Delusional Fantasies

The meal lasted until the afternoon, with two families at the table, each with their own thoughts.

"Mr. Zhang, how old is your son this year?"

"I'm twenty-six," Zhang Zhaohai said, putting down his wine glass.

"She's not much older than our Shu Han," Mr. Zhou said casually. "By the way, didn't you say last time that the two young people should have a lot in common? Why don't we introduce them to each other sometime soon?"

At this moment, his thoughts were growing stronger and stronger.

Such exceptional individuals, why wouldn't he take the initiative and strike first?

As for what kind of appearance?

Unimportant.

Habits, such as smoking and drinking...

It's even less important.

And he thought it was perfectly normal.

"Get to know him? Hmm, I don't know if he's busy right now," Zhang Zhaohai said after a slight hesitation.

He knew his son was running a huge business and was extremely busy all day long; what if he disturbed his important work?

"Uncle Zhang, if it's inconvenient, why don't we talk about it again later?" Zhou Shuhan quickly suggested. "Or, you can add him on WeChat."

"Using WeChat?" Zhang Zhaohai looked up at the girl in front of him and blinked.

How can I just give my son my WeChat?

If you want to be friends with your son, you have to see if he likes you.

"It's alright, miss, let me ask for you." Zhang Zhaohai said, sending a message on WeChat first.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhou kept drinking her tea, looking somewhat displeased.

They've gone to such lengths to be proactive.

Why are you still acting all high and mighty?

If it weren't for the fact that his son built such a large fortune through his own abilities, demonstrating great skill, would their family have taken this initiative?

Thinking about it this way, she couldn't help but give her husband a dissatisfied look, but Mr. Zhou reassured her with his eyes.

Suddenly, Zhang Zhaohai's phone received a message.

He glanced at it and immediately laughed.

"What a coincidence, my son is free right now, I'll give him a video call."

As he spoke, he casually made a video call.

Song Wenqin smiled and sat down beside her.

The Zhou family, husband and wife, fell silent, their expressions naturally filled with curiosity.

What kind of man must he be to have built such a fortune at such a young age, or what extraordinary qualities does he possess?

Only Zhou Shuhan felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Dad, Mom, is something the matter?" The background of the video is an office, and Zhang Yang is sitting in the boss's chair, smiling at the camera.

"Here's the thing," Zhang Zhaohai said with a smile. "Your dad has a friend whose daughter is about your age. I was thinking you two might have some common topics. Why don't you say hello and add her on WeChat later?"

In just a few words, he confessed everything that needed to be confessed.

Zhang Yang, on the other side, immediately understood.

Of course, polite words were indispensable.

"Okay, sure," Zhang Yang said from the other side.

Zhang Zhaohai smiled and moved his phone over to the Zhou family of three standing nearby.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou couldn't help but look at their phone screens.

"Hiss!"

"This··"

Upon seeing the person in front of them, both of them were instantly stunned.

His tall and handsome figure, his stunningly beautiful demeanor, and the magnificent aura he exuded with every gesture...

They swore they had never seen such a young man in their lives.

Or to put it another way.

The person in front of them, apart from his youthful appearance, was, at heart, a seasoned veteran, a figure they dared not look directly at.

"Hello, uncles and aunties." In the video, Zhang Yang greets them with a smile. "I'm Zhang Yang."

"Hello, hello!" The two who were originally calm instantly lost their composure and immediately responded incessantly.

They could vaguely make out the background of the scene: outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Huangpu River stretching out, the century-old the Bund, and the skyline of Magic City.

Judging from this location, this company... is it in Pudong?

"Hey... Shu Han, Shu Han, what are you standing there for? Come here!"

Mr. Zhou quickly tugged at Zhou Shuhan, who was still looking down, and pulled her over, while lowering his voice, "Quickly say hello to the boy."

"Huh?" Zhou Shuhan forced herself to look up.

She has made all the preparations.

For example, the person opposite you is a man whose body has become overweight and whose hairline has receded due to the corruption of wine, women, wealth, and power.

Or perhaps the other person is at a social gathering, constantly smoking, eyes glazed with drunkenness, exuding the rough-and-tumble air of someone who's fought their way up from the bottom...

However, as she slowly raised her head, her gaze met the screen.

The next second, her eyes widened suddenly, and she seemed to have been electrocuted.

"Hello, I'm Zhang Yang." The handsome figure in front of her was smiling and greeting her.

"Ah? Hello, hello..." Zhou Shuhan's face flushed red instantly, and she stammered.

Wait... where did this novel's male protagonist come from?

Where is she? Is she dreaming?

"Well, it's not convenient for us to chat right now, let's add each other on WeChat later," Zhang Yang said politely on the screen. "What's your number? I'll add you later."

"No, no... I'll add you," Zhou Shuhan quickly said.

"Sure, that's fine." Zhang Yang said casually, giving out his number. "That's all for now, goodbye... and goodbye uncles and aunts too, see you later."

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, who had been listening intently the whole time, also quickly appeared in the frame to say goodbye to Zhang Yang.

A short while later, the video ended.

Zhang Zhaohai smiled and took the phone back.

Zhou Shuhan kept her head down, busy adding people on WeChat.

As for Mr. Zhou and his wife, they were still somewhat dazed at this moment.

After a long while, Mr. Zhou took a deep breath, his eyes filled with endless complex emotions.

"Mr. Zhang, your son is truly an exceptional individual."

"You flatter me, but Zhang Yang is truly our pride and joy." Zhang Zhaohai was filled with a sense of accomplishment, then looked at Zhou Shuhan. "By the way, you added him, right?"

Zhou Shuhan blushed and nodded quickly.

"Alright, I won't interfere with the young people's affairs. You can talk it over yourselves. But I have to let you know in advance that my son is very busy and sometimes he can't reply immediately, just a few words here and there. Please don't mind him," Zhang Zhaohai said.

"I know your uncle," Zhou Shuhan said softly. "I...I don't mind."

And so, lunch came to an end.

The Zhou couple said their goodbyes, and Zhang Zhaohai and Song Wenqin personally saw them off to their car.

On the way back, the atmosphere in the car was rather strange.

Zhou Shuhan seemed dazed, glancing down at her phone every now and then, then holding it in her hands again, appearing completely distracted.

"Shu Han, what are you thinking about?" Mr. Zhou asked when he saw this.

"Huh? No, I wasn't thinking anything," Zhou Shuhan quickly replied.

Mrs. Zhou glanced at her daughter and sighed softly to herself.

We're doomed.

They've finally fallen for their trick.

She could easily imagine how attractive and alluring the man she met today was to girls.

She has reached the pinnacle of her career, and her looks and temperament are absolutely stunning.

Looking at my daughter now, how is she any different from those young ladies of ancient times who couldn't eat or sleep after seeing their beloved?

"I wasn't thinking about anything... why are you acting like you've lost your soul?" Mrs. Zhou suddenly laughed. "By the way, let's add each other on WeChat, okay? Didn't Boss Zhang say he's very busy? You can chat with him when you get home tonight."

"But..." Zhou Shuhan suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with frustration.

But I added him, and he still hasn't accepted my request.

Busy, everyone believes that.

But it only took a few tens of seconds; surely that's enough time to send a WeChat?

But no...

"Maybe something came up unexpectedly. With Shu Han's qualities, what boy could resist her?" Madam Zhou said with a smile.

"Does that include him too?" Zhou Shuhan shook her head.

The carriage fell silent instantly.

The Zhou couple were momentarily speechless.

They finally realized that although their family was wealthy, their daughter was beautiful, charming, and had a wonderful personality.

However, in front of that person, they didn't have the advantage they had imagined.

After all, what are they lacking?

In terms of wealth, he can easily acquire a mansion worth over 100 million yuan, and he doesn't even have time to glance at the renovations that cost hundreds of millions of yuan.

In terms of looks and temperament, he is hard to find in the world; he can be described as unparalleled.

Guys like that are incredibly rare, practically impossible to find anywhere else. Why would they need another family?

"I think they probably won't add me back," Zhou Shuhan suddenly muttered to herself, her eyes filled with bitterness and a sense of defeat.

"You mean he's just giving me the runaround?" Madam Zhou suddenly asked, annoyed.

"Adding someone and then ignoring them is just being perfunctory," Zhou Shuhan suddenly said. "Rather than adding someone on WeChat and then ignoring them, it's better not to add them at all. They're just being polite to us because of their father, so it's better not to take it seriously."

The three people in the car fell silent.

··

In the afternoon, Mr. Zhou rushed to an evening party.

Tonight's gathering has an important person in attendance, and even he has to be polite and respectful in front of him.

Inside the private club at night, the lavish private rooms were nearly empty, with only seven or eight people present.

Throughout the entire event, everyone's conversation revolved around the person sitting in the main seat, and they kept referring to him as Brother Wang.

This Brother Wang is the big brother in their circle, with assets worth tens of billions. All of them combined don't even amount to his wealth.

"Brother Wang, let me toast you." Mr. Zhou stood up to offer a toast.

"Sit... please sit down." Brother Wang gestured in the air, picked up his wine glass, and said, "Oh, by the way, I have some good news to share."

Everyone immediately became interested.

"Brother Wang, what great news? Did your investment make a profit?"

"Or have you landed another big order recently?"

The group chatted amongst themselves, each offering their own comment.

"No..." Brother Wang laughed, "I recently passed the Magic City Cloud Sea Club's review and officially became a member."

"The Magic City Cloud Sea Club?"

"Brother Wang, what kind of mysterious top-tier club is this?"

"It's normal that you don't know about this club since none of you meet the membership requirements," Brother Wang laughed. "This is a very popular club in Magic City right now, with countless big shots. Some of the richest people in Shanghai are in it. I only got membership by sheer luck."

Upon hearing this, everyone offered their congratulations.

What does this mean? It means a ticket to the top circles!

Don't be fooled by their billions in assets; there's always someone better. Compared to the top billionaires, their assets are simply not enough.

Take this club for example; they don't even qualify for membership.

Seeing the curious looks on his younger brothers' faces, Brother Wang couldn't resist showing off and pulled out a group photo.

This is a group photo of their new members' gathering; some bigwigs were present.

A group of people immediately came up to take a look out of curiosity.

Mr. Zhou was no exception.

In the photo, he immediately spotted several well-known tycoons whose wealth far surpassed his own, figures he could only Yangwang to.

"Huh?"

Then, he froze.

Because in the group photo, he immediately spotted a familiar figure.

Is it him?

That figure was handsome and dashing, standing out among the group of big shots. Most importantly, his position... he was in the center!

"What? You've noticed Mr. Zhang too?" The older brother smiled, glancing at Mr. Zhou's expression, then pointed to the photo. "Don't let Mr. Zhang's youth fool you; he's incredibly influential, well-known in Beijing and Shanghai circles, and a member of the Yangtze Club."

"And this Cloud Sea Club was created casually by Mr. Zhang, with the initial intention of simply facilitating his gatherings with friends in the industry."

A gasp of amazement immediately rose from the surrounding area.

Mr. Zhou, however, just stared blankly at the photo, his mind buzzing, still somewhat unable to come to his senses.

Yangtze Club?

He had naturally heard of it.

The top business group in the country has countless business tycoons, all of whom are influential figures in their respective industries. The gap between him and these tycoons is like the gap between an ordinary person and a billionaire.

And this person is actually a member of the Yangtze Club?

How shameless of him to have the audacity to have the chance to meet this person via video call, and then still have the nerve to dream...

No wonder, after my daughter added someone on WeChat, it was as if she'd disappeared without a trace.

In their ears, Brother Wang recounted one rumor after another about this Mr. Zhang, each one captivating the wealthy businessmen present.

"Let's not talk about anything too far back. Just last time, Mr. Zhang played golf and got a hole-in-one. He spent a million on red envelopes alone..."

"I also heard that Mr. Zhang has a Gulfstream G650ER parked at Pudong International Airport. Such an aerial Ferrari —my assets would have to increase several times over before I could even dream of owning one..."

Mr. Zhou, however, seemed to have lost his soul and sat back down in a daze.

He would never mention this matter again; he wanted to keep it to himself and never tell anyone in his life.

He lowered his head and, almost unconsciously, took out his phone to check.

I just happened to find a group photo of the Yangtze Club's council members.

In the group photo, it was still that same figure, standing among a group of top domestic figures, exuding an imposing presence that was second to none.

"Old Zhou, what's wrong? You seem a bit distracted?" Brother Wang suddenly looked over.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I just really wanted to hear you say so much," Mr. Zhou quickly explained.

"Yearning for it?! Then you'd better work hard, Lao Zhou." Brother Wang laughed, "Without hard work, you won't even have the qualification to enter this circle."