Mad Dragon gets out of prison and marries a beautiful CEO.

Chapter 110

The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a warm golden rim on a strand of hair tucked behind her ear.

She sat more relaxed than when she entered, as if she had finally let out a lot of things that had been weighing on her heart.

Chen Li did not interrupt her throughout her speech.

She laid bare her true feelings: the burdens of her family, the internal ostracism within Xinghai, her fear of Xiaoran's background, and what she truly wanted.

She is not someone who can be easily swayed by money, nor is she someone who can be emotionally blackmailed.

She has her own clear standards for weighing things.

"When will the recording of 'Star Project' begin?" Chen Li asked.

"Early next month," she replied, looking up.

"Go back and tell Xiaowen that I'll handle this variety show. You don't need to make any statements. Just rehearse and do your scheduled appearances. After the show is finished, you can decide which company to sign with based on the results," Chen Li gave her a definite answer.

Su Wan put down her cup and looked at him for a few seconds.

Her face didn't show the joy of being coaxed or excessive gratitude, but rather she was quietly confirming one thing: whether he could really keep his word.

"Okay, I'll wait for your message."

She stood up and put her baseball cap back on, pulling the brim down to cover most of her face in shadow.

She took two steps toward the door, then stopped and glanced at Chen Li.

"Mr. Chen, regardless of whether this variety show ends up airing or not, I really enjoyed this cup of coffee today. It's been a long time since anyone has listened to me talk this much."

Chen Li smiled and said:

"Call me next time you want coffee, but you'll have to treat me."

She smiled brightly, pushed open the glass door and walked out, the wind chimes tinkling twice.

Her figure blended into the afternoon light and shadows of the trees in the alley, and soon disappeared around the corner.

Chen Li finished his now-cold Americano while still seated, then took out his phone and sent a message to Xiao Wen:

"For the variety show 'Star Project,' can you help me find out who's in charge? Su Wan wants to be on it."

Xiaowen leaned in quickly, her eyes darting around, and replied:

"You want to sleep with Su Wan? That... you need her permission first, right..."

She assumed that Chen Li had fallen for Su Wan after meeting her and wanted to get her body in exchange for appearing on an entertainment program. This was common in the industry, so it's no wonder she had such thoughts.

Chen Li carefully read the message and replied:

"Read the question carefully."

Xiaowen replied quickly:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, I misread it. I apologize, I'll make the arrangements."

Chen Li smiled and shook his head silently.

After sending the message, he paid the bill, got up, and walked out of the coffee shop.

The sycamore leaves in the alley rustled in the wind, and the afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering golden fragments on the ground.

As he walked out of the alley, he went through every single word Su Wan had said in his mind.

She was more composed than she appeared; she knew how to lay out her chips and wait for others to make their moves, and she wasn't in a hurry.

What she wanted was very specific, so specific that if he could just secure the "Starlight Project," he could show her that he had the ability to open up new opportunities for her.

This is much more interesting than discussing the contract with Xiaowen.

When Chen Li returned to the car, Xiao Wen's message had already come back:

"The production company of 'Starlight Project' is a variety show studio under Yuncheng TV. The director's surname is Chen, and his name is Chen Guodong. He is known in the industry as 'Third Master Chen.' He directed several dramas with good ratings in his early years and later switched to variety shows."

"There are two investors in this program: one is a media company under Li Family Entertainment, and the other is an affiliated company of Xiaoran Media."

"The core resources of the program are basically controlled by these two companies. Xinghai Entertainment had applied before, but was rejected."

After reading the message, Chen Li leaned back in his seat and thought for a while.

The program was produced by Yuncheng TV, but the investors were Lin Xiao and the Li family, which meant that the right to approve the program was in the hands of their rivals.

The variety show that Su Wan wanted to appear on was exactly the tool that Lin Xiao and the Li family used to strangle her.

He placed his phone above the dashboard, started the car, and drove back to Bihu Longting.

On the way, he dialed Ah Kun's number:

"Find out Chen Guodong, the chief director of 'Starlight Project,' what his background is, what his hobbies are, and who he's been close to lately. Be quick."

Ah Kun responded.

Half an hour later, before the car even reached the Bihu Longting villa area, the message came back:

"Chen Guodong, 52 years old, has worked at Yuncheng TV for more than 20 years. He is a senior employee, but the projects he has worked on in recent years have not been very successful."

"This person's most prominent characteristic is greed, but he is not ostentatious about it. He does not accept cash or bank transfers, and he likes calligraphy, paintings, and antiques."

"His wife is currently renovating a new house. The renovation company is a partner of the property management company under Li Family Entertainment."

"The kickbacks he gets from renovations are much safer than paying him directly."

After hearing this information, Chen Li's lips twitched slightly.

That evening, Chen Li had Ah Kun find out Chen Guodong's address and daily routine. The next morning, he went directly to the office building of Yuncheng TV.

Without an appointment or any introduction, I simply handed a business card to the front desk.

"Please pass this on to Director Chen Guodong and tell him that I'm talking to him about the number of artists for the 'Star Project'."

The receptionist looked at the business card, which only had a name and number printed on it, but no title. After hesitating for a moment, she dialed the internal line.

She hung up the phone after less than two minutes and said:

"Director Chen would like to invite you up to the fifth floor, the innermost room on the left."

When Chen Li entered Chen Guodong's office, the interior decoration was simpler than he had imagined.

An old-fashioned mahogany desk, a wall of bookshelves crammed with CDs and file boxes, and several half-dead potted green plants on the windowsill.

Chen Guodong himself was wearing a gray plaid shirt, his hair was somewhat thinning, and he was wearing reading glasses. He was looking down and flipping through a stack of documents.

He looked up at Chen Li, then tapped the chair opposite him with the cap of his pen:

"sit."

Chen Li sat down, and without exchanging pleasantries, went straight to the point:

"Director Chen, I'm here to discuss the artist slots for 'Starlight Project.' Su Wan from Xinghai Entertainment wants to be on this show."

Chen Guodong took off his reading glasses and placed them on the table, then leaned back in his chair and looked him over:

"Xinghai Entertainment had previously registered, but failed the initial review."

"The spots for this show have already been filled. Ten people, one spot for each contestant, there are no empty seats."

Chen Li continued:

"The initial review failed because Xinghai Entertainment didn't have an investment share. What if Xinghai Entertainment could offer an investment now?"

Chen Guodong's gaze lingered on his face for two or three seconds, then he smiled, with an expression that said, "You know what you're doing," and said:

"Young man, have you ever worked on variety shows?"

"The production cost of this show alone is several million, and with the publicity and artist salaries, it would easily cost at least 20 million."

"If Xinghai Entertainment really wants to invest, they'd have to come up with at least three million to be considered a co-producer. Three million for a permanent seat... that's a price..."