Miss Nevi’s birthday banquet was fast approaching, yet Xie Jianxun discovered one very important thing.
They had no formal attire to wear to the banquet.
Look at what they had bought before… all sorts of casual clothes, not even a decent shirt among them.
Miss Nevi’s banquet was formal, requiring guests to arrive in proper formalwear—this was standard etiquette for such events.
They couldn’t just stroll in wearing hoodies, sweatpants, and sneakers to a grand affair like that!
Xun Jia suggested, “Why not ask Seles? His suits always look so perfect.”
Xie Jianxun nodded in agreement.
Every time they met Seles, the young man always wore a freshly pressed, brand-new suit. It felt oddly refreshing.
They searched around and finally found him at a restaurant—by calling him.
He was still clumsily rolling his noodle wrap, looking gritted-teeth frustrated and on the verge of rage.
The moment he saw them approach, Seles’s fork trembled in his hand, clinking against the edge of his plate.
But at that moment, his attention wasn’t on the food. He quickly stood up and waved them over. “Over here!”
Xie Jianxun curiously eyed the fork in his hand. Seles glanced down and saw it had all fallen apart. He couldn’t help but droop in defeat.
Xie Jianxun pointed it out. “You seem to roll it a lot?”
Seles said listlessly, “It’s a weird etiquette thing for social banquets. You roll the noodles into a bundle and eat it in one bite—no sauce on your lips, no slurping sounds to ruin the vibe. I’m practicing.”
Xun Jia pulled up a chair and sat beside him. Hearing this, he grumbled, “What’s the point of eating noodles without slurping?”
The young man sighed dejectedly. “The person who invented that rule didn’t think so… What brings you guys here? Want some noodles, Jianxun?”
He looked utterly defeated, as if the noodle overlord had beaten him long ago.
Xie Jianxun was amused and shook his head. “No, we just wanted to ask you—if we need suits, where’s the best place to go? You’re the only local among us, after all.”
Seeing the noodle wrap disintegrate, Seles ruthlessly tossed the fork back onto the plate, not wanting to see it again for the time being.
Hearing Xie Jianxun’s question, he turned his face slightly and thought for a moment. “For suits, we usually get them custom-made. Rush jobs won’t make it in time now. How about this: go to a ready-to-wear store, buy a couple off the rack, then have a tailor adjust the fit. Quick and perfect.”
Xie Jianxun had a realization. “You can do that! Want to go together this afternoon?”
Xun Jia said expectantly, “I’ve never worn a suit before.”
Unexpectedly, Seles shook his head. His eyes shone with a strong desire to ‘play with his little buddies,’ but he said, “I have to go home tonight. Might not make it.”
The two were stunned. Xun Jia recalled what happened the day before yesterday and asked suspiciously, “Calling you back… to settle scores after the fall harvest?”
“They said they’re adding a new production line to our partnership. The family hopes I can take it on to lighten my big brother’s workload.”
The young man pinched the bridge of his nose wearily, then smiled at them again. “What could possibly happen to me? Don’t worry. I’ll be back with our trio soon enough.”
Xun Jia thought of something. “What about Miss Nevi’s birthday banquet…”
Seles slung an arm around each of their shoulders, his tone enthusiastic. “You think I’d miss that? It’s a major event in our team’s plan! I guarantee the young masters won’t miss me in the lineup.”
Xun Jia was amused. “Out of us three, you’re probably the only real young master. Hey, what if we don’t know the way this afternoon?”
Seles immediately pulled out his Light Brain and called a friend right in front of them.
“He’s great at shopping the commercial streets—knows where everything is. I’ll have him take you guys around. Put all the spending on my tab.”
The three sat at a small two-person table in the restaurant, eating noodles. Seles eagerly explained the tricky technique of fork-rolling noodles to his friends, only for Xun Jia to nail it on the first try—even holding the fork up without it falling apart.
The boy said calmly, “See? You just need more practice.”
Seles: “…”
The friend arrived after Seles’s call and burst out laughing at the sight of the three crammed around the tiny two-person table.
He even dragged over a chair to squeeze in. “You all like tiny tables? Room for one more!”
He ended up squishing right into Seles, who gave him a look of disgust. “You’re huge—scoot over.”
The friend protested, “Bro, I’m only 120 pounds! How much do you weigh?”
In the end, a server came and swapped them to a four-person table, sparing the friend from being elbowed to the floor by Seles.
After lunch, the friend drove them to the Central Commercial Street and recommended two high-end ready-to-wear stores he frequented. “They’re pricey, sure, but Seles said he’d cover it. Just buy freely.”
Xun Jia started to say something, but Xie Jianxun shoved him into the store. Two sales associates flanked him immediately, and he panicked, his hair practically standing on end.
Xun Jia cried, “This! Jianxun! I don’t know how to pick!”
Xie Jianxun leaned on the wooden display case, waving innocently at him. “Buy whichever looks good. Seles has our back.”
The friend stood by, fully approving. “Yeah, yeah—buy a bunch. Bleed him dry for always harassing me in the middle of the night.”
Xie Jianxun turned curiously. “What does Seles harass you about?”
The friend nearly blurted, “Seles always calls me late at night…” to complain about not being likable, his outfits being outdated and tasteless, and not knowing fun spots to take people.
Oh, he couldn’t say that—Seles would punch his brains out.
He clamped his mouth shut and stared into Xie Jianxun’s golden pupils, feeling tongue-tied himself. “Uh, discussing some emotional issues.”
Xie Jianxun puzzled, “He doesn’t seem like the type to get hurt by love?”
…Who said he wasn’t, kid? The guy even wailed like a tough guy on Star Net sometimes. People aren’t always what they seem.
The friend gave an awkward smile and patted his pocket—no smokes. Even more embarrassing.
Just then, Xun Jia timidly opened the fitting room door and walked over. “How’s this one?”
Xie Jianxun, never great with words, said plainly, “Looks a bit dark.”
The friend offered a pro critique. “Too muted, not breathable—not for a young guy like him. Sales associate, swap it out. That one over there looks good.”
Xun Jia despaired. “Third one already… I feel like I’m in dressing room hell. Which god will save me?”
Xie Jianxun wasn’t that god. He propped his elbows on the wooden display case, staying out of it, and chuckled softly.
He said lightly, “No worries. If this store doesn’t work, we go to the next.”
The friend suddenly turned to him seriously. “Seles said you have to buy one too.”
Xie Jianxun: “…Huh?”
He jolted—he’d completely forgotten.
Xun Jia’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Xie Jianxun like a lifeline and whispered devilishly, “Dressing room hell… your turn, Jianxun…”
The friend egged it on. “Come on, Jianxun!”
Three hours later, the trio finally emerged from a private high-end ready-to-wear club, all of them wobbly on their feet.
Xun Jia griped, “Never buying clothes again… No! Never shopping again!”
Xie Jianxun carried three shopping bags, containing the three styles he’d finally settled on after trying them. Truth be told, he looked great in everything—standing under the mirrors and lights, Xun Jia and the friend had cheered wildly every time.
That was exactly why he couldn’t pick a favorite.
Xie Jianxun checked the time. “It’s been this long? We could’ve browsed tons of stores on Star Net by now.”
The friend chimed in, “Some old-school shops aren’t on Star Net. You still gotta go in person—shopping’s unavoidable.”
Xun Jia muttered softly, “Buying such expensive clothes… might as well rent one…”
The friend immediately yelled in rebuttal. “Kid, do you know how crappy rental quality is? How many people have worn it? You don’t even know if it’s cleaned properly…”
Xie Jianxun’s peripheral vision caught two people nearby, inexplicably drawing his attention.
He instinctively turned back and brushed past them, catching fragments of their conversation.
“…lost, that area’s sealed off… only opened recently…”
“…came from the border, no idea…”
“…going crazy…”
“…suppressed it, but if we can’t find it soon, we’ll have to report back to the East Territory. Otherwise, we’re all losing our jobs…”
The two men wore long black wool overcoats with vests and shirts underneath. One carried a leather briefcase and a round hat, dark circles under his eyes—he clearly hadn’t slept well in days.
Mid-sentence, he locked eyes with Xie Jianxun.
Xie Jianxun eyed his outfit, feeling it didn’t quite match the local Silver Watchtower style.
An out-of-towner too?
His mind wandered idly, but he noticed the man had stopped too, frowning at him.
They stared at each other. Xie Jianxun blinked, his brain automatically piecing together the overheard snippets.
Came from the border, lost something, tied to the East Territory—can’t find it, jobs on the line…
The Little Adventurer’s smile slowly faded.
Damn it.
The man’s companion, oblivious, tugged at him. “What’re you looking at? Hurry back—we’ve got reports to file…”
His gaze shifted over too—and froze on Xie Jianxun—or rather, on his golden eyes!
Such a coincidence?
The man had black hair—probably not that coincidental, right?
The companion puzzled, “That guy’s got golden eyes too. Gold eyes are trendy now, huh? Too bad the hair color’s off…”
Xie Jianxun could no longer hear the companion. The round-hat man strode straight toward him!
Hair color off?
Temporary hair dyes were everywhere these days!
“Excuse me…” he began.
Xun Jia was still arguing rentals vs. buying with the friend when he glanced over—and gasped. The shopping bags vanished from his hands in an instant.
The Little Adventurer bolted like a desert rabbit spotting its natural predator, darting toward the stairwell at the other end of the commercial center!
The whole sequence took less than three seconds—he was gone from sight in a blink.
The round-hat overcoat man also sucked in a sharp breath and yanked his dazed companion along.
“What’re you dawdling for? Chase him!”
“Huh?” The poor companion could only honk like a silly goose.
Unclear on the situation, the men still pursued that back figure. They couldn’t let even a slim chance slip!
If it was that person—if he’d been bullied or hurt… damn, they were done for!
The round-hat man pulled out his Light Brain, calling the bureau while leaping down five or six steps at a time from the stairwell.
His companion was equally agile, his brain clicking into gear in seconds. “…Is it him?”
“Why else would he run?” the round-hat man raised his voice. “Think it’s because we look suspicious?!”
Same height, same youthfulness, same… golden eyes!
Meanwhile, everything happened so fast that Xun Jia and the friend hadn’t reacted. Xie Jianxun and the two men were already out of sight.
He reached out—nothing but wind.
“What the hell…?!”
The friend was dumbfounded. A perfectly normal shopping trip, and this happened? “Where’d everyone go? Who were those two guys?!”
Xun Jia snapped to, his face paling. Thinking the men meant harm to Xie Jianxun, he vaulted down the stairwell railing. “Jianxun!!!”
The friend stood alone, feeling like he’d stumbled into a spy thriller.
“Huh?”
In the commercial center stairwell, Xie Jianxun raced down three floors, then burst out and spotted an Air Sedan exhibition nearby. He plunged into the crowd!
Soon after, the two black-overcoat men emerged from the stairwell.
The two of them worked at the East Border Embassy in the West Border. Not long ago, an emergency had suddenly broken out at the embassy: their lord’s youngest son had inexplicably shown up at the Silver Watchtower and even ended up in the detention center by accident.
The embassy had naturally been thrown into a panic. They had quickly handled the formalities and rushed out to pick him up, terrified that anything might go wrong.
But by the time their car arrived, the person was gone!
The detention center had tried to push the blame onto them, saying that no one was guarding the back door and they hadn’t dared to restrict the young master’s freedom of movement. The moment they relaxed, he had slipped away on his own.
It had nearly given the ambassador a heart attack.
So they had contacted the White Sentry City Lord’s Mansion. At first, they thought the young master might have his own plans, so they hadn’t launched a large-scale search to avoid startling him.
But now that time had dragged on, they were growing increasingly anxious—what if something happened to him in this unfamiliar place? What if he got deceived or hurt?
The detention center had even said their young master had sneaked in illegally!!!
The two of them had thus been assigned this search mission. They had gradually spread their net across the area, planting more eyes everywhere so they could find him safely and without incident the moment he appeared.
…Who would have thought they would bump right into him like this!
They were no green rookies without experience. Having worked in foreign territories for years, their mindset, vision, and skills had all been further honed.
They locked onto the nearby exhibition hall almost simultaneously—after all, it was the only place with a large crowd, perfect for hiding!
His companion grumbled, “Why is Your Highness running? Do I look that scary?”
The man in the round hat and overcoat said gravely, “There are two exits on the other side. The east one is closer, the west one farther. He’s likely to head east. I’ll chase east; you circle around from the west.”
His companion sprang into action. “Yes, sir!”
A large crowd was perfect for hiding.
But precisely because of the crowd, moving against the flow stood out glaringly.
Xie Jianxun pushed forward with effort, squeezing half to death just to advance a few meters. He was somewhat speechless.
Everyone was heading toward the center, while he was the only one shoving outward.
If only he hadn’t charged straight into the crowd, he thought, but had stuck to the wall along the edge instead.
Like a flash of inspiration, he happened to glance back and spotted a conspicuous round hat trailing him from not far behind, also stuck and unable to move in the press of people.
Xie Jianxun: “…”
He whipped his head forward again and redoubled his efforts to push ahead.
The man in the round hat and overcoat had long since locked onto his back.
He was, after all, a fully grown adult male—his muscles and strength far surpassed those of the youthful Your Highness with his slender teenage build. Even shoving through the crowd, he moved with relative ease.
If they kept squeezing like this, Xie Jianxun would be grabbed by the arm in no time!
Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted from the towering ceiling of the commercial center!
Countless pink balloons cascaded down from the top floor, and the new Air Sedans on display in the exhibition actually fired up their engines. With powerful jets of air, they hovered into the air and spiraled overhead, flying right over the crowd!
“Ooohhh!”
The crowd cheered, watching the brand-new flying cars perform loops and reversals in the air. Everyone stopped in their tracks to watch the show!
Xie Jianxun had already spotted the exit ahead—the east exit was very close. He just needed to head straight out.
The shadows of the Air Sedans blanketed the crowd, and fragments of the pink balloons obscured the view.
Xie Jianxun suddenly realized that he had seen two gentlemen earlier.
Now only one was chasing him. Where was the other?
…Waiting to ambush him up ahead?
The man in the round hat and overcoat’s vision blurred, then darkened.
He brushed the pink balloon fragments from his eyelids and looked ahead again. In less than half a second, the back he had been tracking had vanished.
He drew a breath and spoke into the Light Brain on his wrist. “Target lost.”
His companion’s faint voice came through the Light Brain. “No sign at the east exit.”
To lose him over such a short distance… A career low point. The man in the round hat and overcoat cursed inwardly.
He scanned his surroundings. The massive flow of people packed this floor of the commercial center to the brim—shops with long lines everywhere, queues snaking every few meters, and bright yellow Security Mecha stationed every three or four meters, overlooking the streaming tourists from on high.
Their slender, extendable mechanical arms could cover all visitors within a three-meter radius, and they could even split apart if needed to maintain order in such a crush.
In their electronic eyes, footage of the man’s movements was already stored.
The man in the round hat and overcoat took a deep breath, halted, and reported their progress to the embassy in real time, requesting access to the Security Mecha’s internal surveillance.
But without a doubt, the operation had failed.
