For a sum that was just one hair off nine oxen, he could safeguard his little sister. In his place, Qi Yuheng would have done the same.
"If you get the chance, remember to apologize to Miss Ye," he reminded Qi Yuwen.
Qi Yuwen said, "...I know." His reply sounded rather aggrieved, but there was nothing he could do about it. Who could blame the Ye Corporation for having such vast resources, far beyond what their Qi Corporation could match?
Watching his sour expression, Qi Yuheng suddenly recalled what Ye Mo had said that day.
...I wonder whether your younger brother thinks the same way you do, Mr. Qi?
Perhaps your younger brother has different ideas, Mr. Qi?
It seems you don't understand your younger brother at all, Mr. Qi!
He had kept thinking about what Ye Mo's words meant. He did not understand why she had said those things to him, as though she had deliberately wanted to tell him something.
And what had she meant by, If you have time, Mr. Qi, go take a look at Building C in Helang Maijing on Sunday...?
Afterward, Miss Ye had even specifically reminded him not to tell Qi Yuwen about it, as though this matter had something to do with Qi Yuwen...
Qi Yuheng closed his eyes, trying hard to ignore the trace of foreboding that rose in his heart.
In the end, he did not tell Qi Yuwen everything Ye Mo had said. He merely kept turning the address "Helang Maijing" over in his mind with an inexplicable feeling.
Qi Yuwen slept poorly all night, leaving his eyes bloodshot when he got up the following morning.
He drove to Star Chasing Entertainment and summoned his secretary as soon as he entered his office.
"Boss." His secretary's surname was He. A capable, forty-three-year-old middle-aged man, he had been headhunted by Qi Yuwen at considerable expense.
"Secretary He." Rubbing his aching brow, Qi Yuwen instructed him without looking up, "Contact the director of Chase and tell him..."
He paused there, but Secretary He misunderstood his meaning and said in realization, "You mean the role of Xia Mei, don't you? Rest assured, I've already contacted the production team and conveyed your demands. However..."
Secretary He recalled Director Ji's temper. "Director Ji isn't some obscure director. His standards for actors are extremely strict, so threatening to withdraw our investment might not work on him."
The implication was that he needed to prepare himself for his demands to be rejected.
Qi Yuwen said, "...That's not what I meant!"
He ground his teeth, then said through clenched teeth, "I want you to tell Director Ji again that I no longer want the role of Xia Mei. Give it back to whoever it belongs to. I won't interfere with the casting anymore. And as for withdrawing the investment..."
"I will no longer be investing in Chase!"
Secretary He looked at his dark expression in surprise, unable to understand why he had brought up withdrawing the investment. And since he was the one volunteering to withdraw, why did he look so reluctant, as though someone had forced him into it?
"...We evaluated the script for Chase and concluded that it has an excellent chance of becoming a massive hit once filmed. The rate of return after its theatrical release should be quite good!" Secretary He spoke professionally. "Therefore, I do not recommend withdrawing our investment in Chase."
In fact, Secretary He had disapproved from the start when Qi Yuwen wanted to threaten Chase with withdrawing its investment to secure the role of Xia Mei for his little lover, Ge Qianru. But as an employee, his words carried little weight. After offering a few words of advice and seeing his boss insist, he had said no more.
Of course, the main reason was that he knew Qi Yuwen's earlier talk of withdrawing the investment had been two parts true and seven parts false. It had mainly been about securing the role of Xia Mei, nothing more than a simple threat.
This time, however, his attitude when he spoke of withdrawing made it seem as though he really intended to do it, leaving Secretary He baffled.
After all, their company's assessment of the script for Chase had concluded that it had enormous earning potential. Otherwise, Star Chasing Entertainment would never have invested so heavily in it. Yet now, with filming about to begin, Qi Yuwen was saying he wanted to withdraw. Had he truly lost his mind?
Although Secretary He did not voice his thoughts, Qi Yuwen could more or less guess what he was thinking. But... did he want to withdraw? He had no choice.
Since President Ye of the Ye Corporation had set her sights on this film, he would have to withdraw sooner or later, even if he did not want to. He might as well take the initiative now and earn a favor from her.
Naturally, Qi Yuwen did not say any of these embarrassing things aloud. He merely snapped at Secretary He in a somewhat irritable tone that brooked no argument, "If I say we're withdrawing, we're withdrawing. Are you the boss, or am I?"
Secretary He: "..."
I can't stand another day of this fucking secretary job.
"All right." Secretary He smiled. "I'll contact the Chase production team right away!"
With that, he left Qi Yuwen's office. The moment the office door closed, Secretary He distinctly heard the furious sound of things being smashed behind him.
Tsk... Secretary He shook his head inwardly. I wonder who put this young master through such a grievance.
But that clearly had nothing to do with a fixed-salary employee like him. He would simply pretend not to know.
Secretary He contacted the Chase production team and explained their intention to withdraw their investment.
"Secretary He, let's talk this through. Doesn't President Qi just want the role of Xia Mei? We can discuss that further!" Chase's producer, Yu Luwei, sounded anxious as he tried hard to salvage their investment. "We're about to start filming. Aren't you putting us in a difficult position by telling us you're withdrawing now?"
Secretary He's voice came through the phone. "...This was President Qi's decision. I tried to persuade him, but
President Qi insisted, so there's nothing I can do."
Yu Luwei said, "Secretary He, please try persuading President Qi again. We've already finalized the cast. If he withdraws just like that, where are we supposed to find funding on such short notice?"
Secretary He considered it and was just about to speak when another irate voice came through the phone.
"Let him withdraw! Does he think I, Ji Minghe, care about that little investment of his? I refuse to believe I can't find another investor without him!"
"Hey! Director Ji, calm down!"
"Calm down? First he threatened to withdraw his investment because he wanted to meddle in the casting, and now he pulls this... What, do I look that easy to bully?"
The sounds of Yu Luwei arguing with someone who was clearly Director Ji Minghe came through. From his voice alone, it was obvious that Director Ji had a fiery temper, with a stubborn streak running through his words.
The call ended on an unpleasant note. Director Ji held his neck stiff, looking utterly stubborn and showing no sign that he would change his mind.
The sight of him like that infuriated Yu Luwei, who pointed at him and said, "Go on, keep being stubborn! This isn't an investment of one or two million. It's three hundred million, five hundred million! Where are you going to find that much investment on such short notice? Without funding, are you still going to make this film or not?"
This was not Yu Luwei's first time working with Director Ji. They were friends as well as partners, but Director Ji's temper had always given Yu Luwei a headache.
"Isn't it just the role of Xia Mei? What's wrong with giving it to him? He invested so much money. What's wrong with asking for an insignificant role? It's not even the lead!" Yu Luwei earnestly tried to persuade him.
Director Ji could not help retorting, "How is Xia Mei an insignificant role? She's certainly no less important than the lead, all right?"
Yu Luwei glared at him. "Trading one Xia Mei for five hundred million in investment-isn't that a good deal? Do you think it's that easy to find someone in this entire industry who can put up five hundred million without hesitation? Do you know how many smiles I had to plaster on, how much alcohol I had to drink, to get Star Chasing Entertainment's investment? And you just throw it away with a few words!"