My Manor

After the Middle Eastern tycoon finished speaking, there was nothing more to say about the yacht.

He simply nodded to Jiang Hai before turning away. As for Baran, he looked a little embarrassed.

Just moments ago, with the Middle Eastern tycoon backing him, he had spoken arrogantly. But now that his supporter had left, facing Jiang Hai alone made him feel awkward.

As the saying goes, in the United States, it's unwise to offend the wealthy. A man who could casually purchase a yacht worth over five million dollars and surround himself with beautiful women was clearly not someone Baran could afford to provoke.

So, after the tycoon left, Baran also gave Jiang Hai a nod before slinking away in disgrace.

Watching their retreating figures, Jiang Hai smacked his lips with mild disappointment.

By his reasoning, wasn't this the kind of situation where the other party should try to make trouble for him?

Wasn't this the classic case of "looking down on the underdog"—where the rich and powerful oppress others, only to be slapped down in return? That's how these kinds of dramatic encounters were supposed to play out, right?

But it seemed fate wasn't giving him such an opportunity today. Before he could deliver any face-slapping counterattacks, they had already left.

In reality, Jiang Hai was overthinking it. Perhaps he was still too new to the upper circles to understand—there were plenty of arrogant, reckless second-generation elites in the world, but even those could be divided into the truly foolish and the calculated fools.

The truly foolish either end up dead or ruin their families, whether at home or abroad.

The others? They only pretend to be fools, living indulgently while keeping their opponents off guard. Sometimes, appearing thoughtless is a strategy—a form of self-preservation.

In fact, the so-called second-generation elites moving about in high society were often more cunning than one might expect. A single misstep could give a rival the chance to strike, leading to their downfall. Those who truly understood this had been raised with the proper lessons since childhood.

The Middle Eastern tycoons, having been wealthy for generations, knew the game well. Flaunting wealth was fine—stirring envy among common folk was harmless. But flaunting it to the point of making enemies everywhere? That was suicidal.

At least within the elite circles, it was always better to make a friend than an enemy.

Jiang Hai had just spent over five million dollars on a yacht without so much as blinking, which meant he wasn't ordinary.

Even if his status wasn't on par with theirs, there was no reason to make an enemy of him—especially over something as trivial as a yacht.

As for concerns about "losing face"? For Arab tycoons, who were often members of royal families, maintaining their image was more about appearing magnanimous to their own people, not wasting money on petty revenge.

For them, reputation far outweighed fleeting moments of pride.

After the Middle Eastern tycoon left, things proceeded smoothly. A staff member soon arrived with the contract.

Jiang Hai signed it and transferred the payment—5.73 million in total, with the extra amount covering taxes.

In the United States, almost every transaction involved taxes—both for the buyer and the seller.

It had to be admitted—the tax burden here was heavy.

But fortunately, Jiang Hai could afford it.

Still, when he saw his bank balance shrink by nearly a fifth, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain.

Luckily, he had a way to make money soon.

Once the transaction was completed, Jennifer arranged for a captain to show Jiang Hai around his new yacht and teach him how to operate it.

Back in Winthrop, Jiang Hai had learned to steer fishing boats under Edward's guidance. Compared to those complex vessels, this yacht was far simpler to operate.

There was no sonar, no fish detection system, no need to manage winches or booms. Where a fishing boat had dozens of controls, the yacht had only five or six essential buttons.

It was almost as easy as driving a car—radio, speedometer, fuel gauge, anchor controls, and a few others.

Jiang Hai memorized them all within ten minutes and took the yacht for a short spin. Once the captain confirmed he had the basics down, he left, and Jiang Hai docked the yacht at its designated parking spot in the marina.

Because he had purchased the yacht there, the marina provided him with a free parking space for the first three years. After that, there would be a small fee, but nothing substantial—something Jennifer had negotiated for him.

Jiang Hai found the space quite useful, as he planned to return frequently.

After wrapping up his business, Jiang Hai and Aphra, along with the others, boarded a commercial vehicle and returned to their hotel.

However, they didn't notice a Land Rover on the other side of the street quietly starting its engine.

As Jiang Hai's vehicle left the marina, the Land Rover followed at a measured distance.

Only when Jiang Hai's car neared the hotel did the trailing vehicle finally turn off in another direction.

Yet across the street from the hotel, inside another car, a man sat up.

"Boss, the target has returned to the hotel. Looks like he bought a yacht today. Damn rich people..." muttered a Black man in the driver's seat, speaking Spanish into his phone.

"Hah, Terry, don't be impatient. If it weren't for rich fools stirring up trouble, how would we ever get the chance to make a fortune?" a coarse voice replied from the other end of the line, mingled with the unmistakable sounds of women's laughter and shouts.

There was no need to guess what was happening on the other side of that call.

Hearing his boss's words, Terry chuckled. Thinking about the "fat sheep" they were tracking, it seemed they were about to hit the jackpot this time.

At that moment, Jiang Hai remained oblivious to these events.

After returning to the hotel, he went shopping for outdoor supplies.

Even though he had purchased a yacht, certain safety precautions were still necessary. Better to be overprepared than underprepared.

He stocked up on life vests, lifebuoys, smoke signals, emergency lights, and diving gear.

He considered buying extra fire extinguishers but decided against it after confirming the yacht was already well-equipped.

After that, he bought wine, food, a barbecue grill, and other essentials. The yacht was already furnished with a top-of-the-line kitchen—better equipped than his own home, in fact.

No wonder Aphra and the other girls had gone crazy with excitement upon boarding it. The luxury was on another level.

That evening, around six o'clock, Moses Adams arrived.

And he came bearing gifts.

Jiang Hai took one look inside the large bag Moses handed him and nearly choked.

"Wait, what the hell is this? An automatic rifle? An RPG? A sniper rifle? Are we headed to a warzone in South America?!"

Jiang Hai had originally planned to bring only some basic firearms and spearguns. But seeing the military-grade arsenal in front of him, he hesitated.

If he didn't know Moses Adams' background, he would've thought the guy was some South American cartel boss.

Moses smirked. "Boss, these are just little toys. Since you refused to take me along or bring any bodyguards, I figured you'd need some extra protection. You and ten delicate girls, all alone at sea—I'd hate to see you caught off guard."

Of course, Moses Adams had a deeper concern.

He wasn't entirely sure what Jiang Hai was planning, but he had a strong feeling that this wasn't just a pleasure trip. Wherever Jiang Hai was going, it likely wasn't a safe place.

Hearing Moses' words, Jiang Hai understood his good intentions. Some things simply couldn't be explained outright.

So he accepted the weapons. Besides, he had never played with these before.

Running his fingers over the Barrett M107 sniper rifle, Jiang Hai grinned.

Now, he almost wished someone would try to rob him at sea—otherwise, wouldn't all these "toys" go to waste?

The next morning, Jiang Hai and his group packed their supplies and weapons into their vehicle and headed for the marina.

This time, since he was setting sail, he was allowed to drive his car directly to the dock.

After more than an hour of loading supplies, Jiang Hai started the yacht's engine.

Aphra untied the docking ropes and jumped aboard just as the yacht pulled away.

As its powerful engine roared, the luxurious vessel surged forward, leaving the marina behind, picking up speed as it headed out to sea.

( To be continued... )