Chapter 352: Three-Party Agreement: Who Will Bear Yan

Yan Li’s call was temporarily hung up, and Hu Siyan’s room fell silent.

Yu Zheng’s eyes visibly turned red!

Original shares must be purchased, but the price is low—this is inherently a benefit and binding arrangement; if the price were especially high, the meaning would be diminished, and some simply couldn’t afford it.

Taking Huayi’s star equity infusion as an example, the two rounds: the first was only a few jiao per share, the second under three yuan.

Yet Huayi’s target offering price has already surged toward twenty-plus yuan.

In other words, as long as Huayi goes public and doesn’t crash wildly, the value of Huayi’s original shares will instantly surge several-fold, even tenfold or more; if Huayi’s stock rises further, profits will be even greater.

Yet Yi’an’s current valuation, growth potential, and prospects are absolutely incomparable to Huayi’s—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for asset explosion.

The mahjong game was abandoned; Yu Zheng returned to his room, pumped up like he’d been injected with adrenaline, studying how to make “The Beauty’s Scheme” even better.

He understood clearly: Yan Li didn’t tell him this out of boredom—he was openly dangling a carrot.

The chance to get rich is right here; if you want to make money, work hard.

Only by delivering results can you earn more original shares and make more money.

Though it’s a carrot, this carrot is real—and so big, so tempting—that Yu Zheng willingly doubled his efforts.

Yu Zheng left in a hurry; the remaining Teddy Sisters, no matter how envious, couldn’t get a bite of this cake, so they mostly chatted about Yi’an’s valuation.

Weibo’s valuation alone was terrifying enough, instantly catapulting Yan Li into the billionaire club.

Now Yi’an is valued at 13.5 billion; Yan Li’s shares must be worth at least several billion.

Isn’t this supposed to be the financial crisis, with the overall environment bad?

How come, with Yan Li, money seems like it’s not money at all—suddenly tens or hundreds of billions?

Hu Siyan and the others exchanged glances; even Qin Lan felt a bit dizzy.

To be honest, Yan Li’s net worth has skyrocketed too fast over the past year.

Previously, although Yan Li was rich, his bigger labels were youth and high fame; his personal assets weren’t especially strong among billionaires—he was a rising star.

But since launching Weibo and merging Yi’an, coupled with the financial crisis, Yi’an shot up like a rocket—his net worth increased more than tenfold.

Though he hasn’t yet broken into the top tier, he’s now undeniably among the top super-rich.

Over a billion!

Possibly even hundreds of billions!

Qin Lan suddenly turned back—had she done nothing at all, just eaten and drank lazily, and now become a Haomenkuotai ?

“You guys play on—I’m going back.”

Qin Lan had hung up on Yan Li earlier because Yu Zheng and others were present; now she had to call back immediately and chat intimately with her billionaire husband.

With Yu Zheng and Qin Lan gone, and the producer and senior figure gone, the rest should’ve played even harder.

But sadly, everyone had their own thoughts—the mahjong game felt dull.

After Mianqiang playing a few rounds, Hu Siyan pushed her tiles forward: “Let’s call it a day. Rest up—we have filming tomorrow.”

The others agreed and quickly dispersed; only Li Xiaolu, Hu Siyan’s closest friend, remained in the room.

The latter raised an eyebrow at Hu Siyan: “Interview time—how do you feel?”

“Happy, of course—the stronger he is, the better our lives become.”

Hu Siyan answered; Li Xiaolu pressed: “Just that? Nothing else?”

“What else could I possibly think?”

Hu Siyan smiled bitterly: “Why risk ruining a good life?”

These past few years, she’s been triumphant, but she’s also offended many people; Yan Li protects her, Qin Lan backs her—no one dares to bother her. But if she offends both and loses their protection, she dares not imagine how terrible her fate would be.

“Boring.”

Li Xiaolu sneered: “You’re too timid. Take a risk—you might rise to the top.”

Hu Siyan shot back: “Then why don’t you take the risk?”

“Our relationship? He doesn’t even notice me—I have no chance to try. Besides, if I tried, would you help me?”

Help your grandma’s leg!

Hu Siyan has always been wary of Li Xiaolu sneaking around her to connect with Yan Li—she’s extremely cautious; if Li Xiaolu makes any move, Hu Siyan will be the first to sabotage it.

“Enough. We just don’t have that fate. Grab what benefits we can—don’t think further.”

Hu Siyan saw things clearly, comforting Li Xiaolu, who opened a bottle of wine.

“Have a drink?”

“Sure. I’m mainly annoyed by Wang Ou—that slut—she’s bound to get a lot of benefits this time.”

“Come on, you’ll still profit from Huayi’s IPO—you’re not the worst off. I’m the one with nothing.”

“But at least you’re comfortable. Listen, next time…”

Just as Hu Siyan and Li Xiaolu were discussing their “combo moves,” Qin Lan finally received Yan Li’s return call.

“I just talked with Deng Chao and Ning Hao—gave them a pep talk.”

Yan Li could dangle a carrot for Yu Zheng, so naturally he wouldn’t leave others out—anyone who brought value to the company received encouragement and temptation.

More work, more reward; Yan Li had no problem giving them extra original shares—the better they performed, the higher the company’s stock price, and the greater his own profit as the major shareholder.

“Is Yi’an really valued at 13.5 billion? My god, then your shares must be worth over a billion.”

“After this round of financing and reserving some original shares, my stake isn’t as large anymore.”

Yan Li explained: this Yi’an financing planned to allocate 15%, partnering with Beijing Cultural & Broadcasting, China Resources, and a PE fund.

These three had been mentioned before—besides providing capital, each brought official resources, commercial real estate assets, and IPO support.

Thus, this 15% stake had significant resource offsets; the actual funds raised were 1.2 billion RMB.

Even so, this sum is enough for Yi’an to expand massively before going public.

It can even be allocated to other Yi’an divisions: film investment, equipment upgrades, artist marketing, ground promotion staffing, tech upgrades, etc.

Besides this financing, Yi’an will also exchange 5%–10% of its shares with Weibo for strategic binding.

As the major shareholder and actual operator of both companies, Yan Li must set an example and shoulder the bulk.

But don’t think you’re losing—Yan Li is the major shareholder of both; Weibo and Yi’an’s share swap means those exchanged shares remain in his hands.

More importantly, the strategic binding benefits both companies and him personally immensely—Yan Li is unquestionably the biggest winner; his gains far outweigh the minor loss from share exchange.

Additionally, Yan Li plans to set aside an original share pool—roughly 5%–10% of total shares—to reward key management and stars, similar to Huayi’s scale.

But because Yi’an and Huayi differ in situation, and Yan Li is present, the star strategy isn’t as critical.

So Yi’an’s entry threshold is lower, more people can get original shares, but individual allocations are smaller.

In short, Boss Yan hasn’t forgotten his brothers—everyone gets a taste; senior staff take less, middle management take more.

Yet because Yi’an’s scale and prospects are superior, even senior staff taking less will still earn more than they would at Huayi.

A few might grumble, but most still appreciate Yan Li’s generosity, and it strengthens his control over the entire company.

Honestly, giving more original shares to senior staff and top stars might seem fair, but once fed, they’re harder to satisfy—and more likely to leave.

Showing favor to middle management greatly boosts company cohesion and Yan Li’s personal prestige; if these core staff are stabilized, the company is stable.

For Yan Li, the latter is clearly more beneficial to him and the company.

Currently, Yan Li has a rough allocation plan for original shares.

Management gets one scheme, stars get another—their contributions and value aren’t on the same scale, so they’re calculated separately.

Stars bring more revenue and exposure, so they get a premium.

Fan Xiaopang is unquestionably the top recipient of these original shares; Yan Li plans to give her 1.5%–2%.

Don’t think it’s small—based on the current 13.5 billion valuation, Fan Xiaopang’s shares are worth 200–270 million.

Of course, shares will inevitably dilute upon listing, but Yi’an’s stock price will likely rise too—fewer shares will be worth more money.

Fan Xiaopang’s wealth explosion is predictable, and she’ll become Yi’an’s new wealth myth, further promoting Yi’an.

Besides Fan Xiaopang, Ning Hao might get around 1%; everyone else gets far less.

Based on status, fame, contribution, achievements, and potential, they receive fractions of a percent, even less than 0.01%.

But even the smallest amount is money—turning tens of thousands into hundreds of thousands is a rare chance to get rich, far better than a salary.

Qin Lan listened, dazed: “Just tell me how many shares you still have.”

“Hard to say—currently, I still hold over 60%–65%. After listing, there’ll be further dilution and hidden allocations; excluding indirect holdings, I’ll likely retain around 50% on paper.”

“Still that much?!”

Qin Lan was stunned—she thought all those allocations meant Yan Li’s shares were dwindling, but he was still the absolute majority shareholder.

“Of course—Yi’an is my wholly owned company; before merging Yi’an Cinema, I was already a major shareholder. Had I not intentionally adjusted the equity structure for easier listing, my stake would’ve been even higher.”

Yi’an’s conditions are too good, Yan Li’s cards are too strong—he’s actually worried about owning too many shares.

He’s now trying every way to avoid excessive direct ownership; if he’s too deeply tied to Yi’an, cashing out later will be difficult.

Thinking of this, Yan Li himself almost laughed bitterly.

Other founders sweat over owning too few shares, scrambling to increase their stakes and secure control—he’s the opposite, complaining his shares are too many. It’s darkly humorous.

Qin Lan stayed silent, counting on her fingers.

If Yan Li holds 50%, that’s nearly 7 billion now; with this valuation, after listing and soaring, it’ll easily hit 20 billion or more—that’s… over a billion.

And this is only Yi’an—Weibo’s valuation and prospects are universally recognized as far stronger.

Qin Lan pressed her chest: “Maybe I should go back to Beijing. In a week, it’ll be my ovulation period.”

During the New Year, Yan Li had bragged that he’d only dare face his child’s birth once he’d saved up a hundred billion for the next generation.

Back then, she and Dong Xuan had teased him—thought he was just playing around, fooling them. Now? He could give each child a hundred billion and still have change.

Yan Li: “...”

“Aren’t you filming anymore?”

"No matter what kind of drama you shoot, it can't compare to my son becoming a Haomen heir."

Qin Lan snapped, anxious—Dong Xuan was still in Jingcheng, and if she got the advantage of proximity, her eldest son’s status would be lost.

Forget Dong Xuan; she guessed even Fan Xiaopang couldn’t hold out much longer.

No matter how important her career was, nothing mattered more than her child becoming the first heir to a billionaire fortune.

"Get pregnant now, give birth next year—perfect timing for the post-2010 generation, and the zodiac sign will be Tiger, a mighty omen."

Qin Lan was practically pulling out the almanac as evidence; Yu Yanli felt uneasy but couldn’t think of a good excuse right away.

Besides, he had indeed considered having a child this year or next, stepping into a new phase of life at thirty; starting preparations now was about right.

"Don’t rush. At least let me adjust. Even preconception requires quitting smoking and drinking. You go ahead and film; I’ll finish this stretch, then we’ll discuss it."

This time, Yu Yanli wasn’t just stalling—he’d researched it before. Preconception had many precautions; it truly couldn’t be rushed.

Qin Lan conceded, but still made three rules with him: "You won’t sneak around with Dong Xuan or anyone else."

Yu Yanli: "…"

Who could say for sure? Even if a strong little sperm showed up, the system wouldn’t help.

"Leave it to me—I’ll talk to them."

Qin Lan hung up, then pulled out her phone and contacted Dong Xuan and Fan Xiaopang. The moment they heard Yu Yanli had softened, they immediately launched a three-way video call.

"My point is: let’s make a gentleman’s agreement—healthy conception, healthy competition—no underhanded tricks, or it’ll hurt everyone."

Fan Xiaopang sipped milk and bluntly said: "I don’t trust either of you."

"Heh."

Dong Xuan cradled a stuffed cat, stroking it as she mocked Fan Xiaopang.

"You’re the least trustworthy. Forget distant history—remember when you came back with a surprise last New Year? Your integrity is already negative in my book."

Qin Lan nodded: "Exactly. You’ve broken promises so many times. You don’t trust us? We don’t trust you either."

"Then what’s left to say? If we don’t trust each other, let’s settle it for real."

Fan Xiaopang set down her milk and jumped into battle; Dong Xuan didn’t back down: "Come on, I’m not afraid of you."

Qin Lan rushed out to mediate—she couldn’t let them fight; both were in Jingcheng, and she’d be at a disadvantage.

"Don’t start off hostile. Some things can be discussed."

Qin Lan turned to Fan Xiaopang: "Don’t act tough. Yi’an’s IPO is imminent—you simply can’t get pregnant now."

If Fan Xiaopang got pregnant now, abandoning her career would be minor; damaging Yi’an’s IPO would be catastrophic.

Even if Yu Yanli could accept it, shareholders and employees couldn’t. Fan Xiaopang would effectively cut herself off from Yi’an.

If her career suffered and she severed ties with Yi’an, would she really become a housewife from now on?

Besides, she might not even get ahead of Qin Lan—and she might even make Yu Yanli develop feelings for her.

Better to wait two years, fully reap the IPO’s benefits, and delay pregnancy for the greater good. Yu Yanli would then understand, even feel guilty for her sacrifice—a major plus point.

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan would also owe her a significant favor, opening room for future negotiations.

"…"

Qin Lan spoke eloquently to persuade Fan Xiaopang, but the latter rolled her eyes.

"No matter how nicely you phrase it, what if you pull the ladder away after I climb up?"

Having a child and not having one are worlds apart. Qin Lan’s already allied with Dong Xuan—if they use the child’s momentum to ambush her and push her out, she’s finished.

No matter how high the cost of childbirth, having a child means she can make a comeback.

If she’s pushed out, no matter how successful her career or how much profit she gains, she’s just earning baby formula for those two.

"You have zero confidence in yourself—and in Yu Yanli."

Dong Xuan couldn’t help retorting. She and Qin Lan’s ideal outcome was merely to suppress Fan Xiaopang—but Fan Xiaopang was going all-in against herself.

"Things can go wrong. One must be prepared."

Fan Xiaopang’s face was serious, but Qin Lan sensed the tactic: high initial demand, low final offer.

If Fan Xiaopang truly didn’t want to talk, she’d have walked out. All this rebuttal and exaggeration of risk was just bargaining.

She quietly sent Dong Xuan a text—but Fan Xiaopang spotted it: "What are you doing? Sneaky moves? If you’re going like this, forget it—this is pointless."

Dong Xuan and Qin Lan fell silent. Dong Xuan spoke first: "What do you want?"

"Simple."

Fan Xiaopang said she’d forgo competing for the position of eldest son, but Qin Lan and Dong Xuan had to grant her substantial concessions, guarantee her risks were minimized, and prevent her from being betrayed.

As Qin Lan listened to Fan Xiaopang’s demands, her face darkened. She sneered: "Why not just marry Yu Yanli and make us your bridesmaids?"

Fan Xiaopang’s eyes lit up: "Bridesmaids aren’t needed—but add marriage to the list."

"Add your ％＃＆＄……"

Dong Xuan cursed, furious. The goal was to win the eldest son—but under Fan Xiaopang’s terms, they’d be begging on their knees, and the child would become illegitimate.

Qin Lan’s face was black: "If that’s your sincerity, let’s just go to war. I don’t believe you’d really go through with it."

Dong Xuan nodded expressionlessly: "Fine. I have no objection."

Fan Xiaopang stayed silent. Without another word, Qin and Dong hung up the call. She sighed and reconnected them.

"Eldest son, eldest grandson, the first heir—can’t you even agree to that?"

"The Bazi hasn’t even been drawn yet. What century are we in? Still clinging to old traditions? Yu Yanli isn’t that feudal."

"Exactly. We don’t even know if it’ll be a boy or girl—you’re already assuming. If you’re serious, talk properly. If not, hang up."

Qin Lan and Dong Xuan played their parts perfectly: one thing was clear—they’d consider concessions for Fan Xiaopang for various reasons, but they’d never accept her outrageous demands.

Thus began a fierce, verbal battle among the three!

First, they didn’t discuss benefits—they discussed Fan Xiaopang’s safety, which she valued most, and which Qin and Dong were willing to support.

They never imagined forcing Fan out or stopping her from having a child—it was too difficult. Just delaying her was already a major victory.

Moreover, to some extent, if all three had children, they might compete over the children’s interests—but also form a new alliance to suppress Yu Yanli’s other women and protect their own and their children’s interests.

Qin and Dong were weaker in this regard; with Fan Xiaopang joining, they could form an effective deterrent.

Only after that did they turn to benefit negotiations. Though Qin and Dong rejected Fan Xiaopang’s greed, they still let her secure quite a few advantages.