Chapter 837: Unpacking and Inspection
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
For some reason, Li Du felt that Bradley was a pain in the neck. Perhaps their magnetic fields did not mesh well. Humans were always like that. Some people felt like old friends the moment they met, while other people just hate each other on the spot. Li Du and Bradley were the latter, especially after Bradley had ordered the helicopter pilots to cause them problems. Bradley certainly didn't feel much better about Li Du, and the two simply had to "play nice" because of each other's identities.
Bradley saw the big box in Brother Wolf's hands and asked deliberately, "Hey, what's your bodyguard carrying? It can't be your Harry Winston jewels for the showcase, right?" Everyone knew that the boxes were definitely not the luxury goods for display. After all, they were too expensive and usually delivered by the security guards. Bradley, who was digging a trap for them, was planning to wait for Li Du to deny it, so he could then take the opportunity to satirize Harry Winston's level of security.
"Yes, it's our showcase jewelry," Li Du said.
The answer exceeded Bradley's expectations. He frowned and said, "Huh? I've heard that there's a financial problem with the Harry Winston group. Are you all so bankrupt that you don't even have the money to hire a professional security company?"
"What you've heard is wrong. Don't believe what's on the internet. Socrates, the great philosopher, said that people can be stupid when they believe gossip on the internet," said Li Du.
Cole, Sophie, and Marceau all quietly laughed when they heard his joke.
Li Du continued, "This box is a bit of a temporary gift from me, which I'll throw out at random for the showcase's guests to enjoy."
Bradley asked, "What's in it? Are you sure you can boost everyone's spirits?"
"I'm not sure. I'm not going to tell you exactly what it is, but aren't you good at finding information online? You can try finding this online," Li Du replied.
Cole laughed and patted him on the back. "You're funny, man."
Bradley smiled coldly. "Haha, really funny. You want to be mysterious? That's great. I'm looking forward to seeing these precious treasures."
Li Du added, "Why keep it mysterious? We're all on the same side. If everyone is eager to see what it is, then I'll just show you all." With a wave of his hand, Brother Wolf opened the box to reveal black opal that was still wrapped in rough stone. The stones were not cut, but they were carved. The raw stone was mostly stripped away, leaving only a small part on it, showing the black opal's primal allure.
Seeing dozens of pieces of jewels in front of her, Marceau marveled, "God, it's cool. It's amazing."
Cole smiled broadly as the gems were displayed.
There was a brief look of surprise on Bradley's face at the sight of the black opals, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "So many black opals? That's amazing. Are you from Lightning Ridge? Has a new opal vein been discovered there?"
As one of Australia's most precious indigenous gems, Bradley was certainly familiar with opal and had long wanted to enter the industry to take control of Australia's black opal interests. However, his plans had been delayed by the fact that Lightning Ridge, which had produced few new opal veins in previous years, would soon be snapped up.
Li Du's show of black opals attracted his attention. Recently, he had not been paying attention to the dynamics of Lightning Ridge. However, he had not expected to see another vein, which made him a little annoyed, because he had not able to lay his hands on it in time.
Pieces of raw black opal were useless to Bradley. LVMH was too powerful, and less than a certain size of gem was useless to them.
Li Du said, "Yes, a lot of veins have been found on Lightning Ridge recently."
Bradley took this news seriously. Instead of staying there to talk to them, he took his leave and went to the elevator, ready to make arrangements to go down to Lightning Ridge to get some information.
Cole accompanied Li Du and Sophie to the presidential suite, one of Sydney's best, which he had booked for them. The hotel itself was a tall building with wings extending out on both sides.
The Four Seasons Hotel had the best location on the Sydney coast, with a stunning view of the city skyline and a panoramic view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge. The presidential suite had a fantastic view, and even had an observation deck. They were facing the blue sea and could see the view from three sides.
Inside the room was elegant furniture in luxuriant silk. Some of the furniture was rare annatto decorated in Han Tang Dynasty style. It illustrated classic Chinese amorous feelings.
After they checked in, a waiter immediately brought tea and asked, "Sir, madam, would you like any tea?" The waiter was a beautiful Chinese-American lady.
Li Du answered, "Yes," and she began to show the art of making a cup of tea instead of just pouring it from a jug.
The room had a dining room with an elegant menu. With just a call, the hotel kitchen would serve the desired dish immediately. There was also a small bar serving cocktails, wine, beer, and spirits.
On the lower level, the hotel also had a 350-square-meter, fully-equipped fitness center and spa, which could provide skin care and therapeutic massage for relaxation. There was also a recreational center.
After discovering the hotel's amenities, Li Du sighed. Being rich is really great! The cost of a night's stay at the Four Seasons Hotel's presidential suite was 8,000 Australian dollars, or tens of thousands of RMB.
After arriving at the showcase, Li Du began to understand why Harry Winston had gone bankrupt. There were too many places for a top luxury company to spend money in order to build a good reputation. However, the output was proportional to the input.
The showcase invited many of Oceania's rich and famous, and senior officials not just for fun, but to pre-sell jewelry and luxury goods. Everyone who came to the showcase had the intention of buying something. It was like a promotion, but with extremely expensive, high-end, luxury merchandise.
The black opal that Li Du brought helped Cole. He could use it to create another gimmick that would not only make money but would also enhance Harry Winston's reputation. As usual, the black opal was sold at below-market prices to Harry Winston by Li Du, and Cole had traded for it with shares. The gemstones represented a 0.8 percent stake, with Li Du holding more than ten percent and Cole's less than 40 percent. However, Cole could accept that because he was looking for ways to buy out shares from minority shareholders at a lower price.
Like Li Du, he was also very optimistic about the development of his own group. He began to be interested in the recycling of equity and selling in the future when the price rose.