They were supposed to meet over the weekend—well, it was more of Yan Yixuan’s one-sided plan—but the police and gangster film Ji Ling had been following finally wrapped up.
It had been shooting for nearly a year, which was crazy long for a film starring some pretty-boy idol types. Ji Ling had almost gotten used to it dragging on forever. He thought it’d take even longer, but it seemed like the actors finally got whipped into shape by the director near the end, and progress suddenly picked up speed.
Next came editing and all the post-production stuff, followed by the review process. Ji Ling knew that meant it was time to start building hype.
Even though the lead was a big traffic-star type, the problem was that those guys needed constant exposure to stay hot. After being shut in filming for so long, his popularity had definitely dipped, and his pull wasn’t what it used to be.
Honestly, he kind of brought that on himself.
Ji Ling couldn’t do anything about it—he just felt like cop films were way too formulaic. And that old problem again: even though he thought the plot was decent and pretty appealing to him personally, he wasn’t sure the general audience would go for it.
Luckily, during the long shoot, Ji Ling’s team had gathered a lot of footage of the pretty boy sweating it out and toughening up his acting. Ji Ling teased a little bit of that material online to stir things up and warm up the crowd.
So, the weekend plans got scrapped—Ji Ling had to head out of town to handle promo work.
Before he left, he gave Yan Yixuan a call. At first, Yan sounded super guarded on the phone, but the second he heard Ji Ling was heading out of town, he let out a sigh of relief.
“…Could you be any more obvious?” Ji Ling was half amused, half annoyed.
“Obvious about what?” Yan Yixuan shot back without missing a beat.
“About dodging me,” Ji Ling said bluntly.
Yan Yixuan snapped, “Why would I be dodging you?” Then, pissed and flustered, he threatened, “You’re the one who better wash up and wait for me when you’re back.”
And then he hung up.
Ji Ling just chuckled. He knew Yan Yixuan was all bark and no bite, so he didn’t take it seriously and got on the road.
But once he left town, things got crazy. Work kept piling up—he barely had time to catch his breath.
The film passed the review process way more smoothly than expected. Probably because both the producer and director knew they couldn’t afford any more delays, so they were super careful during editing. Plus, from the script stage, the team never wavered—the cops in this movie were all portrayed in a positive light.
After the green light, they locked in the release date, started pre-sale tickets, and the promo company kicked off the official marketing campaign.
Their angle was all about the clash and chemistry between the idol lead and the tough-guy genre. The clickbait headlines were all about a ‘glamorous transformation’ and ‘young men full of fire.’
The promo company also mobilized fan groups across the country to tap into the actor’s existing fanbase and spark conversation.
A lot of fans were surprised—in a good way. Their idol had been quiet for a while, and now he was bringing them a gift like this. But others had doubts: could a guy who only had his looks really pull off a tough role?
Then the promo team dropped trailers all over the major media platforms. The trailers were cut fast and flashy—so fast it was almost dizzying—but they still packed a punch.
Fans noticed their idol had a whole new look: blood on his face, gun in hand—and surprisingly, it worked. People started getting hyped.
But some folks weren’t sold. They said the editing was too fast, you couldn’t even tell if the acting was any good, and they weren’t sure if the movie would actually be worth watching.
That was all part of the plan—generate buzz and curiosity while keeping the lead’s acting under wraps, just enough to push up pre-sales.
This was Ji Ling’s company’s strategy from the get-go. His team was seasoned—he didn’t need to micromanage. As long as he kept the big picture in sight, everything else moved forward like clockwork.
On the other side, Mo Yulan had been sent to lead a major group working on theater distribution strategy. Whenever things got tricky, Ji Ling would go with her to local theaters for market research.
Initially, Ji Ling had wanted to partner with a film company and just handle marketing himself. But big cinema chains were already well-established, and it was tough to break in and take a share. The leftovers weren’t profitable enough for him to bother with.
Then Luo Teng gave him more funding than expected, and Ji Ling started seriously considering investing in theaters directly.
Some people said China’s big-screen market was already saturated, but Ji Ling didn’t see it that way.
Theaters were the endpoint of the cultural industry chain, and there was still plenty of room to grow. The audience was expanding, and theaters weren’t just about screening movies anymore. There was merch, snacks, interactive events, even opportunities to tie into the celebrity industry. It was full of potential—the earlier you jumped in, the better.
Right now, the best way to enter theater operations was to work with real estate developers. First, they had deep pockets. Second, a lot of them were looking to pivot. Third, the bigger ones—especially those with mall resources—could drive traffic to theaters with their commercial setups, and in turn, theaters would help boost foot traffic to the mall.
The first company Ji Ling thought of, of course, was the Yan Group.
Like Mo Yulan said—why not take advantage of the resources closest to you?
If he could work out a deal with the Yan Group and they were willing to build and run theaters together, it would be a huge step forward for Ji Ling.
But the thing was, Yan Yixuan had more or less said before that he wasn’t interested in getting into the cultural business. And while their current relationship was decent, Ji Ling didn’t want to use personal ties for business unless he was absolutely sure.
Without a solid and convincing plan, if he went in relying on emotions alone, it’d just end up blowing up in both their faces.
Ji Ling hated that kind of thing. He liked win-wins.
And Yan Yixuan wasn’t someone you could sweet-talk into something so easily. He was always careful with big decisions—especially when it came to strategy. He’d only agree if the deal actually made sense and had clear benefits.
So Ji Ling stayed quiet for now.
At the time, the Yan Group was right in the middle of a power transition. Ji Ling let Mo Yulan take the lead on this project, digging into research and laying the groundwork while they waited for the right moment.
While Ji Ling was still out of town running around, financial news broke another update about Yan Corporation.
According to insiders, Yan Corporation had started talking with one of the top three real estate agencies in the country, apparently planning to invest in the brokerage business.
Ji Ling already knew that Yan Corporation developed properties and had its own property management company. Now they were aiming to take over the sales side too? Going full integration?
It wasn’t out of the question. The real issue, though, was that this agency was notoriously hard to get into. A state-backed company had once tried to partner with them—it took a whole year of talks, and even then they couldn’t close the deal. In the end, the investment just fell through.
Even so, the agency was booming lately. They were right on the edge of becoming the market leader and had become a hot item in the investment world. No one could tell whether Yan Corporation had what it took to lock it in.
If Yan Corporation really managed to get into property sales, it’d definitely be a win for them. It’d help cut costs across the board, and with the current tightening policies, it would give them a leg up on their competitors.
But Ji Ling couldn’t tell whether this move came from Yan Yixuan or Yan Yili.
What he did know was—if Yan Corporation really bought into the brokerage, then they wouldn’t have the time or money to dive into the cultural industry anymore. Which meant he’d have to go find someone else to work with.
Mo Yulan asked Ji Ling what they should do. Ji Ling told her to just stick to the plan and finish the industry roadmap. He’d take care of the rest.
So, he finally made his way back to S City.
On the flight, Ji Ling sat there quietly, thinking: If this move toward the real estate agency came from Yan Yixuan, he wouldn’t say a word. But if it was Yan Yili who made it happen, then he’d go talk to Yan Yixuan and see if he was still up for stepping into the cultural scene.
No matter which of the two was behind this tricky investment, pulling it off would definitely come with some kind of deal. There’d be a trade—no doubt about it.
When Ji Ling landed in S City, it was already 9 PM. He called Yan Yixuan right after getting off the plane, but the call didn’t go through right away—it got routed to the secretary instead.
“Hello, this is Chairman Yan Yixuan’s private line. He’s still in a meeting right now. I’ll pass your message along during the next break.”
Ji Ling always paid close attention to when he called Yan Yixuan, never picking a time that might interrupt him. And usually, Yan Yixuan answered his private line himself. This was the first time he’d ever been handed off to the secretary.
A 9 PM meeting wasn’t all that unusual, though. Still, at this hour, Ji Ling figured there probably wouldn’t be any more coffee breaks.
His assistant from the company came to pick him up. Ji Ling got into the car, planning to head straight home and deal with the Yan Corporation situation another day.
But just as the car pulled off the airport expressway, Ji Ling got a message from Yan Yixuan.
“Wait for me at my place.”
Ji Ling was a little surprised. He told his assistant to change course to Zhongchuan Road.
Not long after, the familiar sight of Jinyuan appeared again under the night sky.
The assistant driving was clearly a bit intimidated by the grand setup. Ji Ling got out, told him to take the luggage and go, and then walked toward Yan Yixuan’s home alone.
The last couple of times, Yan Yixuan had been the one to meet him at the entrance. This time, Ji Ling had barely knocked when someone came out and led him toward the main building.
Seemed like Yan Yixuan had already given the heads-up and made arrangements.
It didn’t feel like much when driving, but now that Ji Ling was walking, he realized just how long the path was from the front gate to the main building.
It always seemed to be cold when he came here. He found himself wondering what the place would look like in spring or summer—it had to be beautiful.
Warm light spilled through the carved windows of the main building, making the whole place feel peaceful and cozy in the winter night. Ji Ling finally reached the entrance, the door was opened for him, and he followed the guide inside.
And there, in the living room, was Yan Yueshi. She looked a little surprised to see Ji Ling walk in alone. Blinking her big eyes, she said, “Oh, I thought my brother was coming back with you.”
She had changed her hairstyle, dyed it, and was wearing a short wool skirt. The dangling earrings on her ears were almost as big as her petite face. She looked chic and trendy, glowing with confidence.
Every time Ji Ling saw Yan Yueshi in Jinyuan, it always felt like she pulled him right out of the dreamlike atmosphere of the estate and dropped him back into the fast-paced, fashion-forward present day.
If Jin Garden was a dream, then Yan Yueshi was the alarm clock that woke you up.
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)
