Claire stopped refusing when Kathleen said that there was no time at all and the loss incurred by her company might exceed ten million US dollars daily. Kathleen reminded her again, “By the way, Claire, you don’t have to bring too much luggage with you. I have everything you need here, be it daily necessities or anything that you need for work. You can stay in my room at my house after you come here. You can use anything I have if you need anything, so you should pack lightly this time. The simpler, the better.”“Okay.”Claire did not dare to delay at all because Kathleen described her situation to be extremely urgent. She hung up the phone and returned to the bedroom with Charlie and started packing her luggage. Although Kathleen had already told Claire to travel light, Claire still packed all her necessary personal belongings as much as possible to avoid causing any trouble or inconvenience to Kathleen in the United States. Kathleen quickly made the arrangements for the busin
Charlie and Claire had already gotten up at dawn the next day. They got ready by six o’clock in the morning and drove to the airport before Jacob and Elaine woke up.This was Claire’s first time traveling so far alone in so many years after she and Charlie had gotten married. Although both of them were reluctant to say goodbye to each other, they knew that they could not avoid this temporary farewell. Charlie wanted to ensure Claire’s safety. He was certain that Kathleen would definitely be able to take good care of Claire if he sent Claire to her. Claire felt that she had to help Kathleen solve her urgent matter, so she could only be separated from her husband temporarily. As they were saying goodbye at the airport, Claire’s eyes were red, and she hugged Charlie gently as she murmured, “Honey, I don’t know how long I will be in the United States this time, so I will have to leave everything at home to you…”Charlie stroked her back and comforted her, “You don’t have to worry a
However, his heart which had been beating for one hundred and fifty-six years seemed to be beating at an infrequent speed for no reason. His heart would beat rapidly at moments and slowly at others, like a rollercoaster, which made him feel terrified. Mr. Chardon knew that this abnormal behavior was because he was nervous. Although he had never felt so nervous for so many years, he could still clearly remember that he would feel this way every now and then when he felt nervous in the past. This was a habit he had formed from his childhood to youth. Mr. Chardon could not help but recall his life-long journey. His childhood was during the miserable era of the war. He had never had enough to eat, had not had enough clothes to wear, and would always be surrounded by fierce and evil people. When he was young, the country was ineffective and in complete chaos. There were internal and external troubles, and the people were in dire straits. Mr. Chardon could not count the number of t
Although many religions have different worldviews, they all invariably mention one concept, and that was the Degenerate Age of Dharma. To put it in layman’s terms, these religions believe that the continuous development of human beings had gradually reduced the interaction between human beings and nature, heaven and earth, and the universe, thus widening the distance between human beings and God.According to Taoists, the world was originally full of Reiki, and humans could ascend to immortality as long as humans could master the method of absorbing and transforming Reiki. However, Reiki in nature was almost exhausted now, and humans had lost the possibility of ascending to immortality, so this was what they regarded as the Degenerate Age of Dharma. Regardless of whether this statement was true or false, the personal experience of those who had mastered Reiki was that there was no Reiki in nature. They could only use pills or special items containing Reiki if they wanted to obtain
Therefore, he said with an apologetic smile, “To be honest with you, it’s my first time here in Aurous Hill, so I’m not familiar with this place. I’m already old as well and my eyesight is not very good, so I’m a little confused.”After saying that, he took out a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket, handed it to Landon, and said, “Please accept this small token from me. If it’s convenient for you, can you tell me which mode of transportation I should choose so it’ll be faster?”Landon originally did not want to talk to the old man, but his attitude instantly changed as soon as he saw the other person taking out a hundred-dollar bill.He smiled and took the hundred-dollar bill from Mr. Chardon’s hand, then simply said, “The subway will definitely be the fastest, but it’s already past ten o’clock now and the morning rush hour has passed, so it will be fine even if you take a taxi to the city. It will only take you about half an hour, which will be faster than taking the subway. You mi
Landon’s eyes widened as soon as he saw the money. When he saw the other party handing a few hundred-dollar bills to him, he did not care to check how much money it was and quickly took the money from Mr. Chardon before he looked around with a sly expression on his face as he said to Mr. Chardon, “Old man, to tell you the truth, I can’t sell this ring even if I want to because it belongs to my boss. He asked me to wear it as a token to come and pick someone up at the airport.”“A token?” Mr. Chardon frowned slightly. It was not that he did not have any doubts as to why an ordinary person could possess a magical instrument. If this young man really had gotten it by chance, Mr. Chardon could be said to be extremely fortunate if he could buy the ring from him at a slightly higher price.However, this man said that this ring was a token given to him by others, which caused Mr. Chardon to feel a little wary. Therefore, he deliberately asked Landon, “Young man, what is the meaning of
“Yes!” Landon said without hesitation, “He has been in the antique business for twenty to thirty years now. He is definitely a swindler... no, I mean, he’s definitely proficient in antiques, calligraphy, and ancient paintings!”Mr. Chardon nodded, then took out a few more hundred-dollar bills and handed them over to Landon as he said with a smile, “Young man, I wonder if you can introduce your boss to me? I really want to get to know him.”Landon glanced at the old man and saw that the old man seemed to be very willing to offer him money, so he instantly had a plan in mind. He deliberately coughed twice before saying seriously, “Old man, you should know that there are rules in our industry as well. I don’t know who you are, so I can’t bring you to meet my boss just like that. If you’re working undercover and have targeted us, wouldn’t I be doomed for the rest of my life, then?”Mr. Chardon hurriedly said, “Oh, young man, you’ve really misunderstood me! Do I look like such a ruthless
While collecting money and praising Mr. Chardon, Landon did not forget to compliment him as he said, “Old man, it seems that you’re also an expert! Could it be that you were a tomb raider as well when you were young?”Landon basically meant that Mr. Chardon was possibly a tomb raider who had organized a tomb-robbing team and served as the core figure in this team.Mr. Chardon waved his hand and said with a smile, “I only know a little about antiques, but I don’t know anything about tomb robbing.”In fact, Mr. Chardon truly did not know much about tomb robbing. When he was young, he had once heard of some tomb raiders and tomb-robbing incidents, but the main point was that he had been practicing Taoism in the temple all year round, and he did not have any interest in tomb-robbing or cultural relics, so he frankly did not know much about tomb robbing. However, he had lived for a long time, and the amount of information he had actively or passively received was definitely much grea
Zachary then said, "By the way, I have some friends who have a lot of stock. How much capital do you have, Mr. Cole? I'll check if they have stuff that suits you, and you can partner with them."When Zachary asked how much capital, he was basically asking Raymond how much he would invest in his own business and how much he could spend on taking new stock as he was buying.As such, Raymond replied modestly, "I've been chasing my tail for a while, so I didn't earn more than a few hundred thousand. I definitely would have no issue taking items with rebates, but I'm afraid I can't afford premiums.""Alright!" Zachary nodded, having discerned the scale of Zachary's capital."I'll check on what's available and see if we can get a few personal deals."Raymond nodded. "Thank you, Zachary!"Zachary smiled, shaking his head. "Mr. Crane, please buy another fruit basket for Mr. Cole—I'll pay you later."Mick quickly said, "Oh, you don't have to, Mr. Evans! It's my pleasure, no worries!"Zach
With the last stroke, Raymond got on a ladder to reach the old signboard, pasting the banner over the old shop sign.Then, he added a notice by the entrance: We buy all antiques and measure all treasures.As soon as the makeshift sign and notice were up, Mick was the first to arrive with a fruit basket to celebrate the occasion.The instant they met, he greeted Raymond warmly, "Ah, Mr. Cole! You sure are efficient—you just came back yesterday evening, and you're already setting up shop today at noon!"Raymond smiled, "Doing a small business by myself is naturally much quicker."Mick shook his head disapprovingly as he put the fruit basket by the door, "Now, now. Don't be a stranger, Mr. Cole—almost everyone in Antique Street is a friend, but you didn't tell the gang when you opened the shop! It'd hype things up when everyone comes bringing you gifts!"Raymond quickly shook his head. "Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know if this humble trade will last. It's better to keep m
To not lose three months' worth of rent on top of that, Donald called over the owner at top speed while getting some of the friends in the antique trade to appraise what merchandise he had left.Taking losses had always been the hardest pill to swallow, but once the decision was made, there really was nothing that couldn't be given up.The owner was plenty pleased as well since that meant someone was picking up on his rental. He promptly had Donald sign the agreement transferring the last three months for the rental to Raymond while signing a new rental contract with Raymond.Raymond didn't have to pay up immediately either—he just had to start paying rent to the owner once Donald's three-month rent was up.Once the agreement was signed, every stall owner as well as owners of businesses resembling the Pearl House swarmed the premises.After all, they loved to take stock from people in the same line of business. Once a business owner decided to close shop, they wouldn't be bothered
If Donald had to maintain his business under such circumstances, the next three months would be even worse.Hence, instead of doing that, he really wanted to stop this business altogether.As for what remaining merchandise, he'd just get some fellow in the same business to take them off his hands at a lower cost while he gained his freedom sooner.Hence, he stopped Raymond, "Wait, my friend! Let's talk about this… if the hundred fifty grand transfer fee is too much for you, why don't I cut it down even more—say, a hundred grand instead?"Raymond turned and told him solemnly, "I'm not paying a transfer fee at all."Frustrated, Donald blurted, "At least give me ten grand for my troubles! My shop is good—you'd definitely make bank once you take it off my hands!"Raymond thought about it and eventually said, "How about this—if you can clear up the place by the end of the day, I will pay you five grand on top of the forty five grand that is your remaining rent, but not one cent more."
The reasoning was simple too—with businesses failing, most shops were losing money.With months left on Donald's rental contract, all he could do now was keep his business afloat while attempting to transfer the rental to someone else. At the same time, he must be prepared for the situation where no one would rent it from him, and he must honor his contract to the very last second.With the losses he had sustained up until the contract expires, he definitely wouldn't extend it. That meant packing up to leave while returning everything to the owner to claim the deposit that the owner was holding.Even now that he was asking for a transfer fee, his mindset was to get whatever he could get. By the last month, Donald would naturally give up on such pipe dreams regardless.Still, when Raymond saw the lack of merchandise in the shop, he could tell Donald's business was at its final stretch. What little he sold would serve to recuperate his losses, and there was no chance in hell he would
Elaine thought that it would be fine even if Jacob couldn't put aside his pride so soon.Right now, she had become more considerate of Jacob and could understand that men valued their pride. As such, she could just wait until they went traveling together, and they'd definitely be staying in the same room. With that, it would be more natural for them to share a room together again when they return.-Early the next day, Raymond arrived at Antique Street, coming over from an express hotel nearby.Although he had asked Trippy to look for a shop, he knew that Trippy might not really help him—he had to rely on himself for everything.But during his stroll yesterday afternoon, he had noticed plenty of shops that were being offered on rent or sublease. Business in Antique Street was likely poor, so Raymond came early to make inquiries about the rented properties.When Oskia's antique market was at its peak, Antique Street too enjoyed its golden age. Even now, the eyes of any antique p
Gratitude showed on Elaine and Jacob's faces as soon as they heard that Charlie was giving them a hundred grand too, with Elaine clapping and cheering, "Oh, what day is it today? All the good things are happening in one stroke! I heard Dubai is heaven for shoppers, so it'd definitely be a thrill!"Then, turning toward Jacob, she asked, "Do they need a visa over there?"Jacob thought about it. "I don't think so.""Great!"Even more excited now, Elaine quickly told Jacob, "Say no more—I will pack right now, and we can leave tomorrow!"She was ready to head to her room and do just that too, but Jacob quickly stopped her, "Calm down—we can't leave just because we want to. There's so much to plan: booking our flight, doing our research on the more interesting places to visit, getting a hotel that makes traveling convenient, as well as deciding how long we'll be there.""Right! Right!" Elaine nodded in realization and exclaimed in praise, "In the end, it's my hubby who thinks things th
Elaine was beside herself with joy at those words. "Oh, wonderful! It's been so long since I went traveling! I never really had time to enjoy myself before in the US anyway, and I even got screwed over before I left."Then, she turned toward Jacob and grumbled, "You really didn't give a shit back when we got married. Not only was our wedding so discreet, you didn't even take me on a honeymoon!""You were already heavily pregnant," Jacob chuckled awkwardly. "Where would I have taken you…?"Then, he quickly added, "Well, since dear Charlie has said it, you should pick a place you like. We will treat it as our honeymoon!"It wasn't just Elaine—it had been a long while since Jacob had gone traveling. He had thought he would find success in both love and career during the Korean exchange trip, but he had been left blinded by the blinding presence of Yolden Hart, and his love had basically ended there. That was why there was nothing pleasant about that trip at all.There was also no q
"Hah!"Elaine pursed her lips as she huffed. "It hurts to keep that money? That's the first time I've ever heard that crap. Forget two million US dollars—I would keep two gold bullions in my pocket even if it's burnt red-hot!"She then quickly added, "If it hurts you to keep it, then wire it to me and I'll keep it for you. When you and Charlie have a kid, you can use that money for their university fees!"Charlie was at once amused—only Elaine would have the audacity to say that when the two million would definitely have been spent to the last dime even before he and Claire had a child.Claire was aware that she couldn't count on her mother in regards to money and hence said, "Let me think about it… for now, my plan is that I will stay involved with the project to the end. Should it prove to be a success, I will keep the money. If it doesn't, I should at least return it to Miss Fox."Elaine quickly pressed, "If you're going to return it, you should at most return half. Let me have