Chapter 468 - 286: I’m the Real Fool for Love

Chapter 468: Chapter 286: I’m the Real Fool for Love

Before coming to Dongnya’s home, Lin Chu had worried if there might be any unpleasantness.

For example, an unreliable dad, a disapproving brother, a difficult grandmother, a gold-digging mom... things like that.

But after staying here for two days, everything was fine.

He was the most honored guest.

Even when he ate an apple, her mother would peel it and hand it to him. Lin Chu even suspected that if he so much as said a word, she might feed him.

It was plain as day that they were very happy with him.

As the old saying goes, a son-in-law is a guest of honor.

The family had strong values, a certain primal warmth and sincerity, along with the kindness and comfort of a traditional home.

It was hard to say why.

Perhaps it was his accomplishments, how much their daughter treasured him, or simply their own good upbringing and character...

In short, Lin Chu was very pleased with it all.

By the time he left, Lin Chu even felt a little reluctant to go.

But he still had to go.

「Moscow’s Pushkin International Airport.」

For the first time, Lin Chu saw Dongnya’s face streaked with tears. They fell like pearls from a broken string and had barely stopped since they arrived at the airport.

This intense display of sorrow left Lin Chu both exasperated and touched, and a quiet sense of tenderness welled up inside him.

’What’s there to cry about?’

’It’s just a temporary separation, but she’s acting like it’s a life-or-death parting.’

’It’s as if I’m some scumbag about to abandon her.’

He was going back to his country, and she couldn’t join him just yet—there were issues with her documents and with timing. Of course, none of these problems were difficult to solve. They just required time.

She was still in school, and Lin Chu didn’t think she should give up her studies to go with him.

And yet...

All she did was cry.

The Siberian tigress hadn’t just turned into a meek kitten; she’d become a fool, crying her eyes out over love.

As he wiped her tears again and again, a smile inevitably played on his lips while he whispered comforting words.

"Alright, alright. It’s my birthday next month. Why don’t you come see me then, okay? We can pick a place to visit. Anywhere you want to go?"

Lin Chu gently pinched her delicate nose, his tone like one used to coax a child.

Sure enough, that did the trick.

Dongnya’s tears stopped abruptly, as if her tear ducts were fitted with an automatic switch. Teardrops clung to her long eyelashes, which fluttered twice.

"Really?"

Lin Chu gave a resigned smile and nodded. "Of course. No more crying now. Give me a smile."

She wiped her tears away with the backs of both hands and broke into a smile as bright as a spring day.

Even after he’d boarded the plane, the memory of that moment brought a smile to his face and filled his heart with an indescribable sweetness.

But...

Now the pressure was on him.

’How am I going to handle the other women?’

’This isn’t really something I have to explain to her. With the resources I have now, there are countless ways to keep her in the dark.’

’But it is something I have to answer for to myself.’

As the plane soared tens of thousands of meters high, Lin Chu’s thoughts drifted far away.

’Every mark time has left on me is irreversible. The past has made me who I am today, and now, I have to pay the price for everything that has happened.’

...

Today, he would fly from Moscow to the Imperial Capital, rest there for a night, and then fly to Peng City tomorrow.

He had a flight of several hours ahead, so Lin Chu was prepared to kill some time. He took out his laptop and started reading the acquisition file You Shaoqiang had sent him.

—Acquiring a publicly traded company.

He hadn’t looked at this file yet. He wasn’t in any particular hurry, but now was the perfect time.

Hmm?

After reading the summary, Lin Chu’s eyes narrowed slightly. He couldn’t help but feel it was quite a coincidence.

This publicly traded company, named "Yellow River Hua Crystal," didn’t have a very high market capitalization—5.2 billion—but its industry was one that greatly interested Lin Chu.

Lab-grown diamonds.

For over a hundred years, the global diamond giant De Beers had reaped enormous profits from their lofty perch, all thanks to their slogan "A diamond is forever," which forcibly bound diamonds to the concept of love. That is, until this company from Henan successfully cultivated lab-grown diamonds, nearly toppling the natural diamond’s throne.

Their quality was identical; even the most sophisticated instruments couldn’t tell them apart.

After all, both are composed of carbon atoms.

The company had also achieved world-class standards in its cutting process.

When the product was first developed, it indirectly led to several cases where criminals passed off low-priced lab-grown diamonds as natural ones. Of course, the blame for such crimes shouldn’t fall on the diamonds themselves; it only served as proof that their quality was completely indistinguishable.

You Shaoqiang had taken an interest in this company. He felt it had promising prospects, not just for diamonds as jewelry, but also for the various industrial applications of the material.

He had already begun negotiations with the company’s chairman, preparing to acquire it for a reasonable price.

The acquisition itself wasn’t difficult; it was merely a matter of price.

"Diamonds..."

After reading the entire preliminary research file, Lin Chu shook his head and smiled. This was precisely what interested him.

’How cheap can industrial diamonds get?’

’Basically cheap enough to knock two zeros off the price tag.’

’It’s not that I want to go down the same old ’diamond ring’ path. As far as I’m concerned, that’s always been an idiot tax. I’m just thinking about how to use these sparkly little things to embellish my store’s existing product line.’