When it came to the Luo brothers, Ji Ling actually knew them pretty well.
Luo Teng had always spoiled his younger brother rotten. If Luo Tao wanted to be a singer, so be it. If he suddenly wanted to go into business, that was fine too. Luo Teng never stopped him—in fact, he’d go out of his way to smooth the path for him. Whatever Luo Tao wanted, he gave it to him. If Luo Tao ever said he wanted the moon, Luo Teng would probably say, “Alright, let’s build a rocket.”
At first, Ji Ling thought this was some kind of backhanded trick—to spoil Luo Tao so much that he’d never be a threat to Luo Teng’s position.
But Luo Teng had once told him he was being petty and narrow-minded.
He’d said that if Luo Tao really wanted to take over, he’d step down without a fuss and let him be the chairman.
Ji Ling admitted he had been a bit suspicious back then, but still, the way Luo Teng doted on his brother felt unbelievable.
Later, he found out that Luo Teng had been raised as the eldest son under a domineering uncle who crushed his natural instincts. He didn’t want Luo Tao to end up like him—he wanted his little brother to live freely, to be himself. It was his way of making peace with his past and with family.
If Luo Tao had turned out to be a terrible person, with that level of spoiling, he’d probably have become a monster.
Luckily, despite being a bit carefree and sloppy, Luo Tao was honest, sharp, and ran his business well. He even had someone he loved. No one had to worry about him.
He knew he wasn’t as good at business as his brother, so he stuck to managing his own little patch and never caused trouble.
Sometimes Ji Ling really envied the relationship between those two. They always made him reflect on why he and Zong Jiqi couldn’t be like that.
Luo Tao might be easygoing, but he was super efficient. If he said he’d do something, he did it.
He promised to bring Ji Ling up with Luo Teng, and sure enough, he mentioned him.
But Luo Teng wasn’t in S City at the moment, and they’d have to wait for his schedule to open up.
Ji Ling wasn’t in a rush. There was no way he was going to travel just to chase after Luo Teng. That would be pathetic. Plus, he still needed Luo Tao to make the introduction.
His company was currently pushing hard into the theater chain market. Of the projects he was handling, movies were taking up more and more space—TV dramas and variety shows were becoming a side gig.
The more he got involved, the more he understood how movies worked—as a product, from production to release, every step had its own game and tricks.
He’d come up with a few new ideas, but the problem was, he didn’t have enough cash. So all he could do was daydream.
That’s business for you. Want to grow? First thing you need is money. Want to make money? You need money to begin with. So expansion always meant round after round of fundraising.
If Luo Teng was willing to jump in, there’d be a lot more they could do.
What had started as a random car ride idea with Luo Tao was starting to seem more and more solid the longer Ji Ling thought about it.
He even began making mental notes on how he’d spend Luo Teng’s money. If anyone heard his thoughts, they’d probably laugh and say he was dreaming.
But Ji Ling believed that as long as he could meet Luo Teng, he’d find a way to get him to open his wallet.
Eventually, Luo Tao got back to him.
“My big brother has something to do in S City. He’s coming over to see me. I mentioned you to him—how about we sit down and have some tea together?”
Ji Ling agreed right away.
Though he said ‘tea,’ they ended up meeting at the hotel where Luo Teng was staying. And wouldn’t you know it—it was the same one the Yan family always used.
Why did everyone like staying there?
And of course, the meeting spot was the hotel bar. The second Ji Ling walked in, he remembered how Yan Yixuan had sat there drinking that night. The memory made him a bit uneasy.
Luo Tao had already booked a private room. Ji Ling was led there by a server. Out of courtesy, he arrived way earlier than needed and quietly took a seat inside.
He figured Luo Teng wanted to scope him out first before deciding if he was worth investing in. Otherwise, they’d be meeting at an office, not in a bar.
It didn’t take long before both brothers walked in together.
If Luo Tao was the sun—bright, loud, and full of energy—then Luo Teng was like a spring breeze. Just as handsome, but with softer eyes and a gentler vibe. His lips were thin, which gave him a bit of a distant feel.
Like a breeze brushing past—felt, but never held.
Ji Ling stood up. Luo Tao introduced them, “Brother Ji, this is my big brother.”
Ji Ling smiled and reached out, eyes locked straight onto Luo Teng like needles, sharp and direct.
“Mr. Luo, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Luo Teng shook his hand. Ji Ling gripped it hard—hard enough that Luo Teng’s brow twitched just a little.
The three of them sat down. The waiter came to take their order.
Luo Tao got himself a drink. Luo Teng actually treated the place like a real tea house and ordered tea.
Ji Ling suddenly said, “Not getting a Long Island Iced Tea?”
Luo Teng’s eyes flicked over to him instantly, scanning him from head to toe.
Ji Ling smiled back like he didn’t have a care in the world.
The two of them sized each other up. Meanwhile, Luo Tao was totally confused and muttered, “What Long Island Iced Tea? What are you, a tacky high schooler from ten years ago?”
He probably had no idea that back in the day, Luo Teng had gone through a wild phase—partying in nightclubs, and his go-to drink had been none other than Long Island Iced Tea. Very few people knew about that side of him. But Ji Ling had just dropped that bomb like it was nothing, clearly throwing Luo Teng for a loop.
After the waiter left, Ji Ling put on a polite front and said, “It’s an honor that you’d take time out of your day to meet, Mr. Luo.”
Luo Teng smiled, eyes curving gently, his whole vibe friendly and charming. “My little brother’s been singing your praises non-stop,” he said. “Said you’ve made him a lot of money. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while now.”
Ji Ling thought to himself—yeah right. That was definitely made up. He probably got dragged here by Luo Tao.
He replied, “It’s mutual benefit, really. Mr. Luo Tao trusted me enough to invest his money, so of course I have to give it my all to make sure he gets the best return.”
Luo Tao jumped in at the right moment, “Big brother, Ji did great. He’s a rising star in the business. You’ve seen my accounts—those dividends he gave me? All real, all solid.”
Luo Teng glanced at him and said, “I believe in Mr. Ji’s abilities. My brother not only put his own money in, but also roped me in. That says a lot—not just that Mr. Ji is good at business, but also that he’s good with people.”
Luo Tao chuckled awkwardly, knowing his brother was teasing him for selling him out. “Hey, I just thought—why not all make money together?”
Ji Ling nodded. “Mr. Luo Tao and I, we’re more than just investor and manager—we’re friends. Since he trusts me, I hope you can too, Mr. Luo.”
He took his time, saying slowly, “And if we could become friends as well, that’d be even better.” He looked at Luo with meaning and said, “See, to me—someone who sticks with you through hard times is a savior, someone who shares good times is a drinking buddy, but only the one you make money with? That’s a true friend.”
Luo Teng paused for a beat, then narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of danger in his gaze. “Funny thing—an old friend of mine once said the exact same thing.”
Ji Ling didn’t flinch, just stayed calm and steady. “Oh? What a coincidence. I wonder who that was?”
Luo Teng’s voice turned distant. “He’s dead. No use bringing him up.”
The air went still.
Neither Ji Ling nor Luo Teng said anything. Then Luo Tao, totally oblivious, suddenly piped up, “Oh! You mean Mr. Zong, right? Such a shame.” He turned to Ji Ling to explain, “You’ve heard of Zong Bolin, right? He was the original head of the Zong family, and a really close friend of my brother’s. He died in a car crash. My brother was messed up about it for a long time.”
Luo Teng quickly cut him off with a smile before he could spill anything else. “That’s all in the past. No point digging it back up.”
Ji Ling smiled and raised his glass. “Then here’s to that friend.”
Luo Teng’s eyes lingered on him for a moment. Finally, he picked up his cup, clinking it lightly. “I’ll thank you on his behalf.”
After the toast, Luo Teng turned to Luo Tao. “I want to talk to Mr. Ji alone. Why don’t you head back to your room?”
Luo Tao blinked, caught off guard. “You two don’t even know each other—what’s there to talk about one-on-one?”
Luo Teng sometimes had no words for his blunt, block-headed brother. “I need to get the details, don’t I?”
Luo Tao stiffened his neck. “I’m just worried you’ll bully my friend.”
Luo Teng gave a helpless smile. With much back-and-forth reassurance that no bullying would happen, Luo Tao finally left.
As soon as he was gone, Luo Teng dropped the smile and leaned back into the sofa, looking Ji Ling over.
“You’ve really got my brother wrapped around your finger, huh.”
Ji Ling didn’t care. “Luo Tao’s a loyal guy. Treat him well, and he’ll return it tenfold.”
Luo Teng raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seen this before. Plenty of people trying to get close to me start by cozying up to my brother. That trick’s old.”
Ji Ling admitted openly, “Yeah, I won’t lie—at first, it wasn’t all that pure. But does the starting point matter? What matters is where it ends. Now, Luo Tao and I are making money together, and I really value our friendship.” He looked Luo straight in the eye. “I just wonder—can I have the same kind of friendship with you, Mr. Luo?”
Luo Teng didn’t respond right away. He just swirled the tea in his cup like it was whiskey.
“My brother’s not dumb,” Luo said, maybe to Ji Ling, maybe to himself. “He doesn’t just let random people get close. I heard you first connected with Shen Dongqing? Then used him to get into the Tiansheng Entertainment project.”
Ji Ling just smiled.
Luo Teng had done his homework.
Back then, Ji Ling had worked hard to get into the Film Academy, just to meet Shen Dongqing. Step by step, he got close to Luo Tao—just for a shot at sitting across the table from Luo Teng like this, talking deals.
Suddenly, Luo Teng’s face turned cold. His eyes sharp as ice. He stared Ji Ling down and asked, “How did you find out about Shen Dongqing and Luo Tao’s relationship?”
Shen Dongqing was a film star. Luo Tao was the CEO of TianSheng Entertainment. Their relationship was way more complicated than people knew—but on the surface, everything was kept under wraps.
Only the closest insiders knew the truth.
Yet Ji Ling had gone straight for Shen Dongqing, using him to climb the Luo family tree. That kind of move? Impossible unless you knew something big.
Ji Ling thought, ‘How do I know? You told me yourself, didn’t you?’
Luo Teng didn’t let up. “Who the hell are you, really?”
Ji Ling smiled, then threw the question back, “Why don’t you tell me?”
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)
