Bringing the Dog
Eight stars and eight arrows, flawless, 4C standard... A diamond lasts forever; a diamond stays forever.
Diamonds weren't actually that eternal. Hit one with a hammer, and even the hardest diamond would be done for.
Throw one onto a gas stove and light it, and in no time it would turn into carbon dioxide like charcoal, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
The current price of diamonds was all hype.
It was easy enough to find out what they were really worth. Just find a pawnshop with a stock of forfeited diamond rings and ask what they'd lend against one. They weren't nearly as good an investment as people claimed.
Most of a diamond's true cost came from the processing. The stone itself accounted for only a small fraction of the price.
Otherwise, the wars sparked by "blood diamonds" would never stop. De Beers bore a large share of the responsibility for the division and civil war in the Congo.
No trade, no killing—except this time, the ones being killed were people.
"We've got money to spare. Spend as much as you like!"
Li Bai rarely let himself act like a rich man, but now he did.
His attitude toward spending was practical: if he had a lot of money, he spent a lot; if he had less, he spent less; if he had none, he didn't spend at all. He could live in a mansion or eat instant noodles. There was nothing shameful about either.
"This place is too expensive."
Diana still shook her head. She really couldn't bring herself to spend that much.
Although she had a lifelong job on the government payroll, her monthly salary was quite good, and she also received various allowances and subsidies. She couldn't quite be called middle class, but she was