Chapter 31: Lesson Learned! No Distinctions Between Us!

Chapter 31: Learned the Lesson! No Distinctions!

The next day, Qin Lin received a call from Qin Ren, informing him that the promotional video and photos were ready. Without delay, he went straight to Qin Ren’s studio.

“Linzi, take a look yourself. If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, we can make changes,” Qin Ren said as he played the promotional video for Qin Lin.

Qin Lin was quite pleased with the video. It was clear that Qin Ren’s studio had put in a lot of effort. Without hesitation, Qin Lin paid the studio, not wanting to put Qin Ren in an awkward position in front of the partners.

After leaving, Qin Lin’s mind turned to promotion. First, he needed to attract locals from Youcheng, then find ways to draw visitors from farther away.

So, he headed straight to RT-Mart.

In Youcheng, advertising on TV was pointless; hardly anyone watched the local channel anymore. In this day and age, if it wasn’t a satellite station, hardly anyone tuned in.

However, there was one place where nearly all the locals would see an ad — the outdoor screen at Dongfang Commercial Plaza. The screen was leased long-term by RT-Mart on the plaza’s first floor, usually playing repeated product introductions and RT-Mart’s own ads.

Dongfang Commercial Plaza was the heart of Youcheng, encompassing dining, entertainment, shopping, and daily necessities.

If he could get his promotional video played there, the vast majority of Youcheng’s residents would see it.

At RT-Mart, Qin Lin went straight to Manager Chen’s office, hoping to leverage Chen’s connections to make it happen.

At that moment, Manager Chen was respectfully handing tea to a middle-aged man.

“Mr. Chu, I’m really sorry. For this special quality okra, the supplier only sent me five jin (a unit of weight). I’ve already set aside three jin for you,” Chen said apologetically.

Naturally, Manager Chen didn’t dare say ten jin. Mr. Chu was the overall person in charge of RT-Mart in both Youcheng and Shacheng. Everything was decided by him. Moreover, the supplier was the brother-in-law of a board member at headquarters. Whenever he requested something, it was guaranteed. Chen had no choice but to comply.

This was a prized product for men’s well-being, critical to his personal happiness.

“Can you persuade them to find a way?” Mr. Chu frowned. At his age, wanting to chase after young women outside while taking care of his family was truly a struggle. And this special okra was incredibly effective.

Chen sighed, “Mr. Chu, I’ve been pushing, but it’s not about money. The supplier insists they really have little to spare.”

Mr. Chu grew visibly frustrated.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

Chen opened it and saw Qin Lin, greeting him warmly, “Mr. Qin, you’re here early today!”

Qin Lin smiled. “Manager Chen, I wanted to ask a favor. RT-Mart has always leased the outdoor screen at Dongfang Commercial Plaza, right? I want to run an ad. Could you ask if RT-Mart would be willing to sublease some airtime to me for a while every day?”

“Mr. Chu, this is…” Manager Chen immediately looked at Mr. Chu, intending to introduce Qin Lin, as Mr. Chu was the one who could decide this.

But Mr. Chu, in a bad mood, cut him off gruffly, “Chen, do you think RT-Mart is so short on money that we need to sublease advertising time? There’s no way we’d do that.”

Chen instantly knew trouble was coming. He still hoped for the okra, but now…

“Mr. Chu, Mr. Qin is the supplier of the okra,” Chen hurriedly explained.

At that moment, Mr. Chu was stunned.

What the hell…

Then, his expression brightened, and he cheerfully extended his hand to Qin Lin, “Mr. Qin! Hello, hello! While we can’t sublease advertising time — RT-Mart doesn’t need the money — as good friends cooperating happily, we can give you some airtime free every day.”

Chen’s eyes widened in surprise — he had learned something new!

Qin Lin was also taken aback by Mr. Chu’s words. When he came, he had been wondering how much it would cost to lease some time on the plaza’s outdoor screen. He had never imagined they would offer it for free.

But he understood that no one gave favors without expecting something in return.

Mr. Chu then asked, “Mr. Qin, what kind of ad do you want to play? I’ll arrange a suitable time for you.”

Clearly, the service was thoughtful.

Qin Lin explained, “Mr. Chu, I recently set up a mountain villa and created a sea of bougainvillea there. I want to advertise it.”

Without hesitation, Mr. Chu said, “Mr. Qin, from 7:30 to 8:30 in the evening is one of the busiest time slots. For the next week, I’ll give you that hour for free.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chu,” Qin Lin expressed his gratitude.

He knew Mr. Chu had a motive and waited for him to speak.

With a smile, Mr. Chu said, “Mr. Qin, the okra you sold to Manager Chen was really good. I want to buy some for myself too.”

Now Qin Lin understood Mr. Chu’s intention.

No wonder.

Qin Lin smiled and said, “Mr. Chu, I can’t ask you to buy it. I’ll deliver 10 jin to you this evening.”

“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Qin!” Mr. Chu smiled contentedly, then suddenly added, “Actually, I’m also in charge of RT-Mart in Shacheng. There’s another big advertising screen on the first floor of the Wanda Plaza there. If you want, I can also give you some airtime there. Remember me if you ever have more of that special okra.”

Qin Lin’s eyes lit up. “Mr. Chu, I’ll figure out a way to get more okra and send you 10 jin then.”

In truth, he had already stored plenty of quality okra in his game space over the past month. It wouldn’t spoil, so he wasn’t in a hurry to deal with it.

Still, he understood the value of rare goods.

“Well then, I’ll be counting on you, Mr. Qin,” Mr. Chu said with a broad smile. After all, enjoying himself outside but still having to make full contributions to his wife at home was a tough balancing act.

His position depended entirely on his brother-in-law.

Manager Chen looked on at the two chatting happily, his expression sour. The special-quality okra was all being taken by Mr. Chu. What about him?

When Qin Lin left, he handed the promotional video to Mr. Chu, who promised to arrange its airing. That evening, when Qin Lin delivered the ripe okra to RT-Mart, he also brought the 10 jin of quality okra for Mr. Chu.

Mr. Chu had been eagerly waiting. Upon receiving the okra, he warmly invited Qin Lin to dinner, clearly more skilled at socializing than Manager Chen.

During the meal, Mr. Chu mentioned multiple times that the promotional video would play punctually at 7:30. Qin Lin repeatedly assured him he would get the okra as soon as possible.

This pleased Mr. Chu greatly.

When Qin Lin returned home, it was already past seven.

Everything was settled. Now, all that remained was the villa’s grand opening.

After a shower, Qin Lin took out his phone and called Zhao Moqing.

It was time to share the villa’s surprise with her.

The call connected quickly.

Qin Lin said immediately, “Moqing, I want to tell you something. I’ve started a villa.”

Zhao Moqing snorted lightly, “Qin Lin, finally decided to tell me? Auntie has known for a long time. I’ve been waiting to see how long you’d keep this from me.”

Qin Lin felt a bit embarrassed. “Moqing, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. I just wanted to surprise you.”

“Surprise? And you didn’t even discuss it with me!” Zhao Moqing expressed her dissatisfaction again, then asked, “Are you afraid I wouldn’t support your business? Am I that unreasonable?”

Qin Lin quickly apologized, “Of course not. I’m sorry, alright?”

Only then was Zhao Moqing satisfied. “That’s better. Qin Lin, no more secrets from now on. Also, what can you do with just a few tens of thousands? I have fifty thousand here. If you need it, I can transfer it to you. I support your entrepreneurship.”

Her words warmed Qin Lin’s heart. Yet Zhao Moqing had clearly been misled by what her mother had said earlier. Qin Lin’s villa was far from a simple countryside inn built with just tens of thousands.

Qin Lin smiled. “The villa opens tomorrow.”

“I’ll take the day off tomorrow!” Zhao Moqing said immediately. As the boss’s wife, no matter how small the operation, she had to be there. Then she added, “Alright, I won’t keep you. I’m going shopping with sister-in-law.”

On the other end, Zhao Moqing ended the call and walked toward Dongfang Commercial Plaza with Li Jiawen.

Li Jiawen sighed looking at her sister-in-law. “I’ve never seen anyone as silly as you, still thinking about giving money to your boyfriend to start a business.”

“Sis-in-law, please keep it a secret!” Zhao Moqing hurriedly said. She wasn’t giving it to her boyfriend; it was for her husband. She and Qin Lin had secretly registered their marriage long ago. There was no distinction between them anymore.

“You!” Li Jiawen shook her head.

Just then, the two women suddenly heard several exclamations.

“Look at the outdoor screen in the plaza! It’s so beautiful!”

“Where is that sea from?”

More and more people in the plaza looked up and were stunned by the video of the sea. The stunning, poetic imagery was utterly captivating.

That sea was so beautiful!

(End of chapter)