"Heh, turns out the sports commissioner from our university is gay. No wonder I always felt his gaze was off. The snacks that inexplicably appeared in my drawer were actually from him, not Ding Yi as I had thought."

"Huh? So I actually met Yajing back in university, and even ate back-to-back in the cafeteria without noticing..."

"Ding Yi... sigh."

Walking and stopping, Zhou Wang saw that brilliant figure countless times in the background, in those corners he had once ignored, in the book belonging to his university years.

The young are always stubborn and innocent. If he had put down his so-called dignity, if there hadn’t been those intentional distances, he and Ding Yi might have already been together...

Though, because of the gap in family background, there wouldn’t have been a good ending.

Coldly observing his memories, Zhou Wang made his own judgment.

Furthermore, with his current mindset, he could easily calculate that in the past 22 years, he had missed 4 chances to change his fate, 19 opportunities to make a fortune, and at least 2 instances to become a man sooner...

But this is the life a normal person should experience.

Missed opportunities and regrets are always the main theme.

After all, even starting over, with the same understanding, we would make the same choices.

This is the mediocre "ordinary person."

Having understood the "Memory Palace" mode, Zhou Wang did not linger; with a blink of his eyes, his consciousness returned to reality.

He hadn’t forgotten his purpose, which was to resolve the potential public relations crisis caused by BlackPink, prompting him to put on the mask.

Picking up a pen from the desk, he spun it once between his fingers, and his mind had already generated several plans. His thoughts produced even more plans easily.

The problem was easily solved.

Every plan was completely feasible in reality, and the results varied... depending entirely on how far Zhou Wang wanted to go.

What he had to do now was simply select the most suitable plan from the 27 options that had instantly emerged in his mind.

"Simply resolving public relations is too easy; I must ensure they pay a certain price."

Thinking indifferently, Zhou Wang quickly made a choice.

On the paper, he began to write and sketch, instantly forming a straightforward plan. All steps were clear, only needing detail filling.

In total, it took less than three minutes to resolve the matter. Zhou Wang reached to remove the mask but hesitated.

After experiencing this, the feeling of possessing extraordinary thinking was just too wonderful.

His brain was like a high-speed computer, completely surpassing the limits of normal humans; in other words, as long as he kept wearing the mask, he was a true "genius."

From now on, nothing could challenge him; he would truly become that "Mr. Zhou" in Li Youlong and others’ eyes.

He could do whatever he wanted, play with the world, satisfy all his desires, and break free from all worldly shackles...

But when Zhou Wang noticed his hand lowering, he was startled, hurriedly reaching his forehead at light speed, then tore off the [Demon Mask].

"Phew..."

Zhou Wang breathed heavily while keeping alert.

He felt bewitched moments ago, as if a voice had been telling him not to remove the mask. Thinking about it now was truly terrifying.

"This ’mask’ is indeed sinister; it must be used cautiously, lest one completely loses oneself."

Luckily, Zhou Wang had experienced the "side effect halo" yesterday, making him particularly sensitive to the feeling of releasing the inner beast. Detecting trouble, he quickly removed the mask.

Swiftly putting the [Mask] back into the warehouse, Zhou Wang left [Jhin’s Stage Costume] on the desk.

According to the plan he just outlined, this costume that could enhance his persuasive speech was a crucial part of the plan, and didn’t need to be put away for now.

In addition, a tool needed to be exchanged from the Reputation Store.

Zhou Wang opened the "Mysterious Store" and soon found what he needed:

"Industry One-Yuan Acquisition Card (Intermediate), price: 2 million Reputation Value."

Zhou Wang had previously received such "Industry One-Yuan Acquisition Card" from system rewards, but those were "Basic" cards, with a maximum acquisition value of no more than 100 million.

All three levels of "Industry Acquisition Cards" were available for purchase in the Mysterious Store.

Basic card priced at 200,000 Reputation Value, Intermediate card at 2 million Reputation Value, while Advanced card at 20 million, being out of Zhou Wang’s reach at this stage.

The Intermediate card, corresponding to industry value, increased from 100 million to 1 billion.

Currently, after redeeming the Intermediate [Business Plan], Zhou Wang had just over 2 million Reputation Value accumulated from recent gains.

Exchanging this Intermediate "Industry Acquisition Card" was essentially going all-in.

But it was no problem; Zhou Wang deemed it worthwhile.

After reviewing his scribbles again, Zhou Wang picked up his phone and made a series of calls.

...

About an hour later, having completed all arrangements, Zhou Wang stretched lazily.

He trusted the execution abilities of Jiang Qingkui and others, now just needing to wait for the plan to take effect step by step.

Rubbing his temples, Zhou Wang recalled there was a reward from last night he hadn’t seen.

The "First Blood" reward from Cui Min’er.

...

Ding!

[A night of spring breeze, as though crying and complaining]

[Detected Host engaging in first-time relations with a high-quality female, earning "First Blood" reward]

[Host receives permanent item: Cui Min’er’s Servant Treasure Box]

...

?

Seeing the system message missed last night, Zhou Wang’s mind was filled with question marks.

Unlocking Cui Min’er violently last night... actually yielded a treasure chest?

But what is this "Servant Treasure Box"? It sounds rather dubious.

Muttering, Zhou Wang, with a thought, extracted the [Servant Treasure Box] reward to the system warehouse.

It was at this moment that Zhou Wang could see the text description on it.

[Cui Min’er’s Servant Treasure Box: contains "Lat Long spray" x1, "Naked Sensation Divine Artifact" x1, "Obedient Collar" x1]

???

Upon seeing the items inside the treasure chest, Zhou Wang’s mind filled with even more question marks.

Are these items... legitimate?

Are they what I imagine?

With some confusion and much excitement, Zhou Wang took out the three items from the treasure box and scrutinized them.

Moments later, Zhou Wang understood.

Yes, they are all legitimate tools...

The [Lat Long spray] grants Zhou Wang traits of endurance at night, beneficial for labor, allowing him to work for extended periods compared to before.

The [Naked Sensation Divine Artifact] allows him to sleep with a sense of lightness and skin-touch comfort, making sleepwear unnecessary.

As for the [Obedient Collar], it’s intended for female partners, mainly aligning personalities for harmony, reducing disputes, and enhancing relationship harmony.

In conclusion, these tools are perfectly legitimate and straightforward.

...Zhou Wang solemnly laid them out, storing them in a small bag, planning to carry them with him.

He was genuinely thrilled.

Su Yajing and Shen Yutong provided material rewards, but aids promoting physical health like these are invaluable.

Nonetheless, seeing the system’s judgment criteria, Zhou Wang understood.

Cui Min’er was categorized as a "high-quality female," on par with Yajing... possibly only just reaching the minimum threshold, but considering the [Soul Greeting Card] reward not being materialistic, the system’s logic becomes apparent.

Overall, this was a big win!