Ji Ling walked out of the Yan building and let out a long sigh.
Truth be told, he wasn’t nearly as carefree as he looked—something kept bugging him inside.
Now he was really tangled up with Yan Yixuan, and there was no easy way out.
He had told Yan Yixuan to figure out what their relationship was, but honestly, even he didn’t know what it was supposed to be.
Somewhere deep down, he just felt like he should keep some distance from Yan Yixuan. Like, if he didn’t, things would get messy. But why exactly? He couldn’t explain it.
Ji Ling even started wondering if he was just being too dramatic. If it were Luo Tao’s older brother trying to shove some money into his hands, he’d probably take it on the spot—and maybe even ask for more.
But with Yan Yixuan, it just wasn’t the same.
Just thinking about Yan Yixuan’s attitude made Ji Ling annoyed. That arrogant, naive way of his—always trying to control everything.
If Yan Yixuan didn’t act like that, Ji Ling wouldn’t even mind hanging out with him.
They were already… closer than they should be, but the money thing kept getting in the way.
But then again—what did ‘close’ even mean?
Yan Yixuan liked guys, and Ji Ling felt like he just kind of went along with it. But was it really all just going with the flow? Didn’t he have a say in any of this?
And honestly, that kiss with Yan Yixuan… it wasn’t bad at all.
That thought caught Ji Ling off guard. It freaked him out a little. Before he could think too much about it, he stepped outside—and realized his car had been towed.
“……”
Forget it. That piece of junk wasn’t worth it anyway.
After Ji Ling got back, the first thing he did was buy a brand-new car. Then, he moved out of that old place he used to live in and found himself a bright, spacious apartment in a better part of town—with good transportation, great property management, and a killer view. After that, he went out and bought a bunch of clothes from brands he actually liked. In no time, he went from scrappy startup guy to full-on stylish CEO.
He knew he had a good-looking face—it was just that before, he’d always been too skinny and kind of invisible.
But now, after nearly a year of grinding and working out, his body had filled out a lot. And let’s be real: clothes really do make the man. Spend a little money, dress yourself up, and boom—whole new vibe.
His sudden style shift totally caught his team off guard. He started paying attention to quality, and the transformation freaked everyone out a little.
Even the receptionist—who’d since joined the PR department and got along well with Ji Ling, finally worked up the nerve to ask him in private, “Boss, why are you suddenly all glammed up?”
Was that even the right way to use ‘glammed up’?
“…” Ji Ling stared at her, deadpan. “Well, I’ve got money now. Gotta use it somehow, right?”
His personal debt was cleared, the company had just secured new funding—what was there to stress about? A few personal upgrades to treat himself? Totally reasonable.
Wasn’t this all just a bet with Yan Yixuan, anyway?
Lately, Ji Ling felt like he was actually becoming more laid-back. Maybe he’d finally gotten used to being young again—starting over from scratch, building something with his own hands. Somewhere along the way, his mindset had shifted too.
As for his situation with Yan Yixuan—Ji Ling insisted on calling it a ‘partnership’—the go-between, Ye Wenxin, had continued to act as their intermediary. Because of the sudden twists in the middle of the process, Ye Wenxin even gave him a friendly discount on her service fees.
Yan Yixuan also sent over a team to Ji Ling’s company to go over the numbers and legal details. On top of that, he had one of Yan Group’s investment managers working directly with Ji Ling to finalize the contract.
It was a high-stakes agreement. Neither side wanted to lose.
At last, Yan Yixuan started showing the kind of professionalism he should’ve had from the start, which made Ji Ling feel a bit more at ease.
But then another thing came up—Mo Yulan volunteered to personally handle the transition.
Ji Ling sat in his office, staring at her. “Why are you doing the handover?”
Mo Yulan responded like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Didn’t you say we should do a proper handover when we leave?”
Ji Ling followed up, “Did Yan Yixuan tell you to go back?”
She hesitated for a beat, then said, “No.”
“Then what handover are you talking about?”
Mo Yulan blinked, surprised. “Wait… you’re not letting me go?”
Ji Ling gave her a weird look. “When did I ever say you had to leave?”
She stared at him like he’d just grown a second head. “You do realize it was Vice Chairman Yan who told me to cut off your three funding sources, right?”
Ji Ling tapped his fingers against the table. “Yeah, I know.”
“If you’re not kicking me out, then just so you’re clear—next time Vice Chairman Yan gives me an order, I’m still gonna go behind your back and carry it out.” There was a flicker of emotion in her voice now. For once, she was laying all the cards on the table.
Ji Ling looked at her seriously. “I get it. I really do. But right now, I’m not asking you to leave. Just keep doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”
Mo Yulan looked genuinely confused.
Ji Ling said, “There’s no point overthinking it. If Yan Yixuan tells you to do something, do it. If I tell you to do something, do that too. That’s all.”
Her face twisted into a complicated expression, and Ji Ling waved her off to get back to work.
Once she was out of the office, Ji Ling leaned back in his chair, thinking. She was loyal—he’d give her that—and smart as hell. But just like Yan Yixuan said, she was a bit too… rigid.
Right now, the company was doing well. Losing Mo Yulan would hurt, sure, but it wasn’t the end of the world.
Still, Ji Ling had his own reasons for keeping her around.
If she could move in and out of his place freely, didn’t that also mean she could go in and out of Yan Yixuan’s world just as easily?
With that thought, Ji Ling glanced at the time. He had plans with Luo Tao. He stood up, straightened his clothes, and headed off to Tiansheng Entertainment.
When Ji Ling saw Luo Tao, the first thing he did was apologize.
After all, he’d gone ahead and made a verbal agreement with Yan Yixuan without consulting anyone—not even Luo Tao. It was the kind of big move that could seriously affect the company’s future strategy, and he hadn’t said a word about it.
Luo Tao, to his credit, was understanding.
“You told me earlier that you were planning to raise funds. I didn’t object,” Luo Tao said, though a frown tugged at his brow. “But I really didn’t expect Yan Yixuan to get involved.” He gave Ji Ling a long look. “What exactly is going on between you two?”
For once, Ji Ling had no idea how to answer that. He shrugged it off with a vague, “We just… know each other. Pretty well, I guess.”
Luo Tao hooked an arm around Ji Ling’s neck and leaned in with a grin, whispering like they were in on some big secret. “If he ever messes with you, just say the word. I’ve got your back.”
Then, a little regretfully, he added, “Really, though. You should’ve called me earlier—I would’ve made sure Yan Yixuan got put in his place.”
Ji Ling was silent. ‘Sure you would,’ he thought. ‘You’d just end up running to your big brother again.’
“But anyway,” Luo Tao said, loosening his grip and switching to a rare serious tone, “since you already signed the deal, just make sure I don’t get dragged into it. I don’t want to wake up at the end of the year and find your company’s turned into some Yan Group subsidiary. If that happens, don’t blame me for pulling out early.”
Ji Ling understood. Luo Tao was just protecting his own stake in the company. He gave a small nod and tried to reassure him. “I wouldn’t have made the bet with Yan Yixuan if I didn’t know what I was doing.”
Luo Tao finally cracked a grin again. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But seriously, what if you can’t meet the target? What if you end up handing over the whole company to him?”
Ji Ling laughed. “Honestly? I haven’t thought about that.”
“You’re real confident, huh?”
Ji Ling gave a modest shrug. “I guess I am.”
The money from Yan Yixuan came through.
Unlike Luo Tao, Yan Yixuan didn’t try to interfere with the company’s day-to-day stuff. Aside from Mo Yulan, he hadn’t planted anyone on the inside. He was just a capital investor, nothing more.
The funds Ji Ling had been chasing for so long had finally arrived, but he didn’t feel the rush of satisfaction he’d imagined.
Even though he was confident in the deal he’d made with Yan Yixuan, there was still this weight sitting in his chest—like something had gotten stuck there and wouldn’t go down.
Doubling the profits wouldn’t be enough.
Back in Yan Yixuan’s office, Ji Ling had been angry and impulsive, yet he still held back. He didn’t want to put himself in a passive position, but his ambitions were clearly bigger—he just hadn’t voiced them to Yan Yixuan at the time.
Then, Ji Ling spotted news about the Zong Corporation in the media:
‘Zong Corp is partnering with a local university in the U.S. to set up a new R&D center, while actively acquiring cutting-edge overseas projects in hopes of launching new products.’
Ji Ling was a little surprised.
That university—it was Zong Jiqi’s alma mater. No doubt he had a hand in this.
Looks like Jiqi had really taken what Ji Ling said back in N City to heart. He’d even gone ahead and used channels he was familiar with to start developing products, giving both the market—and himself—something to believe in.
Ji Ling couldn’t help but think, ‘How did I never notice my little brother had a head for business too?’
Thinking back now, it actually made sense. They were cut from the same cloth, raised under the same roof, trained the same way by their father. There was no reason to assume Jiqi couldn’t hold his own.
Now Jiqi was out there, hundreds of miles away, building something in his own way. And Ji Ling—he was still here in S City. No way he could afford to fall behind.
Snapping out of it, Ji Ling pushed all his focus back to work.
There was a major international action film—big IP, huge budget—set to release in China right after the new year. The producers were planning to hire a local PR team for the rollout.
This kind of global blockbuster always came with fat marketing budgets. It also came with a ready-made audience and mass appeal. As long as the distribution was handled right, the box office numbers would crush.
Ji Ling was determined—his team had to win that pitch.
His company had built up a decent reputation in the domestic scene, sure—but he didn’t have any experience working on international projects. And let’s be real, big foreign film productions? They usually didn’t bother with newcomers. They didn’t understand the local market, didn’t care to, and they definitely weren’t short on cash. Safer to go with the big local agencies who knew the ropes. Easy, clean, no risks.
In this kind of game, pitching a good plan or talking smooth wasn’t enough. That might work for small gigs, but not here.
Ji Ling knew better—if he wanted to snatch food off someone else’s plate, he needed connections. He needed pull.
And unfortunately, as someone who had just started making noise in the industry, Ji Ling didn’t exactly have a Rolodex of powerful friends who’d vouch for him. The solid backer he could count on right now was Luo Tao.
Okay… maybe he had to admit—Yan Yixuan also counted. Kind of.
Ji Ling sat in his office, listening to the low hum of his team working hard outside. He trusted them. If he could just get the producers to give them a shot, he was sure they could crush it.
So, he did his homework. Dug into the project, the people behind it, the network around it—and found his angle.
After a glance at the clock, he got up, straightened his jacket, and walked out the door.
Downstairs in the parking garage, he slipped into his new car. Nothing flashy, just sleek and professional—the kind of car that screamed young and capable without trying too hard. He was carefully curating his image.
He drove straight to the airport.
He was there to pick someone up.
Laying the groundwork for the next big move.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
