Chapter 665: Auction Tour
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The main thing was because he hadn't expected Owen's behavior to be this appalling; that the man could stab him in the back.
Owen also thought Li was repulsive; he hadn't actually wanted to oppose Li but had wanted to strike it rich together with him.
He discovered later that Li Du had stopped selling him the gemstones he had found, and had no idea to whom Li Du had sold them to. He was, however, more concerned with having lost the chance to make any more money.
In any case, this was not the main reason for Owen to report him. The main reason was that after Hughes and Surgi had been arrested, they had dragged Owen into it.
Although he had the idea to, Owen was not directly involved in the illegal use of machines to destroy the National Park. This guy was very smart, and had conveniently disentangled himself from the matter when he was questioned by the police and the court.
He claimed that he was not aware of the activity but that he'd received a telephone call from Surgi and the others with news that they had some gemstones for sale. All he did was indicate his willingness to accept the gems.
At the same time, he reported Li Du, saying that he had taken more than 30 gemstones from the national park at once. He suggested that the police investigate him, suspecting him of using illegal means to look for gems.
However, after the police had deployed surveillance videos in the national park, they hadn't found Li Du engaging in any illegal activities and so did not subject him to further investigation.
While the police didn't regulate him in any way, the national park did. When they learned that he had taken more than 30 gemstones at once, they had included him in the park's blacklist and disallowed him from being a gem hunter.
After realizing what had happened, Li Du couldn't stop cussing. He was really down on his luck thanks to that scoundrel!
But there was no way he could seek Owen out for revenge. He had landed in prison. Although he had feigned innocence, the judge was not stupid enough to believe him.
Finally, he was convicted based on the record of the cell phone conversation he'd had with Hughes.
Fortunately, he was only regarded as an accessory, and was slapped with a relatively lighter sentence of eight months in prison.
As he stood in the entrance of the national park, Li Du felt miserable as he looked at the colorful ore in the distance.
That was not ore—that was US dollars. They were not multi-colored. They were the glossy green colors of the dollar-notes!
It was a pity that he could not enter.
Brother Wolf sensed his melancholy and whispered, "Boss, do you want to go in?"
Li Du nodded. "Yes."
Brother Wolf said nonchalantly, "Then we'll just head in at night. I'll help you look for a way in. There're not many security controls here. Easy to bypass."
Upon hearing this, Li Du shook his head. "No, I won't do anything illegal. I want to go in legally."
While the national park covered a very large area, there was only a low fence surrounding it. As the terrain could be challenging in many areas, those areas did not even have any fences.
To Brother Wolf, the national park was like an unsecured open space—it would be a piece of cake to get in and out.
With his help, it wouldn't be difficult for Li Du to get in and out, but he didn't want to.
He was not short of money-making strategies that could help him strike it rich. He was not concerned about not making any money in the future; after all, he already had billions of dollars in assets.
As long as Harry Winston didn't go bankrupt, just by living off the dividends he would be able to lead a cushy life for the rest of his days.
In this case, why would he want to do anything illegal?
After looking at the national park despondently for another moment, Li Du got into the truck and said, "Let's go back."
Actually, Li Du was able to accept how things had turned out. Even if he had gotten his hands on any gemstones, he would not be able to push them out onto the market until Harry Winston had successfully launched its fire opal series.
Hence, it didn't really matter if he could enter the national park.
Seeing that he had returned, Hans, who had been looking pleased with himself while on his laptop, asked quizzically, "Gee, why are you back so early this time?"
Li Du said, "Because I'm deeply in love with this land here."
"What the heck?" Hans had a confused look on his face.
Li Du changed the topic and asked, "What are you looking at? Are you surfing porn? Or flirting with some girl? Look at your sleazy face."
Hans was annoyed. "D*mn it, don't you insult me. I'm looking at the world's sights. Winter is coming. I'm looking for a place to holiday at."
Li Du asked, "You're going on a holiday?"
Hans said, "Yes, I haven't had a vacation in ages. You know that I'm addicted to work."
"Get lost."
"Well, before this, I wasn't able to save any money. Now, I've suddenly made a million bucks. Of course I'm going on a holiday."
He had helped arrange for the sale of the two oil paintings, and had earned from both parties. The buyer, Potter, had given him some money as thanks while Li Du had also given him an intermediary fee. Both sums added up to a million dollars.
Some of the items from the storage units were also being sold—Hans was rolling in dough.
After some thought, Li Du suggested, "I'm going home over the new year. How about going to China with me? China's beautiful, and steeped in rich cultural history."
Hans's eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. "Good idea, it's settled then." He paused and then added, "You forgot to mention the most important point."
"Plenty of babes and good food?" Li Du looked at him from the corner of his eye: this guy was usually only after these things.
Hans waved his hand and said, "No, I'm going to your territory, so you'll have to bear all the expenses. I'm going on vacation for free."
Li Du flashed his middle finger. "You wish—"
"You hurt my feelings, bro," Hans immediately interrupted Li Du with a pained look on his face.
Li Du sighed and said, "Okay okay, I'll take care of all the expenses."
As Hans smirked, Li Du added, "But you gotta do as the Romans do. According to the customs of my hometown, guests will have to bring gifts. You gotta prepare a gift for my parents."
Hearing that, Hans' smirk disappeared.
Big Quinn patted him on the shoulder and said, "Big Fox, it's okay. The gift will cost less than what you would have paid for your trip. You won't have to bring gold or diamonds as gifts."
"That makes sense," Hans chuckled.
Back at Flagstaff, there was nothing much to do, and Li Du spent time with Sophie, keeping her company when she traveled to work.
It was a blessing in disguise that he hadn't managed to enter the national park; Li Du could then help Sophie fend off her suitor.
Graz, the good-looking Bentley owner, was exceptionally interested in Sophie. He would greet her every day at work, as well as wait for her every day after work, asking if he could give her a ride home.
This good-looking chap was not only patient but also persistent. He would, however, remain a gentleman and not harass her during working hours.
Therefore, Sophie hadn't developed any bad feelings towards him. Conversely, she had formed quite a positive impression of him.
Fortunately, Li Du was always by her side. Most of the time, he was there to help Sophie fend off his advances. The suave Bentley chap could only sigh as he looked on.
Hans felt that Li Du was idling. Just as he had almost gotten rid of all the items on hand, he said, "Li, it's not right for us to be doing nothing all day. Before we head home, why don't we get out there and close a couple more deals?"
"Get out there?"
"Utah, Colorado or Nevada—how about we go to one of these places for an auction tour?"