Chapter 357 They Are All Fakes
When Joshua spoke up, everyone just laughed.
"With our budget? No way they'd be interested."
"Yeah, they don't even need our money. We should look at smaller companies that haven't blown up yet."
"Exactly, it's like betting on who'll make it big."
Joshua scratched his head. "Really? I thought we could invest in any company."
Everyone burst out laughing. "If it were that easy, we'd all be rich!"
Things got a bit awkward.
"Alright, let me show you." A woman stepped up and showed a new spreadsheet.
"There are ten companies. The top jewelry company made $20 million last month. They focus on affordable jewelry and are growing. The second is a clothing company with $18 million in sales last month. The third..."
She went on, clearly having done her homework.
"Skip the last three. They’re not worth it. So, which one do you guys want?"
Everyone looked at Luann for her opinion, but she was busy playing a mobile game. So they stayed quiet.
Joshua, as the deputy general manager, felt he should lead. "I think the first one looks good."
Everyone agreed. "Yeah, the first one is good."
"Definitely go with the top one. It's our best shot."
"Yeah, investing in the top one gives us a chance. The others might be a waste."
Everyone started talking at once.
Joshua nodded. "Alright, it's settled. I'll take the contract to them tomorrow."
Luann suddenly spoke up, "Oh, no, I lost."
Joshua was speechless. He thought Luann would contribute, but she was just playing games!
Luann put down her phone and met his gaze, seeing the disdain in his eyes.
Joshua felt awkward and tried to change his expression, but it was too late.
"Don't rush to sign the contract yet. Why don't you visit their factory first?"
Joshua frowned. "What's there to see at the factory? I'm not going!"
He remembered the overwhelming experience at the head office factory, with gems everywhere.
"Alright." Luann didn't push it.
After work, Luann offered to drive.
Halfway through, Joshua realized something was off. "You said you'd take me home. Where are we going?"
"To the factory."
"What the hell?" Joshua was annoyed. "Do you think I have nothing better to do?"
"Yes."
"What do you mean by yes? You're the one with nothing to do, playing games all day!" Joshua said through gritted teeth, then paused. "Your eyes don't hurt, do they?"
"Not really."
Joshua silently took out a small bag and tossed it to her. "I've been using these eye patches lately. They work better than steam eye masks. Try it."
Luann glanced at it. "Okay, thanks."
Joshua awkwardly turned to look out the window.
"What's with the thanks? No need to be so polite with me."
A horn blared beside them, drowning out Joshua's voice.
Luann didn't catch that and asked, "What did you say?"
Joshua, flustered and red-eared, shouted, "I said, focus on driving! I don't want to die in a car crash!"
"Oh, okay."
Soon, they arrived at the factory.
Joshua frowned. "This place doesn't allow non-employees, right? How are we getting in?"
"Wait."
Luann took out her phone and resumed her game.
Joshua was baffled. "Did we come all this way just to watch you play games?"
"You could log in, and we could play together."
"Forget it."
Despite his confusion, Joshua trusted Luann. She seemed to have a plan.
After they waited for about two hours, the factory workers started leaving.
As it got dark, Luann got out of the car, and Joshua quickly followed.
They found a low wall.
Luann paused, then said, "How about you step on my shoulders and climb over?"
Joshua was stunned. "Are you serious? I can't step on a woman's shoulders!"
"But only one of us can get in."
"Then you go! I'm not going in!"
"But I don't want to go in."
"Then why did you bring me here?"
Joshua felt Luann might be crazy for putting him through this.
Luann pointed to a tree. "How about you climb up the tree and jump over? Or step on me to get in."
Joshua's mouth twitched. "Do I have a choice?"
If Myron knew about this, he'd kill him!
He could easily lift Luann and let her in.
Joshua struggled to climb the tree.
The wall wasn't high, and the tree wasn't tall, but it was hard to climb.
Luann watched him struggle for half an hour without getting two feet off the ground and quietly commented, "You really need to work out more."
Joshua glared at her, embarrassed and angry.
Finally, after half an hour, Joshua stood on the tree trunk.
He tried to jump down gracefully but landed with a thud.
Luann asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Joshua stood up, covered in dust, and brushed himself off.
The factory's machines were still running.
Joshua wandered around with a flashlight, feeling lost.
He entered a small room and saw several unopened boxes labeled with names.
He wasn't interested in opening them but accidentally knocked something over. He bent down to pick it up.
As he was about to put it back, he noticed something.
"Huh? Why does this gem look different?" Joshua weighed it in his hand. "The weight, color, and cut all seem off."
Thanks to Luann's training, Joshua could easily recognize many gems.
His eyes widened in shock. 'This gem is fake!'
He tore open the boxes and grabbed a handful of gems. 'They're all fake! Are they selling fake gems?' he thought.
