He Sinian slowly raised his hands and gripped Qiao Mai’s slender arms, attempting to pull her away. His palms were warm, and his body heat was clearly transmitted through the thin fabric of her clothes.
It was only then that Qiao Mai realized how unseemly her current position—draped over him like that—actually was. She smacked him on the shoulder and took the opportunity to jump down.
“Ten million in top-up revenue! After the platform takes its cut, we’ll get at least three million!” “He Sinian, we’re about to be lifted out of poverty!”
He Sinian let his hands drop, his tone lacking its usual coldness. “The money is going into your account; it has nothing to do with me.”
“Don’t speak such painful truths.” Qiao Mai cleared her throat and waved her hand grandly, putting on the full air of a boss. “I’ve always been someone who rewards and punishes fairly.” “Once the funds are unfrozen and reach the account, I’ll give you 100,000! Consider it your salary for this drama plus a special contribution bonus.”
He Sinian glanced at her. Pinching 100,000 out of three million really did fit her money-grubbing nature. “100,000 to buy out my life’s dark history—Producer Qiao is quite the calculator.”
“Don’t get a bargain and still complain. Do you know how many orders of street-side kao lengmian (grilled cold noodles) that 100,000 could buy you?”
Qiao Mai turned and lunged toward her laptop to keep frantically refreshing the backend data. With ten million in top-ups after just one day, she was going to be counting money until her hands cramped!
Over the next month, the short drama Strongest Son-in-Law: Return of the Dragon King swept across the entire internet with unstoppable force. Thanks to the buzz generated by the behind-the-scenes clips and its tight, exhilarating pacing, this production—born from a shoestring “grassroots” crew—set the monthly box office record for short dramas.
Qiao Mai became famous overnight. Many video platforms and investors threw out olive branches, but Qiao Mai found excuses to decline them all. Making money for other people wasn’t nearly as satisfying as making money for herself. Thinking of profit, she immediately remembered the “Starry Sea Project” into which she had sunk twenty million yuan. It had been a month; it was time to check the investment progress.
Downtown, at the headquarters of Red-Ding Capital. With money in her pocket, a happy Qiao Mai bought herself a high-end cream-colored suit and, after much agonizing over the cost, bought He Sinian a deep blue suit at a discount. Looking radiant, the two of them went to meet President Wang.
“Miss Qiao, please sit. I’ve heard about the drama blowing up—the younger generation is truly formidable.” President Wang smiled and ushered them inside. After a bit of polite chitchat, he went straight to the point. “Actually, you’ve come at just the right time. There have been new changes to the Starry Sea Project, and I was just about to notify you.”
The smile on Qiao Mai’s face faded. “Is this change President Wang mentioned good or bad?”
“Let’s just say, take a look at this proposal.” President Wang sighed, took a document from his drawer, and pushed it to the edge of the table. “The Starry Sea Project needs to undergo Series A financing. We are introducing a new lead investor, Huichuan Capital.” “The five percent share you hold will be diluted to 1.2 percent after this financing round.”
Qiao Mai’s gaze instantly turned icy. “President Wang, isn’t this a bit underhanded? We signed a contract. Even if other investments come in, my share shouldn’t be affected.”
President Wang was unfazed, his tone carrying a condescending, preachy air. “Miss Qiao, if you’ve studied investment at all, you should know that you can’t twist an arm against a thigh. Huichuan Capital is slamming down two hundred million—we have no reason to refuse.” “Your capital only barely met the minimum threshold for Red-Ding’s investment; keeping 1.2 percent for you is already a sign of our sincerity.” “Otherwise, once the ‘Starry Sea Project’ exceeds a billion-yuan scale, your little bit of money would be insignificant.”
Qiao Mai was so angry she laughed. He really took her for a gullible sucker.
“The ‘Starry Sea Project’ is the pillar investment for Red-Ding Capital over the next three years. Behind Huichuan Capital is the Chen family, whose funds imploded half a year ago. The partnership risks are incredibly high.” “Doesn’t Red-Ding Capital do due diligence?” He Sinian, who had remained silent until now, suddenly pointed out the loophole. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried immense pressure.
Qiao Mai looked at him in surprise. When Chu Jiaojiao was making a scene, he kept his hands in his pockets and ignored it, but now he was being so proactive? Had he finally learned his lesson?
President Wang assumed he was just the “pretty boy” Qiao Mai had brought along, and didn’t take him seriously at all. Of course, he knew about the Chen family’s financial collapse, but he had already reached a private agreement with them. As long as he let Huichuan Capital in, the Chen family would give him a kickback of a full one hundred million.
“Red-Ding Capital has its own code of conduct; we don’t need outsiders to comment on it,” President Wang said, leaning back in his chair and putting on airs.
He Sinian didn’t hold back, hitting the nail on the head. “Huichuan Capital is investing two hundred million—I’m afraid half of that is going into your own private pocket.”
President Wang’s face stiffened instantly, and he sat up straight with a jolt. “That is slander! I can sue you!”
Qiao Mai detested these kinds of dishonest thugs. She couldn’t hold back anymore and went on the offensive. “President Wang, there’s no need to try and scare us. Since we signed a contract, let’s talk based on that contract.” “I spent twenty million to buy original shares of the ‘Starry Sea Project.’ Even if other capital enters with massive amounts of money, it should be calculated by excluding my five percent and basing it on the remaining shares.” “You forcibly diluted my share without consulting me. This is a unilateral breach of contract, and I can report your under-the-table dealings to the relevant authorities!”
President Wang quickly regained his veteran-fox composure and sneered. “Miss Qiao, I respect your rights. But in the contract we signed, there is also an additional clause regarding share adjustments.” “If you report me, it’s not guaranteed that anyone will accept the case.”
Qiao Mai didn’t respond, her gaze sharp. She had checked the contract word-for-word when she signed it; there was absolutely no such additional clause. The only possibility was that President Wang had tampered with the paperwork during the process, having her sign a “yin-yang” (fraudulent) contract.
Seeing her silence, President Wang slowly picked up his teacup, assuming the posture of a senior offering advice. “Miss Qiao, qualifications are important in business.” “Leave the professional matters to the professionals. You’d better obediently follow my arrangements, otherwise, you might end up with nothing.”
Qiao Mai’s fingers curled tight, her knuckles turning slightly white. This old fox had planned this long ago; it was clear he intended to rob her money in broad daylight.
“Qualifications are not yours to define.” He Sinian looked at President Wang with cold eyes, his tone forceful. “If Red-Ding Capital insists on going its own way, then I don’t mind letting the Securities Regulatory Commission and the Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission come to have a good look. We’ll see if your account books can withstand the scrutiny.”
With that, he directly pulled Qiao Mai up. “Let’s go.”
The two of them walked out of the office decisively.
President Wang sat in his boss’s chair. His wrist gave a sudden shake, and the boiling hot tea in his cup spilled all over his hand. Furious, he slammed the cup onto the table. Those two young punks who weren’t even fully grown had the audacity to threaten him! He would have to convince the board of directors to launch the “Starry Sea Project” tonight.
In the descending elevator, Qiao Mai happily gave He Sinian a thumbs-up. “That was so cool just now! You really are the soldier I trained! You didn’t lose face for me!”
Seeing her high-spirited state, He Sinian didn’t know whether to praise her for her optimistic mindset or mock her for being too reckless. “Aren’t you worried that President Wang will insist on diluting your shares and leaving you with nothing?”
Qiao Mai snorted, grinding her teeth. “If he really dares to swallow my money, I’ll throw him into the ocean to feed the sharks!”
He Sinian knew she was just blowing off steam. While she was looking down at her phone, he quickly pulled out his own phone, proficiently tapped into Lin Chuan’s chat, and typed: [Get me the invitation for the cruise gala. I want to attend tonight.]
This cruise gala was being hosted by the Starry Sea United Consortium—the parent company that controlled Red-Ding Capital. He had originally found it too noisy and didn’t want to go, but now it seemed essential to go and meet this group of people who didn’t know what was good for them.
After walking out of the building, he was just pondering how to bring up the gala to Qiao Mai. To his surprise, Qiao Mai looked up first, her face full of pleasant surprise.
“He Sinian, a friend of mine just managed to get an invitation for me for a top-tier cruise gala! They say it’s being hosted by the big shots behind Red-Ding Capital!” “Let’s go together! Maybe we can find the leverage in that circle of connections to crush that bastard Wang!”