I Start with a Mysterious Island

"Xiaoliu, what are you doing just standing at the gate? The young master is long gone," the shorter of the two servants asked, confused to see Wang Xiaoliu standing motionless at the main entrance.

The moment Zhou Tianci’s figure disappeared at the end of the hall, the smile on Wang Xiaoliu’s face vanished instantly.

He turned his head and glared viciously at the shorter servant.

"Xiaoliu, why are you looking at me like that?" the shorter servant asked, growing fearful under Wang Xiaoliu’s vicious glare.

"You bastard! Do you have any fucking respect for me?" Wang Xiaoliu roared at the shorter servant.

"Xiaoliu, what do you mean? I’ve always respected you. How would I dare disrespect you?" the shorter servant said, feeling deeply wronged. He had no idea why Wang Xiaoliu was so furious with him.

"I’ve been busting my ass, leading men all over the place to post missing person notices for that guy named Lin. Every single time the young master has asked for news lately, I’ve had to tell him there’s nothing, and then I’m the one who gets a tongue-lashing.

And now, someone finally shows up with a tip because of the notices *I* posted, and what do you do? After you get the information, you don’t fucking tell me first—you go report directly to the young master!

Fucking hell, you just stole all the credit, didn’t you? All my hard work was completely for nothing!"

Wang Xiaoliu’s face was crimson with rage, veins throbbing on his forehead. He was itching to just jump on the shorter servant and beat the hell out of him.

"I..." Upon hearing Wang Xiaoliu’s tirade, the shorter servant instantly understood why he was so furious.

On the verge of tears, he apologized to Wang Xiaoliu. "I’m sorry, Xiaoliu! I know I was wrong. I’ll never do it again, I swear."

"Hmph..." Still fuming, Wang Xiaoliu just snorted coldly. He ignored the shorter servant’s apology and strode into the grand courtyard with his lackeys.

After Wang Xiaoliu and his group had left, the shorter servant turned to the taller servant beside him with a miserable look on his face and asked.

"What am I going to do? Xiaoliu is pissed. If he doesn’t forgive me, he’s going to make my life hell."

The taller servant scratched his head, gave it some serious thought, and then offered a rather sound piece of advice.

"Xiaoliu is still furious right now, so don’t go to him yet. Wait a few days until he’s cooled off, then go apologize. Offer to take him to the Chunxiang Building to have some fun. He’ll probably forgive you then."

The shorter servant thought his companion’s suggestion was a good one and thanked him profusely.

"Come on, don’t mention it. We’re both gatekeepers here. Now that you’re in a tough spot, it’s only right that I help you out."

...

In the living room of Apartment 601, Building 3 of the Ping’an Garden District, a figure materialized out of thin air.

Having returned to Blue Star from Dongwu City, and with daylight still left, Lin Li quickly went to his room, changed out of his training clothes, and headed out the door.

Rongcheng Central District was the city’s most bustling commercial area. Skyscrapers of all sizes were scattered in an artful arrangement across its landscape.

It was now dusk. The sun was about to vanish completely, with just a sliver of its brilliant red glow left on the horizon.

Even before the sun had fully set, the streetlights on both sides of the road flickered on one by one, preparing to light the way for the passing cars and pedestrians.

A brand-new silver van drove from Rongcheng East District into the bustling commercial streets of the Central District.

"In twenty meters, turn right. Then, continue for one hundred meters..."

The pleasant voice of the phone’s GPS gave directions to Lin Li as he drove the van.

It was the height of evening rush hour, and the roads were packed with cars.

And since the Rongcheng Central District was packed with office buildings, its rush-hour traffic was always far worse than in Rongcheng’s other four districts.

"In twenty meters, turn right. Then, continue for one hundred meters..." the GPS repeated when it detected Lin Li wasn’t moving.

’I’m stuck in traffic! How am I supposed to move?’ Lin Li grumbled at the GPS. He then took the phone off its mount and turned the navigation off.

After being stuck in traffic for about ten minutes, the cars finally began to inch forward.

RUMBLE...

He stepped on the gas, and the van started moving.

Lin Li drove the van, following the directions he had just heard. He drove about twenty meters, turned right at the intersection, and then continued straight for another hundred meters.

Jiabao Pearl.

When Lin Li saw a jewelry store on the side of the road named Jiabao Pearl, he knew he’d found the place he was looking for.

CLICK.

Lin Li parked the van in a spot on the side of the road, got out, and walked toward the nearby jewelry store—a three-story building occupying several hundred square meters.

...

Because it was peak rush hour, the jewelry store named ’Jiabao Pearl’ was empty of customers. The saleswomen inside were already preparing to pack up and head home for the day.

"Welcome."

Even though it was closing time, when the saleswomen in their form-fitting qipaos saw a customer walk in, they came over to greet him warmly.

Lin Li watched the saleswomen walk toward him with enthusiastic greetings and thought to himself.

’These saleswomen are all gorgeous! And the service is so welcoming... No wonder everyone online recommended this place when I looked up where to buy pearls.’

A saleswoman named Xiaoyun, dressed in a blue qipao with a pearl necklace, approached the young man with a sweet smile.

"Hello, sir. How may I help you?"

"Hello. I was wondering, do you buy pearls here?" Lin Li asked the saleswoman, explaining his reason for visiting.

"Huh? You’re here to sell pearls?" Xiaoyun was taken aback for a moment.

She had been working here for over a year since graduating from college and had met all kinds of customers, but this was the first time she’d ever encountered someone coming to the store to sell pearls rather than buy them.

"That’s right. I have a batch of high-quality pearls I’m looking to sell. Do you purchase them here?" Lin Li said.

"High-quality?"

"Yes. The quality of my pearls is excellent. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed."

...