Lin Xingwan didn't really want to open the gift. Instead, Zhou Jinbai, standing beside her, said, "Since it's a welcome gift from the principal, you should take a look."
The old man before them had a kind face and didn't seem like a cunning or sinister person. Moreover, in this world, any problem related to money was not a problem for him.
Lin Xingwan had no choice but to open the gift.
A graduation invitation for her alma mater's centennial celebration appeared before her.
"This?" Lin Xingwan's tone was full of confusion.
"Student Lin, you are an outstanding graduate of our school. At the centennial celebration, we need inspirational figures like you to motivate the younger students to strive for success. You must come then. I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of our auditorium."
The principal's face was full of expectation, while Lin Xingwan looked at the old man suspiciously. "Is it really as simple as attending the centennial celebration? Principal, I didn't study much, so please don't lie to me."
Even though it was clearly written as her alma mater's centennial celebration, Lin Xingwan felt that this old fox in front of her hadn't told her the whole story.
"It's precisely because Student Lin didn't study much that I would never lie to you. I also need to take this opportunity of the wedding banquet to continue sending out invitations for the centennial celebration. I won't disturb you any further."
As if afraid Lin Xingwan would go back on her word, the principal quickly turned and left.
The young girl who was supporting him asked nervously, "Grandpa, is it really okay for us to do this? Lying is wrong."
The old man retorted, "No, no, no. When you grow up and are sensible, you'll understand that this isn't really a lie."
Lin Xingwan watched the old principal's retreating back, still pondering the matter of the centennial celebration invitation.
"Alright, stop thinking about it. We'll deal with whatever comes. I think the old principal isn't a bad person and wouldn't trick you. But if we don't go home soon, it'll be past midnight."
Seeing the look of a thief-guarding expression on Lin Xingwan's face for the first time, Zhou Jinbai knew how badly this woman had been tricked by the old principal in the past.
But he also believed that those were well-intentioned lies.
Lin Xingwan thought about it and then drove away with Zhou Jinbai.
The wedding of Gu Shaoting and Lin Shirou that night, as well as the matters concerning Chen Yuchu, Qin Liuye, Boss Yang, and others, were all reported online.
Lin Xingwan and Top Entertainment were undoubtedly the biggest winners of the night.
Even though her position on the trending list wasn't at the very top, such reports often indicated a trend.
Especially in the business world, where new talents emerged like mushrooms after rain, no one knew who the next king would be. However, some news reports could help those big investors quickly capture information about new elites in the business world.
Qin Liuye, Boss Yang, Chen Yuchu, Xie Guanglin, and others had all courted Lin Xingwan, a woman no one had heard of. Now, seeing her connect with the Dongfang Consortium with her first move, she either had strong capabilities or a strong background.
Regardless of which it was, those who were sensible had already started private discussions.
Lin Xingwan was a rising star in the business world. If she continued to develop at this pace, she would definitely have a place on China's rich list in the future.
Of course, Lin Xingwan just smiled at the reports online.
She felt that the media had exaggerated her to be an omnipotent god, but only she knew that she had to be extremely cautious with every step she took.
Zhou Jinbai sent her home, held her, and kissed her for a long time before reluctantly leaving.
As for Lin Xingwan, she happily took a bath and soon fell asleep.
However, Cheng Yanze and Ye Qingning, who had returned from the wedding banquet, couldn't sleep.
Hao Manqing, who had left early, had not returned home. They had called her countless times, but all calls were turned off.
Even Cheng Yanzhe's father, Cheng Zhiyuan, had already reported her missing.
The police quickly launched an investigation. They could only trace Hao Manqing's entry into the Vienna Hotel and could not find any other information.
The police suggested that the Cheng family talk to the person in charge of the Vienna Hotel and ask them to provide the hotel's surveillance footage, which would help them investigate Hao Manqing's disappearance.
The Cheng family also called the person in charge of the Vienna Hotel. However, after the call was connected, the person in charge of the Vienna Hotel clearly refused their request.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Cheng. To protect our guests' privacy, our hotel's surveillance footage is not allowed to be viewed. If your wife's disappearance is indeed related to our Vienna Hotel, please apply to our hotel to view the surveillance footage with a missing person certificate issued by the police station."
After speaking, the other party callously hung up the phone.
"Then let's quickly get the police to issue a missing person certificate." Ye Qingning didn't like Hao Manqing, but this woman was the most supportive of her marrying Cheng Yanze. Naturally, she didn't want anything to happen to Hao Manqing.
"Normally, a missing person can only be reported after twenty-four hours, and a case can only be filed after forty-eight hours. It's useless to have the police write a certificate now."
Cheng Yanze's face was cold. His usual face, which had a hint of youthful rebelliousness, was now as cold as ice.
"We won't know if we don't try," Cheng Zhiyuan called the police again.
Soon, they were given preferential treatment by the police, and a missing person certificate was issued.
When they called the person in charge of the Vienna Hotel again, they were met with suspicion. "Mr. Cheng, you just called me saying your wife disappeared this afternoon at the Vienna Hotel, and now you're telling me that the police have issued a missing person certificate. Although I don't know much about the law, it hasn't been twenty-four hours since this afternoon. I can assume that you are trying to investigate the privacy of one of our hotel's clients under the guise of your wife's disappearance. Your actions show that you don't respect our hotel and think you can be easily deceived, right? No matter how insignificant the Vienna Hotel is, it is under the Dongfang Consortium, and not long ago, it hosted the handover ceremony for the new executive officer of the Dongfang Consortium. I will report this matter truthfully to the Dongfang Consortium."
After speaking, the person in charge of the Vienna Hotel callously hung up the phone.
Cheng Zhiyuan was furious.
If it were any other hotel manager, he would have exploded.
Why go through so much trouble? They could just go in and watch the surveillance footage.
However, now that the Vienna Hotel was backed by the Dongfang Consortium, he had no choice but to endure it like a grandson.
Cheng Zhiyuan wanted to call back again, but he found that he had already been blocked.
*Bang—*
Cheng Zhiyuan smashed his phone to the ground. Due to the excessive force, the custom-made phone, inlaid with diamonds worth over a hundred thousand, was completely destroyed. Still not appeased, he kicked over an antique vase.
"What the hell! A manager of a small hotel dares to be so arrogant!" Cheng Zhiyuan was so angry that he swore.
"Uncle, please don't be angry. It's just about watching a hotel's surveillance footage. My uncle is a director in the Dongfang Consortium. I'll call my uncle and ask him to retrieve the footage," Ye Qingning said with a look of understanding. Cheng Zhiyuan nodded repeatedly.
So, Ye Qingning called her uncle.
"I thought it was a big deal. It's just a small surveillance footage. Wait for me for a minute. I'll have someone send it to your phone right away."
Ye Qingning's uncle's tone was dismissive.
Cheng Zhiyuan was overjoyed and felt even more that his daughter-in-law was the right choice.
Although he knew his son didn't like her, marrying a woman who could help them was better than Lin Xingwan, who couldn't help them at all.
Time ticked by, and Ye Qingning's phone remained silent.
"Uncle might be dealing with other matters first. Let's wait a bit longer," Ye Qingning explained.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty minutes passed.
Half an hour passed!
Finally, Ye Qingning had to call her uncle again.
However, before she could even speak, her uncle said, "Niece, I'm truly sorry. Although the Vienna Hotel belongs to the Dongfang Consortium, it is also the exclusive hotel of the Dongfang family. It is semi-private and semi-public. To retrieve their surveillance footage, it must be personally ordered by Mr. Dongfang Junze."
This statement made everyone present change their expressions.
Ye Qingning hung up the phone. Cheng Zhiyuan was so angry that he beat his chest. "We all know Manqing is missing and something has definitely happened, but the Vienna Hotel is blocking us from investigating, causing us to miss the best time to search. By the time we find her, it might be too late if something has happened. Oh, heavens, where is Manqing? Give me a sign."
Cheng Yanze frowned deeply and began to contact his friends to help him pull some strings to get the Vienna Hotel's surveillance footage, even if it cost some money.
However, Cheng Yanze had been developing abroad for many years and had very few friends in China, so the effect was minimal.
Meanwhile, Hao Manqing, whom they had been searching for, was now locked in a glass room.
This glass room was a gift from Zhou Jinbai to Hao Manqing, made of special materials. It was pitch black from the inside, but people outside could see everything inside the glass room clearly.
At this moment, Hao Manqing was curled up in a corner of the glass room, looking desperate. Several small snakes and toads were wrapped around her body.
As for Hao Manqing's feet, it was even more disgusting. Countless centipedes and spiders were crawling around, and even a python as thick as an arm was slowly writhing beside her.
"Ah... Ahhhh, help me, husband, Yanze, save me..."
"Help me, get away, get away!"
As Hao Manqing spoke, she suddenly stood up from the corner and jumped around in the small glass room.
She even stepped on the python's body because she couldn't see, and fell into a pile of toads and centipedes and small snakes.
Some centipedes and small snakes even crawled into Hao Manqing's clothes. Hao Manqing, terrified, quickly took off the clothes she was wearing.
"Cover it up," Zhou Jinbai's cold voice rang out. A huge black curtain descended from the sky, completely covering the glass room.
Zhou Jinbai had no desire to watch the old woman Hao Manqing undress; it was nothing but disgusting.
"Young Master, the handover with the Vienna Hotel is complete," Chen Yuchu said with a cold expression, showing no sympathy for Hao Manqing's plight.
As soon as she thought about what this woman had done to the young madam in the past, she deserved it.
"Mm."
Zhou Jinbai turned and left directly.
Although he hadn't met his wife earlier and protected her, he could get revenge on everyone who had bullied his wife.
—
For the next two days, Lin Xingwan was busy negotiating cooperation with various bosses.
Actor Jiang Wenyuan alone chose four scripts, breaking his habit of only filming one movie a year. Ge Xuansi also took on several well-regarded TV dramas and even became the male lead in "Imperial Path." As for Ye Zong and Ye Ranran, they also received supporting roles in five or six dramas, but they could be considered to have many appearances. The company also recruited several internet celebrities and artists and planned to shoot TV dramas, but they were temporarily short of good scripts.
"Xingwan, I think this novel, 'The Concubine's Biography,' is quite good. And the novel has a rating of 9.8. Why don't we buy the film and television rights of this novel and start filming?" Liu Mengqin sat beside Lin Xingwan, highlighting a novel that had already passed the initial selection. "Palace intrigue dramas are very popular now, and even the male lead's presence has become almost negligible."
Lin Xingwan shook her head. "Sister Qin, when you think something is popular, it means someone has already reaped the biggest profits. If we blindly follow suit, we will die a miserable death. Moreover, the film and television rights for this novel are very expensive, reaching tens of millions. If we buy it and then film it, the investment will be too large. If the final result is not satisfactory, we will lose money. Also, audiences are already tired of palace intrigue dramas. The few classic TV dramas are always on the good review lists. Do you think we can become classics as soon as we start filming?"
"That's true. Then what novel do you think our company should film?" Liu Mengqin's ability to capture current trends was always inferior to Lin Xingwan's.
Lin Xingwan pointed to a book. "This one."
"'The Path of the Eunuch's Favor'?" Liu Mengqin was shocked. "This is a story that was never finished! The male lead is a real eunuch. How can the audience accept that? No, no." Liu Mengqin was stunned by Lin Xingwan's choice.
However, Lin Xingwan said methodically, "First, the film and television adaptation of this novel is only one-twentieth of 'The Concubine's Biography.' Second, this novel also has a rating of 9.8, and its fan base is no less than the one you mentioned. Moreover, the fans of that novel were brought to it because palace intrigue dramas became popular. There are many dramas where the male lead is a rich and handsome, domineering CEO, or an emperor prince in disguise. But if the male lead is evil and cruel, yet dotes on the female lead, with no conflict throughout the story, and makes people overlook his own flaws, it means the male lead is very successfully portrayed. I think Ge Xuansi is very suitable for the male lead. I plan to have him play the male lead of this novel and send him to the heavens."
Who says success can only be achieved step by step? There's a saying called 'soaring to the heavens'!
She had a formidable love rival, and she could no longer grow slowly like before.
"Is this a bit too rushed?" Liu Mengqin frowned. "Why does it feel like you've become a bit too eager for quick success?"
"Sister Qin, believe me, I have the confidence, and our cost of trial and error is not high. Why should we still work behind closed doors like before? Besides, I'm not eager for quick success, but I want to grow up quickly."
Just as Lin Xingwan was about to say something more, there was a knock on the office door.
She and Liu Mengqin simultaneously turned their gaze to the door. Upon seeing who it was, Lin Xingwan was stunned.