Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 542 Bottle Throwing Ceremony

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With a gentle press of his fingertip, Zhou Wang's black Zippo lighter, a collaboration with Modoli, emitted a deep blue flame, igniting the cigarette in his mouth.

A faint blue smoke billowed out, temporarily blurring Mu Li's vision and preventing her from confirming anything by observing Zhou Wang's subtle expressions.

After a brief silence, Zhou Wang smiled slightly, a hint of surprise in his voice:

"Cloud Group... Mr. Mu, are you referring to that international group that started with trust business? What does that have to do with me? I don't even know about it."

"Why beat around the bush with me, Mr. Zhou?"

A hint of resentment flashed across Mu Li's expression, and then she sighed, "I thought I had treated President Zhou with sincerity, and even opened my heart to him. I even showed him some of the secrets of Tianque Group without reservation. Does President Zhou think that I was just testing your identity?"

"President Mu has misunderstood. Your bold guess is interesting, but I think, how could a college graduate who has been out of school for less than a year have any connection with a large international group that has been established for several years?"

Faced with Zhou Wang's amused question, Mu Li was speechless for a moment.

Seemingly unsure of what to say, Mu Li could only whisper, "But my relative wouldn't lie to me..."

With just that one sentence, Zhou Wang was instantly certain that Mu Li indeed had no solid evidence; she had simply believed what others said and regarded his appearance as a lifeline.

Zhou Wang stroked his chin. "Such an absurd claim, yet President Mu chooses to believe it. The other party must be someone of high status. I'm quite curious, who is this relative of President Mu?"

"I cannot reveal his identity, but if... President Zhou can reach a cooperation agreement with me, then he is one of us, and there is no reason to hide anything from one of us."

"Actually, I wasn't that curious..."

Zhou Wang chuckled, avoiding the topic again, and then stood up and said, "Sorry, I ate a bit too much just now. Do you know where the restroom is?"

"Please leave your room, Lisa will take you there."

"Excuse me for a moment."

Mu Li watched Zhou Wang walk out of the room, and the expression on her face suddenly became subtle.

It was a mixture of disappointment and a cunning determination to succeed.

The disappointing part was that Zhou Wang didn't seem very interested in the shares she gave away for free, which frustrated Mu Li somewhat.

But Mu Li could see hope in Zhou Wang's behavior after she exposed his true identity immediately.

Although Zhou Wang is very shrewd and stands out among young people, his reaction should not have been so calm if he really had nothing to do with the renowned Yunshang Trust.

Moreover, the "urination escape" method is such a clumsy way to deal with this...

At first, Mu Li didn't really believe it. If it hadn't come from her high-ranking relative, she would have just scoffed at it.

Now, combined with Zhou Wang's reaction, an incredible shock appeared in Mu Li's heart as if it had just arrived late.

Is it really possible for someone to do that kind of thing at the age of twenty?
Still unable to fully believe it, but urged by her intuition, Mu Li subconsciously took out her phone and made a call.

"Attorney Cheng, it's me. I need your help. I've drafted a formal agreement... Yes, but please keep it strictly confidential."

As Mu Li spoke, she threw the draft agreement into the shredder and pressed the start button.

Staring at the paper being torn to shreds with a "crackling" sound, Mu Li's gaze was deep, as if she had made a certain decision.

……

Normally, Zhou Wang would avoid using the toilet when using public restrooms.

Although many public toilets now come with disposable toilet seat covers, it's still uncertain whether such a thin, transparent film can effectively block viruses. Therefore, squat toilets are generally considered more hygienic.

However, Zhou Wang broke his own principles today.

The main reason is that the restroom here only has a toilet, and another reason is... according to Lisa, this restroom is for President Mu's exclusive use, and generally no one else will enter it.

When Zhou Wang heard Lisa say that, he felt it was more hygienic, so of course he had no reason to refuse.

However, upon entering the bathroom and seeing the design of the toilet, Zhou Wang suddenly realized that although he was no less wealthy than Mu Li, he still lacked a certain refinement in the details of daily life.

Even the toilet that Mr. Mu uses is a luxury item.

The conspicuous "Chanel" logo embedded on the toilet seat, along with the various gilded designs throughout the bathroom that were nothing short of dazzling, almost blinded Zhou Wang.

(Luxury Bathroom Series - Chanel Custom Toilet)

The toilet features the classic black and gold color scheme commonly seen on Chanel bags, exuding an elegant and sophisticated style, clearly intended for "high-society ladies." Furthermore, likely to match the bathroom's style, a faint scent of Chanel No. 5, one of its best-selling perfumes, permeates the air…

Zhou Wang had no idea how much such a custom-made luxury toilet cost, but the feeling of sitting on it was indeed quite different.

Despite its seemingly simple design, it perfectly combines exquisite ceramic craftsmanship with modern smart technology, featuring cutting-edge functions such as automatic flushing, automatic lid opening, air purification, constant temperature seat, UV self-cleaning, and direct flushing without a water tank.

While defecating, Zhou Wang began to think that he should improve his quality of life. He didn't need anything extravagant, but he certainly couldn't be inferior to others in these details that reflected his refinement (and allowed him to show off)...

Thinking this, Zhou Wang subconsciously sent a message to Xu Wenqian.

These small tasks can be left to Xu Wenqian. This down-to-earth girl always carefully remembers every order Zhou Wang gives. Even if Zhou Wang is just doing it on a whim and forgets about it afterward, Xu Wenqian will still try her best to complete it and send it to Zhou Wang along with his monthly work report.

So when Zhou Wang realized this, he immediately transferred another 88,000 yuan to Xu Wenqian, forcing her to accept it under the guise of a bonus...

When the fourth action round begins, Zhou Wang will likely have to endure another period of "poor days". So recently, Zhou Wang has been unconsciously spending money a bit, basically buying whatever comes to mind without feeling bad about the not-so-large amount of cash he has.

Just as Zhou Wang was about to pull out a tissue, a sudden gush of warm water hit him, making him shiver.

"I'm sorry..."

Zhou Wang had used high-end toilets before, so he naturally knew what this function meant...

But actually, people actually use it?

He always keeps that function completely off on his own toilet, since that strange feeling is hard to overcome, but it seems that President Mu has gotten used to it.

Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, Zhou Wang finished drying himself and was just about to pull up his pants when Lisa knocked on the door, presumably because she heard the sound of water inside. "Mr. Zhou, are you done?"

"All right."

Zhou Wang was a little confused, wondering why Lisa was asking him, but he still responded.

The next second, to Zhou Wang's stunned gaze, Lisa suddenly pushed open the door and walked in.

But Zhou Wang hadn't even pulled up his pants yet, so he had to sit back down, asking somewhat awkwardly, "What are you doing...?"

Lisa lowered her head slightly, seemingly afraid to look Zhou Wang in the eye, but she still whispered, "I...I'll help you clean up."

Before Zhou Wang could respond, Lisa had already taken small, quick steps and squatted down in front of him. She then pulled out a wet wipe from the side and pretended to wipe Zhou Wang's face.

"Wait a minute."

Zhou Wang grinned, looking at the girl in front of him who was half-squatting with her head down, and quickly stopped her hand from reaching between her legs.

Lisa stopped. Her full dress rose and fell slightly at the chest, and her delicate features were reflected on the white, polished floor. Her thick eyelashes fluttered, casting many tiny shadows, seemingly revealing that this mixed-race girl with a cool and aloof demeanor was not as calm as she appeared.

"There's no need to go to such lengths... Although I know that your CEO Mu may have given you some special instructions, it's really unnecessary. Considering we're not that familiar with each other, this will only make me feel awkward, do you understand?"

Zhou Wang said with a hint of helplessness.

Hearing Zhou Wang say this, Lisa nodded slightly and did not insist any further. She stood up and turned to the other side.

Zhou Wang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled up his pants. But just as he walked to the mirror to wash his hands, Lisa came close to him again.

"Please let me wash your hands... I, I always have to do something."

Meeting Zhou Wang's gaze, Lisa slightly turned her head away and stammered.

For some reason, looking at her flawless profile, Zhou Wang was reminded of his senior again.

It was as if he had seen a similar expression at some point in the past... Beneath the seemingly calm features lay defensiveness and struggle, yet he was powerless to resist, and could only watch himself fall deeper and deeper.

"Row."

Zhou Wang sighed inexplicably and then nodded.

Lisa quickly moved closer, first wetting Zhou Wang's outstretched hands with water, then applying hand sanitizer to her own palms, and finally covering Zhou Wang's hands completely with her slender, delicate hands.

Sometimes their fingers intertwined, sometimes they gently caressed each other. Lisa wrapped Zhou Wang's hands in her palms and carefully washed them several times. Finally, she tidied his clothes and hair before stepping back and standing quietly against the wall of the small bathroom.

Zhou Wang stared at her, his gaze sweeping over her slender yet curvaceous body. Only when Lisa's breathing became somewhat heavy did Zhou Wang suddenly withdraw his gaze and walk out of the bathroom.

Lisa realized then that her legs were going weak, because she knew that Zhou Wang also knew that even if he had tried to do something to her, she wouldn't have resisted.

In the end, Zhou Wang did nothing. At that moment, Lisa couldn't tell whether she felt more relieved or disappointed...

……

"Have we arrived at the port?"

Listening to the sound of the waves crashing in his ears, and looking at the bustling night harbor that was still brightly lit even in the darkness, Zhou Wang looked back at the direction he had come from.

It felt like I took an elevator from the manor all the way down to the fifth basement level, then took a short car ride, and when I got off, I was already standing by the sea.

"That's Yantian Port, the largest waterway port in Shenzhen. Our Tianque Group also has a branch there... Mr. Zhou, look over here. From the lighthouse in front, stretching for eight kilometers, that's the private beach that our yacht club has contracted..."

Standing by the railing, Mu Li, facing the sea breeze, explained to Zhou Wang, "On the surface, the most famous yacht club in Dameisha isn't ours, but that international yacht club is actually wholly owned by us. Our independently operated Tianhai Yacht Club has much stricter membership selection criteria; it's entirely internal. Yachts of Class III and below are basically ineligible for membership..."

After Mu Li finished her introduction, she waited a moment. Seeing that Zhou Wang didn't react much, she reached out to lead the way.

Behind Zhou Wang, Lisa, holding his suit jacket, followed closely.

After crossing the suspension bridge over the long corridor, we entered the seaside complex through a side door. Immediately, waitresses dressed in well-tailored short skirts came forward to guide us through the VIP passage and onto the independent harbor built on the other side of the reef.

At the end of the harbor, a large yacht is suspended in mid-air by levitation devices on both sides, hovering just above the water.

The group, consisting mainly of club executives and some guests whom Zhou Wang did not recognize, had already gathered at the pier and were all facing this direction, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

“Mr. Zhou, there is a ceremony called ‘bottle-breaking ceremony’ before the new yacht is launched. You are my honored guest, so it is only right that we accept.”

"I come?"

Zhou Wang was taken aback.

"No one is more suitable than you."

Mu Li simply smiled and pursed her lips.

Zhou Wang declined again, but Mu Li insisted. Considering that he had already offended her, Zhou Wang could only nod in agreement.

Arriving at the front of the yacht, amidst the calls of "President Mu," Zhou Wang roughly judged that those gathered here were all of lower status than Mu Li, otherwise Mu Li wouldn't have such a calm demeanor.

"This is my distinguished guest, Mr. Zhou Wang, who will be performing the bottle-breaking ceremony..."

Then the voices at the scene changed to "President Zhou" in enthusiastic tones, but Zhou Wang was already desensitized to this kind of scene and remained unmoved.

Under Mu Li's guidance, Zhou Wang first followed the others to worship Mazu, praying for smooth sailing. Then, guided by the club's hostess, he arrived at the red platform at the bow of the ship.

A white rope hangs down from the bow, which is about 15 meters high, with a bottle of champagne in a gift bag tied to its end.

Zhou Wang recognized it as a bottle of vintage Porkov champagne, worth at least several thousand pounds, but he didn't have time to lament the waste. Amid the cheers of the crowd, he pushed it forcefully, and with a "bang," the golden liquid splashed into the sea.

As the yacht slowly sank, Mu Li walked up behind Zhou Wang and asked with a light laugh, "Mr. Zhou, are you satisfied with this gift?"

"Ok?"

Zhou Wang immediately turned around and looked at Mu Li with surprise and uncertainty.

(End of this chapter)