CHAPTER 182: CHAPTER 177 GOING ASTRAY

Gathering Point Bar

Du Jinyu was indulging himself with a group of friends, eating and drinking without restraint.

Two fiery hot girls were accompanying him.

"Brother, can you bring your girlfriend out for us to see sometime? You’re being so mysterious!"

"Yeah, Brother Du, what kind of person is she? Don’t tell me she’s a celebrity and you need to protect her privacy or something!"

His group of drinking buddies started teasing him.

Du Jinyu felt immensely smug inside; he really wished he could bring Li Jiaqi out for them to see. But he knew it wasn’t possible.

Besides, he didn’t trust this bunch of clowns much. If they spilled the beans about him and Li Jiaqi, then he’d lose his beauty.

"You guys, stop gossiping. Where would I get a girlfriend? Just focus on drinking your booze."

The crowd saw him react like this and didn’t dare press further—after all, they were counting on this young master to fund their food and drink.

"Mr. Du, let me drink with you." The curvaceous, seductive-looking woman next to him said with a smile.

Du Jinyu glanced at the woman, feeling disgusted; if it wasn’t out of necessity, he wouldn’t have chosen her.

His standards had risen so high now—only celebrities could catch his eye.

This woman was just a minor internet influencer desperately trying to curry favor with him, hoping to squeeze more money out of him. The other slim girl next to him did the same.

Basically, they were all taking what they needed from each other.

Du Jinyu picked up his wine glass and took a big gulp. The girl downed her entire glass, then snuggled into his arms, laughing wildly.

"Where’s my cigarettes? Damn it!" When Du Jinyu wanted a smoke, he suddenly realized the pack he had left on the table was gone.

"Could they have fallen to the floor?"

"Brother Du, why not smoke mine for now?"

Someone handed him a pack of their own cigarettes.

"Forget it—what kind of crap is that?" Du Jinyu waved his hand dismissively.

"Brother Du, how about I ask the server to fetch a pack of your regular smokes?"

"The cigarettes here are even worth smoking?"

Du Jinyu frowned deeply and glared fiercely at the person who spoke.

That person quickly chuckled awkwardly and nodded in apology.

"Go to my car and bring me a pack." Du Jinyu tossed his keys to him.

He felt perplexed; he had clearly left his cigarettes there earlier, so where had they gone?

"Damn it, someone must’ve swiped them—this bunch of scumbags!"

After thinking it over, that seemed like the only explanation. But he couldn’t go as far as frisking everyone over half a pack of cigarettes.

About ten minutes later, the person who went out returned with a pack of white cigarettes—no logo, no markings.

"Damn it, this is MY personal stash. No one touches them, got it!" Du Jinyu warned, inspecting the box carefully to ensure there were no issues before opening it and lighting one up.

Outside the bar, Zhang Yuzhe sat in a business van, watching Du Jinyu’s every move on his computer.

He had hacked the bar’s system, taking control of all the cameras inside.

Many big shots believed they were safe when visiting places like this, but in reality, the surveillance systems at those places were under someone’s control.

"Heh! Damn, he sure is cautious." Zhang Yuzhe sneered coldly.

At that moment, his phone vibrated: "Brother Zhang, I’m back."

Zhang Yuzhe had actually already noticed his junior through the van’s external cameras.

He opened the door, letting him up.

"Brother Zhang, I’ve got the cigarettes." The young man, whose face was ordinary and body medium-built but eyes sharp with a certain fierceness, said.

"Good. Luo Ning, keep watching him—I want all of his movements monitored." Zhang Yuzhe said coldly.

"Got it, Brother Zhang." Luo Ning agreed immediately.

"Brother Zhang, if you don’t like that guy, why don’t I just take him out?" Luo Ning said with a murderous expression.

"Take him out? Do you think modern investigative tech is just playing games? Foolish." Zhang Yuzhe frowned, visibly displeased.

Luo Ning was a college graduate who had gone to Myanmar to make money illegally, getting blood on his hands, and was later deported to serve time in prison.

Because Myanmar hadn’t provided sufficient evidence, he was only sentenced to five years.

After his release, a former inmate introduced him to Zhang Yuzhe, whom he started working under.

"Brother Zhang, the other side is pushing us for goods!" Luo Ning shifted the topic.

"Don’t give them anything yet. We must control the supply carefully. Also, tell Xiao Feng and the others to pause their operations for now and take a break with some cash to enjoy themselves for a few days."

"Boss, business is booming; why stop?"

Zhang Yuzhe’s expression instantly hardened, icy as a blade: "Luo Ning, are you questioning me?"

"Sorry, Brother Zhang, I—I was wrong." Luo Ning shivered as though falling into a freezing abyss, sweat soaking through his jacket.

"They’ve started paying attention to us. Think, why would they suddenly order this much and offer us such a good price?"

"Brother Zhang, do you mean they want to rip us off?" Luo Ning’s eyes widened in alarm.

"Not necessarily, but it’s better to stay cautious." Zhang Yuzhe sneered darkly.

Galaxy Dormitory

Li Jiaqi was unwrapping a gift.

"Oh my god! It’s McLaren’s summer collection—each dress costs over fifty thousand yuan! Who’s so generous to send you three?" Zhang Yu exclaimed enviously, staring at the high-class dresses.

Li Jiaqi was also surprised, thinking to herself how Zhang Yuzhe had clearly become wealthy since venturing into business.

Back in the day, asking him to send her one or two thousand yuan a month had made him stingy, but now spending tens of thousands didn’t even make him blink.

"Who else? I’ve only got a few big-time donors." Li Jiaqi joked.

"Jiaqi, this year’s elections—you’re definitely going to land ’Top Three.’"

"Still early! Right now, the priority is gathering resources. You need to ramp things up on your end too."

"Ugh, you know about my situation—only a handful of people, barely enough funds to take a good trip to Bali."

At this moment, Zhang Yu was filled with both jealousy and admiration for Li Jiaqi, already starting to curry favor with this rising star.

Li Jiaqi wasn’t just shining in crowdfunded ventures lately but had captured the attention of a production company preparing her for a TV drama role.

She had even recommended Zhang Yu to the crew to play a minor character, so the latter had been pandering to her lately.

Meanwhile, Yu Qingjia had been placed by her company on a variety show as a regular guest. Even though the show was a small production by a minor investor, it was still a decent opportunity for a girl from Hanoi.

The two chatted for a while before Zhang Yu noticed Li Jiaqi was getting tired and decided to leave, though she wished she’d been asked to stay.

Li Jiaqi sat alone in her empty apartment, staring at the dresses absent-mindedly.

"Maybe I really need to sit down and talk with Zhang Yuzhe." She smiled at herself, picking up a dress and holding it against her body, imagining how stunning she’d look—like a true star.

"This one suits Yuwei too. I wonder how she’s doing now—the first round of her competition is over. I wonder if she could make it to the next."

Li Jiaqi sighed and put the dress down, feeling a vague hope that Ye Yuwei wouldn’t make it to the next round.

Because deep down, she knew that if her good friend truly debuted, they’d inevitably drift apart.