“Hey, old man, is this supposed to be jade or something? Looks like a plain pebble to me. I’ll give you five bucks, take it or leave it.” Osric Carter squatted beside a street stall outside the train station, fiddling with a marble-sized bead in his hand, bargaining with the vendor.

The bead was rough and dull, but its one black side and one white side caught his eye—it kind of looked like an eyeball. That odd look was exactly why Osric found it interesting enough to buy.

The old vendor glanced at it, thinking, Isn’t that the random rock I picked up in the hills a couple of days ago? Can’t believe someone’s actually interested. He was thrilled inside but forced a pained expression, sighing, “Kid, you sure know how to haggle. Fine, fine, five bucks it is. First sale of the day, I’ll cut you a deal.”

Seeing how quickly the man caved, Osric actually regretted it a bit. The more he stared at the bead, the more it felt like a total dud—probably just a regular old river pebble, not even worth a dime.

“Oh well, it’s just five bucks,” he thought with a shrug, handing over the money and walking off with the bead in his pocket.

Osric was twenty-two, a college grad for over a year now, and still hadn’t found a proper job. He’d sent out resumes left and right, but it was like tossing them into the void—no one ever replied. The constant disappointment was dragging him down.

Just a few days ago, he got a surprise call from Madelyn Collins, a college classmate, inviting him to a reunion. She had been the campus beauty back then, and now she was married to Emanuel Eastwood—the rich kid from their class.

Osric still had some unresolved drama with the two of them. The invite felt more like a flex than a friendly gesture, but he was stubborn by nature. Even knowing the meetup might be awkward and annoying, he agreed to go.Carrying nothing but a light bag, Osric Carter boarded the train. Since Madelyn Collins had offered to cover his round-trip ticket, he went all in and got himself a first-class sleeper berth costing over nine hundred yuan. Honestly, making Emanuel Eastwood foot the bill felt pretty satisfying.

This kind of deluxe sleeper had only two beds per room—spacious and quite comfy. When Osric arrived, the bunk opposite was still empty, so he had the room to himself for now.

He stowed away his belongings, tidied the bedding a bit, and lay down to rest.

As the train shook gently into motion, Osric dozed off without realizing it. In his dream, a towering golden Buddha sat in the air, smiling softly at him.

Then, without warning, a beam of golden light shot out from the Buddha’s left eye and hit him right between the eyebrows. Osric felt a sharp pain in his head, yelped, and jerked awake.

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was a burning soreness. He rubbed them groggily and muttered, “Seriously, what the hell was that? Did I poke my own eyes?”

A few more rubs and the sting slowly faded. Just as he was about to lie back down, the door to the room slid open.

The moment he looked up, it was like someone turned on the lights.

A stunning young woman walked in. She looked about mid-twenties, wearing a fitted red blazer that highlighted her curves and a sleek black mini-skirt that showed off her legs. Her skin was pale and flawless, her features striking—especially those alluring eyes and sharply defined nose.

She was gorgeous. Osric couldn’t help but stare.

The woman smiled politely at him and sat on the bunk across from his.

Osric forced himself to look away and returned her smile. But a second later, curiosity got the better of him, and he snuck another peek.

She was busy arranging her luggage and didn’t notice, so he let his gaze linger a bit longer. Just then, his eyes suddenly felt warm, and if someone had been watching closely, they might’ve seen a faint shimmer of gold flash across his pupils.

A split second later, Osric’s jaw dropped.

Because the woman’s clothes had vanished from his view—completely.

Stunned, he blurted out, “What the...!”