Chapter 281: Gilded Water Ripples! A Thousand Dollars per Gram!

Chapter 281: Gilded Water Ripples! A Thousand Dollars per Gram!

Zhang Lin felt something soft against his cheek, mistaking it for a pillow, and even instinctively nuzzled it a bit. At the same time, a soft female voice whispered in his ear.

This realization made him realize something was wrong. He opened his eyes to find himself leaning against Lin Shixie, and in a particularly inappropriate spot.

Understanding what was happening, he noticed that he was actually starting to react.

What the hell.

The aftereffects of that special eel were still lingering, making him sensitive to any stimulation.

He quickly and awkwardly pulled his head back.

What the hell...

"Mr. Zhang, next time I should bring you a pillow," Lin Muxue said as if nothing had happened.

Zhang Lin stared at her for a long time, finally relaxing when he saw that she seemed completely normal.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to explain it.

Finally, the plane landed and came to a stop.

As they disembarked, Lin Wan'er linked arms with her sister, discussing where they should go in Xinhua City after the school anniversary celebrations.

Chen Xin walked over to Zhang Lin and whispered, "Junior, I finally understand why Muxue didn't agree to go out with me at first. She must have a thing for you!"

"What?" Zhang Lin, hearing this, quickly said, "Senior, you can't just say things like that. It would be troublesome if Sister Lin heard."

Chen Xin, however, analyzed it seriously, "She let you lean on her chest the whole flight, and even supported you a few times to keep you from falling. If she didn't have feelings for you, how could she do that? Try it with someone else."

"Senior, you're overthinking it," Zhang Lin shook his head.

Sister Lin probably treated him this way because of his status as the boss and because they were good friends.

He could tell that Sister Lin didn't have many friends.

"You keep thinking that!" Chen Xin teased, then didn't say anything more.

After disembarking, the four of them headed straight to the hotel the school had arranged for them.

For well-known alumni, the school always made sure to provide excellent accommodations and meals.

When the four of them arrived at the hotel, they saw the sign welcoming famous alumni.

Lin Muxue led them over, handed in the invitation, and received a special visitor badge and access pass.

Zhang Lin, holding the two items, was a bit puzzled. He asked as they entered the elevator, "Since the school invited us, why do we need these things?"

Lin Muxue smiled and explained, "Mr. Zhang, think about it. At regular class reunions, some people often brag about themselves, making themselves seem very impressive."

"These people come to the school too?" Zhang Lin understood what she meant.

Lin Muxue nodded with a smile, "Not only do they come to the school, but they might even find a famous senior to take a photo with, post it on social media, and write something like, 'I was honored to be invited to the school's famous alumni gathering and had a great conversation with Senior X, with plans to collaborate in the future.'"

"Too vain," Zhang Lin shook his head.

Lin Muxue explained, "Vanity is one thing, but they also want to enhance their reputation. They might try to impress their schoolmates or trick them into collaborations. Of course, some people genuinely come for networking or to gain the favor of successful seniors."

Zhang Lin understood. With so many alumni attending, if the school didn't issue visitor badges and access passes, some people might try to sneak in, ruining the atmosphere.

After all, not everyone was on the same level. Famous alumni could have meaningful conversations and even potential collaborations, but if a bunch of sycophants or opportunists showed up, it would be awkward.

While they might enjoy such attention outside, in this setting, it would be different.

After entering their rooms, Zhang Lin and his group went out for a delicious meal. They all stayed at the hotel for the night.

Zhang Lin chatted with Fu Yao on WeChat for an hour that night. However, since he had slept the whole flight, he couldn't fall asleep easily and only dozed off late into the night.

But his sleep quality was poor, and he kept dreaming about leaning on something soft.

As a result, when he woke up the next morning, he felt very uncomfortable, almost to the point of discomfort.

He entered the bathroom and took a cold shower, which took a while to calm him down.

While showering, he suddenly received a notification from the game system:

[Congratulations, there is a new item available for purchase in the procurement market!]



He was immediately drawn to this notification and quickly checked the game in his mind, opening the procurement market. Sure enough, there was a new item available for purchase.

Gilded Water Ripples (Jin Si Nan Mu): 400 dollars per gram, purchase limit: 500 pounds!

Zhang Lin was taken aback by this.

It was the first time he had seen such an item in the procurement market.

Moreover, how did Gilded Water Ripples relate to his farm?

He had no idea about this material, and 400 dollars per gram was extremely high, almost the price of gold. And 500 pounds of it would cost a staggering one billion dollars.

Who would spend a billion dollars on wood?

After his shower, Zhang Lin went online to research and was shocked by what he found. It turned out that many tycoons were willing to spend several billion dollars on a set of Gilded Water Ripples furniture.

Moreover, the Golden Ripple Water is incredibly rare, almost impossible to find on the market. Its price has been hyped up to 1,000 yuan per gram. If such a thing really exists, many big shots would want to buy it.

However, most of them are in a situation where they want to buy it but can't.

So, if Zhang Lin is willing, he could buy it, resell it, and make a tidy profit of 150 million yuan.

As for keeping it for himself, he has no such intention.

At least not right now.

After all, if this thing can appear once, it can certainly appear again, and he will have plenty of opportunities to buy it.

By selling it, he can immediately get the money to build the estate that Fu Yao has designed.

The only problem is finding someone to buy the golden-threaded nanmu wood from.

He immediately thought of some prominent alumni from Xinhua University. There must be someone among them who can afford it, right?

He could inquire about it later.

Dressing up and heading out, he met Lin Muxue in the lobby. Seeing her again, he felt a bit awkward. After all, he had used her as a pillow on the ride and even in his dreams.

He's not a lecherous person, but dreaming is something he can't control.

"Mr. Zhang, what's wrong?" Lin Muxue asked, puzzled. "Did you not sleep well last night?"

"A bit of insomnia," Zhang Lin quickly deflected.

"Xiao Muxue, Junior, have you been waiting long?" Chen Xin also came down with Lin Wan'er. It was clear that the senior had a radiant face, and his sister-in-law also had a rosy complexion, indicating that they had a great time last night.

"Let's go!" Lin Muxue said.

The group then left the hotel and headed to the university.

The university was clearly very lively today, with not only students but also many alumni present. Several well-known alumni were recognized by the students and surrounded for chats.

Not long after entering the university, Zhang Lin and Chen Xin realized that walking with Lin Muxue was a mistake.

As soon as Lin Muxue appeared, she was recognized by many people, and a group of girls gathered around her.

"Lin Muxue, is that really you? You're also a senior at our school?"

"Senior Lin, you're as beautiful as in the videos."

"Senior, is your Liyuan Farm still hiring?"

"..."

Clearly, as the director of Liyuan Farm, she was a minor celebrity on the internet and was recognized right away.

Zhang Lin and Chen Xin quickly increased their distance and headed toward the reception area.

Along the way, Chen Xin told him about the information he had gathered regarding the reception.

The reception itself wasn't anything significant. It was just a call for donations and a plea for alumni to consider hiring recent graduates when they needed new employees.

The real networking would happen at the evening banquet.

"You guys are too much, walking so fast," Lin Muxue caught up, with a hint of complaint in her voice.

"Senior, you're just too popular. There's nothing we can do," Zhang Lin said with a smile.

Not long after, the group arrived at the entrance to the reception, which was also a hall on campus.

Zhang Lin frowned as he saw a few familiar figures. Weren't those Chen Hao, Wu Ling, and Hu Dong, his university classmates?

They had even gone to Liyuan Farm before.

Now they were here.

If these people could be invited as prominent alumni, then this Xinhua University Alumni Association would be too low-key.

However, he noticed that they weren't entering the hall. They were clearly the kind of students who were trying to crash the event, lacking access passes.

Thinking about it, he didn't pay them any mind and walked straight toward the hall.

Chen Hao, Wu Ling, and Hu Dong clearly saw Zhang Lin and were visibly stunned, especially when they saw him heading toward the hall.

"Isn't that Zhang Lin? What's he doing here?"

"Trying to piggyback on the fame, what else? What else could he be doing here?"

"Exactly. He has no right to be here. Does he really think he can get in just by walking toward the hall?"

"..."

They all hated Zhang Lin, especially Wu Ling. He had acted out a scene with the service manager at Liyuan Farm, making them believe he was the boss.

Especially Wu Ling, who had even exposed this online, trying to leverage his supposed identity as the Liyuan Farm boss to gain some business.

But it turned out he wasn't the boss, and she lost her job due to false advertising.

She was seething with anger.

He even had the nerve to think he could enter the alumni association. Delusional! She wanted to mock him.

But soon, she saw something she couldn't believe—Zhang Lin and his group actually entered the hall.

"How can he do that?" Chen Hao blurted out.

Wu Ling immediately said, "If he can get in just by acting and posturing, why can't we? Let's go ask the security guard. He must be favoring him, and if we can catch him, we can get in too."

"Let's go ask," Hu Dong said immediately.

If it was true, they could expose his favoritism and also get in, allowing them to take photos with those big-shot seniors and seniors-in-law, which would be impressive.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end