Wang Manni

The two arrived at the restaurant, ordered a few signature dishes, and chatted casually for a while.

The food came out quickly, and in no time at all, the table was full.

"The taste is not bad, you should eat more." Wang Yan took a bite, felt it was quite good, and said to Wang Manni.

"Mhm, it really is quite delicious." Wang Manni picked up a piece of food and said.

On her salary, eating at this level was a bit of a stretch. Although people asked her out from time to time, she couldn't go out every day, let alone for every meal.

With Wang Yan leading the conversation, the atmosphere at the table was relaxed, and Wang Manni was very talkative. No matter what was said, Wang Yan could always pick up on her thread, and Wang Manni became happier the more they talked.

As for Wang Manni's words, Wang Yan didn't believe a single one of them. Blindly pursuing a lifestyle that didn't match one's own level without working hard to improve oneself to be worthy of it—no matter what she said, it was basically all hot air.

Since the mood was right, they had to have a drink or two.

Under the influence of alcohol, Wang Manni let her guard down. She poured out the hardships of living in Shanghai all these years, and she was moved to tears by her own story.

Although she had drunk quite a bit, Wang Manni was still very clear-headed; her tolerance was quite good. Besides, they weren't children; if they had drunk themselves into a stupor the first time they met, that would be insane.

They were full, they had enjoyed their drinks, and they had talked to their hearts' content. It wasn't early anymore, so the two tidied up, paid the bill, and left.

Once outside, Wang Yan looked at a hotel across the street and said to Wang Manni, "Why don't we go over there and have a proper chat?"

Wang Yan being this direct didn't really count as being lewd or offensive to her. If nothing else, Wang Yan had experienced quite a lot in the years he had spent selling houses.

No matter when it was, gossip always spread quickly.

From time to time, one could hear about agents here or property consultants there, and how they had sold a unit by closing the deal themselves. Even some people around him were blatant about it; everyone knew exactly what was going on.

After all, earning ten thousand for a roll in the sheets was much more profitable than being an escort.

All of this was understandable; some people wanted to sell but couldn't, and one's own body was a form of capital, wasn't it?

Struggling to survive in this materialistic society, at the end of the day, it all came down to money.

One shouldn't negate or criticize others just because their chosen methods weren't accepted by the masses; that was irrational and brainless. After all, they were also earning money through labor; the only difference was the method of labor.

Moreover, supply and demand dictated that there would only be supply if there was a market.

And wouldn't a full Dragon service be quite enjoyable anyway?

Is earning money shameful? Not at all.

As for the current attitude toward relations between men and women, this social climate, it was hard to say whether it was good or bad. Those who were open-minded thought it was good, while those who weren't thought it was rotten. There was no way to explain this clearly.

Now, back to Wang Manni. She had been working in luxury sales for so many years, and she was always aiming for the high branches. It wasn't malicious speculation, but in her eight years in the industry, logically speaking, given her looks, these kinds of things were bound to be frequent.

Of course, one couldn't rule out that she was truly chaste, but based on her behavior in the story, such a possibility was truly slim.

Wang Manni followed his gaze and understood instantly.

When she agreed to have dinner with Wang Yan, she had already thought of this. They were both lonely urbanites; if there was nothing else, they still needed a bit of love.

Wang Yan was witty and had his own air of composure. Even if his appearance was plain, he possessed a unique charm.

And he wasn't like the usual people who treated her like an escort, the kind who thought they could get what they wanted just by having money.

She had a good impression of Wang Yan, their conversation had been pleasant, and she didn't feel any aversion toward him.

She couldn't say she was experienced, but she certainly had her fair share of history. Coupled with the alcohol, she simply nodded, offering no objection.

Seeing her nod in agreement, Wang Yan directly put his arm around her and walked toward the opposite side.

Wang Yan wasn't one to shortchange himself, so he booked a presidential suite directly.

Upon entering the room, Wang Yan didn't stand on ceremony and started the engine immediately. They were full and satisfied, and they had talked enough; why bother with all that useless fluff? Ever since he returned to the real world from the Infernal Affairs mission, he hadn't touched a woman. His constitution was naturally robust and his energy abundant, and he had been holding back for quite a while.

A night of passion, better left unsaid.

The next day, Wang Manni woke up and looked around, not seeing Wang Yan's figure, assuming he had already left. A fleeting pleasure, a dew-drop romance; she didn't pay much mind to it. This was mainly because Wang Yan was a good guy; he had truly spoken to her heart.

She wasn't stupid; she could tell that Wang Yan had been aiming to sleep with her from the start.

However, what she didn't expect was that Wang Yan would just walk away, getting it for free. She might not have wanted it, but he couldn't just not offer. Normally, shouldn't he buy something, or at the very least, give some money to show a gesture?

She casually threw on a bathrobe, got out of bed, and went to pour a glass of water.

Wang Yan had truly walked into her heart; she had been worn out by him yesterday, exhausted, and hadn't recovered even after sleeping all night.

The hotel was nice, at least a star-rated one. Skyscrapers were the standard for big cities, and this suite was on the top floor, so the scenery outside was exceptionally beautiful.

She walked to the large balcony with her glass, looking at the rising sun, wondering what she was thinking.

At this moment, Wang Yan opened the door and walked in; he was already used to waking up early. The hotel had a gym and a swimming pool. He had exercised all morning, moving his body to keep in shape.

Wang Yan took off his clothes as soon as he entered; he had broken a sweat from the exercise and needed to wash up.

Hearing the movement, Wang Manni on the balcony walked in, just in time to see Wang Yan stripping.

Looking at his body, which looked like it had been carved by a knife yet flowed naturally, Wang Manni couldn't help but recall the pleasure of last night, and she twisted her body unnaturally.

Wang Manni hadn't tied her bathrobe very tightly, revealing a large expanse of skin, and combined with her restless legs, it was truly very attractive to a high-energy player like Wang Yan.

"Haven't washed up yet, right? Let's wash together."

Wang Yan tossed his clothes aside, and amidst Wang Manni's "Ah!" he scooped her up and headed toward the bathroom.

In an instant, the bathroom was filled with spring scenery.

After a long while, Wang Yan walked out, holding Wang Manni, who was still reeling and limp from the experience.

He placed her on the bed, tidied up a bit, took out his phone, and transferred fifty thousand to her.

"Transferred fifty thousand to you. Buy whatever you like. I'm heading out."

He didn't wait for any useless chatter; they were just two people getting what they needed, so why bother with all that nonsense?

Wang Yan left the bed heartlessly, didn't look at her again, turned around, and walked away.

The limp and powerless Wang Manni watched Wang Yan's retreating back, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

It wasn't anything else, just that her body had been completely conquered. If one were to add in Wang Yan's financial power, his character, and his unique temperament, then at this moment, her favorability toward him was definitely above 90.

Women are also lustful; when it comes to the joys of men and women, who wouldn't like it?

Even though she had anticipated this before coming, she still felt a bit of regret.

Things obtained too easily are rarely cherished or valued by anyone.

Wang Manni thought to herself, if she had played hard to get with Wang Yan at the time and hadn't let him know her true colors, if she had used all the skills she'd honed over the years and they had spent more time together, would he have been a good match for her? Would her long-held wish have been fulfilled?

Unfortunately, her thoughts were destined to be a joke. Not to mention that Wang Yan knew the plot and understood exactly what kind of person she was, his life experience from the previous two worlds—spanning over a decade—was more than enough for him to judge exactly what she was.

Wang Yan didn't have the time to care about what Wang Manni was thinking; he was busy trying to poach someone else.

Driving back to Junyue Mansion, just as Wang Yan was about to take the elevator up, he happened to see Gu Jia walking out.

Wang Yan said to Gu Jia, who was walking toward him, "Ms. Gu, what a coincidence. Where are you headed?"

Gu Jia gave Wang Yan a gentle smile. "It is quite a coincidence, Mr. Wang. I have some business to attend to."

A classic, nonsensical Hua Nation greeting.

"Ah." Wang Yan nodded, indicating he understood.

He then said, "Right, I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to invite your family of three to dinner."

"You just moved in yesterday, so you must be busy. I wonder if you have time tonight? I'll set up a table so we can get to know each other better."

Seeing Wang Yan's enthusiasm, Gu Jia found it hard to refuse. Moreover, as someone with a strong drive for self-improvement, she naturally wouldn't miss an opportunity to expand her network.

She had also inquired yesterday and knew that Wang Yan was at a higher level than them. Plus, he worked in finance, so his connections were surely much stronger than her family's.

After a moment of thought, Gu Jia said, "I'm not sure if my husband has time today."

"How about this? I'll ask him in a bit, and if it works, I'll contact you."

Wang Yan readily accepted. "Sounds good. Let's add each other on WeChat, and I'll wait for your news."

After adding each other on WeChat, the two exchanged polite goodbyes.

Returning home, Wang Yan changed his clothes and went to his company.

Liquidating the stocks he held wasn't a simple matter; after all, it involved tens of millions in capital.

These funds were enough to make waves, and if he pulled them all out at once, it would cause market volatility. Not to mention offending people, he would also lose out on a significant amount of profit.

Therefore, it would take some time to complete; he couldn't rush it.

After handling some matters, he gave his employee some information regarding the US Stock Market and gave him instructions to take charge.

Due to the time zone difference, he adjusted the employee's working hours, telling him to rest during the day and monitor things from home at night, reporting to him whenever there was a situation.

Based on Wang Yan's understanding of this employee, he wasn't worried about him having any ulterior motives.

The possibility of him absconding with the money was low, as he was a local born and raised. With his parents, wife, and children all living locally, in a country where filial piety has been passed down for thousands of years, no one would do such a thing unless they were a lunatic.

As for him buying stocks based on Wang Yan's tips, Wang Yan didn't care. If he had the guts, he could buy; the opportunity was given, it just depended on whether he could grasp it. It was all money from the free market anyway, so what if he took some?

Wang Yan figured he wouldn't dare to buy in the first few rounds. People always struggle to accept failure; they want to make money but fear the risks, constantly hesitating. By the time they see others making money and want to follow suit, it's usually too late.

After finishing his instructions, Wang Yan drove back to Junyue Mansion.

He hadn't yet experienced the study room provided by the system.

He scanned the books on the shelves; there was a wide variety of categories. Now that Wang Yan's spirit was as high as eighteen, his thinking ability and brain processing speed had improved significantly, allowing him to read very quickly. Whether he could memorize them was one thing, but he could certainly understand and see through the essence of the books.

Furthermore, his memory had improved quite a bit; he couldn't say he had a photographic memory, but generally, as long as he focused, he could remember things for a long time.

Wang Yan tried his best to thoroughly understand the books rather than just memorizing the content. His mind was already cluttered enough; remembering too much wasn't necessarily a good thing.

These books would keep him occupied for quite some time.

After browsing, he walked over to the large desk. The desk and chairs were made of wood and had a very classical charm; as for the material, Wang Yan didn't know, as he had never studied such things.

On the desk was a complete set of the Four Treasures of the Study.

Although Wang Yan had seen many antiques, he had never carefully studied that field. Therefore, he couldn't tell if the set was an antique or not.

But Wang Yan figured that the desk, the chairs, and the Four Treasures of the Study were likely not ordinary items. After all, the system had already given him assets worth hundreds of millions; it couldn't be that stingy.

As for calligraphy, Wang Yan had had some exposure to it before.

In the Infernal Affairs world, Wang Yan had learned from many masters of traditional Chinese culture and Taoism experts, and they all practiced calligraphy. After all, it was the most basic skill in that circle, and their levels were quite high, with many masters among them.

Wang Yan's chicken-scratch handwriting was naturally not fit for public display, and having those people teach him was no different from humiliating them.

They really couldn't stand it anymore; disgusted by Wang Yan's terrible handwriting, this group of people all pointed out a few things to him. They mainly focused on the fundamentals of calligraphy, as anything too advanced was beyond his comprehension given his low level.

With all that guidance, plus practicing on his own whenever he had free time, he had finally developed some semblance of skill. It was passable, just barely.

Regular Script, Seal Script, Semi-cursive Script, Cursive Script, Clerical Script.

What Wang Yan truly loved was the Slender Gold Script of Emperor Huizong of Song. Say what you will about that old guy, but his calligraphy and painting skills were undeniably top-tier; you had to give him that.

However, what he practiced was Regular Script. This could be considered the foundation of calligraphy; even Emperor Huizong had built his skills up from Regular Script.

After all, if you can't even get the strokes right or keep your horizontal and vertical lines straight, dreaming of dragon-like flourishes and iron-hook strokes is impossible. It's the same logic as a toddler wanting to run before they can even walk.

He didn't have much else, but he had plenty of time. Just like with his Fighting training, he practiced by copying the styles of masters like Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, and Chu Suiliang, covering all sorts of schools. Over time, the results naturally began to show.

After fiddling around for a bit, Wang Yan picked up his brush and wrote a few large characters in Regular Script. He took one look, crumpled the paper up, and tossed it into the trash can. "Passable" was only what others said because they didn't know any better; as for those who did, let alone others, even he found it an eyesore.

After sighing that "the road is long and arduous," Wang Yan picked up his brush to write "the destination will be reached," standing earnestly and quietly by the desk to practice his calligraphy.

Once he started, he became completely absorbed, practicing until the afternoon without even realizing it.

Wang Yan put down his brush, stretched his back, and saw that it was already nearly four o'clock.

He picked up the phone on the table and scrolled through his messages.

One was from Gu Jia, saying that Xu Huanshan had no issues and they could all get together that evening.

There was also one from Wang Manni, which could be summarized as hoping for more opportunities to connect in the future. Having tasted the fruit, she wanted more; it was understandable. Wang Yan didn't bother responding; he'd deal with it whenever he felt like it.

The rest were from various friends and acquaintances. He was, after all, a boss with a net worth of over a hundred million; how could he not have a few friends?

If they seemed decent or were talking about serious business, he would reply. If not, he'd just let it go; why bother responding to useless nonsense?

After finishing his messages, Wang Yan found a private restaurant with a good reputation and booked a table.

Of course, it wasn't one of those ultra-high-end places that required reservations days in advance. He didn't have the time for that right now, so a place with a decent enough standard would do.

He replied to Gu Jia, sent her the address, and confirmed their meeting for the evening.