"You don’t have to work anymore?"

Zhou Wang looked at Jiang Mubai, who was drenched in fragrant sweat after dancing for a long time, and asked loudly.

"It’s already one o’clock, I’ve gotten off work. There was supposed to be a little interaction session with fans at the store, but I was afraid you’d be unhappy, so I cut it short..."

Jiang Mubai giggled and sat down next to Zhou Wang, whispering in his ear.

Zhou Wang realized that unconsciously, an hour had already passed.

Given Jiang Mubai’s current popularity, she really couldn’t stay on stage for too long; about an hour was probably the limit.

It’s not about putting on airs; it’s a matter of maintaining a "high status"... Working too long not only makes her look cheap, but also gradually loses her mystery and freshness in front of the public.

The same goes for celebrities; at many commercial events, they just appear for a few minutes and earn exorbitant fees. It’s an industry trend that everyone seems to have gotten used to.

Yet, who exactly crafted this "industry trend" from the start is something no one ever considers.

"What kind of interaction?"

"Oh, something like touching palms with fans, doing a little dance, or taking a few photos together..."

"It’s not impossible... if they’re female fans."

"But almost all my fans are male, and there don’t seem to be many girls who would like someone like me, right?"

"Then it’s not possible."

Zhou Wang immediately shook his head at this.

"I knew you’d say that, so I avoided it in advance..."

Jiang Mubai chuckled, then glanced at Qu Peining who was sitting properly beside them, and quietly asked, "Who is this sister here?"

Hearing Jiang Mubai refer to Qu Peining as "sister" made Zhou Wang somewhat amused and exasperated.

Are you so used to acting young that you forgot your age?

If he remembered correctly, Jiang Mubai was born in ’98 or ’99, and Qu Peining was a few years younger than Jiang Mo, probably just over 20 and a post-00s generation.

It’s just that Qu Peining had a unique aura that made her seem not as delicate as an ordinary young girl, so Jiang Mubai misjudged.

Zhou Wang couldn’t be bothered to correct her and simply replied, "Just ordinary friends for now."

Since they were all familiar with each other at this point, Zhou Wang didn’t lie to Jiang Mubai and opted to speak the truth.

For now... just friends?

However, Zhou Wang’s meaningful response shook Jiang Mubai, making her feel quite incredulous.

Because Zhou Wang saying that meant he’s probably interested in this girl...

Actually, that’s kind of obvious. After all, Zhou Wang brought her to the bar for a drink, and even though the girl seemed hard to approach, her looks were undeniably flawless.

From certain angles, she even seemed like the Little Dragon Girl from an old Hong Kong version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," exuding an aura of heroic spirit and inviolability.

But... this man is Zhou Wang!

Maybe it’s the halo effect, but aside from being somewhat fickle, Zhou Wang was the perfect man in Jiang Mubai’s eyes!

She didn’t think there was any girl in the world who could resist Zhou Wang’s active pursuit, not even if she looked like a goddess...

After all, as time passes, Zhou Wang’s wealth, status, and charm keep increasing, while a woman’s beauty gradually fades.

But hearing Zhou Wang now, it seemed like this girl was deliberately maintaining her distance from him, which was just absurd.

"Why... why would she?"

Feeling a surge of gossip and injustice for Zhou Wang, Jiang Mubai subconsciously asked.

"You have to understand, most people in this world don’t know what they truly want. They only believe in what they think."

"So, Mr. Zhou, you’re saying she’s just pretending?"

"...I didn’t say that."

Although Zhou Wang denied it vigorously, Jiang Mubai interpreted it that way!

Seeing that Zhou Wang didn’t seem upset, Jiang Mubai’s eyes turned, and she suddenly offered:

"Why don’t I help you out, Mr. Zhou?"

"How would you help?"

Zhou Wang asked with interest.

"First like this, then like that, and then..."

Jiang Mubai leaned in to whisper in Zhou Wang’s ear.

Meanwhile, as the two were whispering closely, Qu Peining, sitting on the other side of the couch, furrowed her brows even deeper.

She didn’t even have time to be upset about Jiang Mubai’s sudden intrusion, which disrupted the "pleasant atmosphere" she shared with Zhou Wang, before she had to watch them whisper together.

Sure, Qu Peining admitted that the environment was indeed noisy and made communication difficult, but was it necessary to whisper so closely?

All they needed was to raise their voices a bit; as long as they weren’t too far apart, they could generally hear each other. Wasn’t that what she and Zhou Wang were doing just now?

Were they sharing some shameless secrets that needed to be kept from others?

Aside from Zhou Wang’s initial loud inquiry, the rest of the time they were whispering, so Qu Peining had no way of knowing what they were talking about.

And in Qu Peining’s eyes, Jiang Mubai didn’t leave a good impression from the start, so she instinctively thought Jiang Mubai might be shamelessly flirting with Zhou Wang.

Although she didn’t understand the tricks of such girls, her keen observation allowed her to notice Jiang Mubai’s frequent little gestures.