Or… the Little Adventurer looking up at him with a smile.
The red glow didn’t fade; it intensified.
…
Just as Yiwen had said, Idis hardly ever left the house.
In the two days since Xie Jianxun moved in, aside from the initial long materials list Idis sent via Star Net, there had been no further sound from him.
It was so quiet upstairs it was as if no one lived there.
If not for Yiwen occasionally sending up fresh water and food, Xie Jianxun might have called an ambulance.
This wasn’t just staying home; this was not even leaving his room!
He had worriedly asked about it once. Yiwen stayed silent and tilted her head toward Ela, as if signaling him to speak.
And the cute-looking but coolly expressioned Mr. Ela assured him there was no problem at all.
Fine, if the assistants said so, he had no reason to keep worrying. Maybe this was how Idis had lived for decades.
He shifted his focus to the materials list, scrolling through it bit by bit.
Some materials could be directly ordered from Star Net, but the rest—especially the special ones Idis had starred—were notoriously hard to source.
“Then I’ll buy what I can first.”
Xie Jianxun opened the shopping app on Star Net and quickly selected the purchasable items.
Price didn’t matter; as long as the quality was good and delivery fast, it was fine.
After all, he had the capital to prioritize quality and speed.
But what about the rest? No sellers even showed up on Star Net for them. Xie Jianxun stared, quite troubled.
Ela timely suggested, “You could commission a Treasure Hunter to find them.”
“Treasure Hunter?” Xie Jianxun was curious about the unfamiliar profession. “Someone who specializes in finding treasures?”
Ela: “You could say that.”
Xie Jianxun thought for a moment. He lacked channels to gather the list materials himself; hiring a professional might be better.
“Does Mr. Ela have any recommendations?” he asked.
Ela shook his head and calmly looked up at him. “If you need one, I can contact the City Lord’s Mansion. They have a roster of reserve talents’ contacts.”
Involving the City Lord’s Mansion? No thanks. Xie Jianxun quickly waved it off.
He soon thought of a suitable candidate and mused, “Actually, I have a good option in mind.”
As the second son of Surging Group’s chairman, Mr. Seles—with his circle of friends—might recommend a reliable Treasure Hunter.
Just as he prepared to call Seles, Xun Jia’s call came through to his Light Brain first.
Answering, the young man yelled, “Xunxun! Do you know where Seles is? I haven’t seen him all day, and his comms aren’t connecting!”
Xie Jianxun was stunned. “Isn’t he in his room?”
Xun Jia: “I asked the front desk—he checked out!”
Without a word to anyone, he checked out and left, not sharing his whereabouts or answering calls…
Xie Jianxun pondered briefly. “Don’t worry, he probably hasn’t run into trouble. Let me try calling him.”
He then dialed Seles, only for the Light Brain’s gentle female voice to inform him the call wasn’t answered; please try again later.
Damn, hope nothing happened.
He quickly arranged a meeting spot with Xun Jia, but even after searching until his head hurt, they still hadn’t found Seles.
“Gym? Restaurant? Cinema?”
They stood on a bustling pedestrian overpass. Below them, vehicles streamed along the wide road, while several air sedans flew overhead, their headlights carving beams of light through the night sky.
The traffic lights followed the simple tradition inherited from the past, still alternating between their three bright colors.
Xun Jia slumped over the overpass railing and grumbled dejectedly, “How could we not find him? He won’t even pick up comms.”
They had sent plenty of messages too, but there had been no response.
“He wouldn’t… he wouldn’t…”
Xie Jianxun recalled their last meeting and asked, “Was it his brother who picked him up last time?”
Xun Jia: “Yeah!”
Xie Jianxun: “Do you have his brother’s contact?”
Xun Jia rolled his eyes and muttered, “How would I have that? Back then, I was just thinking to get away fast and have nothing to do with these spoiled young masters…”
Suddenly, Xie Jianxun’s light brain chimed. He fumbled to take it off in a hurry, and the two of them leaned in to look. It was Seles calling them back!
Xun Jia let out a sigh of relief and said viciously, “Once we find him, I’m giving him a good slap. What’s with playing hide-and-seek like this?”
Xie Jianxun answered the call, but the voice that came through wasn’t Seles’s—it was his friend’s.
The background was filled with noisy music and voices, as if they were in some lively entertainment venue.
Sure enough, the friend launched right into it as soon as he spoke.
He sounded miserable, sighing heavily. “Is this Jianxun? Sigh, come take him off my hands quick. Seles drank a ton, and he’s got me drinking way past my limit too!”
Half an hour later, at the Seaside Bar.
The two rushed inside as soon as they got out of the car, but the garish neon signs at the entrance dazzled them.
Before they could recover, they were shoved back out for being underage.
Xun Jia: “…”
Xie Jianxun: “…”
Xun Jia touched his face in disbelief. “Do I really look that underage?”
Xie Jianxun was more self-aware—back on the previous planet, people had commented that he looked young and baby-faced.
He had no choice but to call the friend again. The friend replied via voice message that he had taken Seles out the back door, and the outer beach was right there.
The two changed course and finally spotted Seles on a long wooden bench on the beach.
One of his hands rested on the bench’s backrest, while the other arm hooked around his friend’s neck. He sat there silently.
His friend was being choked and struggling to breathe.
When he saw them arrive, it was like seeing saviors.
“Come on, come on!” he waved frantically at the young men.
He wriggled free from Seles’s arm, yielding his spot to the newcomers. He gestured for them to chat freely while he went off to smoke in the distance—his nicotine craving had been building for an hour, all held back for this guy.
Xie Jianxun and Xun Jia sat down on either side of him, like two guardian deities.
For a long while, none of the three spoke.
After a bit more time, Xun Jia, chilled by the wind, said with a headache, “How about we head back first? Sitting inside would be better than this.”
“No.”
Seles responded reflexively. Xie Jianxun glanced at his expression and saw that his shirt collar was disheveled, his tie loosened—a clear sign he’d come out to drown his sorrows.
Now, his face was expressionless as he stared straight at the distant coastline.
The Little Adventurer thought for a moment and softened his tone.
“Seles, sir, what are you thinking about?” he asked casually, as if making idle conversation. “You really don’t want to go home?”
Seles stayed silent.
Xun Jia guessed, “Did your brother say something to you? Scold you for messing around outside with riffraff like us?”
Unexpectedly, Seles immediately retorted, “You guys… how could you be riffraff.”
His words were slurred—he’d clearly had a lot to drink.
Xie Jianxun: “I’d guess you had at least three drinks today.”
Seles: “Five… forgot.”
Five cups of high-proof cocktails without passing out flat was impressive.
Yet here he sat upright, leaning against the backrest, gazing at the distant sea.
It looked like he didn’t want to say much.
Two minutes later, Xie Jianxun sneezed.
As if his brain had finally kicked in, Seles turned back, grabbed Xie Jianxun’s wrist, and said firmly, “Jianxun, I have something I want to tell you.”
Xie Jianxun looked at him in confusion. “What’s up, Seles… Huh, Xun Jia, where are you going?”
Xun Jia’s voice came from farther and farther away: “I gotta pee!”
“I told my brother I’m going home to help develop the family business,” Seles said.
There was nothing wrong with that. Xie Jianxun sincerely congratulated him. “That’s great. Helping the family grow the business and honing your own skills.”
As he spoke, Seles’s momentum faded, his tone softening considerably. “Maybe… for a long time from now, I won’t have free time. I won’t be able to hang out with friends anymore. No, I can squeeze in time for a meal.”
He immediately contradicted himself.
Xie Jianxun thought for a moment and said, “If they’re real friends who care about you, they’ll be happy for you.”
“You too?”
Seles’s question came abruptly.
Xie Jianxun didn’t overthink it. “Of course. Our bodyguard sir is moving up in the world—his future achievements will be limitless.” He joked, his golden eyes gazing at him gently.
Soft yet full of strength, brimming with vibrant life force—the trait he’d liked from the first glance, now fully on display before him.
Just tell him you like him.
Seles opened his mouth, the surging impulse urging him to say it, but in the end, he closed it.
After a long pause, he said clumsily, “Then… you guys wait and see me climb up.”
