After a delay and a re-editing process, Shen Dongqing’s movie was finally ready for release.
Having missed the May Day holiday slot and facing some further delays, it ended up landing right in the middle of the summer season. For this movie, summer was practically a battlefield. Blockbuster imports and popular youth-oriented IP films were rolling out one after another. With Western superheroes and trending stars battling it out, there was no room for an art film to squeeze in.
The distribution team had already fought tooth and nail to secure screening slots in major theaters, but the movie’s pre-sale box office was still disappointing.
Ji Ling had met Shen Dongqing before at Tiansheng Entertainment. He was as calm as ever, seemingly unconcerned about the box office performance of his own film. Instead, he was the one comforting Ji Ling.
“Getting used to failure is part of the game. Fame lasts only a few years; most of the time, you’re facing failure. It’s better to maintain a high profile, at least fail gracefully.”
Shen Dongqing was an actor, so naturally, he had his own philosophy of performance, but Ji Ling was different. Ji Ling was a businessman.
A businessman never wakes up without a profit to chase. With such a relaxed attitude all the time, money doesn’t just fall from the sky.
As the movie finally hit the theaters, promotional articles for Shen Dongqing’s film started popping up on major platforms. The headline read: ‘A love story from the era of our parents,’ encouraging young people to take their parents to see the movie. On the other hand, the production company offered generous ticket subsidies, providing discounts for older people and even launching family ticket packages, targeting the older generation.
The 40-60 age group was actively reading the movie’s promotional soft articles on WeChat, and the movie started gaining traction within the parents’ circles. Before long, the movie’s first-day box office exploded, with the percentage of middle-aged viewers reaching an all-time high.
Ji Ling let out a sigh of relief.
But then, his sarcastic friend, He Xiaoguang, couldn’t hold back.
“Isn’t this a form of moral blackmail? My mom called me and asked me to buy tickets for her. If I don’t, she’ll say I don’t love her. Is maternal love really only worth a 30 yuan movie ticket? The worst part is, I paid 30 yuan for her ticket, then I have to spend another 30 yuan to go with her, but I want to watch something else. It’s not really a free-market choice, is it?”
Ji Ling thought to himself, movies might be about pursuing art for directors and actors, but once it reaches the distribution and promotion stage, it’s all about the business.
Selling it is the win. There’s never any room for free choice.
He Xiaoguang was about to graduate, and with Ji Ling’s business growing bigger, there were more things that needed to be packaged. He Xiaoguang, with his straightforward personality, had initially tolerated writing promotional articles, but over time, he grew more and more frustrated.
Though Ji Ling indulged him, it was because He Xiaoguang was only a part-time student.
Marketing wasn’t really his forte, so Ji Ling took matters into his own hands and contacted Tiansheng Entertainment to have He Xiaoguang apply for a position in the production department. He Xiaoguang gladly agreed.
Even though Yan Yueshi had expressed her lack of interest in the movie, Ji Ling still sent her a set of premiere tickets as a gift.
After all, she was Yan Yixuan’s sister, and a little flattery never hurt anyone.
Fortunately, though the movie’s early box office had been secured by middle-aged viewers, the film itself was aiming for awards, and its quality was undeniable. Shen Dongqing’s portrayal of his younger self in the movie had a touch of his early melancholic image, and when screenshots of the film started circulating, his looks and charisma quickly attracted many female viewers. Add to that his loyal fanbase, who took the opportunity to promote the film and the actor, and soon, the movie’s younger audience grew steadily.
Ji Ling realized then that Shen Dongqing wasn’t a fool. After all these years in the entertainment industry, he’d become an old hand at the game. When he said his film was bound to flop, he was just putting on a front. In reality, he knew very well that a film that was truly destined to fail would have never even gotten off the ground.
Ji Ling couldn’t help but feel a little amazed. A person like Shen Dongqing, with his complex layers and elusive nature, had somehow managed to team up with someone like Luo Tao, who was straightforward and bold. It was a strange but fitting combination.
The box office had met expectations, and if everything went smoothly from here, it would be a cherry on top. Ji Ling could finally breathe easy and provide Tiansheng Entertainment with a satisfactory report. From that point on, he no longer had to personally run around; he stayed in the office, overseeing everything from there.
While reviewing various data reports in his office, he also had a financial news program playing on his computer, listening and watching as he worked.
He’d always kept an eye on the business world, especially any news related to the Zong family. Zong Jiqi’s strategies had been on his mind for a while now.
His own area of expertise had changed significantly. Since the last time he’d seen his younger brother at the N City supermarket, he hadn’t had any contact with him. He was no longer able to get close to the core of the Zong family; all he could do was track down the faintest clues from the news.
However, this also meant that Zong Jiqi was doing well. If he had made a poor decision that endangered the Zong family, Ji Ling would have been the first to feel it.
While listening to the news program, Ji Ling’s attention was mostly on the digital reports in his hands. He’d only glance at the screen when something useful caught his ear.
Then, as he was absorbed in his work, he suddenly heard the host announce:
“Next, we have our guest, Mr. Yan Yili.”
Ji Ling jerked his head up.
He saw Yan Yili appear on the screen, as a guest on a financial program, analyzing the real estate market trends.
“…”
What is this about? This is too abstract.
Ji Ling put down the work in his hands and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms as he watched Yan Yili speak confidently.
On the program, Yan Yili appeared particularly gentlemanly, calm and composed, addressing the professional topics with authority.
First, he was on magazines, and now he was on a show—what was Yan Yili up to?
Ji Ling’s mind, still steeped in entertainment industry thinking, wondered if all this exposure meant Yan Yili was planning to debut in the industry.
Just as he was lost in thought, his phone rang.
It was Yan Yixuan.
What a coincidence. Ji Ling pressed the mute button on his computer, answered the phone, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen, watching Yan Yili’s lips move.
“How did you get so close with my sister?”
Yan Yixuan jumped straight into questioning.
Ji Ling chuckled, thinking it was about something more serious.
“That’s an injustice, young master.” He relaxed and started teasing, “How could I get close to Miss Yan? You wouldn’t allow it.”
“Then why did you send her movie tickets to curry favor?” Yan Yixuan ignored Ji Ling’s teasing and continued asking.
Yan Yixuan was overly protective of his sister. They’d just had a casual conversation, and yet, he called specifically to question him over something so trivial.
And why would Ji Ling be trying to curry favor with her? Wasn’t that obvious to Yan Yixuan?
Ji Ling didn’t make it clear, simply giving a straightforward answer: “I bumped into Miss Yan outside the cinema last time, and we chatted for a bit. She mentioned my work, so I just sent a couple of tickets her way.”
Yan Yixuan huffed in response.
Ji Ling couldn’t help but find it amusing. “I’m so hurt. Young master, you really don’t trust me? Do I seem like a bad guy to you?” He thought for a moment, then his tone shifted from teasing to slightly more suggestive. “Or maybe, young master, you’re upset because I gave Miss Yan the tickets but not you?”
Yan Yixuan, being no rookie, wasn’t fooled by this line. He responded flatly, “Even if you gave me tickets, I wouldn’t have time to go.”
There was a pause on the other end, as though Yan Yixuan was considering something. He then asked, “What did you talk about with my sister?”
Ji Ling was at a loss. “My dear young master, you’re being paranoid. We just exchanged a few casual words,” he said, deliberately adding, “Miss Yan spent the whole time badmouthing you.”
“It’d be strange if she didn’t,” Yan Yixuan responded nonchalantly, as if it was nothing new. “I know my sister well. If she bumped into you, she’d just be quietly coaxed into spilling everything.”
Ji Ling nearly surrendered at this point, saying, “How did I coax her? You’re making it sound like I’m some kind of trafficker.”
“You asked her about Yan Yili, didn’t you?” Yan Yixuan’s voice was sure.
Ji Ling suddenly understood… Yan Yixuan must have asked Yan Yueshi about their conversation beforehand, then called him to interrogate him.
Yan Yueshi had probably already told Yan Yixuan everything.
Yan Yueshi was innocent, but Yan Yixuan wasn’t. As soon as he heard, he knew there were many things Ji Ling had purposely asked about.
Ji Ling now adopted a serious tone, realizing that Yan Yixuan wasn’t calling just to joke around. He said, “Young master, do we really have to play this spy game?”
Yan Yixuan’s tone turned serious as well. “Even if you saw me argue with Yan Yili last time, that’s between us. You have no reason to get involved.”
Ji Ling thought to himself, was this telling him to mind his own business?
But the more Yan Yixuan acted like this, the more it suggested that something serious was happening.
Yan Yixuan was being unusually sensitive about this matter. The more defensive he became, the more Ji Ling felt something was off.
It seemed like Yan Yixuan hesitated for a moment, but still continued, “Stop being so curious. Just focus on your own things.”
Ji Ling realized that Yan Yixuan was starting to regret revealing too much to him.
Ji Ling understood that, no matter how much he impressed Yan Yixuan, in Yan Yixuan’s eyes, he was still an outsider.
“What exactly are you afraid of?” Ji Ling asked.
The more Yan Yixuan was on guard, the more it showed that his defenses were weak, and there was an opportunity to exploit.
“Ji Ling, what are you probing into?” Yan Yixuan didn’t directly answer, instead sending a low, probing question through the phone.
Ji Ling held the phone to his ear, but his gaze shifted back to the computer screen.
On it, Yan Yili was smiling calmly and confidently at the host. Even though Ji Ling couldn’t hear his voice, he could easily imagine that Yan Yili was confidently analyzing the real estate market.
The calm and self-assured demeanor Yan Yili displayed on screen was in stark contrast to Yan Yixuan’s hesitation and suspicion over the phone.
With Yan Yili making such a public display, how could Yan Yixuan not know about it?
Ji Ling decided to stop beating around the bush and asked Yan Yixuan directly.
“How many shares does Yan Yili have in the Yan Corporation?”
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)
