Xun Jia decisively admitted, “You know more, you’re right.”
Xie Jianxun put away his Light Brain and said apologetically, “My cousin is very busy right now, so I have to go play by myself.”
Emory gleaned the information from his words.
If even the cousin was this rich, then the cousin himself certainly wouldn’t be lacking. Moreover, this cousin still needed to handle official business… What kind of status required dealing with “official business”?
It sounded like a big shot from some faction.
A distinguished guest.
His luck had been good lately; he knew how to seize opportunities and had successively gotten to know several nobles. No wonder he was rising meteorically—even his father praised him for doing well.
It was just a pity that he still couldn’t meet that “cousin” yet.
No matter. Getting to know this young young master who was still so young was enough for now.
Emory made an inviting gesture toward the studio door. “The timing is perfect. Let’s go.”
Xie Jianxun turned back to signal the stylist who was still standing in place. “Don’t you still have things to do?”
Emory let out a light hum. “It’s just a haircut; I can schedule it anytime. Right now, accompanying our young master is most important.”
His oily charm nearly embarrassed Xie Jianxun on the spot.
He couldn’t laugh, he warned himself inwardly.
Emory asked, “Oh right, I haven’t asked yet—what’s the young master’s name?”
Xie Jianxun generously replied, “You can call me Xie Jianxun.”
Emory brushed off the stylist who had waited for him for most of the day and directly took Xie Jianxun to Central Commercial Street.
For him, flattering people was second nature. As long as he struck the right balance of deference without groveling, the young masters all fell for it.
Sure enough, after passing just two malls, this Young Master Xie’s attitude had softened considerably. He was amused into laughter by Emory’s antics.
They passed a watch store, and while Emory found it boring, Xie Jianxun stopped in front of one particular timepiece.
He noticed Xie Jianxun’s hesitation and instantly glanced at the price tag.
Four point three million.
He raised an eyebrow, his eyes turning as he probed, “Young Master Xie, taken a liking to this watch?”
Was it too expensive to buy on the spot?
Xie Jianxun caught the probing intent in his words—probably testing whether he truly had the financial means.
Or perhaps wondering if this was some ploy from someone pretending to approach him.
After hesitating for a moment, he still voiced the reason. “I think this watch’s style suits my cousin perfectly, but he doesn’t wear pieces at this level. I don’t know if he’d accept it.”
Emory had a realization and persuaded him, “But you’re his cousin. Anything you give him is a token of your heart—he’ll like it.”
The handsome young master indeed took it to heart and decided, “You’re right.”
With that, he immediately summoned the sales guide, swiped his Light Brain, had it packaged—all in one smooth motion.
Emory stood by watching, silent, as if pondering something.
Before leaving that evening, he personally escorted Xie Jianxun right to the hotel entrance and said gently, “Young Master Xie, let’s make plans again next time.”
Xie Jianxun felt a bit awkward and frowned. “Don’t call me that. Just use my name.”
Emory immediately smiled. “Got it, Jianxun.”
Watching Xie Jianxun enter the hotel, Emory’s smile faded. He turned back and instructed, “Look into where this Xie Jianxun came from.”
Xie Jianxun entered the hotel lobby. Only after the doors behind him closed, he stepped into the elevator, and the gaze from behind finally vanished did his rigidly straight back relax.
The young Little Adventurer felt a bit emotional.
No wonder scamming was tough—the psychological pressure alone could drive a person mad.
Even playing himself felt stressful. He wondered how Xun Jia was holding up…
As he thought about it, upon exiting the elevator around the corner, Xie Jianxun was caught off guard seeing Xun Jia squatting at his room door.
He wore that snowy white, expensive hoodie and looked somewhat at a loss.
He didn’t dare sit on the floor, afraid of dirtying his new clothes; nor could he squat for too long, as his legs went numb. So he frantically switched between squatting and standing.
Spotting Xie Jianxun, his eyes lit up.
Xie Jianxun was a bit surprised and pulled him to his feet. Xun Jia shook out his legs and hissed, “You’ve been waiting here—why didn’t you tell me?”
Xun Jia muttered, “The moment I thought about you already clashing with Emory, my heart started panicking. Look at what I’ve practiced—what needs improving?”
He deliberately lifted his chin and paced back and forth a couple steps, surprisingly pulling off a bit of that air.
Xie Jianxun swiped open the door and gestured for him to come in.
Once the door closed, Xun Jia looked at him expectantly. “How was it?”
Xie Jianxun told the truth. “That Your Highness wasn’t this exaggerated.”
Xun Jia: “…” He deflated on the spot like a punctured balloon.
Xie Jianxun continued, “But Emory doesn’t know that, so we still need to act with some grandeur to make him believe it. First things first, we have to convince him.”
Xun Jia glanced at himself and said awkwardly, “I feel like my walking posture isn’t quite right.”
Xie Jianxun thoughtfully eyed him. “Like this—watch how I walk.”
Xun Jia squatted against the wall and watched as Xie Jianxun paced back and forth a few steps in the spacious room. He turned back and asked, “See any difference?”
Xun Jia frowned at him. After a moment, he said, “No. Am I blind?”
Xie Jianxun replied, “That’s exactly right.”
Xun Jia: “…”
Xie Jianxun looked at him innocently. “It’s all the same body, two legs—what difference could there be? Just walk like I did.”
But that was just normal walking—nothing special to learn.
So they skipped straight ahead to the next item.
Xie Jianxun recounted everything that had happened after running into Emory. Xun Jia listened in stunned amazement, completely unaware that Emory would proactively cozy up to a pretty boy and offer flattery so adeptly and thoroughly.
When he heard that Xie Jianxun had gone shopping with him on Central Commercial Street, he anxiously asked, “Did he do anything to you?”
Xie Jianxun waved it off reassuringly. “Relax, we just wandered around casually. Oh, right—this is for you.”
Xun Jia dazedly took the small box he handed over, glanced at the label, and his eyes widened.
“Th-this, this…” He stammered, “This brand—is it the one I know?! It’s so expensive!”
He suddenly looked up at Xie Jianxun, moved to the verge of tears. “Jianxun, you actually bought this for me…”
Halfway through, he snapped out of it.
Wait—this guy was a master forger. Who knew if this thing was real or fake.
Xie Jianxun lightly finished his sentence for him. “It’s real.”
Xun Jia’s heart leaped.
“…Rented. Their store actually offers rental services, but normal customers walking in usually don’t notice.”
Xie Jianxun earnestly analyzed for him. “Everything else is fine—clothes, styling, none of that’s too crucial. But you need something expensive on you to anchor the vibe. Of course, I couldn’t afford to buy it outright, so I rented one for you.”
He deliberately emphasized that he couldn’t afford it either.
Xun Jia fell silent for a moment before softly asking, “Something this expensive… how much to rent it for a day?”
Xie Jianxun answered, “Four hundred thirty a day. I paid for half a month.”
Xun Jia gently caressed the watch. It looked brand new, fresh as if just pulled from the latest display case.
He nodded silently, put on the watch, and resolved to get used to the extra weight on his wrist within three days.
Xun Jia said, “Once this is over, I’ll work and pay you back.”
Xie Jianxun cheerfully replied, “No rush on that.”
Xun Jia insisted, “I will pay back every cent.”
On the other side, as the hotel doors slowly closed and the teenager’s slender back vanished, Emory withdrew his smile and glanced at the hotel’s name.
An old, high-end hotel in Silver Watchtower—pricey, often hosting prominent figures.
After mulling over the name, he opened his Light Brain and had someone check the person’s background.
Some time later, his subordinate reported back: nothing.
Emory’s first reaction was impossible.
Anyone coming from outside, whether through the space station normally or via private ship, had to go through identity verification to enter the planet.
His subordinate worked at entry control, so this info should be easy to access.
“Third Young Master, there’s truly no entry record.”
The subordinate kept messaging: “Two possibilities. First, a broke illegal immigrant who sneaked in without paying fees. Second, an important foreign dignitary whose records were taken by the relevant embassy, with backups encrypted at the office—beyond my clearance.”
Emory boarded an Air Sedan and signaled the driver to go.
He hugged his shoulders, Xie Jianxun’s face flashing in his mind. For the first time, he doubted his judgment.
First off, someone who could casually drop over a million on a watch wasn’t some penniless smuggler.
He wasn’t some green newbie; during their interaction earlier, Emory had keenly noticed that the young sir’s behaviors were highly deliberate.
