Li Xingying's ride was an Euler Lightning Cat, a new energy vehicle produced by Great Wall.
It had a sleek design, highly popular among young women.
With her current income, driving a new energy car worth around 100,000 yuan was already quite decent.
"No complaints from Mr. Jiang, I hope?" Li Xingying said with a smile, inviting Jiang Beicheng to hop into her car.
"I'm more concerned about your driving skills," Jiang Beicheng teased.
"I'll get us to the destination safely," Li Xingying replied confidently.
Leaving Li's Restaurant, the two headed straight to the Harley-Davidson flagship store in Jiangnan City.
The store owner, Shan Gui, had sent him a message saying that his Harley Fat Boy was ready after maintenance and invited him to pick it up, along with grabbing lunch together.
Having barely touched their chopsticks at Li's Restaurant, both Jiang Beicheng and Li Xingying were feeling a bit hungry.
"This place is amazing!"
Li Xingying exclaimed as she parked the car.
The Harley-Davidson flagship store was located in the high-end residential area of Jiangnan City's national-level new district.
It was right next to the city's largest green park, with an artificial lake at the entrance.
When Jiang Beicheng and Li Xingying arrived, a group of Harley veterans were sitting by the lake, setting up a canopy and enjoying a hotpot.
"Shan Gui, Lao Pi…"
Jiang Beicheng walked over with Li Xingying, greeting them.
"You sure move fast with the girlfriends, huh? The boys thought you were still hung up on that whole thing with Mr. Jiang, but looks like we were overthinking it.
Good to see you've moved on—those still alive should keep living well," said Shan Gui, the owner of the Harley store, patting Jiang Beicheng's shoulder with a smile.
"Brother Gui's always had a clear outlook on life," Jiang Beicheng chuckled, introducing Li Xingying to the group.
Li Xingying smiled politely, addressing Shan Gui respectfully as "Brother Gui."
"Little Jiang, here," said Lao Pi, another Harley veteran, opening a cigar box and handing Jiang Beicheng a Romeo y Julieta.
"Lao Pi's taste has changed, huh? I'll keep that in mind. Next time I come for a haircut, I'll bring you something nice," Jiang Beicheng said with a laugh.
While cutting the cigar, he turned to Li Xingying and explained, "Lao Pi's a well-known stylist in the fashion world. He used to work with A-list celebrities, but after taking the fall for someone, he chose to leave the industry.
He dabbled in the influencer scene for a bit, but those clueless influencers were harder to deal with than celebrities, so he retired early to chill at home."
"Semi-retired," Lao Pi said with a grin.
"Nice to meet you, Brother Pi," Li Xingying said politely.
"If you need a haircut or styling, he's your guy," Jiang Beicheng said. "He's way better than those so-called top stylists at influencer salons—completely on another level.
But you'll need to book in advance.
Lao Pi only opens his shop three days a week—Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Two haircuts a day, one styling session a day."
Li Xingying nodded in understanding. Lao Pi had clearly already achieved financial freedom and kept working only to keep his skills sharp. For a stylist of his caliber, his appointment list was probably filled with Jiangnan City's elite ladies.
"I bet the waitlist stretches to next year, right?" Li Xingying said with a smile, subtly complimenting Lao Pi.
Lao Pi laughed, "For a beauty like you, no need to book. Just a call from Little Jiang, maybe with a box of Cohiba cigars, and it's done."
"Small matter," Jiang Beicheng said with a smile.
With the system and money in his pocket, Jiang Beicheng had the confidence to keep navigating these social circles.
As Li Xingying ate and joined the conversation, she couldn't help but wonder how foolish or materialistic Zhou Yu must have been to break up with Jiang Beicheng.
That guy she just hooked up with, Zeng Haifeng, who was silenced by a few words from Jiang Beicheng—a spineless man like that could never help her break into Jiangnan City's social scene.
Even though she was just Jiang Beicheng's friend, blending into these circles with him felt comfortable and gave her a small sense of accomplishment.
After lunch, Li Xingying didn't want to interrupt Jiang Beicheng's chat with his friends, so she took a walk by the lake alone.
Lao Pi and the Harley veterans had a bit of strong liquor at lunch, and in high spirits, they decided to go for an early foot massage. It was 3:30 PM, the perfect time for the mid-shift at the foot spa, so the group made plans to go.
They'd probably spend the afternoon lounging at the spa, then head out for drinks in the evening, followed by a bath, wrapping up the day perfectly.
Since Jiang Beicheng was going to ride his bike, he didn't drink. After seeing Lao Pi and the others off, he walked to the lake.
Li Xingying tilted her head and smiled at him. "You have so many friends.
And they're all so warm and easy to get along with."
Jiang Beicheng replied, "I used to have plenty of fair-weather friends too. The ones still around are the real ones.
We either come together for shared hobbies or for that bit of 'jianghu' spirit."
"Jianghu spirit—sounds so free," Li Xingying said, turning to walk toward Jiang Beicheng. Suddenly, she called out, "Teacher Jiang, can Little Li ask you for some career advice?"
Jiang Beicheng laughed at her tone. "I've followed your content, and I've watched all your videos.
To be honest, your personal competitiveness in this field is relatively weak.
In photography, you can't compete with professional teams. In operations, you're no match for those MCN companies.
Your only breakthrough is to focus on your copywriting."
Li Xingying nodded repeatedly.
Jiang Beicheng had hit the nail on the head.
The travel vlogger track was incredibly competitive. Those professional photographers were armed with gear worth hundreds of thousands, some even shooting in 4K or 8K high definition.
The most outrageous ones were using million-yuan cinematic lenses.
Her ordinary filming equipment couldn't compare.
As for operations, she was even more outmatched—compared to MCNs, she was a complete rookie.
The only area where she felt she had a slight edge was her writing.
But lately, things hadn't been going well. Not only were her video metrics lackluster, but she was also struggling to write compelling copy.
Jiang Beicheng continued, "Your writing is beautiful, but it's not stunning.
Video copy isn't just about describing visuals—you need to write something that resonates with people's hearts to break through the traffic bottleneck.
Your biggest problem right now is that you can't go up or down."
Li Xingying listened intently, her eyes fixed on Jiang Beicheng.
"'Up' means you lack literary depth, so it's hard to reach a refined audience. 'Down' means you lack relatability, so it's tough to connect with ordinary viewers," Jiang Beicheng analyzed.
Her gaze gradually turned admiring.
Everything Jiang Beicheng said made perfect sense.
"Does Teacher Jiang have any good advice?" Li Xingying asked humbly.
"My advice is: go out and slow down," Jiang Beicheng said. "Your perspective is still too narrow. You should go see more of the world.
Whether it's scenery, culture, or historical civilizations, it's all about people—people from all walks of life, and ultimately, human nature.
Once you understand human nature, you'll naturally be able to write copy that resonates.
It's a long and tough road, so you need to slow down, stay patient, and not focus on short-term returns. Build your foundation and wait for the moment to shine again."
"These are just my thoughts. I hope they're helpful," Jiang Beicheng said, looking at Li Xingying, who was now gazing at him with a captivated expression.
"I knew asking you would pay off," Li Xingying said excitedly. "I've actually thought about seeing more of the world. I got my passport last month, but my mind's a mess—I don't know where to go.
Traveling alone feels daunting too. I've never traveled abroad, so I'm pretty nervous."
Jiang Beicheng suggested, "New Zealand? If you're up for it, we could be travel buddies."