Chloe's heart thumped as she stared at the extra digits in her bank account.
She was only a small-time model; she'd never imagined she could be worth this much.
After a moment she lifted her glass, touched it to Jiang Cheng's and said with feeling, "Thank you. With this money my family can buy a new place without taking a bank loan."
Jiang Cheng took a sip. "Isn't this exactly what you deserve?"
Chloe gave a wry laugh. "Our line isn't that valuable. Some girls trade their bodies and still don't clear ten grand—fame is what fetches the price."
Jiang Cheng understood: like the two women Qi Yuan had on his arms last night—bargain rates and two-on-one service.
"Your first time goes that cheap?"
She blinked, then smiled. "We don't have a 'first-time' premium. Sex-ed starts early; plenty hook up at school parties if the vibe is right, so virginity adds zero value."
Jiang Cheng marveled—no wonder this country had its Renaissance early.
Seeing him shake his head, Chloe asked, "Do you look down on girls like me?"
"Why would I? The world's unfair; you want something, you trade equal value. Besides, we worked great together last night—I had fun."
"You said we'd go out at noon."
Jiang Cheng smirked. "Last night you were so cocky; scared now?"
"Me, scared? Once I've rested I'll pin you down again…"
The image made Jiang Cheng's eyes light up in anticipation.
Meeting his heated gaze, Chloe—remembering last night's frenzy—felt a flutter of fear.
She'd never expected an Asian man to be so… well-endowed.
And not just the bedroom—living-room, bathroom, even the window ledge had seen action.
The man was a tireless machine.
Flustered, she quickly looked away.
After lunch they strolled to St Paul's.
The thirteen-hundred-year-old cathedral was truly majestic.
History's weight gave it a solemn, dignified beauty.
Seeing Chloe clasp her hands in prayer, Jiang Cheng didn't disturb her.
Every country has its faiths; his own mother burned incense at the local temple every year.
Though he believed in none of it, he still felt awe for the unknown.
After all, the very fact he owned a System was mystical enough.
After touring the cathedral they returned to the hotel.
The others had been bombarding him to come watch the U.S. stock market together.
Being in the U.K. meant no jet-lag for once.
At the opening bell Chen Xueer had messaged: Tesla shares were unaffected, even inching upward.
Holding such a huge short position on Tesla made her stomach knot with pressure.
Jiang Cheng wanted a short: only a sharp plunge would turn profit.
This steady climb was bleeding money instead.
But Jiang Cheng wasn't worried; the System had shown Tesla's three-day chart plain as day.
After last night's maneuvering, once they weathered this rally the crash was inevitable.
This round: Wang Congcong 800 million, Qin Fen 1 billion, Wang Zheng 600 million, Chen Hao 500 million, Qi Yuan 300 million—32 billion in total.
Jiang Cheng threw in the remaining 11 billion in ByteDance—an all-in bet.
Fourteen billion shorting Tesla; Chen Xueer hadn't slept a wink.
At the open Tesla rose, instantly shaving two billion off their paper gains.
Though Jiang Cheng told her to relax, she kept texting updates.
By the time the two hurried back, night had fallen.
At the Rosewood Hotel's Scarfes Bar, Jiang Cheng led Chloe to the innermost seats.
The décor struck Jiang Cheng as oddly homely.
The whole bar resembled a living room: fireplace, oil paintings, tall bookshelves, sofas and coffee tables.
Tiny dining tables dotted every corner.
Near the fireplace Wang Congcong and Qin Fen hunched over two laptops, sipping whisky and arguing.
Their Bodyguards had occupied every nearby table.
Most patrons were their own people; the rest were politely herded toward the entrance.
Jiang Cheng greeted them and settled onto a vacant sofa with Chloe.
Plush seats and mellow jazz gave the bar a gentlemanly calm utterly unlike any club he'd known.
Relaxed and refined—perfect for business talk.
As they sat down, the others shot them envious looks.
Qin Fen clicked his tongue. "Old Jiang, how do you land these babes? An Xin was already a ten, and abroad you score this knockout."
Qi Yuan chimed in, "First time we partied your girl was Qiao Yinyin—another stunner."
Wang Zheng added, "Besides Sister Xin, he once brought a super-tall beauty—Zhou Ying, right?"
Wang Congcong laughed, "You guys only met him months ago and you've seen this many women? Jiang Cheng, you're even worse than me."