Little Brian smiled politely and said, “Is Mr. Dean home? I’d like to talk to him about that parking lot land with the underground karst cave. I’m willing to buy it for a price higher than Mingda, Yihai, and the other developers, and I can also let Mr. Dean watch and vent his anger.”

The housekeeper was stunned. “You guys? Buying land?”

Julia Walker, always eager for drama, said, “This is my dad’s business card. My daddy is the president of Walker Jewelry. Our family also owns a chain of shops in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island, and Causeway Bay, so we have the resources to get into real estate.”

Wasn’t it just that the housekeeper looked down on them for being young? Julia Walker handed over the business card and gave a brief explanation, after which the housekeeper quickly ran back to the villa to report.

A moment later, Brian Carter and his companion were invited in. Old Dean was sitting on the living room sofa, smiling as he welcomed them and signaled the servant to serve tea.

After a few pleasantries, Old Dean asked curiously, “Young man, everyone knows about that parking lot land. There’s a karst cave underground, so it can’t fetch a high price. I can only stay home and watch others make money. It’s not that I can’t sell it to you, but you said you’d help me vent my anger?”

Brian Carter replied politely, “Yes, exactly because of the karst cave, those top developers like Mingda and Yihai—not to mention Mingda’s Paul Bennett, even juniors like James Bennett—can’t be bothered to invite you to dinner. They just send the lowest-level real estate agents to harass Mr. Dean.”

“This isn’t about money, it’s about respect.”

“If you sell to me, I guarantee that James Bennett will regret not coming to visit you in person.”

His words struck a chord with Old Dean. Was this really just about money? Everyone knew there was no fortune to be made. Not to mention Paul Bennett, even if James Bennett called him and invited him to a meal, if he wanted the land, he’d sell it for 200,000 and build a good relationship with Mingda—no big deal.

But not to mention James Bennett, he hadn’t even met James Bennett’s assistant.

It was always those real estate agents sitting in big offices, running around trying to buy land. Was this really about money?

On the other hand, when top tycoon Brian Howard wanted to develop in Yuen Long, he would always invite Mr. Reed from Yuen Long for food, drinks, and entertainment… and Brian Howard would invite him personally.

Was old Dean from Sheung Shui any worse than old Reed from Yuen Long? Not by much.

Taking a deep breath and looking at Brian Carter with newfound respect, Old Dean offered tea again and smiled, “Young man, let me ask you one more thing—what do you plan to do?”

“Of course, if you don’t want to say, that’s fine. As long as you offer 250,000 for that land, I’ll sell.”

He’d already been harassed by real estate agents from Mingda, Yihai, and other developers many times, and the highest offer was only 200,000. The young man in front of him was good-looking and spoke well, so he’d make a bit more and just sell it.

Holding onto it all this time was just frustrating!

This was why, in the original timeline, after Eric Bennett found out about this, he went out with old Dean a few times, flattered him a bit, and the deal was done.

Old Dean, having made it to his fifties or sixties and being one of the big landlords in Sheung Shui, what did he have left but face and reputation?

And besides, not to mention Brian Carter, the business card from Julia Walker belonged to old Walker of Walker Jewelry, a bona fide jewelry tycoon in Causeway Bay and Wan Chai.

His status was much higher than old Dean’s.

Brian Carter laughed heartily and reached out his hand. “250,000, final offer. Happy cooperation. I’ll arrange for a lawyer to come and sign the contract tomorrow.”

Chapter 12: Little Brian’s Eighteenth Year Is Racing Ahead

A new day. After Brian Carter brought the contract and completed the land transaction, on his way back from Sheung Shui to Causeway Bay, he received a call from Mark Foster.

The private detective had been found!

Two hours later, Brian Carter brought Julia Walker to a private room in a teahouse, where they met Mark Foster, Kevin Foster, and a young stranger.

Before Mark Foster could say anything, the middle-aged gangster Kevin Foster grinned familiarly and said, “Brian? Haven’t seen you in a while—you’ve really grown up, getting more and more handsome. Is this your girlfriend? Mark Harris mentioned her to me, she’s really a beauty…”

Little Brian gave him face and called him Mr. Kevin, smiling, “Julia isn’t my girlfriend, she’s my client. Let’s sit and talk.”

There wasn’t much small talk after that. As he sipped his tea, he got straight to the point: “A few days ago, Julia’s family jewelry company was robbed by three armed men who took 3 million in cash. The case was reported to the police, but there’s been no progress.”

“Julia and I suspect there’s an inside man in the company. The biggest suspect right now is Julia’s so-called uncle. We’d like to hire a private detective to investigate him.”

Mark Foster was shocked.

Kevin Foster slapped the table in surprise. “Three million? Damn, that’s a big case. Old Hill, you?”

The young stranger, Old Hill, was the private detective they’d hired. He took off his glasses and breathed on them. “A robbery case—was it old or new cash that was stolen?”

“In that case, we’ll have to start by investigating the suspect’s recent financial situation. Your uncle is a senior executive at the company, right? Unless he suddenly has major personal financial problems, he shouldn’t have committed an inside job. We can check if he’s been trading stocks, gambling, borrowing from loan sharks, keeping a mistress, or got caught in a honey trap, that sort of thing.”

Julia Walker quickly took out a folder containing her uncle’s basic information.

Old Hill glanced through the file and chuckled. “On the surface, this guy doesn’t seem too difficult to deal with… Give me seven days, and I’ll give you a preliminary assessment.”

“But I’ll need a 50,000 travel and expenses fee.”

Julia Walker readily paid, in cash.