Chapter 567: Necklace, Photo, Bonds

Two and a half hours later, a soft knock came at the office door.

Led by Su Mansu, the travel-worn Ma Da and Ji Yu walked in one after another, with Ji Yu carrying a black locked case.

“Young Mistress, we’re back.”

Liu Yutong rose from behind her desk and walked to the reception area, gesturing for them to sit.

Su Mansu picked up the purple clay teapot from the table, poured tea for the three of them, then left the office.

“Good work. First time abroad—how was it?” Liu Yutong asked.

Ji Yu still had his usual simple and honest look. He scratched his head and said, “The food out there was terrible. Don’t want to go again.”

Liu Yutong: “That bad?”

At that, Ma Da couldn’t hold back his complaints.

“Young Mistress, not just bad—truly awful!”

“The first couple days, I thought cheese and bread were pretty novel, but by day three, I started wondering if foreigners have stomachs made of iron? Every meal was either meat between bread or bread between meat, or else some kind of mush. I wanted a bowl of hot noodle soup, but couldn’t find one after searching half the street. Finally found a restaurant claiming to have Eastern flavors, but they served this sticky, sickly-sweet mess they called fried noodles. I nearly thought the chef had mistaken sugar for salt.”

Liu Yutong couldn’t help laughing: “Why not find a better restaurant? I gave you plenty for expenses, didn’t I?”

“Heh, mainly couldn’t bear to. The prices over there are ridiculous.”

“Young Mistress, you have no idea how high the prices are. A single bottle of water costs what a whole case does here. That nonsense fried noodle dish alone cost me nearly fifty euros. I did the math—that’s enough for twenty top-tier beef noodle bowls in Pearl City, plus two roujiamo,” Ma Da said.

Ji Yu nodded beside him: “Yeah, and it wasn’t even good!”

Liu Yutong waved a hand: “Alright, alright. I know you both suffered. I’ll have the kitchen prepare a feast to properly reward your stomachs.”

“Thank you, Young Mistress!” the two thanked in unison.

Ma Da had Ji Yu place the locked case on the table: “Young Mistress, open it now?”

Liu Yutong nodded: “Open it.”

Ma Da immediately entered the combination. With a crisp click, the lid popped open.

Inside were several well-preserved kraft paper envelopes containing documents. Besides those, there were three gold bars and a stunning necklace. Its pendant featured an 11.28-carat red diamond set within a dragon-scale clasp.

Liu Yutong knew it was a red diamond because the box contained a description. The necklace was named Dragon Dawn, and its main gemstone was an extremely rare natural red diamond. The original stone weighed 23.06 carats, and after cutting still retained 11.28 carats.

If she remembered correctly, the largest known natural red diamond in the world didn’t even approach this size.

She vaguely recalled reading news about the world’s largest natural red diamond being exhibited abroad—it was less than six carats, yet valued at over twenty million USD, and that was already considered priceless.

If this necklace truly was a natural red diamond, it would become a new world record, worth at least a hundred million, and in USD at that.

“Young Mistress, this necklace truly suits you. Listen to the name—Dragon Dawn, what a beautiful name,” Ma Da flattered.

Liu Yutong smiled faintly but said nothing.

She truly loved this necklace, falling for it at first sight, especially that dazzling shade of red—it was truly eye-catching.

Still, she planned to have it verified by a professional institution, just in case. After all, a red diamond this size had never been seen before. If it turned out to be imitation, wearing it would become a joke.

Then, she opened the aged kraft paper envelope.

Inside was a two-million USD cashier’s check, an old photograph, a paper document, a stack of bearer bonds, and several share certificates.

However, she could only grasp the general picture. The bearer bonds and share certificates seemed related to a foreign company named MapperLithOgraphy.

She’d never heard of this company—it fell squarely in her blind spot.

“Did you hear anything while abroad?” she suddenly asked, looking up at Ma Da and Ji Yu.

Both shook their heads.

“Young Mistress, per your instructions, we only retrieved the items. We didn’t dare ask around.”

Liu Yutong nodded. They’d done right. These items were extremely valuable—caution was wise.

“Assistant Su, come in,” she pressed the intercom.

Su Mansu quickly entered.

“Boss!”

“Make a copy of this document and secure the original. Then have someone investigate this MapperLithOgraphy company using the copy. Find out what they do—their background, main business, technological capabilities, market position, and current financial status. I want details.”

“Yes, boss.” Su Mansu took the envelope and hurried out.

Liu Yutong’s gaze returned to the Dragon Dawn necklace. That intense red, reflected in the light, was breathtakingly beautiful.

She then closed the locked case and pushed it to the edge of the table.

“Ma Da, contact a jewelry appraisal firm. Have them send a professional to authenticate this necklace.”

“Yes, Young Mistress.” Ma Da nodded. He and Ji Yu relocked the case and left with the necklace.

After they left, Liu Yutong picked up the yellowed old photo again. She settled on the sofa, sipping tea as she studied it.

The background looked like an industrial lab or workshop from over a decade ago. Several people were in the frame.

In the center was a middle-aged Chinese man, flanked by a foreign man and woman who appeared close. She wondered if it was her poor facial recognition, but the foreign man looked somewhat familiar.

However, she wasn’t particularly interested in their identities—it had nothing to do with her anyway.

She placed the photo, the two-million-dollar check, and the gold bars in the office safe, then left the company.

The next day.

In one of Pearl City’s core business districts, gongs and drums thundered while colorful flags fluttered.

The first major shopping plaza under the Wanlong Society banner, Wanlong Plaza, officially opened its doors.

……..

PS: Progress has been a bit slow, as I’ve been trying to make the plot development reasonable and doing lots of research. Verifying information takes considerable time—there’s so much I don’t know that I need to look up, otherwise it doesn’t write well. For those who prefer to wait and binge-read, feel free to let chapters accumulate. Thank you all for the gifts! Much appreciated!!