The villain daughter did all kinds of things

Like all members of the Melson family, Pias also had striking pink hair, though he cut it very short and parted it in the middle.

Coupled with his square face, red suit, and seemingly perpetually serious expression, every time Emerald saw him, she would think of Tokiomi... well, if his pink hair were dyed black, he would look even more like him.

"You've come, Ellie."

Seeing his daughter enter the meeting room, Pias remained stern and unsmiling, getting straight to the point:

“I have been following Blue Star Films closely. You have done a great job and will most likely become the 31st family member to pass the entrepreneurial trial. I am proud of you.”

"Because I am, after all, your daughter, Dad. Isn't it only right that I do these things?"

Amelie, not wanting the atmosphere to be too formal, deliberately skipped and hopped like Julia to Pias's side, and said with a coquettish smile:

"Even if you don't have confidence in me, Dad, you should at least have some confidence in yourself!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Pias's tense face finally broke into a smile, clearly pleased with Amelie's flattery. His attitude immediately softened, and he began to chat about everyday things:

"Your return was quite sudden... You've already met Catherine, Bobo, and Lulu?"

"Yes, Madam is as charming as ever, and Bobo and Lulu are both very cute."

Emery smiled and nodded:

"I brought a friend home with me this time, Yulia. Bobo and Lulu both like her. She's at my place now, playing with Bobo and Lulu."

“Yulia? Hmm… I’ve looked into her background and kept an eye on her.”

When Julia was mentioned, Pias's expression became serious again, though his attitude remained relatively gentle:

"She is indeed a talented child with great potential. Choosing her as the core of your entrepreneurial project is a very wise decision... However, her personality seems too idealistic. Are you confident that you can keep her under control?"

"Of course... or rather, she was already trapped."

Emery smiled, her eyes narrowing, and made a grabbing motion with her hand:

"Don't you know me yet, Father? Every girl I've set my sights on is head over heels in love with me. Yulia's personality is indeed very idealistic and impulsive, but all I have to do is subtly transform her ideals into my own, isn't that simple?"

"..."

Pias paused noticeably for a moment before letting out a complex sigh:

“Many times I’ve wondered whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing that you’re not a boy, Ellie. If you were a boy, with your skills alone, you would most likely become the biggest playboy in the entire Federation, dominating the social scene… but there would also be a high probability that you would die in a crime of passion.”

"Haha... Father, you're joking! I'm not some playboy princess, I'm just good at making friends with girls~~"

Emery blushed slightly and chuckled, then quickly said modestly.

Even she would feel embarrassed if her father pointed out to her face that her private life was messy and her reputation was bad.

The two then chatted casually in the conference room, during which Amelie personally brewed a pot of tea and poured it for Pias and herself respectively.

They chatted for almost an hour. After finishing his tea, Pias finally regained his serious demeanor and looked at Emerald:

"Alright, tell me, what brings you back this time? And I remember you've never really liked coming to the company, have you?"

"Yes, I do have something I need to ask Father about this time."

Amelie became serious and, without hiding it, told Pias about Hausman Vance's invitation to collaborate.

"That guy Hausman actually invited you, Ellie? Tsk... that guy is really shameless, actually going after a junior."

Pias first criticized Hausmann mercilessly, then fell silent, clearly deep in thought.

Amelie waited patiently by her side, without disturbing her.

She had great faith in her father's business acumen. Her previous praise of him wasn't entirely unfounded, as she had indeed learned a great deal about business from him.

"Um……"

After about half a cup of tea's time, Pias spoke again:

"The collaboration with Hausman is negotiable. This is indeed an opportunity for you, Ellie. If you seize it, it can significantly accelerate your business plans... However, there is one thing you must pay attention to."

"Father, please speak."

Emerald listened very attentively.

"Hausman Vance is a man who is only interested in profit. He will do anything as long as he can make more money."

Pias astutely pointed out:

“Little Ellie, you’ve got your eye on the market in Vance Street, but that guy Housman is eyeing the potential of your film. And given your current situation, it’s difficult for you to come up with much funding.”

"So I guess... no, I'm certain, he'll propose a franchise-like arrangement where you grant him the license to open cinemas on all the Vance shopping streets. He'll only give you a one-time franchise fee or a small percentage of the revenue, with most of the cinema's income going into his own pocket."

"In this way, even if you expand your business later, little Ellie, and actually open cinemas directly under your control throughout the entire Federation, it will be difficult for your directly operated stores to compete with Hausman's franchise stores. Because his franchise stores are supported by the entire Vance Commercial Street, and other entertainment options are too convenient. Most people will definitely choose his stores first when watching movies."

"Little Ellie, your movie is excellent. Everyone can see its potential. It will definitely be a lucrative new entertainment project in the future, and countless people want to get involved."

"But Ellie, you registered the film as a patent a long time ago, and you are also the daughter of our Melson family. As long as you don't agree to share the pie, they can only watch helplessly."

"But Hausman Vance is indeed clever. He saw that you don't have much cash right now, so he came up with this plan—using the huge market of Vance Street as bait to forcibly take a slice of your pie."

"Overall, this collaboration is more beneficial than harmful to you, Ellie. Just take the entrepreneurial trial as an example. If Blue Star Films' cinemas can really open in all of Vance Commercial Street, your entrepreneurial trial can be declared passed ahead of schedule, and your grandfather and the others will not have any objections."

"So my advice to you, Ellie, is... this collaboration is negotiable, but you absolutely must not agree to any of the proposals put forward by Hausman. You must formulate and control the proposals yourself, and let Hausman negotiate with you slowly... After all, the movie is yours, and as long as you don't want to, no one can forcibly take a piece of the pie from you, unless he wants to face the magic warship!"

"I understand now, thank you for your guidance, Father!"

Amelie showed a genuine expression of admiration.

At least in the business world, even with memories of two lifetimes, she is still far behind her father.

Amelie herself had been trying to figure out Hausman Vance's little scheme for a long time, but her father figured it all out in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

"Yes, do your best, Ellie."

After discussing business, Pias's attitude became much more amiable:

“I know you don’t like men, but there was no other way with Connor back then, because you were the only one of the right age in the family… But don’t worry, little Ellie, as long as you can pass the entrepreneurial trial, no one in the family can force you to get married, not even your grandfather, because this is a rule set by our ancestors, do you understand?”

"Yes, I understand, Father."

Amelie chuckled lightly, showing no concern whatsoever about her upcoming marriage.

Pias assumed that Amelie was very confident in her film and didn't think much of it, because he also thought the film was excellent. As long as Amelie didn't mess things up, passing the family's entrepreneurial trial would be a piece of cake.

He had no idea that, in Amelie's eyes, her fiancé was already dead.

"...Is there anything else, Ellie?"

Seeing that his daughter had finished asking about important matters and was still not leaving, Pias said somewhat impatiently:

"Go home and play with Bobo and Lulu when you have free time. They miss you a lot. I still have a lot of work to do, so I'll stay at the company tonight."

"Father, you've worked so hard, you need to rest more too. Remember to balance work and rest!"

Emerald first offered some words of advice to Pias, then feigned hesitation for a few seconds before leaning close to Pias's ear with a suppressed laugh and telling him about Judy:

"There's one more thing, Father... I have a senior classmate, the one who played the main character in 'The Demon Tide Extermination,' Judy. She seems to have fallen in love with Popo at first sight, and she asked me to ask for your opinion... What do you think?"

"Judy? Judy Bessie, the daughter of General Bessie?"

Pias had previously said he was very interested in Emerald's career, and he wasn't exaggerating. With just a little recollection, he remembered all of Judy's detailed information:

"At her age, she was able to serve as the deputy commander of the Demon Tide Extermination Legion, and she also demonstrated command and combat abilities in the movie... In terms of talent and status, her relationship with Bobo is worth considering."

"So, Father, you agree? Let them try dating first? I can arrange it."

"Imelite immediately became very interested," she said.

一个男生对他的好朋友说'我要娶你妹妹'，那他等到的大概率只有好朋友的一顿揍。

However, if a girl tells her best friend, "I want to marry your brother," she will most likely get her best friend's help and matchmaking.

Emerald was indeed very interested in bringing Judy and Bobo together. Although Judy had slept with quite a few girls in the South Liang before and couldn't be considered chaste, such things weren't really a flaw for people of their status. At least Emerald didn't care, since it wasn't her getting married anyway.

"We can let them get to know each other first and see if they can get along."

Pias nodded slightly, then thought for a moment and said:

“But Popo is my only son, and his wife must be outstanding as well. Little Ellie, you know very well that your senior doesn’t have much feminine charm, right? So tell her that if she really wants to be Mrs. Melson, she should try to become at least a colonel before Popo graduates.”

Chapter 154 Julia pilots the Emerald

After returning home from the Melson Tower, Emerald thought she would have to deal with her younger siblings' whining and pleading.

Unexpectedly, Julia was incredibly helpful; in less than three hours of playing with them, she had completely exhausted the two pink-haired girls. When Emery returned home, Bobo and Lulu were already fast asleep in the room prepared especially for them.

Emerald breathed a sigh of relief. She had to think about tomorrow's negotiations tonight, so she really didn't have much time to play with the children.

The next morning, Emerald received a new invitation from the manor's maids.

Mr. Hausman Vance seemed to be an impatient man as well. After learning that Amelie had returned to Sphinx, he invited her to breakfast early in the morning to start discussing business.

After a moment's thought, Amelie accepted the invitation without refusing.

In a high-end restaurant that had been booked by Hausman, Emery met the federal commercial real estate tycoon once again.

Hausman Vance's appearance perfectly fits the stereotype of a wealthy businessman.

He was quite overweight, but he dressed elegantly and politely, making him appear as a kind and graceful fat man.

He did not show any disrespect to Emery because she was a junior; he consistently demonstrated sufficient respect for her, showing his sincerity in cooperating.

However, regardless of Hausman's outward demeanor, when he sincerely proposed the cooperation plan, Emerald couldn't help but admire her father's impressive abilities.

Pias guessed it perfectly.

Although Hausman's words were more enticing than empty promises, his core message was to get Emery to grant him the license to open Blue Star Cinemas franchises in every Vance shopping district. His proposed franchise fees and profit sharing weren't low, but they still couldn't compare to the long-term box office revenue of a film.

Following her father's teachings, Emery flatly rejected Hausman's proposal and put forward her own new one—cooperation was possible, but not as a franchise; it would be a directly operated store. The box office revenue of Blue Star Cinema would belong to Blue Star Films, while Vance Commercial Street would only benefit from the foot traffic generated by the movies.

Hausman, of course, disagreed. He said that Emery's career prospects were very good, but she was definitely short of funds and simply could not afford to build a movie theater in Vance Commercial Street throughout the Federation. He had to fund the construction himself, so he had to take the lion's share of the box office revenue.

Emerald argued that while she didn't have that much money, she could take out a loan. With the film's potential and the reputation of Miss Melson, why worry about finding investors?

The two men each held their own views and were unwilling to give in easily or give up the opportunity to cooperate. They talked from breakfast time to lunchtime before finally reaching an agreement.

As Pias predicted, Hausman was very eager to get a share of the film pie, so after a morning of back and forth, he eventually made quite a few concessions.

Hausman agreed that all the movie theaters Emery opened on Vance Street would be directly operated by Emery, but Emery had to bear all the costs of building the theaters, including the purchase and rental of the venue.

Emerald can borrow money or raise funds from anyone she wants, but she must have Hausman as her guarantor. If Emerald can't repay the money she borrows, Hausman will have to pay it off for her and take back ownership of the movie theaters that were used as collateral.

This is the final agreement reached by both sides, each with their own calculations.

Hausman had gathered detailed intelligence and had his financial experts do the calculations.

He knew that Amelie was currently in the trial phase of starting her business and could not use the family funds. She absolutely did not have the money to build movie theaters throughout the entire Federation at the same time, and could only borrow money.

Regardless of who they borrow money from, based on the current revenue forecasts for cinemas, it is unlikely that they will recoup their costs within at least two years. Blue Star Films will most likely face a cash flow crisis and be unable to repay the money, at which point those cinemas will still belong to Hausman.

Emery understood these principles, and she acknowledged that Hausman's plan was feasible. Borrowing money to build a movie theater would indeed be difficult to recoup in the short term, not to mention the interest payments. There was a high probability that the cash flow would break down and the only option would be to use collateral to repay the debt.

But what if Emery doesn't intend to pay back the money she borrowed?

In short, both of them were quite satisfied with the agreement and were very confident that they would be the ones to have the last laugh. After lunch, they readily signed the agreement.

. . . . .

After finishing their business, Emerald felt much more relaxed.

Seeing that the two little pink-haired girls were tugging at her skirt, reluctant to leave, Amelie finally decided to stay at home for another day before going out, and take everyone out to play in the afternoon.

Sphinx, as the capital of the Allen Federation and the world's largest magical city, certainly doesn't have the natural scenery of a resort town like Champs-Élysées, but it still has plenty of places to visit.

With its advanced magical technology, the various amusement parks are the most attractive entertainment options for tourists in Sphingard.

Just as some people are willing to take an airship to Locke City specifically to watch a movie, tourists from all over the Federation come to Sphingard every day to enjoy the amusement park, and there are also many local guests.

Sphinx has many amusement parks, and new ones are built almost every year, using various magical devices to create novel entertainment facilities to attract tourists.

Surrounded by Julia and the two pink-haired girls, Emerald looked at a compilation of the amusement park's latest promotional materials for a while, finally pointing to a page:

"How about we go here to play? What do you guys think?"

"The Haunted House?"

The two little pink-haired girls glanced at it first, then nodded together:

"Yay! It's a new amusement park I've never been to before!"

Julia's mouth twitched a few times. She had been scared by Emery's ghostly antics at the Morning Light Opera House last time, and was a little reluctant to go to such a place. But seeing that the two little pink-haired girls had agreed, she could only nod reluctantly.

"I'm fine with it too! If Emery gets scared, just hide behind me!"