Boss Howard didn’t argue either. Besides, he didn’t think much of those raw stones. Smiling, he said, “Old Thompson, don’t blame me. Last time I told you to buy, didn’t you also say there wouldn’t be any jadeite? It’s still James Bro who has the sharpest eye. Next time you want to play with stones, just come to me. I won’t say it’ll be cheaper than elsewhere, but I guarantee there’ll never be any fakes!”

“Exactly! There are more and more fake rough stones these days. Last time, a friend of mine spent eight million on a semi-gambling glass-type stone with a window. Who would have thought, when he got home and cut it open, that the glass type was just scraps glued on.” The one who had just spoken, Old Thompson, said with a sigh.

James Bolton listened to their conversation without commenting. He had only managed to win at stone gambling by cheating with the energy exchange device. If it were up to him, he probably couldn’t even tell the different types of jadeite apart.

Right now, James Bolton just wanted to leave quickly and go to the bank to check how much money he had. Although he’d just received a text message on his phone, nothing could compare to the excitement of seeing it with his own eyes!

The people nearby saw James Bolton looking absent-minded and more or less guessed what he was thinking. They all smiled kindly and told James Bolton to let them know if he got any good jadeite next time, then each went their own way.

James Bolton accepted the business cards they handed over with an apologetic smile, then walked lightly away from the antique street.

At this moment, James Bolton felt as if he could fly—over three million! If he had to earn that by working, he’d never make that much in a lifetime!

At the bank’s ATM, James Bolton stared at the balance on the screen, grinning foolishly! The couple next to him thought they’d run into a lunatic and left without even withdrawing their money.

James Bolton didn’t care what others thought of him. Right now, he just wanted to find someone to share his joy with.

But he didn’t have any friends in the southern city. The only one he could call a friend, his college roommate, had gone back to his hometown to become a teacher after graduation.

Suddenly, James Bolton felt homesick. He thought of his hard-working parents and his thin, well-behaved little sister.

Thinking of all this, James Bolton couldn’t hold back his longing for home any longer. He hailed a cab and rushed to the station—he wanted to share his happiness with his family!

On the bus from the southern city to the small county of Tao’an, James Bolton stared at the trees speeding past the window, his heart already far away...

Chapter 9: Little Sister Emily Bolton

The closer he got to home, the faster James Bolton’s heart beat! He hadn’t been home for half a year and didn’t know how things were. Although his parents always said everything was fine when he called, James Bolton still wanted to see for himself.

The bus slowly pulled into the Tao’an bus station. James Bolton got off and stood on the main street of the county, feeling a bit at a loss for a moment! After thinking it over, James Bolton went to a nearby bank and withdrew fifty thousand yuan in cash, then went to the mall and bought a very popular phone, got a SIM card, and topped up 500 yuan of credit, spending nearly five thousand yuan in total.

James Bolton checked the time—it was almost 5 o’clock—so he strolled toward the county’s No. 1 High School. His little sister, Emily Bolton, was in her third year of high school, so she had classes even on Saturdays. Ten minutes later, James Bolton arrived at the school and waited under the teaching building for about half an hour. When the bell rang for the end of classes, he saw his sister coming down the stairs arm in arm with a pure and lovely girl, heading toward the bike shed not far away.

“Emily Bolton, over here!” James Bolton called out when he saw his sister hadn’t noticed him. Emily Bolton turned, saw James Bolton, and happily pulled the girl next to her over to him!

“Damn, who’s that guy? Don’t tell me he’s Emily Bolton’s boyfriend!” A few boys nearby, probably classmates of Emily Bolton, grumbled in annoyance.

Because her family was poor, Emily Bolton always buried herself in her studies at school. In her classmates’ eyes, Emily Bolton was beautiful and had plenty of admirers, but there had never been any rumors about her. Now, suddenly a guy had come looking for Emily Bolton, and she was running over with a big smile—they were bound to be jealous!

Ignoring what others thought, James Bolton felt a pang in his heart as he looked at his sister’s increasingly thin face. Senior year was exhausting enough, and with his sister not eating well and staying up late to study, of course she was malnourished!

“Brother, how come you’re here? Aren’t you working today? Do Mom and Dad know you’re back?” As soon as she saw James Bolton, Emily Bolton fired off a barrage of questions.

James Bolton laughed and rubbed his sister’s head. “I just got back. Came straight to see you after getting off the bus. Tomorrow’s Sunday, so come home with me later!”

At school, Emily Bolton was usually quiet and reserved, only showing her cheerful side to a few close friends and family. Now, seeing James Bolton, she couldn’t hide her smile at all!

“Okay! Brother, let me introduce you—this is my best friend, Linda Norton! Little Linda, this is my brother, James Bolton!” Emily Bolton happily pulled Linda Norton over to introduce her.

“Hello, Linda Norton! Emily Bolton hasn’t caused you too much trouble at school, has she?” James Bolton said politely to the beautiful, fresh-faced girl in front of him.

“Of course not, I’m very well-behaved at school! If you don’t believe me, ask Little Linda! Right, Little Linda?” Emily Bolton pouted and playfully tapped her brother’s shoulder.

“Young Bro, it’s actually Little Emily who takes care of me at school! The teachers and classmates all say Emily Bolton is the smartest and most well-behaved!” Linda Norton held Emily Bolton’s hand and smiled.

“Alright, alright, it’s my fault, okay? Our Emily Bolton is the best. Come on, let’s go eat. Look how skinny you are! Little Linda, you come too!” James Bolton took his sister’s pale hand, feeling a surge of heartache.