15: Forced buying and selling

The next day, the father and daughter flew to Mumbai, India. Once they arrived, they carried their backpacks and acted like tourists.

Standing on the streets of Mumbai, the father and daughter marveled at how Mumbai truly lived up to its reputation as India's City of Gold. At a glance, almost the entire street was filled with shops selling gold; the whole road was resplendent.

Ai Yue usually didn't care for gold jewelry, but even she was captivated by the exquisite pieces in the shop windows.

Upon asking the price, a gram of gold was 1,180 Rupees, which converted to 100 RMB. Since gold back home was 400 RMB per gram, there was actually a fourfold price difference.

Excitedly, she pulled her dad along to begin their gold-buying spree.

Ai Yue didn't dare buy too much in a single shop for fear of being targeted, spending an average of about 100,000 RMB per store.

However, they were still noticed anyway.

As Ai Yue and Ai Guosheng were happily preparing to head to the next shop, their path was blocked by two burly, bearded men in sharp suits with fierce expressions.

"Two distinguished guests, my boss requests your presence." One of the men spoke in broken Chinese. Despite his menacing appearance, he extended the invitation politely.

Ai Yue was used to seeing such people during the Apocalypse and didn't feel the slightest bit of fear.

It didn't look like they intended to harm them, but they certainly wanted to give them a show of strength.

"We have things to do, so we won't be going. Thank your boss for his kind invitation." Ai Guosheng smiled and pulled Ai Yue, intending to leave.

Seeing their movement, the other burly man stepped forward to block them. He said rudely, "I ad-ad-advise you t-t-two, b-b-best..."

The man who spoke first saw that his companion was stuttering and couldn't get the words out. He impatiently shoved him aside and said, "I advise you two to come with us, otherwise..."

He looked at Ai Guosheng meaningfully, leaving the rest of the threat unsaid.

But Ai Yue and her father knew exactly what he meant.

They understood that they had no choice but to go with them for now.

Ai Yue and her father exchanged a glance; the unspoken meaning that they would run if things went south was clear in their eyes.

The bearded man led them to the front of a small red building and signaled for them to go up alone.

The two of them went up to the second floor on high alert. As soon as they entered, they heard a booming laugh: "Hahaha, fellow compatriots! It is a pleasure to meet you both!"

An elegant young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked over with a warm smile and shook Ai Guosheng's hand. He continued, "Don't be nervous, you two. My name is Mo Li, and I'm an overseas Chinese. We're all family here, so relax."

Mo Li patted Ai Guosheng on the shoulder, completely ignoring Ai Yue, who looked like a well-behaved girl standing beside him.

"I apologize for inviting you here this way. I heard from my subordinates that you've been spending quite a bit in every gold shop you visit. It seems you need a large amount of gold." Mo Li sat down opposite them and got straight to the point.

Then, looking like a friendly neighborhood younger brother, he asked warmly, "But don't people back home usually avoid buying Indian gold? What's the deal with you two? Buying so much at once?"

"We have our own uses. Why? Is that not allowed, Boss?" Ai Yue looked Mo Li straight in the eye.

Mo Li was startled by Ai Yue's cold gaze. He hadn't expected to misjudge her; he thought this Little Girl was simple and harmless, but she was actually hiding quite a lot. When she turned serious, her eyes were incredibly sharp, even revealing a hint of killing intent.

She was not simple at all—she had actually killed people!

Mo Li had spent his life living on the edge, so he was very familiar with the aura Ai Yue was giving off. This was the murderous aura that only those who had taken lives possessed.

Mo Li withdrew his smile and looked at Ai Yue coldly.

Suddenly, he burst into laughter. "This young lady is joking. I'm a businessman. I invited you here simply because I want to do business with you."

"No need to hide it from me; you definitely need a lot of gold, and I have what you need! It's even cheaper than the market price. What do you think? Interested?"

Ai Yue reverted to her 'girl next door' persona and declined with a sweet smile. "Naturally, but unfortunately, we've bought almost enough. I'm afraid we must decline your kind offer."

Mo Li waved his hand. "Eh, don't refuse just yet. Why not take a look at the goods first?"

With that, he clapped his hands. A lackey with a gun tucked into his waistband entered carrying a tray. He placed the tray in front of Ai Yue and her father. As he set it down, he pointedly brushed his hand against his gun before standing motionless behind Mo Li.

Ai Yue's pupils constricted slightly. She realized they were being forced into a sale!

If they didn't buy, they probably wouldn't be walking out of here in one piece.

Ai Yue suppressed the anger in her heart, her expression remaining calm. She picked up a piece of jewelry from the tray and said placidly, "The quality of this gold is indeed excellent. I wonder how much you are willing to part with, Boss?"

"Haha, my gold is the highest purity in all of Mumbai. I have as much as you want!"

"In that case, two million RMB." Ai Yue held up two fingers.

Mo Li's smile faltered. He picked up a lighter from the table and flicked it repeatedly, saying nonchalantly, "Little Girl, don't joke around. You want to buy such high-quality gold from me for only two million? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Ai Yue's hand under the table slowly tightened, but she smiled at Mo Li. "Five million at most. How about it? We didn't bring much money this time. I hope you'll save some more of this high-quality gold for us, Boss. We'll definitely visit more often next time."

Mo Li laughed loudly. "Deal! Gouzi, go prepare the goods for our guests and collect the payment!"

"Yes, Boss!" the armed lackey behind him said respectfully.

A moment later, the lackey brought a metal trunk and placed it at Ai Yue's feet. He pulled a phone from his pocket and signaled for Ai Yue to transfer the money.

Suppressing her irritation, Ai Yue transferred all of her remaining five million. Her card was left with a pitiful thirty RMB.

Fortunately, she had already bought their return flight tickets when they arrived; otherwise, the two of them would be sleeping on the streets.

Ai Guosheng carried the metal trunk and followed Ai Yue out of the small red building, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

With lingering fear, he said to Ai Yue, "Yueyue, did we almost not make it out of there?"

"It's fine, Dad, don't be afraid. We have guns too. I could have managed to take that boss hostage, but it's better to avoid trouble if we can. If we got delayed here, we'd be truly finished. Besides, Mom is still waiting for us at home. Just consider it paying to avoid a disaster."

Ai Yue spoke gently to comfort her badly shaken father, though she was fuming with rage inside.

"Right, right, your mom is still waiting for us at home. Let's change our flight. We're going back to China right now." Thinking of Li Shilan, Ai Guosheng didn't want to stay there for another second.

Inside the small red building.

Gouzi asked in confusion, "Boss, we're just letting them go like that? Why not just..." Gouzi made a throat-slitting gesture.

Standing by the window, Mo Li puffed on a cigar and blew out a smoke ring. After a long silence, he said, "Forget it. After all, they're compatriots. Moreover, that woman isn't ordinary; taking her down wouldn't be easy. You guys should cause less trouble lately. I have a feeling something is about to happen."

Ai Yue and her father walked to a secluded spot with the metal trunk. When they opened it, their blood pressure instantly spiked.