Chapter 317: Chapter 314: 314 Vanity

The lights in the bar were on the brighter side, and the music wasn’t loud, just a bit louder than the background tunes of a coffee shop.

Rather than a bar, it felt more like a tea house, with a rare sense of tranquility and even a touch of spirituality.

Because the lighting was bright, the man noticed Yuan Huapeng’s dissatisfaction and quickly replied in a low voice, “Brother Sai went to the restroom, he’ll be back soon.”

Yuan Huapeng sized up the three girls, their figures and appearances were impeccable, dressed in fashion yet with their own taste, also wearing light makeup, they felt like the green college students from the school next door, not yet graduated.

He nodded slightly, thinking to himself that Xiao Sai had chosen well this time, without those garishly obvious beauties picked up from dubious backgrounds.

Yuan Huapeng didn’t know what Feng Jun’s preferences were, but he knew that Feng Jun was wealthy and proud.

If a young man possessed these two qualities, weren’t those garish beauties at his disposal to pick and choose from?

After considering the atmosphere of the venue and Sister Hong’s temperament, he vaguely guessed—Master Feng might belong to the type rumored to enjoy “tempting the virtuous into vice.”

Thus, he was quite satisfied with Xiao Sai’s arrangements; the guy had put some thought into this.

But the next moment, he looked at the girl in the white shirt with a puzzled glance, “Hmm?”

The other two girls were clearly over one meter seventy, one was nearly as tall as Feng Jun, but this girl in the white shirt was obviously not over one meter sixty-five, and might even just be one meter sixty.

He glanced at the shoes she was wearing—no sky-high heels, but the heel was still over seven centimeters.

The man knew what that look meant and quickly tried to make amends with a smile, “Brother Peng… This girl is…”

Yuan Huapeng waved his hand, cutting the man off mid-sentence, and said casually, “Let Xiao Sai tell me.”

He didn’t make comments like “you’re not worthy,” but this casual dismissal all the more conveyed that deep-seated pride of his.

Then he glanced at Feng Jun and offered with a smile, “Master, please have a seat… What would you like to drink?”

Feng Jun had made up his mind to go with the flow, so he humbly took a seat beside Yuan Huapeng.

The three girls sat down as well, but they didn’t get too close to the two men, maintaining a distance of more than half a meter.

When the waiter came over to ask for their drink orders, Feng Jun didn’t wait for Yuan Huapeng to ask and expressed his preference directly, “I’ll have beer.”

Yuan Huapeng glanced at him, nodded, and smiled, “Then we will all have beer…”

Ordering beer in such a setting might seem a bit lowbrow, but for those who really have confidence, who would care about other’s opinions?

When the beer arrived, the two taller girls stood up to pour the drinks for everyone, displaying courteous manners.

The girl in the white shirt, however, sat on the wicker chair, distractedly scrolling on her mobile phone.

As nuts and popcorn were served, a short-statured man walked over, lean and wiry, and sat down next to Yuan Huapeng, smiling as he greeted, “Brother Peng, you took time off to come out today?”

“Quit the small talk,” Yuan Huapeng gave him a sidelong glance, “How’s business lately?”

This short man was Xiao Sai, who went to junior high with Yuan Huakun and now owned a modeling and advertising agency, handling various print media, exhibitions, and advertising services, and also provided extras for film and television.

Yuan Huapeng had a relatively high opinion of him, “There’s too much drama in the modeling circle, but Xiao Sai’s place is one of the better ones—more disciplined with a good reputation in the circle. The competent rise and the incapable fall, and the path he takes is on the higher end.”

Disciplined? Feng Jun remained cautiously skeptical, as today’s display didn’t seem to align with that.

Yuan Huapeng was generous in giving face to Feng Jun, introducing him as a master I’ve met, both wealthy and handsome, and also a martial artist, who has recently come to the Imperial Capital, for me to entertain for a few days.

Those who heard him knew this man was the guest of honor for the day.

Still, a formal company was different after all. The three models were quite enthusiastic but restrained, not overly ingratiating, setting them apart from night club girls and more like friends just getting to know each other.

And the models weren’t providing one-on-one service; anyone could join the conversation.

In the course of conversation, Feng Jun’s occupation came up. In fact, Xiao Sai was curious—what kind of young man would be considered “wealthy and handsome” by the famously discerning Yuan Huapeng?

Good looks were easy to judge, but how much wealth did one need to be considered wealthy?

The three models perked up at the mention, and even the somewhat indifferent girl in white, Xiao Qian, leaned forward to hear Yuan Huapeng’s explanation.

Yuan Huapeng wasn’t one to gossip, merely saying lightly: Master Feng is in the jade business.

In everyone’s mind, the jade business carried a certain prestige. The girls became more enthusiastic; one of the taller models even inquired, “So they call you a master because you do jade carving?”

Feng Jun chuckled and shook his head, “Carving… mostly it’s artisans, and these days artisans don’t make much money.”

He was thinking of someone who mooched off “intangible cultural heritage” subsidies when he casually made that remark.

But upon hearing this, Xiao Qian actually huffed, “That’s why nowadays, people who really earn their keep with their skills don’t make much money, you make money when you control resources.”

Her words… weren’t wrong. Feng Jun often said himself that being born with advantage was a skillful task.

But in such a setting, in front of us financiers, are you sure it’s appropriate for you to speak like this?

Yuan Huapeng also felt a bit uncomfortable listening to it. Should people with skills necessarily live well? There are too many clueless individuals out there.

So, he glanced at Brother Sai, sending a questioning look: What’s going on?

Brother Sai could only smile wryly in his heart: Didn’t you want someone pure? She may be a bit rash, but she’s definitely clean.

Not only was Xiao Qian clean, but she was also a bit offbeat. She even asked Feng Jun: Can your jade be sold online?

Feng Jun listened for a while before it dawned on him. It turned out Xiao Qian’s main gig was modeling for TaoTao Web.

Her stature was not tall, just one meter sixty-two, which limited her opportunities, confining her to still modeling.

And within still modeling, models for print media faced fierce competition. Unwilling to pay certain prices, she had to settle for being an e-commerce model. Fortunately, her hand and leg shapes were quite nice, and with a standard figure, she managed to get quite a few jobs.

Yuan Huapeng listened and was taken aback. He turned his head to Brother Sai and asked, “E-commerce modeling… You take on these petty gigs too?”

Before Brother Sai had a chance to speak, Xiao Qian rolled her eyes discreetly… What kind of way is that to talk?

However, Brother Sai responded with a smile, saying that the future belonged to the internet, and although taking on jobs online might not pay much now, “we need to establish our brand first, grab territory, it’s the Matthew effect, right? The winners take all…”

Feng Jun rolled his eyes when he heard this. Imperial Capital truly lived up to its name, teeming with talents. It seemed that even a slightly more legitimate version of a schemer emphasized internet thinking in business.

However, he still clarified, “Jade is a luxury good that requires price for value. You must inspect it onsite to determine its real price. The e-commerce platform isn’t suitable for selling jade.”

“Luxury goods can still sell,” Xiao Qian replied, somewhat defiant, “Actually, jade doesn’t have a quantitative standard. Otherwise, it would be easy to sell online. Now, luxury cosmetic brands are also available for purchase on the web.”

When Feng Jun heard this, he immediately understood that she was definitely a novice in the ways of the world. Many things are easier said than done, “You haven’t graduated yet, have you?”

“Xiao Qian has graduated,” Brother Sai said with a smile. “She graduated two years ago. Her main job is German translation, and she models part-time.”

German translation? Feng Jun glanced at her skeptically, “What… does German translation not pay well?”

“The business isn’t consistent,” Xiao Qian answered indifferently, “Translation work is not easy nowadays. With a simple mobile phone, anyone can download a smart translation app, and German tourists can travel all over China.”

“Then you should look for precise translation work,” Feng Jun suggested earnestly, “Smart translation is just spitballing words. You can translate papers, legal documents… you could even translate novels on Qidian.”

“It’s tiring and doesn’t pay much,” Xiao Qian said naturally, “and the work isn’t regular. I can’t outdo men in physical labor either.”

Yuan Huapeng glanced at her, a hint of disapproval flickering across his face, feeling in his heart that this girl was just unwilling to endure hardness.

Xiao Qian felt his look and couldn’t help but speak up in her defense, “If I honestly worked as a translator, I’d never be able to afford a house in Imperial Capital in this lifetime, just like the song we were listening to earlier, ‘Imperial Capital, Imperial Capital’… I don’t want to end up having to leave.”

Watt? Feng Jun almost thought he had heard wrong—do you want to buy a house in Imperial Capital?

Lady, I respect your spirit, but can we be a bit more down-to-earth when doing things?

With the real estate prices in Imperial Capital, even someone with a nice view inside the Third Ring couldn’t afford a house. She could be considered a standard winner in life in Zhengyang—if we ignore her terrible marital situation, that is.

They chatted merrily, and though they were trying to control their volume so as not to disturb others enjoying the music, it still created a bit of background noise, with people occasionally glancing over at them.

Then a woman ascended the stairs and approached, greeting them, “Brother Sai… you ran off over here, huh?”

The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties, above average in looks, and was dressed very fashionably, braving the cold weather in just a short skirt.

While greeting, she scanned the group. When her gaze swept over Feng Jun, she paused slightly, and then finally turned her attention to Yuan Huapeng.

“Sister Hui, a friend’s here,” Brother Sai, a man in his forties, replied with a smile, still addressing her as ‘sister.’

“Hurry up,” the woman said nonchalantly, taking another glance at Feng Jun, “Zhou Xiaotong is waiting for you to drink.”

After speaking, she turned and sashayed down the stairs.

Yuan Huapeng gave Brother Sai a look, frowning as he asked, “Who’s that?”

Brother Sai could only smile bitterly and answered in a low voice, “Who she is doesn’t matter, the important thing is… there’s someone from the Zhou family.”

Yuan Huapeng’s expression shifted ever so slightly, “Zhou Xiaotong?”