Chapter 30: The Low-Key Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The next few days were fulfilling and healthy for Wei Lin. During the day, he shuttled between four different companies. Taking samples from his own factory, he visited the Birch, Zhijie, and Tianzhong factories, demanding that their quality meet the same standards as his own. He was hands-on, even spending time on their factory floors to ensure these three were not slacking on his orders. When he had free time, he would go to the gym to train. In the evenings, he would occasionally keep Lin Nanxi company or check in on Gao Xue. Back home, he would diligently study his "sage books," carefully pondering the ways of men and women.

The progress bar for the "love value" in his mind had been growing steadily lately, and even his strength in the gym's big three lifts was consistently improving. As a strength training novice, even without the existence of life advancement, he could steadily increase his strength and muscle mass in the early stages just by training seriously. Gradually, he noticed his body weight had also increased unintentionally. When changing clothes in the nude, he could clearly see his body becoming leaner and more muscular, which put him in a great mood. However, he had made no progress in his relationship with the young trainer, He Jingxuan. She chose to ignore his private invitations, and she turned a blind eye to his humorous banter at the gym, not giving him the slightest opening.

"I still need a catalyst to break through this relationship." Wei Lin remained calm and unhurried, keeping his current pace and improving himself in every aspect.

...

"Wei Lin, Han Ying invited us to go hiking this Saturday, you must come with me!"
"Besides Han Ying and Zhuang Qing, she has a close girlfriend coming, and that girlfriend is bringing two guys!"
"Tomorrow at nine in the morning, at the parking lot on Lan Street, don't be late."
"It's rare for Han Ying to take the initiative to invite me, you have to help me out!"

On Friday afternoon, Zhao Yuanqing called to finalize the hiking trip.

"Hiking? Four men and three women? That's interesting." Wei Lin hung up the phone and decided to skip strength training that afternoon, opting for cardio on the stair climber instead to improve his cardiovascular endurance. The stair climber at the gym was undoubtedly the best way to enhance hiking performance; this was targeted training for a specific goal.

"A bunch of rookies, who can out-climb me?" Feeling that his physical condition was excellent, Wei Lin grinned coldly, preparing to show off his skills tomorrow. That night, after dinner with Lin Nanxi, he even politely declined her invitation to stay the night, all to maintain his physical stamina and energy.

...

The next day. "64.5/100." Having slept in, Wei Lin glanced at the love value progress bar, and a smile immediately bloomed on his face. After quickly washing up and getting dressed, he ate a large bowl of noodles at the shop near his home before driving to the Lan Street parking lot.

Before nine o'clock, Zhao Yuanqing had already arrived. This flashy guy was dressed in top-tier outdoor gear, wearing professional hiking boots and anti-glare sunglasses, and was busy rearranging his hiking poles and backpack in his open trunk.

"What kind of outfit is that for hiking?" Seeing him arrive in regular gym clothes and a pair of ordinary running shoes, Zhao Yuanqing sneered, "You don't look professional at all."

"You look professional enough, but when we actually start climbing, I hope you still have the energy to mock me," Wei Lin retorted coldly.

"Heh, I slept at ten o'clock yesterday just for this hike. It’s just a small mountain, it should be a breeze, right?" Zhao Yuanqing organized the trunk of his Cayenne and said, "Where is your stuff? Throw it in my car; let’s go together."

"It's just for the day, we'll be back tonight, what do I need to bring?" Wei Lin spread his hands, indicating he hadn't brought anything.

"Food, water, a change of clothes, and hiking poles—are you saying you didn't bring any of that?" Zhao Yuanqing cursed, muttering, "Damn, I really have to worry about everything." Except for the change of clothes, he had actually brought an extra set of everything for Wei Lin.

In the empty morning parking lot, the two were boasting and chatting next to the Cayenne. Just past nine o'clock, they saw a BMW 5 Series pull in.

"Han Ying?" Wei Lin asked.
"Not Han Ying's car, maybe it's Zhuang Qing's," Zhao Yuanqing shook his head.

As they spoke, two men and a woman in sportswear stepped out of the car; they were all around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. The woman was petite, about 1.6 meters tall, wearing high-end yoga pants and a sports sweatshirt. She was quite attractive, with long, slender eyes that shimmered as she looked around, and a mole at the corner of her mouth that gave her a charming, alluring quality. The two men were about 1.75 or 1.76 meters tall, and like Zhao Yuanqing, they were wearing full hiking gear, though the brands didn't seem as premium as Zhao's. The group of five didn't know each other, but they guessed they were all part of the same trip, so they exchanged smiles and greetings from a distance.

"They had better not have any designs on Han Ying," Zhao Yuanqing handed a bottle of water to Wei Lin, his eyes showing a trace of coldness. "Linzi, you know, it's hard for me to show off too much by myself; I need you to assist me."

"You, not show off? The car is washed so bright, did you wax it?" Wei Lin scoffed.
"Heh heh, I specifically had it detailed this morning, cost me over three hundred!" Zhao Yuanqing glanced at the other party's BMW 5 Series and said smugly, "There are seven of us in total; two cars are enough. Let's ask Zhuang Qing and Han Ying to ride in our car later."

Wei Lin smiled, "It's in the bag." Zhao Yuanqing liked to show off his wealth when chasing women, but he was too embarrassed to brag about his family's success himself, so he hoped his brothers would point it out for him, and Wei Lin understood him perfectly.

A few minutes later, an old-fashioned Mercedes S-Class slowly rolled into the parking lot. The moment he saw the license plate, Wei Lin's brows furrowed tightly. "The world is big, but Linjiang City feels a bit small." In an instant, he matched Zhuang Qing with someone in his mind and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Jiang K, Z8888!"
"That's an old car, not much to look at, but that license plate is something else!" Zhao Yuanqing exclaimed.
"That's the classic 'Tiger Head' Mercedes S600 from back in the day. It was only changed to an S400 to keep a low profile," Wei Lin said, revealing the truth.

Zhao Yuanqing paused. He knew cars. If this old car were truly a Mercedes S600, it would have cost over three million back in the day; he knew what that meant for that era. "Whose car is it?" Zhao Yuanqing wondered.

Wei Lin said solemnly, "Qifeng Hats, Zhuang Dasheng."
"Holy crap! Such a coincidence?"

While Zhao Yuanqing was exclaiming, Zhuang Qing and Han Ying had already stepped out of the old Mercedes. Both women were also in sportswear, looking neat and capable, which drew attention. Zhuang Qing, wearing gray loose-fitting sweatpants, was much taller than Han Ying; at 1.75 meters, her legs were long and straight, giving her a heroic and spirited appearance.

Next to the BMW 5 Series, the two "dogs" suddenly had their eyes light up and walked over with smiles. "Han Ying!" Seeing his rivals make the first move, Zhao Yuanqing didn't think twice and rushed forward like a dog himself.

Wei Lin stood where he was, took a deep breath, and steadied his mind. Zhuang Dasheng had built Qifeng from scratch and was one of the most famous business tycoons in Linjiang City. Qifeng Hats was a major taxpayer in the local area, and he was a heavyweight at the same level as Zhao Yuanqing's father. There were too many people with the same surname in the world; Wei Lin never expected that Zhuang Qing would be his daughter.

He had long known that Zhuang Dasheng had a son and a daughter who were sent abroad to study at a very young age. His son, Zhuang Daoyuan, had returned a few years ago and was being groomed at Qifeng, clearly treated by Zhuang Dasheng as his successor. Zhuang Dasheng doted on his children, but he was traditional at heart, and all his behaviors indicated that he intended to hand the company over to his son. Zhuang Daoyuan was a standard playboy, owning many luxury cars and frequently appearing in major nightlife spots and bars both domestically and abroad, constantly causing trouble. Zhuang Dasheng was also troubled by this, often telling people that his child was still young and would eventually mature in a few years. However, his eldest daughter had always been little known. Even Wei Lin, as a peer, only knew that after she returned, she had been placed in a leisurely public institution and held no position in her family's company.

"Qifeng..." Wei Lin's expression turned strange. Thinking of the relationship between Zhuang Qing and that man, he suddenly felt a bit odd about the upcoming hiking trip.

"Damn, they won't ride in our car," Zhao Yuanqing returned, discouraged. He opened the passenger door to signal Wei Lin to get in. Once Wei Lin was seated, he started the engine and sneered, "Wei Lin, that stranger must have treated Han Ying and Zhuang Qing as resources to be pushed out."

Wei Lin understood immediately. Some women, in order to network with high-quality circles, would bring their beautiful girlfriends out to introduce to their male friends. This hiking trip was likely organized by that girl just to get Han Ying and Zhuang Qing to show up.

"Han Ying must have known her girlfriend's intentions, which is why she invited the two of us," Zhao Yuanqing continued.

"Women also screen their ideal partners through competition among males," Wei Lin smiled and said, "Don't embarrass yourself."
"Heh, just based on those two?" Zhao Yuanqing looked dismissive.

After making a turn, he followed the BMW ahead steadily and suddenly said in a sneaky tone, "Wei Lin, I have a not-so-mature suggestion."
"How dirty is it?" Wei Lin scoffed.
"Your little factory has no chance of competing with Qifeng. You might as well just take down Zhuang Qing and marry into the Zhuang family!" Zhao Yuanqing honked the horn to urge the BMW to drive faster, shouting, "With your skills, once you become Zhuang Dasheng's son-in-law, what does that idiot son of his have to compete with you?"

"Wei Lin, look how good I am to you? I found you a shortcut that doesn't require any effort." Zhao Yuanqing honked the horn violently again, cursing, "That idiot is driving so slow! Wei Lin, why don't you thank me yet!"

"Thank your grandfather!"