Not only was Xie Qian unperturbed, but Wen Ying was equally unfazed.
Peng Guoqing ate his meal without tasting it, glancing at the composed Wen Ying and Xie Qian, feeling the vast gap between himself and these big shots.
In fact, Peng Guoqing’s father had long advised him: no matter how panicked you feel inside, never show it. Staying calm keeps your rationality intact and reassures those around you. This is what people call having the “bearing of a general.” Peng Guoqing usually let his father’s words go in one ear and out the other, but today, he saw them reflected in Wen Ying and Xie Qian. For a moment, his mood was complex: it seemed Old Peng, aside from frequently changing female secretaries, could occasionally spout pearls of wisdom.
Peng’s mother had told Peng Guoqing that the Peng family wouldn’t help Xie Qian fight for family assets. Without family support, building a relationship with Xie Qian depended entirely on Peng Guoqing himself.
That was the Peng family’s official stance. Privately, Peng’s mother patted her chest, assuring her son she’d help. As her only child, she would naturally do everything to pave the way for Peng Guoqing’s future!
How do film companies make money? By finding good projects, of course. Peng’s mother had her own ideas on this, but she hadn’t shared them with Peng Guoqing until they were solidified.
After lunch, Wen Ying returned to the classroom. Peng Guoqing stopped Xie Qian, cautiously probing:
“Is everything okay with Modu? Need any help? I don’t know much about these things, but my mom has a lot of connections!”
Peng Guoqing was asking about Jiasheng Film Company.
Were there problems? Of course there were.
Jiasheng, a mid-sized film company, was a den of all sorts of schemers. As Gong Sheng put it, “shallow waters breed many turtles.” Gong Sheng had spent considerable effort consolidating the company. After a change in shareholders, the remaining ones were temporarily subdued. Jiasheng’s current challenge was finding new profitable projects.
The main revenue for film companies comes from producing dramas, but choosing the right drama tests one’s vision.
Gong Sheng could manage people but wasn’t adept at drama production. As an established company, Jiasheng had a stockpile of scripts, but Gong Sheng didn’t know which to prioritise!
There were knowledgeable people in the company, but Gong Sheng didn’t trust their abilities or loyalty.
Unable to decide, Gong Sheng sought Xie Qian’s help.
The company’s funds were limited, unable to withstand major risks, and needed quick profits. This meant Jiasheng couldn’t handle big projects alone. They could either start with small projects, hoping for a breakout hit with low investment for high returns, or collaborate with other companies, pooling resources for larger projects.
Distrustful of Jiasheng’s internal staff, Gong Sheng used his connections to have a producer from Eastern TV review scripts. The producer took interest in one of Gong Sheng’s scripts and asked if he was open to collaboration.
Hunan Satellite TV had long been exploring self-produced dramas. China’s media industry started late, but there were established paths to follow from abroad. Buying exclusive broadcast rights from film companies was one way for TV stations to compete for ratings; producing their own dramas was another.
Xie Qian planned to visit Modu over the weekend to meet Eastern TV’s producer in person.
He hadn’t intended to bring Peng Guoqing, but the guy inserted himself at this moment.
Peng Guoqing’s capabilities were unclear to Xie Qian, but his attitude was commendable.
Besides, Peng Guoqing was a Jiasheng shareholder.
Regardless of how he got his shares, he had put in a solid five million, making his shareholder status indisputable.
“No need for your mom’s help for now, but if you’re willing, you can come with me to Modu this weekend.”
Xie Qian’s invitation was music to Peng Guoqing’s ears!
Having waited so long, Peng Guoqing could hardly believe it when it happened.
“You’re really letting me go to Modu?”
Xie Qian glanced at him. “What, you don’t want to?”
“Go, go, go, of course I want to!”
Though Peng Guoqing wasn’t interested in film company affairs, if Xie Qian needed him to be, he was willing to learn!
Plus, Sister Xie Tang was in Modu.
This trip to Modu meant he could secretly meet Xie Tang, which thrilled Peng Guoqing!
Xie Qian noticed Peng Guoqing’s grin stretching ear to ear and grew suspicious. “You’re that excited?”
Peng Guoqing pinched his thigh through his pocket. “I’ve been in Rongcheng for a semester, and you’re finally trusting me. How could I not be excited? By the way, neither you nor Wen Ying directly answered me earlier. Does the Yu Tianlin and Hu Man scandal affect Wen Ying’s drama? Should we help her?”
“She doesn’t need help.”
Xie Qian was getting a headache.
Peng Guoqing was practically Wang Shuang 2.0.
What was wrong with the Peng family’s parenting?
Wang Shuang had finally shown some progress, and now Peng Guoqing was acting like this!
Calling Peng Guoqing foolish wasn’t quite right. He was savvier than Wang Shuang, but his cunning was all spent on petty schemes, excelling at small-time cleverness—hardly upright or magnanimous. In short, self-sabotaging cleverness!
For someone like Wang Shuang, a naive rich second-generation, forcing him to think independently spurred growth.
For a scheming playboy like Peng Guoqing, external force was needed to set him straight.
Why wasn’t Wen Ying worried?
Xie Qian told Peng Guoqing to wait patiently.
“True or false, counter every move. This is a publicity war, but also a psychological one. Wang Shuang can only be a foot soldier in this battle, charging at the front lines. He’ll gain much from it, and I expect significant progress. As for you, you can’t even handle a student’s basic duties, yet you want to help Wen Ying with her troubles? You can only watch from afar.”
Can’t even handle a student’s basic duties…
Peng Guoqing felt a stab in his heart from Xie Qian.
Xie Qian wouldn’t praise Wang Shuang to his face but acknowledged his progress in front of Peng Guoqing, which hit Peng Guoqing hard.
Do your duty as a student first, then talk about other things—that was Xie Qian’s message.
If Wang Shuang could turn from a slacker to a success, couldn’t he?
Peng Guoqing refused to believe he was less capable than Wang Shuang!
…
Wang Shuang didn’t know Xie Qian had acknowledged him, even expecting more growth.
Intern Wang Shuang, battling on the front lines of the publicity war, had bloodshot eyes from exhaustion.
The largest Chinese-language forum was overrun. No matter how many times he refreshed, the hottest posts were about Yu Tianlin and Hu Man’s scandal. Their fans were at each other’s throats, with trolls steering the conversation, frequently mentioning Yu Tianlin’s new drama, *Love Cruise*.
Tianjiao’s *The Galaxy and You* was barely mentioned by netizens.
The few posts floating around the forum owed their visibility to Wang Shuang’s persistent efforts to keep them alive.
Forums, portals—everywhere was dominated by Yu Tianlin and Hu Man!
“Yun Chen’s trailer aired, and our drama’s buzz picked up a bit, but it’s still far behind *Love Cruise*. When will Wen Ying and Teacher Yuan unleash the big move they talked about?”
Wang Shuang was so anxious he bypassed protocol and went straight to his mother, Mrs. Wang.
