Just Showing Off My Presence

Downstairs from Wanbao Pavilion Auction House, not long after Bai Yang left, no fewer than three Armed Escort Vehicles swiftly arrived. More than a dozen armed men went upstairs and took away the ginseng Bai Yang had consigned!

Then, in less than ten minutes, "inside information" began circulating among the wealthy: the Wanbao Pavilion Autumn Auction would feature a suspected Thousand-Year Ginseng as its grand finale lot...

News traveled terrifyingly fast within those circles. Before long, the entire wealthy elite was in an uproar. Even tycoons abroad began making moves, each rubbing their hands together and eager to find out the truth.

A Thousand-Year Ginseng—people had only ever heard of such a thing. Who, no matter how rich, had actually seen one? That stuff was practically on par with immortal legends. Whether eating it could bring the dead back to life or grant immortality, nobody knew, but it would probably be no problem for it to let someone on death's door live another couple of days. Who wouldn't want it?

Nobody was stupid. Most guessed that this so-called "inside information" was likely a cloud of promotional smoke released by Wanbao Pavilion. But the wealthy couldn't suppress their curiosity. Then, for no apparent reason, a few ambiguous photos surfaced, along with tidbits supposedly "accidentally" leaked by insiders. Didn't that make their hearts itch?

Once money reached a certain point, it was just a symbol. If there were something that could let them live a while longer, probably not many people would refuse to trade half their fortune for it...

Yet that suspected Thousand-Year Ginseng had been locked away in a certain bank's underground vault at the first opportunity, waiting only to make its appearance on the day of the auction. Thus, the coming stretch of time was undoubtedly agonizing for those tycoons who had nothing but money...

Bai Yang knew nothing of this news. He was only responsible for digging the pit, not filling it in.

Of course, if he had known, he would definitely have scoffed at it. Thousand-Year Ginseng, my ass. The appraisal certificate clearly stated it was between four and five hundred years old—a genuine Wild Ginseng, perfectly preserved...

Which was why one should never believe rumors. In this life, it was all about acting skills. If you didn't hype it up, how could it become popular?

Of course, even if those attending the auction eventually found out there was no Thousand-Year Ginseng, they would not complain. Four or five hundred years was easier to accept, and Wild Ginseng of that age was still an exceedingly rare treasure.

With the Wild Ginseng matter settled, Bai Yang raced without pause toward his next destination. Rush hour? So what? His two-wheeled motorcycle darted left and right, speeding along like it was flying. Yet when he reached the quality inspection institute, they had already gotten off work...

"How depressing. If I hadn't wasted half an hour waiting for those so-called experts at the auction house, how could I have arrived only after they got off work?"

He grumbled gloomily to himself, then turned a corner and headed home.

He got home at around six, just in time to run into Bai Jianjun downstairs after he had parked his car.

When Bai Yang's Dad saw him riding a sport motorcycle, his eyelids began twitching uncontrollably. He glared at Bai Yang and viciously pointed at him, clearly meaning: Just keep splurging, you brat. You really don't know how hard it is to earn money.

"Well, I needed something to get around on. Besides, I'll be making money soon," Bai Yang said with a cheeky grin.

Bai Jianjun could not even be bothered to respond. He turned around and went home.

"I really am about to make money—and a whole lot of it. Why won't he believe me?" Bai Yang said helplessly.

By the time he got home, Mom had already prepared dinner. Bai Yang showed no awareness whatsoever that he had moved out; he simply sat down and waited to eat.

While they were eating, Bai Yang suddenly looked at Mom and said, "Oh, right, Mom. Doesn't your school have some kind of laboratory? Could you pull some strings and help me test something?"

"What trouble are you trying to stir up this time?" Zhen Guoping asked without even raising her head.

"How could that be? Here's the thing. Didn't I have a classmate from the countryside when I was in school? He ran into a troop of monkeys in the mountains, got hold of some Monkey Wine, and mailed me some. I don't know if it's safe to drink, so I want to have it tested just in case."

"Your classmate sure is capable. A few days ago, he mailed you 'wild boar meat,' and now it's Monkey Wine," Bai Yang's Dad said, looking at him with a strange expression.

"Ahem, ahem. Maybe there'll be something else in a few days. We're close, so it can't be helped..." Bai Yang said without changing expression.

"Fine. Give me the stuff. I'll take it to school tomorrow and have those graduate students with nothing better to do test it for you. There should be results by evening."

He handed Mom the canteen containing the emerald-green liquor, and that settled it. His mom was the Dean of Students at her school and had a certain amount of authority. Something this minor posed no problem, and the efficiency would be extremely high. If he had gone through somewhere like the quality inspection institute, he might not get results for a week or two.

After dinner, Bai Yang went back to his room and picked up the saw and the diesel the shop owner had thrown in when he bought it. He tossed out, "I'm going to sleep at my rented place. I still have work tomorrow," then left, leaving his parents staring after him in shock.

"Didn't he say he was doing trade? Why does someone in trade need a saw?" Bai Jianjun asked in astonishment.

"Don't you know your own son? He never does anything properly. Who knows what kind of trick he's playing now..." Zhen Guoping said irritably...

After leaving home, Bai Yang tied the saw and fuel can to his motorcycle. He tilted his head up and pondered for two seconds, then, rather than returning to the villa he had rented, headed toward the military surplus store where he had bought outdoor gear a couple of days ago.

The shop appeared to be privately run. It was already past seven, yet it had not closed. When Bai Yang entered, he saw the young owner still bent over, fiddling with something.

"Hey, buddy, I'm back," Bai Yang greeted him with the easy familiarity of an old friend.

The owner clearly remembered this blockhead. Everyone liked customers who bought things without haggling. He raised his head, glanced at Bai Yang, and asked, "What do you want this time?"

Then he lowered his head again and continued fiddling with his stuff.

Oh? Not much for talking, are you? Bai Yang muttered inwardly. He leaned over the counter to see what the other man was working on, but the man moved with lightning speed and slammed the drawer shut with a bang...

"Stingy. It's not like looking will get me pregnant," Bai Yang said with a curl of his lip at the man's blank expression.

The other man pointed and said, "If you aren't buying anything, the door is over there. Thank you."

"I'm telling you, with the way you do business, you definitely won't last... Alright, alright, don't start throwing hands," Bai Yang quickly changed his tune when he saw the other man rolling up his sleeves.

Then he furtively looked left and right, waggled his eyebrows, and lowered his voice. "Buddy, get me some good stuff."

"I don't know what you're talking about. This is all I have. See whether there's anything you need. If not, please leave. I'm closing up," the other man said, still expressionless.

"Quit playing dumb, buddy. I won't hide it from you—I just like having fun. I want to go into the woods and experience what hunting feels like, so get me something worthwhile," Bai Yang said, raising his brows with a look that said, I know what you mean.

"The door is over there. Thank you," the man said again, pointing toward the entrance.

Bai Yang turned and left. He had not expected the man to bring out any good stuff this time anyway, and even if he did, Bai Yang had no money to buy it. So he left cleanly, mounted his motorcycle outside, and sped away.

To put it plainly, he had only come this time to make his presence known...

Watching Bai Yang's departing back, the young owner furrowed his brow thoughtfully. Then he pulled open the drawer beneath the counter and continued working on his things...

Yet Bai Yang still did not return to the villa immediately. Instead, he went to a small supermarket, swept his gaze around, and headed straight for the candy section. He took out a woven sack, filled it with twenty-odd pounds of rock sugar, swiped his card, and left.

It seemed the savages over there all liked sweets. This rock sugar was for placating those people; he was counting on them to lead him into the jungle to find trees.

How was he supposed to placate people with rock sugar? Was he stupid? What if he spoiled their tastes from the start? Besides, who would help him peel the wrappers off beautifully packaged candy? And once the wrappers were removed, wouldn't that damned weather turn it all into a lump anyway?

Bai Yang felt that things like Earth writing should be kept from the people over there as much as possible...

Back at the villa he rented, Bai Yang carried the saw inside and no longer wanted to move. It seemed like he had not done much that day, yet all the running around had somehow left this semi-homebody utterly exhausted in body and mind.

"This won't do. I have to start working out. Over there, I look like such a weakling—how can I manage without a good body?"

He had not cared before. At just over 1.8 meters tall, Bai Yang stood out from the crowd even here, but seeing those hulking brutes over there had dealt him a deep blow.

"Even if I probably can't become as huge as them in this lifetime, I at least can't keep looking so... 'frail enough to be blown over by the wind.'"

In a daze, Bai Yang lay down on the soft bed and drifted into sleep...