Reborn with Consumption System-Chapter 491 - 228: Lie, Brother Lie... Do you have a girlfriend?_3
So, no matter what their relationship would become later, they were especially close now.
Reba sneakily glanced at Han Lie, who was laughing, his teeth so white they were dazzling.
To be honest, she was a bit smitten. Growing up, she’d never come across a peer like him; it was all too novel.
But after hesitating for less than three seconds, she shook her head decisively.
"Forget it, Honey Sister," she said, "I’m really not in the mood for romance right now. How many years can a girl work in this industry anyway? I want to establish my career first, then settle down, just like you!"
Good heavens, this girl was a classic career-driven female lead from a novel aimed at women, with nothing but success on her mind.
Yang Mi was about to have her wedding with Old Liu, so as soon as she heard "settle down," she couldn’t help but break into a sweet smile.
"Up to you," Yang Mi said, "but eventually, a woman has to date, marry, have children, and contribute to her family. A career isn’t everything in life; it’s really not that important..."
TSK TSK. Lucky for her Han Lie couldn’t hear that. If Brother Lie heard this, he’d probably have a fit—President Yang, you have moments like these?! Well, now, isn’t that something special!
Across from them, Wu Qilong and his partner, along with Huang Sanshi, also gained a deeper understanding of Han Lie.
Regarding this matter, if one were to take the moral high ground, anyone could criticize Han Lie for lacking loyalty. Second Sister Jin worked so hard to connect you two, and then you just ditched her? But those who make it in the entertainment industry definitely wouldn’t harbor such naïve thoughts.
On the contrary, the men respected Han Lie even more.
"He holds fast to his principles and has clear bottom lines. Truly an impressive person..."
"When I was Teacher Han’s age, I valued face the most. I absolutely couldn’t bring myself to refuse outright. No wonder he makes big money in the market!"
"Sigh, you can say that again. I’m liking Teacher Han more and more now."
"Exactly. For people in finance, you absolutely have to be meticulous. The stock market isn’t that easy to profit from, is it?"
"So, are you planning to invest then?"
"Invest, of course! Although five million is a bit little, isn’t rapport built slowly over time?"
Right, so ’cold’ gets twisted into ’meticulous’. You guys really know how to spin things...
There’s a timeless piece of advice that goes: Navigating the world is all about understanding human relationships and worldly wisdom. It’s as if being worldly-wise and sophisticated allows one to succeed effortlessly. But the truly important things are never taught: before you go around granting favors, you must establish iron-clad principles!
That’s why the righteous path is described as "round on the outside, square on the inside." Externally, one should be smooth and tactful, but internally, one needs a backbone that’s clear-cut and unyielding. When it comes to breaking rules, you don’t give anyone face. Only then does the respect and favor you willingly offer to others become truly damn valuable!
This principle is universally applicable.
Take pursuing a woman, for example. You must firmly reject her unreasonable demands with sound arguments. Then, pick a reasonable yet challenging wish of hers and secretly fulfill it. This is how you create a genuine surprise. If you agree to everything, reasonable or not, wouldn’t you just become a lapdog?
Playboys and playgirls are experts at testing and gradually breaking down the boundaries of honest folks through various small requests, ultimately manipulating you.
So, being "round on the outside, square on the inside" is a mandatory course, one you’ll need to defend for graduation.
Have you all learned it? For those who don’t get it, watch closely. Brother Lie will demonstrate it for you one last time—
After turning down Second Sister Jin once more, Han Lie suddenly spoke up loudly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please hear me out. Today, I’ve met so many seniors and good friends. I’ve had a very enjoyable conversation, and I’ve felt everyone’s accommodation and care, which has been very heartwarming. I’m truly grateful. I don’t have any special abilities, and I can’t repay everyone’s kindness, so how about this: for everyone present, I’ll give each of you an investment quota of five million. If you wish to invest yourselves, then invest. If you don’t want to, you can transfer it to someone else. I don’t care about any of that; I only recognize individuals by headcount. Second Sister," he said, turning to her, "I’m giving away a total quota of fifty million just for your dinner. Isn’t that considerate enough?"
Han Lie looked at Second Sister Jin, stunning her.
Not considerate enough? He really did allocate a fifty million quota in one go. Considerate enough? You bastard, you gave the quota to everyone, currying favor with them all, but what does that have to do with me?!
Second Sister Jin desperately wanted to be angry, but then, the ever-shrewd Mi was the first to clap, effectively forcing her hand. "Teacher Han is so generous! Second Sister, you truly have clout! Thank you, Second Sister!"
Then, everyone else quickly chimed in. Whether they meant it or not, on the surface, everyone acknowledged that the favor came through her. This meant her reputation hadn’t taken too much of a hit; the cunning Han Lie had managed to salvage most of it.
Her lips trembled. She was torn between wanting to curse and needing to hold back, finally settling on a forced, aggrieved smile.
Damn it, this little bastard is so hard to deal with!
The "little bastard" didn’t even look at her. He immediately turned his head to smile at Scrap, who was sitting primly and properly.
"Scrap," Han Lie said, "I reckon you can’t cough up that much cash. Later, discuss it with your Senior Sister Liu, or ask President Cai for her opinion. Just listen to them."
"Oh! I got it."
Actually, Scrap hadn’t quite grasped it, but she still nodded obediently and immediately looked toward her Senior Sister.
Liu Shuangshi wasn’t particularly concerned about this matter. Her personality was genuinely serene, with very low material needs—she rarely indulged in luxury goods and cared little for mansions or fancy cars. However, she wasn’t foolish and could sense Han Lie’s goodwill, so she immediately nodded back at Scrap with a smile.
"Scrap, let’s talk about it back at the company. I won’t let you lose out."
Wu Qilong, on the other hand, was overjoyed. The combined quota for three people was fifteen million. It still wasn’t a lot, but at least it was no longer insignificant.
So, he quietly whispered to his girlfriend, "The quota is all yours. Do you have enough money? If not, I’ll cover you. You can keep it as your secret stash."
Liu Shuangshi shook her head. "I only became popular recently, so I’m a bit short on cash. You should invest it yourself. As for Scrap, I’ll make it up to her."
There were definitely underlying reasons why these two got together. All that talk about not being able to get out of character after a role was nonsense. Why didn’t she fall for someone while filming ’Chinese Paladin 3’ or ’Golden Years’? The main reason was that their core values aligned; otherwise, they wouldn’t have made it this far.
But none of this was Han Lie’s business. He had done his part by distributing the favors. Who gained and who lost from it was their own internal affair.
Following Old Wu’s lead, Yang Mi then approached Reba.
"Re-Re, do you have enough money?"
Reba was still very clear-headed—she couldn’t let her boss keep hinting like this!
So she decisively shook her head. "Sister Mi, I don’t need it. It’s all yours!"
"Oh, then I won’t stand on ceremony, okay?"
Yang Mi nodded gleefully. Then, with a shift of her eyes, she set her sights on Su Xiao and Peng Hu—those two definitely didn’t need this paltry five million quota.
As a result, she exasperated Second Sister Jin. Get lost! That’s my money!
Then, the room suddenly descended into chaos, with everyone scurrying around, offering toasts and chatting privately.
The instigator, quite pleased with himself, leaned back on the sofa. Just as he was about to tease Scrap, Guo Qingting suddenly approached with a wine glass and shyly sat down to Brother Lie’s right.
"Teacher Han," she said, "thank you for your consideration. May I offer you a toast?"
"Ah, of course!"
Han Lie felt quite uncomfortable with her politeness—though she looked young, she was a full ten years his senior.
He might as well call her ’little auntie’. What were the lyrics to that song again? ’Auntie’s hips...’ PTOOEY! Stop right there.
"Sister Ting," Han Lie said, "please don’t be so formal. Outside of market trading hours, I’m just a young guy who’s recently started university."
The young man, feigning youthfulness, took a sip of wine, wondering inwardly: This woman has been introverted and quiet all evening, why is she suddenly so restless?
But she simply took out her phone. "Can we exchange contact information? I might need to seek your advice on many things later, Teacher Han..."
"Of course, no problem."
Han Lie readily took out his phone and, just before Scrap’s jealous fit could erupt, exchanged WeChat contacts with Sister Ting.
And that was it.
Sister Ting had arrived quickly and left even faster, taking with her the image of a slim-waisted, round-hipped figure and leaving behind a trail of fresh, lingering fragrance.
When Han Lie turned back, Scrap was GLUG-GLUG-GLUGging down her drink.
HISS. What’s she up to?
Han Lie didn’t need to guess. Having psyched herself up, she suddenly sidled over, all clingy.
"Lie... Brother Lie... do you have a girlfriend?"
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*(Author’s Note: An average of 5,000 words a day—I can’t compare to those writing machines, but this humble author, Breadcrumbs, has tried their best... You are all my respected readers; would you have the heart to make things difficult for a 21-year-old kid? This kid still has a runny nose every day!)*
