The person in charge here had just finished pouring tea when they saw Lu Liang hurrying away with a few people.
"Brother Liang, where is the next exploration point?" Guo Xuyang asked.
"It's about three to four hours away from this place."
"Alright then. Wake me up when we get there. I need to catch up on sleep. Also, tell the people here to withdraw. It's not as good as the gold mine we saw."
Guo Xuyang fell asleep as soon as he finished speaking, needing to conserve his energy.
Lu Liang, however, was amazed. He had only stood there for a moment before saying that there was no need for further exploration. He found it hard to believe and therefore did not arrange for anyone to withdraw.
Only after the exploration team reported to him half a month later did he regret not listening to Guo Xuyang earlier and withdrawing, having wasted millions more.
Xiao Yun gently supported Guo Xuyang's head, letting him sleep more comfortably on her lap.
She felt a pang of pity, wishing she hadn't punished him so severely the previous day.
While they were busy examining the diamond deposits, Hughes had already been released and returned to the winery. As soon as he arrived, he was taken to the bar.
"Hughes, what exactly happened? What's the deal with those two women?" Guelph asked.
"You all keep asking me about women, but I really don't remember any women," Hughes said, tugging at his hair in distress. "I really have no recollection at all."
"Did you assault them?"
"Please, can you stop asking? I really don't remember."
Chik stopped Guelph's questioning and said, "Hughes, where have you been these past few days?"
"I was locked in a dark room. No one asked me anything until I was released."
"Do you remember what the people who captured you looked like?"
"I only remember a tall guy wearing a baseball cap, and two others who were shorter. I don't recall anything else. Oh, that tall guy made a phone call after he was done with me, to their boss."
"What did he say?"
"I didn't pay attention."
"Do you know how the wine in your winery went missing?"
"No. I was invited here by you as soon as I got back."
"You have no memory at all?"
"No."
"Your winery was completely ransacked, and the surveillance was destroyed."
"What? How could that happen?"
"You might have been drugged."
"That's impossible, how could I be drugged?"
"Guelph told me he arranged for two women to be sent to your winery, and you have absolutely no memory of it. I met those two women yesterday, and they were indeed very beautiful. I don't believe, given your personality, that you would let them leave unharmed. Yet, you have no memory of it. Moreover, the wine from your estate was stolen. To save you, I even gave one of the women a ten percent stake in the diamond mine we operate. You say you weren't drugged, so tell me, what is going on? Huh?"
"Boss, whatever you lost, I'll make up for it from my share. You absolutely must not incur any losses."
Hughes's mind worked quickly; he didn't believe Chik would say these things for no reason. His safe return probably cost his boss a lot of effort.
"From now on, when you encounter Easterners, stay as far away as possible. You must not cause any further trouble," Chik warned.
The two men repeatedly agreed.
Guo Xuyang had been away from Shanghai for over half a month, and the "Rising Sun Jade, Gold, and Silver Jewelry Store" had become completely renowned. The positioning of high-end jade was extremely precise, attracting a continuous stream of customers daily. Within just three days of the opening promotion, they achieved over a billion yuan in sales revenue. Not only did they recoup their costs within three days, but they also made a profit. This was remarkable, considering the raw stones purchased in Jieyang cost less than three hundred million. Xu Liping and others were even more motivated. Their commissions ranged from hundreds of thousands for some to millions for others, all tangible gains, which was the greatest incentive for their work. Due to the overwhelming number of buyers, some bracelets and pendants were temporarily out of stock, necessitating urgent contact with Wu Youzhi to arrange for deliveries. Although there was a considerable amount of raw jade in the King's Villa, it was visibly decreasing. Two more cutting masters were added, and the carving masters worked overtime to their fullest capacity to ensure the supply of jade for several stores. It was a happy agony.
Wu Youzhi took stock of the funds in the stores. The company accounts had already accumulated tens of billions in assets, and the initial thirty billion that Guo Xuyang had lent out had been repaid. The feeling of counting money was truly wonderful; one could even smile in their sleep. However, he was unsure if these raw stones would last until Guo Xuyang returned, making a trip to Myanmar an urgent matter.
Guo Xuyang was unaware that Wu Youzhi and the others were finding work for him. He had now arrived in Johannesburg, a place renowned for its gold production but also for its extremely high crime rate. Lu Liang hadn't initially planned to visit Johannesburg, but considering that Guo Xuyang and Xiao Yun had never been, he decided to bring them along to see it.
By the time they arrived in the city, it was already dark, and they had to find a hotel to stay in.
"It's best not to go out at night. The public security here is not ideal," Lu Liang repeatedly cautioned the two after checking into the rooms. To prevent any accidents, the four of them booked two rooms. Xiao Yun had wanted to share a room with Guo Xuyang, but it wouldn't have been appropriate for Iliana to be in the same room as Lu Liang, so they had to switch, and she ended up with Iliana. Fortunately, the rooms booked were standard rooms with two beds each.
Exhausted from a full day of driving, Lu Liang went to bed early after dinner. Guo Xuyang, having slept in the car all day, felt no sleepiness despite visiting two diamond exploration sites. Bored and restless, he extended his senses fully and perceived that both Xiao Yun and Iliana had also fallen asleep. He felt it would be a disservice to his special abilities not to extract some gold from a place renowned for it. He focused his gaze downwards, searching for gold veins. As expected, about seven hundred meters below the surface, there was a thick deposit of gold ore. However, the gold particles were not particularly large, not as large as the veins he had discovered earlier. The largest was only about the size of a football, while a significant portion was similar to the size of an apple. Like a beggar discovering a feast, he accepted it all without complaint, muttering "Collect." He absorbed countless tons of gold into his mind. He didn't know how long he had been busy, only stopping when he felt dizzy and completely drained of energy, before falling into a deep sleep. His mind was a dazzling gold, with thousands of tons of gold piled high like mountains. Yu'er, like a small spirit, flitted around the gold mountain. Her physique had clearly changed; she was slowly growing, resembling a seven or eight-year-old girl, her entire body shimmering with gold. Kasa, from the jade box, had also undergone slight changes; his soul form was now substantial, resembling an eagle, eager to spread its wings and fly.
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