Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 556 The Pianist and the Performer

"Yantian·Tianlu·C02 Courtyard.gps"

In the hotel suite, Su Yaqing, who was sprawled on the sofa scrolling through her phone with her bare feet up, glanced at the location Zhou Wang had sent and turned back to say:
"Sisters, my brother said he might not be coming back tonight..."

"Oh, Zhou Wang isn't coming back? Where is he staying?"

Cui Min'er, who was stretching out her smooth, beautiful legs and applying body lotion, was the first to prick up her ears upon hearing this, but it was Yu Duo who spoke up to ask.

"My brother said someone gave him a villa, and he's staying there tonight..."

"Huh, a villa as a gift?"

Several girls knew that Zhou Wang was very rich, but they were still a little stunned, after all, this was a gift to Zhou Wang, not something he bought himself.

"Let me see where it is?"

Yu Duo came over with interest, checked the location, and said, "Let me check... Phew, the villas here are very expensive. The AI ​​said one costs at least a small fortune."

"Given Zhou Wang's status, isn't this perfectly normal?"

Cui Min'er felt a strange sense of pride, perhaps because this trip had brought her and Zhou Wang closer, and she felt that some of her psychological aspects had become more distorted... but she couldn't control it.

"My brother even asked us if we wanted to come over and play?"

Su Yaqing then asked, "Do you want to go?"

"Hmm, I think I'll pass. It looks so far, and getting all dressed up before going out is too tiring..."

Shen Yutong was the first to shake her head.

"Yeah, I've been shopping all day. Oh well, I'll go again tomorrow."

Yu Duo, who was initially somewhat tempted, quickly echoed the sentiment.

Choi Min-ah opened her rosy lips, but ultimately said nothing.

That's actually the place she wanted to go the most.

...In order to wait for Zhou Wang to come back, she has not removed her makeup since morning, and even secretly went to the bathroom to touch up her makeup a few times in the middle, just to keep herself in the best condition.

But if she doesn't see Zhou Wang today, wouldn't all her efforts have been in vain?
Ever since that night playing games, Choi Min-ah has felt like something is constantly scratching at her heart. These past few days, she hasn't been interested in going to tourist attractions or shopping, but instead, she feels like drinking every night...

But she doesn't actually like drinking that much.

Seeing that Yu Duo and Shen Yutong didn't really want to go, Su Yaqing quickly replied to Zhou Wang. Seeing this, Cui Min'er's expectations finally died. She replied listlessly, "Whatever," and then used the excuse of being sleepy to go back to her room to sleep.

……

At this moment, Zhou Wang had indeed returned to the villa area of ​​Tianlu.

The location he sent to Su Yajing was real; the European-style villa with its independent surrounding garden was indeed the one Mu Li had just given him.

It can't be called a gift. According to Mu Li, as long as you are a shareholder of Tianque Group, the group will fund the acquisition of a welfare housing unit in this community.

Wang Chengyun and others also have them, but because of their relationship with Mu Li, they rarely come to live here.

...However, giving Zhou Wang this method seems a bit too efficient, as if Mu Li had prepared it in advance.

As for Su Yajing's reply, it was within Zhou Wang's expectations. This place was far from the hotel, located on the east and west sides of Pengcheng, and Su Yajing and the others were definitely unwilling to go through the trouble.

They were actually at a loss when they actually came to Zhouwang, because Sun Xi Ningning, who didn't want to go home, was still with them.

Regardless, having gotten a free house after coming out, Zhou Wang was in an even better mood.

He happened to not have a residence in Shenzhen, which filled a certain void for him.

"Mr. Zhou, this villa is not officially owned, but its original owner moved abroad after purchasing it. Our CEO, Mr. Mu, has been managing it for her. Later, Mr. Mu bought it back in the name of the group... She really liked this house and lived in it for a while after the renovation. Apart from that, no one else has ever lived there."

Old Xu, the butler who brought Zhou Wang and Sun Xi Ningning here, first gave a brief introduction to the origin of the villa.

Although the words were brief, they conveyed two pieces of information to Zhou Wang.

One was to tell Zhou Wang that although the villa was built a long time ago, it was almost uninhabited and had been renovated, so it was not much different from a new house.

The second point is a subtle way of saying that President Mu also really likes this house, but because her partner is Zhou Wang, she is willing to part with it.

Regardless of whether Lao Xu was exaggerating or not, it has to be said that this house does look quite appealing.

The color scheme is classic black and white, and the elegant carved balcony is a typical feature of French architecture, but what Zhou Wang is most satisfied with is its surrounding garden.

The so-called "surround garden" means that there is no front or back garden, but rather a completely open garden centered around the villa. Because the boundaries are not obvious, this design requires a large enough outdoor space to take shape.

Fortunately, this detached villa, located on the edge of Tianlu, has just such conditions.

Besides that, it's all about "exquisite".

In fact, this should be Zhou Wang's first villa in the strict sense.

His properties in other cities are mostly large apartments or duplexes; he's never actually bought a villa...

No, judging from the time of purchase, this should be the second property, because the residence at "90 Repulse Bay Road" on Hong Kong Island also seems to be a villa, but Zhou Wang has not yet been there.

Unlike the villas Zhou Wang was familiar with, this villa possessed an elegant and artistic beauty, perfectly embodying the French pursuit of romance. For a more straightforward, "straight man," it might not be as appealing; it would likely resonate more with women's aesthetic sensibilities…

Sure enough, Zhou Wang turned his head and glanced at Sun Xi Ningning, whose eyes were sparkling even in the darkness of night, clearly loving this style.

"Um... Butler Xu, how much does this kind of house cost?"

Sun Xi Ningning couldn't help but ask a question.

"Ms. Sun, Tianlu is considered an older residential area. The housing prices here are reasonable, around 100,000 to 200,000 yuan per square meter. If we consider the total area of ​​the property, its market value should be between 60 million and 80 million yuan..."

Butler Xu patiently explained, "However, this villa is quite special because it has been renovated twice by President Mu. The renovation cost is very high. Moreover, if it were purchased through normal channels, we would have to consider Shenzhen's purchase restriction policy, and the transaction taxes for second-hand villas are also very high. So, if we were to appraise this villa, it would be around 1.3 million."

1.3 million?
To Zhou Wang today, such figures are commonplace, and he might even think they're nothing special... even though he doesn't have that much cash himself.

But in Sun Xi Ningning's ears, this couldn't be described as an exorbitant price; it should be called an astronomical figure.

Sun Xining is a big spender, but that doesn't mean she has no concept of money. On the contrary, it is precisely because she is a materialistic girl that she has a more intuitive understanding of what this number represents.

This is not a house that ordinary people could hope to live in.

Even in ten lifetimes...

Even if she kept taking shortcuts to make quick money, the most she could do was own a small suburban apartment in a place like Shenzhen, which would already be considered a miracle. As for a villa of this caliber, she could only dream about it.

Sun Xining's gaze dimmed slightly, but soon, as the butler led the two into the villa, she was drawn to the interior furnishings and forgot her melancholy. After Old Xu helped Zhou Wang set up administrator permissions and register his face, he didn't follow him in but stood at the doorway, smiling:
"Mr. Zhou, you are an expert, so I won't go into detail about the facilities in the villa. It's late, so please get some rest. If you need anything, just call me anytime, and I'll be there within five minutes."

"Row."

Zhou Wang nodded, and only after Lao Xu closed the door did he follow him into the living room.

At this moment, Sun Xining had already walked around the first floor quickly with her hands behind her back. From Zhou Wang's perspective, the villa was not large, with a single-story area of ​​about two or three hundred square meters. But for Sun Xining, who had never been to "Eye of Spring", the area was already exaggerated.

When Sun Xi Ningning entered the living room, she took off her shoes, revealing her fair and slender jade feet. Ignoring Zhou Wang's stare, she tiptoed to the piano in the corner of the living room.

The piano is a Steinway, the same brand as the one that Qiu Dashao gave to his senior, but it should only be a regular model. Even so, it must cost several hundred thousand yuan.

Old Xu wasn't exaggerating when he said that the villa, which Mu Li had personally decorated, exuded understated luxury in its interior design and furniture, significantly increasing its value.

"Can you play the piano?"

Seeing Sun Xi Ningning lingering in front of the piano, looking somewhat dazed, Zhou Wang spoke up.

“My dad forced me to do this when I was little. He even sent me to learn traditional Chinese painting, vocal music, and dance... Well, he always wanted to raise me to be a girl from a well-to-do family.”

"It seems he didn't succeed."

Zhou Wang smiled.

Throughout her three years of high school, Sun Xining was such a famous girl, yet we never heard of her performing any talents. Instead, she was constantly embroiled in various scandals, some of which were quite outrageous, such as the claim that she had had several abortions...

Although some of it is known to be rumors, it is true that Sun Xi Ningning is indeed very rebellious.

Zhou Wang remembers that during a period in his second year of high school, Sun Xining's hair color changed almost every month, which caused her to be reported in school-wide notices several times and even result in her taking a leave of absence from school for a while.

It was because of that incident that Zhou Wang developed a deep impression of her.

Of course, four-character names are inherently a cheat, always making them easier for people to remember...

"Then tell me, what is the most important aspect of the phrase 'a lady from a respectable family'?"

Sun Xi Ningning's fingers touched the piano keys, and she turned to ask Zhou Wang.

"Is she a 'young lady'?"

"No, it should be 'everyone'..."

Sun Xining smiled mischievously, "Shouldn't I first have a 'family' to naturally become a 'lady'? But having a 'family' is my dad's responsibility, right? He didn't even do it, so why should I be expected to?"

"...6."

Zhou Wang could only give Sun Xi Ningning a thumbs up in response to her explanation.

"Zhou Wang, come here and play it for me. I know you can play it too... I watched your performance video of 'Friendship Years'!"

I not only watched it, I also saved it...

After saying that, Sun Xi Ningning silently added another sentence in her mind.

Zhou Wang has never been good at refusing requests from pretty girls, and especially since he hadn't been with them in a while, he was indeed getting a little itchy.

With the added advantage of being "proficient in piano", even though she doesn't practice much, she can still play without much trouble as long as she doesn't play overly complicated pieces.

"What do you want to hear?"

Zhou Wang walked over and sat on the bench, smiling at Sun Xi Ningning, who was bending over with her chin in her hand, exuding a pure and innocent charm.

"Hmm... Let me think, how about 'Ten Years in the Human World,' the one from The Grave Robbers' Chronicles... If you can play it well, maybe I'll join you."

Sun Xi Ningning tilted her head and thought for a moment before speaking.

"You really know how to make things difficult for me..."

Zhou Wang chuckled. The melody itself wasn't the problem; the key issue was that his singing skills might not meet the requirements of the song.

But it didn't matter. Zhou Wang wasn't too afraid of losing face, so after making some simple adjustments to the keys, he started playing.

After a brief prelude, Zhou Wang slowly began to speak:
"Light, who lit the candle to illuminate the labyrinth that time has set up..."

The verses were not a problem for Zhou Wang, and he sang them with great confidence. During this process, Sun Xi Ningning just kept staring at him, and it was hard to tell whether she was engrossed in listening or in watching.

"With a burning, unyielding heart, I walked towards the most lenient execution ground, where even the broken and shattered echoed hollowly..."

When Zhou Wang sang this part, Sun Xi Ningning pursed her lips and walked around to Zhou Wang's side.

Zhou Wang thought she was finally going to join him, so he stepped aside a little.

Strangely, Sun Xi Ningning did not sit down behind Zhou Wang, and Zhou Wang could only vaguely hear some rustling sounds.

"In the end, I was actually grateful that the setting sun still lingered on me, before I could tell how dramatic and tumultuous the story was..."

The chorus was approaching, and Zhou Wang was getting into the mood when Sun Xi Ningning finally appeared from behind him. Zhou Wang glanced at her and his hand trembled. He not only played the wrong note but also stuttered while singing the lyrics.

Sun Xi Ningning had tied her hair up at some point. She was still wearing the same black cropped tank top, but strangely, there were two small patterns on the top, making the style suddenly different from before.

The most bizarre thing was what was below her waist; her low-rise jeans had vanished, and her smooth, rounded thighs shimmered with an ivory-white luster under the bright lights, possessing a mesmerizing beauty.

Hmm... the lush grass of Parrot Island.

She stared boldly at Zhou Wang, then straddled him from the front.

"You keep singing, I'll accompany you on the instrument..."

A slightly soft, hoarse voice brushed against Zhou Wang's ear, and Zhou Wang forced back goosebumps and continued playing.

Sun Xi Ningning indeed began to accompany Zhou Wang, but the instrument she was playing... seemed to be Zhou Wang himself.

Zhou Wang wasn't dressed lightly to begin with, but sitting in the living room, he gradually began to feel a chill. The chill spread downwards, growing stronger and stronger...

Later, when Sun Xi Ningning slid down, Zhou Wang's expression was already distorted.

He doesn't remember what he sang, or rather, he remembers some of it, such as "there are the most rugged peaks" and "there are the most proud snow-capped mountains".

The lyrics became so fitting at this moment that when Zhou Wang sang the most emotional part, he finally couldn't help but grab Sun Xining's hair.

Despite the pain, Sun Xining didn't stop playing; instead, she started playing faster and faster. Finally, Zhou Wang couldn't resist and helped Sun Xining fall onto the piano.

Sun Xining tilted her head back smugly, her rosy lips parted, unable to speak, but it seemed as if she was silently mocking Zhou Wang, or perhaps echoing the words Zhou Wang sang in his final, desperate cry:
"The full moon and its gentle light over the sea are poured into a cup..."

(End of this chapter)