CBD Building.
A high-level meeting at the United Bank branch.
Due to the overcast weather, the meeting room felt oppressively gloomy.
The female secretary bent down beside Zhou Luchen, uncovering the cap of a fountain pen. "Mr. Zhou, please look over the contract."
Having had drinks the night before, his temples throbbed slightly. Zhou Luchen raised his hand, slowly rubbing them, and flipped through the contract with one hand.
He put it down. "Don't release the funds." He rose from his seat, casually took a glass of iced water, and walked out, leaving the executives utterly stunned.
They knew very little about this Mr. Xiaozhou; apart from attending meetings, he rarely appeared at the company. If he said no collaboration, it meant no collaboration. He didn't even provide a reason, despite the other party being a leading enterprise in the new energy sector.
Yet, in just a few days, the company they hadn't partnered with saw its value plummet by an equivalent of three months' gains in a single night.
It was said that Zhou Luchen's judgment was incredibly sharp, swift, and ruthless.
When the Zhou Family driver came to pick him up from the corporate building, he clearly saw that Zhou Luchen was in a foul mood, as was often the case.
The car slowly pulled away from the building.
After long deliberation, the driver said, "The old gentleman advised you to minimize public appearances, as it could affect your succession at United Bank."
The car windows were opaque, obscuring Zhou Luchen's expressionless face in the dim light.
The driver paused for a moment, then chose to continue, "The old gentleman also said that if you don't take over, this year's new president of United Bank will be your older brother."
Most people referred to him as the second son, as the Zhou Family indeed had an elder son. Although the elder son wasn't a biological Zhou, the family had groomed him as a successor for the United Bank presidency. He was hardworking and competent, unlike the coddled second son.
The head of the Zhou Family advocated for discretion, but the second son, young and full of vigor, with handsome looks that attracted a bevy of beauties, often stirred up trouble.
His own father greatly disliked this trait in him.
He responded indifferently, "Give it to him."
The driver nodded, looking at the rearview mirror. "Will you be returning to the Zhou Mansion?"
Zhou Luchen leaned his head back slightly. "Night Mansion."
Forty minutes later, the Maybach pulled into a private villa.
Night Mansion was his private villa. Located far from the Zhou Mansion, it was where the second son lived, hiding his 'delicate beauties.' Whether any were currently in residence, the driver didn't know.
After dropping him off, the driver left.
Zhou Luchen didn't employ live-in staff, only arranging for a cleaning company to service the villa after his departure each day.
The place was empty but brightly lit by numerous lights.
Upon entering, Zhou Luchen quietly studied the right-hand wall, adorned with a mural full of stone relief artwork.
Vaguely, it felt as if someone were leaning there, calling out to him.
—Achen
He scoffed, his tone mocking and indifferent, then lit a cigarette and headed upstairs, holding it in his mouth.
When Shen Jing went to the body-sculpting company, Xing Fei insisted on accompanying her, chattering all the way.
"I have to be here! I'm afraid they'll take advantage of you. Did you review the contract thoroughly? You can't show too much skin. What if your photos end up on subway ads or some prominent digital screen? They have to bring some glory to our group!"
"Are you out of money or something? You initially threw a fit, saying, 'I won't shoot, I won't shoot,' and now you're here."
Let's be realistic, is a hundred thousand or so yuan considered rich? That amount barely covered her previous living expenses while caring for her grandmother, and now she was reluctantly in debt.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Feng Jian. Her household registration was still under Feng Jian's name; it would cost 500,000 yuan to make a clean break.
Yes, her surname was Shen. Her father had passed away when she was ten, and her mother had then married her old flame, Feng Jian. Feng Jian was a gambling addict, and her mother, unable to bear it, had resorted to sleeping pills.
When they arrived at the photoshoot location arranged by the client, Xing Fei nearly threw out the clothes they had prepared.
"The contract clearly stated nothing too revealing! What's the difference between these clothes and basically showing your butt?"
Tight, short, strappy, seductive. If an enchantress like Shen Jing wore them, she'd cause a stir everywhere.
The client said, "Young lady, the clothes are a bit short, yes, but it's within reasonable promotional limits. We'll add 100,000 yuan, and you don't have to show your face."
Shen Jing refused. "Let's stick to the price and clothing stipulations in the contract."
The client extended two fingers. "Add another 200,000."
This girl is an amateur; a price of four or five hundred thousand is negotiable. Hiring a celebrity would cost millions, even tens of millions, and they might not even have a figure as good as hers. They weren't after online traffic; they wanted authenticity.
The client really didn't want to let this catch get away; he could still increase the offer slightly. But for an amateur, any more would be excessive.
Xing Fei tossed the clothes aside. "Have some pride, Shen Jing! Can't you just ask your parking lot lover for that few hundred thousand?"
Parking lot lover.
Shen Jing scoffed. Of course, she couldn't shoot in these clothes. If there were issues, it would become a contract dispute.
As soon as Shen Jing mentioned a contract dispute, the client relented. The girl's figure was outstanding enough even without being overly revealing, and he figured he could try to push her boundaries later.
The shoot lasted three days, with locations including various small Western-style houses, a seaside beach, and a hotel.
Shen Jing treated Xing Fei to a meal.
Xing Fei didn't hold back, ordering some of the pricier local Shanghainese dishes.
Ordinarily, she and Xing Fei weren't particularly close, but Xing Fei liked to stick to her and hear her gossip.
Mid-meal, Xing Fei seemed to spot something astounding, staring at a figure beside a row of green bamboo outside.
Xing Fei leaned in, touching Shen Jing's hand. "Hey, look over there!"
Shen Jing followed her gaze. "What are you looking at?"
Through the glass window, Chen Yao was alone, tapping away on a laptop under a tree.
Xing Fei said, "That's Chen Yao. His family background has been exposed online, along with rumors about his bad character. To think we'd actually run into him—this city isn't that small, huh?"
Shen Jing commented, "He's a good person."
Xing Fei looked at her. "Handsome guys always get the 'good person' card from you?"
"He actually seems pretty decent. You can't believe everything you read online," Shen Jing said.
When it was time to pay, they had to wait for quite a while.
"Please wait a moment, miss," the waiter said, swiping on a tablet. "Ah, our boss has instructed that your table's meal is on the house."
Shen Jing was curious. "Did we win some prize?"
The server smiled. "Our restaurant doesn't have any prize promotions. It's a treat from our boss."
With that, he gestured meaningfully towards the outside.
Shen Jing and Xing Fei looked out in unison.
Chen Yao smirked in their direction, propping his head on his hand with a rascally air.
Shen Jing felt that one online post about him was quite credible.
—Chen Yao, generous.
Since the meal was comped, Shen Jing found Chen Yao's WeChat and transferred the money to him, but he instantly refunded it. She had to go out to greet him personally.
"Finished eating?" Chen Yao gestured for Shen Jing and Xing Fei to sit down. "Going out for some fun?"
Shen Jing replied, "I have things to do later, so no."
"Fun doing what?" Xing Fei added.
"Such a long night ahead... can you really sleep through it?" Chen Yao remarked.
Before he closed his laptop, Shen Jing's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of market indices on the screen, a red line trending upwards.
He's made money, so he's looking for a place to go wild.
Chen Yao asked her, "Are you short of money?"
Shen Jing asked Chen Yao how he knew.
Chen Yao had seen Shen Jing entering the restaurant and had thought of greeting her, but it hadn't seemed appropriate to approach while the two young women were talking. "I unintentionally overheard your conversation just now, about taking some endorsement for that little bit of money."
Xing Fei was about to object to the phrase "that little bit of money," but fortunately, Shen Jing tugged at her clothes.
After chatting for a while, the two of them left with Chen Yao.