Chapter 318
Richard gently touched the scar on his arm and then smiled. “I don’t know.”
‘Alright, is there anything else that you need?” Richard didn’t want to talk about the past anymore, so he changed the subject.
Pearl touched her chin in thought. “We need a five-hundred-year-old ginkgo, but that’s only available during the auction. We need to wait till nighttime.”
Richard looked around. “Are you hungry? Let’s grab something to eat.
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The black market was like a small business street selling all kinds of food and toys, except the prices were alarming.
Pearl checked the menu and was taken aback by the prices, particularly when she saw that a bowl of ramen cost twenty dollars. “They could have just robbed us for the money, but now I have to decide what to eat and at what price.”
She didn’t blink when she had to pay 141 thousand dollars for medicine, but she was now calling twenty dollars for a meal a robbery.
Pearl decided to order a bowl of ramen, but as she handed the menu back, she saw someone familiar. ‘Isn’t that… Hugo?’
But wasn’t Hugo in Enswood? What was he doing here?
She couldn’t let him find out that Richard was there, so Pearl quickly came up with a plan. She retrieved two pairs of sunglasses from her bag, put one on herself, and handed the other to Richard.
“Hugo is here. Put these on.”
Richard quickly donned the sunglasses and lowered his voice. “What’s he doing here?” He had indeed noticed Hugo, but he wasn’t entirely certain. Now it seems to be confirmed.
“Why else? Probably for the auction. Do you think Hugo is here for the ginkgo too?” Pearl began to worry.
“It’s fine, we have enough money.” Richard was confident about that.
“It’s not just about the money. If Hugo does anything, it could be hard for us to get the ginkgo.
”
Pearl thought about it and came up with a brilliant plan.
During the auction, Pearl scanned the room and spotted Hugo seated not far from them, engrossed in something. His subtle smile made her worry.
The initial auction items didn’t pique Pearl’s interest, but Richard was enthusiastic and purchased a few pieces of jewelry for her.
Luckily, Richard had a cold that day, which altered his voice. Hugo couldn’t recognize him due to the different vocal tone.
Soon, the time came for the most important item-the ginkgo.
Pearl’s heart raced with excitement when she laid eyes on the ginkgo encased in a glass
insulation box.
“Five-hundred-year-old ginkgo. Starting price- 1 million dollars.”
Hugo made a bid, and Richard followed suit, adding a mere dollar to each subsequent bid. It was as though he were deliberately toying with Hugo.
Hugo took notice of this peculiar bidder and glanced around the room.
Pearl lowered her head, and Richard, wearing the sunglasses, remained incognito in the dimly lit venue. Hugo couldn’t make out their identities.
Hugo scrutinized them for a moment, then looked away.
The bidding continued. Initially, there were other bidders, but as the price climbed, they
dropped out, leaving only Richard and Hugo in the running.
Hugo seemed to be losing patience, announcing loudly, “I’ll pay 150 million dollars.’
