"Boss, you're here?" Chen Dabe saw Qin Lin enter the lobby with Lin Fen and Zhao Moqing. As usual, he hurried over, ready to take his orders.
Seeing someone call her son Boss made Lin Fen smile even more. To her, it was proof that her son had made something of himself, and she was happy.
"Xiaolin, hurry and take Moqing to see the flower sea. I'll walk around here by myself." Lin Fen knew young people liked romance, and her urging brooked no argument.
All she wanted now was for her son and Zhao Moqing to be happy together, so she pushed them toward the exit.
Qin Lin had no choice but to take Zhao Moqing to the Bougainvillea Sea.
At the ticket booth by the entrance, Gao Yaoyao was making arrangements with a staff member.
It was opening day, and visitors could show up at any time.
"Boss!" When Gao Yaoyao saw Qin Lin, she immediately greeted him along with the staff member.
Qin Lin nodded to them, took Zhao Moqing's hand, and led her into the flower sea.
Before long, Zhao Moqing was captivated by the scenery.
Seeing it in person was even more beautiful than in the promotional video.
As they walked to the center, the sight of butterflies fluttering around the three Quality 3 bougainvilleas was so beautiful that she couldn't help taking out her phone to snap some pictures.
"So, what do you think? Is the Bougainvillea Sea beautiful?" Qin Lin wrapped his arms around Zhao Moqing from behind, clearly hoping she'd praise him. "That night at the hotel, you mentioned bougainvilleas. I remembered, and I built this place just for you."
It was probably the sweetest thing Zhao Moqing had ever heard, but she hadn't forgotten something. She immediately asked Qin Lin, "What's going on, Qin Lin? This villa and the Bougainvillea Sea must have cost far more than the over six hundred thousand yuan you made selling fish. Where did you get the money?"
Qin Lin knew Zhao Moqing wasn't as easy to fool as his mother, so he kept making things up. "You know how I sold fish to that big shot? He's loaded, so we got to know each other. I told him about my plans for the villa, and he lent me the money."
Zhao Moqing looked doubtful. "Would someone really lend you that much money without asking for anything in return?"
Qin Lin kept up the story. "There's a catch. He loves fish more than anything, so he wants me to catch some for him if I get the chance. And I have to pay interest, too. So now I'm a few million yuan further in debt."
"Ah!" Zhao Moqing panicked at that. She pinched Qin Lin's waist, annoyed. "Qin Lin, you're such a jerk! How could you make such a big decision without talking to me? What if you can't pay him back?"
Qin Lin wasn't worried, of course. It was all made up. But seeing that the excuse was working, he pressed on. "I wanted to take a chance so I could turn things around sooner and bring you home with my head held high."
Hearing that, Zhao Moqing stopped asking questions and only gave a light snort. "Then remember, from now on, no smoking, no drinking, and no doing anything dangerous. Stay healthy and don't get sick or hurt. We're married now. If something happens to you, how am I supposed to pay back those few million?"
"You know I don't smoke or drink, and I never do anything dangerous." Qin Lin leaned closer to Zhao Moqing and kissed her.
Zhao Moqing instinctively wrapped her arms around Qin Lin's waist.
They lost themselves in the moment, and didn't break apart until they were both out of breath. Then a series of squeaks caught their attention. They looked up to see several squirrels sitting in a row, craning their necks to watch them curiously.
"They..." Zhao Moqing blushed, feeling as if she and Qin Lin had been caught putting on a show.
Qinglin Villa was on the outskirts of Youcheng, and its entrance connected to the intersection between the road to Shacheng and the road into the city.
A Maybach 62S suddenly pulled over at the intersection.
The driver got out to check the car. Then he respectfully addressed the man in the back seat. "Chairman, the right tire's almost flat. We must have run over a metal spike at that construction site earlier. We'll probably need to find a nearby town to get it repaired, so we'll have to stop for a while around noon."
The Chairman, however, was looking in surprise at a promotional sign for Qinglin Villa nearby. The photo on it had somehow caught his attention. "This villa looks pretty good. Take me there to have a look, then go get the car fixed."
The promotional photo was stunning, like a work of art, full of atmosphere.
Could it have been taken by a master photographer?
He had visited many villas, even the most upscale ones, but none had been extravagant enough to use a master photographer's work for a roadside advertisement.
"Of course, Chairman." The driver nodded and turned into Qinglin Villa.
He had noticed the sign for Qinglin Villa, too, and had been drawn to it. He also thought the photo must have been taken by a top-tier photographer.
Qin Lin returned to the lobby with Zhao Moqing and saw a man in a suit walk in.
He was clearly a guest.
Chen Shengfei felt somewhat disappointed as he entered the lobby.
The promotional photo of the Bougainvillea Sea by the roadside had been full of artistic flair and atmosphere. He hadn't seen the flower sea yet, but the lobby and the buildings he'd passed on the way in had clearly fallen far short of his expectations. In fact, they were nowhere near what he'd imagined.
The lobby wasn't large, and it already had quite a few dining tables. A fruit stand in the middle made the space feel even more crowded.
Seeing the guest arrive, Gao Yaoyao went over with a bright smile. "Welcome, sir. We have a Bougainvillea Sea to visit, as well as jungle exploration and grass sledding..."
Gao Yaoyao smiled and gave him the standard rundown.
Chen Shengfei, however, was looking at the fruit stand, his face full of surprise at the prices.
Red strawberries were 25 yuan, or 50 yuan per jin, and watermelons were 2 yuan, or 10 yuan per jin. Those prices were nothing special. But he couldn't believe the other offerings: Quality 2 strawberries at 200 yuan per jin, watermelons at 100 yuan per jin, and okra at 400 yuan per jin.
He had eaten high-quality products that were specially imported or cultivated domestically, but these luxury prices didn't seem like they belonged at a villa like this.
After all, the place was clearly nowhere near that level.
"Oh!" Chen Shengfei suddenly looked toward the fish pond. "Are those all wild fish?"
Six large fish swam in the pond. He recognized them as wild crucian carp, wild black carp, and wild grass carp. As an avid angler, he knew a thing or two about wild fish.
But he also knew how hard it was to find fish that large. Even money couldn't guarantee you'd get one. He hadn't expected to see six big ones all at once.
Gao Yaoyao immediately replied, "Sir, you have a good eye. These crucian carp, black carp, and grass carp are all wild."
"Get me one of those fish." Chen Shengfei said it at once, without even asking how much they cost.
The price didn't matter. He could afford whatever they charged.
The fish were what mattered.
Gao Yaoyao took the opportunity to mention, "Sir, there are lots of wild fish in our pond, including some just as big as these. If you're interested, you can rent a fishing rod here and enjoy fishing. You might even catch one."
"Lots of wild fish? And more big ones like these?" Chen Shengfei asked immediately.
Was the young woman trying to pull one over on him?
He believed there were plenty of wild fish, but more monsters this size? Did she think he was a fool?
Even the biggest fish dealer in the city wouldn't dare make that kind of claim.
He thought the owner had already done incredibly well to get these six big fish.
But the young woman didn't seem to be joking, and there really were six huge fish right in front of him. That piqued his interest.
What avid angler didn't dream of catching a big one?
"Miss, take me to rent a couple of fishing rods!" Chen Shengfei said at once. Then he pointed to the Quality 2 strawberries at 200 yuan per jin. "Weigh out two jin of those strawberries for me, too. I'll eat them while I fish and see how they compare with the ones from luxury shops."
"Of course, sir." Seeing that her recommendation had worked, Gao Yaoyao smiled and immediately asked another staff member to weigh the strawberries. She took Chen Shengfei to rent the rods. They were inexpensive: 20 yuan for one, 40 yuan for two, and only 45 yuan including bait.
But Chen Shengfei was a little disappointed.
The fishing rods and bait were too poor.
If the driver hadn't taken the car in for repairs, he would have had him bring the fishing rods from the car.
And the facilities were lacking, too. There was only a small stool and a little table, set in front of a murky fish pond.
It was nowhere near the fishing spots he'd visited before.
Still, Chen Shengfei knew his way around a fishing rod. He set it up and waited.
When the strawberries arrived, he went over to wash his hands, picked one up, and put it in his mouth as he waited for a fish to bite.
But the moment he tasted it, Chen Shengfei was astonished. "This strawberry..."
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