Chapter 383

Li Xiaolu only realized after arriving at the location that they had misunderstood.

Seeing Yan Li called Huo over not for what they thought, but to have her handle social obligations.

The reason Seeing Yan Li asked Huo Siyan to come was because the person he was entertaining today was LeTV's Jia Laoban.

In short, Seeing Yan Li had Huo Siyan come to lend him face.

Huo Siyan was baffled—wasn't she supposed to be a mole? Why was she now out in the open?

She leaned close to Seeing Yan Li and whispered a question; Seeing Yan Li was speechless: "Don't you think about it? Can you really disassociate yourself from me?"

Aside from their private relationship, unless Huo Siyan broke ties with Qin Lan, Jia Laoban would never believe she was fully committed to LeTV.

There's no point hiding it—Seeing Yan Li plainly told Jia Laoban: I know your plan; Huo is mine. I can have her bring the Teddy Sisters Group to help you, but shouldn't you offer something in return?

We're all smart people!

LeTV lacks connections and resources, so it wants celebrities to boost its profile, hype its upcoming IPO, and lay groundwork for future moves.

But this isn't easy—LeTV currently lacks the strength to attract celebrities effectively.

Don't think any company can pull off a celebrity strategy; celebrities aren't fools—they're highly cautious in many ways.

Because there are too many scammers in the entertainment circle; many have been fooled too many times.

Most celebrities come from arts backgrounds, have limited education, and move in relatively closed social circles—they don't understand finance or investment.

Yet they earn high incomes, and due to the nature of their profession, they feel insecure and constantly seek backup plans; combined with their fame and low social resources, they're prime targets.

Every year, rumors circulate about some fool being scammed—even bankrupted.

But due to image, reputation, taxes, and many other reasons, some celebrities dare not make a fuss after being scammed, swallowing their losses silently, which only fuels the corruption.

With so many falling for scams, many celebrities have become cautious.

This is why it's so hard for outside companies to get close to celebrities—without a trusted connection or someone inside the circle vouching for you, they won't even engage.

Simply throwing money at them doesn't always work—they might suspect it's bait, given how many scams exist, or they'll just go through the motions without real effort.

So if you want celebrities to work for you, promote your business, and lend their effort and presence,

Personal relationships are essential—you must cultivate some emotional bond to earn their trust.

Industry resources are hard currency; these directly demonstrate your actual strength, giving celebrities minimal risk—if they taste success, they may be willing to cooperate.

You need at least one of these two; to truly succeed, you need both—think of the resources, time, and energy this consumes.

If Jia Laoban abandons the Teddy Sisters Group he's spent years cultivating and starts over building connections with celebrities, it'll be a massive effort.

Conversely, using the Teddy Sisters Group as a foundation to attract and absorb other celebrities would be dozens of times more efficient than LeTV doing it alone.

Seeing Yan Li precisely understood the importance of the Teddy Sisters Group to LeTV and used it as leverage to talk with Jia Laoban.

He doesn't lack the Teddy Sisters Group, nor is he severing ties—he's just letting LeTV bask in their reflected glory.

It's idle time anyway—LeTV gains momentum, the Teddy Sisters Group gains resources, and he takes a cut—everyone wins.

Jia Laoban understood perfectly and was not displeased; in fact, he was pleased that Boss Yan showed interest in LeTV.

Due to his future knowledge, Seeing Yan Li had a slight bias toward LeTV, but in reality and in Jia Laoban's eyes, LeTV was still in its rise phase—beyond its background, it had no special advantages.

Don't assume background guarantees success—there are countless companies with powerful backing, even some with heaven-reaching influence, yet not every well-connected company succeeds.

Seeing Yan Li saw potential benefits in LeTV's rise; Jia Laoban also hoped to leverage Yi'an and Weibo's momentum to accelerate LeTV's growth.

So their conversation went smoothly, and they reached some agreements.

Huo Siyan served as a bridge and hub, representing Seeing Yan Li to some extent, while Seeing Yan Li himself had no direct ties to LeTV.

Jia Laoban was both disappointed and satisfied with this arrangement.

Seeing Yan Li's distant attitude made him feel Seeing Yan Li remained conservative and cautious about many aspects of LeTV—this wasn't a healthy partnership model.

Yet at the same time, Jia Laoban was wary of Seeing Yan Li's reputation—if Seeing Yan Li grew too close to LeTV, his own authority and influence within LeTV would decline.

This vague, connected-but-not-direct involvement gave him a sense of security.

"Boss Yan, thank you for your kindness."

"Jia Laoban, may our cooperation be fruitful."

They clinked glasses; Gan Wei and Huo Siyan and the others watched, confused—what were these two secretly up to?

After the gathering ended, Gan Wei couldn't resist asking Jia Laoban: What did Seeing Yan Li really mean?

"He wants benefits but doesn't want to get too close to LeTV, so he hides behind the scenes and uses Huo Siyan as his puppet."

Gan Wei didn't understand: "Why use Huo? Wouldn't Qin Lan be better?"

Jia Laoban shook his head: "Maybe he thinks Qin Lan is too closely tied to him, or maybe Huo Siyan is more eager for the spotlight—who knows? Perhaps he'll later assign two: one in the shadows, one in plain sight."

The hidden one takes the big cut; the visible one takes the scraps—even loses money. This trick is everywhere.

But Gan Wei still didn't get it: why does Seeing Yan Li want to distance himself from LeTV? They're not even competitors, are they?

Jia Laoban didn't reply—he was puzzled too. After thinking, he guessed it might be because of Seeing Yan Li's background; he'd always heard Seeing Yan Li avoided such connections.

Better that way—it suits him. If Seeing Yan Li grew close to his own background, what room would be left for him?

On the other side, Huo Siyan asked some questions too; Seeing Yan Li didn't hide much from her, telling her what he could.

Huo Siyan half-understood, so she asked directly: "What's in it for me?"

"LeTV won't shortchange you—you'll get all the resources and status a top star deserves; I'll also keep you a share—wealth and fame both."

Huo Siyan was delighted and happily accepted the title of puppet.

But clearly, she only knew there were benefits—she had no concrete sense of what being LeTV's top star or Seeing Yan Li's designated beneficiary truly meant.

At its peak, LeTV was unquestionably a giant; the resources and actual status a LeTV top star could access were beyond what countless female stars could ever reach.

Though Seeing Yan Li planned to take a cut, LeTV had deep-pocketed backers, investors, and Jia Laoban himself—he wouldn't let Seeing Yan Li gorge himself.

Seeing Yan Li knew his limits—he'd nibble on bones, sip the broth, grab a side profit, and if he could pick up extra gains later, all the better.

Even so, given LeTV's scale, this sum wasn't small—Seeing Yan Li giving Huo Siyan 5–10% was enough to make her a true entertainment industry tycoon.

Of course, Huo Siyan wasn't without risk—but Seeing Yan Li did his best to shield her and minimize it.

Even if she ended up bearing some of the fallout, the benefits she gained more than covered—and far exceeded—the cost she paid.

Given Huo Siyan's personality, if asked to choose between a quiet, stable life with modest wealth or a powerful, financially free one, she would pick the latter with 200 percent certainty.

If Seeing Yan Li were to back her up and minimize the risks as much as possible, she would choose the latter with 1000 percent certainty—even Li Xiaolu beside her would be tempted.

Precisely because Li Xiaolu was present, Seeing Yan Li hadn't spelled it out clearly; he planned to find a time later to talk in detail with Huo Siyan.

If the latter truly refused, Seeing Yan Li would simply replace her.

Yi'an's IPO, Wang Ou's departure, her move to LeTV seeking new opportunities—all of it was reasonable and justified.

Jiang Xin's loyalty, influence, and organizational ability were weaker, but not unmanageable.

If all else failed, Seeing Yan Li could take some risks: partner with someone ambitious, or simply keep Qin Lancang in the shadows and accept slightly lower profits.

Seeing Yan Li was thinking about LeTV, while Li Xiaolu pulled at Huo Siyan's various little strings; the latter hesitated.

By the time they reached the Palm Springs International Apartments, Huo Siyan—who didn't want to take the blame—thought, "Let the other guy die, not me," and reported Li Xiaolu.

Yet to Huo and Li's surprise, Seeing Yan Li remained calm, even naming Jia Nailiang outright.

"Jia Nailiang? Old acquaintance."

He'd once been Huang Shengyi's ex-boyfriend; now they'd crossed paths again. This guy and he were clearly fated to keep meeting.

"Brother-in-law, you knew?"

Huo Siyan asked. Seeing Yan Li nodded. Not to mention the system's alerts—even the Teddy Sisters' gossip network made it impossible to hide anything from him.

Li Xiaolu finally realized: Seeing Yan Li knew everything. If she truly tried to play both sides, her outcome would be terrible.

Huo Siyan instinctively massaged Seeing Yan Li's shoulders, loudly declaring her loyalty: "Brother-in-law, I've always kept myself pure. Anyone who hits on me? I ignore them completely."

"I know."

Precisely because Huo Siyan had performed well, Seeing Yan Li was willing to give her a chance and kept her in mind for rewards.

Excluding Qin Dongfan and the other two, in terms of loyalty, Wang Ou came first, she came second, then Yang Rong.

Wang Ou genuinely relied on and idolized him, constantly brainwashing herself—almost to the point of psychological disorder. Yang Rong liked him and was somewhat influenced by Wang Ou. Huo Siyan's motives were mixed with pragmatism and admiration for strength.

But regardless of their underlying psychology or goals, as long as they had no disloyalty toward him, Seeing Yan Li would give them what they wanted.

The other women who followed him each had their own private motives, but as long as they stayed honest and modest, he wouldn't withhold what they deserved. When the time came for honesty, they could part amicably.

Li Xiaolu sat in silence. Seeing Yan Li said nothing.

He wouldn't urge her to leave him, nor would he urge her to stay. The decision was hers alone.

After a moment, Li Xiaolu made her choice and whispered: "There's still more than half a month until the New Year. Can you spend a few more times with me?"

Huo Siyan's lips moved, but she didn't speak. Seeing Yan Li nodded and added voluntarily.

"I have a friend in real estate who developed a housing project in Haidian. He gave me an apartment—it's worth a few million. I'll give it to you as a New Year gift."

"New Year gift" sounded nice, but everyone understood what the apartment truly represented.

Li Xiaolu bit her lip, and her petite body unleashed tremendous force, tackling Seeing Yan Li onto the sofa.

Seeing Yan Li had never realized before—even little deer could be predators…