Chen Kun's mother saw someone take up the conversation.
Still fuming at the time.
She blurted out that she would sell her son's most beloved "toy"!
"Do you mean what you say!"
"You can't go back on your word!"
The other party's voice was extremely serious and cold.
It even carried a hint of authority that demanded respect without needing to assert it.
Huh?
Chen Kun's mother snapped back to reality.
She turned her head to look at the person who had spoken.
It was three young men, dressed plainly, standing tall, and appearing very reserved... even humble.
Their husbands were all titans of the business world.
These pampered ladies, accustomed to a life of luxury, had always judged people by their appearance.
She scanned the young man who had spoken, the one in the lead, from head to toe.
She couldn't tell what brands his clothes, accessories, watch, or bag were. In fact, there were no brand logos at all.
Although the materials were of good quality.
But.
At their social stratum, it was all about the brand.
For example, a plastic bag from a certain luxury brand could sell for 100,000 Xia coins.
This plastic bag, with material no different from ordinary polyethylene, could fetch a price that many ordinary Xia citizens couldn't earn in a year.
It was all because of its ostentatious and luxurious brand name...
Ordinary people bought tote bags to carry things.
But these affluent ladies bought them to show off!
Well.
It was all about showing off, anyway.
Showing off wealth and showing off goods were not that different.
...
Looking at the young man who had picked up her conversation, who seemed to have no background or status, Chen Kun's mother grew impatient.
She happened to have a belly full of anger with nowhere to vent it.
This young man, who was taking her angry words seriously and treating them as fact, had just walked into the line of fire... Even if she was furious, she couldn't and wouldn't risk upsetting her son by selling that toy. It was only a mere million or so Xia coins, after all. What was more important than the mother-son relationship... She immediately put on a stern face and berated him unceremoniously.
"Who is this secondhand dealer!"
"How did you get in here... This is a private club!"
"Entry is by invitation only, requiring members with assets exceeding a hundred million!"
"Security! Security! Escort these people out!"
Having found an outlet for her anger, Chen Kun's mother shifted all the resentment she felt from the other noble ladies onto this young man.
Facing the barrage of anger from the middle-aged socialite.
The three young men remained composed and respectful.
However, the conversation continued to focus on the mech sale.
"Madam, please calm down!"
"We are not 'scrap metal collectors'."
"Since you are willing to sell the Phantom-class power mech produced by Huarong Industries, we can discuss the price."
"How about this, a tenfold buyback, ten million? What do you say?"
Ten million?
To buy a toy mech for her son?
The noble lady was taken aback.
Their husbands were all ordinary wealthy men with assets around a billion.
One million.
To them, it was like 10 yuan for an ordinary white-collar worker earning over ten thousand a month... just enough for breakfast.
Ten million.
Compared to an ordinary person, it was akin to about 100 yuan.
The price of a slightly more luxurious spa treatment.
Although not a lot, it was still a small expenditure or income.
She had to give it some thought.
Most importantly.
In Chen Kun's mother's opinion.
These three young people in front of her, dressed inconspicuously, who couldn't even be seen to have any brand logos, let alone be able to produce ten million.
Even if they claimed they could produce 100,000 in cash, she would still have her doubts.
The wealthier people were, the less they cared about expenditures and incomes in the millions... but they absolutely hated being ripped off.
For example.
When an ordinary young person goes for a shower or a massage.
For 100 yuan, they'd expect a young woman in her early twenties to serve them for half an hour... they felt the money was well spent!
However.
If the person who showed up was a forty or fifty-year-old, overweight woman like Qiao Biluo or Feng Jie!
That would be a total rip-off, stupid, and a waste of money.
"Who are these con artists!"
"Get out of here at once!"
"Security, where is security? Why aren't they here yet!"
Clearly.
Chen Kun's mother felt that they were treating her like an idiot.
They were offering ten million to buy back a mech toy her son had spent millions on.
This had to be some kind of trap.
"Madam, if you are worried that we are con artists, you can check our credentials!"
The young man at the front handed over a book, which was also very ordinary and understated, but kept meticulously.
"Military officer's ID?"
"Rank of Lieutenant Colonel?"
"Internal Security Department, National Defense Security Headquarters?"
Evidently.
Chen Kun's mother had seen some of the world.
A mere Lieutenant Colonel.
Could not catch her eye.
According to the rank classification of the Great Xia Kingdom.
Only those who reached the rank of Senior Colonel were considered to have just barely entered the threshold of high-ranking officers.
"Tch!"
"Let's not even talk about whether you are actually officers!"
"Even if you're not con artists, a mere Lieutenant Colonel wants to snatch my son's toy? No way!"
As soon as she finished speaking.
A roar was heard.
"You old hag, what the hell are you talking about!"
It was Chen Kun's father.
He rushed to Chen Kun's mother's side in a few quick strides, snatched the military ID, examined it carefully, and then tremblingly handed it back.
"Officers, please forgive my offense, my offense!"
"We did not anticipate your visit, and thus did not greet you properly!"
"Allow me to offer you a few drinks as an apology."
Chen Kun's father, who had just been arrogant and condescending, now became as docile as a lamb.
"Go, bring me that bottle of 30-year-old Maotai that I have stored at your establishment..." he shouted to a waiter, then bowed and scraped as he said to the three young men, "...Please, have a seat. A few drinks are the least we can offer!"
The officer maintained his calm and indifferent demeanor as he spoke.
"We are on official duty and cannot drink..."
"Earlier, this lady promised to sell us your son's mech..."
"We have confirmed this, and you will not go back on your word, will you..."
Chen Kun's father quickly agreed.
"No going back, no going back!"
"Sell it, we must sell it!"
"This shrew... oh no, my wife promised, and she will definitely keep her word."
Seeing his father suddenly turn into a cowering dog.
Chen Kun was displeased.
"Dad."
"That's the mech from Huarong Industries that I worked so hard to get."
"And it's the first one released globally, I don't want to sell it..."
Before he could finish speaking.
His father shot him a fierce glare.
"You bought it?"
"Whose money did you use?"
"If I say sell, you sell. Don't talk nonsense!"
Chen Kun was defeated.
He instinctively glanced at the other uncles at the table, who were around his father's age.
These men, who were usually arrogant and commanded great influence in business circles, were all showing the utmost respect.
Not a single exception!