However, he had no idea that John Harris had already thrown down 100,000 RMB before even coming.

Eric Bennett was only taking out a small portion by doing this. If Eric Bennett didn’t have the instincts of a businessman, how could he have survived, let alone thrived, in the cutthroat world of business?

“How did it go?” Emily Bolton stood up as soon as she saw him come out and asked in a low voice.

He raised his index and middle fingers to make a victory sign.

Emily Bolton smiled, genuinely happy for him.

“Emily Bolton, I’m leaving now. Please help me say goodbye to Guan Qin and the others.”

“You’re leaving? Didn’t you just say everything was fine?” Emily Bolton asked in surprise.

“Yeah, this time I’m actually on official business.” Ethan Cooper waved the check in his hand in the air, making a faint rustling sound.

With her sharp eyes, Emily Bolton glanced at it and said with slight surprise, “Ten thousand? The boss gave it to you?”

After all, she was the boss’s secretary and had seen plenty of big scenes. Ten thousand wasn’t really a big deal to her.

“Yeah, the boss gave it to me. I’ll be away for a while, so he gave me a bonus in advance.”

Glancing suspiciously at the smug Ethan Cooper, Emily Bolton asked softly, “Do you want me to call them over to see you off?”

The “them” in Emily Bolton’s mouth referred to the other two good friends Ethan Cooper had here. Whenever they went out for late-night snacks or played cards, it was basically the four of them.

“No need. I’ll treat you all when I get back.”

As for the uncertain future, Ethan Cooper himself couldn’t be sure. Xiaoputuo was shrouded in mystery, and he really wasn’t in the mood for anything else.

Besides...

If something unexpected happened...

Peh... peh... peh...

Ethan Cooper spat a few times in a row, scolding himself for letting his imagination run wild...

He slung the travel bag over his back. It wasn’t heavy, and for a young man like Ethan Cooper, it was nothing at all. Waving his hand, Ethan Cooper gave a carefree smile and said, “I’m off. Say hi to them for me.”

After saying goodbye to Emily Bolton, Ethan Cooper whistled as he first went to the bank, cashed the personal check, and withdrew 50,000 yuan. Looking at his account, it was basically empty.

He sighed, hurried home, went to his bedroom, and took out a bag of jewelry—leftover from last time that hadn’t been sold. Judging by the quantity, it was worth at least eighty to a hundred thousand.

This was already the last bag. Once it was gone, it looked like he’d have to make some more. But right now, he wasn’t in the mood. The most important thing was to hurry to Xiaoputuo.

He didn’t think John Harris was joking with him. If he couldn’t deliver the password box to Xiaoputuo within a month, what awaited him would probably be a lifetime of torment worse than death.

Just thinking about that unbearable pain made his hair stand on end.

He took a taxi to an auto detailing shop. Ethan Cooper pushed the door open and went in. The two apprentices inside immediately greeted him, “Ethan...”

Ethan Cooper frowned and said, “Alright, I’m not in your line of work. Where’s Qingchun?”

“Charlie is inside. I’ll go get him for you.”

A quick-witted young man responded and ran inside. A moment later, a burly northern man came out, grinning.

“Ethan, you’ve come to see me. Is there some good business you want to throw my way?”

His face was extremely chubby, and when he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, making him look rather comical.

Ethan Cooper curled his lip disdainfully and said, “What business? I’m here to ask for a favor this time.”

This big guy was the friend who helped him sell gems, named David Young, one of the top bosses in the city.

“Alright, just say the word and your big brother David Young will get it done for you.” David Young said loudly, full of enthusiasm.

Ethan Cooper smiled slightly. If it weren’t for the gems, he probably wouldn’t be so straightforward.

“Qingchun, I’m here to rent a car this time.”

“What for?”

“Uh...”

Seeing Ethan Cooper hesitate, David Young slapped his forehead and said, “Look at me, it’s just a habit, don’t mind it. Do you want a new or used car? Good performance or just average? What brand?”

“Used is fine, just something average, nothing too fancy. Preferably something that doesn’t attract attention. I just need it to get around, and I’ll be back in a few days.”

“Going out of town?”

“Yeah, on business.”

“Alright, leave it to me.”

David Young was efficient. Soon, he had a little brother drive over a 2007 Santana station wagon and said, “I don’t know what you need it for, but since you don’t want a nice car and you’re going far, this 2007 station wagon is a pretty good choice. What do you think? If it’s not good, I’ll get you another one.”

Ethan Cooper glanced at it and said, “With you handling things, how could I not be at ease? This one’s fine.”

With that, he pulled out a tightly wrapped bundle of old newspapers from his travel bag and tossed it to David Young.