Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Miss Mai took a deep breath and greeted, “Hello, CEO Yue.”
Yue Tingfeng pointed at the chair in an indication for her to sit down.
After taking her seat, Miss Mai asked, “I wonder what instructions you have for me today after calling me over?”
Yue Tingfeng glanced at Jiang Lai, who rushed forward and placed a cheque in front of Miss Mai.
“Fill in as you please.”
Stunned, Miss Mai asked, “CEO Yue, what do you mean by this?”
Yue Tingfeng replied coolly. “Your studio. I want it.”
His tone was not loud at all and it was as though he was sending an unquestionable and irrecusable message to his subordinate.
Miss Mai’s round and chubby face were expressing profound shock.
It took some time for Miss Mai to regain her senses. “No, CEO Yue, I know you don’t lack funds. But my small studio is not worth so much expense. When I left my company last time, my goal was to…”
Yue Tingfeng cut her off. “This isn’t a negotiation.”
One short sentence was enough to throw all of Miss Mai’s prepared answers out of the window. He had the money, so he could twist you however he wanted.
Yue Tingfeng’s meaning was clear: ‘I’m not negotiating with you—I’m telling you that I’ve got my eye on what’s yours. Take the money I’ve given you. If you don’t want it, then don’t blame me for taking it away.’
A single word popped into Miss Mai’s heart—gangster!
Was he any different from one? Was it okay to bully people on a whim simply because he had a filthy amount of money?
Another sentence sprung up inside her. ‘Yes, he can bully you because he’s rich!’
Jiang Lai smiled at her and said, “Miss Mai, I understand your worries. You’re afraid that our company will restrict your freedom and autonomy when it comes to your accepting movie roles. I assure you; you’ll have absolute freedom. The only thing that the Yue clan wants is your studio. We want it, and the condition is for you to name a price. The outcome will be the same anyway no matter what your answer is. You can still decline the offer, of course.”
Jiang Lai’s reminder was thinly veiled, but the crux of it was, ‘It makes no difference whether you want to sell it or not, but it’s better if you do because you’ll get money in return. Once our CEO Yue decides to take it by force, you won’t even get any money at all. It’ll end up the same anyway. You can choose whether to toast your drink or drink like you lost a bet.’
Miss Mai calmed herself down slowly and regretted not letting Yan Qingsi know about everything. It was practically like the Feast at Swan Goose Gate 1.
No wonder Jiang Lai warned her not to bring Yan Qingsi.
Yue Tingfeng’s desire to buy over her studio was done for the sole purpose of getting a hold of Yan Qingsi.
Miss Mai nodded. “I think I understand what you mean. You’re saying that there won’t be any difference whether I write down a price or not?”
Jiang Lai acknowledged with a nod. “Yes, that’s more or less what I mean. In this respect, we’re also seeking your opinion, Miss Mai. Everything hinges on you being able to act with full autonomy. Think carefully about this. It’s still early in the day and there’s plenty of time.”
The implicit meaning was, ‘You won’t be able to leave anyway if you don’t sign it over.’
Miss Mai took the coffee cup in front of her and drank it all in one go. She was afraid that she would use the coffee to drench someone if she did not drink up the contents.
She finally understood why Yan Qingsi was so irritable at times when mentioning Yue Tingfeng.
He looked so decent and noble on the surface, so why was he so shameless underneath it all? He did not feel guilty at all and was even proud of his shamelessness.
Suppressing her anger, Miss Mai looked up and asked, “CEO Yue, your goal is Yan Qingsi, right?”
Yue Tingfeng replied, “Correct.”
Footnotes:
Ch 182 Footnote 1
鸿门宴 – the Feast at Swan Goose Gate was a true historical event that became immortalized in Chinese history as well as popular culture. The entire saga—involving a failed attempt by Xiang Yu to assassinate Liu Bang by inviting the latter to a feast—is now figuratively summed up to refer to a trap or a situation that seems joyous on the surface but is actually ominous. Do Google it because the saga makes for an interesting read!
