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Cai Jinbai nodded lightly. "It's been a long time, Lawyer Xiang. Thank you for your help this time."

"You're welcome. Whenever President Cai needs me, I'm duty-bound to help."

He had never intended to refuse from the moment he first received Cai Jinbai's call.

Xuan Yu cast an inconspicuous glance over, decisively exited the game he had been playing, stood up, and went to sit beside Jinbai.

Xiang Yizhou met Xuan Yu's gaze. Under the other man's dark stare, his smile faded slightly before he greeted them without changing expression. "It seems President Cai and Mr. Xuan are still as close as ever. I never expected President Cai to return to the country and open an entertainment company. I was genuinely surprised when I heard."

He and Cai Jinbai had met at an overseas banquet. They had only met once and exchanged no more than a few words, yet Xiang Yizhou had been left with an exceptionally deep impression of him.

After all, with Cai Jinbai's unique aura and striking looks, Xiang Yizhou could not forget him even if he wanted to.

However, though Xiang Yizhou had wanted to get to know him better, that wish could not be fulfilled.

He glanced at Xuan Yu and Cai Jinbai, whose legs were pressed intimately together, and sighed inwardly. Would two people in a normal relationship usually sit this close?

—Shoulder against shoulder, leg against leg, without even the slightest safe social distance.

Yet both of them looked entirely accustomed to it, without the slightest sign that anything was unusual. Nor did they seem to find anything strange about sitting like this... Was that really right?

Xiang Yizhou studied them again and confirmed that their relationship was still within the bounds of "normal," with not the slightest "special" feeling between them.

This relationship really was...

"What are you looking at?" Xuan Yu's highly recognizable voice rang out.

He did not like this person. From the very beginning, Xiang Yizhou had rubbed him the wrong way. He could not say why; perhaps he simply found the man irritating.

In any case, Xuan Yu truly disliked this human getting close to Jinbai. Fortunately, Xiang Yizhou had enough self-awareness.

Xiang Yizhou smiled. "I merely feel that President Cai is even more captivating than before now that we've met again."

Xuan Yu's expression immediately darkened. Even hearing this person praise Jinbai made him uncomfortable. What did Jinbai's charm have to do with needing his praise?

Cai Jinbai said, "You flatter me, Lawyer Xiang."

His impression of Xiang Yizhou was that he was an exceptionally outstanding lawyer. There was no need to question his professional ability—once he took action, he was certain to have every confidence in winning the case.

The man was meticulous and airtight in his work. His personality was far less modest and courteous than his outward appearance suggested.

He had handled many cases more complicated, difficult, and troublesome than Xu Yuqing's, yet every one of them had ended in Xiang Yizhou's victory.

Thus, after hiring Xiang Yizhou, Cai Jinbai had never doubted whether he could resolve Xu Yuqing's matter. The answer was that he worked very quickly.

The Wealth Aura above his head gathered both regular and windfall wealth, yet amid the interwoven gold and white light was a faint grayish tint. This showed that while he would use certain extra measures to win a case, he would not cross the bottom line of the law.

Besides helping Xu Yuqing successfully terminate his contract, Cai Jinbai also needed Xiang Yizhou to draft some contracts.

After Cai Jinbai and Xiang Yizhou finalized the specifics, the latter left the building.

Xuan Yu had remained silent throughout. He never casually interrupted Jinbai when he was occupied with something important.

Only after Xiang Yizhou left did he speak. "Jinbai, do you want to sign him to the company too?"

Jinbai Group, founded by Cai Jinbai, would not have Jinbai Entertainment as its only company. Naturally, a large group would also need its own dedicated legal team.

Xuan Yu could see that Jinbai greatly appreciated Xiang Yizhou's abilities.

"Not necessarily." Cai Jinbai said, "Xiang Yizhou has his own law firm. In the future, it may be more suitable for us to cooperate."

Xuan Yu said blandly, "If you want him, what could possibly be impossible? As long as the benefits offered are great enough, are you worried you won't be able to sign him?"

Cai Jinbai did not notice the hidden meaning in Xuan Yu's words at all. Lowering his head, he picked up the tablet and said, "No, that would be too much trouble. Xiang Yizhou is capable, but I don't need him to come work at our company. Why are you so concerned about him?"

The words "our company" put Xuan Yu in a much better mood. He said, "I'm not concerned about him. I'm thinking of you."

"Oh." Cai Jinbai responded indifferently and immersed himself in scrolling through the screen again.

Xuan Yu also put the matter out of his mind. He moved even closer to Jinbai, lowered his head to look at the tablet with him, and even reached out to help hold it. "Jinbai, who's the next candidate? Have you thought of anyone?"

Xuan Yu's palm was slightly larger than his. Cai Jinbai's fingers were slender, but Xuan Yu's knuckles were stronger. One hand alone could hold the tablet steady, his warm palm covering the back of Cai Jinbai's hand. Their hands overlapped, their fingertips touching.

Cai Jinbai glanced at them and did not think anything was wrong.

Hearing his question, he used his other hand to tap the screen. "There. This man, the well-known director Chen Chengrong."

Xuan Yu stared at the screen, though it was impossible to tell whether he was looking at the director's profile or at Cai Jinbai's fingers, whose nails looked even pinker under the screen's glow.

"Oh, what about him?" Xuan Yu asked absentmindedly, the words leaving his mouth before he thought.

Jinbai's hands, used for refining artifacts, were maintained so beautifully.

Cai Jinbai said, "He wants to make a movie, but no one is willing to invest in it."

Cai Jinbai's fingertips moved as he opened the director's more detailed profile. "I have a feeling that the film Chen Chengrong wants to make now will be Xu Yuqing's opportunity to return to the screen. His movie will be a hit."

He observed people's Wealth Aura and fortune, so with his special eyes, he could vaguely glimpse the course of their future as well. Guided by Wealth Aura in the unseen realm, if this were compared to placing bets, every direction he chose would be the one where fortune gathered most densely, allowing him to reap an abundant harvest in the end.

It was a mysterious and profound feeling, an ability that had naturally emerged as his cultivation of Wealth Aura deepened. This was why his judgment was so sharp. Whoever he set his sights on and invested in would definitely make him money in the end.

Now, he had set his sights on the movie Chen Chengrong wanted to make—although only Chen Chengrong currently knew the content of the script, Xu Yuqing's future wealth and fortune were already faintly linked to Chen Chengrong's film.

"Jinbao already observed him nearby for me." Cai Jinbai withdrew his finger. "He's the second person I've chosen."

Xuan Yu came back to himself. "That Fat Gold Ingot is fairly capable. He's quite fast. Since we have a candidate, should we contact him now?"

"Mm, now. The timing is just right." Cai Jinbai smiled, his features appearing even more handsome under the sunlight.

Chen Chengrong was an absolute genius of a director. While still in school, the short films he made for competitions won countless awards. Before graduation, he had filmed a work of great depth. Its ordinary warmth revealed sorrow in every detail, bringing many viewers to tears and making the name Director Chen Chengrong famous within a small circle.

After graduating, he earned his first fortune from this and caught the attention of investors, who funded his first feature film.

No one had expected this low-budget movie to make Chen Chengrong famous in the film industry. The small investment yielded huge returns, and its box office performance that year was extremely impressive.

After that film, he was like a fish in water. He began writing and polishing his own scripts, continuing to make movies, personally handling nearly everything himself.

He was undoubtedly a director with ideas and talent, and the movies he made truly became massive hits. He had once been brilliant, achieving accomplishments others envied and receiving endless praise. Yet now, he faced hardship and a difficult situation, with no idea where to turn for help.

The Chen Family.

Chen Chengrong's wife carried a bowl of noodles to the study door and knocked. Her voice was full of concern. "Chengrong, come out and eat something first. You haven't eaten all day. Your body won't be able to take it if this continues. After you eat, we can think of a solution together."

Chen Chengrong's wife persisted.

After a long while, Chen Chengrong opened the study door.

He was a man of average build, not yet forty, but his once-black hair had turned noticeably white. Gray-white strands mixed with the black, giving him an inexplicable air of weariness. At that moment, his brows were tightly furrowed and his worried expression would not ease, making him appear far older than his actual age.

"I really have no appetite." Chen Chengrong sighed.

He could not secure investment for his movie. Without funding, filming could not begin. Then who knew when the script he had painstakingly polished for years would become a finished work and be brought to the screen? Was it supposed to remain shelved forever?

Of course, he did not want the efforts of the past several years to go to waste.

Thus, Chen Chengrong had been so worried lately that he could not sleep. The insomnia, coupled with his lack of appetite, meant that not only was his hair falling out in clumps, but he had also lost a great deal of weight.

His wife saw all of this and was just as worried.

Their family had not been like this before. Chen Chengrong had been a famous director who never lacked money to make films, and they had lived quite comfortably.

But life was unpredictable. No one knew whether tomorrow or disaster would come first.

More than four years ago, while Chen Chengrong was filming with a crew, the rest of his family went out for fun and unfortunately got into a car accident. Chen Chengrong's father died on the spot. His mother was taken to the hospital but could not be saved. Chen Chengrong's wife was seriously injured, while their daughter suffered minor injuries. His wife spent more than a year recovering in the hospital before she was discharged.

Fortunately, she and their daughter were both fine now. That was the one blessing amid the misfortune.

However, at the time, Chen Chengrong's film production had also run into problems.