Chapter 33

Ever since he returned to the Shen family after his rebirth, Shen Mingzheng knew that this road was not so easy to walk, and everyone here was not so simple.

This old man Shen is even more unfathomable. This is not a smooth road, but another thorny one.

There is no family affection here. Just look at Shen Huai to see what happens when someone is abandoned by his family after failure.

Shen Huai's hands are much cleaner than those of Jiang Chenfeng. Many things were not done by him personally, and many pieces of evidence were destroyed by him. Judging from the current situation, Shen Huai will most likely not go to jail, but his reputation is ruined, his business is ruined, and he is no longer useful to the Shen family.

After Mr. Shen came to Haicheng, he had someone take him away, saying that he was going abroad to avoid the limelight, but no one knew where he went.

I will probably never see him again.

He is said to be a national male god, but it is normal for people to come and go in the entertainment industry. He left and the audience forgot about him in a few days. It doesn't matter if there is a star like this, there will be a new one to take his place immediately.

Shen Huai is just a microcosm of the Shen family's unscrupulous style of doing things. Shen Mingzheng does not agree with it, but he has not reached that position yet, so it is useless to disagree.

He had already paid a heavy price for this kind of "non-recognition" in his previous life, so this time he pretended, hid, and tried hard to climb up, but at this point, pretense seemed to be useless.

In this environment, persistence is painful.

Shen Mingzheng knew exactly what answer Mr. Shen wanted him to choose, but he couldn't say it.

I agreed to Su Ning.

He thought.

What will Su Ning do if I break my promise?

If he lied to Shen Andang and plotted against Chen Cang at this time, the consequences would only be more serious. However, he could not assimilate with the Shen family and violated his conscience and promise.

Even if I have to go against the old man now.

Shen Mingzheng said: "I think..."

But before he could answer, he heard a sudden "bang" from the wall behind him, like something hitting the wall.

Su Ning inside had heard enough, so he hooked his foot on the stool next to him and threw it against the wall, making a sound. Of course, he couldn't hear what was said inside, but since the wall had been hit, he couldn't get out if there was no more movement.

Shen Mingzheng was startled, then looked suddenly at Shen Antang, and then immediately shut up.

"I think he has something to say," the old man said calmly, and even laughed, "Well, please ask someone to come in. I want to see him, too."

After a while, Su Ning came in.

He was sitting next to Shen Mingzheng and before he could open his mouth, the old man interrupted him.

"No need to introduce yourself, I know you," Shen Antang said, "Su Ning, Su Honghui's son. I saw you once at a family dinner when you were a child. You look even more beautiful now than you did then."

He smiled as if he was looking at some younger generation, but the meaning of his next sentence changed.

"I heard about you recently, and it's still about the matter of persuading Liang Xiaoliang. You happened to have someone in your hands, and you hit his weak spot. It can be said that you have the right time, place and people."

"But Su Ning, I don't buy it. If you want to convince me with words, you are thinking too much."

Su Ning just listened silently. Shen Mingzheng had been nervous since he came in, even more nervous than when he knew that the four hundred million were intercepted. Then he heard him say, "Well, you are right."

"So I don't intend to convince you."

Mr. Shen stared at him.

"I'm just stating the facts. Please use the 400 million to invest in streaming media as planned," Su Ning looked at Shen Mingzheng again, "Don't consider me."

Is this a step forward?

Mr. Shen raised his eyebrows, but didn't take it seriously. Then he heard Su Ning continue, "I have found investment."

He always had his cell phone with him, and the group of people did not take it away. When Su Ning took it out, he opened the call interface, and it seemed that it had been opened for a long time.

It has been on since he entered the hospital.

The person opposite was Liang Xiaoliang, who had been quiet until now but started talking.

"Hello, old man. Long time no see." His voice sounded quite respectful. "I'm afraid Mr. Shen doesn't need to worry about the 400 million. Su Ning and I have discussed that Qilin is going to pay for it."

Shen Antang really didn't expect this. He frowned and asked, "Why?"

Su Ning explained this matter quickly.

"Sang Le has withdrawn from the competition."

"Since Shen Huai's accident, his situation has become even more awkward. His approval rating has dropped, and he can't debut even if he gets promoted. It's just that the program team is holding back the news and waiting for the right time to announce it," Su Ning said, "So, the number of candidates for promotion in the qualifying round has increased from one to two. According to the current vote pattern, it is very likely that Li Chu and Qu Shoubai will be promoted."

Even if Mr. Shen knew about the affairs of these insignificant people, he didn't care. He still didn't quite understand why Liang Xiaoliang would spend 400 million yuan on them.

"If both Li Chu and Qu Shoubai can qualify, it won't be difficult for them to debut together, considering their current popularity. The competition between Qilin and our Lighting Entertainment will not be that strong. I don't plan to delve into the idol market in the future. Having Li Chu alone is enough," Su Ning said. "More importantly, Mr. Liang should have found Li Chu recently and offered a high price, trying to poach him, but Li Chu disagreed."

Mr. Liang on the other end of the phone was a little embarrassed when he mentioned this matter, and said, "Let's not talk about it."

In fact, he secretly found Li Chu in the program organization's training camp, explained his purpose and offered a high price, but the other party glared at him and said, "I will never leave the young master, get out of here."

The child is dead whether he opens his mouth or closes it, but it is enough to explain Li Chu's attitude.

It's not about the money.

Liang Xiaoliang roughly knew what had happened to him. When he heard this, he realized that no matter what others said, Li Chu would never leave Guangying Entertainment, or in other words, would never leave Su Ning.

A contract alone cannot completely bind this "natural born idol", but feelings can, and this kind of feeling cannot be replicated.

And Liang Xiaoliang still underestimated Li Chu.

Especially after the two qualifying rounds, a top idol will bring about huge changes to the entire industry and even reshape the rules. So how much money does the current thriving idol industry make?

Liang Xiaoliang knows it better than anyone else.

If he hadn't paid the 500,000 yuan at that time, he would have really missed this person.

The domestic market alone is huge, not to mention the overseas market. As far as he knows, an overseas luxury brand has expressed interest in Li Chu after seeing the performance clips posted online by the OuTu4 program team.

Lively, moving stage performances are common all over the world. Moreover, Li Chu is still young and has a long flowering period. The money he can earn from him is many times the 400 million yuan, so he will not lose no matter how you calculate it.

But more important is Su'ning.

In fact, he had met Su Ning several times in the past few days with different trainees, including the group that Qilin was going to promote next. Every time he met him, he knew more deeply that Su Ning's finding Li Chu was not just a fluke.

He felt that this kind of thing would continue to happen in the future.

Compared with Su Ning, Li Chu seems less important.

"Qilin's is not a loan, and I don't plan to take the money back," Liang Xiaoliang said. "After a period of operation, it will become shares held by Qilin."

"We plan to formally start long-term cooperation with Guangying Entertainment in the form of a formal equity participation."

At that time, Su Ning knew that Su Hongda would say that it was enough after he collected 150 million, because this was exactly what he was thinking about.

It is normal for Guangying Entertainment to have new shareholders now that the company is so short of money. Liang Xiaoliang is a good partner, but Su Ning will not let them take away the right to speak. The decision will still be based on evidence.

There are still many things Liang Xiaoliang didn't say.

Su Ning had hinted at this to him long ago, starting from the dinner after he left the program crew that day.

Liang Xiaoliang has been watching, watching Jiang Chenfeng and Shen Huai fail, Li Chu become popular, watching the cooperation between Su Ning and Shen Mingzheng become more and more stable, watching Shen Mingzheng really pay two hundred million, and even after Mr. Shen made a move, he still insisted until now and did not violate the agreement with Su Ning.

These two people themselves may not be able to see it, but Liang Xiaoliang saw it.

——Just wait, they are going to get married sooner or later as they are inseparable. It is obvious that this is not just an ordinary friendship.

You know what, these two people look like a good match from the beginning.

Liang Xiaoliang still remembered the plate of mountain medicinal cake, but he had been thinking about it at that time.

The Shen family is such a huge family, Liang Xiaoliang certainly would not go against Mr. Shen's wishes just to make some money, but from his point of view, this matter may not be irreversible.

After all, the old man is old and will have to retire sooner or later. Just look at the fierce competition for the successor and you will know that many people are betting on him, such as Jianghai Media, which is equivalent to betting on Shen Huai.

And he, Liang Xiaoliang, wanted to arrest Shen Mingzheng.

Fortune and wealth are sought in danger. Now that he is middle-aged, he wants to continue to gamble like the young people.

On the surface, he voted for Li Chu, but in reality, he followed Su Ning and Shen Mingzheng, the future heir of the Shen family.

Then these 400 million are totally worth it.

As long as, as long as I can get through this period, it will be fine.

After the story was told, the teahouse fell into silence for a while, and then Mr. Shen finally broke the silence.

He took a cup from the tray in front of him and placed it in front of Su Ning. Then he signaled the assistant standing next to him to pour tea for Su Ning, and the clear tea was poured into the cup.

The situation in this place seems to have changed as well.

"Okay, that's interesting," he said. "You should have thought about it before. If there is a conflict between you and other investments, you are not the best choice for the Shen family, right? So you have already started to make preparations."

"Why, you don't trust our Shen family?"

Su Ning shook his head and said, "No. I know the Shen family doesn't need this money, let alone 400 million, even 4 billion."

The main thing is that Shen Mingzheng did not give the final answer that the old man wanted, about the things behind the investment.

In fact, Liang Xiaoliang had mentioned the layout of Haicheng before.

"In recent years, Haicheng's entertainment industry has developed rapidly. Given time, it will surely become the industry leader, but now there are many competitors and the situation is constantly changing. It is unknown who will have the final say," Su Ning said. "The media industry has always favored Jianghai Media, but Jianghai Media has recently shut down. After Shen's Pictures has been reorganized, if it can acquire Guangying Entertainment and reach out to the media industry, it will have a good chance of becoming the unshakable leader in Haicheng in the future."

"The most important thing here is power, the power to make rules. At this juncture, we must first seize power, so Mingzheng's investment in the media cannot be reduced. I know what you want, old man."

"Money and people are nothing more than vassals of power.

Therefore, if you encounter a dilemma, you should be clear about what to prioritize as a person in that position.

This is the answer that Mr. Shen wants to hear.

Su Ning could see that this old man didn't care how much money Shen Mingzheng wanted to give him, even if 4 billion was just a joke. Among the many reserve heirs trained by the Shen family, many had investment returns of ten or a hundred times, and were willing to spend huge sums to make a fortune. The Shen family was not short of money.

To be an heir, you must not put the cart before the horse and not know what the most important thing is.

However, he didn't expect that it was Su Ning who said this in the end.

This time, Mr. Shen really looked at him for a long time, and his eyes were very different.

"I think Mingzheng is aware of these things. He told me about them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have planned to invest in streaming media so early," Su Ning said. At this point, he glanced at Shen Mingzheng. "He hesitated to make a choice, not because he didn't think it through. He made an intuitive judgment and felt that there were variables."

“I am the variable.”

"Master, do you think I would be willing to be a pawn at the mercy of others? If you can't be my ally, then you'll be my enemy."

"We can try to see who will be in charge of Haicheng in the future."

Su Ning said this lightly, but no one here thought he was just trying to scare them.

Nothing he did during this period was simple, and not everyone could get Qilin's 400 million. It is enough to imagine Su Ning's maneuvers and strategies during this period.

"But Mingzheng can't say this to you, as it would make him seem like he's being overly surprised and biased towards me," Su Ning said, "So, it's better for me to tell you this with the facts."

His attitude made the assistants standing next to him who had tried to hijack him on the way feel their hair stand on end and cold sweats break out, but after hearing this, Mr. Shen remained silent for a while, then clapped his hands and laughed.

"Okay, okay."

"I was blinded by my own shortcomings and underestimated you." He said, "They say that the waves behind push the waves in front. I didn't believe it before, but now I do."

Under such circumstances, he was able to get 400 million. Such a person is truly rare.

He looked at Su Ning with a smile in his eyes. Now, this smile was not just superficial, but seemed to be sincere.

"It's like this. I didn't call you here today to discuss these official matters. Money or no money is just a small matter." Shen Antang said, "Why not talk about serious matters?"

"We, the Shen family, recognize your engagement."

"When do you want to get married? I'll ask my people to arrange it."

This old man from the Shen family really turns around like the wind.

Su Ning had not hung up the phone yet, Liang Xiaoliang was listening there. When he heard these words, he felt as if his heart was finally at ease.

But he didn't dare to speak, or even breathe out loudly, he could only hold it in, sweat already breaking out.

He actually admitted it!

The Shen family has passed this incredibly high threshold!

The person involved, Su Ning, was still quite calm and didn't say anything. The only one who was a little bit uneasy was Shen Mingzheng. Previously, he had been forced by the old man and had never shown any fear, but now his hand was shaking and he almost knocked over the teacup in front of him.

Then, Su Ning held his other hand under the stage. He calmed down instantly and held his hand back tightly, refusing to let go.

"No rush," Su Ning smiled, "I'll go back and discuss the engagement with Ming Zheng."

Shen Antang did not push him too hard and replied with a smile: "Well, you young people decide for yourselves. I can't control you. If you need anything, feel free to come back to me."

The matter had been discussed, and Mr. Shen did not stay here for long. He quickly left with his people, leaving the two of them here.

But before leaving, he left a few words.

"I like your appearance and personality very much. I originally thought that Ming Zheng could match someone better, but I was wrong." He said, "It's a good thing for young people to have ambitions, but I will watch carefully to see who is in charge in the Haicheng circle."

After the old man left, Shen Mingzheng immediately explained: "Su Ning, what I said before was not what I meant. Don't misunderstand me."

He was a little anxious, and wanted to say that he was not treating Su Ning as a tool, he had never thought of it that way.

"I know," Su Ning glanced at him, "Don't be nervous."

He understood who Shen Mingzheng was.

When judging a person, you should not look at what he says, but what he does. After being together for so long, he will not make a misunderstanding.

Su Ning contacted Liang Xiaoliang privately because the matter was of great importance, and he had a plan B to leave a way out for both of them. Facts have proved that he was right.

This was not because of distrust, but because he knew very well that a stable cooperative relationship required the efforts of both parties to maintain. He did not think that Shen Mingzheng was taking advantage of him. On the contrary, after visiting his place last time, he felt that Shen Mingzheng valued him too much.

Today, it was because of what he and his old man said that Su Ning finally realized that beneath his seemingly cold appearance, he was a man of pure temperament, but this kind of person is actually very easy to suffer losses.

In a "test" like Shen Antang's, if both of them were caught off guard, both would suffer losses. Su Ning was not the kind of person who waited for funding. He was always able to take the initiative.

"Let's go first." Su Ning said, "This is not the place to talk."

Not to mention Shen Mingzheng, what he said to the old man was not sincere. It was just a reasonable pretense in an emergency.