Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 625 Determination and Lodging

The dim yellow light hung from the ceiling, and some old black spots on the light tubes made the light seem even dimmer.

With a dazed expression, Choi Min-ah sat in the corner against the wall, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the light bulb that occasionally flickered.

For a long time during her childhood, this light bulb was a nightmare for her, especially since her grandmother would go out to work and her younger brother would be taken away by her mother to take care of him, leaving her alone at home.

There was a TV at home, but the remote control was locked in the cabinet. Back then, she could only watch TV for a short while when her father wanted to watch it.

So, even though she was terrified, Cui Min'er, who was alone at home, couldn't do anything. She didn't dare turn off the lights and could only huddle in a corner wrapped in a blanket, praying that time would pass faster and that her parents would come back soon.

She begged the adults to change a light bulb, but was scolded by someone she couldn't remember whether it was her father or her mother:

"It costs 20,000 won to replace a light bulb. That's enough to do so many things. This light bulb isn't even broken, so why waste money..."

Choi Min-ah couldn't remember many things, but she remembered the number "20,000 won" very clearly.

For a long time, Choi Min-ah, who forced herself to be sensible, always thought it was a huge number, until she went to high school and met more people, and then she realized...

It turns out that this was almost the total amount of pocket money she could get from her parents in a month, which was actually so "insignificant".

20,000 won could be the price of a female classmate's hair clip, the price of a male classmate's fancy bento box at a restaurant, a ticket to an amusement park, or even a bucket of popcorn and cola at a movie theater...

Cui Min'er has a deep impression of her mother, who would take her out to set up a stall during her junior high school holidays.

They sell crucian carp cakes and stir-fried rice cakes. The crucian carp cakes are 1000 won each, and if they need to sell them quickly, they occasionally have a "3 for 2000 won" clearance sale. The stir-fried rice cakes are a bit more expensive, at 3000 won a serving, but not many people buy them...

Choi Min-ah's mother would sell her wares for a day, and at best, she would earn tens of thousands of won. There were also times when she would set up her stall all day but earn almost nothing. As for Choi Min-ah's father, he worked as a "temporary worker" at the labor market at that time, and he didn't have work every day. He had to rely on the basic living allowance provided by the government every month to survive.

Therefore, the “insignificant” 20,000 won still seemed like a lot to Choi Min-ah.

But it was precisely because she had witnessed that 20,000 won could not do anything that Choi Min-ah became extremely clear-headed.

Ordinary boys couldn't impress her at all. She knew that what she wanted was far more than 20,000 won. Only Park Woo-bin, the rich young man she had the only chance to meet, attracted her like the bright moon in the night...

Although it wasn't until she met Zhou Wang that she realized how shallow her perspective had been before.

At this moment, over 400 million Korean won lay quietly in her bank account, and this "20,000 won," which was many times that amount, was just pocket money given to her by Zhou Wang...

Lost in thought, Cui Min'er heard a noise at the door. Her parents, who had received a call from her grandmother, hurriedly packed up their stall and rushed back.

Choi Min-ah got up and went to greet her. When Choi Min-ah's parents entered the house, they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Choi Min-ah was indeed at home.

At this moment, Choi Min-ah was also taken aback.

It hadn't been long since she last returned to Korea, but her parents looked much more haggard, especially her father, Choi Joon-jae. She remembered that after being promoted to deputy workshop manager (director) half a year ago, he was not exactly full of vigor, but his overall spirit had improved a lot, and he even gritted his teeth and spent over 100,000 won to buy a nice suit.

Because their income had increased to more than one million won (about five or six thousand yuan) a month, Choi Joon-jae loudly announced at home that after another year of hard work, they would be able to move to a better place to live.

...Although it's just moving from the top of the hill to the foot of the mountain, at least we can take a bus just a few steps away.

But now, less than a month has passed. Although Cui Juncai is still wearing that suit, not only are many parts of the clothes wrinkled, but his hair also looks messy, and his face is covered with stubble, as if he hasn't taken care of it for a long time...

"Min'er, are you back today?"

Upon seeing Choi Min-ah, Choi Joon-jae, whose eyes were bloodshot, became particularly agitated. He stepped forward and grabbed his daughter's shoulder, then remembered something and quickly pulled out his new cell phone, which he had bought a few months ago, from his pocket, ready to make a call.

"I have to tell Mr. Park Woo-bin right away..."

"Dad, wait!"

Upon hearing that Choi Joon-jae's first action was to inform Park Woo-bin, Choi Min-ah quickly stopped him.

"What's wrong, Min'er?"

Cui Juncai was confused at first, but then he thought of something and comforted him, "I've heard it from Young Master Yubin. You two may have had some conflicts recently, but he is still willing to believe you. You just need to explain it to him in person."

At this moment, Cui Min'er's mother also pulled her aside and asked in a low voice, "Min'er, did you meet any shady people in China? Young Master Yu Bin said that you have a classmate named Lina who said a lot of bad things about you to her... even, she even said that you..."

"What did you say about me?"

"They said you made money in China through some illegitimate means..."

Cui's mother said something in a low voice, somewhat embarrassed. Although she spoke it subtly, Cui Min'er naturally understood what the two words her mother didn't say were.

At this moment, Choi Min-ah finally realized where the problem lay, without her revealing anything.

She could certainly have predicted that Li Lina and Song Zheshuo, who had left Hong Kong Island in such a sorry state, would spread rumors about her everywhere after returning to the country, but she did not expect it to spread to the point that even her parents had heard about it.

Clearly, unable to do anything to Zhou Wang, Li Lina vented all her resentment on her.

Choi Man-yee immediately explained angrily, "That's my high school classmate. I met her while traveling in Hong Kong Island. She had some misunderstandings and arguments with my friend..."

Cui Min'er's parents listened to her explanation, clearly somewhat distracted. Only after Cui Min'er finished speaking did Cui Juncai immediately pat his chest and say:

“I told you my daughter isn’t that kind of person. Min’er, don’t worry, Dad will definitely explain things to you…”

"Dad, you've misunderstood me."

Choi Min-ah took a deep breath and said, "Although the truth is not as Lee Lina said, I really can't continue to be with Park Woo-bin."

"What did you say?"

Cui Juncai was clearly stunned for a moment, but he still didn't dial the number on the phone.

"I... have met someone I truly love, and I will no longer have anything to do with Park Woo-bin."

Facing her parents' astonished gazes, although she felt embarrassed, Choi Min-ah, who had rehearsed the words in her mind several times, still spoke firmly.

"You really are in China..."

While Cui Juncai was still in a daze, his mother's expression changed.

"My current boyfriend is indeed Chinese. He's a very outstanding man. Dad, Mom, believe me, if you've met him, you'll definitely agree..."

"Min'er, how could you say such a thing!" Cui Juncai interrupted Cui Min'er, his face turning pale with shock, and said urgently, "You are Young Master Yubin's fiancée, and you even had an engagement banquet witnessed by us. Young Master Yubin said last time that the wedding would be held immediately after you graduate..."

"Those things have nothing to do with me anymore."

After speaking, Choi Min-ah's tone became much smoother.

"you……"

"Min'er, stop fooling around. Do you know how worried your father and I have been about you these past few days?"

When Cui Juncai's face turned ashen, Cui's mother quickly pulled her daughter back, trying to soften her tone, "It's normal for young people to have disagreements when they're dating, but you can't act impulsively. Quickly apologize to your father, and then explain things properly to Young Master Yubin. Don't worry, your parents will definitely be on your side..."

"That's too late."

Having anticipated this situation, Choi Min-ah calmly said, "Just before you came back, I had my grandmother accompany me to the bank to transfer some money to Park Woo-bin."

"What...what money?"

"Mother Cui asked, stunned."

“I returned all the money Park Woo-bin had spent on me in one go, including the red envelopes I received at the engagement banquet. I transferred a total of 120 million won to him.”

Choi Min-ah paused for a moment and then continued, "In addition, I also left him a message on Kakaotalk, explaining the breakup clearly."

It was because she understood her parents' possible attitudes that Choi Min-ah made what she considered a wise decision after weighing the options.

Make the breakup a fait accompli before your parents come back, so that even if they are unwilling, they will have no choice but to accept it.

Fortunately, only her beloved grandmother was home at the time. Or rather, only her elderly grandmother was the least materialistic in the family. So when Cui Min'er told her not to make the call, her grandmother chose to believe her.

Choi Min-ah's parents were indeed stunned after hearing what she said. Choi Jun-jae seemed to be thinking about something, his expression changing constantly. Choi's mother, who was more sensitive to numbers, quickly realized that something was wrong.

"Min'er, you said you gave Young Master Woo Bin 120 million won. Where did you get so much money?"

One hundred and twenty million Korean won is roughly equivalent to six or seven hundred thousand yuan. Even for a middle-class family in South Korea, that would be a huge sum of money, which is why Choi's mother was so shocked.

"Of course, my boyfriend gave it to me."

At this moment, Cui Min'er's expression finally regained a trace of her usual arrogance. She raised her head and said, "His name is Zhou Wang. Although he is Chinese, he is richer and more outstanding than you can imagine!"

Cui Juncai opened his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words, then turned and sat down on the floor. He took out a well-protected pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and started smoking.

Choi Min-ah didn't remember when Choi Joon-jae started smoking. Before she could say anything, Choi's mother pulled Choi Min-ah into the bedroom next door.

“Min’er, you can’t blame your father… The factory has been shut down recently for some reasons, and your father hasn’t been to work for almost a month. He’s in a bad mood, and I can’t do my cleaning job anymore. During this time, your father has been helping me run a stall…”

"Is it because I had a fight with Park Woo-bin?"

Having already heard about it from her grandmother, Cui Min'er frowned and asked.

"That's not entirely the reason. Young Master Yu Bin is a very good person. It's just that the factory is indeed about to go bankrupt, but the group has so many companies. If you and Young Master Yu Bin can reconcile, he can be transferred to another position..."

"Mom, you don't need to try to persuade me anymore."

Choi Min-ah grasped her mother's hand and said patiently, "I'm with Joo Wong oppa, and he will definitely give you a better life. You don't need to worry about that at all..."

To prove her point, Choi Min-ah took out her bank card from her inner pocket.

"Mom, there are still more than 400 million won on this card. It was all given to me by Zhou Wang oppa. Even if you are temporarily unemployed, I can still support you."

"how much is it?"

Mrs. Cui was shocked and hurriedly asked.

……

Shilla Hotel Seoul, Shilla Suite.

Zhou Wang stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at Seoul's unique night view.

It rained when Zhou Wang took a car from YG Entertainment in the evening, which dispelled his original idea of ​​inviting Xu Wenqian and Qu Peining to go out for a walk. However, he had been having too much fun lately, so it would be nice to just stay quietly for one night.

The Shilla Hotel is the best hotel in Seoul, and arguably the best hotel in South Korea. The only hotel that can rival it is the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul.

But that's only in terms of star rating and specifications.

Just this one point is enough to create a substantial difference between Shilla Hotel and Four Seasons Hotel... Shilla Hotel is a hotel under the Samsung Group, and the person in charge is that extremely famous eldest princess of the group, well, she should also be considered half a princess of South Korea.

The hotel was arranged by YG Entertainment. We could have chosen the Four Seasons Hotel, but since we were already there, we wanted to experience the local culture. The Four Seasons Hotel is located all over the world, so it doesn't give us the kind of desire to explore it.

As the preferred accommodation for many important figures, including the Song-Song couple's wedding, the Shilla Hotel undoubtedly piqued Zhou Wang's interest even more.

Although he was a little disappointed after arriving, and although the service was almost perfect and all the hotel amenities were top-notch luxury, in Zhou Wang's increasingly discerning eyes, it was just "ordinary". Apart from the traditional teahouse downstairs, everything else was modern in decoration and layout, without any highlights.

As for the affiliated Michelin three-star restaurant, it held no appeal for Zhou Wang whatsoever.

The night view in front of us is the only thing that's somewhat acceptable.

Zhou Wang stood there watching the night view for a while when a knock came at the door. Xu Wenqian walked in, her face still showing a hint of admiration.

"Boss, President Kim really did come to visit you privately... How did you guess?"

Half an hour ago, Zhou Wang had just entered the hotel's best suite, the Shilla Suite, and asked Xu Wenqian to set up the tea room in the suite, saying that it would definitely be needed later. Now it has undoubtedly come true.

"Stop flattering me. You've been in the company for so long, how could you not have thought of something I could have imagined?"

Zhou Wang slapped Xu Wenqian's pert buttocks in an annoyed manner.

Xu Wenqian blushed and could only stammer as she turned around, "Then, then I'll go make some tea first..."

Was it really just an act?
Upon confirming this, Zhou Wang couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth, and the slight smugness that had just floated into his heart vanished instantly.

(End of this chapter)