After leaving the Tomson Golf Villa, Jiang Cheng took Zhu Yan to several other scattered complexes.
He had to admit the areas Wang Congcong had picked were impressively comfortable, and the apartments were lavishly decorated.
Jiang Cheng swiped his card to buy almost every unit he saw.
With all the right connections, five 500-square-metre super flats were smoothly sealed.
By the time everything was done it was past eight in the evening.
Neon lights were already glowing along the streets.
After a hectic day, Jiang Cheng said to Zhu Yan, "Hungry? Thanks for the hard work today—let me treat you to dinner."
Zhu Yan didn't refuse; she nodded gently and smiled. "Sure, I'm starving."
The two of them headed to the Shangri-La restaurant on The Bund.
With just the two of them, they booked a small private room.
They chatted about work for a while.
Jiang Cheng opened the system and took a look.
Five large flats plus one villa had cost over 500 million.
"Every second in this world earns you 3 yuan."
[Name: Jiang Cheng.]
[Age: 18.]
[Height: 185 cm.]
[Appearance: 93/100.]
[Level: 13.]
[System Reserve: 1,886,410 yuan (withdrawable at any time).]
[System: 3 yuan/sec.]
[EXP to next level: 7.79 billion / 10 billion.]
[Items: Bad Luck Card x1, Basic Consumption Cashback Card (cap 500k) x1, Intermediate Consumption Cashback Card (cap 2 million) x1.]
[Skills: Agile Tongue, Milk-Squeeze... Deep Affection Gaze, Mind Perception Skill, Danger Perception Skill, Professional Driving, Vine-Hawk Hand.]
...Jiang Cheng clicked to withdraw the 7-plus million reserve.
He checked his balance: after buying the Wanda Group office last time, he'd had 8.9 billion left.
Short-selling Coca-Cola had given him a 100% profit, and with the Descendants Card he'd gained another 2.2 billion.
Now his account held 19.7 billion.
Not bad—enough to cover TikTok's Series D funding round.
Since the money was ready, he needed Chen Xueer to move fast.
If someone else got in first, he'd have to wait until next year.
After next year TikTok would enter steady explosive growth; wedging his way in then wouldn't be easy.
Noticing Jiang Cheng's silence, Zhu Yan took the initiative. "Mr. Jiang, you must be doing Military Training lately—yet you haven't tanned at all."
Jiang Cheng nodded. "We got a great instructor; there's hardly any sun-bathing."
His answer surprised and envious Zhu Yan.
"That's amazing. Back then we drilled under the sun for hours every day; I remember my back peeling..."
Just then Jiang Cheng received a photo from Su Wan.
He opened it: the dishes looked like they were in the same restaurant.
"Chairman Jiang, good evening—are you eating? I think I just saw you??"
"Shangri-La?" Jiang Cheng replied.
"Yes, I'm having a cast dinner with the crew. Want to join us for a drink? After all, it's your invested show—the second female lead, the male lead and the director are all here."
Su Wan had stepped out to the restroom and caught a glimpse of a back that looked just like Jiang Cheng, accompanied by a striking girl.
To confirm, she messaged him—and it really was him.
Jiang Cheng realized that as the investor he'd never once checked on the production.
Though the 5-million budget was pocket change, he wouldn't admit he was going to see Su Wan.
Even if nothing was happening between them, staying in touch kept the spark alive.
Seeing the dishes were nearly finished, he said to Zhu Yan, "I won't be able to drive you back—I've got something to handle."
Zhu Yan nodded understandingly, quickly ended the meal and left considerately.
Following Su Wan's directions, Jiang Cheng found their private room.
The moment he stepped in, the lively chatter froze.
Su Wan stood at once. "Chairman Jiang, you're here."
Seeing her rise, the rest hurried to their feet.
Director Chen Qing was already at Jiang Cheng's side.
Jiang Cheng glanced around; everyone here was still a small-time name.
In the next few years only the male lead would get modestly hot, Su Wan would explode, while the others would muddle along.
The two second-female leads were pretty but had zero recognizability—if they were all naked he probably couldn't tell them apart.
Su Wan had briefed them earlier.
Now she brought the director over. "This is Chairman Jiang Cheng from Xingchen Entertainment."
"Chairman Jiang, this is Director Chen Qing."
Chen Qing, stunned by how young Jiang Cheng looked, kept his composure.
He clasped his hands respectfully. "Chairman Jiang, hello! I didn't know you were here—only heard from Su Wan just now. Please forgive the oversight."
Jiang Cheng smiled casually. "Not at all—I was dining nearby and heard you were here, so I dropped by. Hope I'm not interrupting."
Chen Qing waved hurriedly. "Of course not! It's an honour; we've all wanted to meet you. Without your investment there'd be no show, and no dinner tonight—right, everyone?"
When he finished, the others chimed in with flattery.
"Exactly, Director Chen's right—we've looked forward to meeting you."
"Thank you so much for letting me be part of the cast."
"I'm thrilled to meet you today."
"It's my honour to act in your sponsored drama."
Jiang Cheng brushed off the pleasantries, smiling faintly. "I hear Director Chen excels at youth dramas—having you at the helm puts me at ease."
Chen Qing replied at once, "Rest assured, Chairman Jiang, I'll shoot with everything I've got and deliver a result you'll be proud of."
After that he introduced the other actors.
Jiang Cheng met their eyes calmly and nodded slightly.
Once they'd all greeted him they whispered that his aura was so overpowering it made them nervous.
Under their subtle scrutiny Jiang Cheng sat down at the table unruffled.