The lowest starting prices for the diamonds Zhuang Rui pointed to were all over US$500,000, including a pink diamond worth US$15 million and a diamond weighing 48 carats.
William estimated the price in his mind. The diamond Zhuang Rui wanted to see was almost over 50 million US dollars.
In fact, Zhuang Rui is not very interested in the US$15 million pink diamond, because the final bid for such a diamond will definitely be more than US$30 million.
Zhuang Rui now only has a total of more than 40 million euros left on hand, which is about 50 to 60 million euros converted into U.S. dollars. If he buys this pink diamond, he will have no funds to purchase other high-quality diamonds.
But since he came to South Africa, Zhuang Rui naturally wanted to see the best rough diamonds that have not yet been processed.
"Okay, Mr. Zhuang, please wait a moment. I will bring you these diamonds right away..."
William wrote down the more than 40 loose diamonds over five carats selected by Zhuang Rui, as well as the numbers of the six or seven top-quality diamonds, and then hurriedly walked out of the office to prepare the diamonds for Zhuang Rui to inspect.
However, Zhuang Rui waited for a long time. After more than 20 minutes, William walked into the office with an apologetic face and said: "Mr. Zhuang, I'm really sorry. Since you didn't make an appointment in advance, these diamonds are now being inspected.
, need to wait a little longer..."
According to the regulations of the exchange, they will arrange everyone's viewing time based on the application submitted by the license holder. Zhuang Rui stepped in and naturally disrupted their arrangements, so it is normal for this situation to occur.
of.
"It's okay, Mr. William, please make arrangements as soon as possible..."
Zhuang Rui knew the rules and waved his hand to indicate that he didn't care. As the largest diamond trading place in the world and an annual diamond trade fair, of course there are inevitably people looking at the goods.
"Definitely, definitely..."
After William went out with a guaranteed ticket, Zhuang Rui waited for more than half an hour. Except for a white girl with freckles on her face who came in to pour him a glass of water, William never showed up again.
Zhuang Rui got a little anxious while waiting. He stood up and opened the door of the office. When he was about to ask, he happened to see William carrying a square metal box in his hand, together with two black people and a yellow-skinned man.
The Arabs came out of another room side by side.
Behind them, there were two white men holding submachine guns, who were security guards of the exchange.
The person walking at the front was an Arab, about thirty years old, with short hair, and wearing colorful clothes. This was in great contrast to the suits and leather shoes in the diamond exchange.
A black man behind the Arab young man was pointing at William with an unhappy look on his face as he walked out. William's attitude made Zhuang Rui feel strange. He actually nodded repeatedly and kept talking.
sorry.
You must know that in South Africa, although black people are in power, their status is still very low. The entire country's economy and energy arteries are in the hands of white people. It can also be said that the entire South Africa is working for Western countries.
work to earn a living.
White people have many privileges in South Africa, which are all left over from the colonial era. Although most of the white privileges were abolished after Mandela came to power, white people still have a high status in South Africa. They have always looked at black people through their nostrils.
.
William was so respectful to a black young man, and this black man was probably just the attendant of the young Arab, which made Zhuang Rui look at the Arab a few more times.
After sending several people to the door of the exchange, William wiped the sweat from his forehead, then turned around and walked towards Zhuang Rui while carrying the box.
However, the Arab did not walk out of the exchange. When he saw William walking towards Zhuang Rui, he suddenly grinned at Zhuang Rui, showing his white teeth.
Although Zhuang Rui didn't know this person, he still smiled politely, but what made him angry was that after the Arab smiled, he suddenly raised his right hand, with his thumb and index finger spread out in the shape of a pistol.
He pointed at his temple and made a shooting motion.
"Paralyzed, are you sick?"
When Zhuang Rui saw this man's actions, he was stunned for a moment, and then became angry. Judging from this man's actions and the unkind look in his eyes, he was not joking with himself.
"f...u...c...k"
Arabs are rich, but they can't do such insulting things to themselves. Zhuang Rui opened his mouth wide and cursed in English, then he crossed his palm and scratched his throat.
Although Zhuang Rui doesn't want to cause trouble, he is not afraid of it. At worst, he won't participate in the trade fair and just go back to China. He doesn't believe what this person can do to himself?
After seeing Zhuang Rui's actions, the Arab was obviously stunned for a moment, and then his face showed an angry look. He raised his thumb at Zhuang Rui, then turned his head slightly and said a few words to the black man next to him.
"Zhuang...oh, my God, Mr. Zhuang, please come in, come in quickly..."
William walked over facing Zhuang Rui. When he first saw Zhuang Rui making this action, he was a little confused. However, when he turned around and saw the Arab young man, a look of horror suddenly appeared on his face.
He grabbed Zhuang Rui and pushed him into the room.
Two armed security guards also followed the room. Their duty was to ensure the safety of customers' goods during inspection, and they turned a blind eye to the silent conflict just now.
"Oh my god, Mr. Zhuang, how could you offend that person?"
After entering the room, William's face was still a little ugly, and he said: "Zhuang, you have to be careful, that person is a villain, he will definitely find trouble for you..."
"Mr. William, he was the one who provoked me first. He just made a gesture of shooting at me..."
To be honest, Zhuang Rui was also depressed. Who did he provoke? That guy made a threatening move towards him for no reason. Could it be that he had to lie down on the ground to cooperate with him?
But to be able to scare William like this, it seems that the Arab has a lot of background.
William sighed and said: "Oh, you shouldn't have left the room, otherwise he wouldn't know who wants to see the goods. Zhuang, you don't understand diamond trading very well..."
The reason why the Diamond Exchange conducts separate auctions and does not allow dealers to meet each other is to ensure customer privacy to the greatest extent.
You know, diamond transactions can easily reach hundreds of millions, and many criminal groups are keeping an eye on them. Once the news leaks out, even staying in the police station may not be safe.
"William, can you tell me who that person is?"
Zhuang Rui knows what William said, but he is not a god. He knows that as soon as he goes out, he encounters William and his guests coming out of another room? What Zhuang Rui is concerned about now is the Arab who has malicious intentions towards him.
, who exactly is it?
"He was the general of Lybia..." William said.
"General, so young?"
Zhuang Rui couldn't help but feel a little curious when he saw that the man was only a general in his early thirties.
"Oh my God, he is Gaddafi's son!"
William was dissatisfied with Zhuang Rui's interruption and continued: "Do you know who Gaddafi is? Do you know what kind of power that man has in Africa and the Arab world? Young man, you should not provoke him.
…”
Hearing the name Gaddafi, Zhuang Rui's expression finally changed. Although he didn't ask about his name, he happened to have read a book written by the famous reporter Donald Duck, which was about some interviews with Gaddafi.
.
Gaddafi is a controversial figure, and the world's evaluation of him is mixed. In the eyes of some people, he is a "great savior", a "national hero", and a "revolutionary leader", while in the eyes of others
Here, he is a "madman", a "madman", and a "terrorist supporter".
But both his supporters and opponents have to admit the fact that Gaddafi led this country of about six million people out of poverty. In 1981, Libya's per capita national income reached 11,000 US dollars.
Becoming the richest country in Africa.
Even after suffering from Western economic sanctions for many years, Libya is one of the richest regions in Africa, with citizens enjoying compulsory education and a comprehensive medical system.
Gaddafi came to power through a coup. After taking power, he immediately drove out the Western forces in the country and implemented democracy. It can be said that in Libya, Gaddafi is the only God and is respected by many small African countries.
Such a person, who has been hated by Britain, the United States and other Western countries for decades, actually lives a happy life. People cannot help but admire his strength. However, Zhuang Rui provoking his son in Africa is not a good thing.
Pleasant things.
Gaddafi’s seven sons and one daughter are involved in many domestic industries such as oil, gas, hotels, media, circulation, communications, and social infrastructure.
Libya's proven oil reserves are approximately 43 billion barrels, and its proven natural gas reserves are 1.48 trillion cubic meters. Gaddafi's children have made huge profits just from the export of oil and natural gas.
Tens of billions of dollars flow into the pockets of Gaddafi's children every year. It is speculated that Libya's overseas investment capital also belongs to them, with a scale of about 70 billion U.S. dollars. Gaddafi's children also purchased a large number of weapons overseas.
real estate.
The man Zhuang Rui met was Gaddafi's youngest son Muta. This guy had an anxious and cruel personality. He relied on Gaddafi's power to do all kinds of evil in Libya. He was once accused of beating his entourage while in Switzerland.
Being "retained" by the Swiss police was as good as Saddam's son Uday.
"Zhuang, I suggest you leave here after the bidding opens tomorrow, so that Muta won't be able to do anything to you..."
After introducing Muta's character to Zhuang Rui, William kindly advised Zhuang Rui that he had been working here for five or six years and was well aware of the lawless deeds of children from these African countries, even though Muta was in South Africa.
Even if you kill someone, you have diplomatic immunity.
"Thank you, William, I will seriously consider your suggestion..."
Damn it, this Muta is just a Libia ***? Zhuang Rui is a little depressed. If we talk about it seriously, can we be regarded as the third generation of officials in the country? Why haven't we enjoyed them?
That kind of treatment?
But Zhuang Rui is not afraid of that Muta. He will finish the bidding tomorrow afternoon and leave in the evening. Anyway, he will not pass through Libyan airspace when he goes back. No matter how capable that guy is, he can't dispatch fighter jets over other countries.
Will you knock yourself down?
Besides, it's only one day before the bid opening. I'm afraid Zhuang Rui is already on his way home before Muta finds out his origin.
"Zhuang, as a friend, I still hope you can pay attention to safety..."
When William saw Zhuang Rui, he was a little disapproving, and sighed secretly in his heart. He knew that Muta was a very petty person, and he would retaliate for his hatred.
There was once a Western reporter who reported some negative news about Murtha in a newspaper. Murtha hired a killer to kill the reporter in the street. This incident once caused an uproar in Western countries.
However, since Gaddafi has always been dissatisfied with Western countries, the matter was left undisturbed in the end, but Murtha never dared to go to Western countries again, otherwise he would be accused.
Muta, who has been living in Africa and Arab countries, has been bored in the past few years, but he actually started a diamond business. With the help of his strong financial resources and his father's reputation in Africa, he has monopolized the rough diamonds in many countries.
Of course, the domestic forces in South Africa are complex, and Muta is not yet capable of monopolizing South Africa's diamond business.
"Thank you, let's look at the diamonds first..."
Zhuang Rui didn't want to dwell on this matter anymore. Even if he was afraid of him, why not just leave tomorrow?
After William heard Zhuang Rui's words, he took out a magnetic key and inserted it into a hole in the metal box on the table. A security guard behind him also took out a key and inserted it into another keyhole.
in.
After William and the security guard twisted the key at the same time, there was a "pop" sound at the button nose of the metal box, and the lid of the metal box moved upward slightly.
William stepped aside, facing Zhuang Rui with the front of the metal box, and said: "Mr. Zhuang, here are the diamonds you need to inspect, but you only have thirty minutes to inspect the goods, because there are still people making appointments below.
This is the longest time I can arrange..."
"I think thirty minutes should be enough..."
After Zhuang Rui opened the metal box, he found that inside the metal box were small foldable drawer-like compartments. As the lid of the box was lifted, six compartments made of black metal appeared in front of Zhuang Rui.
in front of.
On each layer of grids, there is a note with Arabic numerals marking the lowest auction price of the diamonds in the box.
On the top of the box, there is a high-power magnifying glass and a clip. These are tools provided by the exchange for customers to inspect diamonds. Of course, customers can also bring their own tools.
Zhuang Rui came in a hurry today and didn't bring anything with him. He immediately picked up the magnifying glass and opened the top grid.
"This is a rough diamond?!"
In the drawer on the first floor, there are eighteen rough stones weighing more than ten carats. They are different from the finished diamonds that Zhuang Rui has seen before. Although these rough stones are also crystal clear, they do not have processed diamonds.
That kind of luster, and without facets, the shape of the diamond is also extremely irregular.
"Mr. Zhuang, these are flawless D-grade diamonds with a purity level of vvs1. I believe they will satisfy you..." William introduced to Zhuang Rui from the side.
"Well, let me take a look first..."
Zhuang Rui used a clip to pick up a rough stone that was only the size of a soybean grain, held it in front of his eyes, and examined it carefully with a magnifying glass. On the surface, it seemed that the rough stone did not have any flaws, and its gloss was also very good.
After Zhuang Rui separated a stream of spiritual energy into the diamond, he immediately felt a cool breath. He had used spiritual energy to examine diamonds before and knew that this was the unique breath of diamonds.
Time was tight and the task was heavy. After looking at the first diamond, Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to scan the box he pulled out, carefully distinguishing the strength of the spiritual energy contained in these diamonds, and then used a clip to pull out twelve diamonds.
, these twelve rough stones are all relatively stronger in spiritual energy.
Zhuang Rui pretended to check the twelve rough stones, took out the quotation form, filled in his auction bid, sealed it and handed it to William, who then took out a small black bag and put the diamonds inside.
, and put it back in the box.
In the lower grids, there are not so many diamonds. There are only three diamonds on the second floor, and the lowest auction price is already more than half a million US dollars. However, on the lower floors, there are only one diamond.
, the bottom box contains the colored diamond.
The weight of this diamond is 78.2 carats. The entire diamond is pink in color. Even if it is not faceted or polished, it exudes a bright pink luster, as if there is a halo on the outside of the diamond, which is very beautiful.
Of course, the price of beauty is that the bottom auction price of this pink diamond is as high as 15 million US dollars. After Zhuang Rui looked at it for a long time, he finally shook his head and gave up, because Zhuang Rui had already exhausted all the diamonds in the drawers above.
The funds brought this time.
In order to successfully win the bid and leave this damn place tomorrow, Zhuang Rui's price was 30% higher than the market price. If there were no surprises, he should be able to win all the diamonds except this pink diamond.
If Zhuang Rui had the patience to wait another week or two, maybe he could buy the same diamond for nearly 10 million euros less, but after what happened yesterday, and today he has seen the arrogance of the African ***
, Zhuang Rui would rather spend more money and leave Africa as soon as possible.
"Mr. Zhuang, I hope you can successfully win the bid tomorrow. I still have customers to entertain, so I will send you here..."
After Zhuang Rui placed all the bids, William re-locked the box and sent Zhuang Rui to the door of the exchange. According to regulations, customers who had already bid for inspection were not allowed to stay too long in the exchange.
