The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 183 Shock
"Hey Wilbert, Tang has prepared a pair of ruby ​​wedding rings for Elena. I'd like to invite several top jewelry companies to appraise them and some of the best jewelry designers to design them. We'll be there in a minute at most."

Leo Nemo then contacted an old friend, Wilbert Burton, the general manager of Berkshire Hathaway's Miami branch.

"OK, Leo, come over here, I'll get ready."

The two belonged to Florida's high society and met at various parties every few days. Burton even attended Don Bei and Garbo's engagement ceremony.

“Wilbert, these rubies are worth at least a billion dollars. This time, I’ll show you something amazing,” Leo Nemur boasted.

"How much?" Burton was taken aback.

"One billion dollars."

"Leo, are you drunk?"

"No, I haven't had lunch yet."

"Leo, are you kidding me? The most expensive ruby ​​in the world is only worth 20 million US dollars. Are your rubies even as big as basketballs?"

"NONONO, I'm serious, old buddy. You'll see them soon, so don't drool and don't let Ruth see them."

"Oh God, do you think my wife would steal your rubies?"

"It's very possible that Leslie wants to steal Garbo's pair of rubies right now."

"Haha, alright, come on over, I'll bring Ruth over and let her broaden her horizons."

"Oh, Wilbert, you'll regret this."

They decided not to go out for lunch. Mrs. Leslie prepared some simple food at Tang Bei's house, and then the four of them headed to the insurance company.

Although Wilbert Burton was not entirely convinced, he still arranged for the best security personnel and then led a group of executives and three of the company's best jewelry appraisers to wait.

His wife, Ruth Winger Burton, heard that the Nemur family had acquired a pair of rubies worth a billion dollars. Although she was just as incredulous, she rushed to the company.

"God!"

Everyone was stunned when they saw the pair of seven-star rubies.

Mrs. Burton, in particular, had her eyes reddening, wishing she could immediately possess these two priceless treasures that made her drool.

"It has double rainbows, red fluorescence, and a hardness of 9. It is a natural ruby."

"My God, the pigment is top-notch, absolutely transparent, I have never seen such a pure ruby."

"My God, both weigh the same, 38 carats, and perfectly cut."

"God, both of them contain the Big Dipper constellation. This is an unprecedented quality of ruby. They will drive the whole world crazy. They are not ordinary objects."

As the three appraisers spoke, everyone in the room turned red in the eyes.

“Wilbert…”

Mrs. Burton looked at her husband.

Wilbert Burton hurriedly replied, "NONONO, darling, even if you sold me, I still couldn't afford one of them."

“Mrs. Burton, I won’t sell it for any amount of money,” Garbo said with unwavering determination.

"Oh God, you are so cruel, why did you have to let me see them?"

Mrs. Burton glanced helplessly at Garbo, then glared fiercely at Wilbert Burton.

"God, I regret it too."

Wilbert Burton now deeply regretted not listening to Leo Nemoor, but it was too late; his wife would surely remember those two gems for the rest of her life.

Mrs. Burton said to Garbo with a look of envy and jealousy, "Elendon, you will become the most enviable bride in the world."

“I think so, Mrs. Burton.”

Jia Bao looked at Tang Bei with love, her little face beaming with joy.

“Wilbert, I will pay for this appraisal, but I will not insure it with your company,” Leo Nemur said.

"Leo, what are you trying to do?" Burton asked in surprise.

“You know the insurance premiums are too high, so we will set up a company for these gems to be responsible for their security,” Leo Nemur said.

“You can use them to pay the insurance premiums, I think that’s perfectly fine,” Burton suggested.

"Then tell me, how much will the premium be?" Nemur asked.

Burton thought for a moment and said, "Based on their value, it's between $2000 million and $4000 million a year."

“We can use $2000 million to build the most secure protection for them, and the annual maintenance cost will not exceed $200 million,” Nemur said.

“Well, you should think this through. They’re sure to attract a lot of jewel thieves,” Burton warned.

The three appraisers spent two hours examining the items, which even alerted the headquarters of Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Company.

The headquarters immediately contacted several top jewelry companies, such as Harry Winston, Cartier, Bulgari, and Van Cleef & Arpels, and invited them to conduct an appraisal.

In addition to these companies, many private jewelry designers were also invited.

Wilbert Burton said apologetically, "Leo, Don, I'm very sorry, you'll have to wait. They'll be boarding the private jet soon, and we need to conduct an assessment overnight."

Leo Nemur said very seriously, "Wilbert, you must ensure their safety."

"Of course."

Wilbert Burton said, "I immediately mobilized the strongest security forces."

A few hours later, several private planes arrived in Miami.

The first to arrive were two top appraisers from Berkshire Hathaway's headquarters, but no appraisal was conducted immediately.

Next, twelve top appraisers from multiple jewelry companies and more than twenty top jewelry designers arrived in Miami.

"God, this is a divine object; only God could have created it."

"Heavens! This is a creation of nature; it should not exist in the human world!"

"They will drive all the ladies crazy."

"I bet if these two rubies appeared at the auction, it would drive people crazy; they would fetch astronomical prices."

"Absolutely astronomical."

"If it were auctioned off individually, I think it would be worth at least hundreds of millions of dollars."

"1 million? NO, I think it's at least 2 million. This is priceless, a hundred times more valuable than the most expensive ruby ​​right now."

"Their beauty is indescribable. How were these seven stars formed? Their arrangement perfectly matches the arrangement of the constellation Ursa Major."

"This is the finest wedding ring; it cannot be sold separately."

"Auctioned together, I think the starting price will be at least $500 million, and the final price will be over $1 billion."

After everyone had arrived, the second appraisal began, and the pair of seven-star rubies shocked everyone.

Numerous appraisers have given a comprehensive price range: $2 million for a single piece, and between $6 million and $10 billion for two pieces.

Next, several jewelry companies and private designers began to compete.

Garbo made his most basic request, saying, "They are already perfectly cut, so I do not allow any secondary cutting or any damage. I only want you to design the best setting to match them."

"I don't want a design fee."

"I don't want design fees, I don't even want material fees."

"Damn it, we at Cartier offer it all for free, and we provide the world's finest materials for setting rings, including the finest diamonds."

"Our only request is that once the rings are successfully made, we display them at Cartier for a month."

“Bulgari will send all of its top designers to participate in the design, with design fees waived and all materials provided free of charge... We only need half a month for the exhibition.”

"Damn it, our company only needs a week for the exhibition."

"Sorry, our company is willing to pay one million US dollars for the exhibition to run for a week."

Tang Bei was dumbfounded, because these designers, who were once considered artists, and these gentlemen-like presidents, seemed no different from NBA players in the competition.

They argued heatedly, each claiming to be the Lamborghini of the ruby ​​ring design world, and each boasting that their company was the strongest. The only thing missing was swearing and physical violence.

Ultimately, Garbo chose Joel Arthur Rosenthal, one of the most renowned ruby ​​design masters of our time.

Born in New York in 1943, this master artist founded the JAR jewelry brand in 77. His works have a subversive artistic expression, and he is one of the most legendary figures in the jewelry industry today. He has designed jewelry for many celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor.

Rosenthal also provided everything for free, without requiring an exhibition, and designed a set of wedding jewelry for Greta Garbo free of charge, excluding the wedding ring.

After the decision was made, the jewelry companies and other designers were devastated.

Tang Bei comforted him, "It's alright. If you're not satisfied with the design, we'll redesign it. You'll have opportunities in the future."

This statement nearly enraged Rosenthal. If it were any other ruby, even the most expensive one in the world worth twenty million dollars, he would have refused to design it.

But he gritted his teeth and endured it, because these two seven-star rubies were divine objects, and he was even willing to exchange his life for the design rights.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Tang, I swear I will design the most timeless and artistic pair of wedding rings that you will never want to take apart."

The next day, Tang Bei signed endorsement contracts with five companies, went to Los Angeles to shoot commercials for two days, and also took time to participate in several business activities for the brands he endorsed.

He also gets paid to participate in business events, $50 per event. Before winning the championship, he only received $20, which he thought was too low and had never participated before.

In the past few days, news of the Big Dipper ruby ​​has spread around the world, and photos have made headlines in mainstream media worldwide, sparking a frenzy of celebrity worship.

Not only did the media take notice of Tang Bei, but a large number of jewelry thieves also became his targets.

"Tang, I heard that you took two gems that day. Are they with you now?" a reporter asked.

"Of course not, they've already been shipped to China," Tang Bei said, shaking his head.

"What evidence do you have?" a reporter pressed.

"Do you intend to search me?"

Tang Bei joked, then said, "Am I crazy? How could I possibly carry such valuable gems with me?"

The news that Tang Bei carried the Big Dipper ruby ​​was not believed; no one believed that Tang Bei would actually carry those two gems, as it was completely unnecessary.

So after Tang Bei gave a media interview, the media and those jewelry thieves began to analyze where in China the gemstones were sent.

In Miami, President of Basketball Operations Billy Cunningham and General Manager Lewis Shaffer are discussing player contract extensions and trades.

Shafir strongly advocated for the trade of Tang Bei, and the team won the championship in just the second season, achieving great success and significantly increasing his status within the team.

Therefore, he gained more say in these matters, and Billy Cunningham had to obtain his support on important issues.

Of the Heat's current starting roster, Glen Rice has three years left, Tang Bei, Grant Lang, and Avery Johnson all have two years left, and only Steve Smith and Matt Geiger's rookie contracts have expired.

After winning the championship as the starting shooting guard in the Finals, Steve Smith's value skyrocketed, and naturally, he demanded a lucrative contract. His agent had already offered the team a staggering 7-year, $50 million deal. The starting salary wasn't high, at $305 million in the 1994/95 season, but it increased steadily, exceeding $10 million in his final year.

The agent believes the contract takes into account the fact that the NBA salary cap increases every year and is suitable for the Heat's current needs.

But Billy Cunningham and Lewis Shaffer believed the contract was utterly absurd.

Steve Smith's defensive attitude is decent, but his defensive effectiveness is actually average, not much better than Glen Rice. The main reason he was made a starter in the playoffs was because his three-point shooting is better than Kevin Edwards'.

However, Smith's position is very similar to Glen Rice's; he is also a swingman, and what he can do, Glen Rice can also do. In terms of scoring ability, Rice is stronger.

A 7-year, 5000 million contract would make him the team's highest-paid player. Keep in mind that Tang Bei's rookie contract was only 4 years and 1450 million. If this contract is renewed, how will Tang Bei be renewed two years later?

As for Matt Geiger's contract extension, a preliminary agreement has been reached: 4 years, $589 million, with a new season annual salary of $140 million.

Because Matt Geiger played for the Heat for two consecutive years and did not leave as a free agent, he is a restricted free agent and therefore falls under the Early Burrough exception, allowing him to re-sign above the salary cap.

Lewis Shaffer suggested, "Billy, why don't we renew Steve Smith's contract first, and then trade him away once his status rises?"

"Can consider it."

Billy Cunningham nodded and said, "Grant Long should also be considered for trade; we need a better power forward."

John Salley, a key rotation player, has had his contract expire, and his agent is demanding a three-year, $900 contract.

This is not in the Heat's best interest. The Heat's top priority after two years is to re-sign Tang Bei, so they will not re-sign a veteran to a long-term contract. They will only offer a one-year, $250 million contract, which John Salley has clearly rejected.

With the contracts of Willie Burton, who is out for the season, and fringe player John Williams both expiring, the players have requested renewals, but have been rejected.

Kevin Edwards is unhappy with being a substitute in the playoffs and has requested a trade.

Taking advantage of the salary cap space freed up by the departure of several players, the management quickly reached a contract agreement with Steve Smith's side.

The contract is for 7 years and $4800 million, of which $1200 million is unsecured and $3600 million is secured.

At 10:15 a.m. on the 22nd, Tang Bei and his group boarded a chartered plane to return to China. Walmart had chartered a passenger plane directly to Beijing.

Besides him and the Fleischer brothers, there were also the Garbo family of three, as well as two investment teams from Leo Nemoel and Walmart, totaling over a hundred people.

Liu Yumin contacted Eric Fleischer and invited him to serve as a basketball consultant for the basketball department. Eric recommended his younger brother, Mark Fleischer, who was more familiar with the situation in China.

Gerber's family couldn't wait any longer, and Walmart also wanted to conduct a thorough investigation of the Chinese market as soon as possible, so they decided to go to China ahead of schedule.

At 2 PM on the 23rd, the special plane secretly arrived in Beijing.

He Wenli, the general manager of Tangjia Investment, and his entourage picked them up at the airport, along with Tang Bin and Tang Yu. After exchanging greetings, the group headed to the parking lot.

"Hey, isn't that Tang Bei?"

Wow, it really is.

Tang Bei's height couldn't be hidden, and he was quickly discovered. Fortunately, there were many people around, and he was able to leave the airport soon.

"Second brother, third brother, what positions do you hold now?" Tang Bei asked after getting into the vehicle.

Tang Bin said, "Brother, I'm still working in sales at Tangjia Electronics, but I've been promoted to account manager."

"Will it work?" Tang Bei asked.

“Brother, I got promoted through proper channels, I didn’t pull any strings,” Tang Bin hurriedly said.

Tang Bei asked, "Our products are all sold to the United States, and you don't speak English, so what are you doing as a room manager?"

Tang Bin said, "I studied English and trade at Tianjing Vocational University. Besides, not all of our products are sold to the United States. We also need to open up the domestic market. After the funds are returned in the second half of the year, we plan to expand the production line."

Tang Bei nodded and looked at Tang Yu.

Tang Yu said, "Brother, I can only apply to a vocational college next year. I'm currently studying English and accounting on my own, as I told you last time."

Tang Bei nodded. He also mentioned that he had arranged for two teachers from Tianjing University to be hired for his third brother, something Tang Bei certainly remembered.

Tang Yu glanced at her sister-in-law Jiabao as she spoke, and said with a smile:
"However, I'm no longer with Tangjia Electronics. Last month, I was transferred to the finance department of Tangjia Investment as an assistant to help audit the finances of Tangjia Real Estate Company."

Tang Bei felt a toothache. This girl doesn't know anything. At this time last year, she was still operating a sewing machine. What is she doing in the finance department?
He looked at Jia Bao, who chuckled and said, "Third sister is very smart. She'll learn first. What can she learn down there?"

The two investment teams went to the hotel, where He Wenli was in charge of receiving them. Tang Bei and Jia Bao led the others to the five-courtyard siheyuan in Xuanwu District.

Five people were hired to clean the courtyard, and professional staff were also hired for maintenance. All the household items were in place, and the house was ready for immediate move-in.

Tang Bei plans to stay in Beijing for two days to meet with the men's basketball team before returning to his hometown of Tianjing with Jia Bao and the others.

“Dad, Mom, isn’t it beautiful? My yard with Wet Tiger is over a hundred years old,” Jia Bao exclaimed.

"Pretty!"

"This is art!"

The Nemurs, gazing at the antique, ornately decorated house before them, didn't even bother to rest. They began admiring the place from all sides, snapping photos incessantly.

“Wet Tiger, come on, let’s go see our room.”

Jia Bao then led Tang Bei to the fourth courtyard, where the head of the family lived.

The main house has five large rooms, two side rooms on each side, and three wing rooms on each side, which are lower than the main house.

Entering from the hall, the master bedroom is on the left, the first room inside is the living room, and the second room is the bedroom.

"Wet Tiger, where's the baby?"

Jia Bao paced around the bedroom and suddenly asked a question.

Tang Bei thought for a moment and said, "Jiabao, are we being watched here? What if they installed one of those things?"

Jia Bao was startled and quickly checked around, but couldn't find anything wrong.

The company that Seven Star Ruby is preparing to establish hasn't been ready yet, and he has bodyguards with him at all times, but this requires more professional personnel.

Tang Bei said, "I'll ask my superiors for help and have a professional check it out."

He still has some influence, not only as a sports superstar but also by investing in manufacturing in China, so the authorities won't refuse this request.

Then Jia Bao pulled him to the bed in the bedroom, covered him with a blanket, and said, "Wet Tiger, let me see you again, baby."

Tang Bei stretched out his hand, and two gems appeared in his palm. The action was very familiar because Jia Bao would look at them at least fifty times a day, and she was worried that he would lose them.

"Where exactly is it hidden?"

Jiabao searched again, but still found nothing.

The next morning, Tang Bei and the Fleischer brothers arrived at the Sports Commission.

With his public appearance, news of his return to China naturally came to light.

The three met the national men's basketball team, as well as Yang Boyong, Liu Yumin, Zhang Faqiang, Jiang Xinquan, and others at the training bureau's basketball hall.

Zhang Heli is currently here. He has been hired by the basketball department as a translator and will be competing in this World Championship. He will also be serving as a frontline reporter for CCTV.

Mark Fleischer has officially accepted the position of consultant for the Basketball Department, and will help the department establish a professional basketball league.

"Wow, that's strong! No wonder it's called the Bone Crusher. If I were hit by it, I'd be sent flying ten or eight meters!" Hu Weidong exclaimed in surprise.

Liu Yudong said, "About 135 kilograms, his bones are too thick."

“Old Dan, you also weigh 130 kilograms. Why don’t you go over and try to see if you can handle him?” Gong Xiaobin urged.

Dan Tao glared at Gong Xiaobin but didn't respond to the question.

Sun Jun smiled and said, "Old Dan's body fat percentage should be ten percentage points higher than Tang Bei's, so there's definitely a difference in strength and explosiveness."

Dan Tao stammered, "I'm not that fat, am I?"

"Ha ha……"

A group of people burst into laughter.

At this moment, Tang Bei and Yang Boyong, after greeting each other, walked over with a group of leaders.

The original members of this men's basketball team were: center Shan Tao and Ji Shangmin, power forwards Wu Naiqun, Gong Xiaobin and Liu Yudong, small forwards Sun Jun, Zheng Wu and Liu Daqing, and guards Zhang Jinsong, Hu Weidong, Wu Qinglong and Adijiang.

After Tang Bei joined the team, the number of centers was not reduced, but the number of small forwards was reduced. Liu Daqing was ultimately not selected for this national team.

In fact, Jiang Xinquan was somewhat reluctant to part with Liu Daqing, because Liu was a cold-blooded killer with excellent off-ball ability and was the most reliable finisher on the perimeter in his opinion.

However, after balancing various factors, the only option left was to remove Liu Daqing, who had little background.

"Tang Bei, we usually only see you dunk on TV, show us what you can do!" Hu Weidong shouted after they got to know each other a little better.

"Don't."

Liu Yumin quickly stopped him, glared at Hu Weidong, and said somewhat awkwardly:

"Tang Bei, our basketball backboards aren't as sturdy as those in the NBA, they can't withstand your rough handling. Try to be gentler when you train."

Tang Bei nodded and said, "How about this, I'll donate some basketball hoops that are currently used in the NBA to the team, so they can be used as soon as we get back from Yunnan."

"That's daring."

Liu Yumin had no intention of refusing; this was a big spender, and he wouldn't pass up such an opportunity.

She then explained, "It's not that the higher-ups wouldn't approve it; in fact, they did approve it, but they wouldn't give us the dollars. They told us to figure it out ourselves."

Zhang Heli said, "The US dollar is too expensive on the black market now. Last year it was one to ten, but this year you can't even get one to ten."

At this time, the area outside the Sports Commission gate was already surrounded by reporters, and a large number of fans were also arriving, with the crowd growing larger and larger.

It was almost noon when the basketball department hosted a welcome dinner for Tang Bei. When he left the sports committee, he was surrounded and it took him an hour to break through the encirclement.

During dinner, Tang Bei received a call from Jia Bao. "Wet Tiger, we've checked, and those things aren't there. But there are more foreigners outside the yard today, many of them reporters. We can't rule out the possibility of a jewelry thief."

"Holy crap, they're really here?" Tang Bei was stunned.

Garbo said, "I reckon all the world's jewel thieves are after us. Wet Tiger, let's find a vault and put the gems in there quickly."

"Okay, I'll be back."

Putting it in a treasure chest would be the safest option, but unfortunately, those jewel thieves don't know that, and it would be bad if something went wrong. Putting it in a vault would be much easier.

When we got home in the afternoon, the family discussed it and decided to keep the ruby ​​in the vault of the Bank of China headquarters in Beijing.

At four o'clock, the family arrived at the bank and completed the formalities.

"Crack, click, click..."

Amidst numerous reporters' cameras, Tang Bei and Jia Bao personally placed the two seven-star rubies into a stainless steel box and locked it in the vault.

The purpose of having the reporter film was to tell those damned jewel thieves that the gems are now in the vault, and they should try to break into the vault if they dare.

In fact, the two gems returned to the treasure chest.

(End of this chapter)