The subtle Reiki in the painting also disappeared as the image dissipated, but when Charlie looked at the painting again, he could not help but associate it with the image of Marcius. He suddenly felt that Marcius seemed to be even more lively and vivid in the portrait. He couldn't help but speculate what Marcius’s life had been like after leaving that mountain village. Although his lifespan had been extended, there seemed to be no important people in his life. His wife and son had passed away long ago, and his only disciple who was like his son had also passed away. He was the only person who remained alive. With his obsession with cultivation and struggle for longevity, perhaps he would still choose to return to his cave somewhere and continue living in seclusion to cultivate alone after leaving the mountain village. He probably only knew the sunrise and sunset from then on, but not about what year, month, or generation it was in the outside world.When his daily life was all
Although his family members also knew about the villa, since the upgraded door locks were now all based on facial and fingerprint recognition, he was the only one who could open them so he did not have to worry about his family finding out about it. When Isaac heard that he was going to Champs Elys hot spring villa, he hurriedly said, “I’ll send you there, then!”Charlie shook his head and said, “No need. You’ve worked hard all day, so you should go back and rest first. I can go there myself.”When Isaac saw Charlie’s insistence, he nodded immediately, beckoned his subordinates to give Charlie the key to one of the Rolls-Royce, and said respectfully, “Young Master, please contact me at any time if you need anything.”“Okay.” Charlie took the car key and said to him, “I’ll go there first, then.”After parting ways with Isac, Charlie drove to Champs Elys hot spring villa alone. After arriving at the villa, he put the painting into the safe on the first floor of the villa.Charlie
Since the relevant person in charge at Aurous University also knew that Marianne was in Hong Kong, he had specially scheduled Marianne’s interview to be at three o’clock in the afternoon. This way, Marianne would have more than enough time and would not be too rushed regardless of whether she chose to come to Aurous Hill the day before or on the day of the interview. Marianne also booked a return ticket to Hong Kong at half past nine according to this time. Under normal circumstances, the interview would definitely be done before six o’clock in the evening. Regardless of whether she could get the results she wanted or not, she intended to return to Hong Kong first so as not to be found out by Charlie. This was also why Marianne wore a mask and a pair of sunglasses throughout the flight.Ten minutes later, Marianne had already walked out of the airport and was prepared to take a taxi to Aurous University first. Although the interview was set in the afternoon, Marianne wanted to tak
Marianne was relieved when she heard Shawn’s words. She could not help but mutter, “Dad, why didn’t you tell me in advance that Mr. and Mrs. Carrick are here? That way, I could have prepared some gifts for them in advance. It’s inappropriate for me to visit them empty-handed now...”Shawn smiled and said, “As far as your personality is concerned, if I told you about it, you definitely would not want to go. You would surely say that you’re simply going for an interview and it’s better not to bother others. You would also instruct me not to tell anyone about this. I’m your father, so don’t I know you well enough?”Marianne was speechless for a moment. She felt that what her father had said was reasonable. It was usually difficult for her to get along with her father because of her personality, so if her father had told her about it, they would probably have ended up arguing.So, she said, “Okay, I’ll visit Mr. and Mrs. Carrick first, then.”Shawn said with a smile, “Good girl! Have
However, Marianne would always do what she had decided upon first before talking about it. It was not her style at all to talk about it without putting it into action.Still, Marianne was reluctant to tell the truth just yet, so she said to Madam Marilyn, “I’ve stayed in Hong Kong for long enough. The first-tier cities in Oskia are relatively fast-paced, so I chose Aurous Hill because I wanted to look for a relatively comfortable city.”Madam Marilyn nodded in agreement and said with a smile, “The pace of life in Aurous Hill is indeed slower compared to the first-tier cities, and the environment here is also relatively comfortable. I’ve been here for many years, and I’m only liking it more and more. I believe you will also feel the same when you stay here for a long time.”After saying that, Madam Marilyn added, “If you decide to stay in Aurous Hill for development in the future, feel free to contact me at any time if you need help with anything.”With that said, she handed a busin
Madam Marilyn said modestly, “What I know is just gossip. If ordinary people really want to know this, they can simply pay more attention. I’m really far behind compared to academic elites like you...”With that said, Madam Marilyn added, “If Aurous University recruits you, then as a student with a doctorate from Hong Kong University, you may be able to directly or indirectly bring some student resources from Hong Kong to Aurous University in the future, which is what Aurous University values the most. Based on a combination of these reasons, I dare say that you will certainly be able to pass this interview.”Marianne nodded in realization when she heard this. She had never been away from Hong Kong much, and she did not care much about things that did not concern her, so Marianne had never had much of an understanding of what Madam Marilyn was talking about.Marianne suddenly gained even more confidence after listening to her words. ***Meanwhile, at Scarlet Pinnacle Manor. V
He moved the bamboo stool first and then came to sit down in front of Vera as he said respectfully, “Miss, it’s like this. I... I have a granddaughter who happens to be coming to Aurous Hill to attend a job interview, so I invited her to be a guest at the manor so that she can enjoy a meal with us here. I only learned about it this morning, so I didn’t report it to you in advance. Please don’t hold it against me.”Vera took a new teacup, rinsed it with water, then said with a smile, “This is your manor, and you’re the host. Why would you need to report anything to me if you want to host a banquet? I’m just one of your guests.”Logan said without hesitation, “Miss, this is the second matter that I would like to discuss with you. It’s rare that you like this place, and I’m also getting older, so I’m afraid that I will not be able to come here again after this visit. So, I want to give Scarlet Pinnacle Manor to you, and I hope that you’ll accept it!”Vera was slightly taken aback. She
Logan was overjoyed when he heard that Vera was willing to meet Marianne.He hurriedly said to Vera, “Miss, they will be arriving in another twenty minutes, so you can come down when they arrive.”Vera nodded and said with a smile, “Don’t forget my new identity in front of outsiders.”Logan said without hesitation, “Of course! Don’t worry, Miss.”After that, he got up slowly and said, “Miss, please continue enjoying your tea. I will not disturb you anymore.”Vera said, “Find a servant to help you down, lest you get tired.”Logan was flattered and said, “Thank you for your concern, Miss. I’ll have no problem going down on my own. It’s much easier to go down, after all.”When Vera saw his insistence, she did not say anything else, nodded, and spoke up, “You can go ahead, then. I’ll go down when the car arrives.”“Okay, Miss. I’ll take my leave, then.”After Logan was done speaking, he cupped his fists together, bowed slightly to Vera, then slowly retreated. Vera had never been
The wealth of the Rothschild family had long been beyond the estimation or calculation of outsiders. Over the years, they had made both visible and hidden investments in countless fields. All offshore companies registered in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, as long as they remained unlisted, were not required to disclose shareholder information. Among them were numerous companies in which the Rothschild family held shares or even controls. The true value of these holdings was impossible to verify. Even for listed companies, shareholder information was only disclosed in the primary market. The secondary market was bought and held through various channels that were impossible to count. In addition, the Rothschild family had investments in real estate, energy, mining, transportation, and other areas around the world. It could be said that any industry that was at the forefront of the trend could make enormous wealth. In colonial times, Britain was known as the em
Since both Harrison and Helena had reached an agreement, Helena took out a pen and amended the details of the contract. The whole process was recorded, and coupled with Helena's identity as the Nordic Queen and the high traffic on the internet, she was not at all worried that Harrison would go back on his word. After the two sides agreed on the terms of the contract, Harrison wrote his name on the contract, and then the two sides exchanged agreements, and the contract was officially in effect. After everything was settled, Helena put the contract away, turned off the video recording on her phone, and beamed, "It's been a pleasure working together, Mr. Rothschild!" Harrison hastily asked, "Y-Your Majesty, can you please give me the pill now?" "Of course." Helena handed him the pill swiftly and said, "Even though my family doesn't have a lot of money, we always attach great importance to the spirit of the contract." Harrison stretched out his trembling hand and took the pill.
Helena said, "Mr. Harrison, your family is involved in almost all of the institutions that are major shareholders of Nvidia, and you also hold a lot of floating shares in the secondary market. You got these shares very early, and the chips were very low. As Nvidia's stock price has gone up to over 1 trillion, you have made a lot of money." Harrison had just breathed a sigh of relief when he received a concession of 10 billion, so when Helena started to talk about his past, he quickly explained, "Business is business... Whatever we earn from Nvidia shouldn't be mixed with this matter, w-w-wouldn't you agree, Your Majesty?" "Agreed." Helena nodded. "However, since I'm granting you a hundred billion in hardware costs, this absolutely ties back to Nvidia. You'll ultimately need to procure the AI model hardware through them, and as a shareholder, any bulk orders from Nvidia will effectively be you moving money from one hand to the other." "First, even if the listed cost is a hundred b
Helena was not afflicted by Harrison's annoyance. She said lightly, "Calm down, Mr. Harrison. I haven't finished." After a short pause, she continued, "I want your model for my own use, not for any commercial use, which means it will have no impact on your original market. I just want a completely identical replica for my own use. For you, it's nothing more than giving me a copy, a set of hardware, and twenty years of maintenance fee. That shouldn't cost much, right?" "H-How can I be sure that y-you won't use it for commercial purposes?" Helena smiled and said, "That's the specific detail I'll talk about next. You will still pay me 100 billion dollars, but I will sign a contract with you stating that 50 billion dollars of that will be returned to you at the rate of 2.5 billion dollars per year for the next 20 years. "If you stop upgrading and maintaining the model, I will stop the subsequent return of the money." "If I use your AI model for commercial purposes, you can immedi
Helena added, "In fact, Mr. Rothschild, if you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the family's sake, you could save this money and allow it to contribute to the future development of the family. Who knows—perhaps your descendants would even build a monument in your honor." Feeling a sharp pain in his abdomen, Harrison covered his stomach and waved her off. "Alright, t-that's enough. Since it's a deal, y-you name your price, a-and I can negotiate, so let me give you... a one-and-done price." With that, he held up five fingers, resolutely declaring, "50 billion dollars! Not a penny more! Any more, and even if I regain my health, I'll feel miserable. Just thinking about spending hundreds of billions on a single pill might ruin my happiness in old age." The thought of spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a single pill genuinely pained Harrison. Some people, even without money, still acted generous. But some, when they had wealth, became increasingly stingy. Some believ
Harrison initially thought that 100 million dollars was already an astronomical figure and that offering this amount would sufficiently demonstrate his sincerity. However, he never expected that Helena, upon hearing this offer, couldn't even be bothered to negotiate and would turn to leave. He had just felt the tangible effects of the medicine. If one-tenth had such an impact, taking a whole pill would undoubtedly restore him to his former self. He couldn't afford to miss this rare opportunity. So, he quickly called out, "Your Majesty! Whatever the matter is, we can discuss it, b-but why are you leaving?" Helena explained lightly, "I have never liked to negotiate partnerships with ignorant people. If you believe your health is worth only 100 million dollars, then, frankly, what is there left for me to discuss with you? Although I may not have as much money as you, in my view, my health is certainly worth more than that amount." Harrison was rendered speechless. He hadn't ex
Helena didn't give Harrison a chance to resist. She pinched his cheeks on both sides, forcing his mouth to open. Then, she poured the water containing the dissolved Healing Pill directly into his mouth. Harrison was so scared that the blood drained from his face. He wanted to kick and struggle, but he was trembling profusely and couldn't do anything. The thought of Helena trying to poison him gave him a chill to the marrow. He wanted to spit out the water, but Helena didn't give him a chance. While the water was still in his mouth, she threw the glass aside with her other hand, grabbed his chin, and lifted it up, snarling, "Drink it!" The moment Harrison's chin was lifted, his esophagus directly opened. The water, which was not much, went straight down his esophagus into his stomach, and he literally drank it. Harrison's eyes were full of fear at this moment. He thought that he might not even have time to say goodbye before he died. The next second, when he felt a different k
Harrison scoffed when he heard Helena's suggestion. He snapped angrily, "I-I-I have the best medical team in the world, and t-they don't even dare say such a thing. W-Who do you think you are?!" Helena smirked and replied, "Your team can't cure you, but I can." With that, she took out the Healing Pill that Charlie had given her from her purse and said to Harrison, "This pill comes from the ancient and mysterious East. Once you take it, you'll be restored to your former self. To alleviate your concerns, I can let you take one-tenth of it for free before we discuss terms so that you can truly feel its effectiveness. After that, we can discuss the pricing." Harrison, without any hesitation, disdainfully replied, "I-I would never b-b-believe in such a r-ridiculous pill! T-T-This b-bullshit has no scientific ba-a-asis at all!" Helena sneered contemptuously, "If you believe in science so much, why are you afraid of the Qing Eliminating Society? Can they possibly be a match for your
Helena pursed her lips, looked at Harrison, and then looked at Julien, pretending to be hesitant to speak. Despite his paralyzed body, Harrison was still as sly and smart as ever, so he looked at Julien and said, "Julien, clear the room. I want to talk to Her Majesty alone." Knowing that Harrison was trying to give him a boost, Julien immediately said, "Okay, Dad!" After that, he quickly asked the doctor to leave. Before leaving, he turned and said to Harrison, "Dad, you have all the time in the world. Please have a nice chat with Her Majesty. I'll ask everyone to keep a distance of 20 meters from the room. Please rest assured." Harrison nodded in satisfaction and flicked in the air at him twice, motioning for him to leave. Julien gleefully closed the door and promptly urged everyone to stay 20 meters away from the room, including himself. Seeing that the room was clear, Helena cut to the chase. As she looked at Harrison on the bed, she stated, "Mr. Harrison, the main reaso