“That’s why Mr. Jiang has plenty of companies in his hands that are more profitable than this one. This company has already served its purpose as a stepping stone for expanding his business empire. Even if he’s reluctant to give it up, it’s hardly something he can’t bear to part with.”
That made sense.
Jiang Yihua pressed on. “And the second reason?”
“Second, Mr. Jiang knows very well that Old Master Jiang hates airing the family’s dirty laundry. So even if he realizes we’ve misunderstood the situation, he won’t dare expose the truth and make a big issue of it, lest he cross the Old Master’s line. In fact, he may even use this opportunity to leave the Old Master with the impression that he’s considerate of the bigger picture, patient, and sensible—then ask the Old Master for benefits elsewhere.”
Tsk.
Now that she mentioned it, that really was possible.
Qiuyun curled her lips. “We’ll take the company from Mr. Jiang and demand compensation, but neither he nor the Old Master will blame us. Instead, they’ll put the blame on the Third Branch.
“Seeing us go after Mr. Jiang, the Third Branch will assume their scheme succeeded and that they’ve managed to stay safely hidden. Meanwhile, we’ll remain in the shadows. We’ll know exactly who started everything, collect the benefits, and avoid making enemies. Then, when the truth eventually comes to light, we can go to the Third Branch again to demand an explanation—and more compensation.”
After weighing all the advantages and disadvantages, Jiang Yihua made the decision on the spot. “That’s what we’ll do!”
Looking at the rare strategic talent beside him, Jiang Yihua was reluctant to let her go to waste. He earnestly suggested, “How about I sponsor you to retake the entrance exams and attend university properly? You could study finance, and afterward I’ll hire you as an executive at the group’s headquarters.”
Qiuyun’s face fell.
She said wistfully, “Sir, I’m really terrible at math.”
When people fell apart, they were capable of doing all sorts of things. But when it came to math, there was simply no room for negotiation.
No was no.
“…”
Everyone had their own lifelong nemesis. Jiang Yihua accepted that.
And so, that very day, Jiang Yihua went to the main residence to demand an explanation from Old Master Jiang. He also produced evidence of the marketing accounts under Jiang Yifeng stirring up trouble online, mixing truth and falsehood together as he laid out his case. His central demand was that the company be confiscated and no longer left in the Fourth Brother’s hands to cause trouble.
Just as Qiuyun had predicted, Jiang Yifeng truly did not expose what had happened. Instead, he displayed remarkable restraint, saying that as far as he was concerned, the matter was over. He had only started the company for fun in the first place, and he had no objection if the group took it back—or even handed it over to his eldest brother as compensation.
Butler Lin conveyed Jiang Yifeng’s attitude to Jiang Yihua. After a moment’s thought, Jiang Yihua said, “Internet entertainment companies aren’t my area of expertise. Tsk. In any case, it isn’t one of the group’s core businesses. Why not give it to Lin’an to practice with?”
It had to be said that the suggestion aligned perfectly with Old Master Jiang’s own thoughts.
Jiang Lin’an should have started interning at the group during his third year of university, but he had gone and staged a runaway-from-home episode. There was no proper reason to bring him into the group halfway through. Letting him practice at a small company first would be a good idea.
And so, without anyone asking Jiang Lin’an’s opinion, the matter was settled.
Half a month later, after all the procedures had been completed, Qiuyun brought the share-transfer agreement to the eldest young master’s Ming Si Building.
Looking at the agreement, Jiang Lin’an said helplessly, “I don’t even need to guess. You were definitely the one who put this idea into motion.”
Qiuyun took it as a compliment and humbly replied, “After all, the Qin Man incident caused you more than ten million yuan in losses on paper alone, not to mention the damage to your reputation and the concessions you’ll have to make on future projects. You’ve suffered a tremendous loss.”
Three million of that ten million had gone into her own pocket as a thank-you fee. The least she could do was come up with a plan to help him recover some of his losses.
Jiang Lin’an sighed. “Go on, then. What brilliant idea has Assistant Qiuyun personally come up with this time?”
Qiuyun immediately put on a bright smile and began coaxing him. “I know the eldest young master takes after Madam—gentle, even-tempered, and indifferent to fame and fortune…”
“Don’t flatter me. Get to the point.”
“Ahem.” Qiuyun pulled out a shareholding-nominee agreement. “The young miss seems quite interested in the entertainment industry. Why not let her practice with it?”
Jiang Lin’an took the agreement and read it carefully. “Was this the young miss’s idea, or yours?”
Qiuyun glanced at the time. “You can call and ask her, but you’ll have to wait five minutes. She’ll be out of class then.”
“…”
With something this important, Jiang Lin’an naturally had to ask.
Five minutes later, he called the phone watch his younger sister wore to school.
“Hi, Big Brother. What’s up?”
“It’s about the agreement. I heard from Assistant Qiuyun that you want Fourth Uncle’s entertainment company?”
Jiang Chuling sounded bashful. “Ah… Is that not allowed? I just thought that since you weren’t interested in it anyway, I could give it a try.”
He rubbed his temples. For the first time, he rejected his sister’s request. “Running a company isn’t a trivial matter. You’re still young, so you should focus on your studies. Don’t jump from one idea to another.”
“Oh, come on. What’s there to learn in elementary school? I’m already taking advanced math classes at the high-school level outside of school! Just tell me whether you agree or not!”
“It’s not a question of whether I agree. If the company falls into your hands and you don’t even know how to manage it, what will you do if someone cheats you and leaves the company in debt? You’ll have to use all your New Year’s money to cover the losses. Then you’ll be crying.”
“Don’t worry about that. Sister Xiaoqiu has a solution.”
Jiang Lin’an asked, “What solution?”
“Dad got Sister Xiaoqiu a guest-student pass for A University. Sister Xiaoqiu said she’ll hire a senior student to record the major courses, and then she’ll listen to the lectures and study with Little Heng and me.”
?
Jiang Lin’an was speechless. “Those are university-level courses! At your age, you’re simply not suited to studying that kind of material!”
“I’m not studying general courses like calculus or linear algebra! I’m just listening to the professors tell us stories!”
“…”
To be fair, the professors in their department did like using real-life stories as examples in class, such as the famous case of George Soros shorting Hong Kong’s market or Guan Jingsheng’s illegal market manipulation.
“Big Brother, just tell me whether it’s okay or not. I have tennis class next, and I need to go change!” There was a burst of noise from Jiang Chuling’s end, probably in the hallway.
Seeing how determined his sister was, Jiang Lin’an could only give in. “Fine, of course it’s okay. I’m genuinely not interested in the entertainment industry.”
Since Fourth Uncle had been willing to hand over the company, he had almost certainly already moved all the profitable operations elsewhere, leaving nothing but liabilities behind. Giving it to his sister to play around with for a few years would be fine.
After receiving a definite answer from her eldest brother, Jiang Chuling showered him with sweet words as if they cost nothing, then happily hung up and went with Little Heng to the changing room.
Tsk, tsk. Her eldest brother was actually not interested in the entertainment industry.
The two things she loved most in life were carving wood and listening to gossip.
One quiet, one lively—perfectly complementary.
Once Jiang Lin’an knew that this really was his sister’s idea, he naturally had no objections. He signed the nominee agreement without hesitation.
For now, the company would officially be registered under his name. But once the young miss turned sixteen—the age at which the law could recognize her as having full capacity for civil conduct—it would be returned to her as scheduled.
Qiuyun placed their copy of the agreement into a document bag. “Thank you for being so understanding, eldest young master. Letting the young miss become familiar with company management early will benefit both you and her.”
“Mm.” Jiang Lin’an waved a hand, signaling for her to leave. He was mild and easygoing by nature, and talking to someone as calculating as her for too long left him mentally exhausted.
“All right, eldest young master. I won’t disturb your rest any longer.” Qiuyun efficiently gathered her things and stood up.
“Wait. Come back.”
