Diamond Candy

Chapter 34: Sierra Leone Star

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The windows of the Rolls-Royce were very dark, and it was late at night, so the people in the car could not be seen clearly from the outside.

Although he was extremely eager for the face in front of him, the agreement with his mother-in-law was a binding promise. Only a man who could keep his promise could maintain a longer-term future.

Zhou Qinyao smiled secretly, pressed the remote control car curtain, looked away from Tang You's face, and whispered: "Let's go."

Xiao Lu: "Okay."

He followed her silently and left without saying a word, which made Tang You very upset.

“…How could there be such a person?”

Cheng Xuan came over and asked her what was going on. Tang You told her the whole story. Cheng Xuan was shocked for a long time and asked quietly:

"Yes, yes. You won't be so bombarded with sugar-coated bullets from this overbearing CEO that you forget about Brother Yao, right?"

Tang You immediately opened her eyes wide: "How is that possible?"

Her heart was pounding, she felt a little excited and a little depressed.

It has been eight months, and there is still no news about Zhou Qinyao, and no one knows when he will be back.

He sighed depressedly and handed the bag containing the rabbit to Cheng Xuan - "You can give it to someone else."

Cheng Xuan was stunned: "Boss Ba finally caught the rabbit for you? You didn't even keep any?"

Tang You shook his head and looked into the distance, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes: "… He didn't help me catch it."

Cheng Xuan: “…”

Here, Zhou Qinyao’s new brand is being prepared in full swing, and everything is being done in secret.

In order to build momentum for him, Zhou Yan found an advertising company and wrote a melodramatic soft article with a vivid title, "The Battle for the Property Between the Crown Prince and the Second Wife of the Zhou Family". The article vividly described how Wu Meng became the mistress and ruined the family business, and how Zhou Zhan turned the tide and turned decay into magic.

A PR article in the style of a friend sparked a huge discussion and attention on Weibo. Everyone's original dislike for Moon turned into sympathy and curses against the mistress, and then successfully turned into expectations and admiration for Zhou Zhan himself.

The words used in this article were extremely exaggerated, and overnight, all the young women in Haicheng knew that there was a young bachelor named Zhou Zhan.

Zhou Qinyao opposed Zhou Yan's actions at first. No matter how you put it, it is not a good thing to make family disgrace public. This method is what Wu Meng likes.

But Zhou Yan told him that this is called giving someone a taste of their own medicine.

Zhou Qinyao knew that he knew his limits, so he simply didn't ask him any questions.

Sure enough, after this soft article appeared, Wu Meng suffered a huge impact. She had to wear sunglasses when going out, and the rich ladies didn't like to pay much attention to her anymore.

She was very angry and ashamed. She had already lost face by being kicked out of the company, but she told others that she was only helping to manage the company. When the company ran into problems, she pushed a deputy manager out, saying that the man did not supervise well enough.

Everyone has always believed that she was the hard-working second wife of the Zhou family, but they didn't expect that such a bloody drama would happen in such a wealthy family.

One night, Zhou Qinyao received a call from Wu Meng. She spoke in a harsh tone and asked him to go home and give an explanation about the soft article.

It just so happened that Zhou Qinyao’s new brand would be released soon, and he was going to go back for a visit, so he simply fulfilled her wish and returned to the Zhou family villa.

Zhou Qinyao hasn't been back here for almost three years. All his past memories have been wiped out by those unpleasant things, and he feels unfamiliar with this home.

Especially after being occupied by Wu Meng, he felt even more disgusted.

When Zhou Qinyao came back, Zhou Zelin and Wu Meng were having dinner.

Zhou Zelin hadn't seen his son for a long time, and the two were speechless for a while. When they had quarreled before, he angrily announced that he would break off his relationship with his son, but now that he was back, no one mentioned that matter again.

Zhou Qinyao sat on the sofa and threw a document onto the table with an indifferent expression.

"I'm very busy. I'll leave once you sign this agreement."

He said this to Zhou Zelin, but Wu Meng took the initiative to walk over and pick it up to look at it with confusion.

Share transfer certificate

In the agreement, Zhou Zelin's 63% shares in the company will be automatically transferred to Zhou Qinyao, who will return the shares to Zhou Zelin in cash at the current share price.

Wu Meng was only slightly stunned for a moment before reacting: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Qinyao: "Don't you know what I mean?"

Wu Meng's face turned pale: "You..."

At this time, Zhou's stocks were worthless. Zhou Qinyao bought all the shares. No matter how much money the company made in the future, Zhou Zelin would not get a penny. In other words,

It’s not Wu Meng and Zhou Rui’s turn to get anything.

This is definitely Zhou Qinyao’s company.

"I object!" Wu Meng disagreed at all. "Old Zhou, what does your eldest son mean? He didn't even leave some soup for us mother and son?"

Zhou Zelin didn't say anything.

After a moment's silence, he raised his head and said in a negotiating tone:

"How about leaving some for Xiao Rui?"

Zhou Qinyao looked at his father, whose spirit had declined greatly. He recalled the frightened look of the two-year-old child he saw in the hospital that day, and a trace of pity flashed through his heart.

But it was just a trace, not overwhelming.

"Okay." He agreed straightforwardly, "Give him the change."

"Fractions?" Wu Meng was incredulous: "3%?... Zhou Zhan, don't go too far!"

"You think it's too little?" Zhou Qinyao said coldly. He raised his head and looked at her with clear eyes: "Then I can take it back."

Wu Meng: “…”

While still thinking of the wording of his objection, Zhou Zelin had already started signing.

She felt a chill in her heart, knowing that she had no choice, and finally had to accept the 3% with a lick of shame.

But he still did not forget to sneer: "Then I wish you smooth sailing."

Zhou Qinyao: "You don't have to worry about whether I'm doing well or not."

The exchange of glances between them conceals so many silent blades and sword edges.

In the end, Zhou Qinyao successfully transferred the company to his own name.

Zhou Rui holds a 3% stake. If Wu Meng doesn't cause any trouble for the rest of his life, he can live a stable life with his son's 3% stake.

After completing all of this, Zhou Qinyao began the next step before the product was launched, which was to find a decent spokesperson.

Previously, Moon was negotiating with the popular movie star Jiang Ding to be its spokesperson, but after that incident, not only Jiang Ding, but even several other stars who were under contract at the time asked for termination of the contract and compensation.

Now that he has launched a new brand, he doesn’t know how it will perform in the market. Zhou Yan has tried to meet with several celebrity artists, but none of them dared to give it a try.

After careful consideration, Zhou Qinyao decided to visit Jiang Ding in person.

As long as he agrees to continue endorsing his new brand, it will inevitably guide the public's attention to the new brand.

The meeting with Jiang Ding was scheduled for a weekend. The big movie star was very busy with work and could only spare an hour for the meeting on Sunday afternoon.

Zhou Qinyao's assistant arranged a meeting for them at a cafe.

This cafe is located in the city center, with a nice environment and some decent customers.

The assistant made an appointment for a closed booth on the second floor, which had good privacy. Zhou Qinyao went straight to the second floor from the underground parking lot. After sitting for a while, Jiang Dingcai arrived, looking exhausted and wearing sunglasses and a mask.

He sat down and apologized nonchalantly: "Sorry, Mr. Zhou, I'm five minutes late."

Zhou Qinyao smiled faintly: "It doesn't matter."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Ding was stunned for a moment, then raised his head and took off his sunglasses.

After a long pause, he seemed to come to his senses: "Why is it you...?"

"Yeah." Since Zhou Qinyao had decided to find him in person, he had expected his identity to be exposed: "It's me."

Jiang Ding was surprised: "You are not..."

Zhou Qinyao had no choice but to simply tell him what he and his mother-in-law had agreed on, and finally said:

"The new brand hasn't been launched yet. I hope you can keep it a secret for me for now."

Jiang Ding seemed to have just heard a story. He took a long time to come back to his senses before he burst out laughing:

"I was wondering why Aunt Fang insisted that I agree to your company's endorsement request. Her own company wasn't that interested. It turns out that this relationship is the reason."

Zhou Qinyao also knew that his mother-in-law had a lot of involvement in this matter, so he smiled silently: "Do you agree?"

Jiang Ding took a sip of coffee and thought for a while: "It's useless for me to agree. I need a partner to shoot the commercial together."

What he said was true, but the Moon incident happened not too long ago. Not to mention the first-tier actresses, even the few second-tier female artists Zhou Yan had contacted recently all stayed away and were afraid to accept Zhou's endorsements.

Zhou Qinyao asked Jiang Ding: "Or do you have anyone to recommend?"

Jiang Ding didn't speak for a long time.

He was lost in thought as he stared at a certain place. Zhou Qinyao followed his gaze and looked over there.

There was a slight noise coming from downstairs, as if something unpleasant had happened.

Zhou Qinyao was stunned when he saw it.

Cheng Xuan was wearing the waiter's uniform and holding a tray in his hand. For some reason he got into an argument with a customer.

Cheng Xuan had not said anything at first, but the man was addicted to scolding her. She was not a good-tempered person to begin with, so she immediately became unhappy.

Just as the dispute was about to escalate, the chair in front of Zhou Qinyao made a harsh friction sound against the ground.

Looking back, Jiang Ding said with a dark face: "That's it for today. I'll let you know later."

He hurriedly left the booth.

Zhou Qinyao wanted to follow, but because of his special identity, he had to watch the situation downstairs from the second floor.

The guest was about to hit Cheng Xuan, but Jiang Ding, who was walking downstairs, grabbed his hand from the side and said, "Have you had enough of this?"

After he finished speaking, he also looked at Cheng Xuan.

Cheng Xuan was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head guiltily.

When the customer saw that it was Jiang Ding, he knew that this national movie star was not easy to mess with. If he wasn't careful, he would be doxed by his fans on the headlines. He gave up awkwardly and said, "It's my bad luck."

He threw a wad of money on the table and left angrily.

Jiang Ding had no intention of pursuing the matter. He left the first floor with Cheng Xuan with a very unhappy look on his face.

Zhou Qinyao noticed subtle clues from the brief eye contact between them. After a pause, he seemed to have thought of something, put out the cigarette in his hand, and a determined smile appeared in his eyes.

After straightening his suit, he paid the bill and went down the side stairs. The cafe did not have an underground parking lot, so Xiao Lu parked his car at the entrance of the cafe and waited for him.

Zhou Qinyao was just about to push the door when someone happened to come in. It was a girl.

She was talking on the phone with her head down, not noticing Zhou Qinyao's position.

Zhou Qinyao recognized Tang You at first sight.

He had no room to dodge at the time, and his mind instantly turned over thousands of possible first sentences to say after meeting each other, but just when he was ready, he never expected -

Tang You was really concentrating on the call and didn't even notice when she passed him.

The door is closed.

The girl also went in.

Zhou Qinyao: “…”

The excitement was suddenly extinguished by a basin of cold water.

Looking back, the little girl should be looking for Cheng Xuan. Zhou Qinyao saw her talking to the waiter for a few words and then walking towards the exit.

At this time, Zhou Qinyao had calmed down and left immediately.

But just as he raised his foot, he accidentally saw something reflecting light on the ground.

He was stunned—it was the necklace he gave to Tang You before leaving.

Guessing that Tang You must have dropped it accidentally when the two of them passed by each other just now, Zhou Qinyao quickly bent down to pick it up and left silently.

Time passed quietly, and half a month later, Cheng Xuan was unexpectedly chosen as the spokesperson for Zhou's new brand, partnering with movie emperor Jiang Ding.

All this seemed like a dream to her. After returning from filming the commercial, she excitedly told Tang You:

"That new brand is really nice, very girly. The brand's father also gave me a pair of its flagship style. Do you think it looks good?"

Tang You glanced at the necklace around her neck perfunctorily.

This is a star-themed pendant. The main stone is a small diamond, and it is inlaid with several small diamonds around it. It looks like a starry sky. It is simple and luxurious, and indeed very beautiful.

For some reason, Tang You inexplicably recalled the night when she and Zhou Qinyao watched the stars on Mingtai Mountain.

The sky was filled with stars that night as well.

Zhou Qinyao is the brightest star in her heart.

Thinking of this, Tang You felt even sadder.

Cheng Xuan noticed that she was unhappy and asked, "Why, haven't you found the necklace that Brother Yao gave you yet?"

Tang You shook his head, "I've searched all the places I often go to, but I can't find it..."

She rubbed her hair in annoyance. "I've posted lost and found notices everywhere, asking me to give any amount of money or do anything. I just hope the person who found it will return it to me."

Cheng Xuan patted her shoulder comfortingly, "I will be back."

The necklace that she was most nervous about was lost. Tang You had been depressed about this for a long time, and Cheng Xuan didn't know how to comfort her.

I had to change the subject to distract my good friend: "By the way, that boss Zhou Zhan who's pursuing you is really mysterious. He didn't even show up during the filming. It was all his cousin who followed up."

"oh."

"Do you know what the new brand they launched is called?"

Tang You was not interested: "I don't know, and I don't want to know."

"But I have a feeling that he named it for you!"

"… "

Tang You looked up at her, his eyes seemed to be saying, "Don't join in the fun and make a fuss."

However, Cheng Xuan handed over his phone.

"If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself."

Cheng Xuan casually clicked on a video, which was the first shot of the advertisement, sent to her by Jiang Ding.

Since the button had been clicked, Tang You had no choice but to look over.

Jiang Ding and Cheng Xuan were photographed in a very dreamy and elegant manner, looking like a perfect couple. The background music was not as grand and luxurious as that of ordinary jewelry brands, but had a fresh and sweet style, which made people feel friendly and warm.

The jewelry they wear is also much more fashionable than Moon's previous styles.

It is no exaggeration to say that even Tang You, who was not very interested in diamonds, could not help but be attracted to them.

When the video reached the end, the words in the center of the screen made Tang You's eyes pause.

The picture is a simple English word, which is also Zhou's new brand -

you

Then, a small line of font appeared below—

I just want to have you for myself.

This you can mean both "you" and "have". Cheng Xuan's statement that it is related to himself is not completely groundless.

But Tang You felt that it was just a coincidence.

However, that explicit and straightforward slogan still made her face blush and feel hot, and she looked away awkwardly.

Just then, my cell phone rang.

Tang You just used the excuse to avoid Cheng Xuan's topic and turned to read the new text message he received -

Miss Tang, is this the necklace you dropped

The accompanying picture is the necklace that Zhou Qinyao gave to Tang You.

Tang You was stunned for a moment, and her heartbeat jumped several times in an instant. Surprised, she immediately looked up at the text message number. The last digit of the consecutive number made her feel familiar. After a few seconds, she remembered something and left the text message record with Zhou Yan uncertainly. She saw the sentence he sent: My cousin's number is...

Tang You suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

Damn it, how could it have fallen there...?!

The author has something to say: Mr. Zhou: I heard that some people would do anything for a necklace. I have some ideas.

Youyou Little White Rabbit:…

———

◎ The Star of Sierra Leone is a high-quality gem-grade diamond. It was discovered on February 14, 1972 in the river alluvial sand mine in the Kono area of Sierra Leone, West Africa. It weighs 968.90 ct, has an incomplete, egg-shaped crystal, and is colorless and transparent.

On June 30, 1972, the central sales agency of Debeers in London appraised the "Sierra Leone Star" diamond and concluded that it was no less than 1 million pounds. After careful design, the "Sierra Leone Star" diamond was cut, processed and polished into 17 diamonds. The "Sierra Leone Star" diamond is the world's largest gem-quality diamond ever found in a placer.

In October 1988, at the New York diamond market, the Starsierra Leone-2 diamond was bought by a wealthy man for a high price of US$3.52 million.