Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 596 Terrifying Side Effects Halo

ten minutes.

The key issue is that Zhou Wang has absolutely no idea what the effects of the "side effect halo" are.

Noticing that Zhou Wang's expression was off, Qiu Zeyu, Li Youjun, and the others next to him all looked over.

"Brother Dog, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, my stomach suddenly feels a little uncomfortable. Please find me a private room, I need to use the restroom..."

Zhou Wang waved his hand.

Although the request for a "single room" is a bit odd, on Galaxy Group's own turf, such a small request is naturally easy to fulfill.

A short while later, Zhou Wang, personally guided by a senior manager, arrived at a nearby VIP lounge.

Zhou Wang dismissed everyone, including his bodyguard Xiao Wang, and entered the luxuriously decorated lounge.

The main concern was that he wasn't sure if this "side effect halo" would affect others. Although Zhou Wang felt it wouldn't be too serious, it was still better to be cautious.

After sitting down on the sofa in the lounge, Zhou Wang smoked a cigarette and finally heard the system notification.

……

Ding!
The "psychological crime halo" has been activated.

[Countdown: 24 hours]

[Psychological Crime Halo: The conch shell once gave you the ability to listen to others' thoughts, but as a backlash, you will be troubled by your own dark side for a period of time.]

The doctrines of a certain religion once classified human vices into seven kinds, which were considered the root of other sins. The seven sins are: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust.

[Note: The seven negative auras will randomly change during their duration.]

……

Zhou Wang glanced at the system notification and his first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief.

Because he had once received the "Divine Luck Aura," Zhou Wang was afraid that the system would give him some kind of "Bad Luck Aura," in which case Zhou Wang probably wouldn't dare to go out.

But just looking at the description of this "psychological crime halo," it seems alright; it's not the kind of mystical thing that only affects Zhou Wang himself.

As for the so-called "seven deadly sins," it is a well-known concept that has been referenced in many comics and movies, and Zhou Wang is no stranger to it.

Objectively speaking, these dark sides are an indispensable part of human nature. It's just that as normal people, we all control our desires and don't usually show them.

For example, "laziness"—who doesn't like to be lazy?

The times are more enlightened now, and even "lying flat" can be openly regarded as a life ambition. Yes, it used to be Zhou Wang's ambition as well.

Zhou Wang had fantasized countless times about the joy of lying down and doing nothing, but when he actually had the means to do so, he realized...

Damn, this kind of happiness is something no one else can imagine.

In Zhou Wang's understanding, the purpose of this halo is probably to amplify the dark side of human nature and influence his words and actions.

However, Zhou Wang estimated that there shouldn't be a big problem. After all, as a moral exemplar, he possessed amazing willpower and should be able to control himself... right?

"I've weathered so many storms, what impact can a mere psychological halo have on me!"

With that thought in mind, Zhou Wang flicked the cigarette butt from his hand, stood up, and strode out of the lounge.

In the system interface, the wheel symbolizing "crime" quietly pointed to "arrogance" despite Zhou Wang's disdain.

……

Li Youlong and the others were in the corridor outside the lounge. When they saw Zhou Wang come out, they all cast inquiring or concerned glances at him.

"Are you okay?"

Because Zhou Wang had been inside for quite a while, Qiu Zeyu asked this question.

"It's nothing, what could possibly be wrong with me? Hahaha, I'm perfectly fine now!"

Zhou Wang laughed loudly.

Qiu Zeyu was slightly stunned, because he felt that Zhou Wang in front of him was a little different from before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

"Mr. Zhou, shall we continue our tour?"

Li Youjun suggested with a smile from the side.

"Okay, you lead the way."

Zhou Wang smiled and casually patted Li Youjun on the shoulder.

Li Youlong felt that Zhou Wang's strength was a bit heavy, but he didn't say anything and smiled as he led the way.

The group then headed to one of the two places in this Galaxy Resort City that Zhou Wang was most interested in... the Interstellar Casino.

Before it became a corporation, Galaxy Group started with Star Hotels, whose core business was Star Casino.

The reason why Zhou Wang's 20% original equity stake was so valuable was that the main proportion of the valuation came from the "entertainment" business under StarWorld Hotel.

This is the foundation of the Li family's wealth; its profitability can be described as a "money-devouring monster." Especially in the years when there were still many wealthy people, the daily turnover of the Star Casino was an astronomical figure.

“There are many individual customers coming to the casino every day, but all they can do is maintain the popularity.”

Entering the casino's glittering gates, Li Youjun pointed to the bustling hall ahead, where the view wasn't particularly open and various "game machines" could be seen everywhere, and laughed:
"The truly profitable projects are not here."

As Li Youlong spoke, he subtly pointed to the ceiling.

Zhou Wang realized that the casual patrons filling the hall were either tourists visiting Macau or idle professional gamers. Their contribution to the profits was actually very limited, at most just enough to maintain the basic operation of the casino.

Those who truly bring substantial profits to casinos are the "bosses" with extremely strong purchasing power.

It's hard to elaborate on what the "bosses" represent, but their entertainment venue should be the VIP area upstairs. As the group toured the casino, Zhou Wang pointed to the various game machines most commonly found in the casino and smiled, "I've read some popular science articles before, which said that the placement of these game machines is actually very important. You have to make sure there's one in every corner of the casino so that customers feel the urge to play a few rounds anytime."

"Yes, this is a trick invented by people in Las Vegas. Not only in casinos, but also in supermarkets, on the street, in hotel lobbies... anywhere you might have free time, we put these game machines there."

Li Youlong laughed and said, "If I had to say, it's the most profitable channel among ordinary entertainment channels."

As they walked in, chatting, Zhou Wang curiously looked at the various entertainment tables while listening to Li Youjun add:
"It's not just the placement of these game machines that matters. As this industry has developed to this point, almost every large casino employs more than one team. Some are composed of university professors and experts who specialize in studying the weaknesses of human nature; others are composed of actuaries and analysts who specialize in developing strategies for various games; and there are also public relations teams, ahem..."

Zhou Wang had heard something about what Li Youjun had said.

I've heard that the lighting, ambiance, food, and even the fragrance used in the restrooms at casinos are all carefully chosen.

For example, most casinos don't have windows, but their expensive lighting systems make it impossible to distinguish between night and day. As long as you're inside the casino, you won't feel the passage of time.

The food and drinks they provide will minimize your trips to the restroom; the perfume circulating in the air has a subtle, stimulating effect; and the patterns seen everywhere may be various forms of psychological suggestion…

In short, casinos will do everything they can to keep you at the table, making you never want to leave.

Hearing Li Youjun mention "public relations" reminded Zhou Wang of Bai Feifei and Li Nuoyi, so he smiled and said:

"The public relations you're talking about, are you referring to those specially trained young women?"

"It seems that President Zhou has been in contact with them."

Li Youjun nodded and said meaningfully.

I've not only had contact with them, I've also raised two... oh, no, if you include Lisa, it should be three.

"Brother Gou, Brother Yu, since we're already here, how about we play a couple of rounds?"

At this moment, Li Youlong made a suggestion with a smile.

The desire to "gain without effort" is an inherent human trait. Even though Zhou Wang and Qiu Zeyu are considered to be among the wealthy, there are quite a few rich people who have gone bankrupt because of this kind of thing. It is clear that this has nothing to do with whether or not one is rich.

It's just that those with money play on a bigger scale.

Of course, the Star Casino is also part of Zhou Wang's business, so Li Youlong had no intention of harming the two of them; it was purely for entertainment between friends.

Seeing that Zhou Wang showed some interest, after consulting with the two of them, Li Youlong called over the casino manager, who then led them to a relatively quiet table a moment later.

Qiu Zeyu originally wanted to go to the VIP room upstairs, but Zhou Wang thought it was just a casual experience and there was no need to make things so complicated, so he insisted on finding a table in the lobby.

Qiu Zeyu didn't know why Zhou Wang had suddenly become so domineering and wouldn't listen to his opinions at all, but he didn't care. So the two of them joined a Texas Hold'em table.

In contrast, Texas Hold'em is not purely a game of luck, and it has developed into a formal poker competition internationally. Zhou Wang quite likes this game.

Of course, in this interstellar entertainment city, it's not just a simple competition; every chip on the table is real money.

Considering the fear of being recognized, the Li brothers did not accompany them, and only Zhou Wang and Qiu Zeyu sat down at the table.

The blind levels are "100" and "200". The normal buy-in is 20,000 per hand. For ordinary people, this is already a very high level. If you play for an afternoon, the wins and losses may amount to hundreds of thousands.

Of course, for Zhou Wang and Qiu Zeyu, it was just regular entertainment, so Qiu Zeyu was quite relaxed.

But gradually, he sensed something was wrong, mainly because of Zhou Wang.

At first, Zhou Wang was quite normal, chatting and laughing with the other players at the table. But after losing all his chips in one hand due to being overtaken by someone else's straight flush, his face darkened.

He waved to a waiter standing nearby, "Bring me ten million in chips!"

At this moment, the player with the most chips at the table only had seven or eight hundred thousand chips in front of him. Zhou Wang bought ten million chips in one go, which Qiu Zeyu thought was "crazy".

He quickly tried to dissuade Zhou Wang, but Zhou Wang wouldn't listen at all and even impatiently interrupted Qiu Zeyu.

"Brother Yu, aren't you being a bit nosy? Ten million isn't a lot to me. Even if I lose it all, so what!"

Upon hearing Zhou Wang's words, Qiu Zeyu could only give a wry smile and give up.

But he really couldn't understand it. Based on his understanding of Zhou Wang, the other party had never been such an impulsive and reckless person. What was wrong with him today?
Seeing that he couldn't stop Zhou Wang, Qiu Zeyu could only let him go.

Anyway, given the perspective of these card players, Zhou Wang wouldn't lose all ten million, no matter how much he lost.

As Qiu Zeyu had predicted, Zhou Wang, seemingly caught up in the moment, kept going all in. Although the other players didn't have many chips, with Zhou Wang constantly relaxing, he lost millions in just one or two hours.

But Zhou Wang still refused to stop, which completely contradicted his original claim of "entertainment".

Just as Qiu Zeyu was frowning, trying to figure out how to dissuade Zhou Wang, a chattering sound came from Miss Wang and Su Yajing, who had just returned from the water park. They were carrying several shopping bags, clearly having done some shopping again.

Seeing the girls appear, Qiu Zeyu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained the situation to them in a low voice, hoping that Su Yajing could persuade Zhou Wang to stay.

Upon hearing this, Su Yajing and the other three girls quickly gathered around Zhou Wang.

"Brother, I heard from Young Master Qiu that you lost a lot of money. How about we stop playing today? If we're unlucky, we can come back next time!"

Su Yaqing cautiously offered her advice.

At this moment, Zhou Wang had just lost a pot of several hundred thousand, and was throwing out his cards with a gloomy expression. Hearing Su Yajing's advice, he immediately said angrily:
"Who told you that women can nag and complain when men are doing things?"

Zhou Wang reprimanded him without any mercy.

He then turned around and saw Cui Min'er standing to the side. Cui Min'er was dressed exceptionally beautifully today. Her makeup was obviously carefully applied, making her features stand out even more. She was wearing a low-cut halter dress, revealing a large section of her fair and tender flesh.

Zhou Wang chuckled, and amidst Cui Min'er's startled gasp, he pulled her close, his hand reaching straight for her chest.

"Tsk, you dressed like this on purpose to seduce me, didn't you? Speaking of which, I've always been curious about whether your big breasts are real..."

Zhou Wang's sudden reckless behavior stunned everyone, including Su Yajing, who was feeling extremely wronged and almost burst into tears.

Although Cui Min'er already had a strong liking for Zhou Wang, she couldn't bear his lewd behavior towards her in public. It was completely subconscious; she pushed Zhou Wang away in anger and haste and slapped him across the face.

Snapped!
Cui Min'er's force wasn't actually that strong, but it still left a loud sound on Zhou Wang's face.

Zhou Wang felt a burning pain on his face, but his mind, which had been burning with fever, suddenly gained a brief moment of clarity...

Holy crap, what the hell am I doing?
(End of this chapter)