Traveling through the second dimension, the joy system encourages me to laugh heartily!

As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." Having been best friends with Wang Manman for so many years, Hua Qianhui was naturally influenced by her and dreamed of experiencing a "domineering CEO falls in love with me" storyline.

However, she was more clear-headed than Wang Manman, knowing that the possibility was slim. So she always kept this faint hope firmly under the rock called "reality," allowing it to only flicker faintly in the deepest corner of her heart.

……

Not far away, Chen Ming, who had witnessed the whole scene, elegantly cut off a small piece of grilled rib and put it in his mouth, a wicked smile appearing on his lips.

Although the buffet restaurant was bustling with noise, conversations in various languages ​​and the clinking of cups and plates created a noisy background.

But with his abilities, it was easy for him to hear the conversation between Hua Qianhui and the man with the gold-rimmed glasses.

Therefore, Chen Ming has now obtained two key pieces of information:

First of all, Hua Qianhui is not a rich woman! A girl who is truly wealthy would never, with an almost pious sense of satisfaction, personally build a "giant" burger with double beef patties in a free buffet restaurant.

Secondly, Hua Qianhui is also materialistic! She makes no secret of her desire for material things, even using it as a tool to filter suitors. That exorbitant price tag of eight million is both a rejection and a declaration—to win her over requires absolute strength; sweet talk is useless!

It's good to be materialistic, because Chen Ming is very rich, so being materialistic is the same as worshipping him!

Chapter 221: Xiao Jiu's Reservation

Having obtained crucial intelligence, Chen Ming's eyes gradually filled with a smile, like an appraiser who had discovered a rare treasure.

This little girl is no innocent little rabbit at all.

It's clearly a little fox in sheep's clothing with sharp teeth and a cunning tongue!

The high wall built by that casual remark about an "eight million villa" instantly sent those with ulterior motives crashing into it, leaving them bloodied and fleeing in disarray.

It seems it's time to personally confront this greedy little fox. After all, his wealth is the most powerful hammer to shatter that eight million barrier!

Qing Zijin nestled beside Chen Ming, like a keen Persian cat, capturing the flame of "interest" that suddenly ignited in his eyes with perfect accuracy.

She recognized that light all too well—it signaled that yet another "collectible" had entered the selection purview of this "beautiful young collector."

Far from showing any intention to stop him, she hugged his arm even tighter, tilted her face up, and spoke in a sweet, gentle voice with just the right amount of virtuousness:

"Senior, that lady in the white dress is so pretty! She's like a fairy who stepped out of a painting. I want to go over and make friends with her. Will you come with me?"

"Good good!"

Chen Ming praised her, his fingertips affectionately stroking her soft hair—Qing Zijin's "sensible" and "generous" nature was an indispensable lubricant in his vast harem.

He readily stood up and led Qing Zijin straight to the table where Hua Qianhui was sitting, where they calmly took their seats opposite each other.

Although Qing Zijin said she came to "make friends," she actually sat quietly to the side after arriving, handing the stage over to her man.

Chen Ming leaned forward slightly and smiled at Hua Qianhui, saying, "Your way of rejecting people is quite unique!"

Hua Qianhui was engrossed in preparing her homemade hamburger when she heard the sound and looked up in surprise.

At first glance, her clear, large eyes were filled with surprise—a boy was sitting in front of her with a very beautiful girl.

This surprised her greatly, as she had seen many men approach her because of her stunning looks.

But this is the first time I've ever seen someone so brazenly bring a beautiful girlfriend to flirt with someone!

And the observant woman noticed that the beautiful long dress the other woman was wearing was the very same one she had long admired outside the luxury goods shop window on the ship, only to be deterred by the price tag. Now, it swayed perfectly on the girl before her, shimmering with the soft glow characteristic of expensive fabrics…

This shows that this man is really good to his girlfriend and is willing to spend money on her...

A subtle, complex feeling swept through Hua Qianhui's heart, a mixture of envy for the dress and a preliminary assessment of the other person's relationship.

She put down her hamburger, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and looked back at Chen Ming with interest: "Did you hear my conversation with that bespectacled man?" Her voice was clear and crisp, with a hint of inquiry.

“That’s right,” Chen Ming nodded. “I heard you say that your dream is to buy a small villa worth eight million in your hometown of Wujun? If I buy it for you, I can… take things a step further with you?”

He deliberately emphasized the words "go a step further," his eyes carrying a penetrating insight that seemed to see through everything.

Hua Qianhui met his gaze without flinching and readily admitted, "Yes, that's what I just said." She was as frank as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact.

"Excellent!" A glint flashed in Chen Ming's eyes. He leaned back in his chair, his posture exuding a relaxed yet confident air of complete control. "Your dream, I've cast my vote!"

"Pfft..." Qing Zijin, who was standing to the side, quickly lowered her head, her shoulders twitching almost imperceptibly, barely managing to suppress her laughter.

She knew that line all too well! Because it was that line that had won her over back then.

And it wasn't just her; as far as she knew, her two best friends, Liu Rushuang and Su Mengdie, had also had their dreams invested in by Chen Ming... This phrase, full of the magic of money, really works!

However, the moment Chen Ming finished speaking—

[Ding! Hua Qianhui's favorability -5, current favorability: -5!]

The cold system notification sounded in Chen Ming's mind, like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head. He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he felt a slight chill.

Hua Qianhui's relaxed smile faded slightly, and a scrutinizing detachment appeared in her eyes.

Initially, upon seeing the expensive dress Qing Zijin was wearing, she still held a slight, positive impression of this man, believing that he was "at least nice to those around him."

But now, in front of this girl who is clearly his "official girlfriend," he actually said such explicit and possessive words to her? This is simply blatant scumbag behavior!

Although Hua Qianhui also yearns for a luxurious life and dreams of owning an "eight million villa," her goal is to become the beloved heroine in the story, to find a "Prince Charming" who will cherish her, rather than a shameful mistress who is constantly in the shadows, possibly being dragged by the hair and beaten in the street by the wife, or even having all her "maintenance fees" seized by the court!

That would not only be a loss of dignity, but also a huge risk of losing both money and people.

Therefore, the curiosity and inquiry that had just arisen in Hua Qianhui's gaze towards Chen Ming quickly cooled down, replaced by politeness and distance.

She sat up straight and said with little enthusiasm, "Thank you for your kindness, but unfortunately, you have a girlfriend." Her gaze swept unabashedly over Qing Zijin, who was nestled next to Chen Ming, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"I don't want to be someone's mistress..."

"..."

Chen Ming was taken aback after hearing this.

He was initially puzzled when he saw the system's notification that his favorability rating had decreased.

I don't understand why the other person is lowering their favorability rating when they clearly said, "If you give me a villa, we can take things further."

Does she not like money? Is she not interested in money?

After hearing Hua Qianhui's words, he finally understood—the reason why this girl's favorability rating dropped was that she couldn't accept sharing a man with other women.

He really didn't have a good solution to this. How could he, who was determined to build a harem, give up his dream for a woman?

Admittedly, Hua Qianhui is exceptionally beautiful, but she is not unique or irreplaceable—there are quite a few girls in Chen Ming's harem who are more beautiful than her!

This clear-headed realization allowed him to quickly recover from his brief moment of shock.

"Who told you you were a mistress?"

Chen Ming chuckled, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed posture, his gaze sweeping over Hua Qianhui's astonished face. "If you join now, you won't even be on Xiao Jiu's list. You don't naively think that Qing Zijin is the only woman by my side, do you?"

He shrugged, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather, "Fine, if you can't accept it, I won't force you. Forced relationships are never happy. Goodbye..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up without hesitation, took Qing Zijin's hand, and prepared to leave.

At this moment, Hua Qianhui's heart was stirred up by Chen Ming's words "not even Xiao Jiu can be ranked" and "more than one woman"! A strange and subversive cognition instantly broke through her pre-set defenses.

'Not a secret lover, but... one of his many female companions?'

This idea grew wildly in her mind like weeds. In a flash, she strangely felt that this "non-exclusive" state was actually much safer than being a man's only "mistress"!

If the other party has a legally married wife, then as a mistress, she is walking on the edge of a cliff, constantly facing the risk of being purged by the wife, scorned by society, and even being pursued by the law for the "ill-gotten gains." The ending is destined to be losing both her money and her reputation.

But what if he is already surrounded by many women, who tacitly understand each other, creating a subtle balance?

As one of them, does she seem to have lost the qualification to be the "main target"? The risk of being abandoned seems to have become blurred and distant due to the dilution of "number".

This twisted yet pragmatic logic suddenly eased her tense nerves.

[Ding! Hua Qianhui's favorability +10, current favorability 5!]

The system notification sounded in Chen Ming's mind, causing him to pause almost imperceptibly for a moment as he was leaving.

This sudden surge of goodwill surprised him—refusing to be a mistress was a turn-off, but accepting to be the "ninth mistress" was a turn-off? This girl's thought process was quite interesting.

Hua Qianhui took a deep breath, suppressing the surging thoughts in her heart. Tempted as she was, her dream of over eight million was within reach, and she had to seize it! But she couldn't just pounce on it like a reckless fool.

She needs to understand Chen Ming's specific situation first, and assess the authenticity and risk factor behind this "investment" in order to avoid being deceived.

“Xiao Jiu it is!” Her voice was clear and crisp, carrying a resolute determination, yet subtly concealing a hint of probing. “Thank you for making my dream come true! But… for something this big, shouldn’t we get to know each other a bit first? Can we exchange contact information?”

Chen Ming stopped upon hearing the sound.

Chen Ming didn't refuse the other party's request to exchange contact information. Anyway, his friend list was full of people he hadn't contacted in a long time, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

So he took out his phone, casually tapped the green bubble QR code, and waved it in the direction of Hua Qianhui, his actions conveying a sense of nonchalance.

Hua Qianhui, however, was overjoyed and quickly scanned it with her phone.

"drop--"

The crisp scanning sound was like a horn of hope. Hua Qianhui looked at the new friend notification that popped up on the screen, a bright smile blooming on her face, her voice even lighter: "Added! May I ask your name? I need to change my nickname."

“Chen Ming.” He said succinctly.

"Okay, Mr. Chen! My name is Hua Qianhui. You can add me as Qianhui in your contacts!"

"Hmm." Chen Ming simply responded with a faint sound, saying nothing more. He took Qing Zijin's hand and disappeared into the noisy crowd in the restaurant without looking back, his back view showing no trace of lingering affection.

Hua Qianhui stood there, looking in the direction where the two had disappeared. Instead of feeling disappointed, she felt an indescribable excitement welling up inside her.

By observing Chen Ming's micro-expressions, Hua Qianhui was basically certain that his words were sincere.

Hua Qianhui also likes money and wants to live a good life!

However, because the rich second-generation suitors who were pursuing her were only interested in having fun, she was unable to make up her mind!

Now that her dream was within reach, Hua Qianhui practically jumped for joy as she left the restaurant.

As soon as she stepped into the quiet elevator car, she couldn't wait to take out her phone and open Chen Ming's WeChat Moments.

She longed to glean clues from those everyday fragments: his social standing? His social circle? His attitude towards his women? This information would be crucial in assessing the risks and making her final decision.

however--

The screen refreshed, and then went completely blank.

Chen Ming's WeChat Moments is like a meticulously wiped shop window, spotless and without a speck of dust. There are no photos or texts that reveal his status or position, not even a simple landscape photo or a casual status update.

This absolute emptiness, like an impenetrable wall, blocked all her attempts to spy.

Hua Qianhui sighed helplessly and had no choice but to reluctantly put away her phone, forcing herself to temporarily put aside her desire to explore.

The elevator doors opened with a "ding," and she walked towards her room with mixed feelings.

Pushing open the door, a strong smell of makeup remover mixed with the odor of leather glue hit me. There, my best friend Wang Manman was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, holding a small pair of tweezers, gritting her teeth as she tore at the newly applied transparent protective sole of her high heels.

"Manman?"

Hua Qianhui walked over in surprise, "Didn't you carefully apply this base coat for a long time last night? Why are you tearing it off now? What a waste!"

She knew that these affordable luxury high heels cost as much as 3000 yuan!

My best friend gritted her teeth and used Alipay to buy it, just so she could feel more confident on the cruise!

In order to hook up with a rich second-generation, her best friend even paid for a meal at a high-end restaurant on the upper deck of a cruise ship.

That's why Hua Qianhui went to the buffet restaurant alone.

Wang Manman looked up at the sound, her carefully applied makeup slightly smudged by sweat, revealing a tired and disheveled look.

She gave a bitter laugh, her voice filled with deep frustration: "Don't even mention it... Didn't I just grit my teeth and pay for it myself to try my luck at that restaurant upstairs that's supposedly frequented by the wealthy?"

As she spoke, Wang Manman put down the tweezers, her eyes vacant as she recalled, "Indeed... I met a man who seemed very impressive who struck up a conversation with me. But his first words left me rooted to the spot."

She mimicked the other person's dismissive and scrutinizing tone: "Miss, you're not a guest in this cabin, are you?"

"I panicked for a moment, but I forced myself to stay calm and asked, 'How did you figure that out? Am I any different from the other women in this restaurant?'"

"Do you know what he said? He smiled, glanced at my feet, and said slowly—'It's simple, women in this cabin don't put rubber soles on their high heels.'"

At this point, Wang Manman seemed to return to that magnificent restaurant. Under the all-knowing gaze of the other party, she just wanted to shrink her feet into the ground and disappear completely, along with the layer of adhesive that revealed that she did not belong to that world.

That thin layer of plastic, at this moment, became a cruel boundary dividing two classes.

Looking at her best friend's red eyes and those worn-out high heels with curled edges, Hua Qianhui became even more determined to become "Xiao Jiu".

Chapter 222: The Little Fox's Longing