[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment":3,"chapter-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-72":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Intelligence King of Chinese Entertainment",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260375,4411,"Chapter 72: Spring Festival Homecoming, Yan Er","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>\"Director X, thank you so much for your support this time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li helped a middle-aged man with glasses into the car, waved his hand behind him, and Lin Jiachuan handed him a cardboard box the size of a shoebox, which Yan Li placed on the vehicle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s almost the New Year—I’ve prepared some local specialties for you, just a small token of appreciation, please accept them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some polite refusal, the man got in his car and left; Lin Jiachuan could no longer suppress his delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forty thousand per episode—Shenzhen really has money.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li smiled broadly too; the system’s information about Shenzhen TV Station was vague, with little apparent room for maneuver—he’d come here mostly to see if luck would smile, his real goal being to study how to invest in Hong Kong stocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once he arrived and gathered detailed intelligence, he easily found a \"helpful person\" and secured the best contract available.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Jinling twenty thousand, Xi’an twenty thousand, Shenzhen forty thousand—bro, that’s already close to two million five hundred thousand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan counted on his fingers, his face glowing with excitement yet tinged with regret: \"If we’d landed that Hunan channel, it would’ve exceeded three million.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li shot him a glance: \"That guy’s too greedy and too flashy—he’ll trip up someday. Better keep your distance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Distributing TV dramas and dealing with TV stations involves one side buying, the other selling—anyone who claims there’s no gray area is a fool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This industry’s unwritten rule is followed by everyone; if you refuse to play along, you might as well switch careers. Yan Li wanted to make money, so he had no choice but to go with the flow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But everything has its limit—understand the rules, follow them, and you can cooperate; those who don’t know their place or the stakes, who lack basic awareness—Yan Li would have nothing to do with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough thinking—go back, take a shower, then book your tickets home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li called out, and the two returned to the hotel; the next day they flew to Jingcheng, arriving on the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wrapping up the Shenzhen coordination, Yan Li announced the company’s holiday—back to work next year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the three employees, Yan Li gave each a thousand-yuan red envelope on top of their salary; for Lin Jiachuan, he simply handed over a thick stack of cash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bro, that’s too much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan was stunned; Yan Li already paid him well, and he’d been eating and drinking for free all along—now this huge bonus?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just take it. You’ve been running around with me all this time, suffered plenty. Don’t waste this money—buy your parents some clothes and food for the New Year, so they’ll feel at ease.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Yan Li gave the money partly out of brotherly care, Lin Jiachuan had truly performed well these past days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diligent, hardworking, never complaining—he’d lost weight on these trips, thrown up after multiple drinking sessions. If Yan Li didn’t give him a big red envelope now, he’d be a worthless brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Got it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan clutched the cash, nodding vigorously, looking at Yan Li with emotion: \"Bro, you’re really good to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost, don’t get all mushy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li couldn’t stand this guy-sentimentality crap—he kicked Lin Jiachuan away and started packing his bags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan hadn’t gotten an airplane ticket; his train ticket was arranged through Zhang Songwen’s group, departing tomorrow at 9 p.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li didn’t take the plane or train—he chose to drive home for the New Year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when running errands without a car was inconvenient, Yan Li bought a secondhand black Santana 2000 for errands; because the car was in poor condition, he got it for about 60,000 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He used it daily for commuting, and rented a better car when he needed to impress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though merely a transitional vehicle in the early days of his startup, it was still his first car, and Yan Li cherished it deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he got it, he thoroughly cleaned and refurbished it inside and out, maintained it carefully, and whenever Nian Wei, Yi, or others borrowed it, they didn’t need to pay for gas—but they had to wash and polish it until it gleamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To an unobservant outsider, it looked almost nine or ten out of ten new.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loaded his luggage into the trunk, said goodbye to Lin Jiachuan, drove to a gas station, then set off for home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his residence in Jingcheng to his hometown in Zao City, Lu Province, was over 650 kilometers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li set out in the morning and drove nonstop until near dusk, finally arriving—exhausted, sore, his back and waist aching; he regretted it so much he wanted to slap himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why buy a crappy little car to show off? Just take the damn plane!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter what, the joy of returning home for the New Year outweighed everything—he pressed the brake, and the Santana slowly pulled up in front of his family’s restaurant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Er’s Restaurant!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, that was the plain, unadorned name of Yan Li’s family eatery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li’s grandfather had three sons: the eldest Yan Hai, the second Yan Jiang, the youngest Yan He. Yan Li’s father, Yan Jiang, was the second son, hence the name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also reflected local dining customs—many restaurants in Yicheng County, Zao City, used the format [Family Name + Birth Order].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near Yan Li’s home were Shi Laowu Restaurant and Zhu Laoyi Lamb Soup; when he was in middle school, he often passed by Wang Er Lamb Soup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this naming style sounded crude and unrefined, it was down-to-earth and memorable—perfect for small eateries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He got out and opened the door, noticing the restaurant was doing well—only one table in the main hall was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just before the New Year, after all—many people returning home were meeting friends and classmates for drinks, creating a small peak season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yan Li looked around, he saw his mother, Zhang Hong, carrying a dish out of the kitchen; she glanced at him briefly and called out casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s a menu by the door.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she placed the dish on one table and hurried back to the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d just changed his hairstyle and worn slightly more upscale clothes—was he really so handsome his own mother couldn’t recognize him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he doubted this, Zhang Hong, who had just entered the kitchen, turned back, squinted at him twice, then finally broke into a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Son, why didn’t you call before coming home?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li exhaled in relief—if his mother hadn’t recognized him twice, it would’ve been too embarrassing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Yan, your son’s back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hong ignored the customers, excitedly pulling Yan Li toward the back kitchen. Old Yan was focused on stir-frying over high heat; the kitchen noise drowned out her call. Only when Yan Li stood before him did he notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thirty years as a chef, Old Yan had developed some occupational habits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big face, thick neck, a round, protruding belly—but his features still hinted at the handsomeness of his youth; Yan Li’s good looks were mostly inherited from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his son, Yan Jiang wiped sweat with a towel, grinned, and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you eaten?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a chef, Old Yan’s paternal care was always simple and direct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li was used to it—he ordered directly: \"Dad, I want spicy chicken.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, I’ll make it for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Yan nodded, finished the current dish, then selected a large, cleaned local rooster, and chopped the meat with a cleaver—crack, crack, crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hong pulled her son aside to chat, but after just a few words, customers outside called her back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching his busy parents, Yan Li sighed, rolled up his sleeves, and washed his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine—let’s all pitch in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was always like this: while others took holidays at home, he worked overtime at home...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1320,"2026-06-19T16:16:52.605Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","69bd944bceb20962ced48981b0e1e3e68dfadd20a39dac3773e5ffd09235cb21","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-73","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-71",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]