"Actually, our shop also collaborates with other film crews. For instance, the very popular *** recently, and ****. We also sell the swords and sabers used in those shows. Would you like to take a look? We offer discounts for bulk purchases. If the quantity is large, a few hundred per piece will do." The merchant enthusiastically tried to pitch his wares.
"No need. It's a small business, one is enough," Lu Chen refused.
After some negotiation, the deposit for the veteran craftsman to work overtime and hand-forage the piece through the night came to thirty thousand, with the final cost adjusted based on the actual amount.
Lu Chen's primary requirement was that there must be no cutting corners, no conspicuous logos, and he needed it as soon as possible.
He looked expressionlessly at his bank balance, which had instantly shrunk by more than half, and sighed.
It seemed that the saying "wealth, companions, method, and land are the most important elements of cultivating immortality, and wealth comes first" was truly no joke.
Even a lowest-grade natal flying sword was this expensive; future expenses would surely be even more outrageous.
"Should I really consider finding a wealthy older woman?"
As he pondered this, the figure of Zhou Manyin surfaced in his mind.
...
Early the next morning, Lu Chen, who had spent the entire night diligently cultivating without sleep, slowly opened his eyes and felt an unprecedented sense of refreshment.
Especially when he saw that his spiritual qi had risen to 0.6, he felt even more satisfied.
Such a direct, bit-by-bit improvement gave him even more motivation to continue cultivating.
If not for his rumbling stomach and the need to go to work, he almost would have intended to keep cultivating indefinitely without sleep.
As he headed out, he suddenly noticed that his roommate, Yu Yiyi, seemed not to have returned all night.
This suddenly reminded him of the incident from before.
"Could she be planning to move after the fire?"
He casually searched online and was startled to discover that Yu Yiyi hadn't broadcasted for three days, nor had she uploaded any videos.
Only a few die-hard fans were discussing what had actually happened after that abruptly cut-off broadcast the other day—whether an accident had occurred, or if the streamer had died.
Some even claimed they had called the police, but the local authorities kept saying they were investigating and gave no further updates, leading one person to suspect whether the streamer had genuinely discovered a vampire and been locked up for interrogation.
Actually, very few people believed such conspiracy theories.
Only Lu Chen felt a lingering sense of delayed guilt.
He had originally wanted to help boost her popularity, but somehow it seemed he had only made things worse.
Besides, he had no idea where she was now.
"Well, anyway, she's not a vampire, so nothing major should have happened, right?"
Lu Chen could only comfort himself this way.
Just at that moment, however, he suddenly heard the ringtone of his phone.
He tapped on it and saw it was a WeChat message from Zhou Manyin.
"Come out."
The simple phrase was like a queen's command, leaving him momentarily dazed.
Walking downstairs, sure enough, he saw a striking red Porsche sports car parked by the roadside.
A tall beauty wearing sunglasses, with soft black hair draped over her shoulders, was leaning against the car. Her demeanor was detached and cold, making passing pedestrians both captivated and too intimidated to approach her casually.
Although there were plenty of wealthy people in the metropolis, this combination of a luxury sports car and a beauty was still quite rare in a neighborhood mostly inhabited by ordinary working folks.
The head-turn rate was exceptionally high.
He even saw several men pretending to just walk past while secretly snapping a few photos from a distance, presumably to post on online forums as bragging rights.
When Lu Chen walked over, those same men stared at him with mocking expressions, likely eager to make a fool of him shortly.
Yet what they never expected was that the strikingly poised beauty actually gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. Afterward, the two of them got into the car, and with a roar of the accelerator, vanished from sight, leaving behind a trail of exhaust fumes and a crowd of dumbfounded onlookers.
"A sleek car, a gorgeous woman, and a wealthy partner to boot—where did this kid get such incredible luck!"
What they didn't know, however, was that Lu Chen inside the car was currently rather bewildered.
"General Manager Zhou, is there an emergency at the factory? Do we have to get to work this early?"
He checked the time; it was just past eight o'clock.
Zhou Manyin glanced at him with an inscrutable gaze.
"When did I say we were going to the factory? Today is the first day of our relationship, and I simply wanted to have breakfast with you."
"Oh... Wait?!"
Lu Chen jolted in shock as it suddenly dawned on him: hadn't he somehow acquired a girlfriend just yesterday?
At that instant, Zhou Manyin slammed on the brakes so abruptly that the car behind them narrowly avoided a collision, setting off a chorus of furious, blaring horns.
Clearly, she had no spare attention to give those matters right now.
Uncharacteristically nervous, she turned her head to look at him, her pupils trembling slightly behind her sunglasses.
"Was I too abrupt coming over to find you, and now you're repulsed and want to take it back?"
"I'm sorry, this is my first time dating someone too, I really didn't know how to handle all this..."
It seemed she truly lacked experience, leaving her flustered and entirely devoid of her usual aloof and cold composure while trying to explain.
"No... don't be nervous, just drive normally," Lu Chen realized he had misspoken and immediately offered reassurance.
"Mn."
Zhou Manyin gradually calmed herself, released the brake, and slowly coaxed the car forward again.
Even so, Lu Chen could still clearly sense her eyes nervously glancing back at him from time to time, nearly causing her to run a red light.
Feeling somewhat guilty, he could only blame his own poor memory.
And the fact that so many things had happened last night, causing him to temporarily forget about this matter.
With that thought, he turned his head to look at Zhou Manyin.
Despite her successful career, she was truly a blank slate when it came to romance—pure to a frightening degree, shaken to pieces by just a casual remark he made a moment ago.
If she had run into a man with ill intentions, she probably would have been gaslit and manipulated miserably.
It was fortunate she bumped into him instead.
After a brief thought, he manufactured an excuse: "Actually, my brain was just fried from sleep yesterday. Having a girlfriend as gorgeous and considerate as you is something I'm thrilled about—just don't look down on me for being broke."
Zhou Manyin let out a slight sigh of relief, then turned deadpan: "How could I ever look down on you? Once we're married in the future, my money will be yours, and there's more than enough for us to live on for a lifetime."
"Besides, Manying Company is developing at a great pace right now. By then, when our children—"
She stopped abruptly mid-sentence, a rosy flush blooming across her fair cheeks.
She realized she might have been getting a bit too far ahead of herself.
Why was she already thinking about how many children they would have after marriage when they had just started dating? He wouldn't think her feelings were too overwhelming, would he?
Lu Chen, however, felt a genuine sense of reality regarding having latched onto a wealthy woman.
Soon, the car pulled into a parking space by the street.
"This is a place I used to frequent when I was a student."
After getting out of the car, Zhou Manyin proactively introduced it to him, acting almost as if she were showing off a hidden treasure.
"It's a decades-old establishment. Even though the storefront is still just as tiny, the food is genuinely delicious, and I always come by for a bite whenever I have free time."