The Swollen Assistant

The sky had already darkened.

A Mercedes slowly pulled up to the airport exit. The driver, in a neat uniform, opened the back door.

Li Fuchen, who had rushed back from Thailand, stepped in, let out a long sigh, and asked his assistant, "Have you confirmed Ye Qin's address?"

"There's a screenwriter in New City who's pretty close with Ye Qin's agent. The news from him is that Ye Qin doesn't have any commercial performances recently and is currently staying at the Huashuo Hotel!" The assistant nodded with certainty. "I've talked to her agent on the phone!"

"Then let's go!" Li Fuchen rubbed his hands. "Have you prepared the information I asked you to collect?"

The assistant professionally pulled out several files from a folder and handed them to Li Fuchen. "Tongzhou City's Mingzhu Company, market value around one billion. Rumor has it the backer is likely the Li Family from Tongzhou."

Li Fuchen opened the files placed on his lap.

After Wan Hao called him, he had made a series of arrangements, including finding out Ye Qin's address and investigating the company Wan Hao mentioned for the endorsement.

"It doesn't look like much..." Li Fuchen frowned. The apparent strength displayed by Mingzhu Company clearly didn't satisfy him. "It's a bit difficult for a company like this to invite Ye Qin for an endorsement!"

"Otherwise, the Second Young Master wouldn't have asked you to come back," the assistant chimed in appropriately, flattering him.

In the entertainment industry, veteran directors like Li Fuchen, although their public appearances and recognition are not as high as those of hugely popular celebrities, in terms of real influence, those celebrities can't even come close to directors who control vast resources.

In terms of connections and capital, they are not on the same level at all!

Therefore, the assistant subconsciously thought that Wan Hao asking Li Fuchen to return was to have Li Fuchen use his influence to pressure Ye Qin and force the matter to be settled.

But Li Fuchen scratched his head in frustration and sighed, "The problem is, the task the Young Master gave me is: 'Treat it with importance in attitude, but don't force the result!' Tell me, how am I supposed to negotiate?"

The assistant was stunned for a long time.

"Which friend is the Second Young Master putting on a show for this time?" the assistant asked, utterly confused.

Li Fuchen shook his head.

Thirty minutes later.

The Mercedes stopped at the entrance of the Huashuo Hotel.

A middle-aged woman wearing the latest LV scarf stood at the hotel entrance, her face beaming with smiles, and extended her hand towards Li Fuchen as he got out of the car. "Director Li, I've long admired your name! I'm Wang Fang, Miss Ye Qin's assistant. Someone from your company has already spoken with me on the phone!"

Li Fuchen shook hands with Wang Fang, his gaze lingering for a moment on the three large gold rings on Wang Fang's fingers, then nodded. "Time is tight, let's get straight to business, shall we?"

"Please!" Wang Fang moved aside slightly, and the two walked side by side into the hotel.

After the two had walked away, Li Fuchen's assistant snickered, patted the driver's shoulder, and asked, "Hey, Little Wang, do you know the difference between a nouveau riche and a wealthy family?"

"Huh?" The driver was taken aback by the question.

"Wealthy families are afraid of others knowing they're rich, while the nouveau riche are afraid of others not knowing they're rich!" The assistant commented sharply. "Look at that Wang Fang, those gold rings on her fingers weigh at least two pounds! Wearing black mink in this heat and a scarf... I'm just wondering, with that sense of style, how did she become Ye Qin's assistant?"

The driver raised his eyebrows. "Ah... you're talking about that. This Wang Fang is Ye Qin's relative... Ever since Ye Qin became famous, she's made a lot of money!"

The assistant nodded in sudden understanding.

Li Fuchen and Wang Fang went all the way up to the top floor. Pushing open the door, Li Fuchen glanced around but didn't see any sign of Ye Qin in the room. He frowned. "Where is Miss Ye?"

"It's like this, I'm fully responsible for Miss Ye's matters. Director Li, you can ask me any questions directly, and I can also negotiate any potential collaborations on her behalf!" Wang Fang extended her hand. "Please sit! Please sit!"

Li Fuchen frowned.

He had specifically flown back to Jingdu from Thailand, and now he couldn't even meet Ye Qin. If this got out, he would lose a lot of face.

"It's better to have Miss Ye come out so I can ask for her opinion," Li Fuchen said in a deep voice.

"It's just a commercial endorsement... I can handle it just the same!" Wang Fang chuckled. "As you know, Miss Ye has been quite busy recently, and with so many fans, it's not easy for her to show her face..."

Li Fuchen silently glanced at Wang Fang.

Given his status, coming to find Ye Qin in person was already condescending, but he hadn't expected his influence to be less effective than he thought.

"Heh heh... Miss Ye has really become popular recently," Li Fuchen's tone was somewhat cold.

"Oh dear... being too popular is also a kind of trouble! Our Little Ye has to wear several layers of masks when she goes out now, and even I get affected. As soon as I go out, I run into fans asking me for Little Ye's autograph!" Wang Fang seemed completely oblivious to the unusual tone in Li Fuchen's words, her eyebrows dancing, smiling like a flower. "About that, Director Li, I'll give you a few signed photos of Little Ye later... These things can sell for several thousand online now!"

Taking a deep breath.

Li Fuchen was quite speechless. Encountering such a clueless idiot who couldn't understand subtle hints, he really had no good moves.

He wanted to use his influence to make the other party see reason, but remembering Wan Hao's request on the phone, he could only force himself to swallow his frustration.

"It's like this, regarding the general intention... someone from my company must have already discussed it with you," Li Fuchen considered. If he continued to argue with Wang Fang, he might be driven mad, so he directly stated the purpose of his visit. "A friend wants to invite Miss Ye Qin to Tongzhou City for an endorsement. Their company specifically deals with cosmetics, luxury handbags, and other luxury goods... As for the time, it might take about a week..."

Wang Fang nodded repeatedly, then suddenly interrupted Li Fuchen and asked, "Director Li, what about the fee...?"

"Twelve million..." Li Fuchen hesitated for a second and stated a figure.

Wan Hao's standard for him was ten million, but Li Fuchen knew in his heart that this price was unrealistic for inviting a female star of Ye Qin's caliber, so he added two million himself.

"I know this figure might not meet Miss Ye's expectations, so, if Miss Ye agrees to this endorsement, within three months, I will host a concert for Miss Ye free of charge at the Jingdu Mingmen Stadium. I will cover all expenses, and all income will go to Miss Ye!"

The conditions Li Fuchen offered were already his bottom line; he wanted to complete the task Wan Hao had given him, but he couldn't possibly offer an exorbitant endorsement fee to invite Ye Qin.

Because that would be too embarrassing!

If it got out, people would say that Li Fuchen had been in the industry for most of his life, and ended up shamelessly inviting a female star for an endorsement, even offering a sky-high price – how humiliating!

However, hosting a concert for Ye Qin, while not saving much in terms of funds, had a completely different meaning.

Li Fuchen could use this action to advertise his company again, and since Ye Qin wasn't signed to an entertainment company, if both parties could establish a long-term partnership from now on, the subsequent benefits would be lasting.

Wang Fang quietly listened to the conditions Li Fuchen offered.

She swirled the teacup in her hand, slowly took a sip of tea, and said, "Director Li, this... I'm afraid it won't work. Twelve million is too mismatched with Miss Ye's status, and hosting a concert..."

Wang Fang glanced lightly at Li Fuchen.

"It's no exaggeration to say, given how popular Miss Ye is, there are at least eighty, if not a hundred, companies that want to collaborate! There are also plenty of companies willing to organize a concert without charging any fees. Director Li, these conditions of yours really lack sincerity!"

"Heh heh... Can their companies compare to mine?"

"No matter how big your company is, I'm not working for you, and I don't get any benefit..." Wang Fang's words were a very blunt reminder.

If Li Fuchen still didn't understand what she meant at this point, he would be a complete fool.

But he was a bit bewildered.

After working in the industry for so many years, this was truly the first time he had met someone like Wang Fang.

He was silent for a moment, then took out a checkbook from his pocket, placed it on the table, wrote down a few numbers, tore it off directly, and handed it to Wang Fang: "Like this, is it sincere now?"

Wang Fang showed no sign of embarrassment at all. She pinched the check with two fingers, looked at the numbers on it, and couldn't stop smiling.

"Oh, Director Li, this check won't bounce, will it?"

Li Fuchen's face darkened, suppressing the anger in his heart: "How about I go with you to cash it?"

"Just kidding! Just kidding!" Wang Fang contentedly stuffed the check into her LV handbag, then said with a beaming smile, "Director Li, I will discuss the endorsement with Miss Ye. The specifics will have to wait for Miss Ye to make a decision."

"Are you messing with me? Didn't you say you could fully represent Ye Qin?" Li Fuchen was startled.

"Look at you, Miss Ye has to be informed, right... Don't worry, I'll definitely get her to agree!" Wang Fang promised confidently.

At this moment, Li Fuchen truly felt a surge of anger rising in his heart.

He was silent for a moment, but still nodded: "Give me a reply as soon as possible!"

"Take care!" Wang Fang was already preparing to see him out.

After Li Fuchen's figure disappeared into the elevator, Wang Fang immediately pulled out the check for a look, then immediately took out her phone and called a certain salesperson.

"Hello, Little Dong... It's your Sister Wang. Is the R8 I looked at in stock? It is? ...Okay, I'll come tomorrow to see the car. If there are no problems, I'll take it! ...Do I still need a loan? Full payment, paid in one go!"