CHAPTER 136: 134, BAR? WHO IS THE PREY?

"Oh?"

Zhou Jiahong turned his head. It was a girl he’d rate an eight out of ten, at least.

He quickly took in her accessories: a Van Cleef & Arpels Nine Flower Necklace, easily six figures; a matching bracelet, likely another seventy or eighty thousand; and Sanhua Earrings, at least fifty thousand.

Damn it, she’s rich!

In his mind, Zhou Jiahong immediately labeled her a wealthy woman.

After all, an outfit like that costs two or three hundred thousand. Isn’t she a little gold-digger?

"Yes, I’m alone," Zhou Jiahong nodded.

He was a master of seduction, his skills honed over many years. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to deceive Lin Wanting. Now that a girl was hitting on him, he naturally had to play it cool.

After all, a girl like this must have countless flatterers. Does she really need one more?

"Little Brother, you seem troubled?" the young woman asked, sitting down to Zhou Jiahong’s left. She introduced herself, "My name is Mina. And you?"

"Zhou Jiahong." His eyes seemed unfocused as he stared at the drink in his glass, perfectly projecting an image of profound emotion and melancholy.

Thus, he cultivated an aura of a man with a story.

"Zhou Jiahong? Is that your real name?" Mina asked.

"Yes, of course. Does my name sound fake?" Zhou Jiahong nodded calmly, his gaze still lost in his glass.

"That’s a lovely name. My name is Mina. It sounds pretty fake too..."

"It does sound like a fake name," Zhou Jiahong said, seeming interested.

"Don’t you believe me?" Mina pressed.

Zhou Jiahong gave a noncommittal laugh and took a sip of his drink.

"I’m verified on Alipay. Believe me now?" Mina huffed, pulling out her phone to show him.

But as she scrolled through her Alipay interface, Zhou Jiahong saw it.

This woman actually had 780,000 in her account.

He was secretly astounded.

It wasn’t that he thought 780,000 was an astronomical sum, but to have that much just sitting in Alipay... This woman’s financial resources were truly alarming. What about her WeChat Wallet? Bank accounts? Balances on other platforms? Just how much money did she have?

"Little Brother, what exactly happened? You don’t look like you’re in a good mood," Mina observed.

Zhou Jiahong had no intention of telling her. He raised his glass. "Come on, let’s drink."

He knew the less he said, the more curious women became.

"Little Brother, are you buying me a drink?" Mina asked when she saw him signal the bartender.

Zhou Jiahong watched the drinks arrive without a word, merely raising his glass in a toast.

Mina, seeing this, also lifted her glass, clinked it against his, and said, "I have my drink. Little Brother, can you tell me your story?"

"Alright then!" Zhou Jiahong nodded. "Another round."

The waiter brought another drink.

Mina, naturally, didn’t gulp it down. She took a sip. "Little Brother, your story?"

"There’s no story. It’s all just my own stuff."

He drained his glass in one go. "Another!"

Zhou Jiahong deliberately put on this act, making even the waiter frown sharply.

What on earth happened to him to make him so heartbroken?

"Once you women change your minds, is it really impossible to win you back?" Zhou Jiahong said, his voice filled with deep emotion, his eyes utterly empty.

"Ah, Little Brother, so you’ve been heartbroken?" Mina said, realization dawning on her.

"She said she wanted Happy Joy Milk Tea, so I waited in line for two hours. In the middle of the night, she said her stomach hurt, so I went out to buy her brown sugar water. She wanted to eat fish but was afraid of the bones, so I always picked them out for her beforehand."

"Whenever she messaged me, even if I was in the shower, I kept my phone nearby to reply immediately."

"She wanted to go out, so I’d skip work to be with her."

"Sigh..."

"And what do I get in return? She calls me a flatterer?"

"What’s wrong with this world?"

"Deep affection, and it’s mistaken for being a flatterer."

"Another one!" Zhou Jiahong said, handing his glass to the bartender again.

One had to admit, this guy really knew how to handle women. For wealthy girls like this, money wasn’t the issue. It didn’t matter if you were a loser or a rich man. They cared about looks and genuine affection. Conversely, would a rich man care if a woman had money? Wasn’t it all about whether she was pretty and if her feelings were genuine? Because even if it was just for fun, playing with a woman’s true feelings was more thrilling!

"Little Brother, I’ll drink to you," Mina said.

Zhou Jiahong nodded. He noticed that this time, Mina finally drained her glass.

Zhou Jiahong smirked inwardly. It seemed his story had gotten to her. He wondered if he could score with this young woman tonight.

"Little Brother, I’m not drinking anymore. I have things to do tomorrow," Mina said after finishing her drink.

She continued, "I’m going to Siam tomorrow. My plane is at nine o’clock in the morning."

"Oh? Traveling?" he asked.

"Yeah, I’m feeling down, so I thought I’d go for a walk by myself," Mina nodded.

"Great, she’s in a bad mood. Perfect opportunity to make a move," Zhou Jiahong silently rejoiced. Going for a walk alone? That means she’ll be by herself. Easier to get close.

"Well then, Little Brother, I’ll be off. See you around if fate permits," Mina said, standing up.

Zhou Jiahong desperately wanted to ask for her WeChat. But he just nodded. "See you around if fate permits!"

Asking for her WeChat now would shatter the persona of the affectionate, melancholic man he’d so carefully constructed.

Mina departed with an air of casual grace. Zhou Jiahong’s lips curled into a smirk.

Once she was completely gone, he picked up his phone and started searching for flights from Shanghai to Bangkok. He also checked the corresponding flight schedules.

「...」

「The next morning, before seven o’clock, Zhou Jiahong stood before a full-length mirror, meticulously styling himself.」

He chose a warm, Japanese-inspired "gentle guy" look. On his wrist, he still wore the Blancpain wristwatch worth over a hundred thousand.

A subtle hint of his considerable wealth.

Looking at his reflection, he practiced his smile, trying to make it appear even warmer, much like a girl practices making her smile sweeter.

Zhou Jiahong faced the mirror and started practicing, "After hearing what you said yesterday, I also want to visit Bangkok. Maybe a change of scenery can change one’s mood."

After rehearsing many times, he slung a Japanese-style canvas backpack over his shoulder and headed for the airport.

By eight o’clock, he had cleared security. Although he had bought an economy class ticket, he paid extra for access to the first-class lounge.

After all, Mina’s accessories alone were worth hundreds of thousands. How could she possibly fly economy? If first-class hadn’t been fully booked when he tried to get a last-minute ticket, he definitely would have bought one.

「Inside the first-class lounge.」

Mina was on her phone.

A message popped up: "Your boyfriend has arrived. He’s in the lounge now."

Mina read it and immediately deleted it, thus preventing the information from leaking.

She then pretended to browse high-end handbags on her phone.

Zhou Jiahong quickly scanned the lounge and soon spotted Mina.

Mina also caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye.