Chapter 58: Pink Star

  Time flies, and it's already 10 o'clock in the evening. The atmosphere at the auction site is getting more and more enthusiastic. The host said with great enthusiasm, "Next up for auction are the last two items of this auction. First, we have this pair of couple rings."

  As the host introduced, a model walked up to the host with a tray, on which was placed a pair of dazzling diamond rings. The host began to introduce: "This pair of diamond rings is provided by De Beers, originating from Botswana, Africa. Before cutting and polishing, the original stones weighed 58 carats and 61 carats respectively. After nearly two months of hard work by 10 senior technicians at the Antwerp Diamond Cutting Center in Belgium, they were finally cut and polished into these two brilliant diamonds, set on platinum rings. The women's ring weighs 11.1 carats and the men's ring weighs 12.11 carats, both meeting the perfect 4C standard. This is the best gift to give to your loved one! Now let's start the bidding, this pair of couple rings starts at $1.39 million! Each bid must be at least $50,000!"

  As soon as the host's voice fell, someone shouted "1.5 million!" A handsome Asian man with a refined face and attire raised his own sign. The beautiful woman sitting next to him, dressed in elegant attire, was about to burst out laughing, tightly holding onto the handsome guy's hand. The handsome guy smiled lightly at his companion, patted her hand, and was about to say something when another bid interrupted him "1.55 million!" The handsome guy's face immediately fell.

  At this time, in the VIP room on the second floor, Gao Yang, who had been leaning against the sofa with his legs raised and watching the excitement, suddenly straightened up. His left hand supported his chin and his eyes stared intently at the couple's ring on the big screen. Standing beside him, Stock was thoughtful when the host announced the last two auction items, but now seeing Gao Yang's movement, his eyebrows moved slightly, and he quietly walked towards the phone.

  "1.8 million!" "1.95 million!" "2 million!" "2.2 million!" The bidding below was getting higher and higher, the competition was becoming more intense. At this time, the handsome man who was looked at by his female companion with a pleading gaze gritted his teeth and shouted loudly "2.5 million!" The auction hall suddenly became quiet for a moment, and finally, a satisfied smile appeared on the handsome man's face.

  "Hey!" Gao Yang couldn't help but laugh, this number is really interesting. After laughing for a while, he saw the host start shouting 25 million for the first time. Gao Yang turned his head to look at Stoke and said softly "30 million." Stoke nodded and picked up the phone.

  The host had already picked up the hammer when he shouted "25 million" for the second time. The handsome man had sat down calmly, turned his head to look at his female companion with a smile all over his face and said "Dear..." At this moment, one of the telephone bidders shouted "30 million!"

  The handsome guy's next words were forcibly choked back and couldn't be spoken, his face turned black like coal, almost bursting into a loud scolding. His female companion grabbed his hand, shaking it back and forth while coquettishly shouting "I want, I want!"

  The handsome guy's facial expression was extremely colorful at this moment, and when the host shouted 30 million for the second time, he finally gritted his teeth and raised the sign "305 million!" After finishing, he stared at the telephone operator. The telephone operator did not disappoint him and quickly picked up the phone, and after putting it down, he shouted to the host "350 million!" The handsome guy tightly closed his mouth, sitting quietly, and the expression on his face made his female companion dare not speak again.

  The host shouted for the third time before deliberately glancing at the handsome guy, and after seeing that he had no reaction at all, he swiftly brought down the hammer. In the VIP room on the second floor, Gao Yang picked up a pack of cigarettes from the tea table.

  He used to wear a couple's ring before, but threw it away after that incident. Now buying this pair of rings "The past is over. I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely won't fail again!" Gao Yang said in a low voice, the whole box of cigarettes was crushed.

  The host on the stage, flushed with excitement, loudly announced, "Now, we will auction off the last and best item of this auction!" He turned around and pointed to a model below the stage. The model walked up to the host, holding a tray in her hands. On the large screen behind them, the auction item was revealed: a gigantic pink diamond!

  The host began an emotional and vivid introduction to this pink diamond. This 59.6-carat, internally flawless oval-cut pink diamond, named the "Pink Star," is considered a true marvel of nature. It was discovered in Africa in 1999 and took two years for a team of skilled craftsmen from the De Beers company to cut and polish it into its current form from a rough stone weighing 132.5 carats.

  The whole audience was shocked, this is a truly rare treasure. The handsome guy's companion had heart-shaped eyes, and her expression was as if she wanted to swallow this pink star into her belly!

  At this time, Stock revealed a sudden expression, walked to Gao Yang's side, slightly bowed and smiled, saying "Sir, this is their true purpose."

  Gao Yang had just taken out a pack of cigarettes and was about to open it when he heard Stock's words, his hands paused for a moment, and his heart skipped a beat. He then continued to unwrap the cigarette box, took out a cigarette, lit it up, and looked at Stock with a hint of a smile, saying "I didn't see this diamond on the map before, what's going on? Tell me."

  "Ah, sir," Stock said with a light laugh, "this pink diamond is called the Pink Star. In 2013, it was auctioned off by Sotheby's for $83 million. However, Isaac Wolf, who bought the diamond, refused to pay! Sotheby's has been in a lawsuit with Mr. Wolf for two years until they recently settled out of court. This time, Sotheby's invited you here, probably hoping that you would be interested in this diamond."

  Gao Yang gently rubbed his brow, blowing out a smoke ring as he looked at Stok and said, "How did they know I could take out $83 million?" Stok smiled and said, "Sir, your oil business is well-known to many people. The Koreans didn't deliberately conceal this transaction. For the well-informed Sotheby's, you should be their first choice to promote this diamond, after all, its price is less than your weekly income."

  Gaoyang glanced at Stock sideways and twitched the corner of his mouth, saying "Why are you telling me now?"

  "Sir, I only felt something was off when the host said there were two more items up for auction. You used $3 million to take down that pair of lover's rings, which isn't Sotheby's style. It wasn't until they brought out this diamond that I understood what was going on and immediately reported back to you."

  At this time, the host was still tirelessly introducing the diamond, without any intention of starting the auction. Gaoyang's mouth twitched and he already understood.

  "Knock knock knock." The sound of knocking on the door rang out. Gaoyang nodded to the bodyguard, and one of them stepped forward to open the door.

  The door was opened and Manager Rong walked in with a smile on his face, slightly bowing his head and saying "Mr. Gao..." Gao Yang stretched out his hand to stop him from continuing. "Haven't you arranged for someone to quote the price?" Rong was taken aback, not knowing what to say. Gao Yang extinguished his cigarette and chuckled, saying "What's the bottom line?"

  Rong Ge swallowed his saliva, and with a solemn expression on his face, he said "61 million US dollars." After finishing, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and continued to say "This is the deposit our company paid to De Beers, as well as other additional fees. For this auction item, Sotheby's didn't make any money."

  He stood up, adjusted his clothes, walked to the front of Rong Ge, patted his shoulder and smiled: "I have money, but I don't want to be a scapegoat. This diamond is mine, 61 million US dollars, not one cent more! Go tell the person who can make decisions! And this matter, I don't want anyone to know!" After finishing speaking, he slowly left the box, followed closely by Stock and the bodyguards.

  Rong Ge saw off Gao Yang and his group as they left, touched the Mediterranean on his own head, and hurriedly ran out.

  At this time, the auctioneer was still boasting about the diamond on stage, but his eyes kept glancing at the telephone operator. Soon, an operator picked up the phone, and the auctioneer's eyes lit up instantly.

  The telephone operator hung up the phone and nodded to the host. The host immediately said, "Okay, this diamond is sold, thank you all for participating, today's auction is over." After finishing speaking, he hastily left. The crowd below the stage burst into a loud noise, and the handsome man's companion tightly grasped his arm and shouted, "Diamond! Diamond!"

  At this time, Gao Yang had already boarded the bus to head to the right bank of the Rhone River. At this point in time, it was getting late and Gao Yang didn't want to rush back to Bern at night, so he let Stock arrange for accommodations. Stock contacted the ultra-luxurious five-star hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which is one of Switzerland's most renowned luxury hotels. The reason why Stock chose this hotel was because among all the five-star hotels in Geneva, only this hotel had an ultra-luxurious suite available for check-in!

  It wasn't long before Gao Yang and his entourage arrived at the Rong Cultural Oriental Hotel. Stok quickly took care of everything, and under the escort of the hotel manager, Gao Yang took a private elevator in the lobby to enter the luxurious suite on the top floor directly.

  The hotel's balcony offers a beautiful view of Lake Geneva and the Alps. The surrounding area is Geneva's shopping district and financial district, with bright lights and bustling crowds.

  Stoke walked lightly to Gao Yang's side and said, "Sir, the water therapy massage service at the Oriental Culture Hotel is very famous. Do you need it?" "Oh." Gao Yang turned around and stroked his chin, saying "Is that so? Then go try it out, you arrange it."

  Ten minutes later, Gao Yang arrived at the hydrotherapy area accompanied by Stoke. After taking a sauna, he came to the massage area and received professional massage services from a technician.

  It's indeed professional, whether it's technique or strength, it's all well-balanced, and after the massage, Gao Yang felt refreshed throughout his body.

  Stoke and the bodyguards were waiting outside. After Gao Yang came out, he followed Gao Yang back to the hall and prepared to take the private elevator back to his room. Suddenly a commotion broke out in the corridor on the way back to the hall.

  Gao Yang slightly furrowed his brow, he heard it was a national curse. After thinking for a moment, he turned around and walked towards the noisy area. Stock hastily gestured to the bodyguards, two of whom quickly stepped forward to shield Gao Yang.