Lin Yan smiled as he looked at his wife's adorably naive expression, gently patting her small head.
"Huh? No way, I thought that uncle seemed pretty reliable!"
Su Mojin was a little surprised to hear Lin Yan say the uncle had been lying to her. The uncle had indeed dressed quite plainly, not looking like a bad person at all.
He couldn't be trying to deceive people at his age, could he? The uncle selling bodhi beads looked at least forty years old.
"Would a con artist tell you he's a con artist?"
Lin Yan whispered into Su Mojin's ear.
A skilled swindler would never let you realize they were a swindler. They wanted you to think they were dependable before they made their move.
"Oh, but that bracelet really suited you."
The bodhi beads were white, and her husband's skin was also quite fair. Su Mojin genuinely felt it was a perfect match.
With her dream of buying bodhi beads dashed, Su Mojin decided to explore further, hoping to find something suitable that caught her eye.
The two continued to stroll aimlessly, hand in hand.
Su Mojin was dressed in a black top and a black mini-skirt, her outfit for the day entirely in black. Lin Yan, on the other hand, wore a simple, gray domestic brand casual outfit, a matching set.
Neither of them paid much attention to their attire. Lin Yan dressed with complete freedom; this particular outfit had been a gift from one of his racing team's sponsors, a renowned luxury brand in China, worth a considerable sum.
Even the lowest-priced set of clothes Lin Yan wore was no less than a hundred thousand yuan. Even in its understated style, it outshone nearly half of China's second-generation rich.
As evening approached, the crowd here began to grow, with locals finishing work and coming out to shop.
"Help! Thief, catch the thief!"
Just as Lin Yan and Su Mojin reached a small jewelry stall, a piercing scream from an older woman erupted from behind them.
The sound was incredibly sharp, drawing the attention of everyone around. Lin Yan and his companions were no exception; Lin Yan instinctively turned his head.
It was a robust Thai aunt chasing after a young man. The young man had long, disheveled hair that obscured his face, revealing only half of it and one eye. His appearance was akin to the "emo" style from over a decade ago, and his clothes were tattered.
Despite his ragged attire, the young man displayed remarkable agility. The aunt behind him couldn't keep up.
After a brief pursuit, the aunt, out of breath, sat down on the ground. It was difficult for her large frame to chase a young man, especially one as nimble as him, so she resorted to calling for help from the surrounding crowd.
However, most people nowadays held the mindset of "better safe than sorry" and didn't intervene. Even Lin Yan felt the same.
Yet, what puzzled Lin Yan was that he felt the young man had glanced at him when he turned around, though he wasn't sure if it was his imagination.
Lin Yan had turned around as soon as he heard the commotion, and his gaze happened to meet that of the young thief.
"Honey, I feel like that person was looking at you just now."
"You saw it too?"
Not only Lin Yan, but Su Mojin had also noticed. The young man had indeed been looking at Lin Yan.
If only he had seen it, it could have been his imagination. But since Su Mojin had also seen it, it wasn't an illusion. The young man had definitely been looking at him.
Why would he be looking at him? Good heavens, could it be some peculiar fetish?
It wasn't entirely unreasonable for Lin Yan to think this, considering the prevalence of gender reassignment in Thailand.
"Young Master, that fellow has some martial arts skills."
As Lin Yan pondered, Li Wei, who had been silent behind him, approached.
Martial arts skills?
Lin Yan's eyes lit up. Had he encountered a master?
"Very skilled?"
Lin Yan asked Li Wei.
"Quite ordinary."
Seeing the anticipation in his young master's eyes, Li Wei knew what he was thinking but still answered truthfully.
Quite ordinary?
Lin Yan had just thought he might have stumbled upon a peerless master, but Li Wei's evaluation was merely "quite ordinary."
Admittedly, the young man's entrance had a certain air of a peerless master. His tattered clothes, peculiar style, martial arts background, and the fact that he appeared as a thief – it truly resembled the way heroes emerged in novels.
Lin Yan had almost been swayed; recruiting talent was his primary objective at the moment.
The Lin family had countless retainers, but they were divided into factions. His own people were the most reliable.
However, with the guy's martial arts being only average, Lin Yan lost interest. Such an entrance should have made him easy to recruit, but Lin Yan sought quality over quantity.
Talent wasn't easily found; it was a matter of serendipity, not something you could just pick up on the street.
After browsing on the second floor, the couple didn't buy any clothes. The styles there were too flashy. Instead, Su Mojin found an affordable stall and bought a string of bodhi beads, which she placed on Lin Yan's wrist. It cost only a few hundred yuan, much cheaper than the previous one, though still on the higher side of the normal market price.
Next, they went to the third floor, which displayed furniture and sofas. They had no interest in those and proceeded directly to the fourth floor for a meal. Due to the upcoming ranking matches the next day, Lin Yan didn't eat, merely watching his wife dine. Besides, he wasn't particularly fond of Thai cuisine, which primarily featured raw marinated seafood.
The young lady also ate only a few bites. After a brief tidying up, Lin Yan and his companions took the elevator to the first floor, preparing to return to the racetrack.
It was getting late. By the time they finished their shopping, it was nearly seven o'clock in the evening, and the sky had already begun to darken.
They hadn't bought much, but a significant amount of time had passed. Arriving at their parking spot, Lin Yan opened the trunk and placed the few small items they had bought inside. The larger items were being carried by the bodyguards and were also placed in the trunk.
"What are you doing? Come any closer and I'll use force."
"Stand there and don't move!"
With a "snap," Lin Yan closed the trunk. From behind him, he heard Li Wei's voice. Lin Yan turned to see the young man who had stolen earlier, standing beside Li Wei, being held back by Li Wei and several bodyguards.
Yes, standing next to Li Wei, intercepted by Li Wei and several bodyguards, was the same young man who had stolen in the market earlier.
"Is there something?"
Lin Yan turned and asked. They had made eye contact in the mall earlier, and now the person was here again, clearly waiting for him.
"I need your help!"
The young man pushed back the hair from his forehead, revealing a very dirty face, and said with utmost seriousness.
This statement made Lin Yan laugh. Frankly, this was the first time he had encountered someone who, upon meeting, immediately declared, "I need your help." Was this some form of emotional blackmail?
Upon hearing this, Lin Yan's expression turned cold.