Good sister becomes cool and sweet

ACCRO is not open before 10 a.m. After Li Luxiao opened the door and led Jiang Songhe and Tao Nian into the bar, he suggested that the two of them sit at the bar to talk. He said that the lighting would be better and it would be closer to the kitchen, which would be convenient for him, the boss, to entertain them.

Li Luxiao went behind the bar and asked Jiang Songhe if she wanted to have some more to drink. Jiang Songhe glanced at him and said that she was in a hurry to catch a flight and it was inconvenient to drive. She then asked Tao Nian, who also politely declined. So he just grabbed a bottle and drank it from the cashier.

Last night, Jiang Songhe came to the store. Li Luxiao noticed that she looked like a living dead person and asked her about it. As expected, she didn't say much. Jiang Songhe only mentioned that she had arranged to meet a producer surnamed Liang from the platform at eight o'clock to discuss the play.

A while later, Jiang Songhe left to go to the restroom after receiving a phone call. When she came out and passed the bar, black smoke was coming out of her body. Li Luxiao had a vague feeling that something was going to happen, so he followed her to the booth.

He kept nagging that old bastard surnamed Liang all night long. With a third person present, he not only didn't stop, but instead started acting all mysterious and demanding, saying this wasn't right and that wasn't right!

Jiang Songhe was clumsy with words and couldn't possibly win an argument with that grandson!

Li Luxiao prided himself on having seen countless people, and he found these pretentious individuals the most annoying. Adding to his frustration was the bizarre one-night stand he'd had with the girl he'd been eyeing for months the night before. Frustrated and angry, he decided to put on a brave face and get revenge for his partner at his own place.

Not only is Liang foul-mouthed, but he's also shameless. He actually dared to ask Jiang Songhe and some top male singer who is better or worse. How can we tolerate this?

Perhaps due to the slight stress of being slept with, Li Luxiao's sense of humiliation swelled up.

Seeing Jiang Songhe, unable to bear it any longer, punch Liang Jinping, and then, as if his brain had shut down, stand there waiting for the other to retaliate, he was furious at his lack of self-control. He offered a few perfunctory words of advice, then immediately forgot about the importance of harmony and started hitting him as well…

Li Luxiao had been working in nightclubs for over ten years and had some connections. He was genuinely in a hurry because of an appointment, but before his people could even arrive, Jiang Songhe had already had a lawyer remove them both from the club.

After overhearing those few snippets last night, Li Luxiao probably knew that Jiang Songhe was being secretly sabotaged by Liang Jinping, but he had no evidence. He couldn't help her with her career, so he could only try to salvage the situation by adding fuel to the fire through personal relationships.

Tao Nian is such a good match for her younger sister, Jiang Songhe is such a blockhead. Why would he forgo the gentle embrace right in front of him and insist on taking a flight of more than ten hours to rush abroad? He should at least have asked her if she wanted to come along!

Based on his personal experience, Li Luxiao felt that whether people would actually go on a last-minute trip was another matter, but if they answered that they were willing to go, then at least one side of the barber's pole was hot.

So he put down his glass and went into the kitchen, picked out a few fruits that looked good, carelessly cut them into a platter, and brought it out to the bar, plotting to stir up trouble.

As soon as the fruit platter was placed on the table, Tao Nian said, "Actually, when I first entered university, and you came to Jingting Film Academy to tell me you wanted to enter the industry, I already felt that you were not suitable to be an agent."

How could you have been talking to someone like that just now?!

Li Luxiao looked at this person and then at that person. Jiang Songhe and Tao Nian both looked quite serious, and no one paid any attention to him. He didn't know the cause and effect and was afraid of making things worse. Suddenly, he felt dejected and swallowed his words, "It's not that bad, come and have some fruit first."

But he didn't go far. He grabbed a rag, wiped himself, and listened intently, trying to find an opportunity to interject and offer his assistance.

Jiang Songhe remained silent, and Tao Nian waited for him to speak for a long time, but he didn't. So she continued, "I've watched my dad navigate the entertainment industry since I was a child, and I know how deep the water is in here. You're too upright and too aloof; you can't be a manager."

"I'm sorry." Jiang Songhe pursed her lips and frowned, took out her phone and glanced at the time. "I've let down President Tao and you."

“Songhe, do you know why I didn’t go directly to NYU, but chose to apply to Beijing University of Electronic Science and Technology?” Tao Nian turned towards Jiang Songhe. “Because I clearly remember you saying something like this in your senior year of high school…”

Jiang Songhe turned her gaze away, picked up her cup, and drank some water. Tao Nian then turned back to face her, giving a bitter smile: "Never mind, it's not important."

"I'm bringing this up not to argue about who was right or wrong, nor to try and appeal to your emotions," Tao Nian said seriously. "I just want to ask, do you know what you really want? What you should be doing?"

Jiang Songhe gently put down the cup and answered in a deep, firm voice, "I know."

Tao Nian was speechless for a moment. She picked up the cup in front of her, took a sip, and then put it down, playing with it thoughtfully. "I should apologize for not being in the right mood when we were having a serious talk about this kind of topic..."

Jiang Songhe paused for a moment, then faced Tao Nian very seriously, while subtly leaning back: "I thought I had already made it very clear to you last time that I felt sorry for the past, and... why I couldn't."

He glanced at his phone quickly, gripped the lock screen tightly with both hands, took a breath, and began, "I... I actually..."

“You like Janus.” Tao Nian and Jiang Songhe looked at each other. “I already knew that last time.”

"Oh, he likes..." Li Luxiao muttered as he wiped the rag, which suddenly slipped from his hand, his knuckles sliding down the faucet and hitting the edge of the sink. "Oops! You said J... Huh? Who?!"

Jiang Songhe suddenly choked up, ignoring Li Luxiao: "..."

"But why are you suddenly bringing this up again?" Tao Nian raised her eyebrows, tilted her head and blinked, then suddenly laughed. "You don't actually think that I'm like Lao Tao, trying to take advantage of your situation to force you to be with me, do you?"

Jiang Songhe's face showed a mixture of embarrassment and relaxation, and her mouth opened and closed twice.

Tao Nian feigned anger: "Last time when you praised me in front of Lao Tao as an 'independent and avant-garde woman,' it was all just polite talk to get out of the way."

“I’m no longer that little girl who chased after you. Now, like many women who compete with men, I prioritize my career, and romance is no longer my top priority in life.”

Humorously, the good little sister instantly transformed into a cool and sassy older sister. Li Luxiao suddenly realized that his motive for playing matchmaker for others was somewhat shameless.

He saw it clearly. Although Jiang Songhe's smile wasn't obvious this time, it was very sincere. After apologizing again, she became much more patient: "I was abrupt. So, what kind of topic did you want to talk to me about today?"

The atmosphere immediately lightened. Tao Nian faced Jiang Songhe again, her slender fingers casually interlaced and resting on her knees. She said earnestly, "I spoke too hastily just now, and perhaps some of my words were not quite right."

"What I really want to say is that I know what you want most is to help Song Yun in his career. But to help an actor rise to the top, you need to be backed by a production company with strength that can consistently produce high-quality works. You naturally understand this principle as someone who has transitioned from being an agent to a producer."

Jiang Songhe turned her head and pinched the rim of the cup on the table, but did not respond immediately.

Tao Nian followed his gaze and said, "I understand what you're worried about, and I know your integrity and uprightness stem not only from your personal nature but also from your desire to protect your younger brother. What if I said I would be Song Yun's supporter? Would you trust me, President Jiang?"

She stopped calling Jiang Songhe "Brother Songhe" and instead addressed him as "President Jiang" in a business-like manner.

Jiang Songhe also placed her hands on her knees and looked back, but seemed to have something to say but couldn't say it directly.

"Don't worry, our cooperation has nothing to do with Lao Tao, and it has nothing to do with..." Tao Nian paused, then tapped his lips with his index finger, "...and that previous incident too. My decision to return to China is one that I have thought through carefully."

“Since it’s a collaboration, we should strive for a win-win situation.” Jiang Songhe’s brows remained furrowed, and his voice grew even deeper. “Yunhe’s value lies entirely in Songyun. Songyun is now an adult, and I have promised him that I will no longer make arbitrary arrangements as before. Therefore, we must respect his decisions regarding the agency business.”

"The only thing left is 'Yan Ge Xing.' You should already know the situation from President Tao. There's no hope for it to be rebroadcast in China in the short term. Although we still hold the overseas rights, I can't give you a definite time to break even, so let's have a win-win situation..."

“That’s exactly what I’m going to talk about next, and it’s also what I’ve been eyeing.” Tao Nian took out her phone from her handbag and showed Jiang Songhe an electronic PPT. “You have a mature project that needs to be rebroadcast as soon as possible, while I have overseas resources that need my work to endorse me.”

Jiang Songhe took the phone and scrolled through the pages. Although the proposal did not have a fancy layout design, each part used the most concise language to provide a series of feasible solutions around the pain points.

From integrating existing production resources to the order of platform deployment in various countries, and then to accumulating copyright revenue to support later budgets, everything is meticulous and implemented. It doesn't seem like a mere formality where they just throw something out to negotiate a partnership.

Jiang Songhe was deeply shaken, and at the same time felt disgusted by his arrogance in looking down on Tao Nian.

"As for Song Yun, I understand that you are worried about losing absolute control over the management business and Song Yun being in a passive and vulnerable position. Don't worry, that won't happen. Yunhe will maintain its own artist department that only serves him. I will not interfere. If new projects come in later, we will ask for his opinion first."

Jiang Songhe couldn't lie to himself and say he wasn't tempted at all. However, the content of these dozen or so PPT slides clearly showed that the benefits were tilting towards Yunhe. He couldn't understand how Tao Nian could get a return that matched her efforts, apart from the unpredictable short-term fund allocation.

The time on the screen jumped to nine o'clock, but more important things took over Jiang Songhe's mind, so he handed the phone back to Tao Nian and said, "I will think about it carefully."

"How can we avoid losing money and incurring debt?"

Tao Nian placed her phone face down on the bar: "Film and television collaborations involve resource sharing and risk-sharing at every stage. If one party always only considers doing what can be repaid in advance, then neither the individual nor both parties will develop in a long-term direction."

"..."

"This is actually an attempt to seize the high ground while leaving oneself a way to retreat painlessly at any time. This is very safe, but it negates the other party's efforts to move forward together and cuts off the flow of genuine friendship."

“…”

"Whether to give or return is entirely up to you, which is essentially a kind of arrogant dictatorship."

"…………"

"The same principle applies to cooperation, family, friendship, and love. Before concluding, I still want to ask the same question I started with: Do you know what you really want? What should you be doing?"

“……………”