87: Chapter 87 Alliance and Antiques

Morning sunlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, dyeing the entire room golden.

He lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling. This time, he finally owned a villa of his own in Dubai; he would have a place to stay whenever he came to Dubai in the future. He still remembered the first time he gritted his teeth and booked the Burj Al Arab; his heart ached for half a month after staying there for three days. Later, it didn't ache anymore—when you have enough money, that feeling of heartache disappears.

His phone buzzed once. He picked it up and took a look; it was a system notification.

[Funds laundering progress: 40%. Estimated remaining time: 48 hours.]

He rolled over and opened the system panel.

[Cumulative refined gold: 577.5057 tons.]

[Gold required for next upgrade: ...]

577 tons. Today he planned to release another 200 tons.

He took a shower, changed his clothes, went to a restaurant, got a coffee and a croissant, and sat by the window to eat slowly. He needed to get more delicious food back to his country to put in his space; he had been rushing around constantly during this period and hadn't eaten anything good, he was almost bored to death.

The phone buzzed again. A message from Muhammad: "Mr. Li, the people from The Five Major Families have all arrived. See you at headquarters at ten o'clock."

Li Xin replied with a "Good," then placed the phone face down on the table.

At exactly ten o'clock, he appeared at the Gold Souk.

From afar, he saw many people in white robes standing at the entrance of Mr. Hassan's shop, as if waiting for something. Seeing Li Xin walk over, everyone's gaze focused on him.

Li Xin was wearing a simple white shirt and dark trousers, wearing sunglasses, his pace steady and unhurried. Chen Hu followed behind him, keeping a two-meter distance.

Muhammad was standing downstairs at the headquarters, surrounded by four people.

"Mr. Li!" Muhammad greeted him, "Let me introduce you."

He pointed to a chubby middle-aged man on the left. "This is Mr. Tahir, the patriarch of the Tahir Family. The largest gold bar supplier in the Gold Souk."

Tahir extended his hand with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you."

Li Xin shook his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Muhammad pointed to a tall, thin old man. "This is Mr. Jassim. The Jassim Family, mainly dealing in antiques and jewelry."

Jassim looked to be in his sixties, with a neatly trimmed gray beard and sharp eyes. He held Li Xin's hand for two seconds longer than necessary. "Mr. Li, I have heard of you. Your reputation in the Gold Souk is greater than you imagine."

Li Xin smiled. "I'm just a businessman."

Muhammad continued the introductions. "This is Mr. Rashid, the Rashid Family. The largest refinery in the Gold Souk belongs to them."

Rashid was a robust man in his early forties with rough palms and a strong grip. "Mr. Li, half of those 291 tons of gold of yours passed through our refinery."

"The quality is very good," Li Xin said.

Rashid grinned. "Of course."

The last one was Salim, in his fifties or sixties, taciturn; when Muhammad introduced him, he just nodded.

The Five Major Families, all present.

The six men went up to the third-floor VIP reception room. Servants brought coffee and dates, then retreated and closed the door.

Muhammad sat in the main seat, and Li Xin sat to his right. The patriarchs of The Five Major Families sat in a circle, their gazes falling on Li Xin.

"Gentlemen," Muhammad began, "You all know Mr. Li. Over the past two years, he has sold us a total of over 400 tons of gold. Today, he called everyone here because he has a big deal to discuss."

Li Xin set down his coffee cup and looked at the five people present.

"I'm releasing 200 tons of gold today," he said, his tone as flat as if he were talking about the weather. "This time, I don't intend to sell in batches. I want all five families to digest it together at once."

The reception room was quiet for a few seconds.

Tahir leaned forward. "200 tons? All of it?"

"Yes."

The five people looked at each other. Jassim stroked his beard, Rashid rubbed his palms, and Salim remained expressionless.

Muhammad cleared his throat. "Mr. Li means for us, the five families, to acquire it jointly, distributed proportionally among each family."

"Yes," Li Xin said.

Tahir, Jassim, Rashid, and Salim looked at each other again.

200 tons. At market price, nearly 8 billion USD. This number was not small for any single one of them, but split among five families, each could handle it.

"What about the price?" Rashid asked.

Li Xin glanced at Muhammad. Muhammad took over: "The price Mr. Li gives us is 99% of the market rate. But this time, since it's a joint acquisition by the five families, Mr. Li is willing to lower it to 98%."

Tahir's eyes lit up. One percent cheaper than the Al Hassan Family.

"The conditions are," Li Xin held up his fingers, "First, the price is uniform, at 98% of the international gold price. Second, the funds must be paid in full within 72 hours. Third, sign a non-disclosure agreement; not a single word about my identity and the source can be leaked."

Actually, it was just a formality. With the help of the system, after their transaction was completed, their memories regarding Li Xin would be modified. He wasn't afraid at all.

He lowered his hand and leaned back in his chair. "Those who can do this, stay. Those who can't, you can leave now."

No one moved.

Jassim spoke first. "98%, 89 tons, 72 hours. I accept."

Tahir nodded. "I accept as well."

Rashid rubbed his palms. "I have no problem."

Salim was silent for a few seconds, then said his first sentence since entering. "Accepted."

Muhammad smiled. "Then it's settled. I have already prepared the contracts."

Servants brought six contracts, in duplicate. Li Xin took them and read through them clause by clause. The contracts were standard gold trading contracts, bilingual in Arabic and English, with clear terms and no traps.

He picked up a pen and signed his name.

The patriarchs of The Five Major Families signed in turn.

After the contracts were signed, Muhammad stood up. "Mr. Li, where are the goods?"

"Palm Jumeirah villa. 200 tons." Li Xin took a key out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "I will send someone to take you to load it. After inspecting the goods, transfer the money to my account."

"Good."

Walking out of the gold shop, Li Xin stood by the street and lit a cigarette.

Chen Hu walked over. "Boss, what are our plans for the afternoon?"

"Go to Jassim's antique shop in the afternoon," Li Xin exhaled a puff of smoke, "Book a yacht for me in the evening; I want to treat the people from The Five Major Families to dinner."

"Understood."

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Li Xin appeared at Jassim's antique shop.

The shop was in a small alley in the Gold Souk, the storefront wasn't big, and the sign was old, but those in the know all knew that behind every shop in this alley was a billionaire.

Jassim greeted him at the door personally. "Mr. Li, please come in."

Jassim invited him to sit and poured a cup of tea.

"Mr. Li, you aren't just here to drink tea, are you?"

Li Xin took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. "A batch of small items I want to dispose of in Dubai."

Jassim took it, put on his reading glasses, and read it item by item.

The list read:

Chinese silk, lacquerware, bronze mirrors — Estimated value 200-300 million RMB

Ivory, rhinoceros horn carvings (45 pieces) — Estimated value 800 million - 1 billion RMB

West Asian gold and silver ware (18 pieces) — Estimated value 500-800 million RMB

Southeast Asian bronze ritual vessels (67 pieces) — Estimated value 800 million - 1.2 billion RMB

Jassim finished reading, took off his glasses, and looked at Li Xin.

"Are you planning to sell this batch as a whole?"

"As a whole."

Jassim was silent for a few seconds. "Can I go see the goods now?"

"No problem, take your people and follow me." Immediately, their group arrived at the villa. Jassim brought his people to examine them piece by piece.

"Mr. Jassim, how is it? You've checked it, make an offer."

"Mr. Li, these cultural relics are very well preserved. How about I offer 330 million USD?"

Li Xin picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Mr. Jassim, this isn't our first time doing business."

Jassim smiled. "Then you say it."

"400 million USD."

Jassim's smile froze for a moment. "400 million? Mr. Li, this price of yours—"

"If this batch of things were put up for auction in Europe, it would at least double," Li Xin set down his teacup. "I'm selling in Dubai because I want to save trouble. If you think it's expensive, I can ship it to Geneva."

Jassim stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed. "360 million USD. It can't go any higher."

"400 million USD." Li Xin stood up. "Mr. Jassim, you know I don't like to haggle."

Jassim was silent for a long time. Then he also stood up and extended his hand.

"Deal."

Li Xin shook his hand and pointed to the cultural relics in the villa, saying, "They belong to you now."

Sending Jassim's group off, Li Xin's phone buzzed. A message from Muhammad: "200 tons have been verified, funds have been transferred."

He opened his bank account.

[Your account has received: 7,840,000,000 Yuan.]

7.84 billion USD.

Adding the 400 million USD from the antiques this morning, he had brought in 8.24 billion USD in one day.

He tucked his phone into his pocket, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

At seven in the evening, Dubai Marina.

A white yacht was docked at the berth, about fifty meters long, with three decks, brightly lit. This was rented by Chen Hu in advance, with a rental fee of 200,000 USD per night.

Li Xin stood on the top deck, holding a glass of whiskey. The sea breeze blew over, carrying a salty taste. In the distance, the Burj Khalifa shone in the night sky, and the silhouette of the Burj Al Arab cast a reflection on the sea surface.

The patriarchs of The Five Major Families arrived one after another. Muhammad arrived first, followed by Tahir, Rashid, and Salim. Jassim came last, carrying a briefcase in his hand.

"Mr. Li, this is yours." Jassim handed over the briefcase.

Li Xin opened it to see; inside was a bank confirmation letter. 400 million USD, already received.

"Happy cooperation." Li Xin raised his glass.

"Happy cooperation." The five people raised their glasses together.

The yacht sailed out of the marina, heading deep into the Arabian Gulf. The lights on the deck cast a long trail of light on the sea surface.

Li Xin leaned against the railing, watching the distant coastline. When he first came to Dubai, he didn't even dare to think about taking a yacht. Now he had chartered a yacht to treat the patriarchs of The Five Major Families to dinner.

"Mr. Li." Muhammad walked over and stood beside him. "There is something, I don't know if I should ask."

"Then don't ask."

Muhammad smiled. "You are still the same as always."

The two were silent for a while. The sea breeze was strong, blowing their clothes with a fluttering sound.

"Mr. Li, your gold business is getting bigger and bigger, have you ever thought that someone might be eyeing you?"

Li Xin glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"I've been in the Gold Souk for forty years, I've seen too many big sellers who suddenly appeared," Muhammad's voice was very low. "Some people disappeared after a year or two. Some people made money and were targeted, and even lost their lives."

"Are you reminding me?"

"I am worried about you." Muhammad looked at him. "You are our God of Wealth. If something happens to you, all five of our families will have to go hungry."

Li Xin was silent for a few seconds.

"I know. Thank you."

Muhammad patted his shoulder and turned back to the deck.

Li Xin stood by the railing and lit another cigarette.

His phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw it was a message from Chen Hu.

"Boss, news came from the country. Someone is checking your overseas assets."

Li Xin's fingers paused.

"Who?"

"Not clear. Only know it's from Shenzhen, checking through the banking system."

Li Xin stared at this message for a long time.

He replied: "Keep checking. Tell me when you find out who it is."

Then he tucked his phone into his pocket.

The yacht drifted on the sea for three hours, only docking in the early morning. Li Xin sent off the patriarchs of The Five Major Families and took a car back to the Palm Jumeirah villa.

After taking a shower, he lay on the bed. He opened the system panel.

[Funds laundering progress: 70%. Estimated remaining time: 24 hours.] [Cumulative realization: 300 tons of gold + 400 million in antiques = 12.2 billion USD, approximately 83.7 billion RMB.] [Remaining gold: 377 tons.]

He closed the panel and stared at the ceiling.

Someone in the country was checking his overseas assets. Who was it? Someone from the bank? Or some force he didn't know?