"Boy, did you take Hughes away? Did you rescue those two young girls?" Guelf asked.
"How did you old folks know about the girls? Who told you it was two girls?" Lü Liang's senses returned upon hearing this.
No wonder Qike said he didn't know about the matter. Could it be that this old man in front of him had a bad idea?
"I had people send the two girls to Hughes. I didn't expect you to be so capable. You rescued them so quickly."
"Oh, so you're the mastermind. I was just wondering who was behind this matter, not knowing who gave you the guts to kidnap these two people?" Lü Liang said sinisterly.
"Qike, you know me. I've always minded my own business. We've been dealing with each other for a long time. You go your way, I'll go mine. Your people made the first move this time, so don't blame me for being impolite."
"Mr. Lü, it was my fault in this matter. I didn't expect him to do something like this. How about this, I know you've bought a lot of diamond mines in this country, and it seems the results are not ideal. I'm willing to sell them to you at a price 30% below market value. Let's drop this matter here, how about it?"
"You have a large enterprise. I'd be very happy to accept the price 30% below market value, but my brother might not agree. He's on his way. Let's talk about it later."
As they were talking, Iliana, Guo Xuyang, and Xiao Yun entered.
"Brother Liang, what did you need me for?" Guo Xuyang asked.
"Here. These are the masterminds who kidnapped Xiao Yun and Iliana." Lü Liang gestured towards Guelf with his mouth.
"Is that so? What are your thoughts?" Guo Xuyang asked.
"My opinion is, of course, that he should compensate you for your losses."
Guo Xuyang didn't reply, waiting for Lü Liang to elaborate. Since he was called here, it was probably not just about a small compensation.
Because Lü Liang hadn't said anything in advance, he knew that the other party must have a big plan up their sleeve.
What exactly it was, he couldn't guess now.
"My boss just said he wanted to sell me diamonds at a price 30% below market value to offset the consequences of this kidnapping. What are your opinions?"
"No." Before Guo Xuyang could speak, Xiao Yun cried out. "They drugged us and humiliated us. Is mere compensation enough?"
Lü Liang truly didn't know what had happened after the two were kidnapped, only that Guo Xuyang had called him saying the people were rescued.
He knew from Xiao Yun's words that this matter couldn't be resolved easily.
"Qike, this is my woman's sister. You tell me, how can I face my woman after she suffered such humiliation at Hughes's hands?"
"This is not the outcome we wanted. However, since it has happened, what do you need me to do? As long as the request is not excessive, I will satisfy you."
"What do you want to do?" Lü Liang looked at Xiao Yun and asked.
He was genuinely afraid she might say something extreme.
"I was bullied because I came with you. You come and get justice for me," Xiao Yun said.
"Qike, I'm not an unreasonable person. You also know that I've invested a lot of money in this country and haven't found suitable mining opportunities. I have a suggestion, see if it's suitable?" Lü Liang said.
"Let this beautiful lady hold a 30% stake in your diamond mines. We'll invest the corresponding amount. What do you think?"
"That's a lion's roar, wanting to invest in my diamond mines? Your appetite is too big!" Qike said.
"We won't be involved in operations, just share in the profits. How about that?"
"Do you know how much profit my diamond mines bring me each year? Let me propose a compromise. A one-time compensation of thirty million US dollars to this lady, and all grievances will be settled."
It had to be said that Qike's offer was very sincere, but it was still far from Lü Liang's expectations. He wanted to swallow the diamond mine whole.
Even if he couldn't completely take it over, he wanted a certain stake for future operations.
"I can feel your sincerity. However, this lady is not short of money at all; her assets are more than what I've invested in this country." Lü Liang's words were shocking, and he was setting the stage for Xiao Yun.
"Is that so? If that's the case, we can cooperate in other areas." Qike was piqued.
"That's why I said let's cooperate in diamond mines first, and then talk about other businesses."
"Let me think about it."
Qike was silent for about five minutes, then said, "To express my apologies, I am willing to compensate this lady. Thirty million US dollars for a 10% stake in the diamond mines, enjoying only dividends, with no participation in operations or distribution, and it can only be exclusively for this lady. No one else can participate."
"Fine. Let's do it," Lü Liang agreed immediately.
Here, they gained a 10% stake without spending a dime. Although the stake was a bit small, other cooperation could be deepened.
"Do you think this is acceptable?" Lü Liang asked Xiao Yun.
"Since you've already agreed, what good would it do for me to say no?" Xiao Yun gave him a sideways glance.
"Then this matter is over," Lü Liang said.
"What else can we do if it's not over?" Xiao Yun muttered.
Qike arranged for people to draft the agreement and signed it with Xiao Yun.
"What other forms of cooperation did you mention?" Lü Liang asked.
"I need a lot of investment in gold and oil extraction now. Are you interested?" Qike said.
"My brother just explored a gold mine and is looking for someone to share the risk. It's still in the exploration stage, and the specific reserves are not yet clear."
"Gold extraction?" Lü Liang mused.
South Africa's gold reserves were considerable worldwide, but the risk of extraction was also high.
Mature gold mines had been explored almost completely. It was still unclear whether the mines found now could yield gold.
Just like Lü Liang had invested in exploring four or five diamond mines, but none of them had yielded any diamonds so far.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have seized this opportunity to try and get a piece of Qike's diamond mines.
"Yangzi, are you interested? Do you want to take a share?" he asked.
"That's no problem. But I need to see the site before deciding whether to cooperate," Guo Xuyang said.
"Qike, what do you think?"
"Certainly. I'll arrange a car now, and we'll go to the mine site."
The group got into cars and followed Qike to where his brother was exploring the gold mine.
It was about two hundred kilometers from Cape Town, with grasslands everywhere and few buildings.
"We're here," Lü Liang said as he saw the car in front stop.
"Friends, welcome to the Kuruman Grassland. This is the gold mine we found. We're not yet sure of the reserves. Experts are currently exploring," Qike said.
Guo Xuyang looked around. Apart from a few tin shacks, there were no other structures on the ground. He really didn't know how Qike's exploration was being conducted.
Could this be a trap?
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