The news of Ding Yingyao's sudden announcement to hold a promotional event in Bright Pearl City quickly spread among the local business community. For the local merchants, this was undoubtedly a highly attractive marketing opportunity. Although Ding Yingyao wasn’t a household name nationwide, his status as a native of Bright Pearl City gave him considerable influence in the area.
Liu Yutong had just finalized the details of next month’s campus recruitment fair with her academic advisor when Yang Xin called.
"Miss Liu, have you heard about Ding Yingyao and You Wei coming to Bright Pearl City for their promotional tour?"
"Yes, I’m aware."
"Should we reach out to them? If we could get them to make an appearance at our supermarket, it would be a huge boost for our brand. Their agent has already contacted us, and the price they’re quoting is quite reasonable. I think it’s worth considering."
Yang Xin knew full well that if it weren’t for Ding Yingyao’s local roots, Wanlong Group might not have even considered collaborating with someone of his current stature. But given his regional appeal, he saw it as a good opportunity and decided to bring it up to Liu Yutong.
"No, reject them outright," Liu Yutong replied without hesitation.
Yang Xin was taken aback by her decisive response.
As a senior executive of Wanlong Group and the person in charge of Wanlong Supermarket, he was well aware that Liu Yutong had recently signed a five-year endorsement deal with an obscure singer named Xue Qian.
Out of professional habit, he had looked into Xue Qian’s background and discovered that Xue Qian had also been a top-ten contestant on the talent show "Watch Me Shine," ranking fourth.
Xue Qian had indeed had one hit song, but unfortunately, while the song gained popularity, the singer himself faded into obscurity. Later, he was plagued by negative rumors and was even blacklisted by the industry.
Yet, Liu Yutong had chosen to sign him.
From a purely commercial standpoint, Xue Qian, as a faded star, couldn’t compare to Ding Yingyao, who was on the rise—especially since Ding Yingyao was a local with higher visibility and appeal in Bright Pearl City. A collaboration with Wanlong Supermarket would undoubtedly yield better promotional results.
He hadn’t expected Liu Yutong to dismiss the idea without even considering it.
However, Liu Yutong’s decisions had never been wrong before. If she was this firm, there was likely only one reason—in her eyes, Xue Qian had boundless potential, while Ding Yingyao’s future prospects were bleak.
As it turned out, Yang Xin’s guess was spot-on.
In the future, Xue Qian would become a megastar in the music industry, while Ding Yingyao would vanish from the public eye—not just fade away, but end up on a legal expose program.
This touched on a serious issue in the entertainment industry—some artists, unable to handle the pressure, turned to illicit substances and were eventually reported and arrested.
Such incidents were far from rare in the industry.
If Ding Yingyao had a clean record, Liu Yutong might have considered hiring him for promotional work, given his current popularity and their shared hometown ties. After all, artists of his caliber didn’t command exorbitant fees.
But life didn’t work on "what ifs."
Following Liu Yutong’s instructions, Yang Xin promptly rejected Ding Yingyao’s agent.
The agent, visibly displeased by Wanlong Supermarket’s refusal, immediately relayed the news to Ding Yingyao.
"Wanlong Group really turned us down flat?" Ding Yingyao frowned.
He had prioritized Wanlong Supermarket precisely because it was a local chain with a strong presence and deep pockets. Given their shared roots, he had expected favorable terms.
Yet the outcome was completely unexpected.
The agent sighed. "They said they currently have no interest in collaborating."
Ding Yingyao scoffed. "What’s a small-town supermarket trying to prove, acting all high and mighty? Fine, if Wanlong Supermarket doesn’t know what’s good for them, we’ll find someone else!"
......
In a VIP hospital room.
Yu Mo found his father, Yu Jianhua, energetically reading a newspaper in his hospital bed.
He couldn’t understand why his father insisted on staying in the hospital for "recuperation" when he seemed perfectly healthy. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable at home?
"Chairman, the young master is here," Secretary Yu Chen softly announced.
Yu Jianhua slowly set down the newspaper and looked at Yu Mo, skipping any familial pleasantries. "Did you handle what I asked?"
Yu Mo hesitated. "Dad, Wanlong… they aren’t willing to budge."
Wanlong Group had laid out their terms: they would transfer the land plot in the northern district (No. 33) to Yu Corporation, but in exchange, Yu Corporation had to hand over the nearly completed shopping center in the southern district—without Wanlong contributing a single cent beyond their initial deposit.
In short, Wanlong Group was offering two plots of land—No. 33 in the north and another in the south—for which they had only paid minimal deposits, in exchange for Yu Corporation’s shopping center, which had cost over 500 million to build.
Effectively, Wanlong was trying to acquire a 500-million-yuan asset for less than 50 million.
Yu Xin had explained the benefits to Yu Mo.
The northern plot was crucial for Yu Corporation’s future expansion, and the southern land had immense potential, with an estimated future value exceeding a billion. Trading these two high-potential properties for a "troubled" shopping center nearing completion was, in her words, a fair deal.
Yu Mo agreed it was a good bargain.
But he knew if he presented the terms as-is to his father, Yu Jianhua would reject them outright—and likely berate him for incompetence.
His father had never had much faith in him, often doubting his ability to lead.
So, he had devised a plan: trick his father into signing the documents.
Once the signatures were in place, the rest would fall into line.
Of course, he knew the risks. His father might fly into a rage, even physically punish him, for essentially selling a 500-million-yuan asset for pennies. Such reckless mismanagement could bankrupt Yu Corporation.
But Yu Xin’s offer was too tempting. If he could get his father to sign, she promised to secure his control over the company—or at the very least, guarantee his position as the sole heir.
Faced with the choice between a loss of a few hundred million and inheriting billions, the decision was obvious to Yu Mo.
Without this move, his future inheritance was anything but certain.
Beyond the material incentive, he also believed Yu Xin genuinely wanted to help him—after all, she had once faced similar struggles...
When Yu Jianhua heard his son’s reply, disappointment flashed across his face.
He had assigned Yu Mo to the asset management department for two reasons: first, to leverage his connections with Wanlong to reclaim the land, and second, to test his capabilities.
I never expected my eldest son to be so disappointing, failing to handle even such a simple matter.
Yu Jianhua was just about to wave his hand dismissively, telling Yu Mo to get lost, when Yu Mo gritted his teeth and took the initiative. He pulled out a thick stack of documents from his backpack and handed them to his father with both hands. "Dad, please sign these papers first."
Yu Jianhua paused, frowning. "What are these?"
Yu Mo took a deep breath, forcing his voice to sound steady. "Just some routine documents. Also, I want to fire a few people. Many in the Asset Management Department have been paying lip service while undermining me. I need to make an example of them to restore discipline in the department. If you approve this, I guarantee I’ll reclaim Plot 33 in the North District within a week—without spending a single cent."
Yu Jianhua narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing his eldest son as if trying to pierce through his intentions.
Yu Mo, now fully committed, met his father’s gaze head-on, his expression tense but resolute.
After a moment, Yu Jianhua casually picked up one of the documents and skimmed through it. It did appear to be a termination notice.
Just as he reached for a second file, Yu Mo spoke up again. "Dad, Secretary Yu has already reviewed all these documents. There won’t be any issues—he’s staking his head on it."
Executive Secretary Yu Chen: "???"
But he swallowed his confusion and nodded. "Chairman, these are indeed just ordinary documents."
Yu Jianhua trusted Yu Chen implicitly. After all, Yu Chen had served him loyally for over a decade, handling matters with utmost reliability.
If his son claimed he could reclaim the land within a week, why not give him a chance? Firing a few people was no big deal.
As long as these documents didn’t involve critical corporate assets, finances, or other major affairs, signing them wouldn’t hurt.
Without further hesitation, Yu Jianhua picked up a pen and swiftly signed his name on the papers.
Once the signatures were complete, Yu Mo carefully gathered the stack of documents and looked at his father again. "Dad, I’ve booked you a flight. You can... uh, I mean, you should take a vacation and relax. It’ll be good for your health."
Once his father was gone, he could follow Yu Xin’s plan—those who obeyed would thrive, and those who resisted would perish!
