31: Into the Tiger's Den (A Long Chapter of 3,000 Words)

After comforting Qin Qing and Yang Li, Wang Chen immediately began his "fishing" plan.

He had Yang Li call her cousin Jiang Hao back. Following Wang Chen's instructions, Yang Li changed her tone from previous anger to a mix of belief and doubt: "Xiao Hao, about that project you mentioned, I have a friend—the one you saw on my wechat Moments last time, the one driving a Mercedes-Benz and living in a mansion—he heard about it and is really interested! He thinks this might actually be an opportunity!"

On the other end of the line, Jiang Hao's voice seemed to rise an octave.

"Really, Sis?! Your friend is actually interested? He's a big boss!"

"Mm-hmm, his surname is Wang, I call him Brother Chen. He asked me to ask you, how exactly do we check it out?" As she spoke, Yang Li, following Wang Chen's request, sent over a few photos she had previously taken of the mansion's interior and the Mercedes-Benz.

Not long after the photos were sent, Jiang Hao's excited voice immediately came through.

"Sis! Don't worry! Leave this to me! I'll report it to our 'leader' right away! It's an honor for a big boss like President Wang to come inspect us!"

Watching the conversation on Yang Li's phone, Wang Chen's lips curled into a slight smile. Sure enough, the fish had taken the bait.

A short while later, the delivery people sent by the furniture store and Old Liu from the antique shop arrived. Wang Chen and the two women directed the furniture store's installers to place the curio shelves and display cabinets in the study. Then, the three of them arranged the "picked-up" antiques one by one on the shelves.

Instantly, the previously empty study took on an antique, elegant air, full of class. Anyone who didn't know better would think they'd entered the treasure vault of a private museum.

As she arranged the items, Yang Li clicked her tongue in amazement. "Brother Chen, looking at your study now, I'd believe it's worth hundreds of millions!"

Qin Qing also looked at Wang Chen with starry eyes. "Husband, you're amazing!"

With everything set up, Wang Chen decided to take matters into his own hands. He proactively added Jiang Hao on wechat.

He directly sent a voice message, his tone carrying a trace of a successful person's authority and "curiosity" about the new project.

"Xiao Hao, right? I'm Wang Chen, a friend of Yang Li's. Hearing her talk about your project, it sounds interesting. I happen to be free tomorrow and can come by for an on-site visit."

The message was sent, and Jiang Hao replied almost instantly, but the content made Wang Chen raise an eyebrow.

Jiang Hao (Voice): "President Wang! Welcome! A warm welcome! But... I'm really sorry, we have a senior leader coming for an inspection tomorrow, so I'm afraid we won't be able to host you properly. How about the day after? We'll prepare specially to receive you alone!"

Wang Chen sneered inwardly. What "leader inspection"? Clearly, they needed time to report up the chain and set up the "battlefield."

He replied cheerfully: "Alright, then the day after. Send me the address."

In a rented apartment in a residential district of Wan City.

Jiang Hao excitedly said to the "recommender" beside him: "Brother Liang, that President Wang agreed, he's coming the day after. My sister even sent photos—living in a huge luxury apartment, driving a million-dollar luxury car. He's definitely loaded!"

The man Jiang Hao called Brother Liang also looked excited. He said to Jiang Hao: "Good! I'll help you contact the support staff and arrange a house right away. We must keep him here!"

...For the next day, Wang Chen waited peacefully in Yi City, casually enjoying Qin Qing's meticulous "care" and Yang Li's various mischievous "harassments."

Early on the third day, after confirming with Jiang Hao again, Wang Chen drove his white Mercedes-Benz GLE and embarked on the "inspection" trip to Wan City, Hui Province. Before getting on the highway, he even took a photo of the toll booth and a selfie, sending them to Jiang Hao to reassure him.

On the other side, Jiang Hao received the photos Wang Chen sent and excitedly put down his phone. He said to the other man and two women already arranged at the "home": "He's coming! He's really coming! A rich guy driving a Mercedes-Benz!"

The "home" he referred to was actually a "combined family" arranged by the pyramid scheme organization. The other three were his "roommates" and also internal "support personnel."

One of them, a young man who seemed to be the leader, immediately became serious.

"Everyone, perk up! This is a big fish! Report it up immediately! Tidy up our place again, make the atmosphere good! Also, Jiang Hao, have your recommender invite two more lively 'atmosphere group' girls who know how to handle things. We must keep this President Wang here!"

With Wang Chen's arrival, Jiang Hao's side began their "meticulous preparations," which we'll set aside for now.

After several hours of driving, Wang Chen followed the navigation to a newly built residential district in Wan City.

As soon as the car stopped, Jiang Hao and a young man who had been waiting downstairs rushed up with beaming smiles.

"President Wang! You must be tired from the journey!" Jiang Hao enthusiastically opened the car door, while the other man quickly handed over a bottle of mineral water.

Wang Chen sized up the somewhat green but fanatical-looking young man before him and nodded.

"You're Xiao Hao, right? Let's go, take me up to have a look."

The so-called "home" was a well-decorated three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment, cleaned spotlessly. It seemed they had spared no expense to keep Wang Chen.

Besides Jiang Hao and the man called Brother Liang who had greeted him, there were also two young girls at home. Seeing Wang Chen, they both showed very "sincere" smiles.

"Hello, President Wang!"

"President Wang, please have a seat!"

Sitting on the sofa and surveying the situation at home, Wang Chen casually asked: "Xiao Hao, where are your parents?"

Jiang Hao hurriedly explained: "President Wang, my parents don't live here. They said there's a generation gap with us young people, so they're sharing a rented place with a few other uncles and aunties."

Wang Chen understood perfectly well—they were probably afraid Jiang Hao's parents would say the wrong thing.

Through Jiang Hao's introduction, the young man was named Hu Liang, also from Yi City. The taller girl was named Chen Mengqi, from Lu Province, and the other was named Fang Lulu, from Xiang Province.

They sat and chatted for a while, mostly them showering Wang Chen with flattery, pouring out compliments as if they were free!

In the evening, just as Wang Chen had expected, two more young girls, dressed more beautifully and more open-minded, He Li and Xiang Tingting, came over to "visit," claiming they wanted to witness the charm of a big boss like Wang Chen.

Looking at this lineup, Wang Chen inwardlyMake complaints. It seemed they were going to use the honey trap on him too!

After finishing the carefully prepared "feast," the atmosphere group started to "exert their strength."

He Li suggested they all play cards, with the loser having to stick paper strips on their foreheads. After getting Wang Chen's agreement, she and Xiang Tingting "sandwiched" Wang Chen between them, left and right. The four girls, plus Jiang Hao and Wang Chen, played a six-person game of Dou Dizhu. As for Hu Liang, he said he had something to handle and hid alone in a room.

Wang Chen knew he was going to "report on work."

But since the other side wanted to put on a show, he would play along.

They played until 11 PM. The four girls ended up with paper strips all over their faces, especially He Li and Xiang Tingting, whose "resentful" gazes never left him.

Wang Chen didn't have a single strip on his face. With his current memory, dealing with these small fry was a piece of cake.

As for Jiang Hao, since the four girls couldn't beat Wang Chen, they shifted their target and "took care" of Jiang Hao, pasting so many layers on his face they could barely fit any more!

When it was time to sleep, thankfully, Wang Chen was given a separate room. If he had to share a bed with a man, he probably would have run off to stay in a hotel.

The next day, according to the "process," it was time to take Wang Chen to experience the local customs and build trust.

When setting out, at Wang Chen's "reasonable" request, the four young ladies—He Li, Xiang Tingting, Chen Mengqi, and Fang Lulu—got into his car, while Jiang Hao and Hu Liang had to miserably take a taxi to lead the way.

Along the journey, the most beautiful ones, He Li and Xiang Tingting, linked arms with Wang Chen on either side, practically clinging to him. They called him "Brother Chen" sweetly and coquettishly, hinting at the bright prospects of this industry and the "happy life" after success.

Wang Chen was happy to enjoy it too. With his arms being held, he could even get some "accidental benefits." He felt delighted inwardly but had to maintain the appearance of a successful big shot on the surface.

During lunch, after careful consideration, Wang Chen said to the girls: "I came out in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts for you beauties. After we eat, let's go to the mall. Each of you can pick out a set of cosmetics and some clothes, as a small token of my appreciation."

At the mall, Wang Chen didn't buy anything too expensive. He just bought each of the four girls a set of cosmetics worth a few hundred yuan and a dress worth around a thousand yuan.

For Jiang Hao, considering Yang Li's sake, Wang Chen also bought him a set of clothes. However, Jiang Hao insisted on getting a full "salesman" outfit.

This move of his, in the eyes of He Li and the others, undoubtedly solidified Wang Chen's image as a "rich, gullible tycoon." Their gazes grew even more fervent, and their service became even more attentive.

Of course, their backing team was also overjoyed, thinking they had hit the jackpot.

Returning to the "home" in the evening, surrounded by the four girls' "tender and gentle" attention, Wang Chen expressed that he was indeed very interested in this life-changing project and wanted to formally learn more about it the next day.

On the third day, the real "brainwashing" began.

In a single day, Jiang Hao and Chen Mengqi took Wang Chen, rushing like they were hopping between venues, to four different "families."

Each home had only one person who appeared to be a "friend" but was actually a lecturer. Facing a white paper filled with various geometric shapes and numbers, theyHe explained at length. "the Five-Level, Three-Advancement System," "secret national support," and "the 1040 sunshine project."

Wang Chen acted like a "curious baby" the whole time, occasionally asking some seemingly foolish questions, which made the lecturers even more enthusiastic.

After playing along with them all day, by evening, Wang Chen didn't want to waste any more time here. In front of the four, plus He Li and Xiang Tingting who had come to "visit" again, he clearly stated that there was no need to learn more later—he could join right now.

After saying this, he took out his phone and "accidentally" tapped open his mobile banking app,Just enough for them to see the balance., then "hurriedly" closed it.

Over four million!

In an instant, the entire room suddenly fell silent.

Jiang Hao and Hu Liang's eyes widened, their breathing becoming rapid.

He Li and the other three girls covered their mouths, their eyes radiating unconcealable excitement!

Looking at their faces, twisted with excitement, Wang Chen felt a flicker of pity in his heart.

Pyramid schemes have ruined how many ordinary people, causing families to be torn apart!!!"