Chapter 162: Ubiquitous Daydreams

“Why are you in such a hurry?” the girl who had just gotten in the car asked curiously. Lynch’s car had stopped downstairs right after lunch.

In this neighborhood, most people’s knowledge of luxury cars came only from TV or auto shows; they had never seen one so up close.

Some kids even wanted to touch the mirror-like, reflective surface of the car body but were stopped by adults behind them.

Who knew how much a claw mark on such a car would cost? Didn’t people always say that even a minor mistake could get someone ruthlessly targeted by capitalists?

They didn’t want their children to ruin their whole family because of a careless touch. So they could only watch from the sidelines, curious and envious.

Everything reached its peak when Katherine arrived. In this era, neighbors were not just those next door, but everyone on the same street, because they really knew each other.

When they saw the familiar Katherine stuffing her suitcase into the trunk behind the spare tire of the luxury car and stepping inside, they were stunned speechless.

Even Katherine had a bit of vanity. Especially as she sat in the car under the gazes of envy, jealousy, and malicious speculation, she felt pleased.

It’s not a fault, nor a crime; vanity is something people are born with.

Lynch had it once too, until he finally saw through people and life, and that primal need gradually faded.

The scenery began to move, and the car quickly disappeared from this ordinary neighborhood. Soon some people visited Katherine’s mother—neighbors hoping to benefit from this.

After the engine started, she curiously asked, “You called this morning and are leaving by noon? That’s not like the rich people on TV who plan every day two weeks in advance.”

Usually, they just followed their schedules and rarely had sudden plans like this.

Lynch explained briefly, “I have the first auction at the Kurland branch Friday night. It’s crucial. I have to be there in person to feel at ease.”

Katherine knew what the auction meant. Recently, TV and newspapers talked about it a lot. It was one of the local mayor’s main policies.

From her perspective, it was a good thing—spending less on necessary goods helped struggling families reduce expenses and ease their burdens.

Her father had attended such an auction and brought home a belt and a baking pan, though the pan was used only once.

Lynch valued the Kurland auction because it would decide investors’ attitudes. If it succeeded, it proved the promises Lynch made to them were real and achievable.

That would break their hesitation and make them transfer money to Lynch’s account quickly, or else soon they might have nothing left.

People often disliked agents like Mark, but they usually represented the investment trend. If they were involved, the business rarely lost money, at least during their stake.

Katherine only knew the surface and wasn’t aware of deeper details. She gave a brief response and quickly returned her attention to some books about adapting to college life.

“Yes, How to Quickly Fit Into College Social Circles is a bestseller, written by a prominent social queen who is a member of the Saint Harmony Society. Almost every college-bound student owns a copy.”

The book detailed how an ordinary girl transformed into a social star during college and gave tips for social occasions and breaking the ice.

Whether or not the author hid her identity as the daughter of a financial magnate or her mother’s role as a bank executive, the social etiquette and advice were still useful.

Katherine read attentively, yearning for college life, like many girls her age, including Lynch before.

College was not just a temple of knowledge but a place to reshape life. Sadly, some never got back there.

Lynch glanced at her side profile and then looked out the window.

The trip from Sabin City to Kurland City took about three hours, passing over 400 kilometers of desolate wilderness. For safety, Cook arranged four trucks to escort Lynch.

The truck drivers carried more than just wrenches; the community’s service company also provided Lynch with a licensed, armed driver.

This was no joke. The Baylor Federation sees 5,000 to 8,000 murders on highways yearly, many of which remain unknown for years until the culprits are caught.

Outside the city is dangerous, especially for luxury car travelers like Lynch.

After the slow journey, the barren landscape began changing—farms and ranches appeared, then sparse buildings, the road became rougher, but the buildings grew denser, and a large city appeared in the distance: Kurland City.

The truck drivers parted ways near the city center, parking at the branch warehouse, since no truck parking was allowed downtown, which would lead to tickets or arrests. It wasn’t as dangerous here as in the wilderness.

The girl closed her book, folding a corner as a bookmark.

Lynch teased, “Any insights?”

Katherine thought seriously, “Be positive, optimistic, ambitious…” She paused, reflecting due to his question but found the book’s contents too straightforward to extract meaningful lessons.

Lynch interrupted, “And money!”

The girl looked puzzled; he smiled and said, “An ordinary girl can’t publish such a book, and whatever she says ultimately comes down to two things.”

“Influence!”

“And money!”

“Sometimes they’re one and the same. The worse the economy, the more important money and influence become. If you want to fit in with your classmates, the easiest way is to highlight your influence.”

Katherine listened carefully. Successful people’s words always had power to provoke thought, Lynch included. She couldn’t help but laugh, “Looks like my college life won’t be very interesting.”

She meant she couldn’t do all the things the book’s heroine did—be loved by everyone, become the center of attention, a trend and fashion icon—because she wasn’t influential.

Thinking carefully, Lynch was right. If she was ordinary, she might not even afford one dress, let alone rent a jeweled crown.

Many notice the rental but don’t realize that to rent, you must either have a deposit enough to buy it outright or such vast personal influence that the jeweler turns a breach into commercial value.

Ordinary girls from ordinary families simply can’t do this.

Lately, Katherine had also studied some books about high society. She was curious but cautious about Lynch’s life. It was complicated.

“Looks like I wasted some money. It’s not really for me,” Katherine said regretfully, patting the book. A few words with Lynch made the book’s content worthless to her; she regretted the impulse buy.

Lynch flipped through the book casually. “It’s popular not because it teaches how an ordinary girl becomes a social queen…”

He looked at Katherine with clear, serious eyes. “Its success comes from fulfilling some girls’ longing for a better future.”

Spending a few bucks to satisfy a girl’s dream of a good life—at least in reading, they can empathize with the heroine. That money isn’t wasted.If you can’t pursue a real life, is it not even allowed to indulge in fantasies?

The car slowly came to a stop. Lynch withdrew his gaze and placed the book in the storage compartment behind the armrest, knowing the driver would clear it later.

Lynch got out and opened the door for Katherine. Outside was Kurland City’s top-tier Kurland City Hotel. Each region had only one hotel named after the city; they might not be the most luxurious, but in a certain sense, they were the highest class.

“Let’s rest a bit, then have dinner together. Would you like to come with me to the auction on Friday?” Lynch held Katherine’s hand to help her out of the car and asked casually.

Katherine answered lightly, “Wouldn’t saying no now seem more reserved?”

Lynch couldn’t help laughing. “I’ll take that as a yes!”