Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 571 Catfish Effect
"You don't have to work anymore?"

Zhou Wang looked at Jiang Mubai, who was covered in sweat from dancing for so long, and asked loudly.

"It's already 1 a.m., they've already closed for the day. There was supposed to be a short interactive segment with the store's fans, but I was afraid you'd be upset, so I cut it out..."

Jiang Mubai chuckled and sat down on the other side of Zhou Wang, whispering his reply in her ear.

Zhou Wang realized that an hour had passed without him noticing.

Given Jiang Mubai's current popularity, it's indeed impossible for her to stay on stage for too long; an hour is probably the limit.

It's not about putting on airs, but about a matter of "prestige"... Long working hours not only make her seem cheap, but also gradually make her lose her mystery and novelty in front of the public.

Similarly, celebrities are the same. They only appear for a few minutes at many commercial events and then earn exorbitant fees. This is the prevailing trend in the industry, and everyone seems to have gotten used to it.

But who orchestrated the initial "industry atmosphere"? No one has ever thought about that question.

What kind of interaction?

"Oh, like, palm to palm with fans, do a little dance, or take some photos together..."

"It's not impossible... female fans are fine."

"But almost all of my fans are male. I don't think many girls would like someone like me, right?"

"That won't work."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wang immediately shook his head.

"I knew you'd say that, so I avoided it beforehand..."

Jiang Mubai chuckled, then glanced at Qu Peining, who was sitting upright beside him, and tentatively asked in a low voice, "And who is this lady?"

Hearing Jiang Mubai address Qu Peining as "elder sister," Zhou Wang was both amused and exasperated.

You've gotten so used to pretending to be young that you've forgotten how old you are, haven't you?

If he remembered correctly, Jiang Mubai was born in 98 or 99, while Qu Peining was a few years younger than Jiang Mo, around 20 years old, and most likely born in the 00s.

It was only because of Qu Peining's unique temperament that she didn't look as delicate as an ordinary girl, which led Jiang Mubai to misjudge her.

Zhou Wang didn't bother to correct him and simply replied, "For now, we're just ordinary friends."

Since everyone knew each other well, Zhou Wang didn't lie to Jiang Mubai and told him the truth.

For now... just friends?
However, Zhou Wang's meaningful answer startled Jiang Mubai, who felt quite incredulous.

Since Zhou Wang said that, it means he's most likely interested in this girl...

Actually, this is pretty obvious, since Zhou Wang brought her to the bar for drinks, and although this girl doesn't seem very approachable, her looks are truly impeccable.

From certain angles, she looks quite like Xiaolongnu from the Hong Kong version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" from a long time ago, with a heroic and untouchable appearance.

But... this man is Zhou Wang!

Perhaps it was the halo effect; apart from being a bit of a womanizer, Zhou Wang was, in Jiang Mubai's eyes, a truly perfect male god!

She simply didn't believe that any girl in this world could resist Zhou Wang's advances, no matter how beautiful she was...

After all, as time goes by, Zhou Wang's wealth, status, and charm will continue to increase, but a woman's beauty will gradually fade.

But judging from Zhou Wang's words, it seems that this girl is deliberately keeping her distance from him, which is absurd.

"Why...why?"

Driven by a burning desire for gossip and a sense of indignation on Zhou Wang's behalf, Jiang Mubai asked the question without thinking.

"You have to understand that most people in this world don't actually know what they really want; they only believe what they think they know."

"So, Mr. Zhou, you mean she's faking it?"

"...I didn't say that."

Although Zhou Wang vehemently denied it, Jiang Mubai interpreted it exactly as that!

Seeing that Zhou Wang didn't seem angry, Jiang Mubai's eyes darted around, and he suddenly spoke:

"How about I help you, Mr. Zhou?"

"How to help?"

Zhou Wang asked with great interest.

"Of course, it's like this first, then that, and then..."

Jiang Mubai then leaned close to Zhou Wang's ear and whispered something.

While the two were having a close conversation, Qu Peining, who was sitting on the other side of the sofa, frowned more and more deeply.

She didn't even have time to get angry because Jiang Mubai's sudden intrusion had ruined the "perfect atmosphere" between her and Zhou Wang before she could watch the two of them whispering to each other.

Yes, Qu Peining admitted that the environment was indeed very noisy and it would be difficult to communicate with each other, but there was no need to stand close together to talk, right?

It's just a matter of raising the volume a bit; as long as you're not too far away, you can usually still hear it... Wasn't that what she and Zhou Wang were chatting about just now?
What shameless whispers are they having that require such secrecy from others?
Throughout the entire process, apart from Zhou Wang's initial loud question, the two of them whispered to each other, making it impossible for Qu Peining to discern what they were saying.

In Qu Peining's eyes, Jiang Mubai had a bad impression of her from the beginning, so she subconsciously thought that Jiang Mubai might be shamelessly seducing Zhou Wang.

Although she didn't understand these kinds of girls' tactics, her keen observation skills allowed her to notice Jiang Mubai's frequent little gestures.

For example, while talking to Zhou Wang, she would pretend to casually place her fair hand on his thigh and rub it, or when she was about to say something to him, she would gently hold his cheek, and her firm legs, encased in low-waisted jeans, would get closer and closer to Zhou Wang, almost touching him...

This is no longer what she thinks; this is blatant seduction!
This made Qu Peining even angrier, but she didn't know what to do. She couldn't just scold Zhou Wang directly, could she?

Qu Peining, feeling sullen, wanted to turn her head away so she wouldn't see them and feel annoyed, but she was also worried that if she really looked away, what if the two of them did something even more outrageous?
Frustrated, Qu Peining could only pick up her glass and drink the cocktail in one gulp.

Surprisingly, because she had been sipping it slowly before, taking a big gulp like this made Qu Peining feel a completely different spiciness compared to before. But on the contrary, the frustration in her heart actually eased a bit...

So, is this the correct way to consume alcohol?

Qu Peining seemed to have grasped something and was about to pick up the decanter to pour herself another glass of Martell when the sofa next to her suddenly sank. Qu Peining frowned and looked up, only to see Jiang Mubai plop down next to her.

"Hello, sister. My name is Jiang Mubai, and I'm a DJ... What's your name, sister?"

This caught Qu Peining off guard. Although she despised Jiang Mubai's behavior, she was not familiar with him. Looking at his sweet smile, Qu Peining didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"...Qu Peining."

After hesitating for a moment, Qu Peining finally said her name, though her expression was slightly indifferent. "Wow, sister, your name is very beautiful!"

Jiang Mubai first praised her, and when Qu Peining seemed a little flustered, Jiang Mubai leaned closer and asked, "Sister, can I ask you a question quietly?"

Seeing Jiang Mubai's seemingly cautious and fearful manner, Qu Peining was taken aback.

It seems... this girl isn't as bad as I imagined?

Thinking this, Qu Peining's expression softened a bit, and she said with an "Mmm," "Go ahead and ask."

"Um, I'd like to ask, what's your relationship with Mr. Zhou Wang?"

"us……"

Qu Peining hadn't expected Jiang Mubai to ask this, and she was momentarily speechless before replying normally, "We are friends."

"I see. Have you known each other for a long time?"

Jiang Mubai seemed relieved and asked again.

"Soon...why are you asking this?"

Seeing Jiang Mubai seem to have relaxed, Qu Peining felt very uncomfortable, so she frowned and asked in return.

"Because I like President Zhou!"

Jiang Mubai chuckled, "I was just thinking, if there's something between you and President Zhou, then I'll have to leave... After all, you're so beautiful, I feel like you and President Zhou are more like a couple!"

"you……"

Qu Peining opened her mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

She hadn't expected Jiang Mubai to be so blunt in admitting that she did have feelings for Zhou Wang, and she couldn't refute what Jiang Mubai said.

But can we just let her actually seduce Zhou Wang?
Fortunately, Qu Peining finally remembered something and quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Although he and I are just friends, his girlfriend and I are very good friends, like best friends."

"That's a little weird."

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Mubai showed a hint of doubt at this moment.

"What's weird?"

"If that's the case, why did you and Mr. Zhou come to a nightclub alone? You know, men and women who come to places like this usually have some kind of interest in each other..."

Qu Peining wanted to refute, but she was speechless again.

The main point is that although she doesn't know much about nightclubs, based on what she's seen and heard since entering, what Jiang Mubai said seems to be true...

After all, she had seen more than one couple being intimate in public; the men and women jumping together also seemed to be looking at each other with great enthusiasm.

Therefore, what Jiang Mubai said is very likely true.

Ordinary friends wouldn't come to a place like this together.

This made Qu Peining, who was already feeling a little guilty, even more unsure how to answer Jiang Mubai's question. Fortunately, Jiang Mubai didn't insist on hearing her answer and quickly chuckled and said:

“I know Mr. Zhou has a girlfriend, but I don’t mind… Besides, his girlfriend isn’t here anyway, so why can’t I temporarily fill in for her?”

How could she say such shameless things with a smile?

The tiny bit of goodwill that had just arisen in Qu Peining's heart towards Jiang Mubai vanished instantly. However, what angered Qu Peining even more was Jiang Mubai's next sentence.

"Sister Pei Ning, can you help me?"

"I...help you?"

Qu Peining's eyes were filled with absurdity.

But Jiang Mubai seemed oblivious, and just kept pressing closer to him, saying, "Sister Pei Ning, I'm planning to play some games with President Zhou and then get him drunk. You don't have to do anything. You don't seem to be a very good drinker, so you can just rest. Thank you, sister!"

Before Qu Peining could say anything, Jiang Mubai stood up and returned to Zhou Wang's side. Before sitting down, he winked at her, as if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Mubai leaned close to Zhou Wang and whispered something.

Qu Peining subconsciously felt that she was inviting Zhou Wang to play games with her. Not knowing what to do, Qu Peining could only hope that Zhou Wang would refuse.

At first, she did see Zhou Wang shaking his head, but soon she saw Zhou Wang hesitate and look in her direction.

Then she saw Jiang Mubai point at himself, smile, and shake his head. Although Qu Peining couldn't hear him, she seemed to understand what Jiang Mubai meant.

"This lady isn't playing, how about the two of us play?"

Yes, Qu Peining could even picture Jiang Mubai's affected, sweet voice.

Then, under Qu Peining's indignant gaze, Zhou Wang seemed to agree without hesitation. She saw Jiang Mubai pick up the dice cup on the table, then shift his position, seemingly moving closer to Zhou Wang—

No, I can't just do nothing.

If Jiang Mubai hadn't said all that nonsense, Qu Peining might have been able to tolerate it. But because Jiang Mubai came to discuss it with her in advance, Qu Peining felt that if she didn't do anything, wouldn't she be letting down... her senior?

Yes, I'm sorry to my senior.

Having found yet another reason for herself, Qu Peining couldn't help but stand up and then, to Zhou Wang's "surprised" look, sat down next to him.

The distance between the two closed instantly, although not as close as before, but only a fist or two away.

Under Zhou Wang's questioning gaze, Qu Peining, her cheeks burning, could only bite the bullet and say, "You... what do you want to play? I'm a little bored too, let's play together."

Qu Peining didn't actually have many thoughts. She just thought that since Jiang Mubai wouldn't let her participate, she had to do the opposite. In short, she couldn't let this seductive girl succeed so easily.

From an angle that Qu Peining couldn't see, Jiang Mubai glanced at Zhou Wang with a half-smile, as if to say...

The fish is hooked.

Zhou Wang just chuckled. Jiang Mubai's direct "provocation" of Qu Peining, and the series of possible subsequent measures, can be summed up in four words: "catfish effect".

"Activate the vitality of internal individuals by introducing external competitors or stimuli."

When Qu Peining's self-righteous sense of balance is shattered, tonight's events are destined to take an unknown and entirely new turn...

"Okay, let's play together. Are you good at bragging?"

Zhou Wang's mind raced, but his expression remained unchanged. He picked up the dice cup and asked Qu Peining with a smile.

(End of this chapter)