"Oh? Mine Road?" exclaimed Bill's sidekick, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "That's the stomping ground of the elite. It's a haven for the well-heeled and loaded. Looks like this young lad wasn't pulling our leg. Let's hit the road, partner!""See?" Edward chimed in, casting a victorious gaze at Officer Bill. "I didn't spin you a yarn.""All right then, let's roll!"A mere few minutes later, Edward and the two cops arrived at Mine Road, a jewel in the crown of Orinda's affluent neighborhoods.After stepping out of the car, they strode purposefully toward the entrance of Mine Road, the luxurious community. Once inside, they were greeted by a grand fountain adorned with several local-style stone lion sculptures.Spewing forth from their maws, mighty jets of water shot up, synchronized with a melodic symphony that hung in the air. The water danced with a graceful elegance, at times parting and intertwining, weaving a tapestry of enchantment.Edward couldn’t help but be bewitched by
“Great. Now all of you are distinguished guests of Mrs. Robinson!” said Jeff excitedly.Apparently, his attitude toward those two cops had a 180-degree turn.“Now I’ll go to brief Mrs. Robinson about your coming. I promise I’ll be back in a minute. You guys just wait outside the gate for a while.”With that, Jeff jumped into the open-topped sports car and drove down the new tarmac road that led to Mrs. Robinson’s great mansion at the end of it. The road was about five meters long. And on either side of the road stood two neat rows of sequoia trees, which guarded the magnificent mansion like loyal guards.About five minutes later, the beef Jeff returned to the gate in the brand-new sports car. He jumped out of it and said to Edward and the two cops cheerfully,“Good news! Mrs. Robinson says she is available now. Actually, she didn’t have the intention to meet the two officers. But considering you two are Edward’s friends, she’ll meet you guys.”With that, he let them in.“Have a good t
Edward also heard that the Golden Light Society held the reins of power in the local underworld.However, after the death of Captain Jack, the delicate balance of power was thrown into chaos. Different criminal organizations began to tear at each other’s throats, desperate for a bigger slice of the pie to operate in.This was compounded by rampant corruption that had infected every level of the local security system, making it even more unstable.Officer Bill and his sidekick now knew that they were in great trouble since they irritated Mrs. Robinson and her friend Edward.Now they were still slapping themselves in the face. Finally, they could stand doing this again and again. They crawled up to Edward and Bill begged,“Please forgive me for my wrongdoings. I promise I won’t do that again.”“That’s all our fault! If you can forgive us this time, I’ll do anything for you in the future!” pleaded Bill’s sidekick.“Only if you give me back the 5,000 dollars you took from me earlier back
[Perhaps you can try your luck in our store. Now more commodities are available there.]Excited to see the message, Edward couldn’t wait to see what he would buy there with his luxury points. Before he went into the online store in his system, he checked his own status first on the screen.[Name: Super Trading System][Owner: Edward Addison][Level: 3 as an IB Trader (also known as Ice Breaker)][Balance: 3,270,308 Dollars][Equity: 3,270,308 Dollars][Stamina: 50 (normal)][Spirit Energy: 50 (ordinary)][Skills or Arts: Pheonix Strike; other arts can be acquired by consuming Luxury Points.][Luxury Points: 1002]When his eyes fell on the last line, Edward was glad that his luxury points were enough to buy almost anything available in the online store.Without further hesitation, Edward quickly plunged himself into the store where a lot of commodities were still greyed out. Yet, a green commodity that looked like a parcel was available to him.‘What’s that?’ asked Edward in curiosity.
In a minute, Edward strolled into the car dealership with high hopes, expecting a warm welcome that would make his heart skip a beat.After all, the grim reality of the automotive industry slapped every salesperson in the face like a cold fish. Excess supply and lackluster demand had turned the whole game into a stagnant pond. Edward figured they were eager to find new customers.But however, it was he that was slapped in the face by the reality. No one came to give him a warm welcome. He went unnoticed!Almost all the tall, beautiful salesgirls, standing in the distance, just cast a fleeting glance in his direction before they darted their eyes away, uninterested.His threadbare jeans and T-shirt only invited the gazes colder than a winter’s night.Though Edward exuded a magnetic charm, they ignored him totally as if he had been thin air while busy with other clients, most of whom were paunchy, chrome-domed men.Perhaps with their deep pockets, they, as eyesores, could turn into eye
“Apologize to your friend? Hey, man, you’ve got the whole situation twisted. I had genuine intentions to get a car at her workplace! What did I do to deserve this? On the flip side, your girlfriend should be the one saying sorry to me!” Edward retorted, finding Brian’s stance utterly nonsensical.“Hey, stop pretending like a bigwig strutting around, Edward,” Brian sneered, “Where did you pinch the wheels you’re cruising in? As far as I know, you have always been as poor as a church mouse.”“Pinched? That’s ridiculous! I didn’t steal anything. I just splurged on this beauty of mine at the dealership out there,” Edward fumed with indignation.“Well, this former classmate of yours surely knows how to put on a spectacle! He’s a perfect crook, Brian. You know, the set of wheels he is driving is at least worth a cool million,” Jennifer chuckled. “He must have nicked it from the dealership next door. I’ll go and spill the beans right away!” Jennifer threatened.“There’s no need to do that!”
"Don't get lost in la-la land," Brian said, his lips curving up into a sneer.The mole under his nose seemed to join in the smirking party."I'm about to show you all who's the king of the racetrack. Edward, I'm going to make you bawl your eyes out, ha-ha."With lightning speed, he hopped into his WMB, ready to zoom away and flaunt his driving prowess."Hey, wait!" Jennifer said suddenly.In a minute, she toyed with her luscious locks, letting them dance in the wind. After having shed her work attire, she now donned a simple white slip dress, paired with sky-high heels. Her long, ivory legs exuded an intoxicating allure."I want to ride shotgun and win the race together with you!"“It’s so kind of you, babe! Hurry and hop in. With you by my side, I'll put on an even more dazzling show," Brian replied.Jennifer sidled up to Brian, leaning her head through the car window, and engaged him in a passionate kiss. Their French kiss ignited flames and persisted for a full minute, leaving onlo
“A wandering Soul?” asked Yvonne in surprise.“Yes,” Edward replied, his voice dripping with a hint of mystery, “but he was no ordinary hobo. He was a wandering poet indeed, a soul untamed by the chains of convention. If my memory serves me right, he likely roamed the lands of ancient China during the illustrious Tang Dynasty. At that time, he was nobody, but these days, he has garnered some recognition in China as well as the Western world.”“What was his name then?” asked Yvonne, eager to know more.“Han Shan, or Cold Hill, my dear,” Edward uttered, his words dancing like whispers in the wind, “Have you heard of the name before?”“Cold Hill? What a poetic name!” exclaimed Yvonne, and then shook her head, “but unfortunately, I have never heard of it before. Please forgive my ignorance!”As their conversation meandered, Jennifer suddenly caught sight of Edward’s vehicle from the rearview mirror.“By the spirits! They draw nearer,” Jennifer said loudly, her heart skipping a beat.“Take