Chapter 18: What Are You Trying to Do? Don't You Dare Nod!

In a luxurious villa in Magic City, the tall and statuesque Xue Ting was acting coquettishly toward a middle-aged man.

"Honey, you absolutely must help me outshine Yu Manli this time!"

The middle-aged man, Liu Sanhai, was a coal tycoon. Xue Ting had met him at a banquet and quickly used her charms to secure his patronage. Liu Sanhai had even set up a studio specifically for her, landing her several television roles and two singles, transforming her from an obscure, bottom-tier starlet into a moderately famous third-tier celebrity.

She had originally planned to release her new single in a few days, but after seeing Yu Manli teasing her own new song, Xue Ting had a bold idea: use Yu Manli as a stepping stone to climb to the top!

Liu Sanhai patted Xue Ting’s chest with a smug look. "Don't worry. I’ve already arranged for an online influence campaign, and with your die-hard fans, you’re definitely going to be a huge hit this time!"

Hearing this, Xue Ting’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, it’s not just about the buzz, honey~ I want to outsell Yu Manli within twenty-four hours of my release!" She shook Liu Sanhai’s arm excitedly.

"When that happens, I’ll be the number one female singer in the Dragon Kingdom, and you’ll be the man behind the number one female singer!" Xue Ting said with a playful pout, emphasizing "the man behind" and giving Liu Sanhai a flirtatious wink that left plenty to the imagination.

Watching her alluring display, Liu Sanhai felt a surge of heat, though he feigned composure. "Outselling Yu Manli is easy. She’s washed up. Her 24-hour sales will top out at 30 million at best; I earn that much just selling a few trucks of coal." He wanted to groom Xue Ting into a cash cow—after all, he was the secret boss behind her studio!

***

"Wait a minute, who is this Xue Ting? Are her vocals really that incredible?"

Jiang Jin, having seen the comments below, became curious. If even casual passersby thought Xue Ting’s singing was better than Yu Manli’s, then her vocal ability must be sky-high, right?

Wu Qingya shook her head slightly, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "I’ve heard about her. Her 'vocal ability' is entirely the work of million-dollar sound engineers."

Jiang Jin looked stunned. "What? Then how come others say her singing is better than Yu Manli’s?"

Wu Qingya shrugged, her tone laced with helplessness. "Brainless fans and paid influencers, that’s how."

Good grief, so Xue Ting had hired a bunch of shills to hype herself up? The schemes in this industry were deeper than the abyss! It was no wonder Jiang Jin had misunderstood; the original owner of his body rarely paid attention to the entertainment industry or followed celebrities—his only idol was Yu Manli.

[Ding, Host, you have a new side quest.]
[Task: The Ranking War]
[Objective: Help Yu Manli win the 24-hour sales chart championship on the Qiuqiu Music platform.]
[Reward: 10 million Dragon Kingdom coins, 10x rebate on consumption.]
[Note: The champion's sales must not exceed the runner-up by more than 10 million; exceeding this amount will result in a failed mission.]

This task wasn't bad; it helped him burn through money while earning a 10x rebate. It was just a shame about the cap; otherwise, if he dropped 100 million, he could have gotten 1 billion back! It looked like he would have to consult the "experts" on Zhihu. Spending ten or twenty million should be plenty. After all, Yu Manli had a terrifyingly large fan base; he wouldn't need to do too much heavy lifting himself.

***

Besides, Xue Ting wasn't exactly a formidable opponent!

Soon, a question appeared on Zhihu from a user named "Parking in the Maple Woods at Night": "If you had to spend 100 million in one week, what would you do?"

The question immediately piqued the interest of the platform's self-proclaimed "kings," who flocked to provide their answers. Jiang Jin read through them with interest at first, but soon he couldn't stand it anymore. The answers were all too mundane—nothing but buying cars, houses, and yachts. How vulgar! The more "noble" ones suggested donating to build schools. Jiang Jin actually wanted to do charity, but unfortunately, donations didn't count as consumption.

While Jiang Jin was busy surfing the web, a staff member arrived at the VIP lounge to tell him his car was ready.

*Vroom! Vroom!*

Settling into the driver's seat, Jiang Jin pressed the accelerator, and the roar of the engine filled the air. With the staff's help, he quickly familiarized himself with the controls before driving out of the 4S dealership.

"Wow, a Lamborghini! So cool!"
"Is that a Lambo Aventador?"
"That's a top-spec model—it costs over ten million on the road!"

As soon as he pulled out, the Lamborghini drew the attention of passersby. One trendy youth even pulled out his phone to film him. Even more brazenly, a tall, beautiful woman in a miniskirt, sporting exquisite makeup and a solid 8/10 appearance, walked up to the driver's side and tapped on the window.

Jiang Jin tilted his head, a hint of a casual smile in his voice. "What’s up, beauty?"

The girl in the miniskirt flashed a charming smile. "Handsome, can I add you on WeChat?"

Good grief. No wonder rich kids loved driving supercars. He hadn't done a thing, and a beauty had walked right up to ask for his WeChat—wasn't this better than aimlessly swiping on apps? Supercars really were the best tools for attracting attention!

"I only add women who are prettier than my girlfriend. How do you think you compare to her?" Jiang Jin gestured toward Wu Qingya in the passenger seat, his tone playful.

Wu Qingya cooperated perfectly, turning her face toward the girl in the miniskirt.

"I'm sorry, my mistake." The girl in the miniskirt felt ashamed and hurried away, covering her face.

Jiang Jin chuckled and hit the gas, merging onto the main road.

Wu Qingya teased, "What’s wrong? Did that young lady not suit your tastes?"

Jiang Jin turned, looked at Wu Qingya’s bright and moving face, and smiled. "With a beauty like you by my side, it’s hard for me to be tempted by other women."

Wu Qingya scoffed. "That’s only because you haven't 'obtained' me yet."

Jiang Jin frowned slightly, a flash of confusion in his eyes. "You seem to understand men quite well?"

Wu Qingya waved a hand dismissively. "I wouldn't say that. But I have a young nephew. I’ve bought him many expensive toys, yet he still insists on snatching toys from other kids."

Jiang Jin asked curiously, "Didn't you ask him why?"

Wu Qingya replied, "I did. He said he hadn't played with those toys before. Ha, men..."

Jiang Jin never expected that a brat he had never even met would become the biggest obstacle on his path to pursuing Wu Qingya! How could a little kid have such profound insight?!

After being shut down by Wu Qingya, Jiang Jin remained silent for over ten minutes.

Finally, Jiang Jin spoke up: "I’ve noticed the drivers in Magic City are quite well-behaved. I've been driving for ten minutes and haven't encountered anyone cutting me off."

Wu Qingya curled her lip dismissively. "If you drove this car back to Dong City, you’d find that the drivers there had suddenly become well-behaved, too."

It was a ten-million-dollar luxury car—if someone scraped it, they’d lose the equivalent of a house. Of course they’d be careful!

"Fair point." Jiang Jin nodded. Just like when he drove his Citroën C4—if he saw a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley, he’d make sure to stay a hundred meters away.

Just then, something occurred to him. "By the way, are you familiar with Magic City?"

Wu Qingya said sternly, "What are you planning? No, you're not allowed to!"

Jiang Jin laughed. His beautiful bodyguard was sharp; she’d already learned to anticipate his requests! He said solemnly, "I just want to find a professional track and race a bit." It was a 770-horsepower supercar; driving at forty or fifty kilometers per hour was a waste! He at least wanted to experience the feeling of speed.

Wu Qingya frowned and thought for a moment. "The Magic City Auto Park, perhaps. But they usually have private bookings; you might not be able to get on the track if you go now."

Jiang Jin shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing better to do, let's go check it out."

He had Wu Qingya set the navigation, and half an hour later, they arrived at the Magic City Auto Park. According to her introduction, the park was very famous in the racing circle. The track was built to F3 standards, allowing up to 25 cars to start simultaneously. The track was 3.6 kilometers long, with a width ranging from 11 to 19 meters. It featured 18 turns, including a triple-hairpin curve, making it fully capable of hosting professional events.

A private rental cost 100,000 per hour, while casual access was 5,000 per hour. It was a playground for the wealthy. That Wu Qingya knew all these details suggested she was more than she seemed. He definitely needed to find a way to get to know her better!