Chapter 22: Pulling Up Trousers and Forgetting the Person

"Mr. Lu, what are you doing?"

Qingqing followed him into the room and suddenly let out a startled cry as Lu Liang scooped her up in his arms, carrying her toward the bathroom.

After a whirlwind of passion, Lu Liang emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, leaving Qingqing behind to tidy up the aftermath. He lay on the balcony sofa, feeling the river breeze on his face. He lit a cigarette, his fingertips tapping rhythmically against the table, feeling quite content.

The outcome he had feared most did not come to pass; instead, he had gained an unexpected windfall. He still had one suspicion, however, that would require four more days to verify.

...

The next morning, Lu Liang drove Qingqing back to Dream Film Production Company.

The two exchanged contact information, and he gave her a final pat on her shapely hips. "Go and busy yourself; I have some business to discuss with your Mr. Wu."

"Perhaps I should go get you a cup of tea?" Qingqing asked with a brilliant smile. Living in Tomson Riviera and driving a Bentley—she felt Lu Liang was her true destiny and her benefactor on the path to success.

"Go ahead," Lu Liang said with a smile, though he dropped the expression the moment she left.

He pulled out a business proposal. "Mr. Wu, I am very interested in this project. Could you please help me get in touch with the other party?"

An investment of five million, with a return of 120 million in seven months—a twenty-four-fold profit—was hard to resist.

"Mahua FunAge?" Wu Tianzheng frowned. "That’s a startup. Let me look up their information for you. They only established their film department last year; before that, they only produced stage plays. This film is also an adaptation of one of their plays. Mr. Lu, are you sure you want to contact them?"

Zhang Chen, the General Manager of Mahua FunAge, had approached him several times before, asking for help in finding connections and securing investment. Wu Tianzheng did not hold the project in high regard; after all, it was the first film from a group of outsiders, and an adaptation at that. This meant that anyone who had seen the stage play already knew the plot, leaving no room for freshness or anticipation. Furthermore, Mahua FunAge had limited influence, and the film’s lead actors, as well as the director and screenwriter, were all core members of their theater troupe. It looked like a project decided on a whim.

Since Lu Liang was a friend of Meng Changkun, Wu Tianzheng couldn't just watch him jump into a pit if he knew it was there.

"I've seen the stage play, and I think it's quite good. Please, Mr. Wu, do me the favor of reaching out to them."

Lu Liang knew Wu Tianzheng meant well, but he had absolute faith in his "future voice." If Wu Tianzheng couldn't see the box-office potential of this film, it only meant his vision was lacking.

Or perhaps one could say that most investors lacked vision; otherwise, this dark horse wouldn't be left out in the cold. It was this oversight that gave Lu Liang his opportunity.

"In that case, I'll contact them for you." Wu Tianzheng sighed, dropping the matter, and called Zhang Chen. "Mr. Zhang is in Beijing. When he heard you wanted to invest, he immediately booked a flight for noon. Mr. Lu, when are you free?"

"Let's make it three o'clock this afternoon. Help me set up the time, then send me the address. I'll head over directly."

"And what about Qingqing? Should she go with you, or should I contact Bai Xiaoqin from yesterday?" Wu Tianzheng asked cautiously, assuming Lu Liang wanted to promote someone, otherwise he wouldn't be investing in this film.

"Forget about Bai Xiaoqin. As for Qingqing, I'll need to trouble you to give her some resources later on."

He didn't intend to interfere with a film that could leverage 20 million in costs into 1.441 billion at the box office; he would let things take their natural course. If he forced a role into the film and it flopped, he’d essentially be losing over a hundred million.

"Mr. Lu, would you like to see other proposals?" Wu Tianzheng didn't press further; he had seen enough men treat women as disposable. Besides, he had already promised Qingqing resource support and a generous bonus for accompanying Lu Liang the previous night.

"Not today. I have other matters to attend to."

Zhao Haisheng from Guotai Securities had called to say that Lu Liang now qualified for a high-net-worth investor suite, and asked him to find time to handle the paperwork. A high-net-worth suite at Guotai Securities was not just a symbol of status; it came with many practical benefits. Previously, Lu Liang had been using a standard account, where every transaction incurred a commission of 0.03%. On 10 million, that was 3,000 yuan—and it wasn't a one-time fee, but applied to every single trade. Upgrading to a high-net-worth status would drop the commission to 0.012% and grant access to margin trading and other financial derivative services.

Shortly after, Lu Liang and Wu Tianzheng walked out of the office, chatting and laughing, just as Bai Xiaoqin arrived to sign her contract.

"Mr. Lu, Mr. Wu, hello."

A flash of joy crossed Bai Xiaoqin's eyes. Since returning yesterday, she had received an invitation for the role of the fourth female lead. She knew it was all thanks to Lu Liang, which had left her feeling anxious and unable to sleep half the night. She had heard many stories about "unspoken rules," especially in web-movie crews with budgets under ten million like *Puppet Master vs. Pen Immortal*. Often, producers would invite actresses to their hotels at night to "read the script," and if they refused, they would be targeted, or their hard work over months of filming would end up on the cutting room floor. Such things were not uncommon. Yet, last night, Bai Xiaoqin hadn't received any such calls, which gave her a small spark of gratitude toward Lu Liang—though only a small one.

"Keep up the good work on set; I look forward to your performance." Lu Liang greeted her, ignored Qingqing, and left the Dream Film offices.

"I will definitely do my best!" Bai Xiaoqin said excitedly, bowing deeply as she watched Lu Liang walk away.

Qingqing, passing by, sneered coldly, "Hah, how naive. If hard work were useful, there wouldn't be so many extras." She was annoyed; Lu Liang's indifference toward her was a clear sign of someone who had gotten what he wanted and now refused to acknowledge her.

"Senior, did I do something wrong?" Bai Xiaoqin, possessing a straightforward personality, didn't understand why she was being targeted.

"Xiao Bai, don't worry about her. Once you sign the contract, go report to Director Liang." Wu Tianzheng glared at Qingqing and called her into the office. "There are a few fashion sets to showcase on the cover of *Harper's Bazaar* next month. Prepare yourself and go to Beijing to assist with the shoot."

Seeing that Qingqing still looked resentful, Wu Tianzheng said earnestly, "Qingqing, don't overthink it. Wealthy men are not fools. Mr. Lu is really no different from Mr. Liu or Mr. Zheng from before." He didn't know what had happened last night, nor what Lu Liang had said to her, but judging by their attitudes today, it was clear Lu Liang hadn't taken it seriously, while Qingqing had.

Qingqing bit her lip, picking at her manicure, and finally sighed helplessly. "I understand, Mr. Wu."

"Good, you may go." Wu Tianzheng nodded slightly, a satisfied smile on his face. She was a girl who knew when to bend and was willing to put in the effort; he believed she would make it eventually.

Meanwhile, Lu Liang arrived at the Guotai Securities branch. It was Saturday, a non-trading day, so there were far fewer investors around. Zhao Haisheng had been waiting at the entrance; seeing Lu Liang step out of the Bentley, he couldn't help but gasp, his expression filled with envy.

He recalled that just half a month ago, Lu Liang was a nobody who could only scrape together 250,000 for margin trading. In the blink of an eye, he had become a high-net-worth individual with millions in assets. If not for his own "merit in supporting the dragon's rise," such a premium client would never have fallen into his lap.

"Brother Liang, park the car right here." Zhao Haisheng quickly adjusted his mindset, put on a smile, and hurried over to remove the parking barrier to make room. Having worked in the industry for seven years, he had seen and heard too much; he long ago understood that success was a matter of timing, fate, and luck. Some people and some things were not meant to be envied; he only needed to do his job well.