Chapter 172: Chapter 171: Grab the Author and Lock Him in the Little Black Room
Over the next few days, Lin Chu went through the procedures with Pei Ming and acquired a 51% stake in the Yang City Yunming Trading Company for thirty million.
Lin Chu directly registered the shares under his father’s name and, in turn, received a sixty-million-yuan rebate.
Such business maneuvers, like nominee shareholding, were quite normal. No one paid it any mind.
Surprisingly, Li Dong actually gave Lin Chu a call.
"This is pretty surreal. I really didn’t see this coming. Logically, Pei Ming is my brother and you’re the newcomer, so I should be on his side unconditionally. Of course, he’s not the type to scam people, and he already explained the whole thing to me... but I still feel like you’ve put a hex on him. What did you feed the guy? Has he been completely bewitched? Buddy?"
Li Dong’s tone was peculiar.
He naturally trusted both of them as people, but he didn’t understand the business side of things. It just seemed like Lin Chu was playing the sucker.
Hearing this, Lin Chu actually thought Li Dong was a pretty decent guy. He laughed. "It’s a Zhou Yu and Huang Gai situation—one was willing to dish it out, the other was willing to take it. I have my reasons for buying, and I definitely plan on making money. Just don’t get jealous later. Hey Boss, how about placing an order first? A million, that’s not too much, is it?"
Li Dong: ...
He bantered back with a laugh, "Not at all, not at all, that’s chump change. But... maybe wait a few decades. When I’m gone, you can make me a burial shroud out of Xiangyun Sha."
Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "Sure, sure, sure. We’ll even embroider nine dragons on it for you, with gold and silver thread."
Li Dong: "Classy! Brother, you really get me! We receive our mandate from heaven..."
The two bantered for a good half hour.
Li Dong completely forgot his original intention and stopped asking about the matter. The deal was done, and both parties were willing. As a third party, he had already fulfilled his duty by asking once, especially since the whole thing started because of him. As for the future, who could say for sure?
In his heart, however, his impression of Lin Chu had changed drastically.
’You’ve got to hand it to the young people.’
So bold and decisive!
...
Hanging up, Lin Chu looked out into the courtyard. This was Taiyi Villa, his own Courtyard 05. A barbecue party was underway, with everything already set up. Today was his official move-in day, and this was the housewarming.
From Yang City, there were the people he’d met in the last couple of days: Zhao Rong, Fang Yichun, Young Master Zhou, Ono Ryoko, and Pei Ming.
From Peng City, there were Zhang Peng, Xue Xiaojun, He Meng, Liu Junfeng, and two cameramen.
There was also the team Hou Chengjin brought: the main director, screenwriter, and a few lead actors for the micro-series.
Taking it all in, Lin Chu felt a little dazed. The number of people he was connected to, directly or indirectly, was clearly growing.
’This, I suppose, is what influence is.’
And it wasn’t the kind of influence born from a life of debauchery. It was the influence of someone who did serious work and could generate real results.
Tsk.
’This feeling is actually pretty good.’
Of course, this couldn’t be called entrepreneurship. It didn’t look anything like it. At best, he was like a Cheng Yaojin figure, just waving a checkbook around.
’Money never sleeps!’
As this strange image popped into his mind, Lin Chu couldn’t help but smile.
"Brother Chu, my company is officially registered. We start shooting tomorrow. Want to come and take a look?"
Hou Chengjin walked over, asking with a broad smile. The investment had arrived and the short-form dramas were starting production, so he was in high spirits. For the six series, Zhao Rong had invested six million, Lin Chu had invested twelve million, and he himself had put in another twelve million. It was already considered a luxury production.
As for the custom-themed series about Xiangyun Sha that Lin Chu had mentioned, it wasn’t part of this batch. The screenwriter was still working on a custom script for it.
"I’d better not go, right? Wouldn’t my being there affect your work? A film set can only have one voice. Hey, where’s the screenwriter you found for me?"
Lin Chu was just too lazy to go. After all, everything was already up and running. What was there for him to see?
He just phrased it nicely—not fighting for control, playing the part of the hands-off boss.
Instead, Lin Chu was more interested in the custom-themed Xiangyun Sha project. It was more in line with his own aesthetic.
’Making money is making money, there’s no shame in it, but you’re naturally going to favor the things you actually like.’
Hearing Lin Chu, Hou Chengjin waved someone over. "Ah Chao, come here!"
A thin, tall man in his twenties with fluffy hair walked over. He adjusted his black-framed glasses, a shy smile on his face.
"This is Jiang Chao, my genius screenwriter. He created many of our company’s previous marketing scripts. He can basically write anything, does good work, and doesn’t dawdle."
"He finished six short-form drama scripts in one month, each with a different style. He’s a monster."
Hou Chengjin seemed to hold him in high regard, giving off a "grand introduction" sort of vibe.
"Not at all, President Hou, you’re too kind. I’m not that amazing, just hardworking."
"After hearing President Hou describe the story you wanted, I wrote an opening on my way over. Would you like to take a look at it now?"
Jiang Chao scratched his head, smiling a little sheepishly.
Lin Chu was stunned.
’So efficient?’
"Sure, send it to me. I’ll take a look."
They added each other on WeChat, and he quickly sent the document over. With nothing else to do, Lin Chu sat down off to the side, lit a cigarette, and started reading nonchalantly.
He had read novels before, but this was the first time he’d ever had something "custom-made" for him.
’Pretty satisfying.’
’The fantasy of kidnapping an author, locking them in a dark room, and forcing them to write for me day and night without food until they’re finished... it feels like it could actually come true.’
This was what he wrote:
Title: *Witch’s Superpower Battle Suit*
Synopsis: The female lead’s parents die in a car accident. She inherits the custom clothing shop they left behind. While cleaning out the attic, she suddenly discovers a strange outfit. After putting it on, her strength suddenly increases immensely—she can lift things weighing hundreds of pounds in an instant.
Because of the "battle suit," the female lead gains superpowers. It’s only then that she learns there are six other such suits, scattered in different places and tied to different fates. At the same time, a villainous force begins to emerge.
To investigate the true cause of her parents’ death and uncover the secrets of the battle suits, she embarks on a superpowered journey. Along the way, she gradually befriends the other six "sisters," leading to a series of thrilling, mysterious, and emotional stories of love and hate.
Lin Chu: ...’Kinda badass.’
Those battle suits, of course, were all made from Xiangyun Sha fabric.
This kind of plot was quite cliché, but its appeal lay in a few key points: seven beautiful women, each with a different style and attribute; a world-building mystery to unravel; plus warm and funny slice-of-life moments. There were even some subtle hints at girl-on-girl pairings... It had all the necessary commercial elements.
At least it wasn’t bad.
Lin Chu read the first two episodes and felt that even a hopelessly straight guy like himself could get into this kind of setup.
Just having seven beautiful women was considered a big production for a short-form drama.
Jiang Chao sat across from him, looking at the young President Lin with some trepidation.
Honestly, he felt this story was pretty trashy and catered too much to the market. It felt like it was dragging down the prestige of Xiangyun Sha. He had researched the material before, and it was incredibly high-class. But... if he were to write a high-end, artsy story, it wasn’t impossible, but it would be boring. Nobody would want to watch it; it’d just become a promotional video.
’Now, I’m not sure what President Lin is thinking?’
’He doesn’t seem to be frowning, though. In fact, he looks pretty happy, like he’s really getting into it.’
"I suggest adding a hidden subplot..."
HISS!
Hearing this, Jiang Chao’s heart skipped a beat. ’Please, don’t make suggestions! I’m scared! The mysterious power of the money-man has a way of twisting a script beyond all recognition.’
"These seven battle suits should ideally have a legacy. Tie them to famous women from history, like Li Qingzhao, Wu Zetian, Cixi, and so on. The one for Cixi could even be a corrupted battle suit. This would require you to logically derive and create a complete story arc for the items... Of course, it’s just a suggestion. How you actually write it is still up to you."
Lin Chu said it casually, just pulling ideas out of thin air. ’What do I know? I just think it would be cooler this way, giving it a layer of historical prestige.’
Huh?
Hearing this, however, Jiang Chao’s eyes lit up slightly.
’This guy’s got something!’
"That’s a great idea!"
"The setup becomes more complex, but it adds a sense of historical immersion and introduces more variables to the plot. Let me think... I’ll jot this down first."
He adjusted his glasses and muttered to himself, immediately pulling out his phone. His ten fingers flew across the screen as he began typing, meticulously recording these fragments of inspiration.
’This President Lin isn’t just giving random orders!’
’Just a couple of sentences from him have triggered some wonderful new inspiration in me.’
’Although what President Lin suggested is also a ’high-class’ direction, it’s one that enhances the story. And it’s better for creating buzz and spicing things up.’
"Hou, come on, lock him in the ’little black room’ and make him focus on writing. If he doesn’t finish, no dinner for him tonight..."
Lin Chu waved to Hou Chengjin, speaking with a grin.
...
...
