Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

The silence in the top-floor office of Century Group was broken by the last number key pressed by Lu Yang's fingertips.

A brief dial tone came through the receiver, and then the call was connected.

"Hello?" A slightly calm male voice came through, carrying a hint of probing.

This is none other than Zhao, the deputy director of Zhejiang TV, who holds real power and had just "coincidentally" met Lu Yang at a high-end dinner party a few days ago, where they reached a tacit understanding.

Lu Yang didn't exchange any pleasantries.

He made no mention of thanking the other party for their "tacit cooperation" in the "strict review" of the Pearl Media project, as if it had never happened.

His voice, coming through the receiver, was as steady as a cold financial report, yet it contained immense power, undeniably piercing through the distance of space:
"Director Zhao, this is me, Lu Yang."

After introducing himself, he went straight to the point without any pause.

"I think the audience of several prime-time programs on Zhejiang TV is a good fit for the nationwide promotion plan of 'Little Genius' brand under Century Group." The initial budget is ten million yuan for title sponsorship and print advertising. I will have my assistant contact your advertising department to discuss the specific details.

There was no asking "What do you think?", no polite "I hope we can cooperate happily".

This is not a request, much less a discussion.

This was a huge, naked, and tempting piece of fat, which Lu Yang tossed precisely to Deputy Director Zhao with an almost casual gesture.

Century Group, a behemoth that rose to prominence among private enterprises in the 1990s, has a diverse portfolio of businesses, but each of its subsidiaries is a top performer in its respective industry.

Its annual advertising budget on major media platforms is already widely recognized in the industry as an astronomical figure.

For any television station, gaining the favor of Century Group means huge revenue and immeasurable brand endorsement.

For Zhejiang TV, this ten million is far more than just a large sum of money.

It is a signal that couldn't be clearer.

The “recognition” and “friendship” from the emerging domestic capital giant, private enterprise behemoth “Century Group” and its leader Lu Yang.

This unexpected "generous gift" carries far greater weight than any previous unspoken understanding.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a burst of enthusiastic, even slightly flattered, voice from Deputy Director Zhao, who spoke at a faster pace.

"Oh my! Mr. Lu! This...this is so incredibly kind of you for your trust in Century Group!"

"A perfect match!"

"A perfect match!"

"We at Zhejiang TV will definitely allocate our best resources to support the promotion of 'Little Genius'!"

"Don't worry, I'll personally oversee it to ensure the best results!"

"Your assistant is available to contact us at any time. Our advertising department will fully cooperate and ensure a seamless transition!"

The excessive praise and guarantees poured out like a flood.

Lu Yang listened expressionlessly, and only after the other party's excitement subsided slightly did he give a faint "hmm" twice, as if he were just confirming a trivial notification, before decisively ending the call.

Okay. That's settled.

"Beep...beep..."

The busy signal came from the other end of the line, leaving Deputy Director Zhao still immersed in great surprise.

In the huge office on the top floor of the Century Group, Lu Yang had already put the receiver back on the landline.

He leaned back, sinking deeply into the large, soft leather seat, and lit a cigarette. Wisps of greyish-white smoke rose and swirled around his sharply defined face.

Behind the smoke, those deep eyes were sharp as a hawk locking onto its prey, cold and focused.

He is too adept at the unspoken rules of the game in this circle.

The news that Zhejiang TV had secured a multi-million dollar contract from Century Group didn't need any deliberate publicity; it would spread like wildfire, reaching the sensitive ears of top executives at major television stations in a very short time.

Those industry veterans with a keen sense of smell, like hunting dogs, will immediately decipher the underlying message: Mr. Lu of Century Group is "very satisfied" with Lantai!
So, here's the question: what do those TV stations that are working closely with Pearl Media, or are observing, or have even reached a point where they're about to sign a contract think?
The answer is almost certain.

In order not to offend this generous sponsor with a huge budget and a clear stance, and in order to grab their own piece of the "meat bone" in the future possible sharing, what will they do?
Distancing themselves, being cautious, observing, and even... actively following the trend to kick Mingzhu Media in the foot in order to curry favor with the new investor.

Yin Mingzhu's most vital lifeline in the domestic media market, the television channel resources, will face an unprecedented harsh winter brought about by the capital chill.

First, there was Sifei Media, controlled by Xu Siqi, which launched legal entanglements and media suppression under the guise of international lawsuits, causing Mingzhu Media to be heavily questioned in terms of its international image and originality; then, the Century Group used capital as leverage to undermine its mainstream domestic cooperation platform.

Lu Yang didn't even need to personally engage in any verbal or business battles with Yin Mingzhu.

He only needs to sit atop this cloud, like a detached chess player, and gently pluck a few invisible strings called "capital" and "interests." The resulting icy torrent will be enough to shake the foundations of Yin Mingzhu's painstakingly built media empire, plunging it into a precarious state.

The office fell silent again, with only the faint hissing of burning cigarettes and the silent flow of the bustling skyline of Shenzhen outside the window.

Lu Yang's gaze inadvertently swept across a corner of the large desk.

There stood a delicate photo frame, containing a family portrait of Yin Mingyue with a gentle smile, nestled against her two adorable children.

The smile in the photo is warm and bright, which seems out of place in the cold atmosphere of the office at this moment.

A faint, complex, and indescribable glimmer of light briefly swept across the depths of Lu Yang's eyes, like a fleeting ripple beneath the surface of a frozen lake.

However, this glimmer of light was quickly covered and frozen by a deeper chill.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled, the smoke blurring his expression and the smiling faces of his family in the photo.

A business storm, unseen and unnoticed by him from thousands of miles away, has been brewing and taking shape in the sky above Yin Mingzhu's business empire, ready to be unleashed.

Shanghai, Pearl Media Office.

Yin Mingzhu felt that the sunlight was particularly glaring today, and even through the gaps in the blinds, it made her feel inexplicably irritable.

She was facing the computer screen, her fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard, reviewing the final proposal for the new program that was about to be signed with Jiangxi Provincial Television (the provincial television station next to Lanzhou TV).

This program was the culmination of months of meticulous work by her and her team, and a crucial step for Mingzhu Media to open up the provincial market and enhance its influence. The other television station was very satisfied with the initial plan, and even offered to cut an old program whose ratings had already plummeted to rock bottom to make room for her new program's prime time slot.

Everything is ready; all that's left is the final signing and stamping.

The intercom on the table suddenly rang sharply, interrupting her thoughts.

It was the secretary's voice, tinged with barely perceptible tension: "President Yin, Director Wang from the Provincial TV Station's Program Purchasing Department called, saying there's an emergency."

Yin Mingzhu's heart skipped a beat, a bad premonition rising within her. She picked up the receiver, trying to keep her voice steady: "Director Wang, hello. Is there anything else about the contract details that needs to be confirmed?"

On the other end of the phone, Director Wang of Jiangxi Provincial Television Station sounded completely different from the enthusiasm and cheerfulness he had shown when the cooperation was finalized a couple of days ago. Instead, there was an awkwardness, embarrassment, and even a cautious distance: "President Yin... well, I'm really sorry to bother you so suddenly. About the new program cooperation we discussed earlier... well, there's been a bit of a problem."

Yin Mingzhu's brows furrowed instantly: "What's going on? Director Wang, haven't we already finalized all the details? We've even reserved the broadcast time slot."

Her voice unconsciously carried a hint of questioning.

"Yes...it was a sure thing." Director Wang's voice sounded even more embarrassed.

"However... the station's leadership just held an emergency meeting to reassess some recent... uh... cooperation risks and market trends. They believe that this project... at this stage may have some uncertainties and needs to be... temporarily suspended. I'm very sorry, Mr. Yin, this is truly a collective decision made by the station..."

This is yet another instance of using the "collective decision-making" rhetoric, which coincides with the reasons given by Zhejiang TV for their previous rejection.

"Postpone?" Yin Mingzhu's heart sank, and her voice turned cold.

"Director Wang, you fully recognize the strength of Mingzhu Media and the quality of this program! The contract is right in front of us, and your attitude was quite different before! What do you mean by 'uncertain factors'? What do you mean by 'market trends'? Please explain clearly!"

A surge of anger began to rise in her chest.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone was choosing their words carefully. Finally, Director Wang lowered his voice, with a hint of helplessness and a sense of "revealing" his intentions: "President Yin, have you... have you recently... accidentally offended someone? Especially... that person in Pengcheng?"

He paused, as if afraid she wouldn't understand, and added, "Just this morning, we received definite news that Mr. Lu from Century Group has generously awarded a multi-million dollar naming rights contract to Zhejiang TV for a 'little genius'!"

"This signal... is too strong!"

"The whole industry is saying that President Lu is 'very satisfied' with Zhejiang TV."

"Think about it, at this critical juncture, who would dare... defy the odds and sign a huge contract with Pearl Media?"

"The station's leaders had no choice; the pressure was too great."

"To be honest, who wouldn't want a ten million dollar advertising budget?"

"Your program plan is excellent, but if we offend President Lu because of it, the losses... we dare not gamble!"

"Lu Yang!" Yin Mingzhu almost gritted her teeth as she uttered the name.

A chilling cold instantly shot through my body from my feet, more biting than the autumn wind.

It was him!

It is him again!
In order to deal with her, he actually resorted to such blatant capitalist means, directly giving Zhao from Lantai a "generous gift" and using money to cut off her other possible paths to survival!
How can this be considered a "minor attack"?
This is clearly an attempt to completely block Mingzhu Media's channels in China!
"So, just because that guy surnamed Lu gave Lantai ten million, you're going to break the contract? You don't even dare to sign the contract?" Yin Mingzhu's voice was as cold as ice, filled with sarcasm and anger.

"President Yin, please calm down..." Director Wang tried to soothe him.

"This...this really isn't something we wanted to break the contract, it's just that...the circumstances are beyond our control."

"I suggest you... perhaps... give in?"

"It's said in the industry that President Lu is young and hot-blooded, with a tough hand, and he's indeed... not easy to talk to. We small fry really can't afford to mess with him."

Soft clothes?

Bow down to Lu Yang?
Yin Mingzhu felt a rush of blood to the top of her head.

She suppressed the anger that was about to break free of her reason, her voice trembling slightly from the extreme suppression.

“I understand, Director Wang. This is not your fault; you have your own difficulties.”

She took a deep breath, and each word she uttered was like a piece of iron that had been tempered, resounding with conviction.

"But, you want me to back down to Lu Yang? Absolutely not! Even if Mingzhu Media loses all the cooperation from TV stations, it won't collapse! It'll just mean it will grow a little slower and make a little less money! I don't believe that Lu Yang can control everything and block all the paths forever!"

Before the other person could say anything more, she slammed the phone down.

The sharp crack of the handset striking the base sounded particularly jarring in the suddenly quiet office.

Yin Mingzhu's chest heaved violently, her face flushed with anger, and her fingers gripped the edge of the table so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

The immense sense of frustration and humiliation of being crushed by capital overwhelmed her like a tsunami.

However, this is just the beginning.

The other phone on the table started blaring again almost without pause.

Yin Mingzhu stared at the constantly flashing indicator light as if she were staring at a venomous snake that was spitting its tongue.

She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, forcibly suppressing her turbulent emotions, and reached out to take them.

The voice coming through the receiver was one she had once known intimately, but now found incredibly ironic.

"Hello? Sister Mingzhu? It's me, Siqi!"

Xu Siqi's voice on the other end of the phone still carried that deliberately created, honeyed intimacy, as if there had never been a rift between them as good friends, and that there was no such thing as the cold knife that was stabbed in the back at them.

"Mingzhu? Why aren't you saying anything? Have you been too busy lately?" Xu Siqi's voice was light and grating.

Yin Mingzhu took a deep breath, the surging anger and humiliation in her chest almost burning away her reason.

Her fingers gripped the receiver so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and her nails dug deep into her palms. The slight stinging sensation kept her barely conscious.

The sunlight outside the window was no longer dazzling, but rather carried a scorching malice, searing her nerves.

Yin Mingzhu took a deep breath, her voice low and cold, each word seemingly carved from an ice cellar, carrying a chilling edge and undisguised sarcasm, "I know it's you. What, did you call specifically to see me make a fool of myself? To see me, Yin Mingzhu, cornered by Lu Yang, rejected by all the major TV stations, in such a pathetic state?" (End of Chapter)