<h4>Chapter 918: Give Way For Friendship</h4>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    Next to James was a strong man as well. He stood two meters tall with arge bald head and a glum face.


    Li Du recognized the big man, Dundee Jones, an NBA role yer and the out-of-form star who owned the shoes in the warehouse he from a short time ago.


    Seeing the two men, Li Du guessed their intentions immediately.


    James was famous in the world of sports. He was the NBA king in one of the four major sports leagues in the United States. His nickname was “Little King” and he was great on the field.


    He had been more famous these past two years becausest year he’d “made a decision to bring talent to Miami” and left his former club to join the two stars for the championship.


    This year, however, he failed, drawing criticism and bing almost a national enemy of America.


    In thepetition, James was domineering, but in life, he was very modest. After shaking hands with Li Du, he politely introduced himself and did not assume that they should know him.


    As Li Du knew, James was one of the best businessmen in the NBA. He was known for his high emotional intelligence, better than Bryant, and had been praised for his personal and social life.


    When Li Du invited both of them into the vi, James was a little nervous. “Your dogs—are they all right?”


    As a sports star, he was very careful about his safety. If he was bitten by a dog and could not y, he would lose a lot of money.


    Knowing his scruples, Li Du waved to Ah Meow and shouted, “Take yourckeys to a ce where nobody will find them.”


    Ah Meow and hispanions got up, gave a few cheers and ran to the back of the vi.


    James and Jones looked at each other. Jones uttered, “Are you really a treasure hunter? Not a trainer? Part of the circus or the zoo?”


    Li Duughed. “Oh, no, it’s just that our animals are more intelligent. And of course, it has to do with how long we’ve been together.”


    James nodded in agreement. “Yes, I had a bulldog when I was a kid, and we spent two years together. When I yed rugby, he would fetch the ball for me, and it was great.”


    “And then?”


    “Then the poor kid had such arge appetite that my mother thought we couldn’t feed him anymore, and I gave him away,” James moaned.


    Many professional athletes in the United States had an unfortunate childhood, but Li Du also admired these people. Sometimes these children ate junk food all day, and sometimes they were hungry because junk food was not filling. But in their youth, they just needed to exercise, and they could build up muscle.


    Entering the vi quietly, James took a look around. He saw the helicopter and a thoughtful look crossed his face.


    After entering the sitting room, Brother Wolf and the others ying cards stood up and said, “Boss.”


    Li Du said, “You go y outside. The two gentlemen and I have some matters I want to discuss.”


    “Yes, boss.” Several big men followed him out.


    At this scene, James again cast him a thoughtful look.


    Jones couldn’t resist asking, “Are these your bodyguards?”


    “Bodyguards and staff. But we have a good rtionship, so they could have any identity,”ughed Li Du.


    Hearing this, Jones grumbled, “So the treasure collector is rich? I’ll do that when I retire.”


    “Wait till you retire,” said James. “It’s still early in your career. You stay in Das first. You can help me win some championship and then think about this.”


    Shrugging his shoulders, Jones said, “You’re the boss. I listen to you.”


    James was very self-disciplined. Sophie served coffee. While Jones took it, James thanked her but rejected the coffee politely and asked for a ss of water.


    After a few words, Li Du went into the main topic, asking, “You guys are after the sports shoes that I bought, aren’t you?”


    Jamesughed. “Yeah, that’s my buddy’s warehouse. Oh, I mean, it used to belong to my buddy. Due to some misunderstanding, you bought this warehouse. You know what I mean. We want to buy it back.”


    “I bought it just for business,” Li Du said. “The shoes were just sent here. I haven’t touched it yet. If both of you are willing to give a good price, I am willing to sell it.”


    James paused for a moment and asked, “What do you think of a price?”


    Li Du said, “Two million, right?”


    “Who did you ask to value it?” asked Jones in surprise.


    “I’m friends with Kobe, too, and when I talked about the shoes, I learned a few lessons from him about the price,” said Li Du with a casualugh.


    With an expression of disapproval, Jones said, “Kobe? Well, he did something great.”


    Li Du didn’t know what would happen in the NBA if he spoke openly about the situation. He would never guess what was going to happen, but he felt that Jones had a very weird attitude.


    James, who was younger than Jones, was much more skilled at controlling what he said. He gave Jones a stern look and told him not to talk.


    Then, James mused, “Two million. Maybe if you sell them separately you’ll get that price. But if we’re willing to ept the shoes as a whole, it’s not a reasonable price.”


    “I’ll be honest with you. These shoes were taken at a cost of 1.1 million dors. Including the workmanship and the transportation price, it was about 1.2 million.


    “I know what you’re trying to do,” Li Du continued. “You’re helping your brother buy these shoes back. I salute your brotherhood. So I can sell them to you if you just let me get a little profit. Then you can have your shoes back.”


    Jamesughed. “Thanks a lot, man. Your words have won my friendship.”


    Li Du said, “Make an offer. How much do you think you can give?”


    James motioned for him to wait a moment and then whispered a few words with Jones.


    At the end of the discussion, he asked, “Can I offer 1.6 million for a price that might be aggressive?”


    Li Duughed, “Yes, I am willing to ept 1.6 million dors. I can sell it for 100,000 dors less, as a reward for your friendship.”


    “1.5 million?” Jones asked cheerfully.


    Li Du nodded and said, “Yes, 1.5 million.”


    James stood and shook hands with Li Du. His expression was less businesslike, formal, and more sincere. “Thanks, brother. You’ve given me a lot of respect in this negotiation. I am happy to have a friend like you.”


    The hundreds of thousands of dors were nothing to Li Du. James’s friendship was more important. He and Kobe were the top superstars in the NBA. Being friends with them, he could open a new market in the NBA.


    The items in the warehouse could be a couple of dors, while the jewelry in the Harry-Winston group was more profitable, and the sports stars were many of the big customers in the jewelry industry.