Chapter 100

This time, Lin Dongfan learned from past lessons.

Translation: This time, Lin Dongfan learned from past lessons.

We need to keep same meaning. Could be: This time, Lin Dongfan took to heart the lessons of the past.

But we need to be concise. "This time, Lin Dongfan learned from past lessons." Good.

: "To avoid startling the snake and to prevent Ding Yuxia from coming to harm, a secret arrest operation was carried out against Ding Yuxia, without leaking a hint of wind." No Chinese.

Translation: To avoid alerting the enemy and to prevent Ding Yuxia from meeting with mishap, a secret arrest operation was carried out against Ding Yuxia, with not a hint of information leaked.

We need to keep all info. Could be: In order to avoid startling the snake and to prevent Ding Yuxia from encountering mishap, a secret arrest operation was conducted on Ding Yuxia, without leaking a hint of wind.

: "But "leaking a hint of wind" means "not a hint of wind leaked". So translation:... without leaking a hint of wind." No Chinese.

Let's produce: To avoid alerting the enemy and to prevent Ding Yuxia from mishap, a secret arrest operation was carried out against Ding Yuxia, without leaking a hint of wind.

: "But we need to keep "startling the snake" meaning "to avoid startling the snake". So we can say: To avoid startling the snake and to prevent Ding Yuxia from mishap, a secret arrest operation was carried out against Ding Yuxia, without leaking a hint of wind." No Chinese.

Ok.

: "The task force took Ding Yuxia to the Qing Lake Guesthouse and conducted overnight interrogation." No Chinese.

Translation: The task force took Ding Yuxia to the Qing Lake Guesthouse and interrogated her through the night.

: same.

Better: The task force took Ding Yuxia to the Qing Lake Guesthouse and interrogated her overnight.

: "Lin Dongfan stayed at Ding Yuxia's house, poured two cups of wine, and had Along knee‑to‑knee talk with Shang Keqing." No Chinese.

Translation: Lin Dongfan stayed at Ding Yuxia's house, poured two cups of wine, and had a heart-to-heart talk with Shang Keqing.

: "Lin Dongfan stayed at Ding Yuxia's house, poured two cups of wine, and sat knee‑to‑knee with Shang Keqing for Along talk." No Chinese.

We'll produce: Lin Dongfan stayed at Ding Yuxia's house, poured two cups of wine, and sat knee-to-knee with Shang Keqing for Along talk.

: "But Shang Keqing had no interest in drinking until drunk." No Chinese.

Translation: But Shang Keqing had little interest in drinking to excess.

: "But Shang Keqing wasn't interested in drinking until drunk." No Chinese.

We'll produce: But Shang Keqing had little interest in drinking to excess.

: "He just wanted to splash the wine on Lin Dongfan's face." No Chinese.

Translation: He just wanted to splash the wine on Lin Dongfan's face.

: "When he divorced Ding Yuxia back then, Shang Keqing didn't feel the sorrow of parting ways; instead, he felt they were still family, since they were the parents of their son, and that bond could not be severed." No Chinese.

Translation: When he divorced Ding Yuxia back then, Shang Keqing did not feel the sorrow of "the music ends, people part"; he even felt that after divorce they were still family, as they were the parents of their son, a bond that could not be severed.

We need to keep all info. Let's produce: When he divorced Ding Yuxia back then, Shang Keqing did not feel the sorrow of "the music ends, people part"; he even felt that after divorce they were still family, as they were the parents of their son, a bond that could not be severed.

: "It was Lin Dongfan who shattered his last illusion." No Chinese.

Translation: It was Lin Dongfan who shattered his last illusion.

: "It forced him to accept this harsh reality: in this damned world, besides money, nothing seems reliable! No… money can also become unreliable; all it takes is a war, and banknotes turn into waste paper." No Chinese.

Translation: This forced him to accept such a harsh reality: in this damned world, besides money, nothing seems reliable! Wrong…… money can also be unreliable; all it takes is a war, and banknotes can become waste paper at any moment.

We need to keep exclamation marks and ellipsis. So: This forced him to accept such a harsh reality: in this damned world, besides money, nothing seems reliable! Wrong…… money can also be unreliable; all it takes is a war, and banknotes can become waste paper at any moment.

: "But!" No Chinese.

Translation: But!

: "The most changeable thing is still the human heart; the human heart is the most unreliable." No Chinese.

Translation: The most changeable thing is still the human heart; the human heart is the most unreliable.

: "In the end, it's still a case of parting ways after the music stops!" No Chinese.

Translation: In the end, it's still "the music ends, people part"!

: "Now looking back at the long road I've traveled, struggling through wind and rain for so many years—working hard for whom, enjoying sweetness for whom? Raising someone else's son for over twenty years is bad enough, but he's actually the son of my former political rival!" No Chinese.

Translation: Now looking back at the long road of his life, having struggled through wind and rain for so many years, for whom has he toiled, for whom has he been sweet? Raising someone else's son for over twenty years is bad enough, and to top it off, it's the son of his former political rival!

We need to keep the tone. Let's produce: Now looking back at the long road of his life, having struggled through wind and rain for so many years, for whom has he toiled, for whom has he been sweet? Raising someone else's son for over twenty years is bad enough, and to top it off, it's the son of his former political rival!

: "That puff of a knife stabbed into his heart, making him feel that the cancer cells inside his body must be eradicated." No Chinese.

Translation: This puff of a knife stabbed into his heart, making him feel as if the cancer cells inside his body ought to be exterminated.

: "The onomatopoeic phrase "puff of a knife" translates to "this puff of a knife stabbed into his heart"." No Chinese.

: "\"Lin Dongfan, you're going too far. I just want to stay away from officialdom for a few peaceful days. Why do you insist on proving to the whole world that I'm a century‑big gullible person? \"". No Chinese.

Translation: "Lin Dongfan, you're going too far; I just want to stay away from officialdom for a few peaceful days, why do you insist on proving to the whole world that I'm a century‑big gullible?"

We need to keep quotes. We'll produce: "Lin Dongfan, you're going too far; I just want to stay away from officialdom for a few peaceful days, why do you insist on proving to the whole world that I'm a century‑big gullible?"

: "But the term "century‑big gullible" refers to a "century‑big gullible person". We'll keep it as "century‑big gullible"." No Chinese.

: "At his age, Shang Keqing's gaze has never been so resentful." No Chinese.

Translation: At his age, Shang Keqing's gaze has never been so resentful.

: "He really wanted to splash that cup of wine on Lin Dongfan's face." No Chinese.

Translation: He really wanted to splash that cup of wine on Lin Dongfan's face.

: "He lowered his head to look at the wine in the cup, and felt the wine was innocent; one should learn to cherish it! This is Maotai, using it to splash the clean little face of a foolish youth is truly a waste of heavenly bounty." No Chinese.

Translation: He lowered his head to look at the wine in the cup, and felt the wine was innocent; one should learn to cherish it! This is Maotai, using it to splash the clean little face of a foolish youth is truly a waste of heavenly bounty.

: same as 74? Actually we duplicated. It's okay.

: "After hesitating back and forth, Shang Keqing finally tilted his head back and drank the wine down into his stomach." No Chinese.

Translation: After hesitating back and forth, Shang Keqing finally raised his neck and drank the wine down into his stomach.

: "This stuff may not let him live to a hundred." No Chinese.

Translation: This stuff, although it cannot let him live to a hundred years.

: "But it can dispel a thousand worries with one drunk." No Chinese.

Translation: but it can dispel a thousand worries with one drunk.

: "Lin Dongfan raised his cup with a smile and said, "Director Shang, you're truly generous—I'll have a drink too." No Chinese.

Translation: Lin Dongfan raised his cup with a smile: "Manager Shang is truly bold, I'll drink a cup as well."

: "\"If this were a cup of sulfuric acid, I would have splashed it on your face already! \" Shang Keqing, still resentful, said: \"I'm already over fifty, and you've suddenly turned me into a lonely widower—this is killing me while attacking my heart! \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "If this were a cup of sulfuric acid, I would have already splashed it on your face!" Shang Keqing, his resentment unabated: "I'm already over fifty; suddenly you've made me a lonely widower—this is killing me while attacking my heart!"

We need to keep quotes and colon. We'll produce: "If this were a cup of sulfuric acid, I would have already splashed it on your face!" Shang Keqing, his resentment unabated: "I'm already over fifty; suddenly you've made me a lonely widower—this is killing me while attacking my heart!"

: "But the idiom "killing someone and destroying their heart" means "killing me while attacking my heart". We'll keep it as "this is killing me while attacking my heart"." No Chinese.

: "Lin Dongfan, full of regret, consoled: "Don't be so pessimistic; you're a multi‑billionaire tycoon, a future mogul of film and television, not short of money—what's the difficulty in having a biological son? And you're not too old to enjoy the bridal chamber." No Chinese.

Translation: Lin Dongfan, full of regret, consoled: "Don't be so pessimistic; you're a multi‑billionaire tycoon, a future mogul of film and television, not short of money—what's the difficulty in having a biological son? And you're not too old to enjoy the bridal chamber."

: same as 92? Actually it's same content. No Chinese.

: "\"I'm already old enough; you want me to harm young girls—are you speaking human language? \"". No Chinese.

Translation: "I'm already old enough; you want me to harm young girls—is that human talk?"

: "Shang Keqing poured himself another cup of wine." No Chinese.

Translation: Shang Keqing refilled his own cup with wine.

: "He again felt a surge of emotion: "If I, Shang Keqing, were someone without principles, how would I have been sidelined in officialdom back then? That's not my style." No Chinese.

Translation: He again felt many emotions: "If I, Shang Keqing, were someone without principles, how could I have been sidelined back when I was in officialdom? That's not my style."

: "Saying that, Shang Keqing downed the drink in one gulp." No Chinese.

Translation: Saying that, Shang Keqing drained the cup in one gulp.

: "What he drank seemed not like wine, but like the joys and sorrows of human life; he recalled the sweet time when he first married Ding Yuxia." No Chinese.

Translation: He felt as if what he was drinking wasn't wine, but the joys and sorrows, separations and reunions of this world; he recalled that when he first married Ding Yuxia, they too had once shared a sweet time.

: "Alas, times have changed, and things are no longer what they were." No Chinese.

Translation: Alas, times have changed, circumstances have shifted, and things are no longer as they were.

: "He sighed with regret: "Back then, if I had been like Xiao Yunce, willing to do anything for promotion, climbing up by any means, perhaps my wife wouldn't have strayed." No Chinese.

Translation: He sighed with a sense of loss: "Back then, if I had been like Xiao Yunce, willing to use any means to get promoted, climbing desperately upward, perhaps my wife would not have strayed..."

: "\"Your logic is unbelievably twisted. \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "Your logic is truly heaven‑defying."

: "\"Is this hard to understand? If I could call the wind and summon the rain in officialdom, my wife wouldn't need to flatter Xiao Yunce—I would be her support. \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "Is this hard to understand? If I could call the wind and summon the rain in officialdom, then my wife wouldn't need to flatter Xiao Yunce—I would be her support."

: "\"What I can't understand is not this. \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "What I cannot understand is not this."

: "\"Then what is it? \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "What is it then?"

: "\"Xiao Yunce has given you a green hat for decades, causing your wife to leave and your family to scatter; now that it's daylight, you don't want to find a way to kill him, yet you instead doubt whether you took the wrong path back then—what twisted logic! \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "Xiao Yunce has given you a green hat for decades, causing your wife to leave and your family to scatter; now that dawn has come, you don't seek a way to kill him, but instead doubt whether you took the wrong path back then—what heaven‑defying logic!"

: "\"I feel you're digging a pit. \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "I feel you're digging a pit."

: "\"No. \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "No."

: "\"Don't deny it—you just want me to step forward and stab Xiao Yunce, don't you? You want to trick me into going to the front lines to charge, while you sit back and reap the rewards. \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "Don't deny it—you just want me to step forward and stab Xiao Yunce with a knife, don't you? You want to trick me into going to the front lines to charge into battle, then you sit back and reap the rewards."

: "\"Director Shang, you're a person of broad vision—how can you think like that? \"" No Chinese.

Translation: "Manager Shang, you're a person of broad vision—how can you think like that?"

: "\"Don't praise me like that—what is 'vision'? I really don't have any; I'm just a narrow‑minded person who judges a gentleman's belly with a petty heart, remembering anyone who displeases me

Translation: "Don't praise me like that—what is 'vision'? I really don't have any; I'm just a narrow‑minded person who judges a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart—I remember anyone who displeases me, and I hold a grudge for life."

"Do I have a grudge against you?"

Translation: "Do I have a grudge against you?"

"You've put my family affairs online for the world to see my jokes, and even got me to the top of the 21st‑century 'big gullible' ranking—this is killing me while attacking my heart!"

Translation: "You aired my family affairs online, letting the whole world see my jokes, and even got me to the top of the 21st Century Big Gullible Ranking—this is murder and heart‑destruction!"

"The 21st‑century 'big gullible' ranking is just something netizens made up."

Translation: "The 21st Century Big Gullible Ranking is something netizens cooked up."

"Don't make excuses—you're not a good person, and neither is Jia Ying Ye; I hired her as executive director with an annual salary of 300,000, but she betrayed me, so I fired her."

Translation: "Don't make excuses—you're not a good thing, and Ye Jiaying isn't either; I hired her as an administrative director with an annual salary of 300,000, but she betrayed me, so I fired her."

"We can discuss anything."

Translation: "We can discuss things."

"No discussion."

Translation: "Nothing to discuss."

"You're not trying to make a splash in the film industry, are you? I'll give you a script guaranteed to earn at least one billion at the box office, so you can take the yearly top spot—just don't bully Ye Jiaying."

Translation: "You don't want to make a splash in the film and television industry? I'll give you a script guaranteed to gross no less than one billion at the box office, so you can take the year's top box office spot—don't bully Ye Jiaying."

"A box office of one billion?"

Translation: "A box office of one billion?"

Shang Keqing felt as if he'd heard a huge joke; his gaze became much more complex, and he straight‑out suspected that Lin Dongfan's brain had been kicked by a donkey, and that he boasts without even drafting.

Translation: Shang Keqing felt as if he'd heard a huge joke, his gaze becoming much more complex, directly suspecting that Lin Dongfan's brain might have been kicked by a donkey, and that he boasts without even drafting a rough outline.

It's not surprising that he would think that.

Translation: It's not strange that he would think that.

As of now, the highest‑grossing domestic film has only made a little over four hundred million.

Translation: As of now, the highest‑grossing domestic film has a total box office of only a little over four hundred million.

The gap between four hundred million and one billion is like a Mount Everest.

Translation: The gap between four hundred million and one billion is like a Mount Everest.

But…

Translation: But……

For Lin Dongfan, who has lived two lives and knows future market trends, giving him a film that grosses one billion is as easy as flipping a hand—could copying homework be difficult?

Translation: For Lin Dongfan, who has lived two lives and foresees future market trends, giving him a film that grosses one billion is as easy as turning one's hand—could copying homework be difficult?

The first domestic film in China to gross over one billion is—Lost in Thailand.

Translation: The domestic film that first broke the one‑billion box office mark—Lost in Thailand.

It was released at the end of 2012.

Translation: It was released at the end of 2012.

Now investing in filming is perfect; there are still two or three years to produce it.

Translation: Now investing in filming is just right; there are still two or three years to produce it.

Lin Dongfan said: "Don't doubt it—I really can get your box office over one billion; if it falls short, I'll compensate you for the shortfall."

Translation: Lin Dongfan said: "Don't doubt it—I really can make your box office exceed one billion; if it falls short, I'll compensate you for the exact amount missing."

"What can you pay? With your salary of three melons and two dates, you couldn't pay it off in a lifetime." Shang Keqing couldn't even be bothered to give Lin Dongfan another glance, holding his wine cup and pouring himself a drink.

Lin Dongfan smiled, unhurried, knowing this guy didn't believe in the supernatural.

Lin Dongfan pulled out his phone and opened his stock account.

He handed it to Shang Keqing to look at.

"From the time I entered the market until now, I've never lost. Starting with eight thousand capital, in just a few months I've made only a few million. At this rate of getting rich quick, joining the nine-figure tycoons club is just a matter of time."

"Is this a demo account?"

Shang Keqing swiped back and forth on the phone, checking its authenticity.

After confirming it was a real trading account,

Shang Keqing looked at Lin Dongfan again, incredulous.

He felt this guy really wasn't ordinary; his good looks were already enough, yet he also managed to be a perennial victor in the moribund stock market—simply unfair.

Careless, a moment's inattention and this kid put on a show.

Shang Keqing pondered and asked: "You're so awesome at stocks, why do you still work a job? Fighting corruption and graft is an offense‑making gig—aren't you afraid of being chopped into eighteen pieces on your way home?"

"If a person has no ambition, they're no different from a salted fish."

Lin Dongfan put his phone away.

He continued to brainwash Shang Keqing:

"If you want to become a tycoon in the film‑investment world, I can really let you easily take the annual box‑office crown. Think about it—I really like your personality; let's help each other succeed."

"Not firing Ye Jiaying—is that the only condition?"

The dream of winning the annual box‑office championship instantly stirred Shang Keqing's heart and mind.

Lin Dongfan held up two fingers: "Two conditions: one, raise Ye Jiaying's annual salary to five hundred thousand—don't stare, she deserves a high pay from you; two, give me the evidence you have in your hand."

"What evidence? I don't even know what you're talking about." Shang Keqing feigned ignorance again.

Lin Dongfan furrowed his brows slightly: "Then I'll give you a movie script that I guarantee will sweep all major awards, making it easy for you to cultivate your own star."

"Well..." Shang Keqing felt a bit tempted: "Can you also guarantee winning awards?"

Lin Dongfan confidently made an OK sign:

"Taking into account that different directors and actors have varying abilities, you must assemble the core crew according to the list I give. If you do that, I guarantee you'll win awards; if you don't, come find me. However much you invest, I'll compensate you the same amount—we can sign a betting agreement."

"Honestly, I think your brain's been kicked by a donkey, but I'm happy to take this bet with you. A fool's money—might as well take it. Tomorrow go to my company to sign the betting agreement."

Shang Keqing rose and extended his right hand, indicating his willingness to shake hands and cooperate.

Lin Dongfan immediately rose to cooperate: "First give me the evidence you have in your hand."

Shang Keqing said: "First, let's be clear—I only have leverage over Yin Qiuhong; I have none over Xiao Yunce, and that Xiao fellow is extremely sly."

"Having leverage over Yin Qiuhong is enough."

"Now Ding Yuxia has already been arrested; if we then detain Yin Qiuhong, the testimonies of these two women alone will be enough to make Xiao Yunce drink the bitter tea—what more leverage do we need?"