Meanwhile, Yu Hao was still on a date with Gu Xiaonan. As they were making their way to the hotel, while acting very lovey-dovey, Yu Hao's cell phone rang.
"Secretary Yin?" Yu Hao murmured aloud and instantly rejected the call after glancing at the caller ID.
"It's so late! Do you think it could be something important?" Gu Xiaonan asked in concern.
As she spoke, she was curled up in Yu Hao's arms. With his beauty in his arms, Yu Hao blurted out a response, without giving it much thought, "I don't care. The most important thing is for me to accompany you. Let's leave the company's business for a later date."
Gu Xiaonan seemed satisfied with this answer. Her arms, which were originally loosely draped around Yu Hao, tightened as she drew him toward her.
"Ah Hao, we're having our wedding in just a few days! Thank you for giving me a home. Although we've lost a child, I promise you that I'll try my best to have another one as soon as possible," she murmured in his ear.
At the thought that his high-quality genes would be inherited by a baby of his own, Yu Hao was so excited that he wanted to throw Gu Xiaonan onto the bed and start making that baby immediately! Unfortunately, just as he was about to step into the hotel, his cell phone rang again.
"This is so annoying!" Yu Hao looked at his phone and realized that the caller was Secretary Yin once again.
What's the matter with this man? Doesn't he realize that his call was rejected just now? What does he want, and what is thinking, calling over and over again? Yu Hao wondered in frustration.
"It's okay. You can pick it up. I'll go check in. Just remember to keep it short." The sensible Gu Xiaonan left a sweet kiss on Yu Hao's face, then turned and walked toward the hotel lobby.
Yu Hao smiled as he answered the ringing cell phone. "Hi, what's the matter? You don't even stop working at night? Don't you know that it's already well past working hours? I haven't given you an extra cent for working overtime, so why do you still work so hard?"
Yu Hao's attitude towards his staff had always been somewhat domineering like this. He believed that insulting his co-workers was an effective method of molding them.
"Pre… President Yu... Something bad has happened!" Secretary Yin gulped hard and swallowed his resentment. After all, now was not the time to argue with Yu Hao about his harsh attitude.
Yu Hao raised his eyebrows as he asked, "What's the matter? Why are you so agitated?"
"Haven't you seen the trending topics, the ones at the top of the list... About Wu Linzhi?" Secretary Yin asked.
"Hmph! I never pay any attention to those silly pieces of entertainment news. Speak if you have anything important to say. Otherwise, I have things to do." Yu Hao then looked up and waved to Gu Xiaonan, who was looking back at him. He was clearly becoming impatient with Secretary Yin.
"Oh my… Well... I must advise you to pay more attention to these things. After all, Wu Linzhi's domestic entertainment agency is one of our venture capitalists' projects. Ever since Wu Linzhi joined them, they've become our firm's biggest client. So, if it collapses, we will be in big trouble too!" Secretary Yin finished speaking his whole speech in one breath, after which, there was a long silence.
Both he and Yu Hao were speechless. Secretary Yin was speechless because he didn't know what to say or do, and Yu Hao was silent because he was trying to recall what Secretary Yin had just said. He was clearly distracted by his desire to get back to his lady love.
It was not until Gu Xiaonan returned with the room card that Yu Hao finally responded. Wu Linzhi's entertainment agency that Secretary Yin had mentioned was Qi Yang Entertainment, which was the one that owed them the most money.
It turned out that their recent financial reversals were all due to this guy named Wu Linzhi. With Wu Linzhi's departure, as well as the pressure that was coming from his fans, their share prices were plummeting. In fact, they were really facing a total collapse!
Under these circumstances, won't it mean that all of the funds that I have invested in Qi Yang entertainment so far will be lost? Yu Hao wondered in dismay.
His main worry was that the money that had been invested was not entirely his own. He'd borrowed part of it from various moguls and banks. So, if the money was lost, Yu Hao might even face bankruptcy!
"Ah Hao, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale?" Gu Xiaonan asked as she draped her arms around Yu Hao's neck and went close to his ear, letting her fragrance surround him.
Unfortunately, even her beguiling fragrance could not help Yu Hao now. If she'd really wanted to help him, she should have maybe tries using an oxygen mask at that moment!
Saiwei Clubhouse.
As Sheng Jie slipped the cell phone into An Qi's handbag, his actions were natural and skilled. He had obviously done this before. Other than those who knew him well, it would be impossible for anyone to imagine that an ordinary-looking man in gold-framed spectacles, who looked so honest, would make such a shocking move.
"Well, now that Linzhi's matter has been explained, let's talk about the matters that need attention in the photoshoot, An Qi." Leng Jin waved the waiter over and ordered another glass of wine. It seemed like this would be a long talk.
"Photoshoot?" Sheng Jie's eyes widened. Since he was Leng Yuchen's henchman, he was naturally curious about everything that involved An Qi.
"Yes. An Qi promised to be my media platform model this season." Leng Jin said to Sheng Jie, while lifting his glass.
Leng Jin did not know much about Sheng Jie's friendship with An Qi. Specifically, he didn't know whether Sheng Jie's had a personal relationship with her of his own accord, or whether he had been entrusted with the task of befriending An Qi by Leng Yuchen. Therefore, when he was speaking in front of Sheng Jie, Leng Jin was always very cautious, letting Sheng Jie perceive that his relationship with An Qi was unusual, but without making things crystal clear to him.
The purpose for this was to arouse Sheng Jie's suspicion, thus causing Leng Yuchen to become more aware of a crisis. Unlike Leng Yuchen's focus of providing stringent protection for An Qi, Leng Jin's was focused on using An Qi to control Leng Yuchen.
Even though he was unsure of his exact plan at the moment, Leng Jin figured that he would simply stick to his previous plan until he found a better way. Sheng Jie apparently hadn't expected that An Qi and Leng Jin were already close enough to shoot a set of photos for him because of Dong Manman.
Of course, besides Dong Manman, An Qi and Leng Jin had a close relationship during their childhoods. But, because the news about their kidnapping had been blocked by Leng Jin's and Leng Yuchen's parents from leaking out to the public, An Qi didn't want too many people to know about their relationship. She didn't even know how to explain that incident to Leng Yuchen, let alone Sheng Jie, who seemed to be somewhat of a blabbermouth!
Leng Jin deliberately ignored Sheng Jie's surprise and turned to Wu Linzhi, who was scrolling through his phone, and asked, "How are your preparations going? Do you need any help with the contract?"
Wu Linzhi lifted his head and gazed at him, then replied, "You don't have to worry about it at all. The contract I signed with Qi Yang was a freelance contract. Now that something has happened to the company, I can just leave without facing any legal problems whatsoever."
He smiled, then added, "From now on, I am free! Do you want to consider starting your own entertainment agency and sign me, big old designer Leng? I promise to make you tons of money! How about it?"
The corners of Leng Jin's mouth lifted into a smile as he replied, "Stop right there, I wouldn't be able to support a troublesome artist like you! Besides, I'm still the Vice President of the Leng Group, at least in name. So, I don't have time to waste with the likes of you."
Dong Manman shot them both a meaningful glance. As she thought that it was Wu Linzhi who had deliberately sullied Qi Yang's name, and that Qi Yang was the innocent party who had been blamed, she couldn't help but wonder... How can they talk about Qi Yang entertainment so calmly right now?
If it weren't for the fact that she still needed Leng Jin's help for the Paris studio, Dong Manman would probably have picked a big fight with them at this moment!