Chapter 30: Cufflinks

Chapter 30: Cufflinks

The salesman dismissed the others and left Luo Le with the Alpha he had just chosen.

Luo Le pointed at a few outfits on the screen, and the Alpha took them into the fitting room.

In no time, the Alpha came out.

"This one doesn't fit snugly."

He changed into another outfit.

"This one is too tight."

He changed again.

"Too flashy."

"The watch is fine, but the pants are too short."

"Well, the scarf is nice. How about the shoes? Do they have them in black?"

...

After careful selection, he picked out quite a few items.

"Let's settle with these. Replace everything with new ones, based on his size."

"Very well, how would you like to pay?"

Luo Le tapped his wrist. "Brain Chip."

Upon reflection, he switched his account back to his own.

Since their marriage, Huo Lanjing had never stinted on what was due to him. Their financial accounts were shared, and whenever Luo Le faced difficulties, Huo Lanjing would step in to help.

Except, there was no companionship or love.

But Luo Le didn't desire anything beyond those two aspects.

"Deliver it to the usual spot."

"Very well, Mr. Luo. We anticipate the delivery to arrive at 4 PM today."

Luo Le acknowledged with a murmur and was about to stand when someone called out to him, promptly taking a seat beside him.

Dressed flamboyantly, Luo Le could tell at first glance that this person was an omega often seen with Wang Yiyi, named Wang Rui, who was the daughter-in-law of the Li family.

He didn't have much affection for anyone associated with Wang Yiyi, especially since they were part of a circle known for gossiping and using crude language.

Luo Le intended to rise and leave, but the recollection of Wang Yiyi's intermittent glances during the banquet held him back.

Suddenly changed her mind.

He turned his head to look at him, feigning recollection. "You are...?"

Wang Rui was taken aback. He had often visited the Luo family in the past; how could Luo Le not recognize him?

Wang Yiyi's words proved true. Luo Le, that wretch, had previously relied on Luo Lu, and now she counted on Huo Lanjing to consistently dismiss them with contempt.

He wanted to react strongly, but remembering his family's previous words, he held it in.

"I'm Wang Rui, Wang Yiyi's good friend. I used to visit the Luo family often. Don't you remember me?"

"Oh, now I recall. What's up?"

Luo Le appeared to have a sudden realization.

Wang Rui forced a smile at the corner of his mouth. "It's like this, I've heard that the Empire is planning to build new hovertrain tracks. Is that true?"

Luo Le gave him a suspicious look. "Where did you hear that?"

Wang Rui approached and grabbed his hand, exclaiming, "Everyone in the industry is talking about it. We're not sure if it's true or not. It's quite coincidental that I met you here today, so I thought maybe you would know."

Luo Le gently pushed away his hand, folding his arms in contemplation. After a moment, he lifted his head. "Although I'm unsure how you found out, it is indeed true."

"Really? That's fantastic! My husband can meet those requirements. Does Madam happen to know any details?"

"I do know, but... didn't Wang Yiyi tell you? I clearly mentioned it to her. Considering you two are such good friends, she should have..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Rui's face paled. "She knows?"

As he finished his sentence, he noticed Luo Le covering her mouth, as if she had said something she shouldn't have.

What was Wang Yiyi's game? The Luo family had no need for such services. Knowing this, why hadn't she told him?

The Empire had regulations stating that companies like theirs could only undertake one project at a time.

After learning this rule, they had refrained from taking on large-scale projects to ensure their survival in the industry.

Seeing that his objective was accomplished, Luo Le rose to his feet. "I suddenly remembered I have something else to attend to. I'll take my leave now."

To others, it seemed as though he was guiltily fleeing the scene.

Wang Rui stared at Luo Le's retreating figure and took several deep breaths to compose himself before leaving as well.

From a distance, Luo Le observed Wang Rui's agitated reaction and couldn't help but curve the corners of his lips.

It seemed that Wang Yiyi would have her hands full.

When Wang Yiyi was with Luo Lu, he had yet to divorce his mother.

Nonetheless, she never felt that this was an issue; instead, she felt a sense of pride.

It was as if she believed that by marrying Luo Lu and raising their son who was more favored than his mother's, she had triumphed over his mother.

In the past, Wang Yiyi would flaunt her superiority before him, mocking his mother for her beauty that couldn't retain a man, and for raising an unappealing son.

But she overlooked the fact that she was the one who had been the third party.

The mere thought of Wang Yiyi's smug expression made Luo Le feel disgusted.

On the day of the banquet, Luo Lu, leveraging her status as the wife of a general, introduced Luo Zhining to many people.

She probably felt that she had triumphed once again.

Regarding the project, he had caught wind of it when he returned to the Huo residence for dinner and overheard Huo Fei mentioning it briefly.

He didn't have a clear understanding of the specifics.

Yet, that was sufficient. Even if he couldn't sow discord between them, it would still cause Wang Yiyi some trouble.

It was a battle of who could repulse whom.

Luo Le turned and left, his hovercar parked on the fifth sublevel.

Just as he was about to enter the elevator, the corner of his eye caught sight of a jet-black, crimson-glowing cufflink that resembled obsidian.

His gaze was involuntarily drawn to it.

By the time he regained his composure, he had already entered the store.

Luo Le pointed at the photograph of the item displayed in the brochure, "Is that a new arrival?"

The salesperson answered with a professional smile, "Yes, there's only one in the entire empire. It's a precious natural pharaohite, and its color changes depending on the angle you view it from – black, red, or purple."

The moment Luo Le laid eyes on it, he thought of Huo Lanjing; it would definitely suit him.

Moreover, Huo Lanjing usually wore cufflinks.

"Great, wrap it up. If you come across another identical one, I'll take that too."

The salesperson was surprised by Luo Le's decisiveness. He didn't even inquire about the price before purchasing?

"Sir, are you sure? This pair of cufflinks is priced at seventy million... And you're also certain about booking any future ones?"

Luo Le extended his hand. "I'm sure."

Hearing this, the salesperson didn't say anything more. Swiping his card, she deducted the amount from his account. "Alright, I'll package it for you right now."

In no time, a delicate gift box was placed in a paper bag. "That's all, sir."

Watching Luo Le's retreating figure, the salesperson still couldn't believe that she had sold those seventy million cufflinks.

Although people who entered this mall were usually wealthy, spending seventy million on a pair of cufflinks was extravagant.

Cufflinks typically ranged from one to two million, with some reaching tens of millions, but such cases were rare.

Unaware of the salesperson's thoughts, Luo Le hurried back to his car with the gift box.

The moment he got into the vehicle, an unexpected message appeared on his AI interface.

"You have spent 70,000,000.00 credits at the Jinhai branch of the Imperial Luxe Tower on the 30th floor. Your current account balance is 1,200,000.50 credits."

Luo Le stared blankly at the notification. Was he left with only twelve hundred thousand?

A portion of the money he currently had was inherited from his mother on his wedding day, and the rest was earned from selling the mecha parts he had crafted to others over the years.

But he had stopped doing that because it was too troublesome.

Now, it seemed like he would have to resume.

Money just didn't last.

Luo Le patted the exquisite gift box in his hand. He had a feeling that Huo Lanjing would love it.

He stored the gift box in his ring's storage space, then instructed the hovercar to take him home.

On the way back, Luo Le couldn't help but think about the mecha again.

Xu Fei mentioned that the warrior's condition was due to mental fluctuations. Was it the same for him?

Ever since he began interacting with mechas, he had experienced this incompatibility issue.

He had yet to discover the cause.

It seemed he needed to investigate further tomorrow.

The next morning, Luo Le took leave from his mentor first.

The Huo family had their own hospital, which was where Luo Le and Huo Lanjing underwent their premarital examination.

Luo Le familiarly made his way to Dr. Lin's office, having informed the doctor beforehand about his intention to undergo a mental power checkup.

He followed Dr. Lin to the mental power department.

In no time, the results were out.

Dr. Lin looked at the report in confusion, then hesitantly asked after a moment, "Madam, your mental power has been fluctuating consistently. Did you experience anything similar during your previous mental power assessment?"

On the day of the mental strength test, Luo Le still remembered that the mental strength detector had functioned normally.

"No."

"That's odd. Normally, one's mental strength should stabilize at eighteen. How could it change? Moreover, the frequency of your mental energy fluctuations is similar to that of someone still in their growth phase before adulthood."

Could it be that the Admiral's wife's mental strength was still in its development stage? But that couldn't be right. If he recalled correctly, Madam was already twenty-two, wasn't she?

Dr. Lin shifted his gaze back to the test report.

Luo Le was taken aback by this. His mother's mental strength seemed to be A+, while he wasn't sure about Luo Lu's, but it didn't seem low either.

Assuming Luo Lu's mental strength was A, based on Imperial genetics, his mental strength should at least be A+ like his mother's.

Wang Yiyi's mental strength was B, and Luo Zhining's was A+. This indicated that Luo Lu's mental strength might even be higher.

But his own test result had indeed been A. He had always assumed it was due to the incidents from his childhood and didn't think much of it. Now, it appeared... there was more to the story.

Suddenly, an idea flashed across Luo Le's mind. He asked, "Are there any medications that can suppress the growth of mental strength?"

Dr. Lin froze upon hearing this. Could it be? "There is indeed a drug that can suppress the growth of mental energy and even damage the user's mental energy. However... such a drug barely exists in the Empire, and its distribution is strictly controlled. Moreover, it wouldn't cause fluctuations in mental energy."

Luo Le's fingers trembled. There was a time when Wang Yiyi was obsessed with making him soups. He had always found it odd; how could she be so kind?

Now, everything seemed to make sense.

Except, he hadn't consumed any. Did Wang Yiyi perhaps lace something else with the drug?

"Madam, Madam?"

Dr. Lin's voice pulled him back to reality.

Luo Le looked up. "Is there a solution if one has taken that drug?"

"Hmm... It would depend on how long they've been taking it. If it's just been once, a full course in a Type D healing pod should restore them. But if it's been a few months, medication would be needed along with rehabilitation for half a year to recover... If it's been years or a prolonged period... it might not be fully reversible."

He had no idea how long he had been consuming it. If it had been for years...

Would he truly never regain his abilities?

As if hearing his unspoken thoughts, Dr. Lin responded, "Although complete recovery is not possible, a significant portion can be regained. Recently, we've developed a new medication that shows considerable effectiveness in treating mental trauma."

Luo Le lifted his head at these words, his bright eyes shimmering with hope. "Really?"