Chapter 20: Damn, That’s Impressive!

The girl who got into the passenger seat of Chu Lin’s car certainly had the looks, and her outfit was undeniably sexy—the sort that never lacks for admirers among ordinary men. Still, she wasn’t quite at the level where Chu Lin would feel justified in letting his “second brother” make a move. Even when he had no money, his own good looks were never in doubt.

What do women want from men? Either wealth, or a handsome face, or skills in bed. The first is by far the most important. The latter two together can sometimes rival the first, and he had always possessed those latter two qualities. So, in this regard, he’d never let his “second brother” suffer.

“Hey, handsome, how much for this drink?” The girl, seeing Chu Lin lost in thought, asked again.

Chu Lin understood what she meant and replied with a wry smile, “Five yuan a bottle.”

“???” The girl was clearly stunned, and repeated, “Handsome, I’m asking how much for the drink?”

“Five yuan a bottle,” Chu Lin repeated.

Huang Bin, that troublemaker. If you’re going to set up drinks, at least bring over a girl who meets my standards.

The girl frowned, then said bluntly, “Two thousand yuan a bottle.”

“Miss, you must be joking. Two thousand yuan could buy four hundred bottles,” Chu Lin sighed again. With someone else, maybe they’d have taken the girl up on her offer, but he really did have his standards. He wasn’t so desperate as to lower them anymore. He was good-looking, skilled in bed, and now he drove a Panamera.

“Handsome, you’re not thinking of getting a freebie, are you?” The girl teased, suddenly looking at Chu Lin with a mischievous glint. “But for someone as good-looking as you, I suppose I could make an exception.”

“Damn...” Chu Lin finally understood. It wasn’t that he was angling for a freebie—she was trying to get one from him!

No wonder, even with all his posturing, she hadn’t seemed to get it—she was acting just as much. There’s a saying that these days, it’s not just men who are perverts; women can be just the same.

“Alright, let’s drop the act,” Chu Lin said frankly. “I’ll transfer you two thousand, ask you one question, and once you’ve answered, you get out.”

“Tch, so what if you’re young and drive a luxury car? Think you’re too good for me?” The girl looked displeased but, without hesitation, took out her phone and opened her payment QR code.

Chu Lin transferred two thousand directly.

With the money in hand, the annoyance vanished from her face. “Handsome, ask whatever you like!”

“You go to Min City Art Academy, right? Then you must know Lin Nian. What’s her deal?” Chu Lin got straight to the point.

At the mention of that name, the girl’s expression turned scornful. “So you have your sights set, huh? But who doesn’t know Lin Nian? She’s famous in our department. Used to date some rich second-generation guy, was pretty high-profile, though he was just playing around.”

“And now? Still a big name in our circles. We’re all out here trying to make a living, but she always pretends she just got in the wrong car by mistake, acting all superior. There’s plenty about her on our school forum—you can check for yourself.”

Satisfied with the answer, Chu Lin sent the girl on her way, then logged into the forum for Min City Art Academy himself. The girl hadn’t exaggerated.

Huang Bin had gone running after her as soon as he saw her. Chu Lin really hoped he wouldn’t succeed. Just as he was thinking that, Huang Bin sent a message: “Chu Lin, something’s come up on my end. Head back first, no need to wait for me.”

Chu Lin read the message and sighed. Looks like he’d caught up. The whole situation was a bit ridiculous, like running into your first love working at a massage parlor. There’s that lyric: “The sudden news—that person is you!” That was exactly Huang Bin’s situation.

Just then, his phone rang—it was Master Hu, calling to say the five-hundred-acre tidal flat reclamation project was nearly complete.

Chu Lin started the car and drove back. When he returned to the shrimp farm, he went straight through the connecting area to his newly leased five hundred acres of coastal tidal flats. By the time he arrived, the workers were already wrapping up the final tasks.

The entire five hundred acres were now enclosed. With the blessing stones from Atlantis, there was no need to fuss about internal partitions.

“Boss Chu, you’re here,” Master Hu greeted him. “Half an hour more and we’re done. If anything comes up, just call me. And, of course, if there’s more work, I hope you’ll remember us.”

Chu Lin readily agreed. Whether he’d call them again in the future didn’t depend on his answer now, but on how well this job was done. If problems cropped up soon, no matter what promises he made today, there’d be no next time.

Master Hu’s timing was precise—they finished right on schedule. Chu Lin spent another half hour inspecting the site, signed off on the acceptance form once satisfied, and paid the final installment.

After spending over 1.88 million on the Panamera, his bank balance, which had been over 3.89 million, was now down to just over 1.8 million.

As the workers left, they couldn’t help glancing at the Panamera parked in the steel-framed yard.

“That car’s over a million, right?”

“That’s a Panamera, must be the new ride of Boss Chu.”

“Impressive, to be driving something like that at his age.”

“No kidding. Think of my kid—still taking the subway. Wants to get married, but the bride price is two hundred thousand, and he only has fifty. And then there’s the down payment for a house…”

Their sighs were collective. They were all facing the same issues: children of marriageable age.

Master Hu remarked, “Maybe Boss Chu’s parents are well-off, letting him skip twenty years of struggle?”

The workers fell silent—defenses pierced. The implication was clear: they couldn’t spare their own children twenty years of hardship.

…

After Master Hu and the others left, Chu Lin entered his game world and took out the remaining Atlantis blessing stones. His newly leased five hundred acres were a front for upgrading and refreshing a second type of aquatic animal. The first order of business was to lay out the blessing stones.

There were enough stones left to cover the entire five hundred acres. Chu Lin brought them out one by one. The water was at its normal level, just over a meter deep. He dove in, burying the stones and marking each spot for easy retrieval if necessary.

This took some time. Only then did he remember Huang Bin and tried calling him, but only got a “temporarily unavailable” message.

Chu Lin hung up, helpless, and did a round of the shrimp pools before returning to his office. The prefab steel structure made for a low-cost but spacious office. He thought it could use a tea table—useful for hosting guests over tea. While drinking is the norm in business, southerners still prefer tea, and any proper shop or office felt incomplete without a tea table.

He browsed online and ordered a table and tea set. He also ordered several varieties of seafood fry to stock the five hundred acres for show.

At level one, the Atlantis Map only refreshed one type of prawn. At level two, a second animal would appear, but it was random from several options. He prepared fry for each type, just in case.

By evening, the fry had arrived. After signing for them, he carried them to the tidal flats, only to be amazed at the transformation before his eyes.

In just one day, the five hundred acres looked completely unrecognizable.

“Damn, this is incredible!” Chu Lin couldn’t help exclaiming in awe.