Chapter 140: Find a Team First! The Factory Starts Running!

Zhao Mo had evidently anticipated this outcome, so she felt little disappointment at not receiving the answer she wanted.

Just then, her WeChat notifications began to chime in succession, drawing her attention to the messages on her screen. She had received several updates.

"Mo Mo, check Douyin! You're trending!"
"Mo Mo, you're amazing! A tycoon tipped 500,000 for just one song!"
"Zhao Mo, don't forget your friends when you're rich and famous!"

Zhao Mo looked at these messages with confusion. They were from fellow singers—some who performed in other bars, others who busked on the streets. She quickly opened a Douyin link attached to one of the messages. Upon clicking, she saw herself in a video, captured during her performance of the Cantonese song "Like You" at the Starlight Night Bar the previous evening.

The video was titled: "Starlight Night Bar in Min City: Tycoon drops 500,000 to request a song from this beautiful singer!"

The person who filmed it had not only captured her performance but had also positioned the camera perfectly to include the bar's large screen and the subtitles showing "Mr. Chu requests a song for 500,000" at the VIP booth. Crucially, the video already had over 100,000 likes. There were related videos below it, also filmed by bar patrons, several of which had also garnered tens of thousands of likes.

She had uploaded videos of herself singing before, but there were simply too many people who sang well and too many beautiful people online. Standing out was difficult; she hadn't even managed to touch the algorithm's traffic pool. She hadn't expected that the gimmick of Mr. Chu spending 500,000 on a single song would be enough to break her into that pool. The power of money was indeed formidable.

"What are you looking at?" Chu Lin asked curiously as he pulled Zhao Mo into his arms. Seeing the video, he said with surprise, "Who filmed this? It’s quite well-made."

It certainly was. It captured the 500,000-yuan gimmick, and more importantly, it perfectly showcased Zhao Mo's beauty and figure. His first reaction to the video, besides being caught by the 500,000-yuan figure, was her appearance, and only after that did he notice her singing. This was a standard response of financial desire mixed with aesthetic appreciation; talent was secondary.

He scrolled through the comments, and most netizens were just like him:
"Damn, I don't understand the world of the rich, but the lady is truly beautiful!"
"I scrolled past this earlier, but I had to come back. The lady named Mo Mo is just wow."
"The girl has a great figure. If I were rich, I’d definitely drop 500,000 on her too!"

Comments praising her singing were far fewer than those driven by greed or lust. It seemed last night had generated some heat for this "little water sprite," proving at the very least that she had the potential to go viral. However, he didn't know how to maintain that momentum or how to grow it—he wasn't a professional, and he suspected Zhao Mo didn't know either. There were too many beauties on Douyin; many got lucky and caught a wave of traffic, only to lose all relevance in a few days because they didn't know how to operate their accounts. The key was that nobody else was throwing money at them.

Thinking of this, he picked up his phone and called Wu Cuo. He recalled Huang Bin mentioning that there was a media company within the Minjiang Chamber of Commerce. Since he had taken Zhao Mo under his wing, if she wanted to be famous, he should help her. It was, after all, one of the reasons she was willing to be with him. Adults needed to handle things with grace. Besides, she was a top-tier girl with an innate "water-attribute magic." Just imagining it—if she became famous, many male fans would treat her as their goddess, but in the dead of night, that goddess would bashfully perform her water-attribute magic for him. That mental satisfaction would be a massive buff.

"Mr. Chu, it’s quite rare to get a call from you so early in the morning," Wu Cuo’s laughter came through the phone.

Chu Lin smiled. "Mr. Wu, sorry to bother you so early, but I heard there’s a media company in the Minjiang Chamber of Commerce. I was wondering if you could help me get in touch with them."

Zhao Mo was looking at the video and the likes, and upon hearing Chu Lin, she subconsciously looked at him, her face full of joy. She guessed Mr. Chu's intent, and her gaze softened with tenderness.

"Mr. Chu, why the sudden interest in a media company?" Wu Cuo asked, surprised. "Are you looking to advertise your cooking wine?"

Chu Lin explained, "I just want someone to put together a team for operations, editing, filming, and outreach. If they have songs suitable for a girl to sing, I’d like to buy a couple."

Wu Cuo was a sharp man. Hearing the last sentence, he understood exactly what was going on and chuckled, "Call Old Li. You met him at my office before; he holds shares in that media company."

An image of a lean figure appeared in Chu Lin’s mind—one of the four people present in Mr. Wu's office during his first sale of White Dragon Saliva. He had added their contact information. After hanging up with Wu Cuo, he dialed the number for Mr. Li.

As soon as the call connected, Mr. Li’s voice came through: "Mr. Chu, I didn't expect to hear from you. I happen to be using the White Dragon Saliva I bought from you right now."

"Mr. Li, I’m actually calling to trouble you with something," Chu Lin said with a smile. "Mr. Wu mentioned you hold shares in a media company. I’m looking to hire a media team and was hoping you could recommend one. I assume the company has people who write music, too? I’d like to buy a couple of songs for a girl to sing."

Mr. Li immediately replied, "Mr. Chu, that’s a small matter. I can arrange it for you. But I’ve heard you have another type of high-quality liquor in your possession—don't forget about me!"

Chu Lin understood. "Mr. Li, I actually just received two bottles. They were supposed to be reserved for someone else, but I’ll set them aside for you!" Sure enough, men of a certain age all faced the same common problems.

"Then many thanks, Mr. Chu," Mr. Li said. "What requirements do you have for this media team? I’ll make arrangements and then set up a meeting."

Chu Lin thought for a moment. "They need to be highly skilled, and they must all be women. No men on the team. Anything else can be up to standard."

Hearing this, Zhao Mo subconsciously looked up at him, the corners of her mouth curling upward. All women? Was he afraid she would have contact with men? Was this possessiveness? She felt a sudden, small surge of happiness.

Chu Lin hung up and said to her, "Mo Mo, I know you want to be famous and become a singer, but given the current state of the industry, don't think about being a 'singer' just yet. Try being an influencer first. Once you have a name online, we’ll see about the rest."

"Mhm," Zhao Mo nodded bashfully. "Mr. Chu, thank you."

"How are you going to thank me?" Chu Lin asked with a playful smile. "By letting me watch the fountain performance again?"

"Mr. Chu..." Zhao Mo felt embarrassed. She had never experienced this kind of thing before. It was mainly because Mr. Chu’s stamina was just too much, triggering her physical reaction.

Time passed. What was meant to happen, happened. Soon, a fair amount of spring water was spilled on the floor. If they had been on the bed, they would have had to pay for the ruined sheets.

On the sofa, Zhao Mo said, her face flushed with shyness, "Mr. Chu, do you really like seeing me in that state?"

"Is there any man who wouldn't?" Chu Lin teased. "A little water sprite like you is one in a million."

Hearing this, Zhao Mo felt a little less shy and a little more proud. She hadn't realized that bed-wetting could be a virtue. Still, the nickname "little water sprite" was so embarrassing. Emboldened, she asked, "Mr. Chu, can I call you Brother Lin in the future?"

She had her own little motives. Since she was under his wing, she would inevitably have to go out with him, and her friends might even meet him. If she were held by him and still called him "Mr. Chu," anyone would find it strange, and strangers would easily guess their relationship. Calling him Brother Lin sounded intimate, and those who didn't know would assume they were a couple—after all, Chu Lin was so young. It was a form of self-deception.

Chu Lin looked at her seriously. "Actually, in private, you can call me 'Daddy'."

"Daddy!" Zhao Mo whispered, her bright, watery eyes gazing at him. The sincerity in her voice made Chu Lin’s scalp tingle; a wave of indescribable satisfaction flooded his nerves.

Perfect! Absolutely perfect! Next time the little water sprite performed her water-attribute magic, he would definitely make sure she used that title.

Because he needed to return to the farm to transport the prawns, Chu Lin looked at Zhao Mo, who was exhausted from the exertion, and said, "Stay here at the hotel. I'll cover the room fee for another day. When you're rested, there's a brand-name clothing store downstairs—go buy a couple of outfits; I’ll reimburse you. I’ll come pick you up once there’s news about the team." With that, he pulled out his phone and transferred 52,000 to his water-magic girl.

Looking at the transfer amount, Zhao Mo couldn't help but kiss Chu Lin on the cheek. She finally understood why even celebrities were willing to be kept.

Chu Lin left the hotel shortly after and returned to the farm. He immediately entered the Atlantis map to transport the freshly spawned prawns, oysters, and blue-ringed jellyfish. Not long after, Huang Bin called regarding their appointment to sign the contract for the cooking wine processing plant. After hanging up, he called Miss Cai to inform her.

"You found a factory that fast?" Miss Cai sounded surprised. "Perfect. I’ve already purchased a batch of materials according to your formula. We can start by producing a test batch of the cooking wine once the contract is signed."

"Mr. Chu, I’m having coffee with Liu Ling right now. I didn't drive, so come pick me up and we’ll head to the Linyao Restaurant together."

"Understood." After hanging up, Chu Lin received the location of the café from her. He drove out of the farm and arrived quickly, spotting Miss Cai waiting on the side of the street. Even in a simple white T-shirt with a low neckline, she was incredibly radiant, her presence striking. She was the kind of woman who made it impossible to look away.

Chu Lin smiled as he walked toward her. Looking at her, he suddenly felt like inviting her for a drink—and getting her drunk.

Liu Ling teased as he approached, "Yao Yao, your man is here. You can get lost now."

Cai Yao rolled her eyes; she didn't want to get into that with her best friend. No matter how she explained that she and Mr. Chu weren't in that kind of relationship, her friend never believed her.

"Mr. Chu, let’s go!" Cai Yao beckoned, and they walked toward the car together.

Before long, they arrived at Linyao Restaurant, where Huang Bin was waiting with the owner of the factory. They signed the contract, and since Cai Yao was managing the Linyao side of things, she handled the signature.

"Mr. Chu, Ms. Cai, since you intend to keep the existing staff, I will notify them," the factory owner said, clearly in high spirits about selling the factory and being very cooperative.

Afterward, Chu Lin accompanied Cai Yao to the industrial and commercial bureau to register the factory's information, then took her to visit the facility. Since they were keeping the old staff, they needed to evaluate them and interview the management. Cai Yao handled all of this. Chu Lin considered himself incapable of such details—he was like Han Xin, responsible for leading the troops; he would leave the specifics to his generals.

Miss Cai was quite adept at this. For instance, she interviewed the production line manager, asking a series of questions that left him speechless, ultimately firing him on the spot. Chu Lin watched from the side, finding Miss Cai's swift and decisive manner quite pleasing to the eye. Furthermore, this sharp, professional demeanor was a complete extreme from her bashful, delicate side in private. This damn contrast was just too charming. No wonder "contrast" characters were so popular in modern cinema.

Once the staff issues were sorted, Miss Cai had new contracts delivered for the employees to sign. With everything done, she called her new assistant, Wu Ying, to give instructions: "Xiao Ying, arrange for the cooking wine materials we purchased to be transported to the factory. I’ve sent you the address."

Before long, Wu Ying arrived with a transport fleet. Miss Cai immediately arranged for the handover with the remaining management. The factory management, clearly aware of the new female CEO's sharp style, didn't dare to drag their feet. Since the factory was already designed for cooking wine, there was no need to change the production lines—only the sequence and the ingredients were different, so they could begin production immediately.

Chu Lin watched the process closely; no one knew the formula for this cooking wine better than he did. However, with assembly line production, as long as the data, steps, and ratios were set correctly, there would be no problems. Soon, vats of prepared cooking wine were ready, waiting to ferment for a week.

Seeing the finished product, Miss Cai’s face was filled with joy; this was her first product outside of the restaurant business, and she felt a sense of accomplishment. Beside her, Wu Ying was equally excited, having participated in the entire process. She knew clearly just how much of a shock this cooking wine would bring to the market once promoted.

Seeing the production line running smoothly, Cai Yao left Wu Ying to monitor it and asked Chu Lin to drop her back at the Linyao Restaurant office. Once she sat in the passenger seat, she asked, "Mr. Chu, since the wine will be ready in a week, we should start thinking about packaging and advertising. Time is tight. Even if we promote it through Huiyong Supermarkets, we’ll need a big advertising campaign."

"I’ve looked at recent cooking wine advertisements. They all hire champion athletes or beautiful actresses to star in them. The plots are usually them cooking for their families. It’s a trope we can learn from. Finding a beautiful woman to cook will always attract attention, and once we have their attention, they’ll see our product, right?"

Hearing this, Chu Lin’s mind drifted to the image of Miss Cai wearing an apron, looking enticing. He looked straight at her and said, "Ms. Cai, I think you’re perfect for it. If you film an ad, you’ll attract attention the moment you appear."

"I can't!" Cai Yao shook her head quickly; she didn't like being in the spotlight. She joked, "Mr. Chu, why don't you handle this too? You men have a better eye for beauty than we do. But Linyao can't afford anyone too expensive."

When Chu Lin heard this, the image of Zhao Mo resting at the hotel surfaced in his mind. The little water sprite was not only beautiful but also incredibly cheap. More importantly, she wanted to be famous, and filming an ad was a great path—it would be seen by many on supermarket screens. If she did well, she could even upload it to Douyin as a high-quality "kitchen series" short video, couldn't she?