Chapter 123: This Opportunity Cannot Be Missed! Stunned!

After hanging up the phone, Lin Chu’s face reflected a mix of unusual emotions—joy and excitement alike. After all, he was just a kid from the countryside, and this was truly the first time he had experienced a bank branch manager personally calling to invite him out.

If people online saw this, they might say he lacked experience, but he believed those same people would be over the moon if they won just 20,000 yuan in a lottery.

Just as he was thinking this, another call came through. A very polite voice said, “May I speak to Mr. Chu? This is Li Dong, a technician from Chenbei Automation Equipment Co., Ltd. The automated feeding equipment you ordered for your 500-mu shrimp farming ponds is about to arrive at the delivery address...”

Previously, to cover for the game system, Lin Chu had directly ordered automated feeding and water flow equipment, and now it was finally arriving.

However, this automated farming system covering 400 mu had cost over four million yuan, with a final payment of 3.5 million yuan still due.

This was awkward.

The branch manager of China Merchants Bank had just called to invite him to a high-end private banking service, and now after paying 3.5 million, his account no longer had ten million yuan.

That was a bit uncomfortable.

Still, it wasn’t a big deal for him now.

He had already promised Mr. Wu and the others he could sell two pounds of rare white ambergris in advance.

At 6,000 yuan per gram, two pounds amounted to 6 million yuan.

That way, when he went to the bank for his black gold card, his balance would look better.

Sure enough, not long after, the roar of a large truck echoed outside. Lin Chu stepped out and saw a big box truck emblazoned with the Chenbei Automation Equipment Company logo, with a crane at the rear for unloading.

A middle-aged man accompanied by a team of workers got down, confirmed Lin Chu’s identity, and bowed respectfully. “Mr. Chu, hello. I’m Li Dong. I will personally oversee the installation of your equipment. If you have any questions about the equipment later, you can call me.”

“Thank you all for your trouble,” Lin Chu replied with a smile and a nod.

Li Dong was clearly a pure technician. After a brief introduction, he immediately got to work energetically directing his team to unload the equipment.

Soon, the first batch of equipment was moved into the farming site. When Li Dong saw the clear water in the ponds, he was somewhat surprised.

It was the first time he had seen shrimp ponds so crystal clear. Normally, such clarity was unsuitable for farming.

Did Mr. Chu not fear that his stock might die?

Moreover, looking at the live shrimps in the ponds, even the workers unloading the equipment murmured in surprise:

“Engineer Li, this farm is huge. Using all our equipment must have cost millions. Can shrimp farming here even break even?”

“Yeah, with such high costs, is the boss really just farming shrimp?”

“The costs are really huge.”

“Stop grumbling,” Li Dong hastily admonished.

He knew that the automated farming system covering 500 mu cost over four million yuan. Without raising premium aquatic products, the investment would never pay off.

Yet, seeing those ponds full of live shrimp, he was still incredulous.

With such a huge investment, could shrimp farming really bring profits?

He guessed Mr. Chu was perhaps just a wealthy man without much research, someone who acted on impulse.

But that was none of his business. His job was to assemble and test the automation equipment properly.

Installing all this automated farming equipment would take several hours. Lin Chu called Liu Fa to supervise Li Dong’s team and then returned to his bedroom, fetched a bag and a small electronic scale, and entered the Atlantis map with a thought to extract two pounds of ambergris to sell to Mr. Wu.

He went directly to where the Atlantis ambergris was stored, weighed out two pounds, put it in the bag, and exited the game.

Then, he took out his phone and called Mr. Wu.

“Mr. Chu, you’re calling me again—should I expect good news?” Wu Cuo answered warmly.

Lin Chu smiled. “Mr. Wu, here’s the good news. I promised you a batch of two pounds of rare white ambergris as soon as it arrived, so I’m calling to let you know.”

“Has the white ambergris arrived already?” Wu Cuo was pleasantly surprised.

Of course, he remembered the deal, but he hadn’t expected Mr. Chu to have the goods so soon.

He quickly asked, “Mr. Chu, are you free now? Why don’t you bring it over? I’ll wait at the company and inform Lao Lu and the others.”

Clearly, he was eager. When you buy one batch, that’s one less in the market. Who knew when the next batch would come? It never hurt to stock up a bit.

Lin Chu heard Wu’s urgency and agreed, then hung up and headed to Erbo Construction Group with the two pounds of Atlantis ambergris.

This wasn’t his first time at Erbo Construction, so he was quite familiar with the place.

As soon as he entered, Wu’s long-legged secretary in stockings was waiting for him.

“Mr. Chu, Mr. Wu sent me to escort you,” the secretary purred, leading the way with her shapely legs and perfectly curved hips.

One had to admit, Mr. Wu’s secretary had extraordinarily long legs and a striking figure. It was hard to imagine how many times Mr. Wu had “trained” her to achieve such curves.

No one believed Mr. Wu hadn’t been involved with his secretary.

Even if Mr. Wu was a gentleman, could the secretary not have feelings for such a boss?

Salespeople in luxury stores often delude themselves into thinking they are high-class and look down on others.

Secretaries like this, who spend their days with wealthy bosses, driving luxury cars and frequenting high-end venues, see the upper echelons of society. How could they resist such temptations?

To give a simple example, if she went to a luxury place with her boyfriend, they would have to wait in line for ages, sweating, only to be snubbed by staff. But with Mr. Wu, the boss, she could make reservations in advance, and the staff would greet her with the utmost respect and no hint of disrespect.

The contrast was immense.

Her boyfriend’s two months’ salary could barely buy a piece of jewelry, while Mr. Wu casually gifts items worth more than ten times that price. Who wouldn’t be moved?

It was impossible to remain indifferent.

There’s a saying: the best way to ruin a woman is to let her experience the heights of luxury and glory, to be pampered and elevated, and then let her fall. The shock of that fall is something she can never fully accept.

This explained why many women with some beauty but low salaries treat conditions for marriage proposals as nonchalantly as drinking cold water.

A 200-square-meter house fully paid, a car registered in her name, a 500,000 yuan annual salary—all barely enough.

Do you think she’s crazy, or just a naive countryside girl? Perhaps she had once tasted the high life, enjoyed wealth and honor, and been adored.

But after falling from that height, she could never accept it, unwilling to believe she was only ever being used.

“Mr. Chu, Mr. Wu is waiting inside,” the long-legged secretary smiled sweetly, opening the office door in invitation.

Lin Chu entered the office, where Mr. Wu had already brewed a pot of tea. Seeing him, he warmly stood up to greet him.

“Mr. Chu, please have some tea. It’s freshly brewed.”

Pouring the tea, he noticed the bag in Lin Chu’s hand and his eyes lit up.

Lin Chu smiled, sat down, took two sips, and found Mr. Wu’s tea quite pleasant.

“This tea isn’t expensive, but it’s rare,” Mr. Wu said with a smile.

“Mhm,” Lin Chu nodded and placed the Atlantis ambergris on the table. “Mr. Wu, take a look at this white ambergris.”

Wu Cuo eagerly examined the ambergris. He truly needed this product, and what Lin Chu brought was something rarely seen on the market.

He immediately picked up a piece, sniffed it, then carefully ground some onto a small flame lit nearby.

An intoxicatingly pure fragrance wafted out.

His eyes brightened even more.

Still as delightful as before.

The refreshing and soothing scent was the same rare treasure not often found in the market.

“Mr. Chu, we’ll take all two pounds,” Wu Cuo quickly said. “Lao Lu and the others have already transferred the money to me. I’ll pay you on their behalf, and we’ll divide it among ourselves later.”

He didn’t bother re-weighing, and this generous gesture left a good impression.

“All right,” Lin Chu nodded.

As long as he got the money, how they divided it was not his concern.

He didn’t linger long, enjoyed tea for a bit, then left. Not long after, he received the bank transfer notification—6 million yuan credited. Adding it to his previous 11 million, his balance reached over 17 million.

Back at the farm, he paid the taxes on the ambergris sale.

Paying the 3.5 million final installment on the automated farming equipment left a more respectable balance when he applied for the black gold card at China Merchants Bank.

By evening, Li Dong and his team had finished installing the automated equipment and taught Lin Chu’s team how to operate and perform simple maintenance checks.

Lin Chu had Liu Fa take notes.

After running tests to ensure everything worked well, Lin Chu signed the acceptance form and made the final payment, leaving a balance of about 13.2 million.

After Li Dong and his crew left, Lin Chu called Liu Fa over.

“Master Liu, did you remember all the key points they explained?”

“Yes, Mr. Chu, I did,” Liu Fa said quickly.

Lin Chu nodded. “You know, as these shrimp grow, someone has to be responsible for transporting and feeding their specialized feed. If you can handle it, I’ll give you a 5,000 yuan raise. If not, I’ll hire someone else...”

“Mr. Chu, just give it to me,” Liu Fa interrupted eagerly before Lin Chu could finish. “Why would I let someone else have that chance for an extra 5,000 yuan? I’m not busy now, and if needed, my son can help out.”

Five thousand yuan was more than his wife earned in a month.

“All right!” Lin Chu smiled. He trusted Liu Fa and wasn’t ready to hire new staff yet. Liu Fa’s eagerness was perfect.

As night fell, Lin Chu checked the time, took a shower, and headed to Linyao Restaurant. While driving, he received a message from Branch Manager Sun Chang about a reserved private room.

The reservation was for Room 07, a large private room with a long table, TV, sofas, and other leisure facilities.

Upon arrival, Cai Yao was at the door instructing the hall manager. Seeing Lin Chu, she teased with a smile, “Mr. Chu, it seems you care about our restaurant enough to come and inspect it.”

“I’m here because a branch manager from China Merchants Bank invited me to dinner and booked Room 07,” Lin Chu explained with a smile.

Cai Yao wasn’t surprised by the bank manager’s invitation. When she was general manager of Zhizhen Restaurant, branch managers often invited her out, since the restaurant chain’s daily funds and payroll were substantial. Maintaining good relations was necessary.

The hall manager, however, watched in surprise. In her mind, a bank branch manager was a big shot, and now he was inviting her boss to dinner—that meant her boss was impressive.

After Lin Chu went upstairs, Cai Yao checked the backend reservation details on her phone. The note indicated the reservation was indeed from a China Merchants Bank branch.

She told the hall manager, “Send some meal vouchers to Room 07 later. I’ll sign for them.”

“Okay, Ms. Cai.”

...

Lin Chu went straight to Room 07. Opening the door, he saw a middle-aged man and a stunningly beautiful woman with a perfect figure seated on the sofa.

His eyes immediately lit up.

It was her.

Inside, Sun Chang and Liu Xiaowan noticed Lin Chu enter.

Sun Chang, having seen Lin Chu’s information and photos, smiled and stood to greet him. “Mr. Chu, hello, I’m Sun Chang, the one who called you before.”

Liu Xiaowan was dumbfounded upon seeing Lin Chu, as involuntary memories of shameful moments flooded her mind.

(End of chapter)