Soon.
The electric scooter reached the entrance to Qinglin Villa.
"Wasn't this Fuhai Villa? Why did they change the name?" Qin Ren asked in confusion. He'd been here with Qin Lin before, back when they hadn't graduated from college yet. They'd come here for a summer get-together once.
As Qin Lin's scooter stopped in front of the main hall, Gao Yaoyao came over to greet them. She was dressed in bright, eye-catching clothes and had clearly made an extra effort to look beautiful. "Boss!"
"Linzi, this girl's pretty. Wait—Boss?" Qin Ren had instinctively focused on the pretty girl, but then he suddenly caught on. "Linzi, you're the owner of this villa? No wonder it's called Qinglin Villa."
"Ren, come on. Let's check out the shooting location. This is Gao Yaoyao. She'll be our model today." Qin Lin beckoned to him and led Qin Ren into the Bougainvillea Sea.
"Holy crap!" Qin Ren was stunned by the sea of flowers before him. "Linzi, you did all this?"
"Yeah. I just finished setting it up." Qin Lin nodded.
"Linzi, you're incredible!" Qin Ren exclaimed.
He knew all about his friend's family situation, so seeing him suddenly pull something like this off left him utterly shocked.
How much had this whole sea of flowers cost?
Still, he didn't ask for details. Digging too much could change the tone of things. Everyone had their own opportunities, after all. Maybe his friend had won the lottery, or someone had invested in him.
Qin Lin smiled. "Ren, I just wanted to ask your studio to shoot a promotional video and some photos of the flower sea."
"Ah..." Qin Ren immediately looked troubled. "There's no way I can do this by myself!"
Qin Lin already knew that, so he laughed. "I'll place an order with your studio. Make sure you give me a discount!"
"Not only will you get a discount, you'll get our best service. Just remember to leave us a five-star review." Qin Ren didn't waste time. He took out his phone and called the studio.
He really couldn't handle the job alone, and he knew Qin Lin was supporting his business. So naturally, he'd make sure the job turned out beautifully.
Just then, Qin Lin noticed Gao Yaoyao following behind them, grinning at her phone. Curious, he asked, "What are you so happy about?"
Gao Yaoyao came back to herself at his question and asked, "Boss, if I registered the trademark for Youcheng meat-glazed flatbread, would I be able to eat it for free at all the shops in Youcheng that sell it? They'd be using my trademark."
Qin Lin stared at her in disbelief. "Uh, what kind of nonsense are you thinking? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up?"
Gao Yaoyao shrank her head. "I was just joking! I just saw a video. Someone registered the trademark for roujiamo and sued hundreds of roujiamo shops across the country, demanding 99,800 yuan from each one."
"What?" Qin Lin looked utterly incredulous.
How much would that person make if they won? A few million in an instant. That was an even easier way to make money than his own business, which cost him nothing to start!
It was true what they said: a thug wasn't scary, but a thug with an education was.
He was even tempted to register the trademarks for Youcheng meat-glazed flatbread, Chengguan pickled-vegetable noodles, and pig's head meat!
But that was just a thought. He'd really get beaten up, and the authorities would definitely step in. Someone might even face legal consequences. Otherwise, everyone in society would copy the stunt, and everything would descend into chaos.
After Qin Ren made the call, three of the studio's partners soon arrived.
They were also amazed when they reached the villa and saw the Bougainvillea Sea.
They'd assumed Qin Ren was just helping a friend out with a little favor. Who knew his friend would come through with such a huge order?
Why didn't they have friends like that?
But after helping Qin Lin film the Bougainvillea Sea, Qin Ren and his partners were even more astonished.
From the outside, aerial shots made the sea of flowers look captivating. But once they went inside, the farther they got toward the center, the more unbelievable it became.
Especially in the central area. With the villa's model helping out, they found that the videos and photos they took had an almost poetic beauty. The shots were so stunning they looked like works of art.
One of the partners said in amazement, "Qin Ren, you've gotten good. Your photography's improved. These shots look like they were taken by a master."
"It's because this place is so beautiful." Qin Ren was all smiles. It was the first time he'd ever taken such perfect promotional videos and photos.
The shots of the three most beautiful bougainvilleas in particular were every bit as good as the work of top professionals.
Of course, he didn't know it was because these bougainvilleas had been enhanced by the game's attributes.
Those three bougainvilleas had an in-frame bonus of +3.
"Linzi, we'll work overtime tonight and get the promotional video and ad photos ready for you. You'll be able to use them tomorrow," Qin Ren assured Qin Lin before leaving.
Back at the studio, Qin Ren told his partners, "Let's all work late tonight. Don't make me lose face in front of my friend."
The others smiled and agreed.
They weren't fools. While shooting, they'd already had a feeling that the Bougainvillea Sea would become famous. The promotional video and advertising photos they made would promote their own work, too, so they had to make them as perfect as possible.
At dusk.
Liao Li came by again, this time with her cousin, Chu Na. When they reached her fiancé, she saw the video he was editing and couldn't help exclaiming, "Honey, where did you shoot this? It's so beautiful!"
Even Chu Na looked curious. "Is there really a place this beautiful in Youcheng?"
The video alone was stunning. How beautiful must it be in person?
Seeing his fiancée's question, Qin Ren answered proudly, "Lili, let me tell you, Qin Lin's been hiding this from everyone. He set up a villa, and he created that whole Bougainvillea Sea. Those flowers look like they're far from ordinary quality. That plot must be at least thirty mu, and it probably cost a few million. He's really something."
His words were full of amazement and happiness for his friend. Liao Li found it incredible, too.
She knew what her fiancé's childhood friend's family was like.
But Chu Na didn't like the sound of it.
Had she misjudged him?
Liao Li didn't want to bother her fiancé at work, so she took her cousin to the side to entertain themselves.
Chu Na, however, was clearly eager. "Lili, send me Qin Lin's WeChat!"
Liao Li said teasingly, "Cousin, didn't you say you were only joking last time?"
Chu Na didn't seem to care. "I just didn't know what he had to offer. What woman doesn't want a man with good prospects?"
Liao Li had no choice but to share Qin Lin's WeChat with her cousin.
Chu Na immediately sent him a friend request.
Meanwhile, Qin Lin soon received a WeChat request with the note: "Liao Li's cousin. Can we be friends?"
He frowned. Why was Liao Li's cousin adding him out of the blue?
He opened her Moments. The photos were heavily edited, but he could still vaguely recognize her as the girl who'd been with Liao Li.
In person, she looked like she was one plastic surgery away from her photos.
Still, he understood. They'd met twice without her ever asking to add him, so why was she suddenly doing it now?
Ever since he got together with Moqing, he'd never added women on WeChat unless there was a special reason. It was a matter of respect for Zhao Moqing. So he was about to reject her, but then he remembered she was Liao Li's cousin and politely replied, "Sorry, my wife doesn't let me add women!"
Meanwhile, Liao Li's cousin was completely dumbfounded. "Lili, why didn't you tell me Qin Lin was married?"
"???" Liao Li was confused, too. If Qin Lin were married, Qin Ren would definitely know. But he wasn't married.
Still, she understood that Qin Lin had guessed her cousin's intentions and turned her down politely. She shook her head and didn't bother explaining it to her cousin.
Her cousin was a bit of a dreamer, with her feet nowhere near the ground. She'd post a photo in her Moments, apply a filter, then get a compliment from some man she barely knew and think that meant she was quite a catch.
She was already an unmarried woman, yet still expected to find a young, handsome, wealthy man. But young, handsome, wealthy men wouldn't look twice at her.
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