38: Chapter 38

38

"Acting tough?"

The manager sneered, his gaze turning cold. "Fine, I'll see just how long you can keep this up.

If you still have zero sales by the end of the month, pack your bags and get out."

With that, he turned and left.

As the manager's back disappeared at the end of the corridor, the strength Xiao Yao had been forcing herself to maintain vanished instantly. Her body swayed, and she began to fall backward.

Just then, an arm steadily caught her by the elbow.

"Thank you..."

She hurriedly offered her thanks.

"You're welcome."

A familiar-sounding voice reached her ears.

Xiao Yao was startled. She looked up and saw it was actually the young man who had come to look at houses a week ago.

"It's you?"

"Mm,"

Jiang Haojie smiled slightly. "I've gathered enough money, so I came to find you to buy a house."

Xiao Yao's eyes suddenly lit up, and she quickly composed her emotions. "Which unit have you taken a fancy to?"

"Villa Area Number Eight,"

Jiang Haojie's tone was calm. "Tell me about the pricing in detail.

If it's suitable, we can finalize it today."

"Alright, I'll handle that for you right away."

Xiao Yao led Jiang Haojie to the scale model and explained the prices of the remaining villas one by one.

Once she immersed herself in her work, the light of focus radiated from her eyes again.

As expected, the quotes climbed steadily, ranging from thirteen million to nineteen million.

Jiang Haojie's gaze landed on a specific unit in Villa Area Number Eight. He raised a finger and pointed. "I'll take that sixteen-million-yuan one. Full payment."

"Please have a seat for a moment; I'll go get the contract immediately."

Xiao Yao brought Jiang Haojie to the lounge area and turned to walk away quickly.

This commotion caught the attention of the other sales consultants.

After exchanging glances, a woman with exquisite makeup walked over, swaying her hips.

"Is this gentleman here to look at houses? Is there a layout you like? Big Sister can take you for a closer look."

Jiang Haojie smiled slightly. "No need."

Although he hadn't officially entered society, he understood the undercurrents of the industry.

No one had paid him any mind earlier, but seeing him about to place an order, they came to snatch the client—he understood the rules of this trade, but he found it hard to appreciate such snobbish behavior.

The woman's smile didn't fade as she sat down across from Jiang Haojie.

She didn't believe a young boy could resist her charm.

She was determined to show this young man the allure of a mature woman today.

She softened her tone. "You're truly young and promising, little brother. Being able to buy property at Longjing Pavilion, you're certainly no ordinary person."

"Just an ordinary person."

"You're so modest.

Big Sister has studied physiognomy, and one look tells me you're not a fish in a small pond.

Would you like me to read your palm? It's very accurate."

As she spoke, she reached out, her fingertips moving toward Jiang Haojie's wrist.

Jiang Haojie withdrew his hand and gave a simple smile. "Sorry, Big Sister, I like men. I'm not interested in women."

The woman's expression froze instantly, and her gaze became subtle.

At that moment, Xiao Yao returned with the contract.

Seeing her colleague sitting there, she frowned slightly.

"You two chat."

The woman stood up. Before leaving, she glanced at Jiang Haojie again, her eyes full of astonishment.

"Mr. Jiang, please look over the contract."

Xiao Yao sat in the seat the previous woman had occupied and handed over the documents.

Just then, the manager strolled over.

"Hello, sir. Which house have you chosen? Xiao Yao is new, and her introduction might not be thorough. Let me explain everything to you in detail."

Xiao Yao pursed her lips and said, "Manager, Mr. Jiang has already made his selection."

"Xiao Yao, you really don't understand hospitality.

Mr. Jiang has been sitting here for so long, and you haven't even prepared a cup of coffee? Go pour one, quickly."

"No need."

Jiang Haojie called out to Xiao Yao, who was about to stand up, and gently closed the contract. "I've finished reading the terms; there are no issues. I'll take this one."

The manager immediately chimed in, "Alright, alright. I'll take you to handle the procedures."

Before he finished speaking, his hand was already reaching for the contract.

Xiao Yao stood to the side, her cheeks turning bright red and her chest heaving slightly.

She bit her lip, and a thin layer of moisture uncontrollably clouded her eyes.

"Sorry, I only work with her."

Jiang Haojie shifted his body to avoid the manager's reaching hand and gently placed the stack of documents on the table in front of Xiao Yao.

The manager's face suddenly darkened, his eyes narrowing as his gaze pricked Jiang Haojie like a needle.

"What, you want to try me?"

Jiang Haojie flipped his wrist, and a Bounty Guild emblem appeared in his palm.

Catching sight of that badge, the manager's expression changed instantly, and he immediately put on a fawning smile. "Since Mr. Jiang has his own plans, I won't interfere. Xiao Yao, make sure you serve Mr. Jiang well, understand?"

"Let's go."

Jiang Haojie stood up.

Xiao Yao nodded gently and then guided Jiang Haojie to handle the subsequent matters.

Walking down the quiet corridor, she whispered, "Mr. Jiang, since you're a Bounty Hunter, it would have been better if you told me earlier. I could have applied for some extra discounts for you."

"I only take bounty missions occasionally. My rank isn't high, so those discounts won't be necessary."

Jiang Haojie waved his hand.

Xiao Yao handled the business quite efficiently. In less than an hour, all the complicated procedures were fully settled.

"Mr. Jiang, from now on, you are an owner at Longjing Pavilion.

These are the keys to your residence. You can move in at any time."

Jiang Haojie put away the keys, said goodbye to Xiao Yao, and then turned to leave the sales center.

The matter of the house was settled; next, it was time to bring his parents over.

But before that, he had to go choose a car to serve as a daily means of transport for the two elders.

***

"Xiao Hao, this... is this really the house you bought?"

The two elderly people stood before the elegant villa, their faces filled with disbelief.

The moment they stepped through the door, they felt as if they were walking on clouds; everything seemed surreal.

They had once hoped to have a stable place of their own, but they had never dared to imagine a scene like the one before them.

Jiang Haojie smiled and put his arms around his parents' shoulders. "Dad, Mom, from today on, this is our home. I've already contacted the storage facility; our luggage will be delivered in a while."

"Also, keep this card safe,"

He handed over a card. "It's a supplementary card I just got. Daily expenses can be drawn from here. Take a look and see what else the house needs, and we can get everything together over the next couple of days."

His mother, Xiao Yufen, finally couldn't help herself. She grabbed her son's hand, her voice tinged with worry. "Xiao Hao, tell Mom the truth. Where did all this money come from?"

His father, Jiang Shangquan, also looked over, his gaze solemn.

They weren't afraid of hardship and could endure the toughest days for their son; they only feared he might have gone astray.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry about using it."

Jiang Haojie's tone was calm, carrying a reassuring power. "To be honest with you, I'm now a registered Bounty Hunter. This money is all reward from completing missions."

To set his parents' minds at ease, he specifically took out the Bounty Hunter badge and placed it in his father's palm.

Jiang Shangquan held the cool badge, his fingers trembling slightly. He suddenly said to his wife excitedly, "Yufen, it's real! I saw one just like this with a coworker's kid before!"

Hearing her husband's confirmation, Xiao Yufen's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. She let out a long sigh of relief.

Just then, the transport truck from the storage facility arrived at the door.

The family began busying themselves with moving their luggage into the new home piece by piece.

Under this roof where they no longer had to worry about being driven away, every old item seemed to take on a brand-new, warm luster.

Then, another transport truck slowly approached.

Inside the truck bed sat a high-value luxury sedan.

The two elders initially thought the vehicle had entered the area by mistake, until they saw Jiang Haojie go forward to talk to the driver and direct the unloading. Only then did they realize—this car was actually purchased by their son.

"Dad, Mom, this car is for your daily use. It'll be more convenient for you to go out from now on."

The couple was speechless for a moment. Looking at their grown child, tears faintly welled in their eyes.

Over the next few days, Jiang Haojie did not return to that dangerous area. Instead, he focused on accompanying his parents, while also stocking up on all the missing daily necessities for the home.

Gazing at his parents' weathered temples, he felt a pang of sadness.

It was time to make more plans—he absolutely did not want the rest of his parents' lives to pass by so ordinarily.

Although he had talent crystals in his possession, those were at most D-rank.

While each person could fuse three crystals, he didn't want his parents to waste their opportunities on low-tier items.

If they were to choose, it had to be SSS-rank.

As the days turned, the day for Longcheng University to open quietly arrived.

Jiang Haojie declined his parents' offer to see him off.

From Longjing Pavilion to the university was only a seven-stop bus ride. Even commuting daily would be effortless, and he didn't plan to stay in the dormitory often.

The area near the school gate was bustling, with a constant stream of new students and parents.

Jiang Haojie wove through the crowd and headed straight for the registration desk.

"Look, it's Jiang Haojie... he really came."

"Sigh, looks like he can only accept his fate."

"The top student from back then is now at the same university as us."

Several students from the same high school caught sight of him and whispered among themselves.

Jiang Haojie ignored the gossip and calmly handed over his admission notice.

The receptionist glanced at it and coldly pointed the way. "Building Nine, Room 508, your dormitory. Gather at the auditorium at 2:00 PM for the freshman orientation."

Stepping onto the campus, although Longcheng University wasn't a top-tier institution, the environment was clean and pleasant, and the air vibrated with youthful energy.

If nothing unexpected happened, the next three years would unfold here.

Before long, Jiang Haojie found the dormitory building.

Even if he wouldn't live there often, he decided to familiarize himself with the place—lest he need to stay over one day and couldn't even find his own bed.

After taking a detour, he finally saw the building labeled 'Building Nine' in the back row.

The door to Room 508 was slightly ajar.

Pushing the door open, he found two students already inside tidying their beds.

One was chubby with arms full of tattoos; the other was thin with conspicuous yellow hair. Both had lingering acne scars on their faces and exuded an air of street-wise casualness.

They glanced at Jiang Haojie and then continued with their work without saying a word.

The dormitory was a common four-person layout: loft beds with desks underneath, each being independent.

Jiang Haojie didn't say much either. He chose an empty bunk and sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

Not long after, the dormitory door was pushed open again.

The new student was completely different from the empty-handed Jiang Haojie; with bags on his shoulders and bundles in his hands, he almost filled half the doorway.

He squeezed in with some effort, a slightly awkward smile on his face. "Hello everyone, my name is Wei Guangyuan. Please look after me in the coming years."

In the room, only Jiang Haojie gave a slight nod as a response.

The other two—the tall, thin one with yellow hair and the sturdy one with tattooed arms—didn't even lift their eyelids, as if they hadn't heard him at all.

The smile on Wei Guangyuan's face stiffened, but he didn't speak again. He silently walked toward his empty bunk to settle his luggage.

As if wanting to ease the atmosphere, he tentatively spoke again. "Um... are you guys free tonight? How about we grab dinner together? My treat."

The yellow-haired guy let out a snort of derision, eyeing him sideways. "Your treat? How much change do you have in your pocket? We don't go to shabby places."

The tattooed fat guy followed with a grin, his smile carrying undisguised calculation. "Exactly. If you have that spare cash, you'd be better off 'honoring' us brothers directly. That'd be more practical."

"You two really know how to joke..."

Wei Guangyuan gave a dry laugh, trying to put a seemingly heavy luggage bag onto the bed.

Before he could finish, the tattooed fat guy suddenly reached out, yanked the bag down, and slammed it heavily onto the floor.

"Who the hell is joking with you?"

The fat guy leaned in closer, his shadow looming over Wei Guangyuan. "Keep your eyes peeled. If you're smart, take out all the money you have on you."

Wei Guangyuan frowned and took half a step back. "Classmate, we're going to live together for several years after all. There's no need for this, right?"

"Cut that crap!"

The yellow-haired guy interrupted impatiently. He raised his hand and slapped the back of Wei Guangyuan's head, making a crisp sound. "You think I'm happy being squeezed in a room with you? Hand over the money, and we'll cover for you for the next four years of university. I guarantee no one will dare lay a finger on you. This is called the rules, got it?"

In the corner, Jiang Haojie's brow twitched imperceptibly. He found the drama unfolding before him quite interesting.