Eye of Insight

Ivy froze for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly. She thought to herself, it's his luck that he's made such a huge sum of money, but he can't go on hanging around with those rich second-generation heirs. Not only would they squander the money, but it would also delay his studies.

If what Ethan said was true, that a meal costs nearly 100,000, even if they took turns paying, they wouldn't get through six months. This was Ivy's calculation, and the most important thing was that luck was a rare thing in life; steady living was the true path.

"Ean, will you promise sis one thing?" Ivy's face showed a trace of worry, her eyes unknowingly reddening.

Seeing this, Ethan panicked a little: "Sis, if there's anything you need, just say it. As long as I can do it, I'll do it—whether it's one thing, ten things, or a hundred things."

Ivy took a deep breath to steady herself and then said seriously, "Sis wants you to focus on your studies. Don't hang around with those rich boys anymore. There's only half a month left before school starts, so study hard at home. Can you do that?"

Ethan quickly nodded, "I wasn't planning on spending all my time with Grant anyway. We're just normal friends. Don't worry, sis, my grades won't drop. If I took the exam now, I'm sure River City University would still be within reach."

Seeing Ethan's confident look, Ivy finally relaxed. She reached into her pocket and gently pushed a bank card toward him.

"Take this card. Tomorrow, I'll use the money in this bag to pay off the debts and cover the rent."

Ethan didn't expect Ivy to make such a decision. Knowing how stubborn she was, once she decided on something, it was hard to change her mind. He didn't refuse. He took the card and put it in his pocket, saying, "Alright, if you need money, just let me know anytime."

"Mm!" Ivy responded, and began clearing the dishes. Ethan went back to searching for information online, when suddenly his phone rang.

When he answered, a strange voice came from the other end. Upon listening carefully, he realized it was indeed the beautiful landlady.

"Ean, can you come over and talk to me for a bit?"

Ethan paused, his mind starting to race. Grace called me this late—what could she want to talk about? Could it be about rent? Anyway, I have money now. If it's about the rent, I'll just pay it right away…

"Ean, are you there?" Grace's voice trembled with a slight sob. Ethan quickly shook off his confused thoughts and said, "I'm here. I'm listening…"

On the other end of the phone, Grace continued to sob. After a while, she finally choked out, "I was robbed. Can you come over?"

Without a second thought, Ethan responded, "Grace, don't panic, I'll be right there." Hearing this, he couldn't stay still. He quickly grabbed a small stack of bills from his bag and slipped them into his pocket, then called toward the kitchen, "Sis, Grace needs me for something. I'm going to pay the rent now!"

"Mm!" Ivy replied, but by then Ethan was already far out the door.

Grace's apartment was just a few buildings away, a four-story small house. Ethan had been there many times, but it was his first time going this late.

Hurrying up to the second floor, the door to Grace's apartment was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and entered, finding the room in complete disarray. Grace, the beautiful landlady, was sitting on the floor, listless. Various small objects were carelessly scattered around the room, a clear sign that it had been ransacked.

Ethan frowned, walking up to her and whispering, "Grace, did you call the police?"

Grace, her eyes full of tears, looked up and sobbed, "I just notified my cousin. She's bringing people over soon."

Ethan knew that Grace's cousin was a criminal investigator in the city's police force. The two of them were close, and there were many photos of them together in Grace's room.

"Did they steal anything valuable?" Ethan frowned as he scanned the chaotic room, silently cursing the thief.

"They took a bit over 20,000 in cash and some jewelry. The most precious thing I lost was a five-colored jade pendant my mother left me…" When she mentioned the pendant, Grace couldn't hold back her tears again.

Ethan bent down, extending his hand. "Let's get up first. We can recover the items. The floor is cold."

Grace nodded, reaching for Ethan's outstretched hand. However, after trying to stand, she couldn't get up, and after crying on the floor for a while, her legs fell asleep.

Ethan held her cold hand and gently pulled her up, then helped her to the couch.

"Grace, let me get you a glass of water." Seeing that Grace was still emotionally down, Ethan got up and walked to the water dispenser. As he absentmindedly glanced at the messy bedroom, his left eye suddenly flashed brightly. Strange images appeared in his mind.

Two men in light blue uniforms were rummaging through the room. On the bed, there was a pile of women's jewelry and cash, and right in the middle was a palm-sized jade pendant. The pendant's surface was iridescent, carved with a bird looking toward the sky, with its feathers inlaid with natural hues. It was indeed a beautifully crafted object.

The two men searched for a while, seemingly finding nothing more of value. They turned and stuffed the cash on the bed into a bag. Ethan got a good look at their faces…

At that moment, Ethan felt a chill on his feet and was drawn back to reality. Looking down, he realized the cup in his hand had spilled, the water all over his feet. When he looked back at the bedroom, it was as messy as before—no sign of the two men.

Ethan's mind short-circuited. He shook his head in confusion, then went back to the couch with a fresh glass of water.

"Ean, you don't look well. Are you sick?" Grace took the water from him and noticed his confused expression, thinking he was unwell.

"I'm fine. I didn't sleep well last night." Ethan dismissed her concern, his mind preoccupied with figuring out what powers his eyes had. His right eye could see through jade and stone, but could his left eye really replay past events? That was too unbelievable.

Thinking this, Ethan blinked hard with his left eye. Sure enough, another image appeared in his mind. The two men in uniforms were rummaging through the living room, even stealing two fine cigarettes and several bottles of liquor from the liquor cabinet. They wore rubber gloves and plastic bags over their shoes—clearly seasoned thieves.

The images in Ethan's mind only faded once the two men walked out of the door, and he realized there had been three thieves in total. Two entered the house while one kept watch outside. One of the men had a black mole near his brow—an especially obvious feature.

Just as Ethan was trying to memorize their appearances, a group of police officers stormed in, led by a beautiful young female officer. She bore a resemblance to Grace, though she had a more confident, sharp demeanor and less of the mature charm.

She was Clara, Grace's cousin, and she radiated a sense of urgency.

Clara rushed to Grace's side and asked, "Cousin, are you okay?"

Grace forced a smile, her eyes brimming with tears again. "The Five Birds Pendant is gone…"

Clara's brows furrowed slightly. She knew how much the pendant meant to her cousin. In a low voice, she reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll get a team to investigate. As long as the thief is still in River City, I'll find him."

She immediately turned to arrange for her colleagues to start the investigation and gather all relevant clues…