After being dumped by the diva, I was picked up by her arch-enemy.

A few days later, at the top-floor conference room of Star Entertainment's headquarters in Shanghai.

The atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Gu Ruanxing, dressed in a smart women's suit, slammed a film scheduling schedule onto the conference table with a "thud".

The paper slid a beautiful arc across the smooth solid wood table, stopping precisely in front of Jiang Yichen.

"July 1st." Gu Ruanxing leaned forward slightly, her fiery red lips curving into a smile as she stared intently at Jiang Yichen. "The summer blockbuster season is about to kick off, and cinemas across the country have completely changed their attitude. They're practically blatantly fawning over us."

"The screening rate on the first day was a whopping 35%!"

Chen Hao sat beside him, his cheeks flushed with excitement, unsure of what to do with his hands, and could only keep rubbing them together.

He had huge dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes burned with an excitement brighter than a searchlight.

"Thirty-five percent!" Chen Hao couldn't help but slap his thigh hard, the loud noise drawing everyone's attention. "Brother Chen, this number... we're about to take off!"

Jiang Yichen leaned back in the large boss's chair, twirling a pen between his slender fingers, his posture relaxed.

The pen tip danced nimbly between his fingers, reflecting his calm and deep eyes.

"July 1st, that's fine." Jiang Yichen nodded slightly, seemingly having anticipated this astonishing number. "It just so happens to coincide with the students' full holiday."

He changed the subject: "Has the roadshow plan been finalized?"

Chen Hao immediately pulled out a thick stack of printed itineraries from his briefcase.

"It's settled! Look, Brother Chen!"

"In 30 key box office cities across the country, Lao Xu and I split into two teams and worked non-stop to ensure that the main cast and crew were present on the premiere day in every city!"

"As long as we can boost the box office, I'm willing to work non-stop, even sleep under a bridge and eat steamed buns!"

Jiang Yichen was amused by his workaholic attitude and waved his hand.

"Alright, stop making it so dramatic."

"Publicity and marketing expenses will be covered. Food, lodging, and security during the roadshow will all be handled to the highest standards." Jiang Yichen stopped twirling his pen and slammed it firmly on the table, making a clear sound. "What I want is for word-of-mouth to explode, for the audience to recognize the film itself, not for you to go out and play the victim to gain sympathy."

Gu Ruanxing flicked her sexy curly hair behind her ear, a confident smile curving her lips.

"Don't worry, Boss Jiang."

"The public relations department is on standby, working 24/7. As soon as the movie is released, the film reviews and public opinion monitoring on major platforms will immediately follow, ensuring that the popularity will only increase."

End of the meeting.

Chen Hao and Gu Ruanxing went off to do their respective tasks in a flurry of activity.

Jiang Yichen also returned to his room at the Qilin Theater in Shanghai.

He had just poured himself a glass of warm water, preparing to take a short rest.

"Knock, knock, knock." The door was knocked on gently in a very rhythmic manner.

Jiang Yichen didn't even raise his head, his eyelids slightly closed.

"Come in."

The door lock made a barely audible turning sound.

A dark figure slipped in like a cat, moving so fast it made no sound. The door closed silently behind him, as if it had never been opened.

The person who arrived was wearing an inconspicuous gray casual sweatshirt and a black baseball cap pulled very low over his head.

He took off his hat, revealing a sharp and capable face.

With a neat buzz cut and extremely clear eyes, he walks with his heels barely touching the ground, exuding an innate alertness.

It was Hou Fei, Jiang Yichen's sixth junior brother in the Qilin Opera Troupe. This kid had practiced martial arts and monkey shows since he was a child, and was extremely agile, with his best skills being tracking and infiltration.

"Third Brother," Hou Fei called out, and darted to the coffee table in a few steps.

Without any hesitation, he grabbed the half-empty bottle of mineral water from the table, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down several mouthfuls, his Adam's apple bobbing rapidly.

Jiang Yichen leaned back on the sofa and looked him up and down.

"Did you shake your tail clean?"

Hou Fei casually squeezed the empty bottle into a ball of plastic and then accurately tossed it into a trash can two meters away.

He grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, pulled over a chair and sat down backwards, draping his arms over the back of the chair.

"Third Brother, are you trying to make fun of me? Those incompetent bodyguards the Bai family employ are no different from wooden stakes on a stage. I've been watching them for over half a month, and they still can't even tell if I'm round or flat."

Jiang Yichen pulled a pack of cigarettes from the drawer and tossed one over. "Let's get down to business. What did Attorney Bai say?"

Previously, when Bai Wanyi decided to investigate the Bai family's dirty secrets, she communicated with Jiang Yichen, and Jiang Yichen then asked Hou Fei to cooperate with her.

When the topic turned to business, Hou Fei dropped his carefree, playful smile and became serious.

"Attorney Bai is indeed a remarkable person." Hou Fei lit a cigarette with a lighter, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cold, sharp smoke. "The clues she provides are extremely accurate."

Instead of taking out the USB drive directly, he pulled out a tablet computer from his inner pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to Jiang Yichen.

"Third Brother, take a look at this first."

On the screen is a complex chart showing the flow of funds.

"In the past two weeks, my team and I, along with the people Attorney Bai sent, have traced Bai Yanqiu's three shell companies overseas. That kid's got a dirty hand!"

Hou Fei pointed to several nodes on the screen, "The so-called high-cost S-level web dramas produced by Brilliant Entertainment in recent years have all had falsified accounts. They have laundered a large amount of money into these overseas private accounts by exaggerating the costs of extras, post-production special effects, and even fabricating suppliers out of thin air."

Jiang Yichen's gaze fell on the black USB drive, his fingertips lightly sliding across the screen, his eyes growing increasingly cold.

"Is that all?" Jiang Yichen asked.

"The main event is yet to come." Hou Fei leaned forward, lowering his voice as if revealing a top-secret secret, "The Bai family patriarch is in poor health, and several uncles within the Bai Group are vying for power. To consolidate his position within the family and ensure cash flow, Bai Yanqiu has secretly embezzled nearly 300 million yuan of Brilliant Entertainment's public funds!"

He scrolled to the next image, which was a scanned copy of a bank transfer receipt.

"He used this money to cover a huge debt he incurred at an overseas casino. Attorney Bai has already obtained copies of the relevant bank transfer receipts; the evidence is overwhelming!"

Jiang Yichen picked up the encrypted USB drive on the table and gently twirled it between his fingers; it seemed to still carry Hou Fei's body heat.

"What were Attorney Bai's exact words?"

Hou Fei cleared his throat, deliberately mimicking Bai Wanyi's cool and calm tone: "Attorney Bai said, 'These materials are enough to get Bai Yanqiu arrested, but not enough to completely destroy him and Brilliant Entertainment. To strike at the heart of the matter and ensure he never recovers, we need the original ledgers of his core financial company.'"

"She told us not to rush to overturn the table, but to wait for the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow."

Jiang Yichen stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the lights of Shanghai shone brightly, and traffic flowed busily, revealing undercurrents beneath the glitz and glamour.

"Xiao Fei." Jiang Yichen didn't turn around; his voice echoed calmly in the room.

"Third Brother, you say it."

"You'll have to work harder these days. Continue to cooperate with Bai Wanyi's people. Keep a close eye on that vice president named Wang Jianye who works for Bai Yanqiu. Bai Yanqiu can't possibly sign off on these dirty accounting things himself. Wang Jianye definitely has a backup, and maybe... the original ledger is in his hands."

Hou Fei stood ramrod straight, fastening his baseball cap back onto his head, the brim obscuring his sharp gaze.

"Understood. If that bastard dares to hide the original ledger in Shanghai or Beijing, I'll dig three feet into the ground to find it for you!"

"Be careful." Jiang Yichen turned around, patted his junior brother's shoulder, and said with a touch of warmth in his voice, "If you get into trouble, let Bai Wanyi handle it through legal procedures. Don't do anything. We're from a proper opera troupe, not here to fight and kill. Don't get your hands dirty."

Hou Fei grinned, revealing his white teeth.

"Don't worry, Third Brother. The kung fu taught in our opera troupe is mainly for escaping and self-defense. I value my life."

After saying that, he opened the door, and with a swift movement, he silently disappeared into the corridor outside, as if he had never been there.

Jiang Yichen returned to his desk and locked the black encrypted USB drive in the safe.