Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Seeing Chu Hengyi suddenly appear like a sly fox, Chu Qingyi felt a suffocating anger rise in his chest, nearly choking him. He looked at Chu Hengyi with a mix of annoyance and frustration. "What if I said I mind?"

Chu Hengyi casually sat down beside Ye Mingzhao, and upon hearing this, he gave a forced smile. "Then hold it in!"

Chu Qingyi: "..."

Ye Mingzhao ignored the brothers' tension as if it didn't exist. "Not only does he have the account book of Zhou Yueze's money laundering, but he also seems to know some information about Hua Rui."

Chu Hengyi's smile faded as he looked intently at Chu Qingyi. "Do you know something about Hua Rui?"

Under Chu Hengyi's piercing gaze, Chu Qingyi felt an unsettling discomfort. Just as he was about to say something, Ye Mingzhao suddenly interjected, "Should I step out?"

This was obviously directed at Chu Hengyi. Chu Hengyi waved his hand. "Not necessary."

With keen interest, he looked at Chu Qingyi and spoke leisurely, "You should know that if both Chu Hengyi and I decide not to help you, your fate will be quite miserable."

Before Chu Qingyi could say anything, Chu Hengyi added in a relaxed tone, "And don't even think about bypassing me to directly cling to Ye Mingzhao's coattails... He's on my side."

There was an unmistakable note of gloating in Chu Hengyi's tone at the end.

Ye Mingzhao glanced at Chu Hengyi, and Chu Qingyi also looked at Chu Hengyi.

Then Ye Mingzhao and Chu Qingyi made eye contact. Chu Qingyi tentatively asked, "So should I speak?"

Ye Mingzhao nodded slightly, giving Chu Qingyi an encouraging look.

Chu Qingyi swallowed. "I actually don't know much. As you both probably know, before Zhou's film company went bankrupt, they were preparing a *Journey to the West* movie. This film was originally planned to be co-produced with a Hollywood company. So, a few months ago, Zhou Yueze was in Hollywood inspecting film companies and distributors, and finally settled on a collaboration with Pam Mon Pictures."

Chu Qingyi had accidentally overheard a transpacific phone call between Zhou Yueze and the CEO of Pam Mon Pictures. In the call, they mentioned the name Hua Rui, and Zhou Yueze made a passing remark that Hua Rui was an old acquaintance of the Zhou family. He also mentioned that Hua Rui had kidnapped a child from the Ye family—

"That's all I heard before Zhou Yueze discovered me."

"I really wasn't eavesdropping," Chu Qingyi defended himself. "He was working so late, and I thought he looked exhausted, so I brought him a glass of milk. I was just about to remind him to rest early."

Who would have thought that he would accidentally overhear this secret right outside the study door?

Listening to Chu Qingyi's vivid storytelling, both Chu Hengyi and Ye Mingzhao remained noncommittal. The two exchanged a glance, and Chu Hengyi slowly said, "We already knew about this."

Chu Qingyi frowned. "I didn't plan to use this as a bargaining chip. You forced me to say it."

Chu Hengyi's attitude was indifferent. "You should be careful. Your already scarce bargaining chips are running out. What will you do about your future, huh?"

Chu Qingyi: "..."

Facing the mocking Chu Hengyi, Chu Qingyi gritted his teeth in frustration. But of course, he didn't dare to act. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to beat Chu Hengyi.

Taking a deep breath to steady his emotions, Chu Qingyi said, "I know that Starjoy Media has been approaching Zhou's film company's production team and some of its artists recently. Since you're willing to accept other artists signing with Starjoy, why not accept me?"

"Because you don't have the money to pay the breach of contract fee," Ye Mingzhao said calmly. "Do you think Starjoy is paying those artists' breach of contract fees?"

The ship that is Zhou's film company is destined to sink. At this point, the artists on board who are less affected will only try to jump ship.

Landing a spot on the Starjoy Media ship is already a stroke of luck. Do you expect Starjoy to also pay for their ticket and lifeboat?

To say something a bit arrogantly, Starjoy isn't short of artists joining them these days.

Chu Qingyi's expression darkened. He was well aware that Starjoy Media had become the most sought-after film company in the industry thanks to Ye Mingzhao's involvement. Without that, Chu Qingyi wouldn't have even considered jumping ship to Starjoy Media.

He didn't have the money to pay the breach of contract fee, but Starjoy Media had the capital to acquire Zhou's Film Company. Chu Qingyi had originally planned that once Zhou's Film Company was acquired by Starjoy, he would naturally become a Starjoy artist.

Who would have thought that Ye Mingzhao, a master manipulator in the financial market who could handle difficult projects like the acquisition of the Zhou family business, would drag his feet on acquiring a small film company, eventually leading to its bankruptcy and closure.

Seeing this, Chu Hengyi chuckled and explained on behalf of Ye Mingzhao, "It's because there were too many troubled assets like you. Ye Mingzhao was worried that Starjoy Media would be dragged into a cesspool of corruption, which is why he abandoned the acquisition of Zhou's Film Company."

Chu Qingyi looked at Chu Hengyi expressionlessly. "..." Do you really think you're good with words?

Chu Hengyi smiled at Chu Qingyi. Indeed, I do!

Ye Mingzhao observed the battle of wits between the two with a cold eye, blinking thoughtfully.

Considering Chu Hengyi's pride and the feelings of the Ye family, Ye Mingzhao had no intention of interfering in the dealings between Chu Hengyi and Chu Qingyi.

That was until Chu Qingyi, in an attempt to protect himself, inadvertently revealed the relationship between the Zhou family and Hua Rui. This small leakage triggered a slight sense of incongruity in Ye Mingzhao.

—What a coincidence that Chu Qingyi discovered the connection between the Zhou family and Hua Rui just when Zhou Heting was planning to take revenge on him. Could it be that the Chu family was truly unaware of Hua Rui hiring Chu Jianye to kidnap Chu Hengyi back then?

Ye Mingzhao's eyes flickered slightly, but he had no intention of alerting Chu Hengyi.

Unless, of course, Chu Hengyi was willing to pay an additional price.

Of course, it was also possible that Chu Hengyi had noticed Chu Qingyi's omission. After all, the excuse Chu Qingyi gave was rather hastily put together and difficult to justify.

If Zhou Yueze truly considered this a secret that the Zhou family couldn't reveal, why would he so easily expose a clue in front of a pawn like Chu Qingyi?

In any case, this wasn't something Ye Mingzhao needed to concern himself with. He only had to secretly prepare to watch the drama unfold.

However, soon enough, Ye Mingzhao lost his enthusiasm for watching. He received a call from Yu Mingze.

"The broadcasting time of our *Prince of Beggars* coincides with the award period of the Golden Phoenix Awards. Because you acted so brilliantly, the production team nominated you for Best Newcomer, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor. Unexpectedly, you were shortlisted for Best Newcomer and Best Supporting Actor. Congratulations!"

In truth, the production team had adopted a "give it a shot" attitude, but who would have thought that Ye Mingzhao would actually be so outstanding.

Upon hearing Yu Mingze's words, Ye Mingzhao's expression became somewhat odd. "Can an idol drama be nominated for an award?"

"Ours is a modern urban drama," Yu Mingze corrected. "Good luck, I have high hopes for you."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Mingzhao, with a complex expression, opened the webpage. The official Weibo account of *Prince of Beggars* had already announced the good news of the drama's award nominations. The post joyfully informed everyone that *Prince of Beggars* had received three nominations during the Golden Phoenix Awards period—not only for Best Newcomer and Best Supporting Actor but also for Best Costume Design.

Quite a harvest indeed.

As the largest sponsor and financier of the drama, the Ye family also learned of this good news immediately.

Delighted, the Ye family held a celebratory gala in honor of Ye Mingzhao's remarkable achievement in a new field.

The gala invited old friends, business partners of the Ye family, and prominent figures in New City. As the guest of honor, Ye Mingzhao also invited the *Prince of Beggars* production team, as well as executives and some artists from Starjoy Media.

At the gala, Ye Mingzhao learned from Chu Hengyi that the Gu family jewelry business was about to go public.

"Due to your background, the Gu family and their jewelry business have recently been thrust into the limelight, with gossiping netizens uncovering every last detail about them. Lin Feng and Gu Tingjun are quite adept at orchestrating publicity stunts. After paying fifty million for your forgiveness, they spent a large sum of money hiring internet trolls and purchasing marketing accounts on various platforms, issuing numerous press releases, using Ruan Cuimei as a stepping stone to clean up their image. And surprisingly, they succeeded."

Not only did they succeed, but Lin Feng and Gu Tingjun also leveraged the immense heat and natural attention generated by this incident to complete the most crucial aspect of the company's IPO—using explosive public opinion buzz to attract capital investment and successfully monetize.

Chu Hengyi leaned on the carved railing of the second-floor balcony, his gaze casually sweeping over the elegantly dressed guests at the gala.

Ye Mingzhao glanced at Chu Hengyi, who was speaking eloquently. "Are you very interested in the Gu family jewelry business?"

Chu Hengyi corrected him, "I'm concerned about you and your next moves."

At this point, Chu Hengyi paused for a moment and asked curiously, "Why are you helping the Gu family jewelry business go public?"

Ye Mingzhao looked at Chu Hengyi quietly.

Chu Hengyi shook the champagne glass in his hand. "Stop looking at me like that. The investment bank helping the Gu family jewelry business go public is exactly the one where you interned before graduating from college. What a coincidence, don't you think?"

Ye Mingzhao chuckled, "New Sea City isn't that large, and there are only a few investment banks with substantial capital. Given my abilities, I naturally chose the best investment bank for my internship. If the Gu family jewelry business wants to succeed in their IPO, they would also choose the best bank. It's not that strange that we happened to pick the same bank."

"Besides, I haven't worked at an investment bank in years."

Ye Mingzhao stated firmly.

After graduating from college, Ye Mingzhao joined the Ye family business. His internships at various investment banks during college were merely to experience the work atmosphere and business standards of different banks in the shortest time possible.

Chu Hengyi smiled without saying a word.

It was true that Ye Mingzhao had been away from the investment bank for a long time, but the connections and resources he had built during his internship wouldn't just fade away because he had resigned.

—After all, he was still the adopted son of the Ye family, as well as a shareholder of the Ye family business.

People in finance were always profit-driven; why would they let go of someone as valuable as Ye Mingzhao?

Chu Hengyi didn't point this out directly but instead asked with great interest, "Did you have a hand in the Gu family jewelry business choosing this particular investment bank?"

Otherwise, with Ye Mingzhao's seemingly warm yet actually indifferent personality, why would he bother explaining so much to him with such patience?

Ye Mingzhao's dark and clear eyes met Chu Hengyi's gaze, who might as well have written the word "curious" on his forehead. After a beat, Ye Mingzhao smiled and asked, "Are you really that bored these days?"

Seeing Ye Mingzhao’s irritation rising again, Chu Hengyi quickly explained, "I'm not free. I'm very busy. The Dagger is digging deep into the whole story of how Hua Rui hired Chu Jianye to kidnap me. I highly suspect that after Chu Jianye's death, Chu Jianguo still maintained contact with Hua Rui."

Maybe Chu Jianguo didn’t just adopt and abuse him out of revenge for his brother.

Hearing Chu Hengyi's analysis, Ye Mingzhao shook his champagne glass and remained silent.

Chu Hengyi studied Ye Mingzhao’s face. "I’ve shared so much with you. Shouldn’t you indulge my curiosity a bit?"

Fine!

Ye Mingzhao downed the champagne in his glass and said nonchalantly, "If a company isn't listed, how can it be acquired?"