The next day.
Qin Lin received a call from Qin Ren, who told him the promotional video and photos were ready.
He went straight to Qin Ren's studio.
"Linzi, take a look. We can change anything you're not happy with." Qin Ren played the promotional video for him.
Qin Lin was very pleased with it. Qin Ren's studio had clearly put a lot of effort into it, and Qin Lin promptly paid them so Qin Ren wouldn't be put in an awkward position with his partners.
After leaving, Qin Lin had to think about publicity.
First, he needed to attract locals from Youcheng, then figure out how to draw visitors from farther away.
So he headed straight to RT-Mart.
In Youcheng, advertising didn't mean going to the TV station. Hardly anyone watched Youcheng TV—or, more accurately, hardly anyone watched local channels that weren't satellite TV in this day and age.
But there was one place in Youcheng where almost everyone was sure to see an advertisement.
It was the outdoor screen at Oriental Commercial Plaza. The RT-Mart on the plaza's first floor had rented it for years to repeatedly show product introductions and its own advertisements.
Oriental Commercial Plaza was at the heart of Youcheng. It had everything from food, drink, and entertainment to clothing, housing, and transportation.
If he could get the promotional video for his flower garden up there, almost everyone in Youcheng would see it.
When he arrived at RT-Mart, Qin Lin went straight to Manager Chen's office, hoping to arrange it through him.
At that moment,
Manager Chen was in the office, respectfully handing tea to a middle-aged man. "President Chu, there's nothing I can do. They only sent me five jin of this special-quality okra, and I've already given you three."
Naturally, Manager Chen hadn't dared to say ten jin. President Chu was in charge of RT-Mart in both Youcheng and Shacheng. He had the final say in everything, and he was also the brother-in-law of a board member at headquarters. If he asked for it, he'd definitely get it. Manager Chen couldn't refuse him.
This was a man's prized possession, tied to his own happiness in bed.
"Can't you ask them to find a way to get more?" President Chu asked with a frown. At his age, he wanted to fool around with young women outside while also keeping things good at home. He was often left with no energy for either, but that special okra was incredible. Its effects were obvious.
Manager Chen replied helplessly, "President Chu, I've been urging them too, but it's not a matter of money. They said they really don't have much."
President Chu grew even more irritated.
Just then, someone knocked.
Manager Chen got up to answer the door. When he saw Qin Lin, his face lit up with a warm smile. "President Qin, what brings you here so early today?"
Qin Lin smiled. "Manager Chen, I came to ask you for a favor. RT-Mart has been renting the outdoor screen at Oriental Commercial Plaza, right? I'd like to run an ad. Could you ask whether RT-Mart can rent me some time each day for a while?"
"President Chu, this is..." Manager Chen immediately turned to President Chu to introduce Qin Lin. President Chu had a say in this matter too.
President Chu was already in a foul mood. He cut Manager Chen off and said irritably, "Manager Chen, do you think RT-Mart is so short of money that we need to rent out our advertising time? We're not going to sublet it."
Manager Chen knew right away that this was bad.
They were still counting on Qin Lin for the okra.
He hurriedly said, "President Chu, President Qin is the one who supplies us with okra."
"???" President Chu was completely stunned for a moment.
What the hell...
The next moment, he got up with a beaming smile and reached out to shake Qin Lin's hand. "President Qin, nice to meet you! We can't sublet our advertising time. RT-Mart doesn't need the money. But as a friend with whom we've had a pleasant business relationship, we can give you some time for free each day."
"???" Manager Chen learned something new.
Qin Lin was a little surprised by President Chu's offer.
On his way over, he'd been wondering how much it would cost to rent some time on the plaza's outdoor screen. He hadn't expected them to offer it for free.
Still, he knew people didn't give favors for no reason. President Chu must want something in return.
President Chu asked, "President Qin, what kind of ad are you planning to show? I'll arrange a suitable time slot for you."
He was even offering thoughtful service now.
Qin Lin explained, "President Chu, I recently started a villa resort and created a sea of bougainvillea. I'd like to advertise it."
President Chu replied at once, "President Qin, how about 7:30 to 8:30? That's one of the busiest times of the day. I'll give you that hour for free every day over the coming week."
"Thank you, President Chu," Qin Lin said at once.
He knew President Chu must have an ulterior motive, and he waited for him to bring it up.
President Chu smiled broadly. "President Qin, the okra you sold Manager Chen was excellent. I'd like to buy some too."
Now Qin Lin understood what President Chu was after.
No wonder.
Qin Lin immediately smiled. "President Chu, I couldn't possibly make you buy it. I'll bring you ten jin this evening."
"Thank you so much, President Qin!" President Chu said with a satisfied smile. Then he suddenly asked, "Actually, I'm also in charge of the RT-Mart in Shacheng. There's a big advertising screen on the first floor of the Wanda Plaza there, too. If you need it, I can give you some time to advertise there as well. If you get more of that special okra in the future, remember your friend here."
Qin Lin's eyes lit up. "President Chu, I can try to get more okra. I'll bring you another ten jin when I do."
In fact, over the past month or so, he'd already kept a large supply of Quality 2 okra in his space. It wouldn't spoil in the game, so there was no rush to sell it.
Besides, he understood the principle of keeping a rare commodity in demand.
"Then I'll be counting on you, President Qin," President Chu said with a broad smile. After having his fun outside, he still had to go home and satisfy his wife. It really was a difficult task.
But his position came from his brother-in-law.
Manager Chen watched the two men chatting happily and felt rather miserable.
President Chu had taken all the special-quality okra. What was he supposed to do now?
Before Qin Lin left, he handed the promotional video to President Chu, who would arrange to have it played. That evening, when he delivered the mature okra to RT-Mart, he also brought ten jin of Quality 2 okra.
President Chu had been waiting for him. When he received the okra, he even warmly invited Qin Lin to dinner. He was clearly much better at dealing with people than Manager Chen.
During dinner, President Chu mentioned several times that the ad would play promptly at 7:30, while Qin Lin repeatedly promised to get more okra as soon as possible.
This made President Chu very happy.
By the time Qin Lin got home, it was already past seven.
Now that everything was taken care of, all that remained was to open the villa.
After showering, Qin Lin took out his phone and called Zhao Moqing.
It was time to tell Zhao Moqing about the surprise at the villa.
The call connected quickly.
Qin Lin said at once, "Moqing, there's something I want to tell you. I started a villa resort..."
Zhao Moqing gave a soft snort. "Qin Lin, you've finally decided to tell me? Auntie told me ages ago. I've just been waiting to see how long you'd keep it from me."
Qin Lin felt a little awkward. "Moqing, I didn't mean to hide it from you. I just wanted to surprise you."
"Some surprise! You didn't even discuss it with me!" Zhao Moqing voiced her displeasure again, then asked, "Were you afraid I wouldn't support you starting a business? Do you think I'm that unreasonable?"
Qin Lin immediately apologized. "Of course not. I'm sorry, okay?"
Only then was Zhao Moqing satisfied. "That's more like it. Qin Lin, don't hide things from me again. And what can you do with just a few tens of thousands? I still have fifty thousand here. If you need it, I'll transfer it to you. If you want to start a business, I'll support you."
A warm current surged through Qin Lin's heart, but his mother's earlier words had clearly misled Zhao Moqing. Qinglin Villa wasn't some little farmhouse set up with a few tens of thousands.
Qin Lin smiled. "The villa opens tomorrow."
"Then I'll take the day off tomorrow!" Zhao Moqing said at once. As the owner's wife, she had to be there even if Qin Lin's farmhouse was tiny. After saying that, she added, "All right, I'll let you go. I'm out shopping with my sister-in-law."
Meanwhile, Zhao Moqing hung up and walked toward Oriental Commercial Plaza with Li Jiawen beside her.
Li Jiawen looked at her sister-in-law and sighed. "I've never seen anyone as silly as you. You're even thinking of giving your boyfriend money to start a business."
"Sister-in-law, keep it a secret!" Zhao Moqing said hurriedly.
Was she giving money to her boyfriend? She was giving it to her husband. She and Qin Lin had secretly registered their marriage long ago; they were one and the same.
"You!" Li Jiawen shook her head.
Just then, the two women suddenly heard several exclamations.
"Look at the outdoor screen! It's gorgeous!"
"Where is this sea of flowers?"
More and more people in the plaza looked up. When they saw the video of the sea of flowers, they were stunned. Its brilliant colors and poetic atmosphere were utterly captivating.
That sea of flowers was so beautiful!
Before you continue