Lin Chu’s teasing made Du Xiaoman blush, but she was too embarrassed to say anything. ’We went shopping, but it was all *your* shopping. I was just along for the walk.’

"You bought so much..."

She whined playfully.

"Alright, that’s enough for now. Let’s go. Time to buy you something?"

Lin Chu asked with a grin.

She nodded vigorously. "Mhm, mhm, mhm."

They dropped everything off at the car first, then Lin Chu led her back into the mall.

A few minutes later, Du Xiaoman froze. Her face turned bright red the moment she stepped through the store’s entrance, and she hesitated to go inside.

Victoria’s Secret!

’A sexy lingerie shop like this... The stuff is pretty, but... but...’

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, glaring at Lin Chu with a hint of indignation.

’You devil!’

"Come on in!"

"Let’s buy something."

"I think it looks great."

Lin Chu said casually, looking around with perfect composure, not the least bit embarrassed.

’Honestly, rather than saying Victoria’s Secret understands women, it’s more accurate to say they understand men.’

’The designs of these little garments... every strap, every piece, really paints a picture.’

The whole time, Du Xiaoman felt like she was about to die of embarrassment. The blush on her face never faded as she watched Lin Chu pick out one set, then another, and another, until he had chosen a total of six.

The saleswoman smiled and asked for her size.

She shyly told her.

Lin Chu paid and they left the store.

’This little bit of fabric costs over a thousand!’

’Unbelievable.’

’But it doesn’t matter.’

’Just seeing her expression just now was worth the price of admission. It was so much fun.’

’Besides, I’m the one who gets to enjoy it in the end.’

"Brother, you’re so naughty..."

As they walked out of Victoria’s Secret, Du Xiaoman linked her arm with Lin Chu’s, swaying it back and forth as she complained in a soft, sweet voice.

Lin Chu laughed and retorted, "I’m naughty for buying you things? Fine, I won’t buy you anything else then."

She pouted again.

"If you don’t like them, I’ll give them to Lu Ming to give to Xiaolu. I feel like you two have about the same figure."

Lin Chu added with a smile.

Her: ?

’This is absurd,’ she thought, ’and even a little bit perverted.’

’A person, a man, can’t be like this, can he?’

Lin Chu figured that was enough teasing. If he kept going, the young lady might actually get mad. He casually put his arm around her. "Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Let’s go buy you some gold. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, she was pleasantly surprised, even finding it a little hard to believe.

But her happiness was plain to see.

’Heh.’

’Women.’

He bought her an intricate, traditional gold-thread bracelet. The young woman looked like she couldn’t take her hands off it, thinking it was beautiful.

’The main thing was... it cost nearly twenty thousand.’

’Brother finally spent some real money on me.’

’A man who spends money on you doesn’t necessarily love you, but a man who won’t spend money on you definitely doesn’t.’

At this moment, she felt that she must have at least some importance in Lin Chu’s eyes.

’As for the future... who could say?’

As for Lin Chu, he was indifferent.

’You made me happy, so I’ll casually spend a little on you as a reward.’

’And I’m quite happy right now.’

"Brother, I’m sleepy. Can we go back? I want to cuddle up on the sofa with you and watch a movie."

This time, she was the one to take the initiative.

Lin Chu gave a light cough and couldn’t help but smile.

’This little lady certainly knows how to show her gratitude.’

Lin Chu was discovering that guys really do love eighteen-year-old girls until the day they die. A young girl hasn’t been through so many people, so many schemes. She doesn’t have a scarred and wounded heart. Even if there’s an element of being drawn to power, there’s still a bit of that "if you’re good to me, I’ll be good to you" mindset.

Of course, perhaps due to her different upbringing, Du Xiaoman wasn’t quite as innocent as Jiang Ya.

But she was much more uninhibited.

"Can’t wait to try on your new clothes for me, huh?"

"Let’s go, then."

Instead of a hotel, Lin Chu took her to his office.

There was a sofa there, too.

A pretty big one.

’An office production... a pleasure reserved exclusively for the boss.’

...

"Brother Chu!"

"Something huge has happened!"

"I’m screwed."

Before dinnertime, Lin Chu was in his office playing with Legos when he suddenly got a call from Lu Ming. The moment he picked up, Lu Ming was already shouting in a panic.

"You scared the shit out of me! Calm down and talk!"

Lin Chu grumbled.

’Lu Ming is getting more and more ’dependent’ on me these days.’

Lu Ming said, "My dad wants to make me get an MBA! I’m losing my mind, seriously losing my mind. What the hell am I gonna study?! I’m just a landlord. Is an MBA going to help me collect rent better? What do I do? I’m at the point where... I’ve forgotten how to even write."

He said with a sense of helplessness.

That’s how it is when you live off your family’s money. If you’re not financially independent, you can’t talk about having personal freedom.

If your dad gives you money to spend, you naturally have to listen to what he says.

"Isn’t that a good thing...?"

Lin Chu replied casually, but an idea suddenly sparked in his mind.

’Oho?’

’An MBA!’

For many business people and mid-level professionals, a program like that served two purposes. First, it was a way to pad their résumés and boost the prestige of their academic qualifications to climb higher. Second, and more importantly, it was about building connections.

The people who enroll in these programs are all similar: entrepreneurs, executives...

After you graduate, you at least have the bond of being former classmates.

If good projects, partnership opportunities, or even job openings come up, you can work on them together.

"Go for it!"

"I was just thinking about going myself!"

"Let’s go together. Ask what the requirements are. How much is it? How long does it take?"

Lin Chu said, seizing the opportunity. It solved Lu Ming’s problem and gave him a new battlefield.

’On this front, I’m starting to feel like I can’t keep up.’

’Going to bars, Business KTVs, and bathhouses every day, messing with women, heavy drinking... this isn’t sustainable.’

’Doing it once every few months is normal.’

’But doing it every day? In a few years, my body will be wrecked.’

Besides, Lin Chu also had to consider his reputation and image. He couldn’t let people see him as just a sucker with deep pockets.

’I have to strike the right balance.’

’Close, but not too close.’

’That’s how it should be between friends.’

’If I switch to a new circle and play around for a bit, new friends and new opportunities to spend money will naturally appear.’

Hearing Lin Chu’s words, Lu Ming was shocked. "Holy shit, you’re that ambitious?!"

Lin Chu: ?

He cursed back with a laugh, "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you dissing me? Why the fuck can’t I be ambitious? Am I not allowed to be ambitious?"

He was a little triggered, so Lin Chu let out a stream of curses.

Lu Ming couldn’t help but laugh out loud and quickly explained, "No, no, that’s not what I meant, hahaha! So... what do you say, we go together? If you’re going too, I’ll feel a lot better about it. It’s just a change of scenery to have fun, right?"

Lin Chu didn’t press the issue and replied firmly, "I’m in! Which school is it?"

"Peking University’s HSBC Business School. They have a campus in Peng City. There might also be study tours and company visits to a few first-tier cities and other provincial capitals. It’s a one-year, part-time program, and the tuition is 420,000."

Lu Ming had already looked into the details and reeled them off from memory.

He paused, then added, "But fuck, it hurts to spend that much. 420,000... that’s enough for me to live on for a few months. Study? Study my ass!"

Lin Chu laughed and cursed back, "Alright, stop your whining. Hurry up and send me the registration link. We’ll go together. It’s just a change of scenery to have fun, isn’t it? The studying part is just a bonus."

...

...