What is the saying again? A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a prostitute; a prostitute is not as good as stealing, and stealing is not as good as what you can’t steal...

Ah... Wang Zhuo was still young then, and he hadn't felt the weight of this universal truth deeply enough. He wasn't married, so he couldn't yet distinguish between a wife and a concubine, nor had he ever paid for intimacy, since that elaborate dance with Qu Jingyou didn't count.

Although Wang Zhuo considered himself a man of principle, everyone else knew that his principles were sometimes ironclad, but at other times as thin as tracing paper. When he saw a beautiful woman, when he was by feminine allure, when the desire and urge to conquer flared up—hiss—the 250 instantly stood to attention, and that thin paper of principle was ripped apart!

So he "stole"! He truly stole! After having "slain" his enemy Qu Jingyou in the bedroom, he then took Yang Ru, a woman with a husband, a woman whose husband held a deep grudge against him!

Thus, the principle of never putting a cuckold's hat on another man was ruthlessly torn to shreds. Every time he recalled it, while savoring the pleasure Yang Ru had brought him, he couldn't help but wonder which principle would be the next to fall.

Having had that experience, Wang Zhuo finally understood why the thrill of "stealing" ranked above wives and concubines. Indeed, defiling another man's wife brought an unusual sensation layered on top of intimacy with his own women. Perhaps it was wicked and evil to think so, but he had to admit the sheer excitement was indescribable.

He remembered watching Man and Nature as a child; only the lion king held the right to mate with the lionesses in the pride. All adult females were his wives, to be played with however he wished. That’s why the lion king was always languid, treating mating with casual indifference.

But in some large prides, besides the king, there were other adult males, or nomadic males roaming the savanna. They too had physiological needs, and thus, the phenomenon of "stealing" occurred.

Wang Zhuo still recalled the illicit mating lions—virile and potent, appearing far more robust and powerful than the listless king. The lionesses, too, looked exhilarated, far more content than when they were with the king!

Back then, Wang Zhuo was young, merely curious why those magnificent males couldn't defeat the sluggish king. Now, Wang Zhuo finally understood. It turned out that lion societies, much like human ones, revealed that despite the king's harem, his satisfaction was often less than that of the males who cuckolded him, because for those males, the king's wives were "stolen goods"!

Uh... although he’d wandered a bit, he hadn't strayed entirely from the point! Bringing the topic back now, Wang Zhuo was currently driving a Hummer, a model discontinued for years, towards his meeting with Yang Ru, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Just half an hour ago, he was at a high-end club's billiard room, showcasing trick shots for several newly acquainted friends. Such flourishes, usually performed for spectators between professional frames, demanded high-level skill and control. Thanks to his clairvoyant analysis of the entire table and unparalleled execution ability, Wang Zhuo found such trickery effortless, always creating unexpected effects that drew thunderous applause.

To scatter eight racked red balls with one shot into a perfect heart formation—even among all the billiards masters on Earth, there was probably no one else who could manage that. The girls' screams and kisses went without saying, and commemorative photos were a given.

However, as soon as Yang Ru called, Wang Zhuo happily made his exit. Truthfully speaking, high-end clubs in the Capital were not lacking in beauties; one could describe them as a sea of loveliness. But when compared to Yang Ru’s caliber, only a handful could measure up. Wang Zhuo could proudly say that almost every one of his women, if brought here, would be the focus of male gazes and the envy of other women. Yet, only in circles of this echelon would they not stand out excessively. Thrown among ordinary people, each one would be a one-in-ten-thousand gem.

Yang Ru was also a one-in-ten-thousand, but speaking of her unique, fox-spirit-like face, perhaps one-in-a-hundred-thousand wouldn't be an exaggeration. Coupled with her status as a "married woman," hearing her summons immediately struck a chord deep within Wang Zhuo. After politely exchanging contact details with his new friends, he excused himself to the friend who had invited him to the club and left in a hurry.

This Hummer was part of An Guangjia’s collection, normally kept in Beijing. He often drove it when he was in the city. The day after Wang Zhuo arrived in Beijing, An Guangjia handed him the keys. After all, Wang Zhuo was by far the most influential among his friends, one of his most crucial connections. Never mind lending Wang Zhuo a car; he wouldn't hesitate to let Wang Zhuo use his residence too.

The Hummer was huge and powerful, exuding an aura of ostentatious dominance when driven. Because of its high chassis and elevated driving seat, one looked down upon passing vehicles, which lent the driver a certain sense of superiority.

However, Wang Zhuo already possessed ample superiority; he paid no mind to such trivial matters. If An Guangjia hadn't lent him this vehicle, he might have already visited several luxury dealerships in the past few days and casually purchased a new car.

Isn't that how human desire for wealth is—endless? People with modest means hesitate to lend out their cars, often sticking warning notes on the trunk: "Car and Wife Not for Lending," partly to avoid trouble, partly masquerading as cherishing their vehicle. But how can a car compare to a wife? If one had a garage full of brand-new luxury cars, able to buy whatever caught their eye at a car show, why worry about lending one vehicle to a good friend?

It all boiled down to money. Initially, Gan Lin couldn't understand why Wang Zhuo’s friends often borrowed his car. Her father even privately complained that his future son-in-law was too careless in this regard. But now, Wang Zhuo was planning to buy a decommissioned aircraft carrier to become "Captain Wang Zhuo's Pairo," and even Gan's father now owned two cars and often lent out his Toyota HiAce van to friends.

The place Yang Ru arranged for Wang Zhuo to meet was quite interesting: one of the Beijing branches of the New Beginning Beauty Chain.

Although Wang Zhuo was the actual owner of New Beginning Beauty Chain, none of the staff recognized him. Yang Ru, however, was a regular client there.

Just like humanity's endless pursuit of wealth, women’s pursuit of beauty is ceaseless, sometimes even to the point of excess. Thus, the world saw anorexia among beautiful women, depression from obesity, and addiction to plastic surgery...

One of Yang Ru's beauty treatments was a leg-slimming regimen. What made Wang Zhuo both amused and frustrated was that her slimming was controlled within a half-centimeter margin—meaning it was always maintained at one fixed circumference, never more than three millimeters thicker or two millimeters thinner than that specific measurement.

"This service is only available in developed nations, a treatment reserved for top-tier celebrities. In China, only New Beginning can achieve this level, and only six branches offer it."

Yang Ru spoke with conviction. Wang Zhuo, the boss, had never even heard of this program and scratched his head in confusion.

The two were currently in a hotel adjacent to the New Beginning beauty clinic, in a room booked by Yang Ru. As for why they met here, her explanation was: "It would be difficult to explain if someone saw us."

Wang Zhuo was heading to the UK in a couple of days to look at "goods." He was keeping this trip extremely low-profile; very few in the Capital's elite circles knew about it, and the same was true within the wealth club. There was no need to publicize such things; Wang Zhuo knew when to maintain discretion.

What Yang Ru meant by "difficult to explain" wasn't about their private affair, but rather the antagonistic relationship between the Yang family and Wang Zhuo during the recent Tongyuan Nonferrous Metals takeover battle. If people saw Wang Zhuo of Shengshi Dynasty sitting down for tea and chatting with Yang Ru of the Yang family at this juncture, it would inevitably spark unnecessary speculation, hence the need for avoidance.

"So, this service must be subscription-based, right? How much for a year?" Wang Zhuo asked casually.

"Eighty-eight thousand," Yang Ru shrugged. "And you need an introduction to even sign up. Most people can't get this package. Your two little women are quite good at making money."

"Only eighty-eight thousand? Not expensive at all," Wang Zhuo chuckled. "You must realize, the women needing this service have the most extreme demands for beauty—they are often big stars, wives of officials, or daughters of the wealthy. They don't lack money. Forget eighty-eight thousand; even at one hundred eighty-eight thousand, I think this program would be fiercely sought after."

"Shark," Yang Ru pointed at him, changing the subject. "Never mind that. The reason I asked you out today is to inquire: what is your relationship with Qu Jingyou?"

"You know her?" Wang Zhuo raised an eyebrow, studying Yang Ru's expression.

"Don't look at me like that; I haven't investigated you two," Yang Ru smiled faintly. "I was just curious, wondering why you would entrust Life Ark, with such a huge market in North America, to someone who lacks experience, connections, and seniority."

"You haven't answered my question yet?" Wang Zhuo glanced at her. Regardless of the conversation's content, the posture must be correct first. Only a superior could counter a question with another question; Yang Ru couldn't pull that off.

Seeing his arrogant stance, Yang Ru replied with annoyance, "She's surnamed Qu, I'm surnamed Yang. Is that answer enough?"

"Uh..." Wang Zhuo scratched his head. That answer was certainly sufficient. Though Beijing was large, the circle of high society was much smaller. Qu Jingyou and Yang Ru held similar statuses and were the same age. It would be strange if these two weren't acquainted, even if they weren't close!

Although he realized his question was rather simplistic, Wang Zhuo would never give Yang Ru a chance to gain the upper hand; suppressing her assertiveness was essential. This woman was definitely the type who would "rebel without a proper beating for three days."

"Since you know each other, why didn't you ask her directly instead of coming to me?" Wang Zhuo grinned, appraising Yang Ru, who was dressed entirely in plain white today. He thought she looked just like the White Snake Spirit. "Or are you worried that I might suddenly go back on my word regarding your Yang family's offer, and you specifically came to solidify our cooperation?"