Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 303: Silhouette of Upturned Lips
In the underground parking lot.

When they received Zhou Wang's notice, no matter how easy-going Zhou Wang's personality was in private, as subordinates, Miao Ying and Jiang Qingkui could not let Zhou Wang wait for them, so the two of them, who had prepared early, had already arrived at the parking lot in advance and were waiting for Zhou Wang there.

Both women knew that they were going to visit Douyin Group today. Although they didn't know what Zhou Wang was going to do, it was after all the leading unicorn company in the country, so they dressed more formally.

Miao Ying was wearing a slim-fitting Hermès women's blazer, paired with a white shirt and black tie, and a pair of Dior sunglasses from the same brand as Zhou Wang, pinned to her collar. Her high ponytail and well-defined oval face gave her a sharp and capable beauty.

As for Jiang Qingkui, she wore a standard professional suit, flesh-colored stockings, and high heels. Her simply styled long hair fell down on both sides. Standing next to Miao Ying, her mature and elegant demeanor became even more prominent.

However, Jiang Qingkui's expression was obviously a little absent-minded, not as focused as before. His eyes were just staring into the dark corners of the parking lot, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Sister Qingkui..."

"Ok?"

Miao Ying's low call beside her brought Jiang Qingkui back to her senses. She looked at Miao Ying in surprise.

Although the two are relatively familiar with each other, they rarely communicate privately except for official business.

It's mainly a personality issue. Needless to say, Miao Ying is not talkative. As for Jiang Qingkui, she is not a talkative person. In fact, most people's impression of her is that she rarely even smiles.

To use Jiang Qingkui’s own mutterings, that is…except when I’m with you, Mr. Zhou, I’m also very cool outside, okay?

There was nothing she could do, because she was too outstanding and her IQ was high enough, so in her eyes, most people in this world were just making up the numbers...

Even for Zhou Wang, if he had not been successful enough and had a filter halo from the beginning, it is hard to say whether Jiang Qingkui would look up to him.

That's why Jiang Qingkui was surprised when Miao Ying took the initiative to speak.

She turned her head and saw Miao Ying's eyes evading for a moment. She said in a low voice: "I have a question to ask you."

"Oh?" Jiang Qingkui was startled. "Just tell me what you have to say. I will definitely help you answer it if I know."

"Um... I, I want to buy a gift, but I don't know what to choose..."

"Gift?"

With Jiang Qingkui's intelligence, she understood it with just a glance. She couldn't help but laugh in surprise and said, "Is it bought for a boy?"

Seeing Miao Ying nod, Jiang Qingkui, with her personality, rarely felt a little gossipy. After all, the person who was acting a little shy at this moment was Miao Ying...

But on second thought, if he asked further, Miao Ying would be embarrassed, so Jiang Qingkui was considerate and didn't ask any more questions. He just thought about it for a while and then answered:

"I don't have much experience in this area, but the principles of everything are universal. When giving someone a gift, you only need to consider two points..."

Miao Ying didn't respond, but just listened attentively.

"One is practicality, which is to see what others are lacking."

"What is missing……"

Miao Ying repeated it, then thought about it seriously, and then shook her head in confusion.

Because Zhou Wang seemed to have everything he needed...

"There is another aspect, which is personal preference."

Jiang Qingkui said, "The person you want to give a gift to has some hobbies or interests. It depends on how well you know him..."

"Hobbies, things that interest me..."

Miao Ying began to recall. After a moment, she didn't know what she was thinking of. Her cheeks turned slightly red and she couldn't help but touch the ends of her hair with her bare hands.

Jiang Qingkui didn't know what Miao Ying was thinking, but he also noticed the shyness hidden in Miao Ying's expression. Jiang Qingkui, who wanted to take the opportunity to make a joke with Miao Ying, was suddenly stunned...

Because she suddenly thought of something that was not quite right.

For example, Miao Ying is actually a very homely person. Except when she needs to go out with Zhou Wang, she stays in her own nest most of the time, either watching costume dramas or reading detective and suspense novels.

Although Jiang Qingkui once doubted whether Miao Ying could understand...

But it doesn’t matter anymore. The key point is that Miao Ying is almost a person without social skills.

Her only relative is her grandmother who can't use a smartphone, so the question is... where can she meet a boy who is close enough to give her a gift?

If I had to say, the only person who could possibly have had some close connection with Miao Ying was...

Jiang Qingkui's expression changed slightly.

But before she had the chance to test Miao Ying, Zhou Wang appeared in the parking lot under the guidance of Xiao Dai.

Even in the dimly lit parking lot, Zhou Wang, dressed in a handsome suit, looked so dazzling that Jiang Qingkui was a little dazed.

Zhou Wang seemed to be in a better mood than when they first met.

The subtle difference may be that some people can't take their eyes off him once they notice him, while others can't ignore his existence even if they don't pay special attention to him.

But soon, Jiang Qingkui glanced away, and when Zhou Wang came closer, she greeted him politely and then said nothing.

Zhou Wang was a little puzzled. This woman couldn’t be like this, could she still be angry about the night before?
But when she was having dinner with Jiang Mo yesterday, she didn't seem to show any special behavior. Zhou Wang thought that she had at least calmed down her anger...

Zhou Wang, who didn't understand, could only wave his hand and said, "Get in the car."

Here comes the interesting part. Normally, Jiang Qingkui would sit in the back seat with Zhou Wang by default, but this time, after helping Zhou Wang open the car door, she went straight to the passenger seat.

Zhou Wang shrugged, said nothing, and let her go.

The vehicle started and drove out of the Waldorf Hotel's parking lot and headed towards the East Fourth Ring Road.

“Hohohohohoho, the Huo family boxing moves are flexible. Hohohohohoho, life should be lived to the fullest…”

There was no conversation along the way. Zhou Wang just listened to the songs and looked at the scenery outside the window. The Audi A6L was equipped with the Burmester audio system, which had a very good surround effect. Zhou Wang hummed an old rap song and looked very excited.

At a certain moment, Zhou Wang raised his eyes, only to find Jiang Qingkui glancing at him through the rearview mirror with her eyes wide open. Zhou Wang grinned at her, but was met with a cold eye from Jiang Qingkui.

Jingle Bell……

At this time, Jiang Qingkui's cell phone rang. Jiang Qingkui took a look and signaled Zhou Wang with her eyes to turn down the volume. Zhou Wang obviously ignored her. Jiang Qingkui gritted her teeth angrily and answered the phone directly.

"Hey, Mom..."

As soon as he heard Jiang Qingkui's first word, Zhou Wang quickly signaled Miao Ying to turn down the volume, and he also shut his mouth.

Jiang Qingkui's mother, Ms. Li, was not a very easy person to get along with in Zhou Wang's impression. When he was a child, Ms. Li was considered the most fashionable person in the compound, and she was also very sharp-tongued. Anyway, Zhou Wang was quite afraid of her...

Seeing that the car had become quiet, Jiang Qingkui snorted softly, blinked at Zhou Wang proudly as if he had won, and then turned on the hands-free function.

Ms. Li Xiaolei's voice, with a hint of joy, came from the other end of the phone:

"Qingkui, are you ready to talk now?"

"It's convenient. There's no one next to me...Mom, is there anything you need?"

"You kid, you don't even know how to help us refuse. How can we let Zhou Wang spend so much money? Tell me, how can we repay him for such a big favor..."

"what?"

Jiang Qingkui was stunned for a moment, then quickly sat up straight, "Mom, what are you talking about, Zhou Wang...what did he spend money on?"

"Huh? Don't you know?"

Li Xiaolei was a little confused. "Zhou Wang sent his housekeeper, a lady named Chen, to Jingcheng to visit me and your father. She also brought a lot of things with her. She said it was because she didn't give you a holiday during the Mid-Autumn Festival..."

"It's just that the things he gave were too expensive. Your father and I were a little confused at the time. Miss Chen also said that they were all bought through imported channels and could not be returned..."

"I don't really understand it, but I just searched online, and this La Prairie cosmetics seems to cost tens of thousands of dollars, and Zhou Wang even bought me two sets at once..."

"The fishing rod I bought for your dad cost hundreds of thousands, according to your Uncle Wang. There's also a TV, a massage chair, and a mattress..."

"Just now your father and I carefully calculated that all these things should add up to more than two million..."

"How many?"

Jiang Qingkui listened in a daze until the end, then he asked in surprise.

"Two million!"

Li Xiaolei emphasized it again, then coughed lightly, "Qingkui, Mom wants to ask you, is there any other relationship between you and Zhou Wang..."

Jiang Qingkui could no longer hear what Li Xiaolei said later. She responded with a few absent-minded remarks and hung up the phone before Li Xiaolei finished speaking.

The carriage fell silent. Jiang Qingkui turned around and looked at Zhou Wang with a complicated look. He wanted to say something but didn't say it. Then he turned back, then turned around again and looked at Zhou Wang again...

This went on for several times, and Zhou Wang got annoyed, so he waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I know you want to come to the back row again, but it's almost time, so just sit still. You can't come over here, right?"

Jiang Qingkui's pretty face flushed, but she still snorted, "Who wants to sit with you in the back row..."

But when he turned his head to look out the window, Jiang Qingkui finally couldn't hold it back and a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

……

Douyin Group, formerly known as "Syllable Jump", was registered in 2012 and its first flagship product was "Today's Headlines".

But what really drove the company to take off was the APP called "Douyin Short Video" launched in September 16. People who have experienced the past decade since their youth should know very well what a great APP this is.

It is a groundbreaking work that perfectly matches multiple elements such as smartphones, 4G networks, fragmented leisure, etc., and has directly changed the way people are accustomed to entertainment.

The industries derived from it, such as mobile live streaming, e-commerce sales, etc., have supported countless people and created countless grassroots wealth legends.

The Douyin Group Building located on the North Third Ring Road in Beidu is not the only building of Douyin in Beidu. Douyin also has several large-scale buildings in areas such as the East Fourth Ring Road, which are all Douyin’s bases in Beidu.

It’s just that the building on the North Third Ring Road is the company’s registered address. Strictly speaking, this is Douyin’s real headquarters.

Under the slanting sunlight of the not-so-strong autumn afternoon, the outermost six-story Douyin Building stands at the corner of two streets. Its double-layer glass curtain wall is stylish and upscale.

It is adjacent to the headquarters buildings of Mountain Fire Engine, Guapi Video, etc., and there are corridors connecting the buildings. The total area reaches 3.8 square meters. Due to the large floor area, the entire area appears majestic and magnificent.

The "unicorn" has the status of a...

At the front desk on the first floor, a pretty girl in a slim grey gown and tight jeans was sitting there, humming a tune and watching short videos on her phone.

...Most young Internet companies do not have strict dress requirements, and the normal working atmosphere is relatively relaxed. The only thing that is criticized is probably the endless overtime.

Generally, even if you pass by the Douyin building at twelve o'clock in the evening, you can see that the lights are on inside. The syllables are so inward-moving. I can only say that everyone who is squatting on the toilet with their mobile phones watching short videos at this moment is responsible.

Of course, as a receptionist, she doesn't have to be so competitive, so Wu Lili still has some free time to relax.

I was absorbed in watching a newly released video when someone suddenly tapped me from behind, followed by a serious voice: "Wu Lili, what are you doing?"

The girl named Wu Lili was startled at first, but when she turned around and saw another girl with delicate makeup and more beautiful appearance, she breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but take a pat on the other person.

"Xu Lingyue, you are going to die. You just imitated Sister Zhang's voice so well... Aren't those guests Mr. Qiu's friends? Are you sending them away now?"

"Boss Qiu came down to pick them up personally, so there's nothing for me to do."

The pretty girl named Xu Lingyue shrugged and explained, and tried to grab Wu Lili's phone again, "Hey, who told you to slack off and look at handsome guys again? Hurry up and give it to me so I can study which handsome boy is the one who can make you lose your soul!"

"He's not a fresh-faced guy, although he looks like one. But I saw someone posting his pool outfit online, and he has abs... And guess what he actually does?"

Wu Lili covered her phone and spoke mysteriously.

"what for?"

In fact, Xu Lingyue was not that interested in these internet celebrities. It’s just that chatting always requires give and take, and as a newcomer to the workplace, she was adapting to these rules, so she pretended to be very interested.

"He's a young entrepreneur, a self-made billionaire..."

"real or fake?"

Xu Lingyue couldn't help laughing when she heard Wu Lili's introduction. "Lili, you are an employee of Yinjie. Do you still believe this? Don't you know that the personalities on the Internet are all made up by themselves?"

"Oh my, this guy is really different. If you don't believe me, watch his video."

Wu Lili was obviously deeply poisoned and could not tolerate Xu Lingyue insulting her "idol" like this. She immediately handed the phone to Xu Lingyue, asked her to look at the account number, and started explaining something in a hurry.

"Look, he has only updated three videos in total, but now he has millions of followers... And he has said that he will never promote products, and he uploads videos purely to share his life with everyone and give everyone some small benefits..."

Xu Lingyue was originally careless, but when she saw the other party's name and part of the introduction, she was stunned.

"Zhou Wang? Is this his real name?"

"Yeah, and he's only in his twenties... Oh, by the way, he's from Yunnan Province like you!"

After hearing what the other party said, Xu Lingyue recalled some rumors she had heard among her classmates before. She couldn't help but pick up Wu Lili's phone and check it herself.

When she saw that familiar yet unfamiliar face, Xu Lingyue no longer had any doubts. It was really... the Zhou Wang she knew.

Memories drifted back, and in a trance, Xu Lingyue returned to junior high school, in the former Jingcheng No. 7 Middle School. There seemed to be such a face among the boys who lay on the fourth-floor corridor every day and whistled and yelled at her during physical exercises.

Of course, she couldn’t say that she and Zhou Wang were very familiar with each other, and she couldn’t quite remember whether there was any love letters from Zhou Wang among the many love letters she received in junior high school.

Her impression of Zhou Wang was probably that he was a boy in the class who was good at studying, had a lively personality, and was a little handsome. In fact, if Zhou Wang did not have these little advantages, she might not have had an impression of him.

When she was in junior high school, she was one of the "beauties in the class" who attracted everyone's attention because of her beautiful face and slim figure, and the fact that she already knew how to put on makeup and wear little skirts.

Xu Lingyue once thought that she would always be the "heroine" until she was admitted to the Communication University of Beijing. Then she realized that her looks, which she was proud of, were not actually outstanding among the beautiful girls in the Communication University.

After all, in junior high school, her competitors were only two hundred girls in six classes, but in Communication University, that number had to be multiplied by ten. If she were placed in the larger Beidu, she would seem even more mediocre.

Of course, it is undeniable that Xu Lingyue’s own conditions are still good, and there are countless boys chasing her, but her sights were set too high from the beginning, which led to her current awkward situation of being neither too high nor too low.

Although she graduated from a prestigious university, it was not easy to find a job she wanted with only an undergraduate degree in a city like Beijing. Being able to apply to become the receptionist of Douyin was already the result of her utmost efforts.

But this job is not bad. Every day, she can meet all kinds of people, many of whom are above her class. Xu Lingyue always has a premonition that maybe the "Prince Charming" she is waiting for will appear here...

For example, Mr. Qiu, who Wu Lili often jokes with, is young, handsome and has a mysterious background.

"Hey, Xu Lingyue, why are you in a daze? I'm talking to you!"

At this time, Wu Lili saw Xu Lingyue suddenly start to lose focus, and she couldn't help but wave her hand in front of her.

"Well, what did you say?"

"I say, do you want to try it too... Zhou Wang's video bonus this time is a free mobile phone!"

"cell phone?"

Xu Lingyue was startled, then laughed, "It can't be the kind of 9 yuan rush to buy Apple phones in cooperation with Bing Xixi? I've tried that before, and it's all a scam..."

"Of course not. This is a genuine giveaway of mobile phones. There is an official notarization. The lucky draw is conducted through Douyin's mini program. A total of 1888 iPhone 16s or Huawei Mate 60s are available. If you win, you can choose your own... Zhou Wang has held similar lucky draws before, and many netizens have posted pictures. How could it be fake?"

"1888 units?"

Xu Lingyue was shocked. "That means he has to spend tens of millions. That's too much..."

"Yes, there are 66 ultimate prizes, which are 16promax with the largest memory, or the Mate XT tri-folding phone... You are not the only one who thinks it is exaggerated. Look at the comments of these fans, they are all going crazy!"

Wu Lili said somewhat frustratedly, "When I saw the update reminder, it was already too late. I guess my comment was drowned out again. Ahhh, I really want my idol to reply to me personally!"

Xu Lingyue moved her lips and wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

She picked up her phone again and searched for Zhou Wang's account. After looking at it carefully, it seemed that... what Wu Lili said was true.

There was really no advertising in the video, except for mentioning that it was "delivered by Jiuji.com" in the comment section, there was nothing else.

It could be tens of millions just like that, why...

After watching Zhou Wang’s first video again, Xu Lingyue was still a little surprised. In her impression, Zhou Wang’s family background was ordinary, so did he really earn so much money?
After thinking about it, Xu Lingyue couldn't help but speak, "Lily, actually... I know Zhou Wang."

"what?"

Wu Lili was stunned for a moment, and asked suspiciously: "Is this true? Are you kidding me?"

"Of course it's true, we were classmates in junior high school..."

In order to prove it, Xu Lingyue had to find her old space album and directly took out the graduation photo.

When she really recognized Zhou Wang in a back row seat, Wu Lili was willing to believe it. "Wow, it's really Zhou Wang... Then, then are you still in touch? Are you familiar with him?"

Seeing Wu Lili's excited expression, Xu Lingyue somehow changed her words. She smoothed her hair with reserve.

"Yes, we still keep in touch occasionally, but I didn't know he was so rich now... Well, actually, Zhou Wang pursued me when we were in junior high school."

"I go!"

Wu Lili became even more excited, "So you two are childhood sweethearts?"

"You can't say that. After all, I didn't agree to it at that time..."

"Xu Lingyue, are you crazy? You actually rejected Zhou Wang?"

"I was still young at that time and didn't want to fall in love!"

Seeing Wu Lili's surprised and envious expression, Xu Lingyue's vanity was greatly satisfied. She smiled and said, "I didn't expect Zhou Wang to have changed so much now. He even invited me to dinner a while ago..."

"Sister Yueyue, if this day ever comes, please take me with you!"

"Well, we'll see when the time comes. I've been so busy lately, and I haven't replied to him yet..."

Just as the two girls were laughing and pulling each other, the sound of rapid high heels came, and then a serious-looking middle-aged woman walked towards them quickly.

"Sister Zhang!"

The two girls quickly stopped smiling and stood up. They thought that the woman had seen them being so careless just now, and they were both feeling nervous.

"Hurry up and tidy up your appearance, and clean up the front desk... President Jin and President Qi will be coming down soon. We have very important guests coming to visit us today!"

A very important guest?

Both girls were surprised. It was okay if it was President Qi, but what kind of guest could make Director Jin come down to greet him in person?

(End of this chapter)