Chapter 265: Demanding Resources

7 p. m., Jianshazui Bandianjiudian.

Chen Mo sat in the restaurant and glanced at his watch.

Hmm, the appointed time has arrived, and Fang Yihua hasn't come yet.

Chen Mo furrowed his brows: was the invitation not delivered? Or are they not taking him seriously?

Just as Chen Mo lost patience and rose to leave, Fang Yihua arrived.

Chen Mo didn't know Fang Yihua, but he recognized the person Fang was arm‑in‑arm with: the TVB boss, the Gangdao media mogul—Sir Shao, Uncle Shao.

By calculation, Sir Shao should be about eighty this year. Yet he still looked robust: his hair dyed jet‑black, his frame tall and straight, a well‑tailored suit over a white shirt with a tie, and a neatly folded white handkerchief tucked in the jacket pocket, looking very refined.

If not for the slightly slack skin on his face, people would still believe he's only in his sixties.

Fang Yihua wore a professional suit, his short, straight hair giving him a crisp, efficient look.

At that moment, the two, arm‑in‑arm, entered the hotel, and the lobby manager greeted them.

Fang Yihua is on Gangdao; many may have only heard his name without ever seeing him.

But Sir Shao frequently appears in newspapers and news reports; few on Gangdao don't know him.

Seeing the two enter the hotel, Chen Mo sat down again.

Soon, a waiter brought Sir Shao and Fang Yihua to Chen Mo's table, with a few bodyguards behind them.

Chen Mo smiled, did not stand, and simply gestured for them to sit.

"I'm delighted that Sir Shao could come in person,"

Chen Mo glanced at his watch.

"But you were five minutes late, which I dislike,"

Sir Shao faced Chen Mo with no hint of deference, showed no anger, and retained his usual amiable demeanor.

"So you are Chen Mo? Indeed, a young man with a strong character."

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow: "Oh? So Sir Shao knows me?"

"Hehe, although Sir Shao is a businessman, he also knows a few friends in the underworld; asking them about a person is quite easy,"

Although Fang Yihua is not Sir Shao's original wife, he has accompanied Sir Shao for many years.

This year Sir Shao's original wife passed away, and Fang has become, in outsiders' eyes, the sixth aunt. Though they are not legally married, they are effectively a couple.

Fang received the bullet that Chen Mo had sent, and Sir Shao could not possibly ignore it.

Before the meeting, Sir Shao had already learned the whole story from Fang and had asked underworld contacts about Chen Mo's character.

Because the underworld's opinion of Chen Mo was not favorable, he decided to accompany Fang in person.

However, after meeting Chen Mo, his impression of him changed considerably.

Although Chen Mo seemed rather arrogant and spoke without any respect, his gaze lacked the brutality and ferocity typical of Triad Society members; instead it was full of confidence and composure.

Sir Shao has roamed the business world for years and has seen countless types of people.

Such a look shouldn't belong to a gangster's eyes; it resembles that of a business elite.

"Since Sir Shao investigated me in advance, he must know why I invited Fang,"

"Fang deliberately smeared me, causing huge reputational damage and mental injury to me; how does Sir Shao intend to handle this?"

Chen Mo still admires Sir Shao quite a bit.

Although he had already made plans, since Sir Shao came in person, Chen Mo felt he should give him face and hear Sir Shao's proposal.

Of course, the solution Sir Shao proposes must satisfy Chen Mo.

If it's too stingy, Chen Mo won't agree.

"I've already learned about this from Fang; frankly, it's Fang's fault.

Tell me how much compensation you want, just name it. But let's settle it here, and you must not lay a hand on Fang in the future, okay?"

From Sir Shao's perspective, this matter is indeed his side's loss; spending a little money to settle it would be the most economical.

Otherwise, dealing with someone like Chen Mo would require extensive connections and paying some Triad Society members to act, which would be even costlier.

But he can't make the first offer. If he does, he'll be at a disadvantage; if Chen Mo speaks first, he still has room to counter.

Chen Mo is no pushover; hearing Sir Shao speak like that, he can roughly guess his thinking.

If I have to speak first, don't blame me for having a big appetite.

Leaning back in his chair, Chen Mo pretended to ponder, and after a moment said,

"The person Fang exposed is my girlfriend. She was already rising to fame, her future star path was bright; not only would she earn me money, but taking a star girlfriend out would also give me face.

But now her star path has been ruined by Fang. I won't even mention how much money I lose; losing face is a serious matter.

Since you want to compensate, do it in this regard.

Anyway, your TV station has plenty of beautiful female stars; just give me one as a girlfriend, and a casual compensation of ten to eighteen million will do."

"You're dreaming!" Fang Yihua exclaimed angrily, "You're simply delusional."

Sir Shao patted Fang's hand on the table, signaling her to calm down.

He hadn't expected Chen Mo to make such a demand, but his demeanor was far stronger than Fang's.

Turning to Chen Mo, he said, "If that's the condition, Mr. Chen, don't bring it up. Money is fine, but we won't give you a person."

TVB has many actresses, but not many female stars; each one is a cash cow for them!

How could they possibly give one to Chen Mo!

Chen Mo spread his hands, feigning helplessness: "If the female star refuses, then you can only find a way to continue my woman's star path.

Your recent TV dramas and variety shows are pretty good.

How about this: let my people attend your variety shows a few times each month, and assign her as the female lead in a few of your dramas; that condition works, right?"

"Young people have big appetites!" Sir Shao remarked, "We at TVB also have our own artists to promote; you're asking for too much.

I can give you the female lead in one drama, plus a monthly variety appearance, that'll do, right?"

Chen Mo's eyes shifted, and he said, "Add two more TV drama supporting male roles."

Sir Shao thought for a moment, nodded and said, "Sure."

Sir Shao reckoned clearly in his mind that, aside from a female lead, everything else Chen Mo wanted was nothing to him, and he wouldn't even need to spend much money.

Variety show, just get a few guests on, that's it.

As for those two supporting male roles, they're even less of a concern.

Sir Shao didn't care, but Chen Mo did—now Chen Mo's heart was blooming with joy.

Originally Chen Mo thought it wasn't a big deal; just getting Liu Piaopiao a chance to appear on a variety show would be enough.

After all, Fang Yihua was notoriously stingy, and her status was special, so Chen Mo really couldn't afford to offend her.

Unexpectedly, Sir Shao turned out to be more generous than the legends suggested, providing resources far beyond Chen Mo's expectations.

This time, Chen Mo really struck it rich.