Li Qiang was so frightened by this that he nearly dropped to his knees. "Oh, come on, sis, don't do this. I'm young and ignorant, and I offended you... Can you really bear to be so hard on such a handsome little brother?"
"I already said I wasn't doing video, but you insisted," When the Flowers Bloom said with a laugh. "Tomorrow, call this number and treat me to a good meal... If I'm in a good mood, I'll let you off this time."
Li Qiang nodded with a lifeless expression. "Okay, sis. Then... see you tomorrow?"
Seeing him hang up, Zhang Wei nearly laughed again, but forced himself to hold it in. "Damn, is she from the underworld?"
"Could be," Li Qiang replied distractedly. "She located me that fast, so she must have connections... Tell me, who the hell did I offend?"
As he spoke, he looked at Feng Jun.
Feng Jun spread his hands and spoke innocently. "Brother Qiang, you can't blame me for this. You insisted that I help you find someone... I didn't know I'd find someone like her."
Li Qiang glared at him for a long while before speaking weakly. "Didn't your sixth sense tell you she was hard to deal with?"
What kind of thing was that to say? Feng Jun was a little unhappy. "Brother Qiang, I think When the Flowers Bloom is actually pretty easy to get along with."
Honestly, if you had sent the remaining fifty-yuan red packet, would any of this have happened? You were the one in the wrong.
People with unfortunate looks were usually more sensitive. Even if When the Flowers Bloom was not particularly generous, she definitely was not petty.
How could Li Qiang not understand that? But she had provoked him badly at the time, so it was only natural that he had acted impulsively.
Zhang Wei laughed again, softly this time. "All right, it's just a meal, Qiangzi... This is what they call the price of impulse."
Li Qiang stared blankly at him for a long time before speaking. "No, Dawei, you need to have Feng Jun pick one for you too. Otherwise, I really can't get over it."
He really was in low spirits. He did not even call him Manager Feng anymore, addressing Feng Jun directly by name instead.
"Sure, if you fork out thirty thousand," Zhang Wei said, nodding as he glanced at him. "But Qiangzi, have you considered what happens if I add a beautiful woman?"
Li Qiang was instantly speechless. After a long while, he snorted. "If she's beautiful, give her my business card."
Zhang Wei had genuinely wanted to try again, but hearing that killed his interest. He waved a hand listlessly. "Sigh, you brat... Can't you aspire to something else?"
"You're talking nonsense. You don't have to accompany that ugly woman," Li Qiang said irritably, glaring at him. Then his eyes shifted. "No, tomorrow we'll both have dinner with her... Aren't we brothers?"
"You think I can eat while looking at her?" Zhang Wei cried out. "Is that how you treat your brother?"
"It's not what you think," Li Qiang said, shaking his head. He spoke seriously. "I'm worried she might have other ideas. Isn't your old man someone important in the government?"
Zhang Wei fell silent. After a long while, he nodded. "All right... Manager Feng should come too, then?"
"Don't drag me into it," Feng Jun said, waving a hand decisively. "This has nothing to do with me. I never even showed my face. Dawei, I'm an outsider, unlike you locals."
Zhang Wei was somewhat arrogant, but he was fundamentally a reasonable person. Hearing this, he sighed. "Sigh, look at the mess this turned into."
Strictly speaking, it was not a major matter. But everyone had been having fun, and then When the Flowers Bloom's aggressive, domineering call had thoroughly ruined the mood.
After that, no one felt like having fun anymore. They drank a few casual glasses and then dispersed.
Feng Jun's mood had also been affected. Although he had caused this unpleasantness, he had only intended to teach Li Qiang a small lesson. He had not expected to ruin the entire atmosphere.
After leaving the nightclub, he had originally wanted to contact Good Scenery. But when he opened Chat, he realized it was already eleven-thirty, nearly midnight.
At that hour, respectable women generally would not go out anymore. And if he ran into someone prickly like When the Flowers Bloom, would that not cause more trouble?
With that in mind, he simply returned to the hotel to rest. He had entered the Wilderness Space twice that night and felt sticky all over, while the factory's rental room had nowhere to bathe.
Besides, Sixth Master, the gatekeeper, was in the habit of going to bed early. If Feng Jun woke him at this hour, the old man would definitely nag him.
Feng Jun ate another hearty meal at the small restaurant beside the hotel before returning to shower and rest.
He slept soundly, and when he opened his eyes, it was already eight-thirty. After breakfast, he took a taxi to Shenghai Securities, where Zhang Wei worked.
On the way, he quietly reflected on his actions. I've had things go too smoothly lately. I keep thinking that, with this strange encounter, I have nothing to fear. But before I truly develop myself, I'm still just a nobody at heart.
To say nothing else, that ugly woman from yesterday, the one called When the Flowers Bloom, had dared to issue Li Qiang a severe warning in a fit of anger—and had even acted on it.
Who knew how many people in Yang City appeared unremarkable on the surface but possessed immense power beneath it?
How could he rely on a little strange fortune and become so arrogant?
As the saying went, weakness was the original sin.
By the time the car arrived at Shenghai Securities, it was just past nine. Zhang Wei had already arrived at work and warmly took him to open an account.
Opening an account was quite simple now. Things like taking photos could all be done directly with a phone.
Even so, it took Feng Jun more than an hour to open his account. The key issue was that he had never traded stocks before, so he had to learn many things on the spot.
Zhang Wei was very patient, explaining all the relevant points and answering every question Feng Jun asked.
However, from Feng Jun's observation, the other employees at the securities company mostly kept Zhang Wei at a respectful distance. Even when they had work to discuss, they did so in an extremely formal manner. It was clear that he was probably the sort of person others avoided at the company.
But he was genuinely good to Feng Jun. He said he had applied for a commission rate of two ten-thousandths for him, a rate that accounts with only a few hundred thousand in cash could not enjoy.
Feng Jun thanked him outwardly, but inwardly he rather unkindly guessed, You're lowering my commission fees to tempt me into trading stocks, aren't you?
Of course, he could not say that aloud. After watching Zhang Wei operate for a while longer, he stood up to leave. "Get back to work. I'm heading out."
"Don't go yet," Zhang Wei said, trying to keep him there. "The market closes for lunch at eleven-thirty. Let's find somewhere and grab a bite. You came all the way here, so how can I let you leave hungry?"
"I need to check out at noon," Feng Jun replied with a smile. After hesitating, he asked, "Aren't you having lunch with Li Qiang?"
"Ah, don't mention it," Zhang Wei said, shaking his head with an odd expression. Whenever he thought about it, he wanted to laugh, but when he remembered that ugly woman's overbearing manner, he felt deeply embarrassed.
His feelings were conflicted. He frowned, trying hard to make his expression look serious. "Li Qiang contacted her. She wants dinner."
"Damn," Feng Jun said through gritted teeth, his expression extremely strange. "Dinner?"
Generally speaking, lunch did not leave much room for imagination. After eating, everyone still had to go back to work.
Dinner was different. After dinner came the long night, when everyone was free... Should they find some entertainment to pass the time?
Zhang Wei's expression was just as strange, but he still spoke seriously. "There shouldn't be much of a problem. We found someone to help coordinate it... Oh, right. The thing I promised to help you get will need another three or four days before I have a definite answer."
Feng Jun smiled and waved a hand. "Heh, there's no rush on that. I trust you... Then I'll be going?"
Zhang Wei raised his brows. "Where are you staying? Haifeng said you found a new place?"
"It's outside the city," Feng Jun replied with a smile. "I'm heading back too. Call my phone if you need anything."
That was right. He really was going back. After what had happened the night before, he felt that he was far from being able to relax. Things like going to bars and picking up women were better left alone for now.
Was a few million really that much? To be honest, buying a decent modified vehicle could very well leave him strapped for cash.
His most urgent task was to get back and recharge. While his distant relative was away, he needed to raise the mark on his wrist to two hundred energy points or more as quickly as possible, so he could better deal with any trouble he might encounter.
He could no longer bear the original sin of weakness. He longed to become stronger as soon as possible.
Before leaving, however, he made another trip to the auto parts market and asked the shop that had modified his vehicle last time where he could buy a powerful all-terrain vehicle.
Faced with a returning customer, the shop owner readily told him that it was basically an ATV. A good one could be bought for a little over two hundred thousand. If he was interested, he could leave a deposit first, and the owner would bring one in for him. They could discuss how to modify it afterward.
Feng Jun readily paid the deposit.
Originally, he had not been in a hurry to get an all-terrain vehicle. He had thought he could deal with it when the need arose, since he only had around six million on hand, and keeping more cash available was the sensible thing to do.
But now, he had changed his mind. Money was useful, but it was ultimately an external possession. No matter how important it was, it could not compare to improving his own strength.
To improve his strength, he had to enter the Wilderness Space, whether to search for jade or for the cultivation techniques he imagined might exist.
After arranging for the all-terrain vehicle, he went to the factory dormitory and found that Wang Haifeng had indeed acquired another fifty-kilowatt generator. He hired a vehicle and had the generator transported to the villa on the outskirts.
The electrician had been waiting for him so anxiously his eyes had nearly gone red. Without the extra money from supplying diesel over the past two days, each day had felt like a year.
Seeing his benefactor return, he hurried forward, only to stare in astonishment. "Why did you buy another generator?"
Before you continue