114. Some people seem forever beyond restraint.

It should be online shortly after midnight. Once again, I am asking for subscriptions and monthly tickets. Furthermore, please cast your monthly tickets for "Dream is King" as soon as you get them tomorrow; don't wait for any end-of-the-month events. Regardless of guaranteed monthly tickets or bonus tickets, if you have them, cast them—and cast them with all your might. I am striving for a top ranking on the new book monthly ticket chart, which is equivalent to having a featured recommendation for the entire month of September. That is the only way to gain more readers and subscriptions. Even if I get pushed out by someone else in the end, it doesn't matter. What I want isn't a title; I want to stay on the board and grab attention throughout this month. I must make it to the top early on. Even if I can't squeeze past the big shots, I have to at least work up a sweat trying. As for the voting rules, it seems there is a maximum of two tickets per day; if you have more, feel free to split them over several days. Please give them to me. And for those of you with alt accounts, I humbly ask for your help in subscribing to a few chapters to help me reach "premium" status sooner. The goal remains the same: the better the data, the more readers I attract, and the more the website will tilt resources my way. Writing in silence ultimately leads to obscurity, and I have to keep up with the trends of the times, right? I beg for your monthly tickets and subscriptions.

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It would be too bizarre to pick up a group of sweaty young players for a pickup game in a Rolls-Royce. Even if Yu Jiali didn't mind, and Ada demonstrated by rolling around on the back carpet, no one dared to get in. In the end, they all squeezed into Niu's beat-up minivan, though they did manage to coax Niu into the back seat.

This guy sat sideways, gingerly touching the edge of the seat with his buttocks, trying to minimize contact while holding onto the handle. Yu Jiali noticed this and kept chatting with him, trying to help him relax. It wasn't until they got out of the car that Niu, as if he had been holding it in for a long time, blurted out, "I've decided to go find her tomorrow!"

Bai Haonan chuckled, "Tomorrow, my foot. Since you've decided to go, go tonight. How far is it? Are you taking a plane or a cannon? You need to go overnight and surprise her first thing in the morning!"

Niu, whose face had been full of courage, suddenly looked troubled. With Yu Jiali watching with an amused, teasing expression, Bai Haonan put his arm around his buddy's shoulder and imparted his wisdom: "Women just want a bit of romance. Since you're going to do it, don't worry about the cost, and don't talk logic. Push all your chips into the middle and just knock her off her feet with one go!"

Yu Jiali, fearing that Niu might be as simple-minded as he looked, hurriedly clarified, "He means you should go all out to be good to the girl, not literally hit her over the head with a stick!"

The two men looked at her as if she were a fool.

Niu didn't say where the girl was, but clearly moved, he turned and ran off. That left Bai Haonan to give the young players a final round of instructions, telling the one who could drive to be responsible for taking all his teammates back, and reminding them that the money had to be handed over to Old Zhong.

The young players were already siding with Brother Jianguo, whispering inside information: "Old Zhong is a bit grumpy, saying we're delaying training. Damn, his training is just the same old stuff over and over with no innovation. It's better to come out here and play more games to gain real experience. Following you, Brother Jianguo, there's so much more of a future!"

Bai Haonan didn't care. "It's fine. Keep playing for now. Once my fitness center is up and running, I'll need coaches and all sorts of staff. You brothers can all come over to help out, train these pickup-game players—doesn't that pay better than playing in the second-tier league?"

Without professional matches to play, the young players had no win bonuses. They earned three or five thousand a month while having to watch the boss's mood, and wage arrears were a common occurrence in the domestic league; they were basically just scraping by. Everyone had now seen Bai Haonan's knack for making money and cozying up to the wealthy. To say nothing of anything else, that shimmering black Rolls-Royce parked by the field was proof enough of his strength. One by one, they nodded vigorously, wanting to stick close to Brother Jianguo and get rich.

There's a reason successful bosses like to buy cars to keep up appearances.

Yu Jiali stood to the side, smiling as she carried her new Chanel quilted bag. It was as if her figure had become lighter, and even the bag she held had to be smaller to match. Anyway, all the clutter that used to be in her Birkin was now being carried by Bai Haonan, and that feeling was indeed quite nice.

After Bai Haonan patted the young players on the shoulder, sent them off to various fields, and shook hands with several clients who had come over to chat and show off, he finally turned and walked away with the young woman, leaving in the Rolls-Royce under the gaze of many onlookers.

Yes, a car like that appearing at a five-star hotel or an international convention center is called "having style," and it elevates the prestige for both the host and the venue. But by a pickup game field? It was like a gold-clad prince appearing next to a muddy ditch; it was just too conspicuous.

Yu Jiali looked back at the prying eyes and thought for a moment. "Are you trying to spread the brand reputation of the fitness center through this method? A great idea!" In a metropolis where everyone is too lazy to exercise, the sidelines of pickup games are almost always gathered with various types of athletic people, most of whom have some economic means. Just looking at the private cars parked outside, it was clear that this was the exact target demographic for the fitness center.

Bai Haonan was surprised. "I'm just being flashy! Showing off..."

Yu Jiali's annoyed yet amused expression took on a certain charm. "You're just the type who can get things done, but insists on distancing yourself from it!" She didn't dwell on it, instead eyeing Bai Haonan's attire. "How about I go buy you some clothes today? I'm getting a bit addicted to it!"

Bai Haonan shook his head, surprising and pleasing her. "Forget it. I'm already this handsome; if I dress up looking handsome and rich too, I won't be able to handle all the attention!"

Yu Jiali wanted to hit him with her handbag, but felt that he wasn't wrong. She stared at the man driving. Even dressed in rags, while driving a Rolls-Royce, the most top-tier car in existence, he still carried a distinct aura. "Maybe it's because you spent those years in the top leagues; your mindset and temperament are truly different from these green, young players."

The driver was surprised. "Why are you suddenly saying that?"

Yu Jiali said languidly, "Just observing your attitude toward luxury cars compared to theirs."

Bai Haonan scoffed, "I've seen the world, you know!"

Yu Jiali smiled.

In reality, Bai Haonan going to check on the fitness center site with Yu Jiali was just window shopping. The fitness center was located on the roof of a commercial podium building across the street from the Jiazheng Building. Parking and going upstairs was just like visiting a mall. It seemed that Yu Jiali's previous lack of confidence in her figure and appearance had resulted in her having no concept of fashion. "I went to college in Shanghai. Back then, I thought that since I didn't have the face or the figure, I had to rely on my abilities; I couldn't just throw money at things. So I almost never went shopping with the female students. After I came back here, I worked every day and didn't dare to make close girlfriends. The women I met at business gatherings were all over forty; anyone under thirty usually had shady backgrounds. Besides, my mother always hated those 'little vixens' who wore heavy makeup. How could I have had any chance to experience this?"

Bai Haonan was more experienced than her. "You'd look great in silk stockings right now; you should try all the different shades..."

Yu Jiali, who could barely distinguish between pantyhose and stockings, blushed. "Do you like watching that?"

Bai Haonan pretended to be a gentleman. "I'm teaching you to appreciate beauty. You still have a bit of meat on your thighs; they look good when they're toned. If you get too thin, you'll lose that."

Yu Jiali tested him. "Then I'll dress like that when we go see my parents in a couple of days." Feeling that was too obvious, she hurriedly tried to cover it up: "I mean, after this whole thing is handled and my dad is back, I'll let them see my new image!" To avoid being surrounded upon returning to the Yu family home, she had even called someone to deliver the car to the hotel today, but the news had clearly spread within the company. If it weren't for the fact that she had temporarily changed her phone number, there would likely have been many people calling to ask about it.

Bai Haonan could truly be called a "friend of women." Even while going upstairs, he could help her pick out a few outfits. "Seeing them is fine. I'm not afraid. That one looks good. You should buy your mom a few things too. Even if she's never enjoyed it in her life, now that you've become beautiful, you should help your mother dress up too."

Secretly overjoyed, Yu Jiali even let her imagination run wild. "What if we open a women's clothing store?"

Bai Haonan scoffed, "That's my only little pleasure in picking up girls, and you want to give me a red card and send me off the field? Forget it."

As they spoke, they reached the top floor of the mall. Business was mediocre, and the top two floors had no open shops, which meant they could renovate even in broad daylight as long as the noise wasn't too loud. Bai Haonan couldn't understand the design blueprints at all, and the renovation site was so chaotic he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Yu Jiali, on the other hand, was able to ask the site supervisor questions about everything. It had only been two or three days, so it would take a while, but there was no real difficulty. It was a gym, after all; the front desk and the changing rooms were the only slightly complicated parts, while most of the area was just open space for equipment. Bai Haonan could only support a fashionably dressed Yu Jiali as they carefully walked over the various scattered materials to the roof. The advantage of not lacking money was that the company installing the professional artificial turf was working simultaneously. The surrounding ten-meter-high fencing, the goals, and the rest area were already taking shape. In the future, this roof space, nearly half the size of a standard field, would have two smaller fields that could be split or joined, perfect for technical and tactical training. There would also be a small bar area so companions wouldn't be bored while waiting.

Bai Haonan's new starting point in life, a thousand miles away from Jiangzhou, was already right before his eyes.

Yet he felt no excitement. He took a casual look—he couldn't really tell much anyway—and then helped Yu Jiali back down to shop. Sure enough, he remained dismissive of the girl trying to buy him clothes, looking down on those suits that cost thousands or tens of thousands, claiming he had never worn them and didn't need to. As for other designer sportswear, he said there weren't any sizes he liked, and he'd just wear the gym's work clothes from now on. Yu Jiali insisted that since they were going to see her parents, he should dress better. "If you don't like suits, then something casual?" She looked eager to spend some money.

Bai Haonan shook his head vigorously. "Does it make you feel good to have your dad watch me spend the Yu family's money like crazy? We're not idiots; why do things just to make people laugh at us?"

Yu Jiali, secretly very satisfied, reluctantly put down those designer men's belts and wallets; she found her desire to shop getting a bit out of control.

In the end, Bai Haonan carried bags full of women's items, as Yu Jiali had thwarted his two attempts to flirt with pretty sales clerks. He was a bit listless until they returned to the parking garage, where he noticed something with surprise: "Hey, how is it that the car logo on these wheel hubs is perfectly upright on both the front and rear wheels?"

Yu Jiali couldn't fathom why a man's attention would be on such an unfathomable detail. She watched as Bai Haonan threw the bags into the back seat and walked around the car, confirming that the Rolls-Royce logos in the center of all four tires were indeed perfectly upright. He even curiously started the car and moved it slightly, then got out to check—sure enough, they were still upright. Yu Jiali, standing by his side, observed it too. "Hmm! The moment you started it, the logo swayed slightly, and then it stayed upright. No matter how the wheels move, the logo maintains its orientation."

Bai Haonan wanted to see it with his own eyes, but Yu Jiali had never driven before. Perhaps she had been raised to always sit in the back as the boss. So, Bai Haonan could only laugh and say that when he got back to the hotel, he would ask the valet manager to help him solve this mystery.

Yu Jiali noticed, "You really are more interested in things like this. Do men really like cars that much?"

Bai Haonan nodded. "It's just like how you've started to like buying bags, clothes, and cosmetics. I'm going to drive the Bentley tomorrow and swap this one back. I saw that there's a Bentley parked downstairs at your place too!"

Yu Jiali gave a wry smile. "What's the big deal? If you're happy, you can play with them all one by one!"

Bai Haonan sighed. "Damn, I couldn't even fully commit to being a gigolo, and now that I want to be a kept man, I'm getting cold feet. I'm afraid if I play with all those cars, your relatives' nonsense will be enough to fill a basket."

Yu Jiali might have been banking on exactly that. "Only the mediocre are not envied! That's right, you're just starting out, and there will definitely be gossip. You have to turn that pressure into motivation and achieve something to prove it to them! You even knew how to insult me for being fat!"

Bai Haonan took a seemingly serious deep breath. "Right! I'll work hard..." Then, he instantly relaxed. "Damn, but right now, all I really want to do is play with cars!"

Yu Jiali wasn't in a hurry. "You haven't met that trigger point yet, just like how I finally met you and made up my mind to become beautiful. I believe you will have that day too. I have that patience."

Bai Haonan was almost moved to tears. When they reached the hotel, the lobby manager was indeed eager to guide the Rolls-Royce to the most prominent spot by the entrance and enthusiastically explained to the VIP that the wheel hub logo had a leveling device so that, no matter what, the RR logo would always be upright!

Such a high-end detail made Bai Haonan look forward to seeing what difference it would make to drive the Bentley tomorrow. And then there were the Mercedes and BMWs; the Yu family's parking lot was full of such formal luxury cars, though there wasn't a single supercar, which was a bit of a pity.

But on Monday morning, the silver-gray Bentley sedan was driven over to the hotel by a Yu family relative to swap keys with Bai Haonan. The temporary driver and bodyguard was in high spirits, just about to send the female boss to the company and saying he knew the foreign player should be arriving in the next couple of days—the guy hadn't even returned to Africa after retiring—when Bai Haonan's phone rang. It was Niu's voice: "Jianguo, Xiaoting says she really wants to invite you over as a guest..."

Sitting in the silent, luxurious sedan where you couldn't even hear the engine, Yu Jiali vaguely heard the voice on the phone. She opened her eyes wide and watched as Bai Haonan paused for only a second before agreeing, asking for the address, and hanging up. "What? At this critical moment, you're actually leaving?"

Bai Haonan touched the marble-patterned polished steering wheel again, tapped his fingers on it, and said, "Niu would never call me Jianguo over the phone. Something must have happened, and he's being forced to make this call. I know him; I know what kind of person he is. If you just give the word, whether it's the police outside or your relatives, friends, or handsome guys at home, they'd all be fighting to be your driver and bodyguard. You don't lack me, but Niu only has me to turn to."

Yu Jiali was patient and rational. "You're different now. The company's operations need you. If others have issues, we can completely arrange for someone to handle it. Give me the address, and I'll find someone to ask about it immediately. I can arrange for manpower right away... It used to be Old Tan's people who handled these messy things, but I can still find people."

Bai Haonan thanked her. "It's good to ask, of course, but Niu isn't 'someone else.' He's waiting for me, not anyone else. In this kind of matter, I can't trust anyone else."

Yu Jiali reminded him, "You are now a professional manager, a person of status, and you have some things that can't see the light of day. If you get involved in these dangerous matters again, and if I can't help you, everything before us could be lost!"

Bai Haonan was calm. "What's mine will eventually be mine; what's not mine, no amount of scheming will help. Besides helping me look after Ada, can you lend me a car? Even that beat-up Polo of mine would be fine. It sounds like it's within this province, not too far. I'm leaving right now. I can't let Niu suffer, especially since I was the one who encouraged him to go."

Yu Jiali bit her lip, staring at the man who had suddenly become somewhat of a stranger.

Some people, it seemed, could never be tied down.