Another Monday, and on major news outlets, including social media platforms like Dayanzi, the top headlines were all about “The Happy Home of Millions of Anime Fans,” “Little Sweet Fruit,” and so on. Clicking on them revealed that Little Sweet Fruit had already been taken over by capital, and all debt issues due to infringement would be resolved by the end of the month. Little Sweet Fruit would undergo a magnificent transformation and embark on a path of legitimate content. Upon seeing this news, Cai Ji, a popular blogger on Little Sweet Fruit, couldn’t help but eat an extra large bowl of rice that lunchtime. And Jiang Ruotang’s series of lecture videos became increasingly refined, unknowingly garnering him a multitude of followers.

Currently, Zheng Huasheng holds 30% of Little Sweet Fruit’s shares on behalf of Jiang Ruotang, and Qi Yanzhe holds 20%. What Jiang Ruotang hadn’t expected was that Chen Dan actually invested 10% out of his own pocket. Jiang Ruotang couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Chen, this is a first for both Qi Yanzhe and me. Are you just blindly investing with us? What if we lose money… will our friendship end?”

Chen Dan chuckled and replied, “Ah Ze and I have been friends since childhood. He has a lot of ideas, but very few of them come to fruition. The other day, I heard him talk about Little Sweet Fruit’s development, and he spoke so logically, much more maturely than when he impulsively wanted to buy Little Sweet Fruit before. Even I was persuaded. Our family also has a film and television company. No matter how powerful a film and television company is, it can’t beat a TV station, right? Ah Ze said that one day video websites will become more powerful buyers than TV stations, so shouldn’t I get on board with the times and become a buyer? Whether I lose money or not is my own choice, and I will be responsible for my own choices.”

Hearing this, Chen Dan’s ideas did seem much more reliable than Qi Yanzhe’s. Moreover, bringing him in meant he could accompany Mr. Zheng to negotiate collaborations in the future. One playing the good cop, one playing the bad cop – a perfect match. Next, they needed to recruit a professional team to get Little Sweet Fruit on the right track, expand its content library, and raise funds.

Qi Yanzhe was now full of enthusiasm. His so-called “fox friends and dog buddies” who had promised him half a million had all been squeezed dry one by one. Without even going through bank loans, a large sum of money suddenly appeared to introduce new copyrights.

Just then, Mu Xianqing’s call came. “My little ancestor, I have good news for you—Gao Cheng, the former vice CEO of Qilin Video, had a big falling out with other senior executives and angrily left. He’s planning to raise funds to create a new platform. This is a capable fellow!”

“Really?” Jiang Ruotang’s eyes lit up. This Gao Cheng not only had experience in managing and operating video websites but was also a first-rate producer. In his previous life, after leaving Qilin Video, he had gone through twists and turns for four or five years. Gao Cheng wanted to go solo, but he lacked funds and reliable teammates. He wanted to raise money, but Qilin Video was secretly sabotaging him, so he had been constantly struggling. It’s worth mentioning that he had once sought cooperation with Lin Chentong, but unfortunately, the partnership broke down in less than three months.

Jiang Ruotang had heard Gao Cheng persuade another powerful actor, Ling Song, at a dinner party not to cooperate with Lin Chentong just because Lin Chentong promised him a leading role, implying that many of Lin Chentong’s projects had problems. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Anyone who could extricate themselves from a cooperation with Lin Chentong, even if not a hero, was a wise person. This indicated that Gao Cheng was not easily swayed by immediate benefits. Jiang Ruotang’s idea was simple: if Little Sweet Fruit took off in the future, it would inevitably need to produce its own TV series and animations. If he could bring Gao Cheng on board… that would truly save effort and worry. Even if Gao Cheng were to leave eventually, at least in the years he was there, Little Sweet Fruit would quickly get on track.

Jiang Ruotang told Mr. Zheng his idea, and Mr. Zheng arranged to meet Gao Cheng. Initially, Gao Cheng was arrogant and looked down on Little Sweet Fruit, a small website struggling to survive in the cracks, seeing it as a plaything for a bunch of young rich kids. But when Mr. Zheng relayed some of Jiang Ruotang’s expansive visions to Gao Cheng, Gao Cheng’s heart stirred, feeling a sense of finding a kindred spirit in a foreign land.

“In the future, the demand for film and television dramas from TV stations will decrease. The true broadcasting platforms will be these current video websites. Video websites are likely to gradually become the甲方 (party A, i.e., the client/funder) in the entertainment industry, their status far exceeding that of current large film and television companies and groups, because no matter how powerful a film and television company is, their works still have to be broadcast on video websites. But Mr. Gao, do you think there will always only be Qilin Video and Yunfeng Video in the market? If Little Sweet Fruit wasn’t a potential threat, why would they sue so fiercely and harshly?”

Gao Cheng’s heart was stirred because if he wanted to rebuild a platform from scratch, it would be difficult to attract so many users again. From this perspective, Little Sweet Fruit was an excellent choice. “Mr. Zheng, as far as I know, you are indeed good at managing assets, but video website operations are definitely not your area of expertise. Who do you represent?” Gao Cheng decided to lay his cards on the table. Mr. Zheng didn’t expect to get to this point so quickly. “I’ve checked. Although you are the legal representative of Tangyun Culture Investment, and the company’s publicly listed shareholders include a big lawyer like Dai Ming, you two should be working for someone else, right?” Gao Cheng looked at Zheng Huasheng with a scrutinizing gaze. Gao Cheng was a seasoned adult with rich social experience, not as easily fooled as Qi Yanzhe.

“Then, Mr. Gao, can you guarantee that regardless of whether a cooperation is reached, you will not disclose the identity of the major shareholder behind Tangyun Culture Investment?”

“I can guarantee that.” Gao Cheng was extremely curious. Who was it that could bring Zheng Huasheng, a semi-retired capable person, back into action, and also have a major lawyer like Dai Ming list his name in the company? This was clearly telling everyone, “I’m not to be trifled with; don’t cause trouble.”

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Another weekend arrived, and Gao Cheng received a ticket to an art exhibition held at the city’s art center. Zheng Huasheng sent a message saying, “Mr. Jiang invited you to an art exhibition. Would you do us the honor?” 

A ripple stirred in Gao Cheng’s heart. The first meeting was scheduled at an art exhibition, not a banquet or dinner party. 

These entertainment industry bosses liked to boast, turning a million-dollar investment into hundreds of millions. Gao Cheng didn’t like that atmosphere. Meeting at an art exhibition meant at least no drinking, which made Gao Cheng feel a bit more favorably towards the other party. 

He originally wanted to ask “Which Mr. Jiang,” but then thought it was better to maintain the mystery, constantly searching his mind for any industry insiders he knew named Jiang. After much thought, there really wasn’t anyone, except for a certain prominent director named Jiang. Unfortunately, while this director was exceptionally talented, he was widely recognized as not being suited to be a company manager. So… who exactly was this person?

The day before the exhibition, Gao Cheng specifically got a fresh haircut. The next morning, he put on the custom-tailored suit he wore for company annual meetings, shaved the stubble from his chin, took a deep breath, and headed to the gallery hosting the exhibition. He had specifically checked out this gallery before going. 

Many rising stars in the calligraphy and painting world exhibited their works here, and the operator was Mu Xianqing, the younger son of the chairman of Yi Tian Xia. This meant that the person who invited him to meet here likely had the backing of a major player like Yi Tian Xia. 

This “Mr. Jiang” chose to meet here, perhaps because there were fewer people in the gallery, or perhaps out of interest in art. Of course… many wealthy people don’t truly appreciate art; they simply pretend to be refined.

“Ah, I forgot to ask Mr. Zheng if his boss is male or female.” The appointment was at noon, and there was a terrace in the gallery where they could have lunch together. Gao Cheng arrived half an hour early, so he slowly wandered through the gallery. The gallery was very elegant and quiet. It was a weekday, so there weren weren’t many visitors. Gao Cheng considered himself to respect art but also admitted that he didn’t understand it, so he just casually skimmed through the works until he saw a watercolor painting in a corner. It was a sunflower in a vase, its vibrant colors contrasting with a sense of dejection. Even though there was sunlight outside the window, it drooped its head heavily, and on the table lay two withered petals.

Gao Cheng stood before the painting for a long time. He didn’t know who the artist was, but a sense of empathy welled up within him. He felt that this painter must have once, like himself, been full of ambition to achieve great things, but had been defeated by the schemes and factions of reality.

“You like this painting?” A young and clear voice sounded beside him.

“Yes, quite a lot…” Gao Cheng turned his face and saw a boy wearing a private high school uniform. The boy had innocent eyes and a clear smile.

“Because, like this sunflower, you have a calm judgment and mature vision for the industry, yet you were suppressed and schemed against for reasons unrelated to your ability. Even though the industry prospects are bright, you were forced to bow your head?” Jiang Ruotang turned his face and smiled. Choosing to meet Gao Cheng today was simply because the last class this morning was PE, making it easier to ask for leave.

Gao Cheng looked at him with disbelief. Could Mr. Zheng’s boss be this high school student in front of him? This is impossible, absolutely impossible. A child could at most publish videos on Little Sweet Fruit to express himself, but it was impossible for him to have such profound and detailed ideas for the development of a video website, as if from the future. Gao Cheng composed himself and said calmly, “Classmate, at this time, shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Uncle, at this time, shouldn’t you be at work?” Jiang Ruotang said with a smile.

Gao Cheng was speechless. After two seconds, he said, “In this entire gallery, the only painting I seem to understand is this one.”

“Then do you think this painting is good or not?” Jiang Ruotang clasped his hands behind his back and looked at Gao Cheng, with a hint of slyness in his eyes that made one think, “This child is quite interesting.”

“I personally really like it. Using bright colors to express a dejected mood, at first glance, it feels heavy in the heart, but looking at it for a long time, it feels like even though the future is bleak, there’s still hope. This sunflower will one day raise its head again.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Gao. It’s easy to find money, but hard to find a true connoisseur.”

Hearing this, Gao Cheng was 100% certain that the high school student in front of him was the person he was waiting for. “You… you are…” Gao Cheng originally wanted to say “whose young master are you?” but deep down, he felt that a hero’s origins shouldn’t be questioned. Just because the other party was young, assuming that he could have Zheng Huasheng and Dai Ming escorting him must be due to family connections seemed like a disparagement, so he changed his question. “I am Gao Cheng. May I know your name?”

“My surname is Jiang, Jiang Ruotang. I’m a senior at Beicheng Guangyao Middle School.”

“I am…” Gao Cheng exhaled, “I am the former vice president of Qilin Video, and I was officially ousted by Qilin Video’s board of directors a month ago.”

“It’s okay, Little Sweet Fruit welcomes you.” Jiang Ruotang opened his arms.

Gao Cheng was stunned for a moment. “So, you bought Little Sweet Fruit?”

“To be precise, not just me. Come on, Uncle Gao, it’s lunchtime. I’m growing, so I can’t be hungry.”

This was a novel experience for Gao Cheng. He was accustomed to dealing with cunning capital tycoons. Discussing cooperation with a high school student was something he had never dreamed of before today. Am I crazy? He and Jiang Ruotang sat together on the gallery’s terrace. In the distance were towering concrete buildings, the scenery was actually mediocre, but fortunately, the sunlight was pleasant and warm on their skin.

Gao Cheng was about to ask Jiang Ruotang a few more questions, but Jiang Ruotang instead asked him, “Uncle Gao, you’re so capable, why were you pushed out?” This child was too direct, probably because he was young, Gao Cheng’s tolerance for him unconsciously increased significantly.

“Currently, the most developed entertainment industries are in neighboring Country J and Country K. They’re very fast at creating stars, dominating among young idol fans. So Qilin Video plans to introduce more works from these countries for copyright. Also, Qilin Group’s Qilin Pictures plans to invest in filming TV dramas, inviting top stars from Country K with huge sums to play the leading roles.” Gao Cheng briefly explained, as for the other messy deals involved, there was no need to mention them to a teenager.

“So you oppose this?” Jiang Ruotang raised his chin and asked.

“So you agree?” Gao Cheng also raised his chin, mimicking the other, thinking that at Jiang Ruotang’s age, if he had ample funds, he would probably want to introduce a large number of popular works too.

“I agree with your opposition.” Jiang Ruotang smiled, the sunlight piercing his short, thick eyelashes, showing a playful yet clear intelligence. Gao Cheng also took a moment to process what Jiang Ruotang meant. Kids these days were so quirky when they talked.

“Why?” Gao Cheng thought this kid probably wasn’t just blindly agreeing with him.

“Because Qilin Group overlooked an important factor influencing the entertainment industry, which is government policy,” Jiang Ruotang pointed to the sky. “Country K is having an election next year, right? Are the people at Qilin Pictures sure that Country K will still maintain a balanced, non-interfering state with us then? Once they touch a sensitive policy, or even encounter a ban, there’s a high possibility of losing everything. Moreover, these artists are too expensive, and the return on investment isn’t high. It’s better to invite Bai Yingchuan than them.” Jiang Ruotang raised a hand. “I’m not saying this just because Bai Yingchuan is my classmate. I just think that from investment to filming to final release, a TV series or movie takes at least a year and a half. The policy risk of using overseas artists is too high.”

Gao Cheng paused. He had specifically discussed the same points with the chairman of Qilin Pictures, but the chairman didn’t take it seriously, thinking such things were unlikely to happen and that entertainment was entertainment, and policy was policy.

“Is this your own idea?” Gao Cheng asked.

“Of course… well, I also occasionally heard my father mention it.”

“May I ask, your esteemed father is…”

“That would be Jiang Huaiyuan, who only knows how to make movies and not how to network.”