Chapter Sixteen
Shen Qianzhan looked up.
Ji Qinghe saw her expression clearly. Apart from a hint of confusion in her eyes, she didn’t seem surprised by what she had just heard. After digesting the meaning of his entire sentence, she even curled the corner of her lips, revealing a faint, ambiguous smile.
Neither reaction was quite what he had expected.
Shen Qianzhan leaned back against the chair, shifting her posture from a formal, upright negotiation stance to a more relaxed and casual one.
She brushed the long hair behind her shoulder, glancing at the floor-to-ceiling mirror diagonally opposite, which was originally intended to visually enhance the sense of space. After confirming that she still looked elegant and flawless—enough to crush Ji Qinghe’s fluttering little heart with her looks—she smiled and asked, “Mr. Ji, are you saying you want to keep me?”
Ji Qinghe didn’t respond, maintaining an ambiguous, default-like silence as he waited for her answer.
Shen Qianzhan met his gaze, and after a moment, she scoffed softly.
Ambiguity in negotiations was a tactic used by the weaker party, often lacking sufficient leverage, waiting for the stronger side to draw the line.
She raised her chin slightly and asked again, “If I refuse, does that mean there’s absolutely no chance of cooperation between us?”
This time, Ji Qinghe’s attitude was much clearer, his face practically screaming, “I don’t have an answer for you.”
Unable to glean anything from his expression, Shen Qianzhan gave up trying to fish for information.
Just then, the server brought the coffee and quietly asked if she wanted sugar or milk.
Shen Qianzhan hesitated for a few seconds between the sweet, human-like option and the bitter, coptis-like one. Glancing at Ji Qinghe, who was calmly observing the tourists passing through the flower garden, she gritted her teeth and chose the bitter option.
The past decade of her life had not been smooth sailing.
When she was still unknown, success wasn’t something that could be achieved through diligence and hard work alone. She started as a planner, writing outlines, working on scripts, and developing projects.
She had traveled halfway across the country to secure the right screenwriter and had even entertained investors with drinks and forced smiles.
Ji Qinghe wasn’t the first person who had wanted to keep her. Even when she was impoverished and saw no hope, Shen Qianzhan had never wavered, let alone now, when she had achieved success and those who had said such things to her were no longer within her reach.
She looked up, her eyes deep and her tone tinged with regret. “I’m quite tempted, but I’m sorry. I’d rather be a money-printing machine that never stops earning than a peony in your backyard.” With that, she picked up her coffee and took a small sip, her eyes reflecting the same mix of regret and resignation as her tone.
Ji Qinghe didn’t press the matter. He nodded slightly and moved on without dwelling on it. “Then let’s talk about cooperation.”
Huh?
What did she just hear?
Shen Qianzhan had already prepared herself for him to say, “Then I’m sorry, I only work with my little peony,” after which she would give him a disdainful, disgusted look reserved for scummy men, call the server over to pay the bill, stand up gracefully, nod with a smile, and walk away without even saying goodbye—never looking back.
But now, after she had already rehearsed the entire scene in her head, what did he say?
Let’s talk about cooperation?
Was he messing with her?
Perhaps her stunned expression was too obvious, because Ji Qinghe chuckled softly, the corners of his lips curling upward to reveal a faint dimple. “Not interested?”
Shen Qianzhan immediately smiled. She saw in the floor-to-ceiling mirror diagonally opposite that she had instantly switched into sycophant mode, pouring tea and handing over napkins, afraid of offending her potential investor. “Yes, let’s talk. Absolutely, let’s talk.”Ji Qinghe lowered his head to drink water. Shen Qianzhan, fearing her "daddy" might scald himself, softly reminded, "Take it slow, it's still hot."
Ji Qinghe frowned slightly. Shen Qianzhan, worried her "daddy" might find it bitter, quietly asked, "Does it not suit your taste? Shall I get you another pot?"
Ji Qinghe looked up at her. Shen Qianzhan, concerned her "daddy" might find it too spicy, straightened her appearance, almost pulling out a compact to touch up her powder and set her makeup, maintaining her beautiful and refined appearance to provide a good negotiation experience for her "daddy" investor.
"Is Su Zan your assistant?" Ji Qinghe cleared his throat slightly, his tone meaningful. "You've taught him with a very distinctive personal touch."
Shen Qianzhan resisted the urge to roll her eyes and muttered, "Just trying to liven up the atmosphere." After a moment's thought, she couldn't help but defend herself: "Su Zan mostly learned on his own, and he picks up the good but not the bad. Not only has he failed to inherit my noble character, but he also specializes in picking up bad habits."
She glanced at her watch, clearly unwilling to waste any more time on trivial matters. Her eyes brightened, fixed intently on him. "Mr. Ji, would you like to discuss the special consultant collaboration first or the investment?"
Ji Qinghe met her gaze for two seconds before reminding her, "What about the remedial measures?"
Shen Qianzhan showed no trace of guilt for having forgotten and countered, "What are your conditions, Mr. Ji?"
He was not one to beat around the bush, and neither was Shen Qianzhan.
The two of them had dragged out the process of reaching an agreement so long that it could have ground out a bag of soy milk. At first, it could be considered playful, but over time, it would only breed resentment.
The principle of knowing when to stop was something they both understood well.
Ji Qinghe didn't keep her in suspense. He lightly tapped the teapot handle with his fingertip and said, "First, regarding the damage to my reputation and that of Endless Year caused by the artists under your company, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
Shen Qianzhan raised an eyebrow, inwardly grumbling: And what about you constantly talking about nurturing the little peony? Aren't you afraid of damaging your image? When a man acts like a dog, he doesn't even spare double standards.
Despite her inner complaints, Shen Qianzhan put on an expression of humble acceptance and even deep remorse, answering in a subdued tone, "Of course, I'm already investigating and will definitely get to the bottom of it to give you an explanation, Mr. Ji. In the future, such incidents will not be allowed to happen again. And the second condition?"
Ji Qinghe rarely saw her obediently taking notes like this again. His gaze softened slightly, and without even realizing it, a faint smile touched the corners of his eyes and brows. "Second, regarding matters related to me, Producer Shen must not delegate to others. You must handle everything personally."
Having dealt with countless difficult artists, Producer Shen didn't find Ji Qinghe's request particularly unusual. After pondering for a few seconds, she earnestly discussed the details with him: "Including transportation, meals, and accommodation?"
The special consultant would participate in script meetings in the early stages, providing professional guidance and suggestions. Later, when the crew was assembled and the art department constructed character designs, his input would also be needed. Even the set design and action direction on the shooting site would require Ji Qinghe's personal guidance.
Thinking this, Shen Qianzhan grew even more eager. She asked, "How about giving me your assistant's contact information? I'll finalize the contract details with him as soon as possible."She gave an example: "Only a contract can effectively bind both parties and protect their interests. I need to determine how many days I can sign you for; your schedule determines the efficiency of my preliminary preparations." Seeing that Ji Qinghe didn't seem to understand, Shen Qianzhan decided to be more direct: "You're too expensive, and the budget is currently limited. I have to squeeze every last drop of value out of the money spent on signing you."
Ji Qinghe remained silent.
His expression looked somewhat indescribable.
Shen Qianzhan felt gratified that she had successfully intimidated Ji Qinghe and said slowly, "Of course, if Mr. Ji doesn't want to be used so intensively and under such high pressure, you could allocate more funding." After speaking, she smiled, a sly and cunning grin.
Did you think I was making a dirty joke? No, I was just asking for more money.
—
After reaching a preliminary agreement on cooperation, Shen Qianzhan rushed back to the company without delay, instructing Qiao Xin to contact the other party's assistant and finalize the contract as soon as possible to prevent Ji Qinghe from changing his mind.
Procedures had to be followed, and promises had to be kept.
Shen Qianzhan had extensive connections and abundant resources, with countless marketing accounts under her maintaining good cooperative relationships. She quickly identified the anonymous netizen who had exposed Xiang Qianqian's "nighttime meeting with a sugar daddy" that day. However, to uncover the true identity of the anonymous user, she would need to file a lawsuit step by step.
Shen Qianzhan couldn't afford to wait. She temporarily abandoned this approach and put pressure on Su Zan.
Ever since she handed Xiang Qianqian over to Su Zan, she had no longer directly intervened in Xiang Qianqian's management affairs. She only stepped in when Su Zan was unable to handle matters, retaining significant initiative for herself.
Su Zan had been overwhelmed with investigating this matter over the past two days.
As soon as Xiang Qianqian's scandal broke, Thousand Lights had immediately removed the trending topic and suppressed the news. However, they couldn't stop rival companies from stirring up trouble, as a wave of black material swarmed online like flies drawn to light, eager to crush her completely.
Fortunately, the initial set of photos leaked by netizens were too blurry, and Ji Qinghe usually kept a low profile, so the incident didn't cause a major uproar. The subsequent black material about the sugar daddy was mostly speculative media reports unrelated to Ji Qinghe.
The clues were tenuous, and making a breakthrough seemed increasingly difficult.
As a result, whenever Su Zan saw Shen Qianzhan's calls these past two days, he felt like tearing his hair out.
He slumped listlessly on the sofa in Shen Qianzhan's office, looking pitiful, weak, and helpless: "I really can't figure it out. This time, the promotional articles are all over the internet, and it's impossible to tell whose hands are dirtier."
Shen Qianzhan was reviewing the third version of the contract returned by Ji Qinghe's assistant.
Given Ji Qinghe's special status, Shen Qianzhan had personally made adjustments when Qiao Xin drafted the first version. Unexpectedly, Ji Qinghe and his assistant were just as difficult to deal with as he was, imposing harsh obligations on the party she represented.
Shen Qianzhan frowned, making annotations and revisions while brushing off Su Zan: "Didn't you tell me before that Qianqian privately found a backer? Haven't you looked into that?"
Su Zan shot her a resentful glance and complained: "She refuses to say. When I pressed her too hard, she cited the contract, saying she has no obligation to disclose private matters."
Shen Qianzhan paused her typing and glanced at him in disbelief: "You just let her brush you off like that?"
Su Zan sighed deeply and cursed: "I really am only suited to be a useless rich kid who only knows how to spend money."Shen Qianzhan made the final adjustments, scrolling up and down to review the document. She stealthily added a clause to the client's obligations: "During the cooperation period, the client shall not use any interest-related matters as leverage to violate the original intent of the cooperation, breach the client's obligations by forcing the other party to violate industry regulations and codes of conduct, or involve personal emotions."
Immediately after, she saved and sent it.
With these tasks completed, Shen Qianzhan finally had a moment to relax. She took a sip of the Geisha coffee that Su Zan had been offering her daily lately and, with a rare touch of conscience, offered a few words of comfort: "You're not entirely useless. The skill of being born into the right family is something most people really can't learn."
Su Zan was on the verge of tears, continuing to lie there lifelessly: "The audition results with Director Lei were actually quite good. After all the effort and hard work, once the scandal broke, all I got was a 'we'll consider working together again in the future.'"
Shen Qianzhan scoffed: "Didn't I teach you to maintain an appropriate distance from artists? The premise of giving them personal space is that they trust you enough and are obedient enough."
Thousand Lights never believed in the tactic of tightly controlling artists. They always advocated freedom, democracy, and harmony to prosper.
But ever since Xiang Qianqian left her, she had become like a runaway wild horse, impossible to rein in.
Did Thousand Lights let her down? No.
Did Su Zan wrong her? Not at all.
Su Zan only managed Xiang Qianqian as his sole artist. Being a talent agent was the first proper job for this wealthy young master, and he treated Xiang Qianqian like a precious gem, spending half his monthly salary to help her secure resources.
Coupled with Su Zan's status as the heir of Thousand Lights, the company was completely biased in allocating resources to her. It was unclear what she was dissatisfied with, as she kept stirring up trouble.
Shen Qianzhan's gaze fell on Su Zan's face, which was filled with the despair of repeated failures. She helplessly gave him a hint: "Why don't you look into Xiang Qianqian's recent collaborations? If she's found a backer, she wouldn't just keep giving without taking. There must be some exchange of favors—no one runs a charity here."
Su Zan's eyes lit up as if he had finally seen light through the fog. He sprang up and dashed out of her office in a flurry.
At the same time.
Shen Qianzhan's WeChat chimed softly.
She unlocked her phone to check.
The WeChat account of Ji Qinghe, who had been silent ever since being added to her friends list, had suddenly come to life.
He asked: "Regarding the clause 'During the cooperation period, the client shall not use any interest-related matters as leverage to violate the original intent of the cooperation, breach the client's obligations by forcing the other party to violate industry regulations and codes of conduct, or involve personal emotions'—what exactly does 'personal emotions' refer to?"
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