He glanced at the QR code held out in front of him.
The profile picture was a beaming selfie of the woman before him, and her nickname was "Sunny."
He looked again at the woman smiling as she held out her phone for him to scan and add her as a friend. From the other hand she had unconsciously clenched around the hem of her clothes, Lin Ze could tell she was nervous.
It seemed she wasn't someone who often struck up conversations with strangers, either.
It was just that years of working had given her a boldness that girls still sheltered in ivory towers lacked.
"Sorry, I don't use Flying Bear Chat."
Lin Ze set down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and politely turned her down.
The older woman in front of him was indeed very beautiful. From her clothes and appearance, she also seemed to be a wealthy young lady—and surprisingly innocent.
But he was busy with trade between the two worlds right now. He didn't have time for a lovey-dovey romance.
Besides, for the sake of secrecy, he didn't want a girlfriend invading his personal space.
After all, if Lin Ze had really wanted a relationship, he wouldn't have stayed single until now.
"I see. Sorry to bother you."
At his words, the smile on Ji Shuqing's face stiffened a little.
She had heard the rejection in his words.
After saying that, Ji Shuqing didn't linger. She went to sit on the other side of the VIP waiting lounge, out of Lin Ze's sight.
Once or twice was fine, but not three times.
If she kept trying a third time without knowing when to stop,
the next time, the young man wouldn't turn her down politely. He'd most likely leave her humiliated.
"I finally fell for someone, only to lose so completely."
"Is this what it feels like to fall in love at the speed of light, then get dumped?"
The smile vanished from Ji Shuqing's face, and she looked utterly dejected.
Even some time later, when the VIP lounge staff reminded her it was time to board, she still hadn't managed to shake off her gloomy mood.
As luck would have it, after boarding the plane, she found herself seated next to Lin Ze. The two of them sat side by side in the first row on the right side of business class.
As the flight attendant helped Ji Shuqing stow her luggage,
the two exchanged a glance in greeting, but neither seemed inclined to speak.
Ji Shuqing was absorbed in her slightly dejected mood, her face expressionless, while Lin Ze began planning what to do once he reached Tiannan City.
"I'll just ride the bus along 578 National Highway and spend two days taking travel footage. Along the way, I can occasionally ask around about buying matsutake. After that, I can start cashing in the matsutake I brought back from the Other World."
Lin Ze planned it out in his mind based on what he'd learned earlier.
578 National Highway ran across Qixia Country, and one section passed through many of the matsutake-producing areas around Tiannan City.
All he had to do now was follow the bus route to the various matsutake purchasing stations. He could even stop mountain villagers selling matsutake along the road, or pretend he'd gotten lucky while hiking in the mountains and found some. Either way, he could make the source of his matsutake seem perfectly plausible.
Matsutake were seasonal. Usually, villagers living near the growing areas would gather them in large quantities while they were in season. Afterward, they would either sell them fresh or dry them into slices for sale.
The annual matsutake yield was enormous, close to twenty thousand tons.
The amount Lin Ze had bought in the Other World would be a drop in the ocean.
He had spent the previous two months looking up all this information, so now he felt especially confident.
Once he'd finished thinking it through, Lin Ze closed his eyes for an afternoon nap.
He still had plenty to do over the next few days, so he needed to stay rested and energetic.
When he woke up, the plane had already arrived in Tiannan City.
With the flight attendants' smiling farewells, Lin Ze strode out of the terminal.
Behind him, Ji Shuqing watched the young man's figure gradually disappear into the distance and sighed inwardly.
After being picked up by a car he'd booked through a ride-hailing app, Lin Ze arrived in the suburbs of Tiannan City.
From there, he boarded a bus that ran a loop along 578 National Highway.
Just as he'd planned, he began his travel shoot around Tiannan City.
Village after village, wild mushroom markets, even the places where people gathered matsutake—all bore Lin Ze's footprints.
His camera faithfully captured the scenery along the way.
After finishing the shoot, Lin Ze moved straight from his hotel into a house he had just rented in Tiannan City.
It was a detached suburban villa, about five kilometers from the downtown area.
The rent was fifteen thousand a month, with a deposit equal to three months' rent. After that, he could pay monthly, and the house was fully furnished and ready to move into, with plenty of living and storage space.
The villa was nestled among green trees, giving it excellent privacy.
The house in the quiet countryside of Jiangzhou City was Lin Ze's Two Realms Trade Base. This one, meanwhile, was the base he'd prepared for his matsutake business.
In the spacious bedroom, decorated in a simple style, Lin Ze used his newly bought laptop to edit the footage he'd accumulated over two days. He added suitable background music and made it into a promotional video lasting a minute and a half.
After that, Lin Ze deftly logged into the Flying Bear Chat account he'd created specifically to sell matsutake.
He uploaded the video he'd just edited and added a caption.
"Top-grade dried matsutake slices, absolutely authentic, great prices, buy now!"
Then he posted it directly to his Moments.
Of course, simply posting it to his Moments wouldn't make anyone ask about the price or express interest in buying.
But over the past few months, Lin Ze had added himself to quite a few matsutake enthusiast trading groups on this account. After posting to his Moments, he began sharing the post in those groups.
Now all that remained was to wait for the fish to bite.
After taking care of all that, Lin Ze began setting up the place he'd just rented.
The house already had all the basic appliances.
The main things Lin Ze needed to buy were food, clothes, daily necessities, and bedding.
He placed a bunch of orders through a food delivery app, and before long, large and small packages started arriving.
Along with the supplies he needed to settle in came some matsutake Lin Ze had bought locally for about two hundred thousand yuan.
He had to admit, matsutake in this world really was expensive. Dried matsutake of a similar quality to the ones he'd bought in the Other World cost three thousand yuan per pound.
Even after spending two hundred thousand, he'd only managed to buy a little over sixty pounds.
"Tsk. I'm broke."
Lin Ze checked his bank balance. He had just over thirteen hundred yuan left.
He'd made a decent amount over the past five years as a content creator, but he'd spent a lot, too.
Keeping fit, practicing his shooting skills, and buying guns, ammunition, and various electronic instruments all cost money.
On top of that, he gave his parents a little each year to show his filial devotion, and he had his everyday expenses as well.
Now he'd finally reached the point where he had nothing left.
Lin Ze wasn't too concerned, though, because he was about to start reaping the rewards.
"Well, looks like someone's taken the bait."
He had only just lamented that he'd run out of money when he heard a new-message notification from his chat app.
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