Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 584 Harbor City

"I knew my brother was capable of anything, so what if he's in Hong Kong!"

The Caprice restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel had been cleared out. By the restaurant's rooftop pool, several girls were chattering and glancing back from time to time. Zhou Wang and Feng Qixiang were talking at a table across from each other in the restaurant.

Su Yaqing's eyes sparkled, revealing an undisguised admiration and longing that came from the depths of her being.

Her attraction to Zhou Wang began with his looks, was fueled by his wealth, but ultimately she succumbed to his dazzling power and status.

Yes, she is such a down-to-earth girl. Her views on love are not pure, but once she has made up her mind, she is more passionate and devoted than any girl in an ordinary relationship.

None of the girls knew that Zhou Wang had such powerful connections in Hong Kong, and they were even more shocked after learning about Feng Qixiang's identity.

It's kind of funny to think about it.

If you were to ask them about wealthy people on the mainland, they might not have a very clear concept of it. But since this is Hong Kong Island, they have all seen movies and TV dramas about this place, so they have some basic understanding of the various families and such here.

In particular, Feng Qixiang's information could be easily found online, and at this moment, looking through the window, Zhou Wang and Feng Qixiang were chatting and laughing, with Feng Qixiang leaning forward, focused, and occasionally picking up the lighter on the table to light Zhou Wang's cigarette...

It's not that he was groveling, but Feng Qixiang was clearly in a weaker position in front of Zhou Wang, that's obvious.

"I've always felt that Zhou Wang is very mysterious. He seems to be surrounded by countless halos, and the more you investigate him, the more..."

Shen Yutong couldn't find the right words for a moment. She originally wanted to use "lost" or "intoxicated" to describe it, but then felt that it seemed a bit too obvious.

Little did she know that her expression had already revealed everything, but Yu Duo was rather oblivious, and Cui Min'er's mind was not on that at the moment.

"Sister Min'er, why aren't you saying anything?"

Yu Duo nudged Cui Min'er, who was clearly lost in thought, with her elbow. "Are you still thinking about those two classmates? Well, they obviously don't consider you a friend. You don't need to feel guilty!"

"I'm not……"

Choi Min-ah hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.

"Min'er."

At this moment, Su Yaqing gently called her name.

As Cui Min'er looked up blankly, Su Yaqing smiled and said, "Actually, I feel that you've changed a lot recently. I don't know if you've noticed it yourself... but my feeling is that you seem to have truly started to treat us as friends."

These words instantly struck the softest spot in Choi Min-ah's heart.

She was actually aware that although the four girls spent every day together, there was always a distance between her and Su Yajing and the others. So she always kept a straight face and never wanted to show her weakness in front of Su Yajing and the others.

Many of the conflicts between her and Su Yaqing stemmed from this. Su Yaqing thought she was too pretentious and loved to show off, while Cui Min'er thought Su Yaqing was a scheming girl. They disliked each other.

But from the start of this trip, both sides seemed to notice subtle changes in each other.

It's not that they've drastically changed their personalities, becoming less calculating and less boastful; rather, in the details of their interactions, they've both learned to respect each other more...

Perhaps it's because Su Yajing's aura is gradually changing as she becomes more familiar with hotel affairs, or perhaps it's because Cui Min'er no longer has as much confidence after losing the support from her fiancé.

But regardless, it's true that the relationship between the four girls is becoming more and more harmonious.

So after a brief hesitation, Choi Min-ah picked up the glass of red wine beside her and took a big gulp, then exhaled and spoke softly:
“My fiancé cut off my financial support more than a month ago… I only have less than three hundred yuan left on my phone.”

Choi Min-ah spoke these words haltingly, clearly having expended a great deal of courage to utter the complete sentence.

Although she had mentally prepared herself, Choi Min-ah still felt her cheeks burning.

Given her personality, admitting to something so incredibly shameful is practically unprecedented for her.

Upon hearing this, the three girls were slightly taken aback, but their reasons for surprise were different.

"Ah, Min'er, I saw you posted on WeChat Moments when you came back to China, saying how good your Woo Bin oppa was to you, right?"

Why would your fiancé do this?

"No... Min'er, why didn't you tell us you only had a few hundred yuan left!"

Choi Min-ah's gaze swept over the faces of the three girls one by one.

She saw surprise, confusion, and concern, but... no contempt.

They didn't seem to look down on me because of that.

This relieved Choi Min-ah of her last psychological burden. She hugged her knees and looked at the three girls, her speech becoming smoother.

“When I returned to Korea, Woo Bin made some… very unreasonable requests of me, which I did not agree to.”

At this point, Choi Min-ah felt a brief moment of guilt.

If we consider their engagement, her Woo-bin oppa's request doesn't seem unreasonable, but for some reason, Choi Min-ah is very resistant to it...

Her reason was that she was afraid Park Woo-bin wouldn't cherish her after they got together, since she had no guarantee of anything without a marriage certificate.

But is that really the real reason?

You know, she just turned around and rejected Park Woo-bin's request, which wasn't even to the point of sleeping with him, so how come not long after, she went so far as to strip naked and seduce Zhou Wang...

Cui Min'er dared not think too deeply about it, and simply continued her story.

"I refused Woo-bin oppa's offer to stay and returned to Korea early to avoid him, so..."

"Min'er, I don't think you did anything wrong!"

Shen Yutong immediately said, "Even if he is your fiancé, you should have an equal and respectful relationship. If you give in to him in everything now, you will definitely feel very repressed after you get married..."

Although Shen Yutong's speech had a somewhat "fairy-like" feel to it, it was based on her sister's tragic experience and came from the bottom of her heart.

Su Yaqing and Yu Duo offered a few words of comfort, but Cui Min'er shook her head.

"I've actually come to terms with this. I'm just worried... worried that Song Cheol-seok and Lee Lina will say bad things about me to Woo-bin oppa." "Then let them say what they want. You didn't do anything wrong today. Your fiancé can't just blame you without even knowing the facts, can he?"

"You don't understand."

Choi Min-ah smiled wryly, "While Woo-bin's family business isn't the top-tier in South Korea, someone like him, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, won't listen to anything I say. Lee Lina's family has always had business dealings with Woo-bin's family. If she speaks ill of me to Woo-bin, he might very well believe her..."

Choi Min-ah had one more thing she didn't say: given Park Woo-bin's petty nature, if Lee Lina embellished the story and smeared her relationship with Zhou Wang, she would have even less chance of explaining herself clearly.

The key issue is Zhou Wang; Cui Min'er isn't entirely without guilt.

“My parents both work for Woo-bin oppa’s family business, and my sister is only able to attend university thanks to his financial support. My unauthorized return to Korea has already made him very unhappy, and if he gets angry again this time, I…”

As Cui Min'er spoke, her body trembled, and a look of fear flashed across her face.

Su Yajing and the others remained silent upon hearing this.

They weren't from South Korea, so there were some things they couldn't understand. However, they vaguely knew that in a place like South Korea with such a clear class system, a family like Choi Min-ah's was simply no match for the oppression from the chaebols.

If it weren't for her boyfriend Woo Bin's genuine infatuation with her, Choi Min-ah's life might not be so carefree.

……

Zhou Wang and Feng Qixiang chatted for about half an hour. When Zhou Wang first looked at the "smiley face" on his wrist, Feng Qixiang knew that it was almost time.

"Mr. Zhou's watch is quite rare. I wanted to buy it before, but unfortunately, I never got one at an auction."

Feng Qixiang, naturally a discerning person, immediately recognized that the Richard Mille watch on Zhou Wang's wrist was worth nearly twenty million. After offering a subtle compliment, he stood up and said:

"It's getting late, Mr. Zhou must have other plans, so I won't bother you any longer."

"I was planning to take a few girls to Harbour City for a stroll."

"Oh? Would you like me to arrange a guide?"

Feng Qixiang asked again with concern, and after Zhou Wang declined, he said, "Then I wonder if President Zhou has any time recently? My old man just called me specifically, hoping that President Zhou would do me the honor of attending. He will personally host a banquet for President Zhou."

This was only to be expected, and Zhou Wang immediately agreed with a smile.

Before leaving, Feng Qixiang remembered something, "Oh, right, Mr. Zhou, you can rest assured, I've had all the diners' phones checked tonight. There were videos and restaurant surveillance footage, and I've deleted them all..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wang secretly praised him. He had already arranged for Lai Yuanbao to do this, but since Feng Qixiang had made a similar arrangement, it would undoubtedly make people feel more at ease.

We live in the era of big data, and Zhou Wang is practically a "celebrity," so he still needs to be careful about these things.

After Feng Qixiang left, Lai Yuanbao, who had been standing at a distance, came closer and whispered, "President Zhou, I've had people follow those two young men from South Korea. We have their movements under control..."

Zhou Wang glanced at Lai Yuanbao.

This wasn't among the things he instructed Lai Yuanbao to do, but...

Lai Yuanbao did a good job.

Zhou Wang simply patted him on the shoulder without saying anything.

……

When we left the restaurant after paying the bill, it was around nine o'clock, the perfect time for shopping.

However, Zhou Wang noticed that the four girls seemed to be in low spirits, so he pulled Yu Duo aside and asked her in a low voice.

After Yu Duo explained, Zhou Wang finally understood that it was because of Cui Min'er's matter that the four girls were in a bad mood.

Zhou Wang didn't say much, but deliberately brought up some topics about the local customs and culture of Hong Kong. As they chatted, apart from Cui Min'er's smile still being somewhat forced, Su Yajing and the other two girls quickly cheered up and became talkative and laughing again.

From the Four Seasons Hotel, walk to Central Pier No. 7, then take the ferry from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui to the other side. The whole journey takes only 20 to 30 minutes to reach Harbour City Shopping Mall on the other side.

Zhou Wang certainly had the ability to mobilize a private yacht to cross Victoria Harbour, but when it comes to tourism, there's no harm in experiencing everything that's worth experiencing.

Moreover, Hong Kong Island has such a well-developed public transportation system that even a ferry ticket costing four or five dollars is well worth the price.

When the ferry reached the center of Victoria Harbour, just as the lights were at their most dazzling, Zhou Wang casually snapped a photo, which surprisingly possessed a breathtaking beauty.

The journey took 30 minutes, with 20 of them spent on the ferry. But taking photos and enjoying the night view made it less boring. When the ferry arrived at Tsim Sha Tsui Pier, the group disembarked and walked for a few minutes before arriving at the famous Harbour City.

Connecting the Star Ferry Pier and the MTR hub, this is the largest shopping mall on Hong Kong Island and a globally renowned high-end luxury commercial complex. Looking ahead along the street, you'll see the facades of various luxury brands, each with an impressively large footprint, making it a unique sight.

Zhou Wang had previously read some data in a financial magazine: in 18, Harbour City's total sales were approximately HK$370 billion, averaging over HK$1 million per day, equivalent to the combined sales of the four top shopping malls in mainland China (Shanghai IFC, Beijing Guomao, Nandu Deji, and Shenzhen MixC)...

The first and most eye-catching store along the street is Hermès, the king of luxury goods. Its brown and white exterior walls exude style. Su Yajing and the other two girls walked in excitedly.

After hesitating, Choi Min-ah, who was at the back, made an excuse to make a phone call and stayed outside.

Looking at the dazzling array of new seasonal products inside, Choi Min-ah sighed silently.

Even if her Woo Bin oppa hadn't cut off her source of income, she still couldn't afford to shop at stores like that.

In a month, including living expenses and various holiday bonuses, the amount of money she could get from Park Woo-bin was probably between several million and tens of millions of Korean won, which is roughly equivalent to tens of thousands of yuan.

I occasionally buy luxury goods, but it can only be out-of-season items like LV and Chanel, or I can find them in secondhand stores.

But what I'm standing here is one of Hermès' flagship stores. Take the bags, for example; even the cheapest ones probably cost tens of millions of Korean won... Going in would just be embarrassing, so I might as well just take some pictures here.

Just as Cui Min'er's delicate face was dimly illuminated by the light reflecting off the glass wall, a soft laugh suddenly rang out beside her:
"Choi Min-ah, can you do me a favor?"

"what……"

Cui Min'er was startled, but breathed a sigh of relief when she turned around and saw that it was Zhou Wang.

Although she was puzzled as to why Zhou Wang hadn't gone in yet, Cui Min'er nodded. "What kind of help?"

(End of this chapter)