RRP Chapter 26

Although things with Yan Yixuan had hit a dead end, Ji Ling’s career was still moving forward pretty well.

 

Ye Wenxin was a well-known investment expert in the domestic finance world. She handled her own investments and also acted as a middleman, mostly working with mid-sized companies to help them build financial structures and secure funding, taking a commission in the process.

 

Technically speaking, Ji Ling wasn’t qualified to even be in the same circle as Ms. Ye. But right now, with everyone scrambling to get a piece of the entertainment industry, Ji Ling had managed to make a name for himself. This was exactly the kind of moment that attracted attention, and Ms. Ye was willing to help up-and-coming players with potential.

 

She told Ji Ling that she could secure financing from three different sources within two months.

 

With Ms. Ye’s backing, Ji Ling felt a surge of confidence.

 

As for Yan Yixuan… at least he felt like things between them had been made clear. He didn’t have to carry that sense of debt anymore.

 

That left a few unresolved issues.

 

Like the horse.

 

Technically, it was Yan Yixuan who paid for its upkeep. Ji Ling only stopped by once a week to see it. But animals had a way of getting under your skin—before you knew it, you’d grown attached. Just one week away, and he already felt restless.

 

Every time he looked into those big, glossy eyes, he couldn’t help but like the horse even more.

 

Horses were so much better than people. If you treated them well, they’d return the favor. No scheming, no mind games—none of the exhausting calculations that came with dealing with humans.

 

So whenever he had time, Ji Ling still went to see the horse. Sometimes, he even rode it. The only catch was that he had to avoid Yan Yili, and every time, he had to cover the damage fees himself.

 

But after a few visits, the stable manager greeted him with a friendly smile and said, “Mr. Ji, Mr. Yan Yixuan has instructed us to refund all your training fees. He said it’s his horse, so he’ll take care of it.”

 

Since he wasn’t allowed to pay anymore, Ji Ling naturally stopped going to the ranch.

 

And then there was another issue. Or rather, another person.

 

A lingering problem that refused to go away.

 

Ji Ling watched Mo Yulan moving in and out of the company, involved in almost every key business matter. One day, he finally lost his patience and called her into his office.

 

“Why are you still here?”

 

Mo Yulan looked at him blankly. “Why wouldn’t I be here? I’ve always been here.”

 

Ji Ling frowned, thought for a moment, then asked, “Yan Yixuan didn’t tell you to go back?”

 

The moment she heard his tone, Mo Yulan instantly understood what was going on.

 

She smiled and said, “No, Mr. Ji. Vice Chairman Yan hasn’t given me any new instructions. I’ll continue working here as usual.”

 

But when Ji Ling thought about the horse, he knew he had to plan ahead. He turned to Mo Yulan and said, “I have a…” He had originally wanted to say ‘request’, but then he realized he wasn’t really in a position to request anything from her. So instead, he said, “a favor to ask. If your boss calls you back, please make sure to properly hand over your work here before you leave.”

 

Mo Yulan fell silent for a moment. She hadn’t expected Ji Ling to go this far, and from the way he spoke, it seemed like things between him and Yan Yixuan had turned pretty sour.

 

She gave a slight nod. “I promise.” Then, after some hesitation, she finally asked, “Mr. Ji, did the Vice Chairman dump you?”

 

Ji Ling: “…”

 

Mo Yulan continued, “Honestly, you’ve lasted quite a while, Mr. Ji. And you’ve got some backbone—I respect that.”

 

Ji Ling’s expression didn’t change. “…Thanks for the compliment.”

 

With Mo Yulan’s situation more or less sorted, Ji Ling turned his attention to another matter. According to their agreement, any major strategic moves his company made had to be reported to Luo Tao.

 

Every time he made the trip to Tiansheng Entertainment to meet Luo Tao, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was just a subsidiary of their company. By now, everyone at Tiansheng knew him—walking in and out of the CEO’s office was as easy as strolling into his own place.

 

The moment Luo Tao saw Ji Ling, he burst out laughing. “Brother Ji, you really pulled it off this time! The investors are over the moon! Thought they were throwing money into a charity case—turns out they hit the jackpot.”

 

Ji Ling wasn’t quite used to being called ‘Brother Ji’ by Luo Tao. He frowned slightly and said, “I should be thanking you, Mr. Luo. Without your introduction, the producers and I would still be at a stalemate. Besides, it’s not my movie—I’m just handling the marketing, making some hard-earned cash. The real profits go to the investors.”

 

Luo Tao clapped him on the shoulder. “Once you make a bit more, why not shoot your own movie with me?”

 

Ji Ling glanced at him and drawled, “Filmmaking is an upstream business. I’m looking to go downstream.”

 

“Oh?” Luo Tao raised an eyebrow. “You want to get into media platforms? That’s way tougher than making movies.”

 

Ji Ling simply said, “It’s just an idea, nothing concrete yet. But right now, I do have a few things to discuss with you.”

 

“First, I want to invest in a video or news-related app. I’m still scouting for options.”

 

Luo Tao thought for a moment before saying, “You’re just starting out, and you already want to buy software? That’s a bit premature. I think you should focus on your core business first.”

 

Ji Ling didn’t argue. Instead, he nodded. “I agree. That’s why I’m only looking for now. The second thing is more important.” He continued, “I want to partner with cinemas to run pre-movie ads.”

 

Luo Tao shot him down immediately. “The major theaters already have stable ad agencies in place. If you want in, you’ll need serious connections and resources.”

 

Ji Ling shrugged. “Doesn’t hurt to try. Anyway, there’s a third thing.”

 

Luo Tao sighed. “Go ahead. I’ll help you face reality.”

 

“…” Ji Ling wasn’t even mad at this point. He just kept going. “Early next year, a foreign film is premiering in China. They’re looking for local agencies to handle their marketing.”

 

Luo Tao finally nodded. “That’s worth a shot. But foreign studios prefer working with big domestic firms. You might not get the deal.”

 

Ji Ling said, “I’m just reporting to you—these are my future plans.”

 

Luo Tao chuckled. “Yes, yes, you’re the boss, you make the calls. I’m just pointing out the challenges you might face. But I actually agree with everything you just said, so go for it.”

 

Ji Ling felt a flicker of gratitude.

 

Even though Luo Tao was technically involved in managing the company, he gave Ji Ling a lot of freedom. He even introduced him to business opportunities—he really had his back.

 

Luo Tao was exactly as his brother had described—cheerful, easygoing, straightforward, and kind-hearted.

 

A pang of guilt crept into Ji Ling’s chest. He knew exactly what kind of person Luo Tao was—that was why he had approached him in the first place.

 

If Luo Tao’s brother ever found out that he had been leveraging Luo Tao’s connections for his own gain, Ji Ling would probably get punched in the face.

 

Pushing those thoughts aside, Ji Ling sincerely expressed his gratitude. “Thank you for trusting me, Mr. Luo. But after saying all this, what I actually mean is—since I have so many plans, I need more money.”

 

Luo Tao stroked his chin.

 

“I’m in talks with investors to secure more funding,” Ji Ling added.

 

Luo Tao let out a little “tsk” and said, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I could introduce you to my brother.”

 

Ji Ling’s eyes lit up.

 

But then Luo Tao continued, “Although, your company is a bit too small. He might not even be interested. My brother is really strict about this stuff, and not even my word carries much weight with him.”

 

Ji Ling’s brief spark of hope was instantly snuffed out. Not that he was surprised—he had always known he wasn’t quite at that level yet, which was why he hadn’t even brought it up to Luo Tao in the first place.

 

Fortunately, he had already connected with Ye Wenxin. He just needed to be patient. Once the funds were in place, he could finally put his plans into motion.

 

With Luo Tao’s approval, Ji Ling threw himself into preparations. He had several marketing contracts lined up, and before he knew it, he was drowning in work again.

 

But this time, something felt off.

 

Yan Yixuan… really wasn’t going to come looking for him?

 

Before, Ji Ling had been so busy that he barely had time to think about anything else. But even if they hadn’t seen each other often, he and Yan Yixuan had always been tangled up in some way.

 

This time, though, it felt like the thread between them had been completely severed.

 

Ji Ling had assumed that with Yan Yixuan’s personality, he wouldn’t be able to resist coming back to stir up trouble. But instead, there was… nothing. Not a single ripple.

 

So… was this what they called ‘losing interest’?

 

Ji Ling couldn’t shake the strange feeling creeping up on him.

 

He was usually the one who lost interest first, the one who handed over a breakup fee to keep things amicable.

 

Now that the roles were reversed—now that ‘he’ was the one being forgotten—it didn’t sit well with him.

 

Was he really that unremarkable?

 

Ji Ling found his thoughts drifting, but he quickly pulled himself together and refocused on work.

 

It had been a month since Ye Wenxin promised to help him connect with investors. Growing impatient, Ji Ling finally reached out to check on the progress. Ye Wenxin, full of confidence, assured him that everything was on track—she had already secured the investors, but consolidating the funding channels was taking time.

 

She handed over the profiles of the three investors, and Ji Ling immediately recognized them as solid choices. That put him at ease, and he continued to wait.

 

But then another half a month passed, and there was still no movement. Ji Ling checked in again, and Ye Wenxin told him to wait a little longer.

 

As the two-month deadline she had set approached, Ji Ling grew increasingly anxious. Then, out of the blue, Ye Wenxin called him herself.

 

There was a problem.

 

Ji Ling went straight to her office.

 

Ye Wenxin looked troubled. “Everything was settled—we were just about to bring you in to discuss the terms. But suddenly, all three investors pulled out at the same time. They said they wanted to ‘wait and see’.”

 

Ji Ling frowned. “Do you know why?”

 

Ye Wenxin shook her head. “For all three to back out at once, it’s most likely not a coincidence. Mr. Ji, is there anything on your end that could have caused this?”

 

Ji Ling rejected the idea immediately. His company was growing steadily—there was nothing wrong internally.

 

Ye Wenxin sighed. “If you still trust me, I can keep trying and look for new investors.”

 

That was his only option for now.

 

Leaving Ye Wenxin’s office, Ji Ling was visibly displeased. He understood that business wasn’t always smooth sailing, but being shut out like this—without even knowing why—was frustrating.

 

A few days later, Ye Wenxin called again.

 

“Mr. Ji, I’ve found another investor. They’ve done their due diligence and are willing to sit down for negotiations.”

 

One investor…

 

Ji Ling hesitated. “Just one? That won’t meet my funding needs.”

 

Ye Wenxin replied, “They’re willing to cover the full amount.”

 

Ji Ling refused without a second thought. “If three investors split the shares, that’s fine. But if one company funds everything, they’ll own a larger stake than me. I’d lose control over my own company—I can’t accept that.”

 

Ye Wenxin said, “I think you should at least talk to them. Maybe you can negotiate for half the amount first.”

 

Ji Ling considered it. At this point, he wasn’t really in a position to turn opportunities away. He agreed to meet with the investor’s representative.

 

A few days later, once Ye Wenxin had arranged the meeting, Ji Ling headed to her office again.

 

The moment he stepped inside, he froze.

 

Standing beside Ye Wenxin was another woman—one Ji Ling had just recently assigned a project proposal at his own company.

 

Mo Yulan stepped forward, acting as if she had never met Ji Ling before. With a professional smile, she greeted him, “Mr. Ji, hello. I’m here on behalf of Mr. Yan Yixuan to discuss a potential partnership with you.”

 

Ji Ling narrowed his eyes, staring at Mo Yulan’s composed expression. Not a single crack in her facade.

 

Yet she had personally told him that Yan Yixuan had given no instructions.

 

No instructions… yet she somehow knew he was desperate for funding.

No instructions… yet she had gone behind his back to contact Ye Wenxin.

No instructions… yet she had managed to pressure three investors into withdrawing at the same time.

 

No instructions, huh?

 

Ji Ling didn’t even acknowledge her. Without a word, he turned around and walked straight out of the office.

 

He strode across the parking lot, yanked open the car door, and slammed himself into the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life as he twisted the key.

 

Right now, all he wanted was to step on the gas and drive straight to Yan Yixuan.

 

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