Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 637 Yacht No. 17

At 8 p.m., Zhou Wang saw Kim Ji-soo again on the banks of the Han River.

She wore a belted gray coat, which made her look slender and petite. She wore a retro-style round-top knitted hat and a knotted scarf that covered half of her face, revealing only a pair of clear and aloof big eyes.

Coupled with the mature charm that comes with approaching thirty, her aloof and sophisticated aura is undeniable at first glance... But Zhou Wang has already grasped her personality and knows that this is just a facade.

The real Kim Jisoo is actually a woman who is innocent, sweet, and even occasionally cute.

For example, when she was kissed so hard she couldn't breathe, she could only weakly push Zhou Wang away, but in fact Zhou Wang wasn't holding her head down at all; she could have easily pushed him away herself. Or, for example, she was clearly wearing a sexy dress, but her inner layer was actually a milky white girly style...

There are quite a few flaws, but that doesn't stop Zhou Wang from liking the contrast in her personality.

Why did you choose to meet here?

As she approached, Kim Jisoo nervously glanced around. Despite the cold weather, there were still quite a few people strolling along the Han River at this hour, and she was worried about being recognized by fans who might suddenly pass by.

"I booked a table at the restaurant on yacht number 17. I heard the food is good, and I'll also take a night cruise on the Han River. I only plan to spend one day traveling, so I had to make the itinerary so tight..."

"Yacht No. 17?"

Kim Ji-soo's attention was drawn to the name, and she asked with some anticipation, "Is it that riverside restaurant that's always booked?"

"You've heard of it too?"

Zhou Wang smiled and glanced at Kim Ji-soo, then naturally pulled her small hand out of his coat pocket, interlaced his fingers with hers, and turned away.

Kim Ji-soo blushed, struggled symbolically a few times but couldn't break free. She could only carefully look around, then pull her scarf up a bit, and resignedly let Zhou Wang lead her forward.

"It must have been quite difficult to book. Even President Kim couldn't manage it. I had to ask another friend for help to book two seats."

Zhou Wang felt a little depressed when he thought about this.

These two seats were booked for him by Tyrant Security, as part of his VIP benefits... After all, Zhou Wang had spent three million US dollars and had automatically been upgraded to a VIP customer of Tyrant Security.

Zhou Wang didn't know how to complain about the fact that "I was ripped off in the company I founded and could only seek psychological comfort by taking advantage of loopholes."

“Yes, I know this restaurant. Jennie took us here once a long time ago. Lisa and I wanted to eat here again, but we were too embarrassed to bother Jennie, so we made a reservation ourselves… but the wait was nine months, so we gave up.”

"You and Jenny are very close?"

Zhou Wang asked casually.

"The four of us have always had a good relationship. It's a bond built up over five years of trainee life. Although we sometimes have some personality clashes, I consider them all my family."

Jisoo thought for a moment, then glanced cautiously at Zhou Wang, "Actually, Jennie isn't a bad person. She... she might seem a little unapproachable because of her family background, but once you get to know her..."

"Did she make you say these things, or did you want to say them yourself?"

Zhou Wang knew that Kim Ji-soo had deliberately mentioned Jenny in an attempt to start a conversation, so he gave Kim Ji-soo a half-smile.

Seeing Kim Ji-soo's evasive gaze, Zhou Wang understood.

He sighed, "It's not that I can't tolerate her and Rose having opinions about me. After all, I'm not the dollar, and not everyone can like me. But I can't tolerate them publicly humiliating me, because at that point, I'm no longer representing myself."

Jisoo fell silent for a moment, then after walking a short distance, she couldn't help but say, "How about I contact Jennie for you? She's just a bit temperamental. If we give her a way out..."

Why should I give her a way out?

Zhou Wang first said casually, then glanced at Kim Ji-soo who was speechless, "But it sounds like you have a better relationship with Jenny. For your sake, I will give her a chance, but whether she can seize it is up to her."

Kim Jisoo was speechless for a moment.

She felt a little resentful.

Why can't this man understand good or bad advice?
What do you mean by giving her a chance?
Don't you really know how illustrious Jenny's family background is?
But given Zhou Wang's shrewdness and skill last night, he shouldn't have acted so recklessly...

Although Kim Ji-soo is still shocked and incredulous that Zhou Wang was able to suppress Vice President Jiang Xin.

However, the Jiuxing Group behind Vice President Jiang Xin and the CJ Group, which is owned by Jenny's mother, are not even in the same league, and can even be said to be incomparable.

Nine Star Group is at best a local tyrant in Seoul, but CJ Group, which originated from Samsung Group, is already one of the top chaebol groups in South Korea, second only to Samsung, a behemoth that stands alone in a class.

Although Jisoo is very confident in herself, she has to admit that Jennie's background played a significant role in BlackPink's smooth rise to the top of the world's girl groups...

So, when Kim Ji-soo wanted to quell the conflict between them, she was actually thinking more about Zhou Wang's sake.

But she was afraid of hurting Zhou Wang's pride, and she was unwilling to admit that after tossing and turning all night after returning home, she had really developed feelings for Zhou Wang. So at this moment, she just muttered to herself for a while, and finally sighed softly, but still didn't say anything.

By this time, the two had arrived at a heavily guarded private dock on the banks of the Han River.

At the dock, a large yacht, four stories high and about 60 meters long, was moored. It was dimly lit, and you could vaguely see many waiters in uniforms and black stockings walking around.

After confirming the names of those who made the reservation, a young girl whose looks rivaled those of Korean Air flight attendants came forward and, with a smile, guided the two onto the yacht.

The yacht's first floor is an open kitchen that can be visited, while the second, third, and fourth floors are the dining areas. The second floor is the main hall, while the third and fourth floors have private booths and private rooms.

Even with the help of the Tyrant Security, they couldn't get a booth reservation. They only managed to get two seats in the second-floor hall, but at least they were by the window, so Zhou Wang didn't find anything wrong with them.

Upon entering the warm, spring-like hall, Kim Ji-soo took off her hat, scarf, and coat, revealing a light blue halter dress underneath. Her bright eyes, white teeth, and porcelain-like skin drew Zhou Wang's attention a few more times.

Kim Jisoo gave Zhou Wang a harmless glare, prompting Zhou Wang to mutter, "Isn't she just dressed up for me..."

"What did you say?"

"nothing."

In front of so many people, Zhou Wang lacked the skill to control her, so he didn't argue with her and instead smiled:
"You seem much more relaxed than when you're outside?"

"The guests who come here to dine won't be surprised if they recognize me... and most of them don't even know me."

Kim Jisoo chuckled and said, "If it were a universally acknowledged beauty like Yoona or Jihyun, then they would probably have some troubles."

Lim Yoon-a and Jun Ji-hyun are both celebrities who have won the title of "Korea's No. 1 Beauty". However, for Zhou Wang, someone like Jun Ji-hyun is already an old aunt, so he naturally has no feelings for her.

"You're no worse than them."

Zhou Wang's casual remark drew a rebuttal from Kim Ji-soo, but judging from her smug look, she was clearly pleased with Zhou Wang's praise. These yacht restaurants usually have strict boarding times, opening around 8:30 PM. It was currently the time for guests to board, and Zhou Wang glanced around casually. Sure enough, all the guests boarding the yacht were impeccably dressed, clearly wealthy and influential.

A moment later, Zhou Wang withdrew his gaze, casually took out a cigarette and lit it, his eyes gradually becoming deep and mysterious.

Although he seemed nonchalant in front of Kim Ji-soo just now, how to deal with CJ Group, which Jenny's mother belongs to, is indeed an unavoidable problem for Zhou Wang.

CJ Group's size far exceeds what most people imagine. Its subsidiaries include biotechnology, television media, integrated logistics, health and beauty, and it also controls one of the largest cinema chains in South Korea. Most impressively, every one of its subsidiaries is a publicly listed company.

The estimated market capitalization of all CJ Group's businesses is close to $300 billion.

Even if Zhou Wang were to use cheats against a company of this size, he wouldn't actually have many useful tools.

After his reputation points recovered, he had nearly three million points again, enough to exchange for a mid-level [Industry Acquisition Card]. However, the maximum value of a mid-level [Industry Acquisition Card] is 10 billion RMB, or about 1.4 million USD. This is simply not enough in the face of such a behemoth, and it cannot shake its foundation.

A high-level [Industry Acquisition Card] would be a completely different story, with a maximum value of 10 billion RMB. Unfortunately, this level of Industry Acquisition Card costs as much as 20 million reputation points in the system shop, which is simply beyond Zhou Wang's reach at this stage...

The only not-too-bad thing is that Jenny's mother is only one of the shareholders of CJ Group and ranks low on the board of directors. CJ Group does not hold many shares in YG Entertainment. Even if there is no way to target her, Zhou Wang can give up for now. As long as he suppresses and wins over Jiang Xin and Park Jung-woon, he can basically control the entire YG Entertainment.

"At worst, I'll just disband BlackPink and form a new girl group, kicking Jennie and Rose out."

Zhou Wang thought viciously.

When all else fails, Zhou Wang can resort to this last resort.

In short, no one can stop him from taking control of YG Entertainment.

In fact, Zhou Wang wasn't completely helpless. In his system repository lay a trump card that he hadn't used yet—a true "killer app."

[Wang Ruxi's cigarette case: Take out a cigarette from the case, light it, and you will receive help from Wang Ruxi.]

Wang Ruxi's power is equivalent to the power of "Cloud Trust," and even if Zhou Wang only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, he could guess how terrifying this power was.

Using this cigarette case should make it easy to resolve any trouble Zhou Wang encounters.

However, Zhou Wang still felt that using it here was a bit like "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut," so he didn't want to use this trump card unless absolutely necessary.

As Zhou Wang was pondering, he suddenly heard Kim Ji-soo across from him exclaim "Oh!" He looked up and saw Kim Ji-soo put on a very polite smile, get up and walk into the aisle to chat with a middle-aged woman dressed in jewels.

Zhou Wang vaguely heard her call that woman "Madam Han," and then the two of them said something, and Madam Han looked at him with a surprised expression.

After a pause, Madam Han, accompanied by Kim Ji-soo, came over and sat down directly opposite Zhou Wang, scrutinizing him with a critical gaze.

"Hello?"

Zhou Wang, who did not recognize the other person, greeted him with a puzzled look.

"You must be Chairman Zhou Wang. I am Han Suying, the representative director of CJ Group, and also... Jennie's mother."

The well-maintained woman gave a simple self-introduction with a faint, reserved smile.

Zhou Wang recognized her name as soon as he heard it, since he had seen it in the information. He just didn't expect to meet her here by such a coincidence.

No wonder Kim Jisoo rushed to greet her as soon as she saw her; as Jenny's best friend, she naturally knew Han So-young.

"Director Han, hello."

Zhou Wang politely extended his hand.

However, Han Suying did not shake hands with Zhou Wang, but simply said:

“I heard that you and my daughter had some conflicts at work. She is already an adult, and as her mother, I shouldn’t interfere. But Jenni has been in a bad mood these past two days, and her father is also very unhappy. I originally wanted to call Chairman Zhou Wang, but since I’ve run into you here, I might as well say a few words to Chairman Zhou Wang in person.”

Zhou Wang narrowed his eyes. Han Suying's words were gentle, but her overbearing attitude was undisguised. Or perhaps she had become accustomed to this way of dealing with people.

"What does Director Han want to say?"

Zhou Wang withdrew his hand, and his smile turned cold.

Sensing Zhou Wang's displeasure, Han Suying's eyes flashed with disdain. She leaned back in her chair and said slowly and deliberately:
"I just wanted to teach Chairman Zhou Wang a lesson: although our CJ Group doesn't hold many shares in YG Entertainment, whether or not we interfere in YG Entertainment's affairs is simply a matter of whether we want to or not."

"President Zhou Wang has come from afar. No matter how prominent and glorious you are in China, now that you have come to the territory of the Korean country, you should learn the etiquette and... rules here."

Han Suying smiled gently, "I love my daughter very much, so I hope Chairman Zhou Wang can personally apologize to my daughter, so that I won't do anything to cause you any trouble later."

"Is Director Han threatening me?"

Zhou Wang smiled again.

“I think this is just polite advice, but if Chairman Zhou sees it as a threat… then so be it.”

Han Suying said casually, then left a business card on the table, stood up and said, "I have important guests to entertain, so I won't disturb your meal any longer."

After saying that, Han Suying gracefully left.

Kim Ji-soo, who hadn't dared to breathe loudly, glanced cautiously at Zhou Wang's face after Han So-young left, and said somewhat helplessly, "I'm sorry, I... I didn't expect to run into Zhou Wang's mother here..."

"I chose this location; what's it to you?"

Zhou Wang, who hadn't been mocked so directly in a long time, took a deep breath, quickly composed himself, waved his hand and smiled, "Let's sit down and eat first."

……

Meanwhile, Han Suying returned to the luxury private room on the fourth floor of the yacht.

There were four or five people in the private room, but the one in the center was a blond, nasopharyngeal white man, about thirty years old.

Upon seeing Han Suying enter, the young white man chuckled in English, "Oh, Director Han, were you hiding away from drinking? I don't remember you having such a low alcohol tolerance."

"How could that be, Mr. Charles? You are a distinguished guest of our CJ Group. Even if I am not a good drinker, I will drink with you until the very end."

Han Suying flashed a bright smile and quickly apologized as she sat down.

The young man in front of her, whose full name was George Charles Morgan, was the third son of the Morgan Group. Not to mention her, even if the director representative of Samsung Group were here, he would never dare to cause the other party the slightest displeasure.

(End of this chapter)