Chapter 519: Warm My Heart

He looked at the phoenix crown, then at Fang Hong's crown—it was simple in design, made of gold thread, not complicated at all.

Whether ancient or modern, women's clothing and headwear are always the most complex; men's are relatively simple—it's because women adorn themselves for those who please them.

As for the Xiapi, it was made by another intangible cultural heritage master in another location, so they didn't go to see it—Liu Tianxian, Liu Xiaoli, and Xu Liyun had already confirmed it.

Next, they found a hot pot restaurant—it was Liu Tianxian's choice; when winter stirred her mood, she craved hot pot.

It was a copper-pot hot pot restaurant; the private room had good confidentiality, the four sat facing each other, with a steaming split pot in the center, and the server was bringing out the side dishes.

Liu Tianxian was busy preparing the dipping sauce; after mixing one, she handed it to Xu Liyun: "Mom, this is for you—not spicy, just a bit numbing."

"Good, good." Xu Liyun took the small bowl.

"No, no, I'll do it myself." Liu Xiaoli waved her hand as her daughter moved to help her.

Liu Tianxian gave up on helping her, noticed Fang Hong was on the phone, so she didn't disturb him—instead, she picked up his small bowl and mixed his sauce.

"Hello, General Manager Wang." Fang Hong's call was from Wang Zhangtian.

"General Manager Fang, how have you been lately?" Wang Zhangtian opened with warm pleasantries—anyone unaware would think they were close.

"I'm doing great, but I wonder what General Manager Wang wants?" Fang Hong said.

"I won't beat around the bush—this is it: is your earlier offer to have an institution acquire my shares in Tu Piaopiao still valid?" Wang Zhangtian got straight to the point, deciding to sell his shares.

Holding them was meaningless; better to shift them to Ali Pictures—they're also building a ticketing platform and have greater strength, so they can access more resources.

He hadn't planned to sell his shares—he wanted to wait for the IPO—but the competition between the Principal and Alibaba made him realize he couldn't outmatch the Principal.

Better to give them up proactively than wait for the Principal to cause trouble.

That way, he'd keep his dignity and withdraw cleanly.

In fact, the competition between Fang Hong and Jack Ma had subtly changed many people's thoughts and perspectives.

Some now avoided conflict with him whenever possible—just stay humble.

He's taken on Jack Ma himself; if they clashed with him directly, they'd only bring pain upon themselves.

"Of course it's valid—have you decided?" Fang Hong asked.

Back when The Four Great Constables 3 premiered, Fang Hong had already mentioned to him that an institution wanted to acquire Tu Piaopiao shares, asking if he was interested.

In essence, Fang Hong wanted Chang'e Technology to enter Tu Piaopiao—he just didn't tell Wang Zhangtian which institution.

"Yes, is the premium still the same?" Wang Zhangtian remembered Fang Hong had mentioned a premium before.

"It hasn't changed, but the exact premium amount you'll need to negotiate yourself—I can't guarantee anything." Fang Hong was very accommodating.

When others spoke politely to him, he spoke politely to them—he didn't mind letting others make some money.

Tu Piaopiao's current valuation exceeds ten billion; previously, Guangxian had invested a total of 1.1 billion, holding 18.3%—Tu Piaopiao's first two years saw the most investment from Guangxian, making them the most perceptive.

Wanda, Tencent, and Meituan invested far less.

With a valuation over ten billion, a premium acquisition would mean at least two billion—earning roughly one billion in pure profit within a few years, purely through investment.

They got it right from the start—it's only fair they profit!

But this is only theoretical; the actual acquisition amount still needs negotiation—Fang Hong isn't a professional in this field and won't make guarantees.

"Fine, just have them contact me—I'm ready anytime." Wang Zhangtian agreed immediately.

Fang Hong had no objections; after chatting a bit, he hung up.

Liu Tianxian asked: "Who was that?"

"Wang Zhangtian—he's come around, wants to sell his Tu Piaopiao shares." Fang Hong pulled his own bowl of mixed sauce over.

Liu Tianxian dipped a slice of lamb into the boiling pot and placed it in his bowl, then asked: "Who's buying?"

"I plan to have Chang'e Technology take over—it'll be easier to operate." Fang Hong said.

If Chang'e Technology takes over, Tu Piaopiao can naturally leverage Chang'e Technology's Propaganda Department channels—not just a partnership, but an integrated interest bond.

Data can be fully shared, better enabling precise targeting in the information age; combined with Tu Piaopiao's e-commerce and offline promotion models, full online-offline coverage becomes possible.

Of course, this is an ideal model—but Chang'e Technology's online side is still developing; they need to launch short videos first.

Their offline ground promotion team must also keep expanding.

Fang Hong's own shares can then be reduced, with part sold again for new financing, preparing for the IPO.

As long as Chang'e Technology and Fang Hong remain aligned, Tu Piaopiao will forever be his, holding absolute authority.

"Is your Tu Piaopiao preparing for an IPO?" Liu Xiaoli's instincts were sharp.

"Yes—Tu Piaopiao has been established for three years; it's ready for an IPO. Taking back Guangxian's shares is preparation for it." Fang Hong didn't hide it.

"If that's the case, can I invest a little? When it goes public, won't I make a fortune?" Liu Xiaoli was tempted.

Tu Piaopiao's IPO will surely trigger a big surge—now is the perfect time to get in.

It's standard practice for newly listed companies to spike their stock price initially.

"Mom, don't do that—you're not short on money. Why invite gossip?" Liu Tianxian was unhappy.

Doing this makes you no different from Yan Zi and others—people will say your mom cashed out how much.

Fang Hong said nothing—he didn't approve either. Though Tu Piaopiao was going public, it was for better development, not just to raise more money.

But he couldn't say much—it was his mother-in-law.

"Alright, alright, I was just asking." Liu Xiaoli waved her hand and resumed eating.

She also realized it wasn't good for her son-in-law to operate this way—newly listed companies have a three-year lock-up period; too much maneuvering always leaves traces.

Just giving insider tips was enough!

"Next year's film and TV stocks will surge—you'll make money even if you buy a little." Fang Hong revealed.

Next year will be a year of explosive capital inflow, revealing true capital power—so film and TV stocks will all surge.

Liu Xiaoli's eyes lit up: "Any specific recommendations?" "The top few—Huayi, Guangxian, Ali Pictures—all good buys. If you have the means, Wanda Film will also IPO early next year—buy some too." Fang Hong suggested.

In his past life, Wanda Film's valuation soared to a hundred billion—it was a dominant force, mainly because it owned physical cinemas and invested in films.

Buying shares of newly listed companies has conditions—it's meant for capable individuals and institutions, because newly listed companies inevitably surge in value.

Those regulations are all aimed at people without means; what one-year or three-year bans on sales — people with means can still operate if they want to.

Of course, this doesn't apply to ordinary people.

"Alright then, I'll keep that in mind." Liu Xiaoli noted it down.

In less than a month or two it'll be next year, so now is about the right time to operate a buy and wait until the new year opens.

It's just that the holding period is a bit longer, that's all.

Liu Tianxian didn't say anything about this — this is standard stock trading operation, just obtaining some insider information, that's all.

"You usually like trading stocks?" Xu Liyun was also curious, putting down her chopsticks to ask.

"Not really, just earning a little pocket money for myself." Liu Xiaoli said.

She had no job either, just taking a share of Red Star Bay's profits and relying on her daughter to earn money; otherwise she just traded stocks and such in her daily life.

A noble lady like her had quite a lot of expenses.

"Oh! I just can't understand this stuff." Xu Liyun chatted.

"Not understanding is actually good; once you understand, you'll have countless worries." Liu Xiaoli said gently.

"Why is that?" Xu Liyun didn't understand.

"This thing is very complicated, can't really explain it clearly — please eat more dishes." Liu Tianxian picked up a piece of food from the hotpot and placed it in Xu Liyun's bowl.

The stock market — it's best that those who don't understand never understand it; it easily makes people anxious, sleepless, miserable. Xu Liyun being like this now is actually quite good.

The hotpot boiled, steam rose, the four chatted as they ate — some small talk, some ordinary outside matters.

Liu Tianxian's face was flushed red — whether from the spice or the heat, she kept sucking in air with little "siha siha" sounds.

She picked up a chopstickful of tripe, held it to Fang Hong's mouth and said: "Try this."

Fang Hong opened his mouth and ate it in one bite — at the touch of his tongue it melted.

"Is it good?" Liu Tianxian asked, blushing.

"Delicious, great texture, very tender and smooth." Fang Hong said as he ate.

"This counts as a specialty here too." Liu Tianxian picked up another chopstickful from the hotpot, dipped it in the red sauce in the bowl, and ate it in one bite.

Then came her "sii sii" sounds of sucking in air.

"Aren't you bothered by the spice?" Fang Hong looked at her red face.

"It's alright, doesn't seem that spicy." Liu Tianxian brushed aside the hair near her face and took another bite.

"Look at you, your face is all red from eating, your forehead is covered in sweat." Fang Hong pulled out a few tissues, held her chin, turned her face toward him, and wiped the sweat from her face.

Liu Tianxian gazed with her phoenix eyes, watching the man's serious expression, her emotions swelling within her, and said softly: "You're so handsome!"

"What the heck?" Fang Hong was puzzled, and tossed the used tissue into the trash.

"The way you just were warmed my heart, I feel like you're very handsome." Liu Tianxian laughed with a "hehe."

"Really? As handsome as that Wu Yanzu?" Fang Hong laughed.

"Oh come on, how could he compare to you — you're super-duper handsome." Liu Tianxian said, quite playful.

"I love hearing that — here's your reward." Fang Hong picked up a piece of food from the pot and placed it in her bowl.

"Thank you, hubby." Liu Tianxian was delighted, her manner quite cute.

"Ugh, can you two stop being so mushy? If you want to be mushy, go home." Liu Xiaoli's face was full of disgust.

"My hubby — I'm going to be mushy if I want." Liu Tianxian said playfully, quite stubborn in temperament, and planted a loud "smack" kiss right on Fang Hong's face, utterly unashamed.

Liu Xiaoli no longer knew what to say, shook her head — her daughter had always been this free-spirited.

Xu Liyun, however, was laughing with a "hehe," loving to see the two of them so affectionate.

With all this, the atmosphere had become much livelier.

In the evening, a commercial vehicle pulled up at Fang Hong's house door, and Liu Tianxian was the first to jump out.

"Why are you getting out? Not going home?" Liu Xiaoli was in the car.

"I'm not going back — you go on home!"

After Liu Tianxian waited for Fang Hong and Xu Liyun to get out of the car, she closed the car door and waved: "Take care on the road — Along the Way."

"You little brat." Liu Xiaoli rolled down the car window and glared at her daughter.

That glaring look was exactly the same as Liu Tianxian's — the mother and daughter had some mannerisms that were too alike.

"Mother-in-law, why don't you stay here too?" Xu Liyun invited.

"Oh, I won't stay — I still need to head back. Xixi will be in your care then." Liu Xiaoli switched to a gentle expression, completely different from her look just now.

They're mother and daughter after all — they'd never hold any grudge.

Her words meant she agreed to Liu Tianxian staying here; she wasn't really angry to begin with, just having a little tiff with her daughter — the little brat didn't even want her mom anymore.

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all," Xu Liyun waved her hands repeatedly — she's already her daughter-in-law, how could it be called trouble?

"You all go back in, don't catch cold." Liu Xiaoli waved at the group.

"Mom, take it easy." Fang Hong called out.

"Alright." Liu Xiaoli glanced at her daughter, rolled up the car window, and told the driver to drive.

Watching the car drive off into the distance, the three of them returned to the Villa!

(End of this chapter)