Chapter 21: Still Looking for Investment?

“You...”

Li Xiao looked at Lin Biqi, his mouth opening, but the words stuck in his throat, uncertain of how to proceed.

The two had only known each other since childhood due to their elders' relationship, but he had never once felt a shred of romantic interest in her; he had always viewed her simply as a younger sister.

“Biqi, listen to me...”

“I won't listen!” Lin Biqi screamed hysterically. “I won't allow you to like someone else, I won't allow you to be with anyone else, I won't, I won't, I won't!”

She acted as if she had gone mad. Her sharp, piercing shrieks drew countless strange gazes, and many people recognized Li Xiao.

"Isn't that Li Xiao? What's going on?"

"Who is that girl? Crying and screaming at the cafeteria entrance—is there something wrong with her head?"

"Probably not a serious relationship. No wonder his girlfriend broke up with him."

"Are you blind? This woman is nowhere near Shen Ci's level."

As the whispers grew, Li Xiao felt a massive headache coming on. Shen Ci refused to reconcile with him, and now Biqi was here adding to the chaos. If Shen Ci found out about this, she would certainly never forgive him.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao deliberately raised his voice toward Lin Biqi: "I don't need your permission to find a girlfriend! I love Shen Ci!"

This declaration of loyalty made the onlookers, who were secretly watching the drama, widen their eyes in shock.

Lin Biqi cried even harder as a result, shouting back defiantly, "You still can't!"

Too tired to deal with her, Li Xiao simply left her standing there and turned to walk away.

Unfortunately, Shen Ci did not witness this spectacular scene.

After leaving the school, she took a taxi directly to the Real Estate Transaction Center. She had an appointment with the salesperson today to handle the transfer of ownership for that second-hand property.

She had assumed the other party had fully delegated the transfer process to the sales department, but upon arriving, Shen Ci discovered that the homeowner had come in person.

"Mr. Lu, this is Ms. Shen, the lady who purchased your house."

Upon their meeting, the young saleswoman from earlier introduced them. Seeing the name tag on her uniform, Shen Ci knew she had successfully passed her probation.

Lu Jinzhao was somewhat surprised to see Shen Ci. Looking at her beautiful appearance and youthful aura, she was completely different from the person he had imagined—someone capable of buying his house in full with cash.

She clearly looked like a college student.

Capturing the astonishment in his eyes, Shen Ci smiled composedly and extended her hand. "Hello, Mr. Lu."

"Hello." Lu Jinzhao reached out, a gentlemanly gesture where he only grasped the tips of Shen Ci's fingers, before sighing involuntarily. "I truly didn't expect you to be so young, Ms. Shen."

Despite his words, he felt a hint of disappointment in his heart.

His original intention for coming in person was to get to know this person who had dropped a fortune to buy his house. He assumed the person's status must be extraordinary, as he had learned from the salesperson that this individual had purchased two properties at once for over twenty thousand yuan, all in full cash.

To have such significant cash flow, they had to be someone important.

He hadn't expected a girl around twenty years old; he figured it was likely just family wealth and had nothing to do with the girl herself.

The process was handled by the salesperson; the buyer and seller only needed to provide identification and sign the documents.

While waiting, Shen Ci looked at Lu Jinzhao and asked casually, "I heard you reserved this house a year before it was even released. Why are you selling it after owning it for less than six months?"

Lu Jinzhao smiled and explained, "Plans change. I had my eye on this villa area early on, but my company identified a project in the second half of the year with massive potential. The company decided to invest heavily in it, so I had to part with this house reluctantly."

Shen Ci nodded. She remembered the salesperson mentioning that the original owner's company needed funds, which was why they planned to sell.

After watching Shen Ci for a moment, Lu Jinzhao suddenly asked, "Ms. Shen, do you usually read web novels?"

The random question left Shen Ci slightly stunned, but she nodded. "I do. I read them to pass the time when I'm bored."

Lu Jinzhao's eyes lit up. "Then has Ms. Shen read 'Destiny as an Empress'? That book is very popular among young people!"

*Destiny as an Empress?*

*That great female-lead web novel?*

"I know that book," Shen Ci nodded. Then, a thought flashed through her mind, and she blurted out, "Is your company planning to invest in the film and television adaptation of that novel?"

Lu Jinzhao nodded. "Yes. That book has a massive online following and a huge reader base. It is our company's key IP for the second half of the year. We estimate an investment of nearly twenty thousand yuan to create an epic, female-led drama!"

So, he was the boss of a film and television company.

Twenty thousand yuan was equivalent to the previous two hundred million. This investment amount could definitely be called a mega-production.

Furthermore, Shen Ci remembered that the adaptation of "Destiny as an Empress" had been extremely successful. Once aired, it broke multiple records. The top female lead became the leading actress of her era because of the show, and various rookie supporting actors also made their mark in the entertainment industry, gaining national recognition.

Her mind raced, and she looked at Lu Jinzhao with a smile. "Mr. Lu, do you still need more investment?"

Lu Jinzhao was visibly stunned. "Ms. Shen... you want to invest in our drama?"

As he spoke, his tone became noticeably excited.

"Leave me your contact information. I'll go back and read the novel more carefully. If I think it has potential, I will consider it."

Shen Ci didn't commit too firmly because she wanted to first understand the characters in the novel to see which one would suit her sister, and ensure she could secure the role before deciding to invest.

Lu Jinzhao nodded repeatedly and pulled out his phone. "Ms. Shen, let me scan your QR code."

The company had poured almost everything into this project; just fighting for the copyrights against other companies had taken a year.

If they succeeded, the company would soar, but the shortage of funds had always been the biggest obstacle to this project.

The company had been working on attracting investment, and with filming imminent, they were still far from their twenty-thousand-yuan goal. Therefore, when Shen Ci proactively expressed interest in investing, Lu Jinzhao's excitement was heartfelt.

"May I ask what your family does, Ms. Shen?" Lu Jinzhao asked casually as he scanned her WeChat.

Shen Ci replied calmly, "I am an independent investor. I have a good eye, so I've made some money."

Upon hearing that Shen Ci was a professional investor, Lu Jinzhao was visibly startled.

Having been in the business world for so many years, he had seen hundreds of investors and financiers. He had seen young investment geniuses, but this was his first time seeing someone as young as Shen Ci.

"Ms. Shen, this Friday evening, we are holding a cocktail party specifically for the project's investors. Even though you haven't decided to invest yet, I would still like to invite you to attend. Would that be alright?"