89: Chapter 89: A Perfect Ending

Li Xin returned to Dubai in the afternoon.

Before the plane landed, he glanced through the porthole at this city of gold in the desert. Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab, and Burj Khalifa emerged from the clouds one by one. This was the final leg of his Middle East trip.

Exiting the airport, a wave of heat hit him. Chen Hu was waiting by the roadside in that black Maybach, opening the door.

"Boss, the villa is all set. The people from The Five Major Families have asked several times; they are all waiting for your news."

Li Xin got into the car and leaned back against the seat. "Tell them, tomorrow morning at ten, same place."

"Understood."

The car drove out of the airport and onto the highway. Li Xin took out his phone and opened the system panel.

[Cumulative Refined Gold: 377.5057 tons]

[Jewelry: 1.8 tons, estimated value $1.5-2 billion]

[Silverware: 8 tons, estimated value approximately $80 million]

[Gold Coins: 8,000 pieces, estimated value approximately $120 million]

Including the $6.15 billion already received from the auction, his current cash exceeded $39.9 billion. But this was not the end. 377 tons of gold, 1.8 tons of jewelry, 8 tons of silverware, 8,000 gold coins—once all these were sold, his cash would exceed $56.9 billion.

He closed the panel, his lips curling slightly.

The next morning at 9:30, Li Xin arrived at the Gold Souk.

The Gold Souk was busier than usual today. The heads of The Five Major Families were all there, standing at the entrance of the Al Hassan Family headquarters. Muhammad was at the front; seeing him get out of the car, he hurried up to greet him.

"Mr. Li! You've finally returned!"

"Mr. Hassan, sorry to have kept you waiting."

The two shook hands and walked into the building together. In the VIP reception room on the third floor, the heads of The Five Major Families were already seated. Tahir, Jassim, Rashid, and Salim each had a cup of Arabian coffee in front of them.

Li Xin sat down, took the coffee Muhammad handed him, and took a sip.

"Everyone, I've called you here today for the final transaction."

He set down his cup. "I have another 377 tons of gold to clear out in one go."

The reception room was silent for a few seconds.

Tahir leaned forward. "377 tons? All of it?"

"Yes."

The five looked at each other. Rashid rubbed his palms, and Salim remained expressionless, but his eyes were clearly brighter.

Muhammad cleared his throat. "Mr. Li, our five families can take another 377 tons. How about 97% of the international gold price?"

97%. Another percentage point of concession compared to last time. Li Xin calculated in his mind. The international gold price was now $41 per gram, so 97% would be $39.77 per gram. 377 tons, total price approximately $14.993 billion.

He reached out his hand. "Deal."

Muhammad shook his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The contract had already been prepared. The heads of The Five Major Families signed one by one, and Li Xin signed as well. After the contract was signed, Muhammad stood up.

"Mr. Li, where is the cargo?"

"Palm Jumeirah villa. Send your people to follow mine to pick it up." Li Xin took a key out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "377 tons, it's all there."

At 2:00 PM, the convoy of The Five Major Families arrived at Palm Jumeirah.

More than a dozen black specialized transport vehicles, each carrying four security personnel in uniform. The convoy stopped at the villa entrance, and Chen Hu led his men to open the gates.

Li Xin stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor, watching the people below busy at work. Pickup trucks drove in one after another, loaded up, and drove away. The whole process lasted three hours.

In the evening, Muhammad called.

"Mr. Li, the cargo has been fully verified. The funds have been transferred to your account."

Li Xin opened his mobile banking app.

[Your account has received: $14,993,000,000.]

$14.993 billion.

Adding the previous $39.9 billion, he now had about $54.9 billion. But this wasn't all. There were still jewelry, silverware, and gold coins to handle.

He called Jassim. "Mr. Jassim, tomorrow morning, I have a batch of items for you to see."

"What kind of items?"

"Silverware, gold coins. And a batch of jewelry."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line. "Alright. Tomorrow morning, I'll wait for you at the shop."

The next morning at 9:00, Li Xin appeared at Jassim's antique shop.

The shop was the same as before, with the air permeated by the scent of sandalwood. Jassim brewed tea himself and sat opposite him.

"Mr. Li, have you brought the silverware and gold coins you mentioned?"

Li Xin took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. "8 tons of silverware, 8,000 ancient gold coins. Selling the whole batch."

Jassim took it, put on his reading glasses, and looked at it carefully.

"8 tons of silverware, what is the condition?"

"Intact. Majapahit royal items, exquisite craftsmanship."

"And the gold coins?"

"Pure gold, about 5 grams each, total weight 40 kilograms. Well-preserved, clear inscriptions."

"You can arrange for someone to check, and we'll wait here for a while."

"Alright, Mr. Li, let's drink tea and chat here then." Immediately, Chen Hu took his men back to the villa to verify the goods.

He accompanied Li Xin in the shop, drinking tea and chatting.

Two hours later, he received a call, his smile nearly overflowing.

He turned to Li Xin with a beaming smile: "Mr. Li, it's been checked. This batch is very valuable, and I want to take it."

Jassim pondered for a moment. "Hmm... I'll offer $150 million, what do you think?"

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."

"$200 million."

Jassim's smile faded. "200 million? Mr. Li, this price—"

"This batch of items, if put up for auction in Europe, would be at least 300 million." Li Xin set down his teacup. "I'm selling it in Dubai for convenience. If you think it's too expensive, I can ship it to Geneva."

Jassim stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed.

"180 million."

"200 million." Li Xin stood up. "Mr. Jassim, you know I don't like haggling."

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

"Deal."

Li Xin shook his hand. "The cargo is at the villa, you can have someone go pick it up directly."

Walking out of the antique shop, Li Xin's phone vibrated. A bank text message.

[Your account has received: $200,000,000.]

$200 million. Equivalent to about 1.37 billion RMB.

He got into the car and sent a message to Chen Hu. "This afternoon, arrange a meeting with jewelers. Burj Al Arab, 3:00 PM."

At 3:00 PM, Burj Al Arab, top-floor banquet hall.

Dubai's five major jewelers had arrived. They were all in the top-tier jewelry business, and each of them had a net worth of over a billion dollars. Leading them was the chairman of the Jewelers Association, an Arab man in his sixties named Khalid.

"Mr. Li, I heard you have a batch of jewelry to sell?" Khalid got straight to the point.

"Yes." Li Xin took a list from his pocket and handed it over. "1.8 tons, selling the whole batch."

Khalid took it, glanced at it, and his pupils constricted.

The list read:

Pigeon Blood Rubies: Multiple pieces, the largest the size of a pigeon egg, top-tier pigeon blood, each valued at over $50 million.

Cornflower Blue Sapphires: 80 carats, top-tier cornflower blue, deep color, valued at over $30 million.

South Sea Pearls: 22mm diameter, perfect spherical shape, excellent luster, valued at over $20 million.

Various inlaid jewelry: Ancient royal jewelry, exquisite craftsmanship, extremely high historical value.

Total estimated value: $1.5-2 billion.

Khalid finished reading and passed the list to the person next to him. The five people took turns reading it, and each of their expressions was different—some shocked, some greedy, some calculating.

"Mr. Li, how do you intend to sell this batch?" Khalid asked.

"Package deal. Highest bidder wins."

Khalid nodded. "Then let's start now."

The bidding began.

The first to bid was Khalid. "1.5 billion."

The second. "1.6 billion."

The third. "1.65 billion."

The fourth. "1.7 billion."

The fifth. "1.75 billion."

Khalid raised his paddle again. "1.8 billion."

The whole room went quiet.

No one else raised the price.

Khalid looked at Li Xin. "Mr. Li, $1.8 billion. This is the highest price I can offer."

Li Xin was silent for a few seconds, then extended his hand. "Deal."

Khalid shook his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The bank notification sound rang.

[Your account has received: $1,800,000,000.]

$1.8 billion. Equivalent to about 12.4 billion RMB.

Li Xin stood up and shook hands with the five jewelers one by one. Then he walked out of the banquet hall and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the corridor, looking at the Arabian Gulf outside. He let out a sigh of relief; the gold and treasures obtained from this trip to Indonesia had all been sold. It was time to return home; he missed the food and his brothers back in China.

He checked the system:

[Cumulative Legal Assets: approximately $56.9 billion, equivalent to approximately 390.3 billion RMB.]

Li Xin looked at this number and took a deep breath.

$56.9 billion.

390.3 billion RMB.

Less than two years since his rebirth. From a penniless orphan to a billionaire with 390 billion in assets.

His lips curled slightly, and he put his phone into his pocket.

In the evening, Li Xin chartered a yacht and invited the heads of The Five Major Families to dinner. Muhammad, Tahir, Jassim, Rashid, and Salim all came.

The yacht sailed out of the marina, heading into the depths of the Arabian Gulf. The sea breeze was strong, making their clothes flap noisily. Li Xin stood on the top deck, holding a glass of whiskey.

Muhammad walked over and stood beside him.

"Mr. Li, now that you're leaving, when will you come back?"

"Not sure." Li Xin looked at the distant coastline. "Maybe soon, maybe a long time from now."

"No matter how long, the doors of the Al Hassan Family will always be open to you."

"Thank you."

The two clinked glasses.

Jassim also walked over. "Mr. Li, next time you have good things, remember to show me first."

"Definitely."

Rashid and Salim also gathered around. The five of them stood in a row, looking at the distant Dubai night view. Burj Khalifa was shining in the night sky, and the silhouette of Burj Al Arab cast a reflection on the sea.

"Everyone," Li Xin raised his glass, "thank you for your trust. Let's finish this drink, and we'll see each other next time."

"Cheers!"

Six glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

The yacht drifted on the sea for two hours and didn't dock until early morning. Li Xin sent off the heads of The Five Major Families and took a car back to the Palm Jumeirah villa.

After showering, he lay on the bed. He opened the system panel.

[Gold Search and Refining System 2.0 (Emergency Repairing)] [Host: Li Xin] [Level: Level 14 (Upgrading)] [Detection Range: 27,990 meters] [Current Cumulative Refined Gold: 0.5057 tons] [Smart AI Avatar: AI System (Online, slow response)] [transfer experience card x 1 (Triggered in special occasions)] [Cumulative Legal Assets: $56.9 billion, approximately 390.3 billion RMB.]

All the gold was sold. Only 0.5 tons remained in the space, kept as a souvenir. The artifacts were also all sold. Jewelry, silverware, gold coins, nothing left.

He closed the panel and stared at the ceiling.

His phone vibrated. A message from Chen Hu.

"Boss, the person in China who was investigating your assets has been found."

Li Xin's fingers paused. "Who?"

"Wang Ming."

He stared at this name for a long time.

This jerk Wang Ming, he really is relentless.

"Find a way to get him sent to Africa to mine. Give him a few steamed buns a day, let him have nothing better to do, let him be a live-in son-in-law over there."

"Understood, I'll find someone to deal with him right away."

Li Xin threw his phone on the bedside table and turned over.

The sound of the waves outside the window was rhythmic.

He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Li Xin boarded a flight back to China.

The plane was chartered, a Gulfstream G650, flying directly from Dubai to Shenzhen. He leaned back against the seat, watching the clouds outside the window. Dubai got smaller and smaller, finally disappearing beneath the sea of clouds.

He remembered the first time he came to Dubai. Flying economy class, staying in a small hotel, trembling with fear when selling 9 kilograms of gold. Now, he was flying on a private jet, staying in his own villa, selling hundreds of tons of gold without batting an eye.

Total assets now exceeded $56.9 billion.

Now he should optimize asset allocation and establish a stable cash flow system.

Shenzhen, I'm back.