Chapter 461: Boiling Frogs in Lukewarm Water

The documents contained the names of several very popular brands recently.

As each page was flipped, Cai Ming’s expression grew darker.

He immediately understood what Pan Shi meant when he saw the document.

“Mr. Pan, what does this mean?”

After briefly flipping through the papers, Cai Ming set the document aside and looked at Pan Shi directly.

“What do you mean? Isn’t it obvious? If we can negotiate with them, these will be our potential clients! We can place plenty of ads in the game, and the advertising fees will be substantial. If we calculate by the quarter, we’ll earn as much as the other two games combined!” Pan Shi said cheerfully.

“Really? You want to place these advertising brands in the ‘Tianxia’ game?” Cai Ming asked, not surprised, but very calm.

“Of course! Given the setting of ‘Tianxia’, placing ads in the game is nothing unexpected! Even though some ads may not match the game’s characteristics, that’s why I had someone compile a list of these brands, so we can pick the ones that fit! I brought you here for this purpose!” Pan Shi replied dismissively.

However, Cai Ming’s calmness had disappeared, and he looked directly at Pan Shi, saying bluntly,

“Mr. Pan, I do not agree with this approach!”

“Huh? Why? This is a great decision!” Pan Shi said, his expression darkening slightly.

“Mr. Pan, while placing ads in the game can generate a lot of profit, there will be trade-offs. This will greatly affect the player experience! If ‘Tianjue’ has a similar game out, players might just abandon ours and switch to theirs!” Cai Ming explained logically.

But Pan Shi wasn’t listening.

“If that’s really the case, what was the point of developing this game for the company? Were you supposed to do charity work? The background of this game already has plenty of places to put ads. We’re just utilizing those blank spots to turn them into profit!” Pan Shi retorted.

“Mr. Pan, in that case, the purpose of developing this game would be completely misguided. Sure, there are places where we can insert ads, and one or two would be fine, but if there are too many, it will definitely turn off players. It would be unacceptable!” Cai Ming argued.

He paused for a moment before continuing,

“Mr. Pan, these advertisers must have approached ‘Tianjue’ first. If they were rejected, why would they come to us now?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Pan Shi’s mood shifted dramatically.

“Minister Cai, you need to understand the priority here! ‘Tianjue’ is not our game! If you keep bringing it up, are you going to compare everything we do to them? Cai Ming, you need to understand, you’re the Minister of the Game Department of Tencent!”

Pan Shi paused and then coldly added,

“The Game Department of Tencent is the industry leader! We developed ‘Tianxia’ to reclaim our market share! So, what exactly do you expect our game to profit from? Do you think players will just keep recharging their accounts? They can’t spend much money since this isn’t a pay-to-win game. If we rely on player recharges alone, we won’t make much!”

Cai Ming fell silent after hearing Pan Shi’s words.

Seeing his reaction, Pan Shi continued,

“I’m not insisting on this approach. If you can come up with a better plan for profits, I’ll consider it. Otherwise, should I hand over the vice president’s position to you? When we developed ‘Tianxia’, I already took on a lot of pressure. Now, if we can’t make this game profitable, what was the point?”

“But…” Cai Ming hesitated.

“No buts! We have enough experience in understanding consumers. Even if they don’t want it, in the end, they’ll still obey and pay us. As for players quitting because of the ads, that’s just not going to happen! Think about it, our video software—don’t we place ads there? People complain, but they still pay and keep watching, right? You’re overthinking it. There’s no need to worry about that!” Pan Shi firmly stated, offering no room for rebuttal.

The tone was full of contempt and arrogance towards consumers, as though no matter what Tencent did, it was justified, and consumers would eventually submit.

Cai Ming, sensing the meaning behind Pan Shi’s words, felt helpless.

He understood that no matter what he said, he wouldn’t be able to change the situation.

Cai Ming didn’t know where Pan Shi’s confidence came from, but perhaps it was Tencent’s power.

But with the “Tianxia” game still being a copy of “Tianjue” and the issue not yet settled, and with no significant actions from Shen Fei or Longguang Media, moving forward with advertising now would definitely be inappropriate.

However, Pan Shi didn’t recognize the situation, or even if he did, he wouldn’t care.

If Cai Ming continued to argue, it would only make Pan Shi dislike him even more.

“Mr. Pan, even if you’re determined to place ads in the game, this is not the right time! ‘Tianxia’ has just launched. If you start putting in ads now, it will make Tencent the talk of the town again! Public opinion about Tencent will worsen even more!” Cai Ming earnestly stated.

“I understand what you’re saying. Of course, I’m not saying we should add ads now! The game’s closed beta will end in eight days, and after the version update, we can place the selected ads. We need to choose brands that match the game’s style. This way, we can gently introduce them, like boiling frogs in lukewarm water, so players won’t resent the ads and will gradually adapt to our game’s style! Over time, we can add more ads and make more money!” Pan Shi said confidently.

When Cai Ming heard this, his expression immediately darkened.

If Pan Shi weren’t his superior, Cai Ming probably would have already lashed out at him.

Add ads in eight days?

And talk about “boiling frogs in lukewarm water”?

What nonsense was this?

Gritting his teeth and staring at Pan Shi, Cai Ming’s mind raced with thousands of thoughts, but in the end, he could only mutter a heavy “Mm.”

—————- END —————-

Chapter 462: They Can’t Afford to Lose!

“Now that the important matters are settled!”

Seeing that Cai Ming didn’t argue, the self-assured vice president smiled and continued,

“While we’re optimizing the ‘Tianxia’ mobile game, you all continue to send people to negotiate with Longguang Media! As for the terms, as long as we can secure the deal, we can offer them a bit more!”

Upon hearing this, Cai Ming finally relaxed.

However, he didn’t offer much agreement, and instead said,

“Mr. Pan, two things could happen! One, they still refuse us, and two, they decide to compromise. What should we do in that case? Should we replace ‘Tianxia’ with ‘Tianjue’?”

“They still refuse us? I don’t think that will happen! It’s been several days since then, and they haven’t taken any action… This likely means they’re already scared and might be waiting for us to come to them! So, to resolve this quickly and to avoid further criticism of Tencent, whatever conditions they offer, we should try to meet them! However, if we acquire them, it must be a full acquisition, not a funding deal—they no longer have the conditions for anything else! If they don’t accept that, we won’t bother with them anymore!”

Pausing, Cai Ming’s face darkened as he added,

“Let them keep acting like clowns. At least in the legal field, Tencent’s legal department has never lost a case!”

This statement was filled with Pan Shi’s confidence in Tencent’s legal department.

But hearing this, Cai Ming’s heart grew heavier.

Not wanting to engage in a pointless argument with Pan Shi, Cai Ming obediently responded,

“Alright, I’ll go with Mr. Pan’s decision!”

After speaking, without waiting for Pan Shi to say anything else, Cai Ming shrugged and left the room briskly.

The office door slowly closed behind him. Pan Shi, his expression one of satisfaction, immediately called Tencent’s legal department.

“Mr. Pan!”

The call was answered quickly.

“Hmm! If Longguang Media sues us for plagiarism, what’s our chance of winning the case?” Pan Shi asked directly.

“Mr. Pan, could it really be called plagiarism? It’s clearly just inspiration! In the internet world, there’s a difference between inspiration and plagiarism!” the other person said dismissively.

“Yes, I understand that! But can you tell me what are our chances of winning?” Pan Shi’s arrogance rose as he heard the response.

“Mr. Pan, since you asked, I’ll be honest! If they really sue us, the case is a bit tricky! But right now, the entire legal department is working hard to blur the line between inspiration and plagiarism! We are also anticipating their arguments and preparing several counter-strategies…”

The person paused for a moment, then continued,

“However, Mr. Pan, even though we’re doing all this, I can’t confidently say we have a high chance of winning! It will depend on the attitude of the court and the jury. If they lean in our favor, we have over a 90% chance of winning!”

Pan Shi seemed pleased with this answer.

“Alright! You don’t need to worry about the court in Zhushi, I’ll handle that! But you all need to be extra cautious about this matter! It’s not just the courtroom you’ll be facing, but public opinion and other aspects as well! Blurring the line between plagiarism and inspiration must have theoretical support, or even if we win legally, we will face significant public criticism!” Pan Shi said loudly.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Pan, we understand that. Otherwise, how could we be Tencent’s go-to legal team? But Mr. Pan, you’d better find out which lawyer team they’ve hired to sue us. It would help us gather more information!” the person continued.

“Got it! I’ll keep you updated!” Pan Shi nodded in satisfaction.

—

While Tencent maintained its haughty attitude, Shen Fei was completely unaware.

Otherwise, he would have mocked them heavily for their utter shamelessness.

But despite their attitude and underhanded tactics, he looked down on them.

While Tencent was preparing for a lawsuit at any time,

the Yunhe Law Firm, handling the case between Longguang Media and Tencent, began gathering related materials.

Both Liang Shuang and the Yunhe Law Firm took this case very seriously.

If they won, every member of their team would see their status rise, and they would complete the mission of becoming famous in one fell swoop!

But if they lost…

Besides feeling sorry for Shen Fei, their law firm would fall into a brief period of decline.

Even though, given their current reputation, losing to Tencent wouldn’t be considered shameful,

every lawyer at Yunhe Law Firm refused to allow themselves to experience that defeat.

Afternoon.

Shuiyunxuan.

Since his last phone call with Liang Shuang, Shen Fei hadn’t checked on the situation.

After agreeing to the invitation from Jiang Tiancheng, Hu Yuantai, and Duan Guxiang, Shen Fei drove to Shuiyunxuan.

Arriving at the entrance, he looked at the building, which in his past life had turned to ashes but now stood in its full glory. Shen Fei couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.

In this reborn life, whether openly or secretly, he had altered many people and events’ trajectories.

After greeting the doorman, Shen Fei was led upstairs to a private room on the second floor.

“Fei Ge!!!”

As soon as the door opened, Shen Fei was warmly greeted by the three of them!

“No need for all this!” Shen Fei waved his hand. After sitting down, he looked at the three of them with a smiling face and asked,

“How’s the situation with Jiexing Media?”

“Fei Ge, we invited you here just for this! Jiexing Media is valued at around 600 million, but they have quite a bit of debt, about 100 million, so the price we’re offering is 500 million. But they’re not agreeing and want 550 million! I’ve done some market research, and I think that price is fair!” Hu Yuantai said loudly.

“Although that’s the case, Fei Ge, in the end, we’ll follow your lead! If you think it’s a good deal, we’ll proceed with the acquisition! If you think it’s not, we can negotiate with them more. I agree with what Yuantai said; that price is reasonable, mainly because their structure is solid!” Duan Guxiang added.

After a pause, he continued,

“Even though Jiexing Media is in such a bad state now, if they have the funds, they do have the ability to turn things around!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Tiancheng scratched his head awkwardly.

He felt like an outsider at the table.

The two others had said everything, and he had nothing left to add!

—————- END —————-

Chapter 463: Just Want to Have a Sip of Soup with You!

“You’ve all said so, so let’s go with 550 million plus 200 million in debt! After acquiring Jiexing Media, we’ll settle that debt right away! No need to delay it.”

Seeing the three speak in agreement, Shen Fei didn’t find anything wrong with it. In fact, he trusted them completely from start to finish.

“Alright! Then we’ll give Jiexing Media a definite response later tonight!” Duan Guxiang said loudly.

“Fei Ge, after we acquire Jiexing Media, do we need to change the company’s name?” Jiang Tiancheng quickly asked. He hadn’t had the chance to speak earlier, but now he found an opening.

“Yes, I was thinking of changing Jiexing Media’s name to Xinyue Media! What do you think?” Shen Fei raised an eyebrow, asking curiously.

The three of them froze at the words, looking at each other in surprise.

What did they think? They didn’t have much of an opinion. Even though they each owned only 6% of the company, those shares were hard-won after much persuasion from Shen Fei.

As far as decisions went, they followed Shen Fei’s lead without question.

“Xinyue Media? Sounds great!” Duan Guxiang, Jiang Tiancheng, and Hu Yuantai all quickly nodded.

After hearing Shen Fei’s decision, the three fell silent.

But Jiang Tiancheng’s mind was filled with endless doubts. Xinyue Real Estate, Xinyue Technology, and the newly established subsidiary, XY Company… wasn’t XY just an abbreviation for Xinyue? Now, they had just finished acquiring Jiexing Media, and they were going to change the name to Xinyue Media…

“Fei Ge, you’ve named all those businesses ‘Xinyue,’ so are you planning to…”

Before Jiang Tiancheng could finish his thought, he was interrupted by Hu Yuantai, who said with a knowing smile, “Isn’t that obvious?”

“Is it? You figured it out?” Jiang Tiancheng said with a bit of annoyance.

“Of course! Fei Ge obviously wants to build up his Xinyue Group and create a business empire under the Xinyue name!” Hu Yuantai laughed.

“This…” Jiang Tiancheng hesitated.

However, Hu Yuantai didn’t pay attention to his hesitation and directly turned to Shen Fei.

“Fei Ge, when do you plan to integrate these businesses into Xinyue Group? Soon?”

“Not yet, the timing isn’t right.” Shen Fei shook his head.

“Timing isn’t right? So, does that mean you will eventually integrate everything into Xinyue Group?” Hu Yuantai smiled.

“Naturally! But no matter what, your shares will still be yours. I won’t take them back!” Shen Fei joked.

“Fei Ge, you know, even if you integrate them into the group, as long as you speak, we would happily return all our shares to you without any complaints!” Jiang Tiancheng said bluntly.

As soon as he spoke, Hu Yuantai and Duan Guxiang quickly nodded.

After a pause, Jiang Tiancheng suddenly took a deep breath and said something that Hu Yuantai and Duan Guxiang had never dared to think of:

“Fei Ge, I… well, let’s put it this way, when you integrate all the companies into Xinyue Group, could you bring us along? We’re not looking for anything, just want to be with you and get a little share of the soup!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Duan Guxiang and Hu Yuantai looked at Shen Fei with eager eyes, full of expectation, as if the Xinyue Group would soon reach the peak of the global business world.

“Fei Ge, Tiancheng’s question is what we all want to ask! We’re not expecting you to lead us to make money! Over the past six months, under your guidance, we’ve made hundreds of billions! We don’t have to worry about food and drink for the rest of our lives! But we want to continue following you! Of course, we’ll make more money, but that’s not the reason we’re saying this!” Hu Yuantai spoke sincerely.

But after speaking, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Who would have thought that six months ago, Shen Fei was just a lowly gambler? He met Jiang Tiancheng by chance, helped him, and was introduced to him. Afterward, he helped solve a crisis…

But just a few months later, Shen Fei had already reached heights he could never have imagined.

And this height wasn’t even the limit; there was still so much potential for growth.

In two, five, or eight years, how high would Shen Fei reach? It was almost unimaginable, but he knew deep down that Shen Fei’s situation would only get better.

All he could do was stay close to Shen Fei, hold on to him tightly, and hope that as Shen Fei grew, he could continue to be protected by him.

After hearing Jiang Tiancheng’s question, Shen Fei casually smiled.

“Who knows what will happen in the future? It’s too early to talk about it now!”

The three of them didn’t directly express their disappointment, but a sense of loss flashed across their faces.

Seeing this, Shen Fei crossed his arms and chuckled, “You three don’t need to worry so much! When I reach the peak, I won’t treat you unfairly! I’m not one to repay kindness with kindness, but I won’t forget the help you gave me back then. When you first got to know me, you must have looked up my past, but you didn’t judge me. That surprised me!”

Upon hearing this, the three of them were momentarily happy, but soon awkwardness returned.

“Alright, let’s stop talking about the past and future. Let’s focus on the current matters!”

Shen Fei paused and began outlining his plans, “Once we acquire Jiexing Media, you can start making adjustments to the company’s structure! You’ll have full control over the company’s personnel and organization, and you can decide whether to make any changes. Also, we need to open the doors to recruit top talent!”

“Since we’re entering the entertainment industry, we need to work hard to dominate this field! My plan is to make the company a top-tier entertainment company in three years!”

As soon as the words left Shen Fei’s mouth, everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

To make the company top-tier in three years?

That wasn’t easy. Wouldn’t this require excellent works to back it up?

But how easy is it to produce excellent works?

Take the Qian Kun Group and Tencent Company, which acquired media companies—no shortage of capital or money, yet they don’t have excellent media works.

So, this wasn’t something you could achieve just by throwing money at it!

Moreover, there were plenty of TV dramas and movies in Huaguo every year, but how many were truly exceptional?

Instead, there were far too many bad films!

The three of them furrowed their brows deeply.

If anyone else had said this, they would have thought it was a fool’s dream. But since it was Shen Fei, despite their belief in him, they couldn’t help but feel a little skeptical.

After all, they had no idea where Shen Fei’s confidence came from.

—————- END —————-

Chapter 464: Too Childish!

“Fei Brother, although I trust you completely, I still have some concerns about what you just said! Based on the current situation, if we want to build the company into a top-tier one in three years, we will need to find a few excellent scripts and produce high-quality films! But such scripts are clearly not easy to find, and even if we do find them, it will still take at least a year to be market-tested, plus filming time, so we won’t see results until two years later! Looking at it this way, three years might be too rushed…”

Duang Gu Xiang said loudly.

“Yes, I understand what you’re saying! At this point, given that the company has just been acquired, it does seem a bit unrealistic to say we can achieve this in three years! But money isn’t a problem, we have plenty of scripts, and time isn’t tight! We can choose to shoot multiple scripts at the same time! Three years is enough!” Shen Fei said calmly.

Hmm?

Shooting multiple scripts at the same time?

Isn’t that just hoping for quantity over quality and hoping to get lucky?

“Fei Brother, isn’t this just gambling? Although this approach might lead to some good films, it also involves a lot of unnecessary work! Just recouping the costs won’t be guaranteed! We might even get laughed at by everyone in the industry…” Duang Gu Xiang said seriously.

But Shen Fei didn’t take it to heart.

Unnecessary work? Getting laughed at?

Impossible.

After all, he is a reborn person, and he remembers all the excellent films, talented actors, and screenwriters from his previous life. With this knowledge, he can easily gather a pile of excellent film works.

However, his personal energy is still limited. It’s not realistic for him to gather all of them, but he can use the company’s name to invest in these works!

In this way, within three years, Xinyue Media will definitely become one of the top-tier companies in the industry and make a huge profit.

“You three are overthinking it! I’ve already thought about these issues! I’ve been waiting for you to acquire Jie Xing Media, and once it’s done, I will provide you with the information of some screenwriters and directors. You can then find the right scripts and let the execution directors handle it! The key is having the right vision. With that, we’ll tackle this from multiple angles, and Xinyue Media will not disappoint!” Shen Fei said with a smile.

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject, playfully saying, “But, even so, if Xinyue Media loses in this battle, we’ll just pull out of this field! This is my plan. Now that you know, do you still want to follow me? If you want to back out, now’s your chance!”

The three of them were stunned for a moment when they heard this.

Shen Fei’s approach, to put it bluntly, was a gamble.

Multiple investments in movies? Each movie requires hundreds of millions of dollars. How much money are they going to throw into it?

Moreover, the success of the films isn’t guaranteed, and if the movies flop, recouping the costs will be extremely difficult.

“Fei Brother, isn’t this a bit too risky?” Duang Gu Xiang hesitated, deep in thought.

“It’s indeed risky! But it’s also the fastest shortcut! If we follow the traditional approach, the timeline will be too long. I don’t think it’s necessary. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made such a bold move to acquire a media company outright!” Shen Fei said directly.

After hearing this, Duang Gu Xiang thought it made some sense.

Before he could speak, Jiang Tiancheng immediately said, “Fei Brother, I’ll follow you! You already have 82% of the shares, and you dare to play this risky game. We only have 6% each, so why should we be afraid? Just follow you, Fei Brother!”

He then looked at Hu Yuantai and Duang Gu Xiang.

“If you want to back out, just transfer your shares to me! I’ll take them all!”

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately received eye-rolls from the other two.

“What are you talking about? Are we that kind of people?” Duang Gu Xiang said angrily.

“Exactly! Now, we’re all following Fei Brother. No one has any objections!” Hu Yuantai quickly added, remembering the oil market situation.

“Okay, if you all say so, then I have nothing more to say!” Shen Fei nodded lightly.

With this matter settled, the conversation about Jie Xing Media came to an end.

However, today, the three of them didn’t just invite Shen Fei for the acquisition of Jie Xing Media.

So after this topic was done, Hu Yuantai quickly glanced at Shen Fei and said, “Fei Brother, what are you going to do about Tencent Company’s plagiarism of the game from your company?”

“Yes, Fei Brother, this has been going on for several days now, and the topic on the trending headlines was suppressed by the other party with money. Neither Longguang Media nor you have responded to this matter. What are you planning to do about it?” Jiang Tiancheng added.

Shen Fei wasn’t surprised by what the two said.

He knew that these three would definitely ask him this question.

“You all want to know? Alright, since we have a good relationship, I’ll tell you directly! Right now, Yunhe Law Firm is already in contact with Longguang Media, collecting information and evidence. As for why I haven’t taken action yet, it’s because I think they’re not ready, so there’s no need to waste time negotiating with Tencent Company! Once everything is prepared, I’ll directly file a lawsuit against Tencent Company!”

As soon as this was said, the three of them all frowned in unison.

“Yunhe Law Firm?”

…

Letting a law firm that’s been established for less than two years take on Tencent Company’s legal department?

Isn’t that like having a newborn baby fight a little kid?

Who knows who will win?

Moreover, with Shen Fei’s current capital and strength, finding an experienced law firm would not be difficult at all.

But Shen Fei handed this matter over to Yunhe Law Firm, which has little practical experience?

Isn’t that like cracking an egg against a rock?

“Fei Brother, I understand that you like Liang Shuang, but you can’t hand the case against Tencent Company to Yunhe! This is too risky!” Jiang Tiancheng said loudly.

“Fei Brother, I agree with Tiancheng! Because of Tiancheng’s relationship, we can offer some special care to Liang Shuang and her law firm, but handing this case over to them to fight Tencent Company is a bit too childish! Fei Brother, how about you let me handle this? I’ll find you a lawyer! Although they might not be top-tier, their skill level will definitely be better!” Duang Gu Xiang said seriously.

“Yes, Fei Brother, let Old Du handle it!” Jiang Tiancheng added.

Hu Yuantai didn’t say anything, but his thoughts were similar to Jiang Tiancheng and Duang Gu Xiang.

However, after hearing what the two said, Shen Fei’s expression remained calm.

“This is not what you think! Since this issue occurred, no law firm has come forward to take it on! Just looking at this, it shows that many law firms don’t want to get involved!”

“I know that your connections are better than mine, and if you find a lawyer, it will definitely be better! But Tencent Company is different. They have a reputation for always winning. Big law firms don’t dare to provoke them, and small law firms don’t dare to touch them. Instead of that, it’s better to let Yunhe Law Firm, which is determined to take on Tencent Company, handle it!”

—————- END —————-

Chapter 465: Isn’t It All Because of Brother Fei?

This action, to put it nicely, can be called a desperate gamble.

But to say it bluntly, isn’t it just being completely unaware of one’s own limitations?

The Yunhe Law Firm had this intention, which is fine—if it were a regular lawsuit, it would be manageable.

But they’re going up against Tencent Corporation!

That company has a reputation for being an undefeatable force!

Duanguxiang had just opened his mouth to express his concerns but immediately closed it.

If he could think of this problem, how could Shen Fei not have thought of it?

“Brother Fei, we understand what you’re saying, but the reason we asked is that we’re worried that Yunhe Law Firm doesn’t have the capability, yet they might be too eager to take on this task! After all, the law firm hasn’t achieved any notable successes in the past two years. So sending them to confront Tencent— isn’t that like using an egg to strike a rock?”

Jiang Tiancheng said with deep emotion.

“So what do you think I should do now? Should I spend a lot of money to hire elite lawyers? I can afford it, but would they even dare to take on the case? Can they guarantee they’ll win against Tencent?” Shen Fei raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Jiang Tiancheng fell silent.

After all, it was Tencent Corporation they were dealing with.

No law firm, big or small, would have the courage to claim that they could win against them!

“Brother Fei, so you think Yunhe Law Firm can win?” Duanguxiang hesitated.

“Yes, or rather, I completely trust them!” Shen Fei said firmly.

He paused for a moment before continuing,

“But in any situation, we must have a backup plan. Of course, you can find some strong lawyers and see if they’re willing to take the case. But the answer I need is that they must be confident in winning. If they say they don’t have that confidence, then we’ll move on. But if they are confident, we can prepare in advance.”

Hearing this, Jiang Tiancheng and Duanguxiang nodded in satisfaction.

Even though Shen Fei said he trusted Yunhe Law Firm, they still felt that Yunhe couldn’t possibly win against Tencent.

So, they were very much on board with Shen Fei’s backup plan.

Hu Yuantai, however, hadn’t spoken the entire time.

Jiang Tiancheng and Duanguxiang didn’t notice, but Shen Fei did.

He wasn’t clear about Hu Yuantai’s background, but he could tell that Hu Yuantai seemed to really trust that Shen Fei could bring down Tencent.

Just then, the door was knocked on.

The meticulously prepared dishes were brought in.

Along with the waiter came the chairman of Donghai Group, Ning Donghai, and the young master of Donghai Group, Ning Xiangyi!

When Shen Fei saw them, he was stunned.

“Uncle Ning, Xiangyi, you’re here?”

Seeing the two of them, Jiang Tiancheng was overjoyed and quickly stood up.

“We knew you were coming to Water Cloud Pavilion, so we thought we’d drop by and say hello!”

Ning Donghai laughed without any airs of being a wealthy man.

“Uncle Ning, I know you’re not just here to eat! You’re here for Brother Fei, aren’t you? We’ve been here a few times, but we never saw you drop by to see us!” Jiang Tiancheng teased.

“Look at you, my boy. Uncle Ning isn’t free to hang out at a restaurant every day! Today’s just a coincidence, I happened to be free!” Ning Donghai said with a laugh.

“Uncle Ning, just admit you came to see Brother Fei! We don’t mind!” Duanguxiang teased.

“Alright, let’s stop talking about that! You two are something else!” Ning Donghai laughed, then waved his hand to the waiter.

The waiter, upon receiving the signal, quickly set down the dishes before leaving the private room.

“Look at you guys, saying it’s all because of Brother Fei. If it weren’t for Brother Fei’s advice last time, Water Cloud Pavilion wouldn’t be what it is now. Would you still be able to enjoy these dishes?” Ning Xiangyi suddenly smiled.

At these words, Jiang Tiancheng and Hu Yuantai were both momentarily stunned.

They both immediately thought of the advice Shen Fei had given regarding the Water Cloud Pavilion’s feng shui.

The day before the Water Cloud Pavilion was about to open, they had taken Shen Fei there. It was at that time that Shen Fei pointed out his views on feng shui.

Fortunately, the Ning father and son had listened to Shen Fei’s advice. Otherwise, had things gone wrong, it wouldn’t have just been the Water Cloud Pavilion at risk—it would have been the Ning family as well. The consequences would have been unimaginable.

After all, Ning Donghai was hosting a banquet in that very restaurant, and anyone he invited was a significant figure in the deep market.

For the Ning family, Shen Fei was truly their benefactor.

The sudden mention of this topic made the atmosphere in the room turn a little heavier.

“Uncle Ning, Xiangyi, since you’re here, let’s all sit down, have a meal, and drink together. Uncle Ning, just by standing there, you’re already putting a lot of pressure on us little ones!” Shen Fei suddenly spoke up.

The heavy mood was lifted, and things became more relaxed.

Amid laughter, the Ning father and son were invited to take a seat.

There were no formalities, no awkwardness. The group started eating and chatting as they enjoyed their meal.

Shen Fei knew that the Ning father and son weren’t just here to check on the situation in the private room. But since Ning Donghai hadn’t brought it up, Shen Fei didn’t ask either.

Not long after.

The meal was finished.

Jiang Tiancheng wiped his mouth and said with a smile,

“Uncle Ning, since you and Xiangyi came to eat today, I’m sure you’re too shy to ask us for meal money, right? If you do, we won’t be coming back again!” Jiang Tiancheng joked.

“Alright, alright, today’s meal is on me! If it weren’t for Xiao Shen, even after eating, you’d still have to pay!” Ning Donghai laughed heartily.

“Well, so we get to eat this meal all thanks to Brother Fei!” Jiang Tiancheng teased.

“Look at what you’re saying! Everything we’ve been able to accomplish is because of Brother Fei, right?” Duanguxiang suddenly praised.

Ning Donghai gave Shen Fei a meaningful look, but said nothing.

Seeing the others stopping their jokes, everyone’s expression became serious.

“Xiao Shen, how’s the situation with Longguang Media and Tencent Company’s legal dispute?” Ning Donghai suddenly asked.

Before Shen Fei could respond, Ning Xiangyi directly added,

“Brother Fei, my dad has been wanting to ask you about this for a while! But since you’ve been silent and haven’t taken any action, we didn’t bring it up until now.”

“Uncle Ning, thank you!” Shen Fei said.

“Xiao Shen, last time, we were truly grateful for your reminder. Without it, where would the Ning family be today?” Ning Donghai said with great emotion. Then he paused, becoming serious.

“Xiao Shen, I’ve looked into the Tencent situation, and they’ve gone too far! Whatever you decide to do, just let me know! I may not be powerful, and outside of Deep Market, few people would know me, but if you need it, Uncle Ning will always help without hesitation!”