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In late September, Wen Di went to the company to ask Qin Xing for a favor.
Qin Xing had a meeting that morning that hadn’t ended yet.
Her assistant Yuan Yuan brewed her coffee, “Sister Wen Di, long time no see. Still busy with the script?”
“Yeah, the preliminary work is more than I expected.”
On the coffee table, there was a glass with two roses blooming perfectly inside. Qi Mingche used to like putting two flowers in a glass too, saying they made him feel good.
The coffee was ready, and Yuan Yuan brought it over, “The meeting might not end anytime soon. Why don’t you go to the conference room and find CEO Qin? You could join the meeting too.”
Wen Di was a shareholder, but she was too lazy to attend any meetings and never interfered with any company affairs.
Wen Di said, “No rush, I’ll wait for him here.”
“Alright then, if you’re bored, there are magazines here.” Yuan Yuan brought a stack of fashion magazines. She had other things to do and left Qin Xing’s office.
Wen Di finished a cup of coffee and was almost done with her magazine when Qin Xing’s meeting ended.
“Why didn’t you message me before coming?” Qin Xing put down his meeting materials and sat opposite Wen Di, “How long have you been waiting?”
“Not long.”
Wen Di closed the magazine and explained why she was there today. In a business warfare script, financing roadshow scenes were essential.
“I’ve never been to a roadshow myself. Listening to you talk about it doesn’t give me a direct feeling.”
She planned to attend a financing roadshow conference to get a feel for the atmosphere and asked Qin Xing to help her find an invitation. “I want to go to a high-profile roadshow.”
“No problem.” Qin Xing was a man of action. He immediately took out his phone to ask a friend for help. While typing, he chatted with Wen Di, “Shen Tang told me you used to be against writing business dramas. Why are you writing one now?”
“I found an entry point that I think is pretty good, so I’m giving it a try. I didn’t write them before because they were boring, you had to completely idealize them. You had to give the protagonist a halo, and there had to be a bottom line. In real business battles, who has more of a bottom line than anyone else?”
“Indeed, no one.”
Qin Xing finished editing the message and sent it. Then he continued, “Someone like me isn’t cut out for business, unlike Brother Yan and Brother Jiang. I can’t be ruthless. Having fun is more important, and spicy strips are also very important. Oh, right.”
Wen Di asked, “What is it?”
“I have a book here that Brother Yan asked me to bring to you.” Qin Xing got up and looked for the book on the bookshelf. “He said it’s your book, and it was on the bedside table in the bedroom. You forgot to take it with you.”
“Brother Yan said he hasn’t been back to the villa in a year and a half. He went there the other day to find a piece of clothing and saw this book, fearing you hadn’t finished it.”
Sudden, unexpected memories hurt the most.
Wen Di just smiled, “Thank you for the trouble.”
“Why thank me for that? You’re so formal,” Qin Xing handed her the old book. He explained, “Don’t misunderstand, Brother Yan didn’t return to the villa because he had another home outside. He’s been living in the Yan family’s old residence, saying he had insomnia all night at the villa.”
Wen Di took a rose from the glass. Water from the stem trickled onto her palm, sliding down her wrist. “Do you like roses?”
She abruptly changed the subject, redirecting the conversation.
Then, she placed the rose back into the glass.
Qin Xing said, “Brother Jiang bought these for Shen Tang. I took two from her office to play with.”
His recently sent message received a reply. The other party asked him: [How many invitation letters do you need?]
Qin Xing asked Wen Di, “Are you going by yourself, or should I go with you? I’m your part-time manager now, so it makes sense for me to accompany you.”
“You go about your business, I’ll go by myself.”
Qin Xing only requested one invitation letter, for the Sci-tech Innovation Enterprise Financing Roadshow Conference, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 2 PM. The presentation was held in a hotel’s banquet hall.
On Tuesday noon, Wen Di drove herself there. Her invitation put her in the very last row of the venue, with representatives from various investment institutions invited by the organizers in front.
The venue was bustling with activity, people busy networking.
In such an occasion, she couldn’t wear sunglasses, so Wen Di had prepared a pair of thin-rimmed, clear-lens glasses before coming. With them on, no one recognized her for the moment.
She sipped mineral water, waiting for the roadshow to begin.
Upstairs, there was a VIP room, with a large screen on the wall synchronizing with the main stage of the roadshow hall.
The distinguished guest in the VIP room tonight was Yan Heyu. The organizer’s head had personally invited him, and he graced the event with his presence.
Besides holding controlling stakes in Jingyue Group, Yan Heyu also held shares in GR Capital. Today, he was representing GR Capital.
General Manager Wang and his group from the organizing committee were in the VIP room, accompanying him, until the roadshow was about to begin, when General Manager Wang went downstairs to the main hall to give a speech.
The large screen in the VIP room couldn’t see the guest seating downstairs, so Yan Heyu didn’t know Wen Di was there, and Wen Di was even less aware of Yan Heyu’s presence.
It wasn’t until a quarter past six, after all the roadshows had ended, that Yan Heyu saw her outside the hotel.
General Manager Wang and his team came out to send off Yan Heyu, bustling around him, chatting as they walked.
Yan Heyu had investment intentions, so the conversation was even more pleasant, and they accompanied this “god of wealth” all the way to his car.
The car door opened, and he shook hands with everyone who came to see him off, bidding them farewell one by one.
Just as he turned to get into the car, his gaze suddenly froze.
General Manager Wang and his team saw Yan Heyu staring in the direction of the hotel entrance and followed his gaze.
“That’s...” General Manager Wang couldn’t recall immediately, but felt the face was familiar.
Someone recognized her and said, “Wen Di.”
General Manager Wang remembered, “Oh, right, right. She’s wearing glasses, I didn’t recognize her at first. She looks a bit different from ‘As If You Were Here’.”
“General Manager Wang, you also follow variety shows?”
“How do I have the time? My daughter watches them.”
General Manager Wang didn’t know why Yan Heyu was staring at Wen Di. Was he interested, or what?
He waited for instructions.
Yan Heyu said, “I heard kids nowadays all like to get autographs.”
General Manager Wang, a shrewd person, immediately understood the hidden meaning. As Wen Di approached, he proactively greeted her, “Hello, are you screenwriter Wen?”
Wen Di recognized General Manager Wang. During the roadshow earlier, he had gone on stage to give a speech, and his words were very humorous.
She smiled, “Hello.”
“My daughter is your fan. She doesn’t miss any of your variety shows or TV dramas.” To prove he wasn’t making things up, General Manager Wang opened Weibo and clicked into his daughter’s Weibo page.
“This is my daughter’s ID.”
He was embarrassed to read the ID out loud in public, so he could only hand it to Wen Di to see.
The ID was: DiBaoDeservesEightRelationships
Wen Di remembered it; the comments from this ID were witty and humorous, a true fan.
General Manager Wang politely asked, “Could you sign an autograph?”
Wen Di: “No problem. Thank your daughter for her liking.”
All this time, she didn’t look at Yan Heyu.
General Manager Wang asked his secretary to get a pen and paper. Others, seeing their boss asking for an autograph, also followed suit. Firstly, to show respect to their boss, and secondly, even if they weren’t Wen Di’s fans, they could give it to family members who liked Wen Di.
Wen Di just focused on signing. After signing five, the sixth person handed over a notepad. She didn’t need to look up; from his hand, wristwatch, cufflinks, and the handwriting on the notepad, she knew who it was.
With people gathered around, Wen Di couldn’t very well treat him differently, lest people sniff out gossip. She treated him like anyone else, simply took the notebook and signed it without looking up.
Yan Heyu also held a pen. After she finished signing, he took the notepad and signed his own name below her signature.
Their names were side by side.
The left stroke of the character “严” (Yan) was intentionally drawn very long, supporting the two characters “温笛” (Wen Di).
Others didn’t notice what he wrote.
Yan Heyu stepped back, making space for others to come and sign.
More than a dozen autographs were quickly signed.
General Manager Wang noticed the admission badge Wen Di was holding, which was for their financing roadshow. “Screenwriter Wen is interested in investment?”
Wen Di finished signing and returned the pen to him, “No, I came to experience it firsthand.”
“For scriptwriting purposes?”
“Yes.”
General Manager Wang asked his secretary to get a business card. He gave his own business card to Wen Di: “If you need anything in the future, just give me a call. Next time, I’ll arrange for you to be in the VIP room.”
Wen Di didn’t actually need this business card, but it was hard to refuse such kindness. She took it with both hands, “Thank you, General Manager Wang.”
After Wen Di walked away, General Manager Wang tentatively asked, “Is CEO Yan’s sister also a fan of screenwriter Wen?” In any case, it couldn’t be Yan Heyu himself.
Yan Heyu was still looking at the signature on the notebook, saying, “Even if she is, it’s because of me.”
“?” At this point, General Manager Wang didn’t say anything out of turn.
Yan Heyu put away the notepad, “I’m pursuing Wen Di. She hasn’t taken a liking to me, but I’m still working on it.”
General Manager Wang: “...”
He found it somewhat unbelievable that someone from the Yan family would humble himself this much.
Yan Heyu got into the car and told the driver to find Guan Xiangmu.
Guan Xiangmu was still working overtime at the company and wasn’t too keen on this uninvited guest, because Yan Heyu always seemed to find happiness by making him feel like the most miserable one.
Yan Heyu cut straight to the chase, “I’m going to Jiangcheng in early October. What’s your take?”
A year had passed, and Guan Xiangmu had thought it through carefully. After on-site inspections, the other shareholders of the group also agreed to build a factory in Jiangcheng.
“I’ll go with you.”
He poured a glass of water for Yan Heyu.
“Wen Di and Qi Mingche broke up. Why haven’t you made any moves yet?”
“I’ve been pursuing her.” He didn’t forget to tease Guan Xiangmu: “I’m different from you.”
Guan Xiangmu found it amusing and didn’t bother arguing with a junior.
Yan Heyu asked him if he was still interested in investing in Wen Di’s new drama.
Guan Xiangmu didn’t answer directly, but instead asked, “Does she have a new work?”
“Mm.”
“What’s the theme?”
“Business warfare, probably. Qin Xing didn’t mention the specific industry.”
Guan Xiangmu said, “I’ll definitely invest in her dramas.” Making money was one thing; there was also a private motive. He hoped that after becoming familiar with Wen Di, she could put in a good word for him with Wen Qizhen in the future.
Even if Wen Di didn’t help him, at least she wouldn’t have a bad impression of him.
“Is the script finished?”
Yan Heyu wasn’t entirely sure, “It should still be in the creation stage.”
Guan Xiangmu put down his coffee, found Wen Di’s number, and called her.
Wen Di had just arrived at the entrance of her apartment building. As she stepped into the lobby, a fragrant aroma filled the air.
Beside the property management front desk, there were piles of fresh flowers, each bouquet exquisitely wrapped. A sign next to them read: Self-service (one bouquet per household).
Since May, the property management had been preparing a bouquet of fresh flowers for residents on the 9th, 19th, and 29th of each month.
At the time, a resident asked in the group chat: Why the sudden flower delivery?
The property manager replied: One of the boss’s friends is a large flower grower. Due to various reasons this year, flowers were unsaleable, so the boss ordered some to help out his friend.
She accidentally found out that it wasn’t actually that the boss’s friend’s flowers couldn’t be sold.
Before she reached the elevator, her phone rang.
Wen Di saw it was Guan Xiangmu’s number and answered.
“Hello, CEO Guan.”
After a few polite exchanges, Guan Xiangmu pretended not to know: “Do you have any works planned for the second half of this year?”
Wen Di didn’t rush into the elevator, “Yes, but the creation period might be a bit long, probably by the end of next year.”
Guan Xiangmu chatted with Wen Di about a few issues he was concerned about, then asked, “For copyright, should I contact your current company?”
“Yes, contact Qin Xing.”
The call lasted over ten minutes.
Wen Di only went upstairs after ending the call. Her second aunt was in Beijing for a business trip tonight and was staying with her.
Wen Qizhen opened the door for her, “Why did you take so long? Traffic?”
“Not really congested. I was downstairs on the phone with an investor for over ten minutes, talking about the new script.” Wen Di changed her shoes and entered the living room.
Her drama “Human World Is Not As Good As You” had aired recently, setting a new high for her previous dramas’ viewership ratings.
Guan Xiangmu made money, probably wanted to stock up on her scripts, otherwise he wouldn’t have contacted her proactively today.
“Auntie, are the flowers in the vase from the property management?” Wen Di saw a new vase on the coffee table, filled with flowers.
Wen Qizhen: “Mm, you like white lisianthus, so I took a bouquet back.”
Wen Di didn’t hide it: “They’re flowers prepared by Yan Heyu.” To get her to accept one bouquet, he gave them to all the residents in the building.
That day, she was going down the elevator and happened to run into the flower shop owner delivering flowers to the front desk. Hundreds of bouquets, several people carrying them from the car.
The owner was on the phone, saying: Assistant Kang, today’s flowers have been delivered as per your instructions.
Wen Qizhen heard this and said, “Auntie will send you flowers every day from now on.”
She asked her niece, “It’s almost October 1st, are you going home?”
“Yes.” Wen Di would stay at home for a few months to experience life at her father’s company for scriptwriting.
“We’ll talk more when we get home then.” Wen Qizhen still had work to do and went back to the study to continue being busy.
Wen Di sat on the sofa, staring at the fresh flowers in the vase for a few seconds, then promptly stopped her thoughts.
She messaged Shen Tang: [Xiao Donghan still won’t authorize?]
Shen Tang didn’t reply immediately, but instead questioned Xiao Donghan: [What are you busy with all day?]
Xiao Donghan: [Making money.]
Shen Tang: [...You still haven’t added Wen Di? Didn’t I share her business card with you a long time ago?]
Xiao Donghan had just come up from a swim in the pool. After showering and changing, he went to look through his chat history with Shen Tang.
He’d been busy recently and had completely forgotten about Wen Di’s business card.
He added Wen Di, then tossed his phone onto the bar, looking for a glass to pour red wine.
His phone vibrated. Wen Di greeted: [Hello.]
Xiao Donghan picked up his phone, [Do you have to write about me?]
[Yes.]
Xiao Donghan thought she would say something else. He drank half a glass of wine, but she remained silent.
[It’s not impossible to authorize it to you, but don’t distort the facts. In reality, Shen Tang and Jiang Chengyu couldn’t bankrupt me. Don’t go and bankrupt me in your script.]
Wen Di: “...”
[Don’t worry about that, I’ll definitely respect your wishes.]
She was still considering whether to add a romantic storyline for him in the drama, but she didn’t know his relationship status and couldn’t just write it arbitrarily. Shen Tang didn’t know either.
She asked: [May I ask, are you currently single or...?]
Xiao Donghan: [If I say I’m single, are you going to ask me to pursue you?]
Wen Di was eating fruit and almost choked.
He misunderstood her, thinking she was trying to pick him up under the guise of authorization. It wasn’t his fault for overthinking; after all, too many women were interested in him, trying to get him by any means possible, and he was probably tired of dealing with them.
She shot back: [Then are you going to pursue me or not?]
Xiao Donghan looked at the message and took a sip of red wine.
This woman, relying on her good looks, was being reckless.
He replied: [No time.]
Wen Di said: [Then that’s that. I don’t have time either. What’s there for you to be so conflicted about? Can we finally put aside our guard and talk business now?]
Xiao Donghan: [You speak.]
Wen Di: [To avoid misinterpretations of tone, let’s meet in person. There’s a lot to discuss, and talking like this, I don’t know how many times you’ll misunderstand me. You set the time, tomorrow or the day after is fine.]
Xiao Donghan: [Busy recently.]
He was going to Jiangcheng tomorrow.
________________________________________
Wen Di didn’t return to Jiangcheng until October 10th, having been delayed for a few days by other matters.
On the day she returned, her grandfather went to the airport to pick her up.
Her grandfather didn’t let the driver help with her small suitcase; he pushed it himself.
“How long will you stay home this time?”
Wen Di held her grandfather’s arm, “Maybe until Chinese New Year, I haven’t taken any other work.” She told her grandfather that she was back to write a script and would be working at her father’s company for a few months.
After getting in the car, her grandfather finally said, “Still haven’t found your old rhythm?”
Wen Di nodded.
Her recent works were realistic and brutal, unrelated to beauty.
After so much time, Wen Di no longer intended to hide from her grandfather, “The relationship I had three years ago, I was abandoned by him. He chose someone else. I’ve been adjusting, trying to find that old feeling again, but I can’t.”
Grandpa patted her hand, comforting her, “No matter what, you’ve found a suitable way to create now, which is good.”
“I feel like a failure. I’m not good at judging people.”
“You can’t say that. Even Warren Buffett has suffered investment losses before. Can you say his investment judgment is poor?”
Wen Di laughed, “Grandpa, how can I compare myself to Warren Buffett? You’re just a loving grandpa.”
The old man also laughed. He changed the subject, talking about guests coming to the house that afternoon.
“Who’s coming?”
“I’m not sure. Your dad said he’s bringing people to visit my library. They seem to be entrepreneurs brought in by Secretary Liang for investment promotion.”
Recently, the biggest event in the Jiangcheng Industrial Park was undoubtedly the official establishment of Jingyue Group and Xiao Ning Group.
This morning, the park held a grand signing ceremony.
Yan Heyu and Xiao Donghan both attended the signing ceremony, with Wen Changyun and Fan Zhisen accompanying them throughout as partners.
Yan Heyu and Xiao Donghan had both visited the places worth seeing in Jiangcheng.
Fan Zhisen said there was one unique place they surely hadn’t visited.
He was referring to Old Master Wen’s study, known as a small library, which, after expansion, now covered over 300 square meters.
Few of them were interested in libraries, but Yan Heyu expressed that he would like to take a look.
Secretary Liang found it inconvenient to accompany them, so Wen Changyun accompanied them, considering it his private invitation.
Dinner was also arranged at the villa, and Wen Changyun invited several chefs home.
Old Master Wen’s garden villa was also a scenic spot. If the front and back yards were combined, it would be large enough for golf.
At 3:15 PM, five cars drove into the villa’s parking lot one after another.
Wen Di was in the small library on the second floor at the time, petting a Ragdoll cat by the floor-to-ceiling window on the west side. The cat was cuddling in her arms, thoroughly enjoying itself.
She knew guests were coming that afternoon, and she was dressed formally, but she didn’t go down to greet them.
Her father often brought people to visit the library at home, so she was used to it.
They weren’t really there to read books; it was just a formality, a visit to the villa’s courtyard, a few flattering words, a meal, and to deepen their relationship with her father, without exception.
The south and west sides of the study had floor-to-ceiling windows, and the ceiling was designed with mirrors. Upon entering the study, it was quite breathtaking.
“More books than a book friend I know.”
“Mr. Yan also likes to read?”
“Likes to hunt for books.”
Wen Di heard a familiar voice and abruptly turned her head to look.
The group happened to walk down the aisle directly in front of her. The people who came today were actually Yan Heyu, and Xiao Donghan. Looking further back, Guan Xiangmu had also arrived.
There were also a few others she didn’t recognize and hadn’t interacted with before.
Fan Zhisen, as if in his own home, waved to her, “Niece, come over. What a coincidence, I heard you just returned from Beijing today.”
Yan Heyu interrupted, saying, “They’re not outsiders, no need to greet them. Let Wen Di read her book.”
But Wen Di still came over. After all, there were people she wasn’t familiar with, so she still needed to be polite.
Yan Heyu’s gaze was fixed on her. When she called him “CEO Yan,” she didn’t look at him at all, but rather at the area behind him.
Wen Changyun briefly introduced his daughter. After exchanging pleasantries, she sat back down.
“There’s a tea table by the southeast window. Feel free to browse, and when you’re tired, you can drink tea there. Downstairs there are card games, and in the back garden, there’s a tennis court.” Wen Changyun greeted them.
Among the more than ten people who came, few were genuinely interested in reading. After casually Browse, they sat down at the tea table to chat.
Xiao Donghan saw a book he had read as a child, but he couldn’t remember the ending. Later, he forgot the book’s title and couldn’t find it until now. He didn’t expect to find it in Wen Di’s home library.
He carefully pulled it out and returned to the tea table.
“Director Wen, may I borrow this book? I’ll return it after I finish reading it.”
“Feel free to read it, no rush to return it.”
Wen Changyun poured him tea.
“Director Wen, you all chat, I’ll talk to Wen Di about something,” Xiao Donghan put the book away with his secretary, then continued, “Wen Di reached out to me through my cousin Shen Tang, saying the script she’s working on involves business warfare and she wants my authorization for a character. I’ve been busy with signing agreements lately and haven’t had time to meet in person, so today is a good opportunity.”
Wen Changyun said, “I know about this. She came back this time specifically to create the script and will be staying at the company for a while. Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Xiao.” “You’re welcome, it’s no trouble at all.”
In front of the west floor-to-ceiling window of the study, Yan Heyu also held a book and walked to Wen Di’s side.
The Ragdoll cat nestled against Wen Di, tilting its head to look at Yan Heyu.
Yan Heyu squatted down. There was water and snacks on the small coffee table. He picked up one of the snack bags and offered it to her.
Wen Di didn’t look up, but her action of turning the page clearly paused, then she turned the page, looking at the opposite side.
She used to often sit in his arms watching TV. When she ate snacks, he would hold the snack bag for her.
“Put the snacks down. Mr. Yan, you are Secretary Liang’s guest today. I’m giving you face out of respect for Secretary Liang. Go have some tea.”
Yan Heyu said, “I’m not Secretary Liang’s guest right now. I missed you, so I came to see you.” He took a lemon slice from the snack bag and put it in his mouth.
He didn’t stay long. He put down the snack bag, stood up, and put the book in his hand back on the bookshelf.
As soon as he turned around, Xiao Donghan walked over.
When there were no outsiders present, the two of them didn’t even bother to speak, just a slight nod.
Xiao Donghan sat down opposite Wen Di and, as if no one else was present, said, “Didn’t you ask me last time if half an hour was enough?”
“Almost.” Wen Di put the bookmark in the book and closed it.
Yan Heyu subtly glanced at Xiao Donghan, seeing that Xiao Donghan had also deliberately chosen this moment to come over. He bent down, picked up Wen Di’s water cup from the coffee table, took a sip, and placed it back in its original spot.
He spoke to Wen Di in a doting tone, “Be serious when talking business with Mr. Xiao. Put the cat down first.”
Xiao Donghan said, “It’s fine, keep holding it. I’m not that particular.”
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