you don’t know how to play golf, let me teach you something.” Magic Hand was an expert. He raised his right hand and said, “You can apply some ointment on your wrist and then tell them that you’ve recently hurt your wrist.”
Li Du laughed and said, “That’s a good idea, buddy. Let’s do that.”
Bell gave them the introduction. This time around, there were going to meet the CEOs of two IT companies. One was in the top management in IBM and the other was a heavyweight as well, the COO of the Boeing Group, Kapoli Blues.
“Wow, Kapoli Blues?” Magic Hand exclaimed, “That man is a billionaire. He’s the top manager of the Boeing Group.”
Bell smiled. “If I tell you that I used to be his neighbor and we grew up together, you would definitely be even more surprised.”
Magic Hand said, “My jaw is going to fall off!”
“But,” Bell added, “There might be a few others that you guys might not like to meet. They are in the same trade as us, treasure hunters. Hope that when we meet them, we can treat them civilly.”
Li Du said nonchalantly, “How hard will that be? We are all in the same trade, so it’s good to meet colleagues.”
After meeting the people Bell referred to, Li Du regretted his words.
The golf course that they were meeting at was located in the suburbs of Seattle. It spanned a vast area. Even in winter, it was still green.
Seattle was located in the Northwest, bordering Canada. The place was cold in January. The trees and grass would have to survive below freezing point. Under such conditions, it was not an easy task to keep the golf course running.
Of course, that golf course was a premium one. The cost of operating it was very high and the fees were exorbitant.
Bell was the organizer and he contacted the golf course. That man was not calculative and did not care about money-related matters. His generous outlook and attitude towards life were very admirable in Li Du’s eyes.
There was a small lake beside the golf course. For the past few days, the weather had been warmer and so the water in the lake was not frozen. The clear blue of the lake water, the clear green of the grass patch, and the clouds above the water made the view a picture-perfect one.
Li Du’s group arrived at the golf course first. Later, more people started to arrive. Li Du had yet to spot those wealthy men but only saw two familiar faces. He had not seen those people in a long time:
Those were the Anthonys, both father and son!
Golden eyes George Anthony and his son, Conrad Anthony!
Conrad looked more mature and level-headed than in the past, while George looked like he had aged a little. It was especially so because he needed the aid of a walking stick to move around. It made him seem frail.
