Chapter 454 - 240: The Sister-in-law Who Sold Herself

Qi Sheng had barely gotten his hands warm on the massive sum of over 300 million.

Yuan Kai from Universal Entertainment was already desperately calling for aid.

Filming for *Thirty Years Old* was scheduled to begin next week at the latest.

The 40 million for the joint investment in the show with Lemon Film and Television was due.

It had to be in the account before filming began.

Otherwise, Gu Pan’s role might not be secure.

Additionally, there was the promotion and distribution budget for *Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child*.

At least 60 million needed to be transferred for that.

Buying spots on trending lists, offline street teams, hiring major influencers for promotion...

Not a single part of it could be done without money.

Qi Sheng had just transferred 100 million to Universal Entertainment, enough for them to get the ball rolling.

Over at Pop Mart, funds were also starting to run low.

Although Pop Mart’s revenue and net profit had grown rapidly since the start of the year, this situation was different.

This time was different. They had pre-ordered 400 million worth of merchandise.

With Pop Mart’s current cash flow, they couldn’t even settle the payments with their suppliers.

They needed a capital reserve of at least 200 million.

That was the only way to avoid delaying payments to the factories.

The initial deposits for the major contract factories alone required at least 100 million.

This was the best deal Scones could negotiate, granted only because of Pop Mart’s excellent past reputation.

Four hundred million worth of merchandise was no small amount.

It was safe to say that Pop Mart was going all-in, betting everything on *Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child*.

If the movie bombed at the box office, they would have to absorb the entire loss on the 400 million in merchandise themselves.

Even the usually calm and steady Scones had been too anxious to eat or sleep well recently.

Especially seeing the partnered factories running at full steam, beginning production based on the design department’s drafts for the Demon Child.

A steady stream of funds flowed out from the company’s account.

The final return on investment was a complete unknown.

"Four billion..."

Scones looked through the box office statistics for the first half of the year, his expression growing even more anxious.

Only two films had ever surpassed four billion at the box office.

They were *The Wandering Earth* with 4.6 billion and *Avengers: Endgame* with 4.2 billion.

One was a sci-fi epic that had kicked off a new era for domestic sci-fi films.

The other was a Hollywood blockbuster with a massive domestic fanbase.

The third-place film, *Crazy Alien*, dropped off a cliff to just 2.2 billion.

’An animated movie earning four billion at the box office?’

No matter how Scones thought about it, it just seemed impossible.

He found the designs for the Demon Child merchandise particularly ugly.

’An animated film that warps the traditional image of Nezha... it’ll probably have a very hard time becoming a hit.’

But his boss had made the decision; all he had to do was carry it out.

’It’s only 400 million in merchandise. The worst that can happen is we liquidate it at a loss.’

’Even if we lose money, we can absorb the loss over time.’

...

「Cofco Seaview One」

"You little brat, you’re getting more and more audacious. I’m not against you wanting to act."

Zong Rui twisted Zong Lin’s ear, her face flushed with anger.

"But look at the kind of role you picked! How are Mom and Dad supposed to face anyone back home?"

"Oww, Sis! I’m an actress. As long as it’s a role, who cares about the character’s image?"

"Brother-in-law, hurry and talk some sense into her."

Zong Lin’s face was scrunched up in a pained expression as she frantically shot pleading glances at Qi Sheng, who was just watching the show.

"It’s great that Linlin is so dedicated, but there are plenty of good roles out there. There’s really no need to play one that damages your image."

Qi Sheng cleared his throat and chimed in to smooth things over.

"But I want to do a scene with Sister Panpan! And the age of the character, Lin Youyou, is a perfect fit for me."

Zong Lin still wouldn’t give up. She looked at Qi Sheng with pitiful eyes.

"I forbid it. I’d rather you play a background extra. You absolutely cannot play this homewrecker role."

Zong Rui was no longer listening to even Qi Sheng. She shot Zong Lin a vicious glare.

She looked ready to break her sister’s legs if she dared to pursue this foolish idea.

"This is so annoying!"

Zong Lin turned her head away in a huff, refusing to look at her equally furious sister.

Caught between the two sisters, Qi Sheng had no choice but to try and placate them both.

"Honey, I forbid her from playing that homewrecker role!"

Zong Rui was afraid Zong Lin would go to Qi Sheng behind her back and take the role anyway.

So she decided to nip the little brat’s idea in the bud.

"Uh..."

Qi Sheng rubbed his chin. He actually admired Zong Lin’s boldness.

Not every actress dared to attempt such an antagonistic role.

Liu Yan was a classic example.

It took her years to salvage her reputation with the role of Sun Sanniang in *Menghua Record*.

"Linlin, your sister is just looking out for you. It’s rare for an actress to have your kind of dedication, but you don’t need to start the game on hard mode."

Qi Sheng smiled and gently patted Zong Rui’s back, then said persuasively to Zong Lin, "When the company prepares its next project, I’ll let you play a major, positive female character."

"But..."

Zong Lin was about to argue that bad publicity is still publicity.

The famous Mimi in the industry was a perfect example, after all.

"Listen!"

Qi Sheng was normally very easygoing.

But when he truly made up his mind about something, no one could object.

"Oh... okay, I won’t play Lin Youyou then."

Zong Lin instinctively ducked her head and obediently backed down.

Just yesterday, she had signed an agency contract—for a full fifteen years.

Her precious future was now tied to Universal Entertainment.

If she made her brother-in-law unhappy, she might as well say goodbye to her career in entertainment.

"That’s more like it. Now apologize to your sister. Look how mad you’ve made her."

Qi Sheng smiled in satisfaction.

He felt a new fondness for his well-behaved little sister-in-law.

’Don’t get any funny ideas. It’s the kind of fondness one has for a little sister.’

"Sis, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have made you so angry."

Zong Lin walked over, head lowered, and meekly apologized to her sister.

"You little brat, you won’t even listen to your own sister anymore! It’s a good thing your brother-in-law knows how to handle you!"

Zong Rui gave Zong Lin’s ear another twist, chiding her with an exasperated laugh.

"Ow, that hurts~"

Zong Lin pouted, looking wronged. She felt like she had gotten herself into something she couldn’t get out of.

Thinking about the fifteen-year "slave contract" she had signed, Zong Lin felt her world go dark.

But this "slave contract" wasn’t without its perks.

It couldn’t compare to Sister Panpan’s S-Level contract, but it was an A-Level contract that most newcomers could only dream of.

A 70/30 profit split, a guaranteed leading role in one medium-budget production each year.

And roles as the second female lead or higher in two to three major productions.

She would also be given priority for commercial endorsements.

This level of contract was usually only offered to A-list celebrities.

By virtue of being the "sister-in-law," Zong Lin had definitely lucked out.

Once Zong Lin was back in her room, Qi Sheng seized the opportunity to fish for compliments.

"How did I do just now?"

"You were brilliant!"

Zong Rui planted a kiss on Qi Sheng’s cheek.

"A kiss on the cheek is no fun. How about somewhere else?"

Qi Sheng wasn’t satisfied with such a small reward and winked suggestively.

"All you know is how to take advantage of me!"

Zong Rui rolled her eyes at Qi Sheng but didn’t refuse him.

Who could blame her? Qi Sheng had handled that situation so well.

If she didn’t reward him, that little minx might just bewitch him again.

’That little brat! She really knows how to cause trouble for her sister!’

...

In the next room, Zong Lin heard her sister’s high-pitched moans.

Her face flushed red as she put on her Bluetooth earbuds, turning the music up until it drowned out the noise.

’Brother-in-law is clearly tormenting my sister so horribly.’

’Why does she seem to like it so much?’

Zong Lin’s little brain couldn’t wrap her head around it. But when in doubt, she could always search online.

Soon enough, some helpful internet strangers provided her with an answer.

The girl, who had just turned eighteen a few days ago, instantly had the door to a whole new world flung open.

It was just that in the scenes described by the explicit text, when she put herself in those scenarios, she couldn’t stop herself from casting her brother-in-law as the male lead.

Among all the men she had ever known, Qi Sheng was by far the most outstanding.

Young, handsome, tall, rich...

’Countless positive traits popped into Zong Lin’s mind.’

’Aside from being a womanizer, she really couldn’t find any other flaws.’

Whether it was to her sister, Sister Qu Man, or even Sister Panpan, Qi Sheng was incredibly generous. You could hardly find fault with him.

Whatever they wanted, he would find a way to give it to them.

Zong Rui wanted to open a gym, and Qi Sheng dropped five million without a second thought.

Qu Man wanted to manage a hotel, and Qi Sheng gave her the opportunity to be its general manager.

Gu Pan wanted to act, so Qi Sheng invested another 40 million.

He had directly secured a very substantial role as the second female lead for her.

Considering all this, Zong Lin didn’t really think Qi Sheng was that much of a scumbag.

At the very least, her sister and the others all seemed very happy.

She thought back to when she first arrived in Shanghai.

Her sister had picked her up from the airport in a Bentley Bentayga.

Zong Lin, who came from a small town, saw her sister decked out in jewels.

She almost didn’t even recognize her.

Her sister’s annual allowance was six million.

She also had a huge villa in Chengdu worth almost thirty million.

In terms of cars alone, her sister had two registered in her name.

Both were luxury vehicles, a Mercedes G-Wagen and a Bentley Bentayga.

Even a simple girl like Zong Lin, who didn’t care much for material possessions, couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

’If only I could find a boyfriend that tall and handsome who only loved me,’ she thought.

’But a guy like that would never be short of girls.’

Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Zong Lin took off her earbuds, intending to use the restroom.

A sound from the next room suddenly made her freeze.

’Listen a little closer... that’s really Sister Qu Man’s voice!’

Terrified, Zong Lin scrambled to put her earbuds back on.

She ran to the bathroom, where the sounds weren’t as clear.

"Phew..."

Zong Lin knew that both her sister and Sister Qu Man were her brother-in-law’s women.

But this was the first time she had actually caught them together.

Just imagining the scene made Zong Lin feel hot all over.

After she took a shower and stepped out of the bathroom, the room next door had finally quieted down.

’It’s finally quiet!’

Zong Lin didn’t dare dawdle and quickly tried to get to sleep.

She had to report to the set tomorrow.

It was a rare chance to see big-name stars act up close, and Zong Lin didn’t want to miss it.

But soon enough, the room next door grew noisy again.

"So annoying!"

Zong Lin desperately wanted to demand to know when things would finally quiet down next door.

But she had neither the courage nor the right.

This apartment was a gift from her brother-in-law to Sister Qu Man.

What right did she have to question the master and mistress of the house about their private matters?

After tossing and turning for what felt like an eternity, Zong Lin finally drifted into a hazy sleep.

She vaguely recalled the sounds from next door continuing on and off for three or four hours.

Before she fell completely asleep, Zong Lin silently added a new requirement to her list of standards for a future boyfriend.

Someone like her brother-in-law was completely off-limits, no matter what.

The thought of being "bullied" for several hours every day was terrifying.