The call was connected within two minutes, and a somewhat steady but gloomy voice came from the other end, "Hello? You shouldn't be calling me during this time."

On hearing the voice on the other end, the elderly man was clearly a bit angry.

He had a good relationship with the person on the other side of the phone, so he complained directly, "Uncle Zhao! You must have noticed what's been happening recently."

"Do you think this is a matter of timing?"

"If this continues, we're all going to be dragged down by that Zhang Yonghao!"

The person on the other end didn't respond, perhaps because he had nothing to say or couldn't speak, but his silence remained.

Seeing him like that, the elderly man took a deep breath, exhaled, and then said, "Alright. I understand it's inconvenient for you to speak."

"So I won't say much more."

"I'll get straight to the point."

He paused and said, "I've decided to withdraw my support for Zhang Yonghao."

He explained, "I don't know if Zhang Yonghao was outsmarted by Chen Yan, or if he's really in cahoots with Chen Yan, now trying to cover his tracks."

"But his recent transactions have really put us in a very passive situation."

"I tolerated his first deal with Chen Yan, and even the second. But the third time? I'm no ninja."

"He might as well sell all his shares to Chen Yan. That way we wouldn't even need to go to court."

Perhaps because the person on the other end remained silent, the elderly man vented alone, feeling it pointless, and gradually his anger subsided.

He said earnestly, "Honestly, I'm really starting to suspect that Zhang Yonghao has ties with Chen Yan. Even a fool would know that he's currently fighting a legal battle over equity with Chen Yan."

"On one hand, he sues Chen Yan for tricking him out of his shares, and on the other, he continues to sell shares to Chen Yan."

"What's a judge to think? How's a judge to rule?"

"It's like a slap in our faces."

"At this point, I don't dare to rashly push this matter further. So… let's leave it at this for now."

Hearing the elderly man finish, the person on the other end finally responded with a "Mm" and said, "Alright, then let's give up on him."

After speaking, the person on the other end paused and added, "Also, don't call recently. Don't let that person find out. My plan has reached a critical point, there can't be any mishaps."

"Okay," the elderly man replied and hung up the phone.

After hanging up, the elderly man was so angry he smashed another cup.

The second-tier celebrity, startled like a frightened rabbit, jumped aside and dared not speak.

...

Just as the elderly man had said.

The few stock transactions by Zhang Yonghao had made him very passive in this lawsuit.

After all, as he was suing Chen Yan for cheating him out of his shares while continuing to sell shares to Chen Yan, it was hard to clarify the situation.

In court, the judge would undoubtedly question his motives.

So, after the new year, once Chen Yan's legal team had gathered sufficient evidence, they withdrew the "jurisdictional objection" and proceeded with the court case in Tiandu directly.

Since the previous transactions between the two were fine, and with this transaction as evidence, coupled with Zhang Yonghao's backers withdrawing support, the lawsuit went through without any surprises, and Zhang Yonghao lost.

It almost seemed as if Zhang Yonghao had anticipated this outcome; he didn't even show up on the day, sending only a lawyer to handle the affairs.

After the court verdict, that proxy lawyer couldn't turn the situation around and, after muttering some harsh words about preserving the right to appeal, slinked away dejectedly.

However, everyone knew that if Zhang Yonghao couldn't win the first trial, a second trial was even less likely.

This trial was, in fact, essentially a final result.

Thus, this lawsuit over corporate control, which started with much attention, ended quietly in obscurity.

After the verdict, Chen Yan also left Ao City, taking Yu Qiao Qiao back to Qin Island.

Now that everything had settled, he no longer needed to linger in Ao City and deal with Zhang Yonghao.

However... Although he no longer used the "Strong Buy Card," Chen Yan still felt that something was off with Zhang Yonghao's state, suggesting there might be future business, so he left a couple of trustworthy people stationed there.

It was like waiting for more chances to catch Zhang Yonghao off-guard.

After all, with the future of Headline Technology in mind, acquiring more shares now would be profitable.

...

Back on Qin Island, Chen Yan plunged back into his busy work schedule.

As the new year passed, the business empire of Chen Group once again set in motion.

When a business grows to a certain scale, it generates its own momentum, which no one can stop, whether it heads towards destruction or... glory.

While Chen Yan was in Ao City, the acquisitions of beverage factories had all been finalized.

Even from afar in Ao City, Chen Yan thoroughly reviewed and tested the market for several beverages.

Then, after conducting extensive surveys, he finalized his previous plan: to create a new zero-sugar, zero-calorie healthy drink, a niche in the domestic market.

With this plan set, Chen Yan instructed his staff to split into groups and extensively develop formulas for this beverage.

By the time he returned, they could use "Xiao Ha's Instant Film" to select the right product.

In addition to the beverage factory, Yang Nuannuan's financial company was also finally established.

The bi-city financial firm, both in Mainland and Hong Kong, ensured that Chen Yan was no longer fighting alone in financial operations.

However, this also sent a wave of alarm through Hong Kong's financial circles shouting: the wolf has come.

After all, over the last two years, relying on the system's withdrawals, Chen Yan had reigned supreme in Hong Kong's financial sector, behaving as he wished, causing virtually all major financial institutions in Hong Kong to develop a Chen Yan PTSD.

Therefore, with the establishment of his company, their fears and concerns were beyond measure.

Beyond these two new companies, there was no need to mention Chen Group's gaming and film companies.

As the two pillars of Chen Group, the gaming and film companies burgeoned in the new year.

Especially the gaming company, which capitalized on the success of "Battlefield," topped major global gaming charts, with player online rates spiking to over two million during the new year, achieving unparalleled prominence.

The film company was also thriving, with the "Sunrise Plan" in effect and the diligent oversight of Chen Yan and Yang Rou, producing a stream of quality movies, TV shows, and variety programs.

Moreover, as the reputation grew, the slogan "Chenlu production, guaranteed quality" gradually took root in the audiences' hearts.

Sometimes, a show lacking major stars or a luxurious crew, just having the Chenlu Film Company name attached attracted many viewers.

This favorable influence also boosted the careers of many promising newcomers from Mei Man Entertainment Company.

While all the above companies were developing well, what surprised Chen Yan the most was the Chen's Investment Company under Meng Xue's control.

This company, initially just a means for Chen Yan to funnel money, also blossomed with new vitality in the new year.

The system still proved its "true capabilities." Previously, the system had rated Meng Xue just below Qin Ming.

However, after leaving the He family, Meng Xue hadn't demonstrated adequate competence and even bungled several deals.

This made Chen Yan doubt whether there was a malfunction in the system: perhaps Meng Xue wasn't very capable.

But, after more than a year of integration, experience, and reflection, Meng Xue finally began to show her high-level talent.

The projects she negotiated at first were lukewarm, but in the new year, once Headline Technology infused them with traffic, they began to shine brightly and develop rapidly.

Moreover, her strategic layout was broad, investing a little in everything from pharmaceuticals and e-commerce to new energy vehicles, anything that piqued her interest.

This allowed Chen Yan's business empire to extend its reach, no longer confined to a corner...

...

As a capitalist, the best part is actually being able to choose when to work.

After resting for two days upon returning from Ao City to Qin Island, with the new year almost over, Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao went to the company for the first time.

By this time, more than 20 days had passed since the normal working timeline for most people...

After spending half a month in Ao City, Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao didn't find their relationship strained by the proximity; rather, their bond deepened, and they enjoyed spending more time together.

Therefore, even though there wasn't much work at the charity foundation, Yu Qiao Qiao still volunteered to go to work with Chen Yan, taking the opportunity to visit her long-neglected clay sculpture studio.

Arriving together at the company, they passed security and headed to the elevator, just about to press the button to go up when they encountered a woman who seemed somewhat familiar but also slightly unfamiliar.

The woman was wearing tight-fitting clothes, tall and voluptuous, fashionably dressed with a mask and sunglasses, walking with a great deal of flair, clearly having the makings of a celebrity.

However, since Mei Man Entertainment Company was located in Fenghua Building, there were many celebrities and trainees around, so the couple didn't pay it much attention. A quick glance, and they looked away.

However, they didn't notice that the woman seemed quite familiar with Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao.

Seeing the couple, she walked up quickly, smiling and greeting, "Qiao Qiao, Chen Yan, long time no see."

Hearing that familiar voice, Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao took a closer look at the woman, then suddenly exchanged a stunned glance.

"Man Man?"

"Sister Man Man?"

Hearing their greeting, Lu Man took off her glasses and mask, smiling playfully, "What? You don't recognize me?"

Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao: ...

Chen Yan looked at the voluptuous beauty before him, almost unable to recognize her.

Honestly, the current Lu Man was very beautiful, radiant and filled with feminine allure, more so than before.

But... Lu Man didn't look like this before.

Previously, Lu Man, adhering strictly to a female celebrity's obligations, mostly consumed vegetables and fruits, as thin as a rail, slim and delicate like a willow in the breeze.

Chen Yan sometimes felt sorry for her when touching her in bed.

Fortunately, she had good genes, and even though slender, she was still curvaceous in the right places, so Chen Yan wasn't too uncomfortable.

Thus, having seen Lu Man's previous appearance and comparing it to now, Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao were both taken aback.

To put it vividly... Lu Man looked as if she had been inflated like a balloon, her figure expanded significantly.

So, the couple quickly exchanged embarrassed smiles and greeted her.

"Recognized." "Recognized."

As the three chatted, the elevator arrived.

They stepped into the elevator, and Lu Man stood by the elevator doors, taking out lipstick to touch up her makeup, while Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao were still immersed in the shock of Lu Man's transformation over the holidays.

After a while, Lu Man pursed her lips, put away the lipstick, then turned to Chen Yan, saying, "Chen Yan. You have to stand up for me."

"When you weren't around, many people in the company bullied me."

Hearing Lu Man's words, Chen Yan snapped back to reality and couldn't help but ask, "Bully you? How did they bully you?"

Lu Man said indignantly, "A lot of them secretly said I've gotten fat. They said I look like I've been inflated."

Chen Yan & Yu Qiao Qiao: ...

Chen Yan coughed and said, "Only a lot of them? What about the rest? Were they bribed by you in advance?"

Lu Man: ??

After a moment, Lu Man caught on and then couldn't help but glare at Chen Yan, "Chen Yan!"

Chen Yan quickly coughed, "No roughhousing in the elevator."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Lu Man then restrained herself from pouncing over to hammer Chen Yan.

Seeing the two bicker, Yu Qiao Qiao quickly intervened to change the topic, asking gently, "Sister Man Man, but what's been going on with you lately? How come you suddenly..."

Her words trailed off, but both Lu Man and Chen Yan understood what she meant.

Lu Man couldn't help but show a troubled expression.

She touched her stomach, which was actually still flat, and said, "Ah, it's all because of my parents. I've been too busy these past two years, rarely going back home. I spent New Year's working outside. This year I finally went back, and they just kept feeding me."

"If I didn't eat, they'd get unhappy."

"After they urged me a few times, I, I just couldn't resist..."

"So... it turned out like this."

Chen Yan & Yu Qiao Qiao: ....

To be honest, Lu Man wasn't fat now, just a normal girl's figure.

But she is a celebrity, after all, and cameras tend to stretch things, so her current figure was a bit over the line.

Plus, she has a naturally star-like presence.

What does naturally star-like presence mean? It means she has an especially small face.

So any weight gain was particularly noticeable because it made her face fuller.

After knowing the whole story, Chen Yan couldn't help but ask, "So Mei Li, seeing you like this, she must be freaking out?"

"Exactly," Lu Man said sadly, "She now drags me to the company every day to exercise, making me do a full 2 hours of exercise before I can go home."

"That's why I come to the company every day."

Chen Yan sighed faintly.

Gaining weight is easy, but losing it is hard.

Especially the happy fat, the New Year's fat is the hardest to lose...

So Chen Yan looked at her sympathetically, feeling sorry for her.

Soon, the elevator reached the floor of the film company.

Lu Man sighed, said goodbye to the two, and walked out of the elevator first.

Watching her gracefully curved back, Chen Yan thought for a moment and then said to Yu Qiao Qiao, "Qiao Qiao, you go up first and wait for me. I'm a bit worried about Lu Man in this state. I'll see Mei Li and then check on her exercise."

He paused, then explained, "I'm worried Mei Li might push her too hard in a rush for results, and it might hurt Lu Man."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Yu Qiao Qiao obediently agreed, then watched as Chen Yan followed Lu Man out of the elevator.

The elevator doors slowly closed. Hearing Chen Yan following her out, Lu Man turned around.

Without Yu Qiao Qiao around, she finally dared to say more.

In a wronged tone, she said to Chen Yan, "Chen Yan~~ I'm doing all this for you."

For some reason, the slightly chubbier Lu Man seemed a lot cuter.

Talking with a pout, she looked especially adorable, making Chen Yan really want to pinch her cheek.

"Like" is really a magical emotion. If you like someone, it seems no matter what shape they take, you will still like them.

Chen Yan resisted the urge to pinch her face and then asked, "How can you blame this on me?"

Lu Man huffed, turned her head away, and in an indignant tone revealed the most guilt-ridden reality, "I told my parents about us!"

Walking beside Lu Man, Chen Yan almost tripped over his own feet.

He looked at Lu Man in surprise, "You told your parents?"

Lu Man haughtily replied, "What did you think? I wanted to?"

"It's just that they kept pressuring me to date and get married."

"I told them I'm a female celebrity; I can't have a relationship."

"They said, 'Why not a secret relationship?' and mentioned that career is important, but so is love. Being a celebrity for life, how lonely would it be with all the money but no one to rely on when you're old?"

"They pressured me about it the entire vacation."

"I just couldn't take it anymore, so... so...."

Chen Yan interjected, "So you sold me out?"

Lu Man angrily stomped on Chen Yan's foot, "You make it sound so awful!"

"Does that sound like selling?"

"At most, I sacrificed you."

Chen Yan: ....

That sounds worse than selling.

At least if sold, you can still live.

While idly thinking to himself, Chen Yan then asked, "So what do you plan to do?"

Lu Man defiantly said, "What do I plan?"

"It's you who should be planning!"

Chen Yan was all question marks.

Lu Man haughtily said, "My parents said they want to meet you. Want to have a chat with you."

Chen Yan: ....

To be honest, until Lu Man said that, Chen Yan was just enjoying the drama, thinking Lu Man's year had been too "colorfully" spent.

But when Lu Man mentioned meeting the parents, Chen Yan's heart suddenly sank with a chill, and he got a bit alarmed.

He couldn't help but ask, "Meet, meet your parents?"

Lu Man gave him a look, "What? Scared? Daring in actions but not in consequences?"

Lu Man emphasized "actions," making Chen Yan feel like there was some underlying message in her words.

But Lu Man's request was not unreasonable.

He and Lu Man had an emotional foundation, their relationship had developed, and he had even promised Lu Man a good future. Now her parents wanted to meet him; he truly had no reason to evade.

So, after hesitating for a moment, Chen Yan still said, "How can I not face it? I'll go meet them!"

"Tell me when!"

Seeing Chen Yan agree, Lu Man's face finally showed a hint of a smile, and then she said, "It depends on your schedule."

"You're a busy person. How can I just make plans?"

Chen Yan: ....

How come it feels like after Lu Man went home for the year, even her tongue got sharper? Did she change her class to a summoner back home?

While internally complaining, Chen Yan chatted with Lu Man about visiting her parents, then headed to the rehearsal room.

Inside the practice room, the fitness coach, dance coach, and Mei Li were already waiting.

Chen Yan greeted Mei Li, then inquired about Lu Man's weight loss plan.

After reviewing it and finding it to be scientific without any unduly hasty measures, Chen Yan was reassured.

Although he was reassured, Mei Li was somewhat distressed.

Seeing Chen Yan, the big boss, show up, she bluntly poured out her troubles, squarely saying that Lu Man's current state wouldn't look good on camera, so probably all work scheduled for the next month after the New Year would have to be temporarily halted.

Chen Yan wasn't counting on making money off Lu Man, so he readily agreed to it and even gave her an extra half-month of leave.

As for how to explain Lu Man's sudden "disappearance" from the public eye for two months, the two also discussed it. They decided the company would announce that Lu Man was preparing for a new movie, so she was secretly training and getting ready.

After settling Lu Man's matters, Chen Yan watched her exercise for a while then left the practice room.

Leaving the practice room, Chen Yan took a detour to Yang Rou's office.

Having not seen Chen Yan for a long time, Yang Rou missed him quite a bit.

Chen Yan lingered with her for a while, then mentioned Lu Man's situation.

Yang Rou, while playfully rolling her eyes at Chen Yan out of jealousy for Lu Man, crossed out all of Lu Man's plans.

Seeing her charming and attractive demeanor, Chen Yan didn't hesitate to extend an invitation for a "date" tonight.

Yang Rou's cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded faintly...

After chatting with Yang Rou, Chen Yan went upstairs back to the gaming company.

He first visited Yu Qiao Qiao's clay sculpture studio.

Even though Yu Qiao Qiao hadn't been to the gaming company for a while, her clay sculpture studio was cleaned daily, and all kinds of props were well prepared.

So, when Chen Yan arrived, Yu Qiao Qiao was already happily sculpting.

Chen Yan didn't hesitate and sat down next to her, starting to sculpt together.

However, before he could sculpt much, his phone rang.

Chen Yan glanced at the caller ID; it was a call from Zhao Xuan.

Chen Yan excused himself to Yu Qiao Qiao and then left the clay sculpture studio to return to his office and answer the call.

As soon as the call connected, Chen Yan heard Zhao Xuan's somewhat weary voice, "Chen Yan. Are you available right now?"

Hearing Zhao Xuan's voice, Chen Yan knew Zhao Xuan must have encountered some issue.

So, he didn't bother with pleasantries but kindly said, "Available, Uncle Zhao, go ahead."

Though it was actually his turn to speak, when it really came time to speak, Zhao Xuanh became silent as if he had some unspeakable difficulties.

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