Chapter 350 - 243: Real Utopia

Chapter 350: Chapter 243: Real Utopia

Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"A hundred thousand?"

"Alright! I’ll pack my bags right now!"

Lin Chu was speechless.

’Damn!’

’I offered too much!’

’Fine. I’ll pay with gold bars tonight and just get the money back then.’

’I’ll never take a loss!’

...

In the bros’ group chat.

After receiving Lin Chu’s message, everyone erupted with excitement.

Zhang Peng: "Brother Chu bought two villas in Xiangjiang. One for himself, and one to use as a clubhouse, which is temporarily under my name. Of course, all the bros have a stake in it, so get over here quick. We’ll have a meeting over dinner, talk business, and then it’s all about wine, women, and song—time to experience the Xiangjiang nightlife."

Wang Zhefei: "Holy shit! Daddy! Wait for me!"

Lu Ming: "Coming, coming! I’m skipping class right now and heading over."

Liu Junfeng: "Damn! What’s the plan? Brother Chu, are you bringing He Meng? I’m asking about the meeting, of course."

Lin Chu: "Better not. Doesn’t she have to stream tonight? Just tell her we’re going out to hang."

Liu Junfeng: "Got it!"

Li Kai: "Have to pass on this one. I can’t make it. The wife keeps a tight rein on me. I’m not allowed out after 8 PM, and staying out all night is completely out of the question."

This situation actually surprised Lin Chu a little.

"Approved. You just be a good boy, then."

’Heh.’

’It’s inevitable. Those who get it, get it.’

The others didn’t give him any grief about it, either.

Hu Ping’an: "I’ll be there on time!"

Zhu Yixian: "Brother Chu, you went to Xiangjiang? Shallow Bay? My family has a place in Shallow Bay too. What a coincidence!"

’This...’

Lin Chu didn’t know that, but he wasn’t surprised.

’With Xiangjiang’s population density, a one-in-eight chance isn’t that small.’ After thinking for a moment, he replied: "Are you coming back then? You can swing by home while you’re at it."

Zhu Yixian: "Sure, no problem. How about this: I won’t participate in the meeting, but for whatever you guys want to do tonight, I’ll make the arrangements."

He didn’t know why Lin Chu had added him to this group and felt a little awkward. Deep down, he considered Lin Chu a good friend, but they weren’t bound by any business interests, and he wasn’t technically an employee of Lin Chu’s company. Therefore, it was best to avoid any potential conflicts of interest by sitting out the meeting.

But eating and drinking together was a different story entirely.

"Alright, Boss Zhu is a class act!"

Lin Chu replied with a smile.

’Actually, the system’s affinity rating is a kind of screening process. Anyone with an affinity over 90 with me can’t be a bad person. Approval, trust, fairness, and a conscience—you can’t lack any of them.’

’It’s a "trust you with my wife and kids" kind of friendship, for real.’

’Of course, I’ve definitely never treated them unfairly.’

’Except for... hehe, Li Kai.’

’But it wasn’t really bullying. To this day, Lin Chu doesn’t think so. It was just tough love.’

’And his current "absence"—his return to family life and renewed faith in love after his "white moonlight" fantasy was completely shattered—was an indirect result of that.’

’He got what he wished for.’

After mulling these things over, Lin Chu casually handled Lu Dahai’s matter.

Recalling what Gao Haitao had said earlier, Lin Chu looked up Shenlong Company’s number online and dialed it directly.

"Hello, sir. Shenlong Security. How may I help you?"

"A friend of mine went missing while traveling in Southeast Asia. His status is unknown. Do you offer search or rescue services?"

’For this kind of thing, you naturally find professionals. All you have to do is pay.’

’Just consider it a PR expense.’

"Yes, we can, sir. We’ll need to understand the specifics of the situation first. You will need to pay a one-million-yuan deposit for us to begin the initial investigation. Once we have a lead, we will assess the mission’s difficulty and determine a reasonable fee. We have extensive experience with this type of mission. The total cost will not exceed five million yuan."

"Of course, if the missing person is confirmed to be deceased or has suffered a permanent disability, there’s nothing we can do about that. I can only guarantee that the mission begins the moment we accept the case, and that we will do our utmost to ensure the missing person’s safety during the process."

The person on the other end sounded very professional.

’The price... wasn’t exactly low.’

’At least, Lu Dahai definitely couldn’t afford it.’

’But for me, it’s just pocket change.’ Lin Chu quickly agreed, "Alright. I’ll give you the contact person’s number, you can get in touch with him directly. Send me the account details for payment. I’ll pay the deposit."

’I’ve done all I can.’

After finishing the call, Lin Chu explained the situation to Lu Dahai, considering the matter handled.

’Money really is a superpower!’

Lu Dahai was, of course, endlessly grateful. His voice choked with emotion as he repeated his thanks over and over again.

Lin Chu offered a few more words of comfort before ending the chat.

’Hopefully, this great kindness won’t be repaid with great hatred.’

’But even if it does, it’s no big deal.’

’When you do a good deed on a whim, you shouldn’t worry about whether you’ll be repaid, nor should you expect it. In the end, it fulfills a certain need within myself anyway.’

After a moment’s thought, Lin Chu posted an announcement in his livestream channel and fan groups: "I need to urgently deal with the sudden situation from last night’s stream. It’s a matter of life and death and extremely urgent, so I’ll be pausing the stream for a few days. I’ll resume once everything is handled."

This worked out perfectly. He could take a couple more days off from streaming. Besides, he had the meeting with his bros tonight, followed by some fun and games, so he wouldn’t have had the time anyway.

Taking a break was a classic case of the broken windows theory. Once you take one day off, you want to take a few more. The feeling of satisfaction was overwhelming, and you could always find an excuse.

Today’s reason was actually a pretty good one.

After all, the Lu Dahai incident was still a cliffhanger, so he didn’t have to worry about a huge drop in popularity. The viewers and onlookers in his stream were probably all waiting for the outcome. Until the result was revealed, it would keep them hooked.

’And...’

’This was also a good opportunity to put a stop to the momentum of the free giveaways on stream, lest the viewers start having overly high expectations of me.’

’Although the free giveaways were beneficial for me too, since I got rebates.’

But Lin Chu was very clear in his mind that compared to the rebates, the bigger picture was more important.

If this kind of expectation became a habit, and he couldn’t satisfy it in the future, he definitely wouldn’t be able to handle the backlash.

Nowadays, Lin Chu was increasingly respectful of objective societal laws and true human nature.

...

"Brother Chu, do you think I should hang a banner here?"

After dealing with everything on his plate, Lin Chu was casually browsing for private jets and yachts online when Zhang Peng walked over with a grin and asked.

He really had too much time on his hands.

But it was understandable.

It was like the feeling of buying a new house and wanting to get every detail perfect for the first housewarming party.

"Go ahead and hang one. Let’s go with... ’Utopia’."

"And have a wooden sign made for the outside of the villa, too. Hang that up."

Lin Chu said with a broad smile.

It was a cliché word, but a good one. It wasn’t the word’s fault it was cliché; it was just so classic that it had been overused.

A flicker of emotion crossed Zhang Peng’s eyes, his expression suddenly turning sentimental. A strange feeling stirred in his heart.

’Utopia.’

’It really is a Utopia.’

’Starting from a few months ago, when Lin Chu first treated everyone at the bar, to him giving them cars, founding the company, and its smooth development step by step... it’s been happy, prosperous, and fulfilling, all the way until now...’

’It’s been like a beautiful dream.’

’Just like a Utopia.’

"How about ’Real Utopia’?"

"Hahahaha... Sounds auspicious."

A thousand thoughts swirled in Zhang Peng’s mind, but he couldn’t help but make the small suggestion.

’This is very real.’

Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh, seeing right through him. "Why not call it ’The Eternal Real Utopia’?"

"Heh, why are you suddenly getting all insecure?"

"Don’t worry, Brother Peng. I won’t change, and I hope none of you will either. Of course, if someone does change, there’s nothing to be done. But as long as I’m here, our circle won’t be turned upside down. I’ll do better, and all the bros will do well. Whoever stops doing well can just get lost."

"Yeah."

"I believe you."

Zhang Peng nodded emphatically, then smiled. "Now I feel that the phrase ’The green mountains won’t change, and the clear waters will flow forever’ is so simple, yet so beautiful..."

......