It was a Sunday afternoon in Jianghai City, in the busiest area of downtown.
Inside a 12-story office building, workers of all kinds were bustling back and forth.
The sounds of electric saws, hammers, and workers chatting echoed across the floors.
Hundreds of workers were renovating this office building, worth over 500 million yuan, into an agency for film and entertainment.
This building was the same one that Ye Hai had promised Shen Lang during Little Heiress' birthday cruise, in exchange for him staying away from Ye Yinan.
A few years ago, the asking price for this building was 340 million yuan, significantly exceeding its construction cost.
Any businessman would know that this price was a great deal.
Located in the most prosperous area of Jianghai City, this building was in the city's CBD—the core business district.
It was surrounded by five-star hotels and renowned restaurants.
With various tourist attractions nearby, the foot traffic during holidays was unimaginably high.
Businessmen always see money as a tool to make more money.
Anyone who could secure this building and operate it for a while would find it a profitable venture, no matter its future use.
When the building was first put up for sale, it sparked a bidding war among business magnates, driving the price up to 560 million yuan.
Despite this, the operations department of the Ye Group hesitated and never sold it outright to any company, only renting it out for short periods.
After much deliberation, the Ye Group decided to convert the building into a tourism company to generate revenue themselves.
But none of the staff in the operations department expected Ye Hai, the old patriarch, to simply wave his hand and casually hand this prime asset over to an obscure young director.
The reason? His cherished daughter had changed for the better—becoming gentle, obedient, and happier.
Her once melancholy demeanor had been replaced with frequent smiles.
For the elderly couple, who had lived their entire lives for this daughter, her transformation was priceless.
Naturally, they were grateful to Shen Lang for this change.
Although Ye Hai still doubted the "pure friendship" between Shen Lang and Ye Yinan,
as long as Ye Yinan didn't admit anything and Shen Lang stayed passive, the old man had no proof and could do nothing.
At this moment, Shen Lang was sitting in his office, signing a stack of documents.
The office building gifted by the old patriarch was still under renovation and was expected to start operations after the New Year.
Shen Lang needed to recruit actors, staff for other departments, and start producing popular short films or original movies.
These efforts would establish his agency's foothold in the film and entertainment industry.
Thankfully, Shen Lang's previously produced short films, based on novels, had earned him a fair amount of recognition, giving him some influence in the industry.
Recently, many trending streamers and second- or third-tier celebrities had expressed interest in joining Shen Lang's agency.
After signing the contracts, Shen Lang personally toured each floor to check the progress of the renovations.
Although the workers were from the patriarch's construction company and wouldn't dare slack off, Shen Lang enjoyed supervising in person, even chatting with the workers occasionally.
When he reached the first floor, staff from an advertising design company arrived, carrying a plaque for **Craft Media**—the name of Shen Lang's agency.
The gilded letters would be installed as the company's rooftop logo.
Shen Lang greeted them with a nod, and the workers warmly responded, knowing this young man was the boss of the company.
"Hm? Is it snowing?"
Shen Lang noticed the workers had tiny snowflakes on their clothes. Curious, he quickly stepped outside and looked up.
Feathery white snowflakes fell gently, melting into small black puddles upon landing.
Within minutes, the snow grew heavier, blanketing the bustling Jianghai City in a shimmering layer of white.
Seeing the accumulating snow on the sidewalks, Shen Lang was taken aback.
As a southern city, Jianghai rarely experienced snow.
Even when it did, it was often just a few fleeting flurries, more like a passing novelty.
Just then, Shen Lang's WeChat notifications chimed repeatedly.
**Landlady:** "Little Shen, are you done? It's snowing outside, isn't it? I've made chicken soup. Come over tonight to warm up. I've also invited Liu Si. {rose emoji}"
**Elf Girl:** "Shen Pig! It's snowing! They say this year's snow will be heavy. Let's drive to Harbin to see the ice sculptures! {3 min 20 sec video}"
**Neighbor Han'er:** "It's snowing outside. Are you dressed warmly? The landlady invited me to her place for dinner. When will you be back? I feel shy going alone. {shy emoji}"
**Little Heiress:** "Shen Lang, it's snowing. Did you see it? This is Jianghai City's snow~ {smile emoji}"
Besides his four girlfriends, many colleagues, his two mischievous younger sisters, and even his parents sent Shen Lang messages about the snowfall.
Some were concerned about his warmth and meals, others wanted to share this rare snowy scene with him,
and many simply marveled at the snow and shared it with someone they cared about.
Shen Lang's dramatic career and romantic changes this year hadn't gone unnoticed by friends and family.
Especially after news of him owning an entire office building spread in the family group chat, thanks to his mother Cheng Lijuan,
even distant relatives who had never cared about him suddenly became attentive and warm.
Some aunts even talked about setting him up with potential matches during his next visit home.
Having mingled with upper-class circles and seen materialistic women like past blind dates,
Shen Lang wasn't too affected by the sudden warmth from relatives.
After replying to his girlfriends' messages,
Shen Lang stepped onto the damp snow and headed to the parking garage, planning to warm up with a bowl of chicken soup at the landlady's house.
Driving back to Fulong Garden Apartments, he arrived at the familiar door of Unit 1702 and rang the doorbell with anticipation.
"Big Brother Shen is back!"
A cheerful, childlike voice echoed from inside.
When the door opened, a little girl dashed out like a chubby penguin, hugging him joyfully.
In the cozy, heated living room, the landlady and Li Liu Si were setting the table with care.
As Shen Lang entered, holding the little girl, both women looked at him with unconcealed joy.
In that moment, Shen Lang's once introverted mind involuntarily wandered into a fantasy:
His Elf Girl braiding the little girl's hair, the Little Heiress chatting cheerfully with Ye Xinxin,
even his sisters, Shen Linlin and Shen Nannan, playfully arguing in the room.
"Hmm, work hard, and I'll have all this one day," Shen Lang silently encouraged himself.