"Calm down, Jack. We're in Winthrop," Bavetta-Jean-Dro whispered into Jack's ear after glancing at Jiang Hai and the others in the distance. Jack had to calm down after hearing her words. Jiang Hai was openly using money to flaunt the girl Jack liked right in front of him. That was unbearable for anyone, right?
"One thousand five hundred dollars." Jiang Hai smiled disdainfully, locking eyes with Jack, whose anger was about to erupt. When he initially offered one thousand, he had actually raised the bid by five hundred. Hearing this, everyone nearby turned to Jack with teasing smirks. Though unfamiliar with Jiang Hai personally, they all knew he was seriously wealthy.
"You bastard!" Jack roared, unable to hold back after Jiang Hai's audacity to raise the bid by five hundred dollars.
"Two thousand dollars." Jiang Hai stood up again, his pride on full display.
Maybe it was that inherent streak of mischief buried in his genes that made him burn with excitement. He loved the feeling of hitting someone hard in front of others. He was a bad guy—come and hate him.
"Who's so special, so idiotic, so stupid…" Jack's face twisted in disgust as Jiang Hai raised the price to two thousand. Muttering curses, he turned on his heel and left. He knew any conflict with Jiang Hai here would only bring trouble.
Better to walk away than humiliate himself. Ignoring Bavetta's attempts to stop him, Jack left George's horse farm, hopped on his motorcycle, and sped off. Jiang Hai watched him go and shrugged helplessly.
"Alright, final price—two thousand US dollars. These seeds now belong to Winthrop's richest man, Mr. Jiang Hai," Diliya announced, the sole competitor gone. Although she knew Jiang Hai could afford the price, she waited until Jack left to declare the auction winner. She handed the flower seeds to Jiang Hai.
Jiang Hai pulled out two thousand dollars in cash and handed it to Kelly Soren beside him. When Kelly took the money, she scratched Jiang Hai's palm—an obvious message—but Jiang Hai ignored it. He just smiled, gave her the money, and returned to his seat. Watching Jiang Hai, Kelly curled her lips slightly in a careless smile. If he were an ordinary American, he might have taken her away by now, but despite not bringing a female companion, Jiang Hai was still cautious.
Back at his seat, Jiang Hai leaned back and watched the remaining auction items.
"Hey, Jiang Hai, your move was powerful—not only did you outbid your rival, but you also seem to have made Kelly fall for you," Selsey said, sitting next to Jiang Hai and whispering.
Although Selsey was a father now, he was still quite young—just a college student. He hadn't gone to college, though, choosing instead to invest the money and time into opening a parts factory.
"Do you know Kelly well?" Jiang Hai asked, surprised by Selsey's words.
"Of course. Kelly's a local celebrity here. Her family runs the largest flower shop in town—they're actually your tenants, since it's on commercial street," Selsey explained. He added, "Black people here tend to have two extremes in personality: if they don't know you, they avoid talking, especially if they dislike you. But if they know you well, they're chatty—talking as fast as a rapper."
While Selsey spoke, Jiang Hai learned Kelly was well-known locally—pretty, studious, and never a troublemaker. She had no casual relationships in high school, dated a guy in college a year older than her, and broke up after graduation. Now she was in a single phase.
Jack was Bavetta's friend, Kelly was Diliya's friend, and that's how Jack and Kelly met. Jack was pursuing Kelly, but judging from the current scene, it wasn't going well.
"By the way, I heard you often play rugby?" Selsey's words came rapidly, like machine gunfire. Jiang Hai quickly interrupted to change the subject.
"Yeah, I'm on the Winthrop rugby team. We might not be wealthy here, but our team is definitely in the top three locally," Jiang Hai said with a smile.
Americans loved baseball and rugby. There were four major leagues in North America: ice hockey, baseball, basketball, and rugby.
Ice hockey was limited by geography—no natural ice in the south—and building ice rinks was costly. So it wasn't very popular everywhere. Basketball, originally a sport dominated by Black athletes, remained popular but was overshadowed by white Americans culturally, giving it an awkward status. Fortunately, David Stern globalized the NBA, making it a worldwide phenomenon.
Europe had five major football leagues, drawing many viewers: Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, and so on. But basketball had only one international league, the NBA, where all top players aspired to play. This gave basketball a high status in the US, though not everyone truly loved it.
Baseball was traditionally a white American sport—non-contact and long-standing as the country's biggest league before rugby's rise. Its decline began after stricter racial discrimination investigations.
Football, by contrast, was the top sport in North America—brutal, exciting, and racially diverse. Blacks typically played linebacker, running back, and receiver, while whites more often became quarterbacks. It was a sport full of muscle and high viewership.
Sports culture thrived at the community level. Towns and neighborhoods had teams for basketball, baseball, and football. Nearby cities and states held competitions with prize money, encouraging local engagement.
Selsey was more interested in rugby than Kelly, who would never share his passion. Jiang Hai, however, knew little about rugby. The only exposure he had was a cartoon called Lightspeed Mask 21—a fun but niche show from an island country. The protagonist could sprint 40 yards in 4.2 seconds, later 4.1—faster than anyone on the field. For Jiang Hai, who could run 100 meters under 5 seconds, it seemed impressive but not impossible.
Still, Jiang Hai just listened. The last time he played basketball, he nearly collapsed. This time, he'd be more careful with football. After a long explanation, he didn't feel like trying it himself.
But Selsey wanted him to watch a game, convinced that as a man, Jiang Hai should love football.
"We have a friendly match the day after tomorrow against Chelsea—near Boston, not a football team—at the XX Stadium in Boston. You should come watch," Selsey said excitedly. Jiang Hai nodded—it wouldn't hurt to see it, and he had nothing else to do.
With the time settled, the auction ended. A total of $4,270 was raised tonight—$2,000 from Jiang Hai. Owners could choose to donate or take their money. Most donated smaller amounts; the hundreds were mostly taken, especially Kelly's.
If she donated, everyone would be happy. If she took it, no one would complain—after all, it was $2,000! After hugging Jiang Hai and trying unsuccessfully to get him to escort her, Kelly left with a pout. Jiang Hai drove back to his manor, feeling today was a good start.
Back home, Jiang Hai told Bernice and the others about the rugby game in two days. They all looked down on it—rugby seemed too barbaric, at least in their opinion. (To be continued.)