Chapter 151: Chapter 150: Bootlicking, My Old Profession

Sensing Lin Chu’s intense, aggressive approach, Liao Meili decided to give him the cold shoulder for now. She tossed him a smile, then began swimming as if nothing had happened.

Like a white mermaid gliding through the rippling, turquoise water.

She had, in fact, considered just leaving.

But that would seem too classless. He was a guest in the presidential suite, after all. It was best to let him save some face.

Seeing that she had stopped chatting and swum away, Lin Chu pressed his lips together, feeling a flicker of annoyance. ’Am I being given the cold shoulder?’

It had been a long time since he’d run into a situation like this.

Besides, Lin Chu could tell this wasn’t her playing hard to get; she was genuinely giving him the cold shoulder.

Furthermore, this situation was slightly different from his previous encounters with the female streamer from Hou Chengjin’s company and with Yang Huixian. Both of them had witnessed his financial power firsthand and, to some extent, needed something from him. They were clients, at the very least, which was why applying extreme pressure had worked.

But now, with this Liao Meili, it was their first official meeting. Maybe she showed a flicker of interest, but it was just a flicker. If you could quantify favorability, she was probably at a 30 out of 100.

Tsk.

At that moment, Lin Chu felt terrifyingly calm.

He suddenly entered a state of mind like he was solving the final, major question on a math exam.

No emotion, no desire. Just a hunter waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

He glanced at her, then started swimming himself, acting as if nothing was wrong.

’Women are a man’s best university.’ Lin Chu took the opportunity to review his recent actions within Hou Chengjin’s social circle. Objectively speaking, his "play" had gotten a little sloppy.

Lin Chu analyzed the situation as he swam.

He looked past the surface to the essence, analyzing the traits of the clients and wealthy people he had met before. After about three laps, he started to figure a few things out.

—Hypocritical, held double standards, and could be either soft or firm.

These were the consistent traits of every billionaire he had ever met.

Other traits varied wildly due to differences in personality and upbringing, but these three were always present.

The hypocrisy was evident in their willingness to continue working with you as long as you made them money, no matter how much they disliked you. But that wouldn’t stop them from stabbing you in the back the moment an opportunity arose.

The double standards were clear: Above them, all are equal. Below them, a strict hierarchy must be observed.

"Being soft or firm" was about always putting profit first. They would never—or rather, rarely—act on emotion. He remembered this clearly from his days as a salesman. When clients needed him, they would call him affectionately, "Xiaolin." When they didn’t, they wouldn’t answer his calls or reply to his texts. The same principle applied to seduction: It was all too normal to shower a woman with affection before sleeping with her, only to turn around and control her afterward.

In fact, he had already started exhibiting some of these traits himself.

However, he was ultimately "new money," someone who had gotten rich overnight. He hadn’t gone through the school of hard knocks and, having come from a humble background, still retained qualities like loyalty, a sense of friendship, fierceness, a sharp edge, and compassion.

Tsk.

As he thought about all this, Lin Chu’s mood suddenly improved. He felt like his understanding had reached a new level. ’Who’s going to teach you this stuff? After all, I don’t have a family legacy of wealth to pass down its wisdom. I have to figure it all out myself.’

’I’m a goddamn genius!’

...

Seeing Lin Chu swimming with such focus, Liao Meili stole a few glances at him between her laps. She was a little surprised. ’He actually just came here to swim?’

However, since Lin Chu didn’t try to strike up a conversation again, she certainly wasn’t going to approach him. A beautiful woman had her pride, after all.

And so, the two of them became like parallel lines in the swimming pool, each churning the clear water on their own.

It wasn’t until other guests started to arrive that Lin Chu finally stopped. His energy was nearly spent, and he was even starting to feel a little hungry. He climbed out of the pool, wrapped a large towel around himself, and relaxed on a nearby lounge chair, lighting up a cigarette and taking a satisfying drag.

Liao Meili saw him stop, but she didn’t get out right away. In truth, her energy was nearly gone too, but she still swam another two laps before finally getting out of the water.

Lin Chu immediately grabbed a towel and brought it over to her. He made no physical contact, simply handing it to her casually.

"Thank you."

She pursed her lips into a smile. ’He does have a gentlemanly side after all,’ she thought.

Wrapping the towel tightly around herself, she sat down on a nearby lounge chair with her legs together, leaving an empty chair between herself and Lin Chu.

Lin Chu picked up a bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap, and casually handed it to her.

’Bootlicking. Ah, my old specialty!’

’I’m all too practiced at this.’

Of course, it was completely different now. Before, he was a pure bootlicker, focused solely on making the girl happy. Now? Now, that attentiveness was just one tool in a much larger arsenal.

"Thank you."

Liao Meili thanked him again softly, then began to take small sips of her water.

"You’re being too polite," Lin Chu said with a smile, starting a new topic. "Good breeding is really something that’s ingrained in a person. Thank you for teaching me a lesson, too. I’ve had a lot of meetings lately, and after chewing people out so much, I guess I have gotten a bit rude—acting like I’m the center of the universe."

This time, it went much more smoothly. She pursed her lips in a smile and offered a compliment, "Well, you’re the boss. It’s normal. You have to be a little domineering to manage your staff, or else they’d rebel, wouldn’t they?"

Lin Chu waved his hand. "I remember you mentioned last time that you were being transferred. Has it been decided? When are you leaving?"

"Sometime in the second half of the year. I’m still waiting for the notice from headquarters."

"Alright. Be sure to let me know before you go. We’re acquaintances now, so I’ll give you a proper send-off."

Lin Chu deliberately set an anchor point for a future meeting. He wasn’t in a hurry, which gave her plenty of mental breathing room.

"Okay. Then I’ll treat you to dinner. And if President Lin ever expands his business to Shanghai or the Capital City, I hope you’ll continue to be a Wanhao customer."

She said this with a charming smile, but her words were pure formula, completely devoid of emotion.

At this, Lin Chu became fairly certain that she really was related to that female president, also named Liao, of the Wanhao Hotel Group’s South China Region. Those weren’t words a mere management trainee would say.

"Well, you all will have to try harder. I think the executive lounge here is pretty terrible. I went once, and it felt like fighting a pack of beggars for scraps."

She... uh.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed her face. Of course, she was aware of the problem. But the hotel had expanded its business and issued far too many platinum cards. With more mid-tier guests, the experience for high-end clients was inevitably affected.

"I apologize for that. But that area isn’t under my management, and my position is too low to have any say. When I become a director, I’ll definitely overhaul it. At that time, I’ll have to invite you to be our official experience consultant."

She said, half-joking and half-serious.

Lin Chu nodded with a smile. "Alright, accepted. Let’s go get something to eat. We can check out another hotel’s executive lounge while we’re at it, broaden your experience. The Intercontinental in Overseas Chinese Town—even Buffett stayed there when he came to Peng City."

Hearing this, Liao Meili’s eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t expected Lin Chu to suddenly propose such a location for a meal, a suggestion that even implied drinks afterward.

She certainly knew about the Intercontinental in Overseas Chinese Town. It was currently the most high-end hotel in Peng City. Its presidential suite could go for eighty thousand a night, and it was where celebrities and dignitaries stayed when they visited.

It was in a completely different league.

’I’ve never actually been there.’

The implication of dinner and drinks made her a little uneasy, but the location was just too tempting. As she hesitated, she heard Lin Chu’s soft voice again. "Why don’t you go back and get changed? My driver’s in the parking lot; just have him take you when you’re ready. It’s five o’clock now, so let’s meet there around six-thirty. I have to pop back to my company to deal with a small matter, but I’ll be quick."

This made her feel important. Lin Chu had already arranged everything so thoughtfully; it left her with no reason to refuse.

She was about to say something more, but Lin Chu had already gotten up, phone in hand as if taking a call, and was walking away.

She pouted. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Hmm.

’That domineering streak... it really is part of his core.’

’And for me to refuse now... that would be truly... impolite.’

...

「In the changing room」

Lin Chu looked at himself in the mirror. His face, fresh from the swim, was fair and glowing, but there was an inexplicably devilish glint in his eyes.

’I can’t believe I got to experience being a bootlicker again this afternoon. Kind of fun, actually.’

This girl was certainly a tough nut to crack, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Of course, if he failed, it didn’t matter. He would just treat it as experience for leveling up.

’But what if it wasn’t a girl, but a very important client?’

Conviction couldn’t be allowed to crumble. Otherwise, his play would get sloppy in every situation. Once you chose a path, you had to walk it to the very end. That, it seemed, was another essential trait of a billionaire.

—The projects I want, I must obtain, no matter the cost!

—The women I want to sleep with, too.

What was that saying? ’A degree from Tsinghua or Peking University is no match for having guts.’

Whoever said that must have been sincere, because it was a path to success that had been proven countless times over many years.

...

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