Chapter 129: Ke Gaojun, Unpleasant

In the afternoon, Zhu Huiyang returned, looking somewhat sullen.

"Reporting."

"Come in."

Back at his seat, Zhu Huiyang stared at his book in embarrassment. Cheng Yao glanced at him and asked, "What's the situation now?"

"The other party has been detained. She took out those loans to cover her own holes—excessive consumption—and now she can’t pay back over thirty thousand in debt. I’ve already contacted her parents, but they’re poor too. Fortunately, she only borrowed six thousand from me; it’s a stroke of luck that I could only lend her six thousand..."

Zhu Huiyang was dumbfounded. Who would have thought a casual hookup could lead to such a mess? If she had swindled him out of tens of thousands, he would have been ruined. Although she signed a promissory note saying she would pay him back, given her family’s financial situation, he had no idea when, if ever, he would see that money.

Zhang Lei patted him on the shoulder. "Yours is annoying, but at least there's a chance she'll pay you back. My situation is truly disgusting..."

Zhang Lei did the math. Between the skin in the game, gifts, and tickets, he had lost a full fifteen hundred. That was his living allowance! The worst part was that he didn't even get the hookup, and he had been disgusted for the entire day. He still hadn't fully recovered from the experience.

Cheng Yao couldn't help but say, "You two are truly idiots. It’s all because you couldn't keep it in your pants."

"Yeah..." Wang Wenbo laughed. "Where in the world are there free hookups? Anything free always has strings attached. Spending a little money like I do is much better."

In the afternoon, Liu Hanyue and Wang Churuo discussed what kind of content to film when they returned, and Cheng Yao joined in to help with the planning. Just then, his phone rang.

"Hello, what is it?"

Qin Haoran said with a smile, "I remember your company is called Summer Entertainment, right?"

"That’s right."

"Are you having trouble with Six Dynasties?"

"You mean Six Dynasties Entertainment?"

"Yeah..."

Cheng Yao roughly understood. They must have been acquaintances; the circle of wealthy second-generation heirs in Jinling was small. "There are some conflicts, but it’s nothing major. Just the usual headhunting issues..."

"Come over to my place tonight. We all know each other, and these are just trivial matters..."

"Sure, I was planning to head that way tonight anyway." Cheng Yao had an appointment with Chen Xingyan to visit a martial arts gym, so it would be on the way. He also wanted to meet the guy and ask if he was interested in selling his company.

Time flew by, and classes ended in the blink of an eye. Cheng Yao said his goodbyes and drove away from school. The car attracted some attention from his classmates; after all, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe was quite stylish, even if it wasn't as flashy as a supercar.

Leaving the school, Cheng Yao drove to Xinjiekou, getting stuck in traffic for twenty minutes along the way.

Yurong Building, 16th floor. The plaque for the Mixed Martial Arts gym emitted a faint glow, holding its own against the surrounding Taekwondo studios.

"You're here." Chen Ruiyong nodded at him, though his tone was flat.

Chen Xingyan, having just finished her warm-up, draped a towel over her shoulders and looked over. "You haven't been here for a week. Where have you been gallivanting, Young Master Cheng?"

"Went to Guangzhou to have some fun and made a few investments. Let me go change."

"No need, let's go."

With that, Chen Xingyan walked briskly ahead. Cheng Yao followed her to the 15th floor, where they arrived at a Jiu-Jitsu studio.

Half an hour later, Cheng Yao walked out, clutching his lower back.

Chen Xingyan teased, "Still so young, and your back is already giving out?"

"Just a few falls, that's all."

Cheng Yao smiled. In truth, he had been using his back a bit too much lately, but it wouldn't hinder him. After a shower and two bananas to replenish his energy, Cheng Yao said, "Let's go. Aren't we going to see Qin Haoran?"

"He invited you out for drinks?"

"No, my entertainment company has some friction with theirs. I suspect he wants to mediate."

"Meddling in other people's business..."

Cheng Yao nodded. He also felt Qin Haoran was being a bit intrusive. He hadn't originally had any conflict with Six Dynasties Entertainment, but they were the ones who started poaching his staff, even going after Lu Mengyao.

Downstairs, Chen Xingyan didn't see his usual car. "Did a friend drop you off?"

"No, I changed cars recently." Cheng Yao pointed to the Mercedes.

Chen Xingyan walked over and took a look. "E300, not bad. Is it more comfortable to drive than a McLaren?"

"It's comfortable, sure, but it doesn't show off as well as a McLaren. I'll switch it back tomorrow."

"Still so young." Chen Xingyan teased him, then asked with surprise, "What are you doing?"

"I'll just ride in your car. I don't want to drive." In Xinjiekou traffic, he really didn't want to deal with it.

"Seatbelt."

*Vroom, vroom.*

The view from the G-Wagon was comfortable, but the traffic was real. A seven or eight-minute drive took a full twenty minutes, and Chen Xingyan was cursing in frustration.

By the time they arrived, the lounge bar was already lively. It wasn't exactly a nightclub, but having a dozen guests was decent enough.

At the table, Qin Haoran looked at Cheng Yao. "You're here."

The table usually reserved for their entertainment was already occupied by several people. Lin Sujiao waved at Cheng Yao. "Cheng Yao, come play with us!"

"If you swapped my name for 'Sir,' I think I might be more excited."

"Sir, come play with us~~"

"You're so flirtatious!" Cheng Yao retorted.

"Hahaha..."

Lin Sujiao looked at Cheng Yao. "Can you sing a song for me later?"

"Sure, no problem."

As soon as Cheng Yao sat down, Qin Haoran introduced them with a smile: "This is Ke Gaojun, Boss Ke from Six Dynasties Entertainment; and this is Cheng Yao, CEO of Summer Entertainment."

"Hello, CEO Cheng. You're so young." Ke Gaojun, wearing an ear stud and sporting a buzz cut, reached out with a smile. "There might be some misunderstandings between us."

Cheng Yao shook his hand and said, "There are no misunderstandings. Business is just like that. Since I'm here, I heard your company's operations are mediocre. Have you thought about selling?"

"..."

Ke Gaojun’s hand, holding his drink, paused. He looked embarrassed. "Who said that?"

"Just rumors, just rumors..." Cheng Yao had heard that this guy was behind on his influencers' pay. "I was originally going to send someone to talk to you, but since you're here, let's get straight to the point. Your company isn't making you much money, and you don't seem to have any plans for expansion. How about you transfer it to me?"

As soon as Cheng Yao spoke, everyone felt the tension spike. He sounded quite aggressive. Cheng Yao didn't think so; the other party had started by poaching his people, so getting a polite reception was already a mercy.

Ke Gaojun’s temper seemed decent. "Then, CEO Cheng, why don't you estimate how much my company is worth?"

"You've only been established for two years. My company has been around for one month, and we've already signed twice as many influencers as you have. I estimate your company makes at most two million a year. How about I give you ten million to transfer the company to me?"

"That's too little." Ke Gaojun shook his head. "I've put in so much effort, and it took two years for the business to take shape. You want to take everything—people and company—for ten million? You're dreaming."

"It's not too little. Of all the influencers in your company, is there anyone worth showing off? You have one with four million followers, right? But I don't think she brings in much profit, and she’s already declining..."

This was the result of Ke Gaojun's poor management. Cheng Yao relied on Zheng Yuechan to provide plans and strategies. After all, she was a professional, not something an amateur small-time boss like Ke Gaojun could compare to.

Ke Gaojun was speechless. It was true: his company only made about two million a year, and that was at its peak. Now, it was on the decline because he couldn't afford to sign high-value, talented influencers.

"Is that Lu Mengyao from your company?"

"That has nothing to do with you. Besides, don't waste your energy; you can't afford her. Let's get back to the company."

"Twenty million. Not a cent less." Ke Gaojun was so angry he laughed.

Cheng Yao smiled and didn't press the issue. He decided to tell Wang Yiming to stop talking about mergers and just focus on poaching their talent; we'll see who has more money.

He took a sip of his drink and looked at Lin Sujiao. "What song do you want to hear?"

"Sing a love song. I'm sure you sing better than Ou Junyu."

"Sure."

Cheng Yao had long since become part of their group; among the second-generation heirs, these were the ones he got along with best.

Qin Haoran looked at Ke Gaojun and patted his shoulder. "Don't be so hot-headed. Let's not make things unpleasant. Let's leave it at that. Besides, you were in the wrong to begin with—why were you poaching his pretty girls?"

"If someone has potential, shouldn't I poach them?"

"Your entire business isn't even worth a few of his watches. Things will get uncomfortable for everyone if this continues..." Qin Haoran glanced at Cheng Yao's wrist and said calmly, "Just apologize to him, and it'll be over. You can run your company however you like; that's your own business."

"Apologize, my foot. He's just a brat..."

Next, Cheng Yao sang "The Wind Rises," instantly igniting the atmosphere in the bar.

Lin Sujiao clapped excitedly. "Awesome, you're the best! Ou Junyu, look at him. You're not bad, but you're not as professional as he is."

"Get lost. Don't play these mind games, building one person up by tearing another down."

Ke Gaojun left midway through; the two had parted on bad terms.

Qin Haoran said with a frown, "Cheng Yao, your tone was a bit harsh earlier."

"I think it was just fine. Why are you meddling?" Chen Xingyan snapped. She was naturally on Cheng Yao's side; after all, he was her protégé.

"I'm not... sigh..." Qin Haoran sighed.

Cheng Yao sipped his champagne and joked, "That guy is boring, can't handle the game, and he's not honest. As far as I know, he owes several of his influencers millions in back pay..."

"How do you know?"

"He poached my people, so of course I poached his. Several good influencers are ready to sign with me as soon as their contracts expire. That four-million-follower beauty is quite a looker; I even ran into her at the office this morning."

Lin Sujiao's mouth hung open. "You've basically hollowed him out."

"You can't put it that way. That's how business competition works. I offer better terms, and people are willing to work for me. At the very least, I don't withhold their pay."

Chen Xingyan teased, "And yet, you offered to buy him out for fifteen million earlier."

"I knew he wouldn't sell because it wouldn't be worth it. Honestly, this is all small potatoes. If I weren't bored, I wouldn't have bothered talking to him at all."

Cheng Yao was becoming increasingly savvy. He decided to let Wang Yiming handle the negotiations; he was an old hand at setting conditions, after all.