Wang Dabao is twenty-five years old this year. Before he turned nineteen, his life was quite comfortable—his parents ran a small company and had a bit of money. But then, they were set up by the son of a local official, lost a huge sum, and not only did the company go under, but even their family home had to be sold to settle the matter. James Carter's father, unable to swallow the injustice, stabbed that official's son three times. Although he didn't kill him, it was still considered serious injury, so he and his wife went on the run and became fugitives wanted online. Maybe to avoid bringing trouble to their son, the two of them never called James Carter again.

At first, James Carter was very worried about his parents, but as time passed, he got used to it and learned to live on his own. At least he knew his parents were just on the run and still alive somewhere in the world, so there was always hope that one day they could be reunited.

When his parents fled, James Carter was in college. Suddenly, he became completely alone and lost all financial support. Since his family had been well-off, he hadn't taken his studies seriously and was a bit of a slacker. But now, he no longer had the luxury to slack off and could only get by through part-time jobs to finish college. After graduation, it was even harder to find a job, so he kept doing odd jobs, barely making any money each month. The main thing was, in school he could live in the dorms, but after graduation he had to rent a place, which made his financial situation even more difficult. It was really not easy just to survive.

Housing prices in Pingyang are very high—regular high-rises start at seven or eight thousand per square meter. This villa, over six hundred square meters, must be worth tens of millions at least. He went from being penniless to a multimillionaire in an instant, but this multimillionaire status would only last for a year. To quote a line from Stephen Chow, "The ups and downs of life are just too exciting."

The document James Carter just signed had a copy for him, listing the inheritance. Besides the villa, there was also a jade pendant and a bank card. This struck James Carter as odd—his uncle left nothing else, just a jade pendant. The pendant must be special. He quickly rummaged through the file bag and indeed found a small, round jade pendant. It wasn't big, about three centimeters in diameter, emerald green in color, and felt cool in his palm—a pleasant coolness that cleared his mind. The chaotic feelings from suddenly inheriting all this also calmed down.

James Carter immediately took a liking to the jade pendant. There was a red string attached, and since it was his now, he didn't hesitate to put it around his neck.

Chapter 3: I’m Not That Lucky!

He took out the bank card. The card was golden all over, as if made of gold, and inlaid with two sparkling gems. If James Carter guessed right, they were diamonds. The card alone must be worth a lot, but unfortunately, there was no money in the account. It was like holding a golden rice bowl and still having to beg for food—enough to make anyone want to cough up blood in frustration.

Just then, his phone rang. James Carter stuffed the bank card into his pocket and checked the number before answering. It was his only good buddy in Pingyang, David Foster. As soon as the call connected, David Foster shouted, "Dabao, I’ve set up a date with a girl for tonight. She’s really pretty!"

"Not going. I’ve got things to do these days."

"Come on, without you, the girl will bail for sure. Get over here."

"Get lost. You think I’m your pretty-boy wingman? Not going." With that, James Carter hung up.

David Foster was James Carter's college classmate. His family wasn’t well-off either, but when James Carter was at his lowest, he gave him the most help. So in James Carter's heart, David Foster was his best buddy. After graduation, this guy actually passed the civil service exam, so his finances improved and he became a government worker. But their friendship stayed the same, and they still hung out whenever they had time. David Foster liked chatting up girls online and often arranged to meet them, but unfortunately, if he sat down, he was as wide as he was tall—like a real-life Maitreya Buddha. Every time, he scared the girls off, so he always had James Carter, who was at least decently good-looking, help keep the girl around first, then try to make a move. But even so, he never succeeded, though he never got tired of trying.

James Carter knew it was all nonsense, so usually when David Foster called, he’d help out. But right now, what he wanted most was to go take possession of that multimillion-dollar villa—he had no mood to help David Foster chase girls.

He splurged and spent ten yuan on a cab to a garden-like upscale neighborhood—Qinghua Garden.

There were no high-rises in Qinghua Garden; the tallest buildings were only six stories, and each was split into two-story duplexes. There were six such buildings, and the rest were all three-story villas, all in the same style, each over six hundred square meters. The main feature was the landscaping inside the villas. When rich people buy houses, besides the quality and size of the house itself, the environment of the neighborhood is a key factor. In both the houses and the environment, Qinghua Garden was second to none in Pingyang.