"Lin! Sunday is the deadline to vote in the residents’ committee chairperson election. If you’re free, could you do me a favor and cast a vote for me?"

Ms. Wang explained why she was there, handing Lin Li a campaign flyer.

Lin Li took the campaign flyer and glanced at the contents.

A photo of a portly, beaming Ms. Wang was in the very center of the flyer. Beside it was her campaign slogan... A limited term, with unlimited responsibility.

"Okay, Ms. Wang. I’ll stop by and cast a vote for you when I head out later."

"Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you, Lin..." Having secured Lin Li’s promise to vote, Ms. Wang’s smile grew even more kind and amiable.

"I remember you don’t have a girlfriend yet! I’ll have to introduce you to a pretty girl sometime."

"Er..." Lin Li was at a loss for words. Seeing his silence, Ms. Wang just assumed the young man was thin-skinned and shy.

"Well then, I won’t disturb your sleep. I’m off to canvass for more votes."

"Okay. Goodbye, Ms. Wang."

Lin Li watched Ms. Wang enter the elevator, a stack of campaign flyers in her hand. He glanced at the one in his own hand before closing the door, returning to his bedroom, and going back to sleep.

......

The golden sun hung in the azure sky. Puffs of snow-white clouds drifted slowly with the wind.

"CHIRP CHIRP..."

A flock of sparrows flew over Ping’an Garden District, heading toward the city center.

After lunch, Lin Li stepped out of his chilly, air-conditioned home.

Standing in the building’s entryway and looking at the scorching sun outside, Lin Li grumbled, "It’s so hot! I wish summer would just end already!"

The dazzling sunlight made him squint. With a thought, Lin Li retrieved a pair of sunglasses from the Mysterious Small Island.

After putting on the sunglasses, he stepped out of the building. The intense sunlight beat down on him, and Lin Li, who had just been enjoying his air-conditioned home, had the sudden urge to go right back inside.

"I’ll just get a haircut and come right back," Lin Li muttered to himself. He then headed to the district’s residents’ committee office to cast a vote for Ms. Wang, who had come canvassing that morning.

Then, he drove his van out of the district and headed to his usual barbershop for a haircut.

......

"WHOOSH..."

"RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE..."

"CHIRR, CHIRR..."

A scorching wind rustled the leaves of the trees lining the street. The cicadas in the branches, shrieking for all they were worth, showed no sign of stopping for the blast of hot air.

Wearing his sunglasses, Lin Li stood at the entrance of a barbershop. He stared at the "Business for Sale" notice on the door and exclaimed in surprise.

"You’ve got to be kidding me!"

The notice posted by the owner clearly stated that due to his advanced age, he was retiring from the barber business.

Lin Li had been getting his hair cut at this shop since elementary school—for more than a decade.

He was unhappy that the barbershop where he’d had his hair cut for over a decade was closing, but the owner’s notice clearly explained why.

’I wish the old barber all the best. I hope he enjoys a happy retirement.’

’Since my usual barbershop is closed, I guess I’ll have to find another one.’

Fortunately, there were several other barbershops on the same street, which saved Lin Li the trouble of searching for one.

Strolling along, Lin Li checked out a few barbershops before finally choosing one with a plain, ordinary interior.

Compared to the other shops that were lavishly decorated, Lin Li preferred this plainer one.

As the saying goes, the wool comes from the sheep’s back. In Lin Li’s view, the fancier a barbershop’s decor, the higher the initial investment, and the barbers would eventually find a way to recoup that cost from their customers.

Persuading customers to buy pre-paid membership cards, for example, was the most common trick. Lin Li had been burned by that once, back before he came to Blue Star.

Ever since then, he had steered clear of high-end barbershops and stylists who were always pushing membership cards.

Although Lin Li now had several million in his bank account, and buying a pre-paid card would be a drop in the bucket for him, he still despised the practice. Even with money, he had no intention of buying one.

Lin Li walked into the plain-looking barbershop. A young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with an outlandish hairstyle, greeted him enthusiastically.

"Welcome."

’He was the only person in the shop. This young man, with his bright red, spiky hair, had to be the barber.’

"Er..."

’The barber’s unconventional style was quite a visual shock. Lin Li was starting to regret his choice of shop.’

Just as he was wondering whether he should find another barbershop, he suddenly felt a Spiritual Energy Wave coming from the uniquely-styled barber.

The barber raised his right hand and ran it through his wild, spiky hair. Instantly, a few flattened strands sprang straight back up.

In addition to the Spiritual Energy Wave, Lin Li also saw a faint golden Spiritual Light emerge from the man’s fingertips as he touched his hair.