Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 405 Rotating Gears

Xiao Wang and his friends, who didn't understand what was going on, naturally didn't dare to delay and quickly followed.

After all, there were quite a lot of people gathered there, and because it was near the Bulgari Hotel, there were also many passers-by taking pictures. It didn't look like a safe environment at all.

Zhou Wang ignored Xiao Wang and the others behind him. He only slowed down his pace after he came nearby.

"Hello, little brother, the Comicup Shanghai Fan Festival is coming again, would you like to learn more about it?"

But before Zhou Wang could blend into the crowd, a girl dressed like a foxtail girl's eyes lit up when she saw Zhou Wang. She came forward and handed the flyer in her hand to Zhou Wang.

"It's at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. In addition to a large number of fan works, there are also original works on display..."

“There are also a lot of cosplays, including Genshin Impact, League of Legends, Naruto, Zelda, etc.”

"Handsome guy, can you take a photo with us? I want to post it on Weibo~"

The fox-tail girl was just the beginning. Before Zhou Wang could react, he was surrounded by the enthusiastic "Jinx", "Hyuga Hinata", "Raiden General" and others.

Feeling the clicking sound of the camera next to him, Zhou Wang felt a little helpless.

In fact, it would have been fine if he had come alone, but behind him were Xiao Wang and others who were looking around in black suits. In addition, Zhou Wang's obviously luxurious attire and handsome looks, in the eyes of these girls who were already full of romantic fantasies, he was a domineering boss who came out of a comic book. It was impossible for him to keep a low profile.

After finally getting rid of these chattering girls, Zhou Wang took a few steps forward and glanced at the other Cosplayers one by one, but found nothing.

It was as if the fleeting glimpse he got when he turned back before was just an illusion.

Under the curious gazes of a group of girls, Zhou Wang stood there silently, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Mr. Zhou, are you okay?"

Xiao Wang really didn't know what Zhou Wang was going to do. Seeing that Zhou Wang didn't move and just stood there like a sculpture, allowing the group of obviously excited girls to take pictures, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

...It can't be that Zhou Wang still has this habit of being watched, right?

"I'm fine... let's go."

Zhou Wang came back to his senses, looked around one last time, and after confirming that he had found nothing, he turned and walked towards the Baolixuan restaurant.

Xiao Wang and the others followed one after another. After they were away from the fountain area, the girls around them couldn't help but chatter.

"This brother is so handsome, but you can tell at first glance that he is not an ordinary person. Those bodyguards are so scary. Otherwise, I really want to get his WeChat..."

"I remember following him on short videos, and he seemed to be a billionaire!"

"Nini, did you take a photo with him just now? Send me one later!"

While the girls nearby were talking, no one noticed that behind a trash can next to the fountain, a short, round-faced girl with a bun on her head quietly stood up, blinked her big eyes with long eyelashes, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close~ Is this telepathy? I was almost discovered with just one glance..."

The girl muttered to herself, and couldn't help but look into the distance. After confirming that the young man had disappeared at the door of the restaurant, she dared to walk out completely.

"Duoduo, where have you been? Come here quickly. According to the publicity department's request, we have to shoot another video!"

Before the girl could feel any more sentimental, a greeting came from the side.

"I'm coming!"

The girl smiled brightly again and ran over quickly.

……

When Zhou Wang returned to Baolixuan Restaurant, Qi Jiayi and the others had already taken their seats. The group occupied two round tables with four seats, which was just enough space.

The restaurant is located right by the window, and you can vaguely see the Suzhou River in the distance. It should be the best dining spot on the third floor.

Sisters Zhou Wang and Qi Jiayi and Xu Wenxi sat at one table, while sisters Miao Ying, Yun Rou and Yun Lan and Gao Xing sat at another table. The hotel housekeeper stood aside and acted as a waiter himself.

Baolixuan naturally has independent private rooms. With Zhou Wang's status, there is no need for any reservation, but Zhou Wang still chose the hall...mainly to cater to the girls' needs for taking photos.

There is no point in hiding in a private room when dining in a place full of history and culture.

"Mr. Zhou, what took you so long to come in? Is there something wrong?"

Finally, when Zhou Wang sat down, Qi Jiayi asked curiously.

"I'm fine. I just ran into an acquaintance and said hello..."

Zhou Wang looked up and signaled to the butler that the dishes could be served.

There was no need for Zhou Wang and others to order food, as the butler had already arranged everything in advance. In fact, when Zhou Wang and others stepped into the restaurant, the kitchen was already busy and had just been waiting for Zhou Wang. At this time, with the communication between the butler and the kitchen, dishes were served on the table just a few minutes later.

This scene caused dissatisfaction among the guests at another table next door, probably because they had arrived earlier and had been waiting for quite some time. Why should the dishes be served just after Zhou Wang and others sat down?

Because their voices were a little loud, when Zhou Wang frowned subconsciously, the restaurant manager came over quickly.

"Excuse me, everyone. That's the reserved seat for our hotel's presidential suite. They have a dedicated chef, so the food will be served faster... Also, I hope you can control your volume and not disturb other guests. Otherwise, according to the rules, we have the right to ask you to leave the restaurant."

The manager whispered a few words to the guests at that table, and the middle-aged men and women who had been making a lot of noise suddenly fell silent.

They were no longer young, so they naturally understood what kind of person it was who could afford to stay in the Bulgari Presidential Suite, and they immediately behaved themselves.

This little episode did not attract Zhou Wang's attention. As a privileged person, he only needed to remain elegant and silent at this time.

The only thing that made Zhou Wang a little uncomfortable was...

When did Chinese cuisine start having “appetizers” and “main courses”?

The appetizers were some seasonal fruits and vegetables, and the main dishes were recommended by the housekeeper. The specialties here were rose soy sauce chicken, pan-fried black pepper and beef buns, and shepherd's purse and pepper pork tripe. The dim sum was abalone crisps, the staple food was fried rice noodles with mullet roe and crab meat, and the dessert was osmanthus and Biluochun stewed milk...

Honestly speaking, Zhou Wang still prefers the pleasure of picking up the menu and directly ordering dozens of dishes. He always feels that this is a bit inappropriate.

Moreover, the portion of each dish was pitifully small, always giving Zhou Wang the illusion that he was not full.

However, when he turned around, he saw Qi Jiayi, Zhong Huilan, Xu Wenxi and others, all of whom seemed to be very satisfied with their food, so he could only sigh.

This is probably the characteristic of Baolixuan. After all, in a place like Shanghai, it always needs to integrate Chinese and Western styles and keep pace with the times...

He accidentally met Gao Xing's eyes. Gao Xing shrugged at him, indicating that he was not happy with the food either, which made Zhou Wang laugh.

It seems that I'm not the only one who feels the same way, and that's enough.

But then again, the taste of Baolixuan is actually quite good. Although Zhou Wang himself prefers hometown dishes and Sichuan cuisine, that is just a difference in personal taste. Cantonese cuisine is relatively more tolerant, especially for people who don’t like spicy food, these dishes should taste especially good.

Among them, the dish that Zhou Wang personally likes the most is called "Pan-fried Black Pepper Wagyu Beef Buns". The rich meaty aroma makes Zhou Wang enjoy it very much.

What’s more interesting is that there is actually the Bulgari logo on this bun, and it takes great photos with full details.

The meal lasted until around nine o'clock, when the restaurant was about to close. It shouldn't have taken that long, but Zhou Wang knew Gao Xing wasn't full, so he asked the kitchen to make him a few more main dishes. So Gao Xing was alone eating while Zhou Wang and the others chatted and waited for him.

After finishing their meal and coming out of the restaurant, Qi Jiayi and Zhong Huilan were the first to say goodbye to Zhou Wang.

"Mr. Zhou, can I take two days off? I'll stay at Huilan's place tonight, and tomorrow I'll go with her to visit her parents..."

"Are you leaving tonight?"

Zhou Wang was surprised and said, "It's no problem to ask for leave, but it's already this late, why don't you stay in the hotel tonight and leave tomorrow morning."

"No, Huilan's home is not far from here."

Qi Jiayi insisted.

Zhou Wang looked at Qi Jiayi suspiciously. He seriously suspected that because of what happened on the balcony today, Qi Jiayi was now extremely wary of him, so she was unwilling to stay in the hotel...

What is this woman thinking? Could I sneak into your room in the middle of the night and have sex with you and your sisters together?
Uh... although the possibility is extremely low, it does seem to be possible.

However, although Zhou Wang had such suspicion, he had no evidence, and he could not see anything unusual on Qi Jiayi's face, so he could only give up.

"That's fine."

After seeing off Qi Jiayi and others and returning to the hotel suite, Xu Wenxi found Zhou Wang again.

"Boss, um, Jian Sihan contacted me again, you see..."

"Master Jian?"

Thinking of Xu Wenxi's college classmate, although he was a bit pretentious, he was still a good person. Zhou Wang couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, let's meet him. How about this, you ask him and his father, if it's convenient for him and his father now, let them come over now."

"Yeah, they said any time is fine as long as you're free."

When Xu Wenxi heard Zhou Wang agree, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

She had been annoyed by Jian Sihan these past two days, but she was too shy to do anything and could only promise to try her best to help. Now she had finally fulfilled her promise. No matter what happened between Zhou Wang and the father and son later, it was no longer her responsibility.

Zhou Wang originally thought he would have to wait for a while, but just five minutes later, the housekeeper called and said that two guests named Jian were visiting.

"So fast?"

Zhou Wang, who was wondering whether he should let Yun Rou and Yun Lan give him a light massage first, was stunned.

"Uh... I just found out that Young Master Jian and his father booked a room at the Bulgari Hotel and have been waiting here."

Xu Wenxi explained somewhat embarrassedly.

Zhou Wang didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard this, but judging from this stubbornness, Young Master Jian's father was a man who could accomplish things. Otherwise, how could he have built up a fortune worth billions?

Not long after, there was a knock on the door. Then, led by the housekeeper, Jian Sihan, whom I had met that day, came in with a well-dressed middle-aged man. Jian Sihan was holding two gift bags with no recognizable logos in his hands.

"Boss Zhou, I've heard of your name for a long time. I'm Jian Zhuoran, Jian Sihan's father. I've been wanting to pay you a visit ever since Boss Zhou came to Shanghai, but I never got to see him free. Instead, it was me, your useless son, who got to know Boss Zhou by mistake. I'm so ashamed..."

As soon as they met, Jian Sihan's father took two quick steps forward, shook Zhou Wang's hands, and exclaimed enthusiastically.

While Jian Zhuoran and Zhou Wang were greeting each other, Jian Sihan, who was standing beside them, winked at Xu Wenxi with a smug look on his face.

Xu Wenxi found it somewhat amusing. She probably knew why Jian Sihan was so "inflated".

In the final analysis, it was because he had met Zhou Wang first, and he had been able to stand up in front of his father these days. Wang Lijia said that Jian Sihan had even ordered a new supercar, which showed how comfortable he had been these past two days...

Zhou Wang asked Yun Rou to help make tea. After both parties sat down, they just chatted about various things. Jian Zhuoran did not make any requests at the first try.

This is actually standard social etiquette. The first meeting is just to lay the foundation for a good relationship. Except for those young and ignorant people who are not familiar with the ways of the world, no one will reveal their intentions when they first meet.

So the whole chatting process was quite relaxed, and Jian Zhuoran also knew his limits. After staying for twenty or thirty minutes and exchanging contact information with Zhou Wang, he said goodbye.

But before leaving, at the signal of Jian Zhuoran, Jian Sihan, as a junior, respectfully handed Zhou Wang a gold-embossed invitation with both hands.

"Mr. Zhou, the day after tomorrow, I and several business friends will hold a banquet for Mr. Zhou at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on the Bund. I hope you will honor us. There will be many friends from the business community there. I just don't know if Mr. Zhou likes this kind of excitement. If you think it's inappropriate, we can control the scale of the dinner..."

"Oh?"

……

Amid the dazzling lights, the bustling city is filled with not only towering skyscrapers, but also the hustle and bustle of life in the alleys.

In a remote place in Baoshan District of Shanghai, Yu Duo, who almost fell asleep on the bus, got off the bus holding her backpack, dragged her tired body into an alley, walked a little further inside, entered an old residential area, climbed the stairs facing the street, and arrived at the door of a house on the sixth floor, panting all the way.

After calming down for a while in front of the door with various lock-opening advertisements on the wall, Yu Duo rubbed her smooth little face. After making sure that she was feeling better, she took out the key, opened the door and walked in.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back... Hey, brother, you're here too?"

Yu Duo felt something different as soon as she stepped into the room.

Normally, in order to save electricity, the lights in the living room and dining room are rarely turned on at the same time, but today the "home" has a sense of bright lights.

Not only that, his brother Yu Fei, who had disappeared for a while and no one knew what he was doing, also came back and was chatting and laughing with his parents while serving dishes from the kitchen.

Seeing Yu Duo coming back, Yu Fei greeted her and said with a smile: "Duo Duo is back, go wash your hands and prepare for dinner. I bought you roast goose today, and I also made your favorite coriander beef!"

"Wow!"

When Yu Duo got closer, she was immediately surprised by the richness of the food on the table. She even saw a bottle of red wine next to it.

Although it is not a famous brand, but just a domestic dry red wine, but in Yu Duo's impression... ever since the incident at home, neither her father nor her brother has drunk alcohol while eating for a long time.

Yu Duo, who had been pretending to be very happy, was now a little surprised. She also noticed that it was not just Yu Fei who was in a good mood, but her parents seemed to be in a good mood as well.

"What day is today? It doesn't seem to be anyone's birthday, so why is it so grand?"

Hearing Yu Duo's question, Yu Fei and his parents looked at each other and smiled.

"It's not a big day, but it is some good news."

Yu Fei came over and touched Yu Duo's head, smiling and explaining, "Dad finally got the invitation from Mr. Qi, and will be attending a very important banquet soon. Many important people will be there. Mr. Qi said that he will try his best to help Dad get the order... If it succeeds this time, then our family's hard times will be over!"

"Really?"

Yu Duo looked at her father in surprise.

"Could it be possible that we would lie to you?"

Yu Duo's father, Yu Zetao, shook his head with a smile and pointed his chin in the direction of the living room. "Look, the invitation is over there. You can go and take a look yourself and see for yourself."

(End of this chapter)