After chatting with Ji Ling, Yan Yueshi looked a bit better. Ji Ling felt like she’d started to form her own ideas—there was always this thoughtful look in her eyes when she spoke now. It made people miss the carefree little princess she used to be.
As for Yan Yueshi running into Ji Ling at the mall, he figured those two bodyguards had probably already reported it to Yan Yixuan. But Yan Yixuan never brought it up with him.
Both of them were insanely busy at the moment. Ji Ling couldn’t help but sigh—this had always been how it was between them: busy, busy, busy, squeezing in a few minutes here and there just to talk.
Still, at least this time they were working together. Ji Ling kept updating Yan’s company on the progress regularly, but that didn’t mean he got to see Yan Yixuan much. Yan Yixuan would only reach out when something specific came up.
The weather was starting to warm up, and with spring creeping in, it felt like people’s appetite for entertainment was waking up again too.
The cinema project in S City was already in its final stages. The old screens and projection systems had all been upgraded, staff were undergoing training, and once the final inspections cleared, they’d be ready to open.
Just when Ji Ling thought things were finally smoothing out, another twist came from the Yan Group.
Right as the movie theater was about to open, the Yan Group decided to issue more shares to raise funds from the market.
That’s when Ji Ling was finally sure—the Yan Group really was strapped for cash.
He’d been suspicious for a while, but Yan Yixuan always played it cool, never showing a hint of panic. It wasn’t until the company’s new decision dropped that Ji Ling finally had confirmation—yes, they were looking to pull in capital.
But issuing new shares would mean one thing for sure: it would dilute Yan Yixuan’s holdings, making his stake in the company shrink—maybe even a lot.
And Ji Ling knew perfectly well that Yan Yili was lurking in the background, just waiting for an opening. Diluting his shares now? That felt like a seriously bad move.
But before Ji Ling could bring it up, Yan Yixuan beat him to it and asked to meet.
They didn’t go to Jin Garden. Instead, they met up at Yan Yixuan’s upscale apartment.
Ji Ling hadn’t been to that place in ages. Ever since Yan Jisheng passed away, Yan Yixuan had taken over Jin Garden fair and square. Ji Ling came and went like he owned the place—and honestly, he kind of did now. He was already on friendly terms with the people there.
But for Yan Yixuan to ask Ji Ling to come to this apartment? That had to mean something. There was clearly something—or someone—they needed to keep away from.
“I told you I’d need your help,” Yan Yixuan said, pouring them both a drink.
“I restructured the company just like you asked,” Ji Ling replied.
Yan Yixuan chuckled. “That was step one. Now it’s time for step two.”
He handed Ji Ling a glass. Ji Ling took it, looked him in the eye, and asked, “What’s step two?”
Yan Yixuan looked completely at ease. “Isn’t the Yan Group issuing more shares? This is a golden opportunity for you.”
Ji Ling raised an eyebrow—he got what he meant right away.
Yan Yixuan didn’t even have to explain. Ji Ling already knew exactly what needed to be done. But he still had doubts. “Why are you doing this? You’ve been short on cash for a while now, haven’t you? But you never said a word. Is Yan Yili messing things up behind the scenes? Otherwise, why go through all this trouble?”
This time, Yan Yixuan finally laid it all out: “Yeah, things have been a bit tight lately. We spread ourselves too thin, and now we’re kind of stuck riding the tiger. I couldn’t let people outside think we’re having cash flow problems, so I kept quiet. But honestly, this is just part of growing a company—it’s nothing we can’t fix.”
He raised his glass and clinked it with Ji Ling’s. “This round of issuing shares will get us enough funds, and once the film business takes off, our stock price will benefit too. As long as you keep your side running smoothly, we’re good.”
“But what about your shares getting diluted?” Ji Ling asked.
After this round, the gap between Yan Yixuan and Yan Yili’s holdings would shrink. Ji Ling refused to believe Yili wasn’t playing some part in pushing for this—especially with Yixuan’s stake dropping.
Yan Yixuan gave a little smile. “Isn’t that what I’ve got you for?”
Ji Ling clinked glasses with him, thought for a moment, then said, “Fair point. And if you really do get pushed out of the company one day, maybe I’ll just keep you as my sugar baby. Forget real estate and cultural investments—let’s head back to the countryside. You raise fish, I’ll raise pigs, and we’ll go full farming couple together.”
Yan Yixuan rolled his eyes and nearly choked from laughing and fuming at the same time. “Sugar baby? In your dreams! I’m your sugar daddy, remember?”
They still joked about that now and then—about who was bankrolling who—but honestly, neither of them cared much anymore.
Heroes don’t need a pedigree. Yan Yixuan saw Ji Ling as a genius entrepreneur who built himself up from scratch. Ji Ling, of course, knew the truth about his past, but he’d never mentioned it.
The stock issuance went off without a hitch. The company pulled in a round of funding from the market to kickstart their upcoming projects.
As expected, Yan Yixuan—being the biggest shareholder—took the biggest hit. His stake was diluted fast, and the gap between him and Yan Yili visibly narrowed.
But Yan Yixuan had already warned Ji Ling in advance, so Ji Ling didn’t bring it up again.
He focused on his own responsibilities. With the cinema theater’s grand opening right around the corner, this should’ve been the busiest time. Mo Yulan, being the head of the project, should’ve been throwing herself into the work completely. But Ji Ling noticed she kept acting like she wanted to say something, then held back.
He didn’t press her. Figured he’d just wait until she was ready.
One night, after the team had worked late into the evening and was finally getting ready to leave, Mo Yulan suddenly asked him to stay behind.
“Boss, I need to talk to you.”
He brought her into the meeting room. “Go ahead. I’ve seen you hesitating for days. Is there something bothering you about the work?”
Her eyes widened slightly, then she chuckled. “What? No, not at all. I don’t have any problems with the job. I came to talk to you about…”
She paused, thought about it, then finally made up her mind.
“I came to talk to you about the Yan Group.”
Ji Ling was caught completely off guard—he hadn’t expected this at all.
Mo Yulan said, “I told you before—I don’t play spy. Since I’ve already switched sides, I shouldn’t be digging into the Yan Group’s affairs anymore.”
Ji Ling folded his arms across his chest, starting to get a sense of where this was going.
Mo Yulan was incredibly capable, but she had this frustrating streak—she tended to be overly principled about the strangest things.
She was like one of those old-school loyal ministers from ancient times—rigidly loyal, all rules and righteousness, never bending, no matter what.
But at least she wasn’t completely inflexible. She added, “That said, we’ve been working a lot with the Yan Group lately, lots of back-and-forth between teams. I used to work there, and I still have a good relationship with folks in the secretary’s office. I couldn’t help it—I ended up digging up quite a bit.”
And suddenly, Ji Ling got it.
He’d tried to get some insider insight from the Yan Group during this collaboration, but it never worked—they still treated him like an outsider. He’d forgotten that Mo Yulan used to be one of them. She was still considered part of the ‘inside.’
He asked, “So what did you find out?”
Mo Yulan still looked hesitant. Ji Ling nudged her gently. “You didn’t sell out any information—this isn’t spying. And like I said, I’m not going to do anything that would hurt your former boss. But I’ve been getting suspicious too. The Yan Group’s been acting weird lately. So come on—spill it. What’s going on?”
Mo Yulan looked at her boss, a complicated expression in her eyes. “Boss, I know you’re on Chairman Yan Yixuan’s side, which is why I wanted to give you a heads-up. But honestly—even if you know this, there’s nothing you can do. The thing is, whoever hears this first will have the advantage in the stock market.”
She leaned in and told him, “The Yan Group might really be changing hands.”
Ji Ling’s face darkened in an instant. “What do you mean?”
Just recently, Yan Yixuan had still been laughing and joking with him—nothing at all suggested this could be happening. So why was Mo Yulan saying something so serious now?
She spread her hands. “Alright, fine, I’ll admit—I pulled some strings to get the info. Mr. Yan—” She waved her hands vaguely. “Let’s just use names to keep it simple—Yan Yili and Yan Yixuan have been at each other’s throats for a while. Yan Yili originally tried to control the group’s investment planning so he could negotiate for more power. But we jumped in at the last minute, and in the end, the Yan Group went with our project.”
Ji Ling nodded. That was the whole reason he agreed to partner with the Yan Group and launch the film company in the first place—to shove Yan Yili out of the picture.
But Ji Ling also knew—there was no way Yan Yili would take that lying down.
Sure enough, Mo Yulan continued, “After his first plan fell through, Yan Yili quickly shifted gears. At the next board meeting, he rallied upper management to approve increasing investment in our project and fast-tracked other ventures too—basically stretching the company’s cash flow to the brink.”
Ji Ling said, “So that’s why they issued more stock. Shouldn’t that have solved the problem?”
Mo Yulan looked utterly distressed. “That was something Yan Yixuan did because he had no other choice! He was forced into a corner!”
She rushed ahead, her words tumbling out faster and faster: “When the funding crisis hit, Yan Yili offered his own solution. He said he could act as a middleman to help the Yan Group secure financing from foreign investors, and the terms were—”
Ji Ling immediately understood. Yan Yili was planning to bring in new capital, forming a strategic alliance with the shareholders to go up against Yan Yixuan.
“That investment firm is British,” Mo Yulan added.
Finally, Ji Ling pieced it all together.
Yan Yili’s mother’s side was made up of British overseas Chinese merchants. The whole thing about being the middleman to help the Yan Group—it was just a cover-up.
Yan Yili’s original plan was to create a funding gap, then use the opportunity to insert his family’s capital into the Yan Group’s industry, forcing Yan Yixuan to accept it step by step.
“Yan Yixuan won’t accept this financing,” Ji Ling said.
Mo Yulan nodded. “That’s why he opted to issue more stock, rejecting Yan Yili’s foreign financing.” Her face grew more concerned. “But issuing more stock caused a reshuffling of shares. Yan Yixuan’s shares were diluted, and Yan Yili’s plan succeeded. With this issuance, there’s a certain proportion for shareholder allocation, and Yan Yili subscribed to more than Yan Yixuan. Yan Yixuan probably didn’t have enough funds to buy more shares.”
She looked up at her current boss. “Every step of this has been a trap set by Yan Yili to become the largest shareholder of the company.”
Ji Ling felt a surge of anger rise within him.
It wasn’t because of anything else, but because Yan Yixuan had been so calm and collected all this time, never sharing any of this with him.
He said to Mo Yulan, “I’ve got it. You can go now.”
As Mo Yulan left, Ji Ling walked back to his office, grabbed his coat, and headed out.
He got in his car and drove straight to Jin Garden. Some things needed to be laid out clearly.
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