Chapter 321: The Iron Rooster Willingly Plucks Its Own Feathers

Harrison Lowell flinched, startled. He shot the boy an annoyed glare.

“You little brat, are you done with your summer homework? You’re always running all over the place. Are you trying to scare me to death?”

“Third Bro, I’m done with the college entrance exams! I don’t have any summer homework! Besides, I’m this year’s top scorer! The top scorer, get it?!”

Adrian Lowell pouted. “Besides, if you didn’t have a guilty conscience, would I have scared you? Look how calm Sis is.”

“Alright, alright, alright, you little top-scorer brat. Go play with your stupid building blocks.” Harrison Lowell pushed the kid’s head away.

Adrian Lowell pouted. “Fine, I’m going! Just don’t regret it!”

‘He’ll soon find out the consequences of ignoring Young Master Justin!’

Harrison Lowell continued to stare eagerly at Yvonne Lowell.

“Nola~ My idol~ My dearest, dearest, dearest sister~”

His words gave Yvonne Lowell goosebumps. She scooted away from him with a look of disgust.

“I can give you the priority purchase rights, but there’s one condition.”

“Name it! Never mind one condition, I’d agree even if there were ten!”

Harrison Lowell scooted closer to her as well, blurting out the words without a second thought.

“I remember you invested in our pharmaceutical factory. You must have made a nice profit from the year-end dividends, right?” Yvonne Lowell said pointedly.

The miser alarm in Harrison Lowell’s head suddenly went off. He gave an awkward little laugh.

“It was alright, I guess, heh heh… My pittance is nothing compared to a major shareholder like you.”

“It’s not that big a deal, really. It’s just that these priority purchase rights are a hidden perk, only available to top-tier members.”

Yvonne Lowell toyed with her fingernails, saying nonchalantly, “And don’t say I didn’t warn you, but right now, in all of ilpianeta, the only top-tier member is Scarlett. Also, to join, you need to pay a membership fee.”

Harrison Lowell gritted his teeth. “Done! How much is the membership fee?”

‘Scarlett… That’s the princess from Country E, right?’

‘Whatever the Princess has, I have to have too!’

‘If I join now, I’ll at least be the first male member!’

Yvonne Lowell’s lips curved into a nearly imperceptible smile. ‘The fish is on the hook.’

Then, her voice took on a hesitant tone.

“I won’t lie to you, she paid twenty million O Yuan for her membership. But you’re my second brother, you can just pay whatever you see fit.”

“After all, we’re family. Blood is thicker than water, and our bond is unbreakable. I’m just collecting it as a formality.”

At some point, only the brother and sister were left sitting on the sofa.

Everyone else had moved far away; some had started a game of mahjong, while others were playing games on their phones.

They had to find something to do to distract themselves, otherwise they were worried they’d burst out laughing.

‘This guy was so gullible, he couldn’t even see through such a blatant scam.’

‘He’s clearly never downloaded an anti-fraud app. Letting him pay for this lesson would be good for him.’

“Twenty million?! In O Yuan?!” Harrison Lowell couldn’t help but cry out.

‘Damn it, at the current exchange rate, that’s over 150 million Hua Country Coins!’

‘This isn’t a refundable security deposit, it’s just throwing money down the drain!’

‘How can that princess be so rich!?’

Yvonne Lowell patted his shoulder and said softly,

“Don’t get so worked up. We’re family, aren’t we? Given our relationship, you don’t need to pay that much at all. Just give a little something as a gesture. It’s just for show.”

“I don’t want to take your money, but if I don’t, I won’t be able to justify it to headquarters.”

Hearing this, Harrison Lowell’s eyes instantly welled up.

“Nola, you’re so good to me. What’s twenty million O Yuan? I’ve got it! I’ll pay whatever the Princess paid. I’m transferring it to you right now!”

With that, Harrison Lowell started to pull out his phone.

Yvonne Lowell was stunned for a moment. ‘Wait… why is this notorious penny-pincher suddenly so willing to part with his cash?’

‘So playing the sympathy card is this effective? I should’ve known!’

When Yvonne Lowell snapped out of it, she quickly pressed his hand down. “Second Bro, Second Bro, calm down! Don’t be rash!”

“Don’t try to stop me. I know you’re looking out for me, but I can’t put you in a difficult position.”

Harrison Lowell tried to pull his hand away, but to no avail.

Yvonne Lowell ignored him and continued,

“How about this? Just transfer me eighty million. Eighty million is more than enough! Besides, it’s a lucky number—it means prosperity for both of us!”

‘It was true that Scarlett had priority purchase rights, but the membership fee was a lie. It was just a matter of a few clicks for me on the internal website.’

‘It wasn’t that I didn’t want the money, but I was afraid I’d have to pay it back eventually!’

‘I wouldn’t panic as long as it was under a hundred million. If it went over that, and this cheapskate found out, he’d throw a massive tantrum to get his money back.’

Seeing he was about to say more, Yvonne Lowell quickly cut in,

“If you really transfer me that much, I’m just going to pocket it all! Then you’ll lose both your money and me!”

Harrison Lowell pouted, his eyes still brimming with tears.

“Nola, you’re so good to me! Eighty million it is, then. I’ll transfer it right now!”

‘I’m so touched, sniffle… I have the best sister in the whole world!!’

After tapping away on his phone for a moment, Harrison Lowell spoke again.

“Alright, I’ve sent it over. Check and see if you got it.”

Glancing at the transfer notification on her phone, Yvonne Lowell said with a smile,

“Got it. I can always count on you, Second Bro. I’ve already sent word, but there’s a time difference, so they’ll notify you by email when it’s processed.”

“I have a video conference with Pluto later. I need to head back to Tidalview to prepare, so I won’t be back for dinner.”

“Sure, go on. I have complete faith in you, too. You’re just like our oldest brother—a complete workaholic.”

Harrison Lowell waved his hand, gesturing for her to leave.

Caleb Lowell: ‘…What’s this got to do with me?’

“Alright then, bye, Second Bro.”

Yvonne Lowell stood up, shot a look at Leo Grant—who had been enjoying the show from the sidelines—and left the parlor.

Leo Grant smiled and shook his head, gave Caleb Lowell a nod, and followed her out.

…

Leo Grant started the car and drove away from the old family home, not forgetting to free a hand to give her little hand a squeeze.

“Fiancée, are we really going back to Tidalview?”

Yvonne Lowell leaned back in her seat, her voice lazy.

“Either is fine. Grandpa is keeping Leogryph at the old house anyway, so it’s all the same to me.”

‘As long as I don’t have to see Harrison for a while, anywhere is fine.’

A glint flashed in Leo Grant’s eyes as he seamlessly changed the subject.

“It’s rare for Harrison to be willing to part with his money like that. Why did you only ask for a fraction of it?”

Everyone in their circle knew just how much of a cheapskate Lowell the Second was.

‘If she didn’t seize the chance now, an opportunity like this might never come again, right?’

“You don’t get it. If I take less now, I can turn him into a repeat customer. If I’d taken more, I’d definitely have to give it back eventually.”

Suddenly thinking of something, Yvonne Lowell took out her phone and tapped it a few times. “There. I’ve sent you this month’s allowance. Try to make it last.”

Leo Grant glanced at his phone out of the corner of his eye and saw the transfer notification that had just come through.

He raised an eyebrow. “Twenty million?”

‘Is this what they call coming full circle?’