Knock, knock!
"Grandpa, it's Linzhi."
In a few seconds, the door was opened by Nie Zhan. Her sworn enemy from her original timeline. He was 22 and will continue his masters in the UK. He was probably here to say goodbye. Remembering what happened before, it's hard for Linzhi to smile at him.
"Come in, Linzhi. We're just about to leave," Nie Hexuan held the door and closed it before leaving.
There's only the grandfather-granddaughter duo left.
"What do you want?"
"Grandpa, don't let Nie Construction bid for the government project."
Chairman Nie was different from most people that didn't let children understand or learn the business from a young; he was a ruthless character in his prime - he educated his offspring with adequate knowledge from a young age.
He stopped his signing movement and clasp his hands, staring at the granddaughter that the last time he saw was defying his order to learn management. What's with this sudden interest in their business? Did she have a change of heart? Did that Lynn boy break her heart?
He was full of questions, but his stern face revealed nothing. "Why shouldn't we bid?"
"The lawsuit will be canceled, and the government will resume the old project. If Nie Construction jumped right now, we would lose our Group's foundation and go bankrupt."
"That's funny, the analyst and consultant want me to bid for this, but you told me not to," the old man took off his glasses, his glaring eyes burning into her soul. "On what basis do you ask me that?"
"Grandpa, business is about information and connection. You know it better. My informant is reliable. Trust me. Don't bid for the project."
"You don't even graduate high school yet; on what basis should I trust your immature judgment? I don't care who your source is, I still won't believe you."
"Grandpa.. think about it." Linzhi was both desperate and angry; she changed her tactic. "If we go bankrupt, we don't have anyone to run to. Our demise will only let the competitor win, but if we let other companies bid for the project.. Their fall will be our chance. If Nie Construction did not bid, the top player left was Hayden. You always want to expand to the capital city if we can swallow Hayden in Beiling.. Their resources in the capital city will be ours, and your dream will come true in no time."
If Linzhi didn't spend her days reading books to her grandpa in a hospital bed, she might never notice the slight frown on his forehead.
'He's hooked!'
"That's a good plan.. but only if the lawsuit of the old site is really canceled. Without a guarantee, it's just a smoke dream. Get back to school; stop pestering me here."
Seeing his dismissive posture, Linzhi was at wit's end, "My shares! You don't have to give me my shares and the capital for a business venture. I'll give you my investment portfolio and all my savings too."
Chairman Nie couldn't help but laugh, "Everything you have is from me; you have those because you're my daughter's child. If I want your pocket money, you can't say no."
"I know, Grandpa, but it's been our Nie family tradition to have children's assets separated when they're 18. It's my birthday in a few months, and if what I said is wrong, then those assets will stay inside the Group. If I'm correct, we won't be bankrupt and might get another affiliate company. Please, Grandpa, I can vouch for this informant with my life."
The old man rested his back on the chair, closing his eyes while his finger tapped his hand; "This isn't enough."
People around him encouraged him to make the bid, but he himself had a bad premonition, but every rational aspect really showed that this project was a logical choice. Seeing the sincere and resolute posture, he wondered whether this granddaughter really had a better source than him.
"I don't have anything else as a guarantee, Grandpa."
"Actually, you do."
"Tell me, Grandpa. I'll try my best to meet your condition."
"You can't go to medical school."
Linzhi was stunned.
"Why? You can't give it up?"
When she was 18, she was so determined to be a doctor, but that wasn't important right now. She had a new dream now!
"Of course, Grandpa, I won't go to medical school. If the project in the new site is really successful when you're not bidding, I will go to any school you want."
The agreement was finally signed in black and white and sealed with their personal seal.
*****
Her mother called as soon as Nie Linzhi arrived at her dormitory. She was asking about the agreement Linzhi made with Grandpa.
Linzhi looked at the gas stove, planning to cook a bowl of noodles and eat them, but the gas ran out. While intermittently answering her mother, she finished her instant noodles.
After the call ended, she closed her eye tiredly.
Even though she knows a lot about the future, it has nothing to do with a business like this one. Besides, she might have changed things by causing a domino effect that she wasn't aware of. But Linzhi was a fool if she let her mother be a low-paid teacher and grandpa struggle with medical expenses.
An idea flashed through her mind.
Browsing on her desktop, she took out her iPad when the site she wanted to be showed. She might not know a lot about business, but she was a powerhouse in the entertainment industry.
Linzhi scribbled the name of popular novels, box office movies, rising stars, and independent artists and musicians that got their break in the coming years.
The film studio was a giant in the industry; its revenue was from box office sales, distribution deals, and licensing for various media platforms like television or streaming services. Making a film studio was too big of an investment; she must bid her time well and be selective about the production.
With the money at hand, her best plan was to buy Intellectual Property adaptations from novels, comics, or games that provide a complete story and engaging characters. Others can produce the technical stuff while she still gets cut with a little effort.
A microphone with a blue background logo on her iPad caught her attention. NET was a free streaming service for independent artists and musicians to share their videos or music exclusively for fans and get revenue from fans' gifts. Her account was still there, and she was quite popular among local artists because she was generous in sending gift. Her top favorite musician was HANN. His music just simply right up her alley. There was nostalgia and hope for a better future despite depressing circumstances. His piano cover is also alluring and weirdly addicting. It was her go-to study playlist. It was just after her family bankruptcy in the original timeline; she was too busy modeling and learning acting to indulge herself with this.
WAIT!
'Since I will buy the IP for literature works, I can also invest in these musicians. If a film studio was the end goal, she could start from an entertainment company.'
Once Grandpa realized that what she was saying was true, she could ask for a building in the capital city and register a company. She could sign that artist and arrange work for them, and the best part was after she bought the IPs, she could register it under her company and have it sell for an even higher price than personally owned IP rights!
Owning a building could wait, but setting up the company must start now. Logging in to her mini blog, she changed her header and profile picture to look more professional. After calling Nie Group's social media team and having them follow her account, she messaged the targeted authors. She already selected the free agent and non-contracted writers from the writing platform.
She added investing in a new writing platform to her to-do list.
She spent the day messaging writers, buying stokes, and calculating her asset after finishing her future planning.
*****
Naturally waking up before six, Linzhi ran for an hour before cleaning herself and ditched the pile of math papers and English textbooks on her bed for her iPad. She might be back at 18, but she refused to go back to the inconvenience of the past. Why should she carry multiple books when she could carry a light iPad and still learn the same materials?
She used to think school was a waste of time and exhausting, but compared to filming under the harsh sun or dripping rain.. Sitting inside an air-conditioned building while listening to the teacher that she paid for was certainly better.
It was a summer break, and most student was on vacation. After claiming the number one in parallel ranking again, she couldn't believe her old self actually signed up for a summer class. Thankfully she still had time to change it from Pre-Med to some business courses. This suits her plan better.
Stepping out of the school's lobby, she thought she was hallucinating. There was a woman with a business suit just finishing her call. The woman was about to leave when she heard a voice.
"Sister Yunxi."
Zhang Yunxi turned around, narrowed her eyes, and found a girl in a ponytail carrying her iPad. Her mouth turns upward like a smile, but there is a sense of distance.
Linzhi mustered her friendliest smile while her inner self was chanting that this was her money-maker CEO!
"Sister Yunxi, my name is Nie Linzhi. My eldest uncle is Aunt Zhang's husband. I hope you don't mind me calling you Sister because we are distant cousins."
Zhang Yunxi: "..."
'A cold beauty! Such a femme fatal.'
"I heard that you majored in media in college, and I want to learn this in the future, can you tell me about it?"
Zhang Yunxi stared at her for a while; her smile disappeared: "Just state your purpose."