Chapter 116: The Hot Potato Investor Everyone

Chaoyang, Tuanjiehu

Yan Li didn't expect Wang Ou's residence was so close to Guanghua Li, just a few kilometers away.

But that was understandable; Chaoyang had developed rapidly in recent years and had become the commercial and fashion center of Jingcheng.

The district gathered numerous advertising agencies, photo studios, and commercial event venues; models lived here for more opportunities and convenient transportation.

Meanwhile, Tuanjiehu and Hujialou had more old residential complexes, with relatively cheaper rent; young models had limited finances, so renting or sharing apartments here was a good choice.

"I won't see you off; see you later."

Yan Li told the taxi driver to pull over; Wang Ou nodded and got out, stepping forward—when Yan Li called her back.

He waved her closer, bent her head down, slipped something into her arms, then said:

"I'll fight for you to get the female lead. Wait for my call. You're short on cash—take this money to buy some clothes for your auditions."

Without waiting for Wang Ou's reply, Yan Li waved his hand and told the driver to drive off.

After he left, Wang Ou pulled out a small stack of cash from her arms, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and quietly counted it.

5000+!

Wang Ou felt dizzy; she hadn't seen this much money in a long time—or rather, she'd only seen this much in a single payment once before.

That was right after the CCTV Model Competition ended, when the production team took them to work on a Guangdong auto show; they worked for half a month and earned well.

But after deducting expenses for clothing, transportation, makeup, and giving a cut to the middleman, she ended up with only a few thousand yuan.

It seemed like a lot, but it took long hours, was physically exhausting, and mentally draining.

For half a month, she stood beside cars for hours each day—her feet ached, her legs burned, she had to pose and be stared at, and at night she was often dragged to drink with clients, enduring those bloated, greedy bosses to avoid being taken advantage of.

Today, Yan Li not only promised her the female lead, but handed out this much… as a subsidy.

Wang Ou increasingly understood why her fellow models desperately clung to generous patrons.

The temptation was truly enormous!

And what pleased Wang Ou—even made her proud—was that, unlike those older or uglier patrons, Director Yan was young, handsome, and had a great physique.

To be honest, even if Director Yan gave her no role or money, she wouldn't have refused.

If she had to pick a flaw, it was that Director Yan's script sessions went on too long, full of empty platitudes, and tired her mouth…

Humming a tune as she returned to her rental, a roommate emerged from the bathroom, blocked her path, and held out a hand.

"Wang Ou, you owe me rent. It's been half a month already."

"Sorry, I was tight on cash, but I just withdrew money—I'll give it to you right away."

Wang Ou told her roommate to wait, went back to her room to put down her things, counted out the cash, then stepped out to hand it over.

"Thank you so much."

"Pay next time sooner."

The roommate rolled her eyes, took the money, and turned straight back to her room. Another roommate came out and comforted Wang Ou:

"Ignore her, she's like that. Hey, how'd you suddenly get money? Land a job?"

"Yeah, did a photo shoot."

Wang Ou gave a vague reply, then turned and went back to her room.

The roommate who borrowed from her had a bad temper, but she was willing to lend money when it mattered; the other roommate spoke sweetly, but had never successfully borrowed a cent from Wang Ou.

Having witnessed human coldness since childhood, Wang Ou understood: judge people not by what they say, but by what they do.

This applies to friends—and to men too!

No matter how sweet the words, they're cheap declarations; real, tangible benefits are far more valuable than those lovey-dovey phrases.

Lying in bed, Wang Ou held her phone, thought for a while, then sent Yan Li a long message.

She thanked him for his guidance and help, swore she'd work hard and not let him down, and so on.

After sending it, there was no reply for a long time; Wang Ou felt slightly disappointed—then she saw the cash beside her and instantly felt at ease.

Hmm, Director Yan must be busy and hasn't seen it yet!

…

Guanghua Li

Qin Lan lay softly in Yan Li's arms, her face slick with sweat: "Your phone's ringing."

Yan Li picked up the phone, glanced at it, skillfully ignored and deleted it, then tossed it aside.

"A real estate ad. Don't slack off—keep going."

————

Two days later, under Qin Lan's arrangement, Yan Li met her boyfriend Guan Hu and discussed investment in "Survival: Migrant Workers."

Boss Jin invested 1.5 million, Qian Shao and Bao Zong each put in 500,000, Yan Li himself contributed 500,000—totaling 3 million; Yan Li demanded 65% of the production's shares.

Moreover, besides using Wang Ou, whom Yan Li recommended, as the female lead, the distribution rights must also be handed over to Yi'an Film & Television.

Guan Hu naturally refused!

The female lead could be negotiated—he'd already prepared for this; no director was complete unless the investors forced an actor on him.

Distribution rights were also negotiable; Guan Hu had no channels himself and was already seeking a distribution company.

Yi'an had handled two top-tier TV dramas; their strength was solid. As long as the profit split was at normal market rates, letting them handle distribution was acceptable.

But the total investment for "Survival: Migrant Workers" was expected to exceed 6 million; Yan Li wanted over half the shares with just 3 million.

That was unacceptable!

How would he explain to other investors? His own interests would suffer.

"Director Guan, if you think it won't work, then forget it."

Yan Li remained calm; his desire to invest in this drama wasn't strong. If it worked, great; if not, fine.

As for Wang Ou, he could arrange anything; with his current status, he couldn't guarantee the female lead, but placing her as a lead in another production was no problem.

As a model who couldn't even act in her own plays, Wang Ou had no grounds to be picky.

"Director Yan, don't rush—let us discuss it."

At the critical moment, Ma Yili stepped forward to mediate; Yan Li's offer was indeed harsh, but the sheer amount of money he invested made it hard to refuse—three million yuan could cover the entire production's funding gap, possibly even leave a surplus.

If we let this go, where would we find another backer willing to invest three million yuan in such an obscure subject?

Ma Yili pulled Guan Hu out to persuade him, while Yan Li leisurely continued eating his meal.

After a while, Ma Yili brought Guan Hu back, had him apologize, then pleaded and played the victim, hoping Yan Li would reduce his share—65 percent was simply too much.

Yan Li had anticipated this—bidding high, then negotiating down.

His bottom price was 50 percent, but seeing Guan Hu and Ma Yili's attitude, he realized their limit was higher than he'd thought, and immediately adjusted his bottom price.

After listening to their complaints for a while, Yan Li hesitantly told Ma Yili:

"You're Qin Lan's friend. For your sake, 60 percent—that's my lowest offer. If you won't accept it, forget it."

"That's still a bit low…"

Guan Hu opened his mouth to speak, but Ma Yili, seeing Yan Li frown, kicked her boyfriend under the table and slammed the deal shut.

"Fine, it's settled."

Yan Li's brow relaxed; he shook Guan Hu's hand: "Director Guan, looking forward to our cooperation."

Guan Hu forced a smile; Ma Yili beamed: "We'll count on your continued support, Director Yan."

They set a time to sign the contract; Yan Li left first. After he was gone, Guan Hu glared at his girlfriend.

"We only got five percent more—how are we supposed to explain this?"

"Then give our share to other investors."

Ma Yili had already prepared for this; she explained her reasoning to Guan Hu.

"This Yan Li is wealthy and knowledgeable, with serious clout—he might actually make this work. We'll make less on this deal, but if we build a connection, we might land a long-term backer."

Directors like Guan Hu, who operate independently and lead their own projects, typically take a share of the production and then seek outside investors.

The reason is simple: film projects are high-risk—you can't afford to lose!

So investors provide the money, he provides the labor; profits are shared, losses? He loses only time, energy, and a small investment—not his entire fortune.

Under these conditions, unless you're a superstar director investors fight to fund, securing a backer is crucial.

Ma Yili had high hopes for Yan Li's potential; she believed if Guan Hu could establish a long-term partnership with him, it would greatly benefit his directing career.

"He's shrewd, greedy, and only cares about profit—you're thinking too simply."

Guan Hu, however, had a poor impression of Yan Li—he was too domineering, everything he said revolved around profit, unlike other investors who were easier to… get along with.

Ma Yili held the opposite view: "It's precisely people like him who can get things done."

…

The next day, Guan Hu and Ma Yili came to Yi'an to sign the contract and met Yan Li's chosen lead actress, Wang Ou.

Glancing at Wang Ou, Guan Hu breathed a sigh of relief.

Though her acting was still unknown, Wang Ou's appearance was better than he'd imagined—far better.

Guan Hu even considered revising the script slightly.

The original lead female character was a rural girl who fell into vice, forced by circumstance to become a hair salon worker—beautiful, but only slightly above average.

Wang Ou, however, was stunning beyond reason—she could easily play a nightclub queen; her being reduced to working in a salon frequented by migrant laborers felt implausible.

Ma Yili also glanced at Wang Ou, then subtly looked at Yan Li, saying nothing.

A young film boss placing a beautiful young model as the female lead in his new investment.

Hmm, maybe he's just being kind-hearted!

Ma Yili felt her relationship with Qin Lan wasn't close enough to risk alienating Yan Li, a major backer, just to warn her.

Yan Li noticed Ma Yili secretly observing him and Wang Ou, but paid it no mind.

He had nothing to hide!

Not to mention, from what he knew, Ma Yili wasn't that foolish; even if she told Qin Lan, he wasn't afraid.

Isn't it perfectly reasonable for the company to support and nurture promising artists as part of its future strategy?

Isn't it perfectly reasonable for him not to let Qin Lan play a low-budget, hair salon worker lead?

The company is busy—does he have to report every casting decision to his household?

With no evidence, he could even bring Wang Ou in for a direct "confrontation"—Qin Lan isn't stupid; she'd never cause trouble over something so trivial.

She might even suspect Ma Yili of sowing discord and damaging her relationship with Yan Li.

And besides…

Yan Li glanced at Ma Yili and Guan Hu, thinking they likely had no time to meddle in his affairs—they had their own troubles.

Tsk tsk, Yan Li recalled the intelligence he'd triggered and couldn't help shaking his head; he knew he wasn't a good man, but at least he only pursued outside flings.

This Director Guan, though—he'd even go after his girlfriend's best friend, playing such a complicated game.

Is the grass by the fence really that tasty!

After signing the contract and exchanging pleasantries, Guan Hu and his wife left. Once alone, Wang Ou could no longer contain her excitement; she threw herself into Yan Li's arms and kissed him passionately.

"Thank you, Director Yan…"

This was a real, legitimate female lead!

She'd once worried Yan Li was just humoring her—but he'd actually delivered.

Wang Ou's heart swelled with excitement, gratitude, and a quiet inner tremor.

From childhood on, her parents never cared for her; she'd lived under others' roofs, struggled alone, endured every hardship—this was the first time anyone had ever been so kind to her.

Without exaggeration, right now, she'd do anything Yan Li asked.

"Where's the office?"

Facing the warm and forward Wang Ou, Yan Li lifted her out of his arms and wiped the lipstick smudge from her face with a tissue.

"You must be mindful of your image at work, and outside too—you're going to be an artist, so you must value your public persona."

"I understand."

Wang Ou obediently nodded, her eyes again soft and seductive as she looked at Yan Li: "Director Yan, I'm still unsure about the script—could you go over the scenes with me again tonight?"

"Next time. I have something today."

Yan Li didn't reply—today was Dong Xuan's birthday, and he had to return to the Beiying Community in the afternoon.

Dong Xuan wasn't some clueless fool like Qin Lan; her eyes were sharp and her nose keen—he'd be better off avoiding any risk.

Wang Ou was already within reach; he could have her whenever he wanted, no need to rush.

He wasn't in a hurry, but Wang Ou felt uneasy inside.

Having tasted the sweetness of clinging to a powerful man, she now placed extraordinary importance on Yan Li, terrified he might grow indifferent and discard her, sending her back to those drifting, rootless days of hardship.

Today she had prepared everything, only for Yan Li to say, "Next time."

This left Wang Ou tense and flustered, wondering if she had done something wrong.

She even considered asking a colleague with a more… open personal life for advice on how to proceed.

Director Yan has a girlfriend, money, resources, and gives generously—there are probably many like me around him; if I don't master some core skills, I'll easily be forgotten.

Right now there's not even a hint of a deal, yet he's already offered me the female lead—if I truly secure his favor, what kind of future might that bring?

Thinking of this, Wang Ou's heart grew hotter, her gaze toward Yan Li filled with tiny sparks of ambition…

(End of Chapter)