Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 523 Choi Min-ah's Thoughts
"Dear passengers, please note that boarding has begun for Shenzhen Airlines flight ZH9516 from Shanghai to Shenzhen. Please take your belongings with you..."

If there's anything different about traveling with four beautiful girls, Zhou Wang hasn't noticed anything else yet, but one thing is certain.

That means that wherever they go, they become the focus of attention.

Zhou Wang had initially thought that it was rare for him to keep a low profile, without a large entourage of luxury cars and bodyguards, or any accompanying assistants or secretaries. However, it now seemed that the commotion caused by Su Yajing and her three beautiful young women was no less than that of a large group of people, and in some ways, it might even surpass it…

When the boarding announcement came on, Zhou Wang stopped resting with his eyes closed, and the four chattering girls beside him finally stopped catching up.

Zhou Wang was slightly helpless. It wasn't that he didn't want to fit in with them, it was just that he couldn't get a word in edgewise...

To be honest, these four girls haven't gotten together in a long time. Not to mention all four of them together, it seems like they haven't even seen each other in pairs.

So from the moment the four girls met, the atmosphere between them was quite lively, as if they had returned to the beginning of their sophomore year, when the four of them would get together and have intimate chats in their dorm every night, talking about everything...

But there seems to be an unspeakable subtlety hidden within it. Zhou Wang, as an observer, cannot feel it, but the four girls involved can all keenly perceive the differences.

For example, at one point, just as Zhou Wang went to get a smoke, Cui Min'er, who was least aware of the situation because she had been back in China for a while, suddenly asked Shen Yutong, who was standing nearby, out of curiosity:
"Yutong, your historical web drama has finished filming, right? To be honest, I've only ever known you were filming, but I had no idea what role you played, and you've never sent us any photos..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yutong quickly explained, "It's not that I didn't want to film, it's just that the production team has rules that small actors like us can't just reveal what happened during filming... Um, filming has already wrapped up, and it should be released at the end of the year."

"That's pretty fast. I've been a bit troubled lately. My fiancé won't allow me to enter the entertainment industry on the Korean Peninsula, but in China, more than one production team has approached me, hoping I can play some roles."

Cui Min'er said with some distress.

"That sounds good! Web series and short dramas are so popular now, and the filming period is short, so it's a great way to earn extra money!"

Su Yaqing, standing to the side, chimed in with a smile, "The key is that Min'er, with your great looks and exotic charm, you don't even need superb acting skills; you could probably still get a decent salary..."

Choi Min-ah forced a smile upon hearing this, but did not respond immediately.

Noticing that Cui Min'er was hesitant to speak, Yu Duo took the initiative to ask.

"Sister Min'er, are you afraid your fiancé will be angry if he finds out, or do you have some other concerns?"

“I’m not too worried that my fiancé will find out that he looks down on China and hardly pays any attention to anything here.”

Choi Min-ah hesitated for a moment before speaking, "The contracts offered by those production teams are too complicated. I'm worried about potential problems if I sign them hastily. Also, while the pay they offer is indeed quite high, my script seems to contain some intimate scenes. I can only receive a higher reward if I agree to them..."

"Is there no room for negotiation?"

Su Yaqing frowned. "Who links this to the salary?"

"Judging from their tone, there's no room for negotiation... So Yutong, I want to ask you, how do you handle these situations?"

Only then did Cui Min'er look at Shen Yutong and ask with a troubled expression, "Does your character have any intimate scenes with men?"

"Uh, it was originally in the script, but some parts were cut at the last minute, so I never acted in it... There was one scene that was unavoidable, but the director came up with a way to change the shooting angle and have a stand-in act it for me."

Shen Yutong answered honestly.

"Oh, how did you do that?"

Cui Min'er's eyes lit up immediately. She quickly grabbed Shen Yutong's hand and asked anxiously, "Yutong, please tell me. This is very important to me. I... I am indeed short of money lately."

"I……"

Meeting Cui Min'er's expectant gaze, Shen Yutong was momentarily at a loss for words.

Only Su Yaqing knew that she got into the "Chu Tian Yao" production team through Zhou Wang; even Yu Duo didn't know the inside story.

One point of self-contradiction in Shen Yutong's character is that she sees herself as the newcomer, the "other woman" between Su Yajing and Zhou Wang, which makes her feel guilty when facing Su Yajing.

But what she didn't know was that it was precisely because of her intentional concealment that Su Yaqing noticed some signs.

However, being as clever as Su Yaqing was, she didn't know how far Zhou Wang and Shen Yutong had progressed, so she never exposed these things.

The clueless Yu Duo could tell that Cui Min'er was really anxious, so she coaxed her, "Sister Tongtong, if you have any tips, just share them with Sister Min'er. You can't possibly have some unspeakable secrets between us, can you?"

When Shen Yutong was at a loss, it was Su Yaqing who came to her rescue.

"Yutong is too embarrassed to say, so I'll tell you... What else could it be but Zhou Wang, of course!"

"Zhou Wang?"

Cui Min'er and Yu Duo both turned their heads in surprise.

While Shen Yutong was startled, Su Yaqing chuckled and said, "You guys don't know, do you? The reason Yutong was able to get into that film crew was because I asked my brother for help. She was just too embarrassed to tell you... With my brother's help, of course Yutong won't be bullied!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Duo quietly breathed a sigh of relief, though she didn't know what she had been so nervous about.

As for Cui Min'er, she was shocked, but then she finally understood.

If it's because of Zhou Wang, then everything seems to make sense...

During this time, unbeknownst to the other three girls, Cui Min'er had been keeping a close eye on everything Zhou Wang did.

She couldn't pinpoint exactly when that man began to occupy a special place in her heart.

This "special" feeling doesn't seem to be the kind of feeling that involves romantic love, but somehow, at many inexplicable times, the image of Zhou Wang would inexplicably flash through Cui Min'er's mind.

To trace it back to the source, we probably have to go back to that secluded swimming pool in Mingcheng. On that cold, moonlit night, Zhou Wang cornered her at the door, and all her dignity and pride were trampled underfoot by that man, shattering into pieces...

Unfortunately, she was powerless to resist, and Zhou Wang even broke down her defenses with just a few words. If Zhou Wang hadn't been deliberately toying with her, she might have already knelt there that night, shamefully serving that man.

Yes, it was after that night.

Cui Min'er felt that she had developed a special feeling for Zhou Wang, and it was this feeling that led her to keep a close eye on Zhou Wang's movements even during the time she returned to China.

So of the four people present, apart from Su Yajing, who was originally Zhou Wang's "official girlfriend," she was probably the one who understood Zhou Wang the most.

But some things become more alarming the more you learn about them. As Cui Min'er followed the various "clues" Zhou Wang left on the internet, she felt increasingly aware of her own ignorance.

Her initial impression of Zhou Wang was that he was just a local "small tycoon" in Mingcheng. However, as Zhou Wang's assets in Hangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai were exposed one by one, she realized that Zhou Wang's power was far more terrifying than she had imagined.

So if the reason why Shen Yutong had such a smooth life on set was because of Zhou Wang, then everything seems to make sense.

Thinking of this, Cui Min'er, her nails painted with glossy nail polish, couldn't help but dig deeply into her soft palms.

A sense of resentment welled up in her heart again...

Why are Yu Duo and Shen Yutong able to gain so many benefits simply because they benefited from Su Yajing's fame?

But I have nothing.

Needless to say, Yu Duo received a gift worth 80 RMB when she first met Zhou Wang, which is a staggering price of over 1.5 million Korean won!
Shen Yutong, who clearly remembered that Zhou Wang disliked her, how did she also receive such benefits? Not only could she directly participate in the filming of the hit web series, but she was also being deliberately favored by the director...

She noticed it as soon as they met today. Although Shen Yutong's clothes were the most plain among the four girls, her outfit was actually from Prada's Linea Rossa sportswear line, and the price of the jacket alone was over five figures.

This undoubtedly shows that Shen Yutong's income has also undergone tremendous changes.

What makes her so special...?

Huh, wait!

Just as Cui Min'er was feeling resentful, she suddenly realized that Shen Yutong's expression wasn't quite natural when Su Yaqing was explaining things to her.

Of the four girls in the dormitory, apart from the rather scheming Su Yaqing, Yu Duo is a blank slate and there's no need to discuss her, but in fact, Shen Yutong is also quite guileless.

In Choi Min-ah's eyes, she was a typical "big-brained girl" who wore her emotions on her sleeve.

At this moment, Shen Yutong's evasive gaze was tantamount to telling Cui Min'er that there must be more to this story.

Is it...

A certain guess surfaced in Cui Min'er's mind. She couldn't believe it, but her intuition told her that this might be the truth.

At that very moment, a subtle tension began to emerge, and while Cui Min'er was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Su Yaqing suddenly fell silent.

Needless to say, Shen Yutong was guilty, and Yu Duo, who was also intentionally avoiding the topic of "Zhou Wang," remained silent.

An awkward silence fell over the four girls, each lost in their own thoughts, their eyes darting around. This continued until Zhou Wang returned, and Su Yajing casually began sharing some "miracle skincare products" she had recently discovered, which restored harmony to their relationship.

Zhou Wang, unaware of what had happened, yawned boredly until the boarding announcement came on.

……

The shuttle bus was really hard to ride.

Most people could only stand, but at this time, Zhou Wang received another "small perk".

Because of the crowd, he naturally stood on the outside, while the four girls squeezed into the corner. As the vehicle swayed, Zhou Wang's nose was filled with a mixture of different perfumes, and his body would occasionally collide with unknown softness. The whole process was quite erotic.

The drive took a few minutes, after which it was time to queue for boarding.

Amidst the formulaic smiles and greetings of two Shenzhen Airlines flight attendants, Zhou Wang followed the four girls into the cabin.

As they passed through business class, Zhou Wang's eyes met those of two men sitting in the back row. Seeing their innocent expressions, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The two men are Gao Xing and Huang Duming.

As Zhou Wang's "representative" in Beidu, Huang Duming originally worked in Beidu. This time, due to the establishment of the group, he came to Shanghai from Beidu to report on his work. Also, because the "Little Blue Bottle" was about to be launched, he needed to go to the south to select a factory site. So Zhou Wang simply took him with him to the south.

Fortunately, he didn't plan to bring Lin Ran along this time, and with Huang Duming accompanying him, he could also help him solve some problems.

Gao Xing is not good at interpersonal relationships, so Huang Duming, who is more tactful, is more suitable.

Since they were going to accompany him, they would naturally take the same flight as Zhou Wang, but...

The economy class ticket cost just over a thousand, while the business class ticket that Gao Xing and Huang Duming were traveling in cost over five thousand, making it much more comfortable than what the boss, Gao Xing, was in.

However, Gao Xing and Xiao Huang were also on duty and needed to board the plane first so they could help Zhou Wang eliminate some potential problems in advance. Besides, Zhou Wang wasn't the type to make everyone around him suffer along with him, so it didn't bother him.

Besides these two, Xiao Wang and his men should also be on the plane, but it's unclear which class of service they purchased.

Traveling discreetly doesn't mean he's really going to "go it alone." Zhou Wang still brought a lot of people with him, just with a different style of doing things.

Su Yajing had met Huang Duming before, so she was taken aback when she saw him sitting in business class. However, she wasn't too surprised. She smiled at him and went inside.

As Zhou Wang passed by, Huang Duming quickly stood up. "Mr. Zhou, how about I switch with you? I'll go to economy class..."

"What, you want to be surrounded by beautiful women in my place?"

Zhou Wang's words left the trembling Huang Duming speechless. He then chuckled and patted Huang's shoulder, "Just sit here and relax. I'm not standing, so you don't need to worry about me."

Huang Duming scratched his head and sat back down.

Upon entering economy class, Zhou Wang followed the four girls to his seat. The aircraft was an Airbus A320, with six seats in each row, two on each side of the aisle.

Zhou Wang and his group of five sat on one side, while Yu Duo, Cui Min'er, and Shen Yutong sat on the other side. Zhou Wang sat with Su Yajing, with Zhou Wang in the middle and Su Yajing by the aisle. At the far end was a stranger's seat, where a white-haired young man was already sitting.

What Zhou Wang found strange was that ever since he sat down, the white-haired youth had been stealing glances at him, his eyes darting between the four girls, and he was also whispering to his young companion sitting behind him, his expression quite odd.

After a while, Zhou Wang got really annoyed and turned around to ask, "What are you looking at?"

The white-haired youth seemed startled. After realizing what was happening, he quickly pulled out his phone and said in somewhat broken Mandarin:

"Hey bro, um, could I add you on WeChat? I have something I'd like to ask you..."

(End of this chapter)