Traveling through the second dimension, the joy system encourages me to laugh heartily!

[My Heart Aches: Senior Chen Ming, the earliest cruise route you suggested I buy for the Spectrum of the Seas is [Shanghai? Kobe? Osaka? Yokohama? Shanghai], and I've already bought the tickets.]

Chapter 214: A Qualified Canary

[My Thoughts: By the way, senior, because this trip involves stops at foreign ports, we need to apply for visas in advance. Are you available today? We might need to prepare the documents together.]

Looking at the message, Chen Ming's plan for the cruise trip came to mind. He quickly typed a reply on the screen.

[Unlimited Quantitative Easing: Okay, I'm free today. Wait for me at your school gate, I'll drive over and pick you up now...]

【悠悠我心: Really?! Senior is so nice!! Actually, you don't need to bother, just send me your location, I can take a taxi to find you.】

[Unlimited quantitative easing: No problem! I can get there in about thirty minutes.]

After sending the message, Chen Ming decisively turned off the game screen that had just loaded on his computer, stood up briskly, and walked towards the garage.

Because Li Xiangling and Han Xueyi drove away with two cars, the huge garage now only had three steel beasts quietly parked inside: the imposing Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG, the luxurious Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC Midnight Edition, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S with its sharp lines and speed aesthetics.

Chen Ming's gaze swept over them, finally settling on that dynamic, streamlined figure.

Today he only needed to pick up Qing Zijin, so he wanted to change things up and experience a sports car that was completely different from his usual stable ride.

As his fingertips traced the cool, metallic paint of the Porsche 911, Chen Ming's lips curled into a slight smile. This was it.

Half an hour later, the deep, powerful roar of the engine came to an abrupt end in front of the imposing gates of the Hedgehog Cat Media Academy.

Chen Ming turned off the engine, got out of the car, and his gaze habitually swept over the area in front of the school gate.

It was still early, only a little past nine in the morning, but to his surprise, several eye-catching luxury cars were already parked on the roadside. They gleamed in the morning light, silently proclaiming their owners' wealth.

This familiar scene instantly brought Chen Ming's memories back to his college days.

Back then, he was a poor student with no money. Every evening when he passed by this place, the school gate had almost become a luxury car exhibition.

What's even more memorable is that many cars always have one or more bottles of different brands of mineral water or beverages on their hoods or roofs.

The "tricks" behind it are widely circulated on campus; they are an unspoken "code," a "hunting" signal among a specific group of people.

Chen Ming was well aware of this, but he simply lacked the ability to imitate it...

Now that he has money and ability, he no longer bothers to imitate, but instead directly surpasses the paths of his predecessors!

What puzzled Chen Ming was that there wasn't a single bottle of water on the luxury car parked at the entrance of the Hedgehog Cat Media Academy.

He thought to himself: Is it because it's still early and we haven't had time to put it up yet?

As he was observing carefully, a male voice with a smile came from his side:

"Dude! That's a great car! A Porsche 911 Turbo S, right? How much did it cost?"

Chen Ming turned his head to look at the sound.

The speaker was a man in his early thirties, dressed in a well-tailored casual outfit, his hair meticulously styled, exuding the air of a trendy urban man. He was strolling over from a Maserati Ghibli not far away, a familiar smile on his face.

Chen Ming didn't stand on ceremony and casually replied, "Four million five hundred thousand."

The man had already walked up to the front, his gaze lingering on Chen Ming's 911, clicking his tongue in admiration: "Four and a half million... impressive!" He then changed the subject, his tone laced with a mix of teasing and helplessness, "But with you parking your car here, we brothers are probably going to come up empty-handed today, a wasted trip..."

?

Chen Ming was taken aback at first, then realized that the other party had obviously mistaken him for a "competitor"! They thought he was also here to hunt for spies.

But there was no water in their car. Did they change their tactics again?

That's quite possible. After all, according to the timeline of the main world, Chen Ming has been out of school for more than three years, so it's reasonable for the codes for these kinds of "underground activities" to be updated and iterated.

Asking directly, "How are you operating now?" would be too abrupt, so Chen Ming changed his approach, a meaningful smile appearing on his face:

"That's hard to say... My purpose for coming here might be different from yours."

"Hmm?" The man was clearly intrigued, looking Chen Ming up and down with a puzzled expression before asking curiously, "Brother, you didn't come here to wait for your 'prey'?"

As he spoke, he casually walked halfway around Chen Ming's Porsche, his sharp gaze sweeping across the inside of the windshield. When his eyes landed on the area in front of the driver's seat, he seemed to have discovered some crucial evidence, letting out a sudden "Hey!" and his smile turning mischievous.

"I knew it! You're not here to 'hunt,' you didn't even put up a QR code! Bro, you have a 'precise target,' and you've already made plans, right?"

?

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming instantly understood!

So that's how it is! It's not that the water disappeared, but that the "code" evolved! It leaped directly from the physical "bottled water" to the digital age's "QR code"!

No wonder those cars were empty; the real "invitations" were probably pasted on the driver's side window or the inside of the windshield, and you had to walk closer to see them.

This operation is more covert and potentially more efficient. It's amazing how times are changing; even this kind of "tradition" is embracing internet thinking!

Chen Ming smiled politely and nodded to the man in front of him, tacitly acknowledging his guess.

"Yes, I've come to pick up my woman..."

"Hey bro!"

Upon hearing this, the man's face immediately displayed the "wisdom" and "regret" of someone with more experience. He earnestly advised, "With your qualifications and driving a car worth over four million, why are you in such a hurry to settle down? You're young and promising; this is the time to enjoy life! Look at me, I'm doing just fine, aren't I? I change girls all the time, and they're all young, beautiful, and college students. That's what you call a carefree life! It's such a pity to give up the whole forest for one tree..."

Although Chen Ming is 27 years old in the main world, he is almost 45 years old when you add the years he spent in World 1 and World 2.

However, he had already taken the [elixir of immortality], and his appearance gradually returned to its most youthful state—at first glance, he looked like an 18-year-old boy!

Therefore, the man considered himself the older brother and regarded Chen Ming as a promising young rich second-generation.

Chen Ming listened to his younger brother's words of experience and smiled to himself, thinking:

How do you know I would give up the whole forest for one tree?

Let alone college students, there's the elegant yet eccentric sickly young lady, the brilliant genius magician, the gentle and considerate maid, the majestic yet occasionally childish silver dragon, and the half-elf... His "Forest" is truly a vast and wondrous place that transcends dimensions and races, something this young man staking out to hunt for fish could never imagine.

But Chen Ming had no desire to show off. He simply nodded slightly and said in a humble tone full of understanding, "Everyone has their own aspirations. Everyone's preferences and... well, 'XP' are all very different, which is normal. It's just about pursuing different lifestyles."

"So, brother, what about you?" The man seemed curious about Chen Ming's "XP" and pressed, "Are you the monogamous type?"

Chen Ming's gaze fell upon the academy gate, his eyes distant, as if piercing through time and space. A subtle smile played on his lips as he answered casually:

"I know a little bit about everything..."

"Oh--"

The man drawled out the last syllable as if suddenly realizing something, nodding thoughtfully with a hint of understanding and barely perceptible awe in his eyes.

No wonder!

He often lingered near the entrance of the Hedgehog Cat Media Academy and had seen many luxury cars, most of which were worth around a million.

A Porsche 911 Turbo S-class car like the one in front of us, which cost 4.5 million yuan, is indeed extremely rare.

It turns out that these real big shots have such a wide range of interests and such a high level of expertise that they have long since surpassed the rudimentary stage of simply waiting for opportunities at university gates.

The circles he frequented and the resources he had access to were beyond his imagination, so naturally he didn't have much time to waste "staking out" here. This nonchalant answer of "knowing a little bit about everything" sounded to the man like a different kind of understated luxury.

During their casual conversation, groups of two or three female students began to emerge from inside the school gate.

Chen Ming keenly noticed that some of the pretty girls would glance at the luxury cars parked along the roadside, their eyes filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and even a hint of barely perceptible eagerness.

At this moment, the man next to him suddenly became more enthusiastic, took out a business card from his elegant wallet, and handed it to Chen Ming with both hands:

"Brother! Looks like we don't have time to chat much longer. I'm in the construction business, here's my business card. If you ever need any construction work in the future, I hope you'll do me the favor!"

His attitude carried a businessman's shrewdness and an emphasis on potential connections.

Seeing his politeness, Chen Ming also politely accepted the business card. The business card was of fine quality and printed with the words "Zhang Hongyuan, General Manager of Hongyuan Construction Engineering Co., Ltd."

After glancing at it, Chen Ming casually put it into his coat pocket and politely replied:

"Sure, I'll definitely contact you if needed..."

Zhang Hongyuan knew when to stop and didn't linger. He quickly turned his attention back to the passing female student, his eyes regaining their hunter-like focus.

Meanwhile, several men emerged from the stylish coffee shop across the street. They were all around thirty or forty years old, and their attire suggested a certain level of financial stability.

They tacitly avoided approaching their own cars directly, instead spreading out a short distance away, some pretending to make phone calls, others leaning against the railing chatting, while their eyes subtly scanned the school gate—clearly, they were the owners of the other luxury cars, also waiting for their "prey" to scan the QR codes on their vehicles.

Chen Ming noticed that not long after, several girls began to intentionally or unintentionally approach cars parked on the side of the road. They would either pause for a moment or take out their phones while walking, quickly scanning a spot on the inside of the car window with fluid and discreet movements.

After scanning the code, they didn't linger or talk to anyone, just like taking a normal selfie, and continued to leave in a hurry.

Clearly, they were also well aware of the rules—communicating directly in front of everyone at the school gate was too conspicuous, so subsequent "communication" would naturally be moved to a private online setting.

Just as this tacit atmosphere of "transaction" was quietly spreading, a clear and melodious shout pierced through the subtle air like a clear spring:

"Senior—!!"

Chen Ming turned his head at the sound. He saw a vibrant young figure waving enthusiastically towards him from the direction of the imposing gate of the Hedgehog Cat Media Academy. The figure had a bright smile on its face and was running towards him with light steps, completely ignoring the various gazes coming from around them.

The person who came was Qing Zijin.

She wore a simple, pure white fitted T-shirt that perfectly accentuated her youthful and graceful curves; her lower body was clad in classic blue jeans, which made her legs appear straight and long. A striking white leather belt cinched her waist, perfectly highlighting her slender, fair figure, becoming the most eye-catching element of her overall outfit. Her long, flowing hair cascaded casually over her shoulders, swaying gently as she ran.

What was most striking was her delicate, oval face, fair and radiant. She had clearly prepared carefully, applying just the right amount of light makeup, which made her already beautiful features even more three-dimensional and vivid. Her eyes sparkled, filled with the pure joy of seeing Chen Ming.

Qing Zijing's youthful and beautiful figure shone like a dazzling beam of light, instantly attracting the attention of all the "hunters" at the school gate. The middle-aged men who had been leaning against their cars or pretending to chat all turned their gazes to her, their inner exclamations almost simultaneously bursting forth in silent amazement: "Wow!! This...this is simply stunning!!!"

Standing next to Chen Ming, Zhang Hongyuan was completely dumbfounded. That beautiful girl was most likely the person his brother was going to pick up!

That delicate face, perfect body proportions, youthful and vibrant temperament, and the undisguised joy in running towards Chen Ming far surpassed any target he encountered during his daily "staking out".

This made him exclaim: No wonder he drives a luxury car worth over four million; he has a really sharp eye, and the quality of the girls he dates is truly high! This tree is clearly the rarest one in the top rainforest; giving up the entire forest for it would be worth it!

Seeing Chen Ming's gaze fall on her, Qing Zijin's smile grew even brighter, and she quickened her pace, almost running to Chen Ming.

Under the gazes of those around her—some admiring, some inquisitive, some envious and jealous—she opened her arms without hesitation and gave Chen Ming a tight hug, her sweet voice filled with undisguised intimacy:

"Senior!! I miss you so much..."

Although her relationship with Chen Ming has not yet crossed the final line, since Chen Ming has already transferred that heavy "gift" (20 yuan in pocket money) to her, in Qing Zijin's mind, she is already a newly promoted flower in Chen Ming's "harem garden".

As a qualified canary, providing substantial emotional value and making the patron feel pleased and needed is the most basic professional quality, and Qing Zijin is very aware of this!

P.S.: Just to clarify, the following is written in the author's notes and is not counted in the word count!

Main world?

1. Selling herself to save her mother, Shen Qingyao (the pure and innocent white moonlight)

2: Parents divorced, Chen Suyan (a food-loving green tea)

3: The first stunning beauty, Li Xiangling (anime-style chef)

4: Gold Exchange, Long Zixuan (Sickly Young Lady, Crazy Beauty)

5: Personal maid, Han Xueyi (proficient in dance)

6: Villa sales, Cheng Yu (tool number 1)

7: Luxury car salesman, Shi Ci (tool number 2)

8: Dream Singer, Liu Rushuang (Proficient in playing the zither)

9: Male phobia, Su Mengdie (beautiful singing voice)

10: Enjoys traveling; Aoko-jin (proficient in playing wind instruments)

11: Legal Lolita, Ren Fangfei (Game Expert)

12: Parents in debt, Zhang Wanzhen (successor of the Celestial Master)

13: Distant cousin, Xie Wanqing (outside the third generation)

Chapter 215: Opening Up New Horizons

Chen Ming also reached out and gently embraced the soft, fragrant girl in his arms, feeling her vibrant body. A smile played on his lips as he whispered praise in her ear:

"Yes, Junior Sister Zijing is becoming more and more sensible and well-behaved..."

Hearing Chen Ming affirm her attitude, Qing Zijin raised her head in Chen Ming's arms, giggled foolishly, and urged him with a hint of coquettishness:

"Hehe... Senior, let's go!"

Although she had classes in the afternoon, it was definitely more important to be with her "senior" during class! She clearly understood the priorities.

"Okay, get in the car."

Chen Ming released his embrace, naturally put his arm around her shoulder, and led her to the passenger seat.