"Do you think our negotiation today will be successful?" Yao Tong asked.
"About eighty to ninety percent," Zhang Ting took a deep breath. "I originally wanted to use fan opinion for leverage in the negotiation, but it seems this move won't work."
Yao Tong's eyes were red. "If it weren't for that scumbag trying to... I would definitely terminate the contract."
"That's how capital works. We're just chess pieces in their hands. Only when we become capital ourselves can we have the right to negotiate," Zhang Ting said. "Right now, the company we're running is booming with several artists, and who would have thought those artists were actually under your management?"
Speaking of this, Zhang Ting became a little proud. This company was secretly established by her and Yao Tong through certain means. All of Yao Tong's acting income over the years had been invested in the training of these artists.
Now, these trained artists had become popular, her invested capital had paid off, and Yao Tong now had the qualifications to negotiate with the boss of the current company.
"I hope everything goes smoothly today."
As Yao Tong spoke, she looked up at the hotel entrance below, her heart filled with unease.
She had struggled in the entertainment industry for so many years to gain her current fame. She had thought that in this current popular scene, all the fans were there for her, but it turned out they were all for Ye Bufan, the youngest War God in history.
"Ye Bufan..."
Yao Tong murmured Ye Bufan's name, falling into thought. He was a hot topic recently. Apart from news of him during the Martial Arts Tournament, he had rarely appeared since. She hadn't expected him to be here at this time.
Accustomed to being adored by everyone, the current sense of disappointment made Yao Tong's imagination run wild: Could it be that this Ye Bufan was also her fan, and had come here specifically after hearing about her?
Yao Tong shook her head, scolding herself for being so self-indulgent. He was a War God; how could he possibly be her fan?
...
On the other side, Ye Bufan rushed into the Moon Half Hotel with Nangong Yi, just as they encountered the hotel manager coming out.
"Young Master Nangong, I sincerely apologize. The situation today is rather unusual, and we have failed to provide proper service." The person, dressed in a qipao, had a smile like a blooming flower. Their speech carried a scholarly air, and they carried themselves with grace and elegance.
"It's alright, it's alright. There were just a few minor circumstances," Nangong Yi said with a smile.
"And this is..." The person quickly noticed Ye Bufan beside Nangong Yi.
"Ye Bufan," Nangong Yi replied.
"Mr. Ye." The person greeted Ye Bufan. The next second, a strange look flashed in their eyes before they turned to Nangong Yi.
As the person was about to ask, Nangong Yi quickly said, "Manager Jiang, this Ye Bufan is indeed the Ye Bufan you're thinking of. Just now at the entrance, we were blocked by fans of some Yao Tong and couldn't get in. Later, we were surrounded by fans who recognized Ye Bufan, and it was a struggle to get in."
The manager of the Moon Half Hotel was named Jiang Xuanji. Ye Bufan instinctively swept her with his spiritual sense and discovered that she was also a cultivator.
Although she had hidden it well, Ye Bufan's spiritual sense was stronger than that of an average mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, making him more sensitive to the presence of other cultivators.
Standing before Ye Bufan, Jiang Xuanji felt as though she had been instantly seen through, as if she were transparent.
"Mr. Ye, Young Master Nangong, please come inside." Jiang Xuanji felt a bit flustered and quickly led the two to the private room Nangong Yi had booked.
In the Moon Half Hotel, the levels of the private rooms were graded as Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. As Nangong Yi belonged to a top family in the capital, he was directly assigned to a Heaven-grade private room.
Soon, members of the Yu Chi family also arrived. Ye Bufan recognized the person who came, it was Yu Chi Yinnian's grandson, Yu Chi Qiyang.
When Yu Chi Qiyang saw Ye Bufan, he was slightly stunned and immediately became reserved.
Half an hour after Yu Chi Qiyang arrived, Jin Yuchen also arrived. The three were all from the younger generation of the top families in the capital.
"Mr. Ye, you're here too!" Jin Yuchen exclaimed excitedly, looking at Ye Bufan.
"I happened to run into Nangong Yi, and he invited me to dinner, so I came along," Ye Bufan chuckled.
After Jin Yuchen sat down, the three spoke somewhat incoherently. Ye Bufan knew it was likely due to his presence, making them feel uneasy.
"I'm going out for a walk. You guys can chat here."
Ye Bufan got up and opened the door. Before Nangong Yi and the other two could speak, he disappeared in a flash.
"Phew!" The three breathed a sigh of relief after Ye Bufan left.
"Is this the strength of a War God? I felt like I couldn't breathe," Yu Chi Qiyang said, his mind replaying their last encounter, wondering if he had said or done anything inappropriate or offended the man.
"With such strength, I hope to reach this realm one day," Nangong Yi's eyes were filled with longing.
Jin Yuchen felt even more so. He had relied on Ye Bufan to reclaim ownership of the Jin family. To some extent, the Jin family and Ye Bufan had a connection, and some current business dealings were conducted with Ye Bufan's influence.
"Alright, let's talk about business first. We shouldn't keep Mr. Ye waiting," Jin Yuchen took a deep breath and took out a document from his bag.
"That's right, that's right," Nangong Yi said.
After leaving the private room, Ye Bufan began to wander around the Moon Half Hotel.
From the outside, it looked like a relatively modern building, but inside, it was a combination of high technology and garden style, which Ye Bufan found aesthetically pleasing.
Ye Bufan walked from the Heaven-grade private room towards the Yellow-grade private room, noticing that the amenities gradually decreased.
"Sister Ting!" Just as Ye Bufan was about to walk from the Earth-grade private room towards the Profound-grade private room, he heard someone cry out with a choked voice.
Ye Bufan spread his spiritual sense and discovered that in one of the private rooms, two girls were discussing matters with a man. One of the girls had been drugged by the man.
"Yao Tong, negotiation? Do you think that's possible? It's wishful thinking. If I can't have you, why would I let you leave the company?"
Beside the man stood two bodyguards, both at the Great Martial Venerable level. The conscious girl was the famous star Yao Tong, whom Ye Bufan had met earlier that day.
"How is it? Do you feel weak and uncomfortable all over your body now?" the man's voice became increasingly sinister...