Chapter 118 - 118: Si Cong’s Birthday
“George, let’s set sail!” Zhou Chao, seeing everyone on board, directed George to initiate the journey.
“Sorry for being late!” Lao Piao arrived on the third floor, apologizing to the young masters with a touch of embarrassment.
“Alright, take a seat!” Zhou Chao, observing Lao Piao standing and apologizing, motioned for him to sit down. The rest didn’t say much either.
The Dragonfly glided smoothly on the surface of the Huangpu River.
The lively music echoed across the deck. At this moment, Si Cong, Qin Fen, and the rest had gathered on the first-floor deck. The internet-famous beauties were armed with their phones, eager to seize the moment. It marked their inaugural experience aboard a lavish yacht, encircled by well-to-do individuals from the second generation. They snapped pictures with the intention of flaunting their presence on social media.
Zhou Chao, however, sat alone in front of the barbecue grill, deftly flipping various skewers. Immersed in the rhythmic music, his movements grew increasingly agile.
Qin Fen approached, holding two beer bottles. He offered one to Zhou Chao, who didn’t hesitate to accept it. With beer in hand and a couple of skewers to enjoy, the experience was simply delightful.
The ship’s ambiance was undeniably vibrant. Thankfully, it was winter, not summer. In the summer heat, bikini-clad internet celebrities would be quite the spectacle. It would be an ordeal for the affluent second-generation crowd. Yet, Zhou Chao was unfazed. He had successfully deterred four or five alluring women who had approached him for conversation.
“What’s wrong? Can’t find anyone to your liking?” Qin Fen found Zhou Chao’s approach intriguing. He hadn’t seen Zhou Chao cast a single glance at these internet celebrities.
Amidst his skewer-flipping, Zhou Chao, without looking up, replied, “1 have a girlfriend.” Qin Fen didn’t say much in response, recognizing that everyone had their own preferences.
Time passed quietly, and even Qin Fen joined the revelry. Only Zhou Chao seemed detached from the world, focused on roasting his skewers.
“Boss, the food is ready. Shall we serve it now?” Zhou Chao glanced at the darkening sky. Nodding at the crew members, he signaled them to proceed.
“Bring it all out. They’ve been playing for the entire afternoon and must be tired,” Zhou Chao said, taking the now-cooked skewers and heading toward the excited crowd.
“Si Cong, Qin Fen, let’s have a meal now and continue enjoying afterward. We still have plenty of time.”
As the trio danced closely with the internet-famous beauties, they halted upon hearing Zhou Chao’s call. Putting their activities on pause, they walked over to Zhou Chao.
“What’s going on?” The music had likely been too loud earlier, and Si Cong hadn’t caught Zhou Chao’s words clearly.
“I said let’s have a meal before we continue enjoying ourselves.”
“Understood.” Zhou Chao guided everyone to the second floor, a roomy U-shaped lounge area adorned with delectable dishes laid out on the tables. Everyone settled into their seats, with the exception of Zhou Chao’s section, where internet-famous beauties mingled among the others.
“George, bring over the items I gave you today.” George, standing by, went to the third floor as instructed, carrying the two bags from earlier.
“Boss, your items!” Zhou Chao took the items from George’s hands, inspected them, and then handed one of the bags to Si Cong, leaving him momentarily stunned.
“Zhou Chao, what are these?” Si Cong held the bag curiously, asking.
“A gift for you. Take a look and see if you like it.” As Si Cong opened the bag, he found a box inside.
“Richard Mille Meteorite Series?” Si Cong opened the box, unable to contain his astonishment.
“This is too expensive. 1 can’t accept such a gift!” Zhou Chao looked at Si Cong with a slightly exasperated expression.
“This is one of my least expensive watches. I was worried that if I got you something too pricey, you wouldn’t want it. So, I chose something more affordable.” Hearing Zhou Chao’s words, Si Cong and Qin Fen couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.
Sitting beside Si Cong, an inquisitive beauty asked, “Young Master Cong, how much does this watch cost?” Si Cong’s gaze turned towards her.
“Nearly 7 million yuan.” Si Cong’s words were like a bombshell, leaving the group of internet-famous individuals stunned for a moment. Their eyes then shifted to Zhou Chao, gleaming with admiration, but quickly dimmed again as they realized their own inadequacy.
Si Cong looked at Zhou Chao’s left wrist, sensing his gaze. Zhou Chao raised his left wrist, revealing a watch beneath his clothing.
“Hublot Bigbang?” The shocked exclamations from Si Cong and the others plunged the scene into silence once more.
“What’s the Hublot Bigbang?” Lao Piao, observing Si Cong and Qin Fen’s astonished expressions, asked curiously. Others nearby also turned their attention to the discussion.
“The Hublot Bigbang is valued at 38 million yuan. It’s crafted from a single diamond and adorned with 1,280 diamonds, a limited edition among limited editions!” Si Cong blurted out everything he knew in one go.
The entire group of people stared at Zhou Chao in shock, their expressions frozen. Lao Piao muttered “38 million!” repeatedly under his breath.
“Zhou Chao, then I won’t hold back.” Si Cong immediately removed his valuable 3 million Patek Philippe and replaced it with the Richard Mille Zhou Chao had given him.
The internet celebrities sitting around began to discuss animatedly. They took out their phones and searched, soon revealing expressions of shock on their faces.
Ignoring the chatter, Zhou Chao opened the second bag and took out three bottles of wine. He handed them to Si Cong, Qin Fen, and Qin Lang. They received the wine and began examining it.
“Is this the 1945 Domaine Romance Conti Grand Cru?” Qin Fen asked with a hint of uncertainty.
“Yes, I brought it back from Jingdu for you all to try. Since it’s Si Cong’s birthday today and everyone was already here, I decided to bring it from home.”
“Brother Chao, this is too extravagant!” Although Qin Lang criticized Zhou Chao’s extravagance, his actions weren’t consistent. He quickly opened the small wooden box and took out the bottle of wine. An astute internet-famous beauty had already brought over a decanter.
“You’re in for a treat tonight.” Si Cong embraced an internet-famous beauty beside him and said to a few others.
“Is this bottle of wine valuable?”
“Is it valuable? Just this bottle of wine is worth 3.8 million yuan. You’re asking if it’s valuable or not? You better thank Young Master Zhou quickly.” The group of internet-famous beauties promptly stood up and expressed their gratitude to Zhou Chao.
“Alright, let’s stop talking about that. Let’s have some wine and wish Si Cong a happy birthday.”
“Happy birthday, Si Cong!” Qin Fen, Qin Lang, and the others cheered. Of course, Lao Piao and internet celebrities referred to Si Cong as “Young Master Cong”.
The group of people continued playing until around 10 o’clock. Only then did Zhou Chao instruct George to steer the ship back to the yacht club’s dock. With the assistance of the internet-famous girls, Qin Fen and the others disembarked from the Dragonfly vessel.
“Brother Chao, I really appreciate everything you’ve done today.” Zhou Chao had gone out of his way to help him. In just one day, Zhou Chao had spent almost 20 million yuan. Si Cong understood that he owed Zhou Chao a significant debt of gratitude.
“Okay, let’s not dwell on that. The important thing is that everyone had a good time. Rest up and head back early.” Zhou Chao’s gaze shifted toward the internet-famous girl who was assisting Si Cong, and she guided him away.
Observing the chaotic state of the cabin, Zhou Chao turned to George and the other crew members.
“George, it’d be great if you could tidy up here. This 1 million yuan is your bonus for today. Divide it among yourselves.” Zhou Chao immediately transferred 1 million yuan to George’s account.
“Yay, thank you, Boss!” Seeing the joy on everyone’s faces, Zhou Chao left the Dragonfly and found a designated driver to take him back to The Palms Residence..