With his nemesis, Wang Hongliang, out of the picture, time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
During this time, Wu Jun called Chen Lin from the registration agency several times and even took her out to eat twice.
After these interactions, the two grew much closer. Since they were both young and had a lot in common, they'd already become good friends.
However, there was still no progress on the rice trademark Wu Jun was so anxious to find. Those things were just too rare.
Wu Jun knew Chen Lin was genuinely trying her best, so he didn't press her too hard.
In his free time, he visited the hospital every few days to bring food and supplies to his mom and Xu Xiulan.
In Xu Xiulan's words, her temporary break room had enough supplies to open a small convenience store.
There had also been significant changes in the game.
[Resource Tycoon]
User: Wu Jun, Male, Age 27.
Current City Level: 1.
Current Population Capacity: 100.
Current Resources: 8 mu of rice paddies.
Current Product: Rice.
Current Production: 8 tons of rice/day.
Current Population: 8 Farmers. (Summonable)
Account Balance: 0 Gold Coins.
Inventory: 60 tons of rice. (Withdrawable)
In two weeks, Wu Jun had recruited another four Farmers and purchased four more mu of rice paddies, investing a total of 80,000 yuan into the game.
After subtracting the 80,000 yuan invested in the game, he still had over 260,000 yuan in savings, not to mention the 60 tons of rice in his inventory.
He had long since saved up enough for his dad's surgery, and the money for the trademark was ready as well.
Wu Guangqiang's condition was relatively stable. The doctor said that if his vitals were all normal after another ten days of observation, the surgery would proceed as planned.
Everything was moving in the right direction.
That afternoon, after weighing rice for a customer, Wu Jun pulled out his new phone, planning to call Chen Lin again about the trademark.
'I'm going crazy over this trademark. I've been waiting forever!'
Sales at his small supermarket were nowhere near enough to offload the game's production, and his inventory was piling higher and higher.
Before he could even find her number, a call came in. Seeing it was from Chen Lin, Wu Jun's heart leaped. He had a feeling good news was knocking at his door.
"Chen Lin, I was just about to call you, but you beat me to it," Wu Jun said with a smile. "You have good news for me, don't you?"
"You guessed it, I do have good news," Chen Lin said. "Are you free right now? I have a client here who's looking to sell a rice brand trademark, and I'm holding them for you."
"Free? Of course I'm free! I've been waiting all this time for this exact news," Wu Jun said, his voice filled with excitement.
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, he had finally found someone selling a rice trademark.
"Chen Lin, whatever you do, keep the client there. I'm on my way right now." Wu Jun hung up, emerged from behind the counter, and hurried toward the door.
"Young Wu, where are you off to in such a rush? Can you weigh out twenty jin of rice for me before you go? We're waiting to cook at home and we've run out," said Auntie Li from the eighth floor, blocking his path just as he reached the door.
"Auntie Li, help yourself! Just weigh it out and pull the door shut for me when you leave."
In his haste, Wu Jun didn't even bother to lock the door as he rushed out of the supermarket.
"What's all the excitement about? Are they handing out wives somewhere?" Auntie Li muttered, shaking her head as she watched Wu Jun's hurried retreat. After weighing the rice herself, she left the money on the counter, locked the door for him, and went upstairs.
Once out of the complex, Wu Jun threw his thriftiness to the wind and hailed a taxi.
As soon as he got in, Wu Jun urged, "Driver, Tianyuan Small-Commodities Wholesale Market. It's an emergency, step on it!"
"You got it. Hang on tight." The driver floored the accelerator and sped toward the wholesale market.
Five minutes later, he paid the fare, jumped out, and strode into the wholesale market, expertly navigating his way to the door of Chen Lin's agency.
As soon as he walked in, he saw a man with a buzz cut and a loud plaid shirt sitting on the sofa by the window, his head bowed as he tapped cigarette ash into an ashtray.
"Wu Jun, you got here so fast! Did you take a rocket?" Chen Lin asked in surprise, looking up at him and then down at her watch.
Barely five minutes had passed since their call, and the wholesale market was a good seven or eight kilometers from his supermarket.
"Light traffic, a smooth ride all the way," Wu Jun said with a smile as he stepped inside.
At the sound of Chen Lin calling his name and Wu Jun's subsequent reply, the hand of the man by the window trembled, and his half-smoked cigarette dropped into the ashtray.
The man looked up, and when he saw Wu Jun stepping through the door, his face instantly darkened.
"You!"
"You!"
Wu Jun also got a clear look at the man's face, and both of them cried out in shock at the same time.
"You... you two know each other?" Chen Lin asked, looking back and forth between Wu Jun and Wang Hongliang in confusion.
"Wu, you bastard! You're the one who ruined me!" Wang Hongliang shot up from the sofa, pointing a finger at Wu Jun's face as he cursed.
Wang Hongliang's sudden, furious outburst startled Chen Lin, who was standing to the side.
Wu Jun hadn't expected to see Wang Hongliang here, either.
'He's out already? It feels like it's only been a few days!'
"Wang Hongliang, watch your mouth," Wu Jun said coolly. "What do you mean I ruined you? You brought this on yourself. You just got out. You itching to go back already?"
"You...!" Wang Hongliang choked with rage, but he didn't dare make a move against Wu Jun.
He had just been released, had a criminal record, and was still on probation.
Getting into trouble again during this period would be suicidal; the punishment would be severe.
After calming down, Wang Hongliang pointed at Wu Jun and asked Chen Lin, "Miss Chen, don't tell me *he's* the one you said wanted to buy the trademark!"
"Yes, Mr. Wang. Wu Jun is..."
"I'd rather tear it up and use it for toilet paper than sell it to this bastard! I'm leaving!"
Wu Jun replied, "Good riddance."
"Wu Jun, what...?" Chen Lin watched the furious Wang Hongliang storm out, then turned to Wu Jun, her face a mixture of confusion and pity.
After waiting more than twenty days, he'd finally found a seller, only for the deal to collapse before they could even get started.
"It's nothing. I'll just keep waiting. Sorry for the trouble, Chen Lin. I'll treat you to dinner another time. I have to head back now." Wu Jun said goodbye and turned to leave. It was a busy time at the supermarket, and he was already losing out on a lot of business by being away.
Seeing Wang Hongliang again after half a month, Wu Jun felt surprisingly calm, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.
If not for this chance encounter, he would have completely forgotten Wang Hongliang even existed.
Seeing Wang Hongliang trying to sell a rice trademark today finally jogged Wu Jun's memory. The business card Wang Hongliang had given him on his first visit to the supermarket listed his title as manager of a rice processing company.
Back then, Wang Hongliang had wanted to take over his supermarket. Now, the tables had turned, and Wu Jun was the one who desperately needed the trademark in his hands.
Who you meet, and when you meet them—it was as if it were all predestined.
Wu Jun was desperate for the trademark. His in-game inventory had already reached a whopping 68 tons.
The limitations of the small supermarket were obvious. Selling loose rice, he could move three tons a day at most, earning about 30,000 yuan.
To move product in bulk, he absolutely needed a trademark, proper packaging, and access to major distribution channels.
A trademark was right within his grasp, but it was in the hands of his enemy.
Fate really had a twisted sense of humor.