Chapter 526: Wen Ming 16
Zhou Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Teacher Wen, you heard that? My apologies. I just like to run my mouth. How about this? To make it up to you, I’ll punish myself with three drinks."
He said the words, but his hands didn’t move an inch. Clearly, his offer to drink three glasses was just for show.
But Wen Ming wouldn’t let it go. "Didn’t you say three glasses? Go on, drink up. I’m waiting."
Zhou Zheng’s face stiffened. "Teacher Wen, there’s no need to be so aggressive. It ruins the mood."
Wen Ming feigned surprise. "So you were just all talk? President Zhou, if you can’t back up your words, you shouldn’t say them. You’re just making a fool of yourself."
"You!" Zhou Zheng flushed red to his collar. ’When has anyone ever dared to speak to me like this?’
Little Liu quickly tried to smooth things over. "Teacher Wen, we just got carried away. President Zhou didn’t mean any harm, so please don’t take it to heart. Here, I’ll drink this glass for him!"
As he reached for the glass, Wen Ming waved a dismissive hand. "Forget it. I couldn’t care less about your apology. Just have the girls leave. Let’s get down to business."
President Li quickly waved, and the girls all squeezed out of the room. Once the private room door was shut, Zhou Zheng’s face darkened completely. He brazenly lit a cigarette. "Teacher Wen, are you trying to humiliate me?"
"You’re the one who set this trap for me, and you won’t allow me to fight back?" Wen Ming smiled, completely unfazed by Zhou Zheng’s expression. "I know you’re from the Capital City, well-connected, with a lot of pull."
"But if you think you can mess with me, it seems you’ve miscalculated." Wen Ming tapped her phone. "What exactly have you been up to at the LEDI Club? Do you need me to spell it all out for you?"
The moment she mentioned LEDI, Little Liu’s face went deathly pale. In contrast, President Li, President Wang, and Cheng Ming just looked at each other, not understanding what Wen Ming was talking about.
Cheng Ming remembered Wen Ming’s earlier advice and was determined not to interfere, sitting quietly to the side. When President Li and President Wang wanted to speak up, Cheng Ming stopped them.
President Chu, who had come along, looked at the others and wisely kept his mouth shut. But as he watched Wen Ming, the look in his eyes grew increasingly intrigued.
Zhou Zheng stubbed out his cigarette, his gaze turning sinister as he stared at Wen Ming. "What are you trying to say?"
Wen Ming didn’t back down an inch. "I’m not trying to say anything. You’re a filthy mess yourself, yet you want to drag innocent people down with you. That’s just despicable."
"You probably don’t know this, do you? For people who get mixed up in that stuff, the average life expectancy is no more than thirty-six. Speaking of which, how old are you now? LEDI Club’s ’exclusive parties’ have long been infamous. As a regular there, are you sure you haven’t caught something yourself?"
The moment she said that, Little Liu immediately scooted his chair away.
Wen Ming found this amusing. "Getting scared now? Even from this far away, I can smell three different perfumes on you. I guess you two really do run in the same circles. You should make a group appointment with a doctor."
President Chu lowered his head slightly to hide a smile. ’I never expected this Teacher Wen to be so scathing,’ he thought. ’You really can’t judge a book by its cover.’
With his secrets laid bare by Wen Ming, Zhou Zheng dropped the act. "How do you know all this? What else do you know?"
"I know a lot more," Wen Ming said with a half-smile. "Did you really think you were safe just because that computer in your house isn’t connected to the internet? You came to me looking for a partnership, and naturally, I wasn’t going to turn you away."
"But what is this? An attitude like this from a potential partner... I’ve really seen it all now."
Furious, Zhou Zheng stormed out. Little Liu wanted to chase after him, but seeing Wen Ming still there, he was caught in a dilemma. Wen Ming waved her hand. "Go after him if you want. Don’t mind me. We’re not familiar with each other anyway, and it’d be awkward to continue eating together."
Little Liu immediately ran out after him. Wen Ming looked at President Chu, who was as still as a mountain. "Aren’t you with them?"
President Chu slowly sipped his tea. "We are merely from the same place—the Capital City."
Wen Ming understood. "President Li, let’s get a new private room."
President Li couldn’t have been happier to switch rooms. Even though some diseases aren’t spread by airborne droplets, knowing how sordid those two were still made him feel apprehensive.
So, the moment Wen Ming gave the word, President Li went out to make the arrangements.
Once they were settled in the new room, Wen Ming looked at everyone. "Now that Zhou Zheng has been scared off, President Chu, what are your intentions?"
President Chu hadn’t expected Wen Ming to be so direct. But he was a veteran who had seen it all, and he immediately replied with a smile, "I am very sincere about this partnership. I’m aware of your methods, Teacher Wen. I will only provide the investment and won’t meddle in anything else."
"However, as for the investment share..."
Wen Ming understood. She pondered for a moment, then after a brief discussion with Tan You, she said, "The most I can offer is a share of twenty million."
President Chu asked, "And what is the total investment, may I ask?"
There was no reason for Wen Ming to hide it. "The current total is fifty million. If we need to add more funds later, we’ll discuss it then. I’ll be on set for the entire production. It is my first feature film, after all, so it’s best to be cautious."
The truth was, Tan You wasn’t confident in the current director’s abilities. Although her skills weren’t on par with the likes of the old Director Liu or Director Qi, Tan You felt that in this world, her directing was still among the best. At the very least, her artistic vision was ahead of its time.
President Chu asked tentatively, "Is that a firm number?"
Wen Ming stuck to her guns. "That’s the limit. It’s not like I can’t afford the rest myself."
Well, since she’d put it that way, there was nothing more President Chu could say. He had originally hoped to secure a fifty percent stake, but he hadn’t expected Wen Ming to refuse to give an inch.
"In that case, here’s to a successful partnership," President Chu said, raising his glass. Wen Ming raised hers as well, but only touched it to her lips before setting it down.
She was a beautiful woman, and even when surrounded by familiar faces, she had to be vigilant about her safety.
With business out of the way, the conversation turned to personal matters. Cheng Ming poured Wen Ming some tea. "So, is your focus entirely on the mainland now? Are you not going back to T Province anymore?"
Wen Ming shrugged. "If I stay there any longer, I’ll probably cause a public outrage. Let them have their fun."
Cheng Ming grinned. "What about your position as Music Director at Mr. Yan’s company?"
"I still hold the title," Wen Ming said, her eyes narrowing in a way that looked charmingly innocent, not at all like a thirty-year-old woman. "It doesn’t conflict with anything. Besides, they’re all established singers now. They’ll naturally meet plenty of other lyricists and composers. There’s no need for them to be solely dependent on me."
"I wouldn’t call it being dependent; I’d call it a golden highway to success," President Li said with a laugh. "Teacher Wen, now that you’re back, are you interested in releasing an album? Our company mostly has actors, but we do have a recording studio that’s ready for you anytime."
Wen Ming thought for a moment. "Let’s talk about it after the film production gets on track. I’ve been releasing several albums a year for the past few years, and frankly, I’m a little tired."
Cheng Ming said, "Even if you wanted to retire now, you could live comfortably for the rest of your life. You were certainly acting like a high-roller just now. But after you ran Zhou Zheng off like that, don’t you think he’ll try to get back at you?"