Chapter 44: Client Daddy

Yan Xuan hung up the phone just as Mi Xiaoyue stepped out of the bathroom.

The thick white silk pantyhose she had been wearing on her lower half were gone. A few lingering droplets of water still clung to her fair, jade-like legs, suggesting she had just washed up.

She walked over, sat down beside Yan Xuan, and remained too shy to speak a word.

As an innocent maiden, the number of times she had taken matters into her own hands could be counted on one hand in her daily life, let alone staging such a scene in front of a man.

"Xiaoyue, I have to go now. Get some rest early."

Yan Xuan raised a hand to stroke Mi Xiaoyue’s head, feeling quite embarrassed himself.

"Oh... Brother Yan, how long before you come to see me next time?"

Mi Xiaoyue blinked her almond-shaped eyes, gazing earnestly at Yan Xuan.

"Don't worry, I'll be striking a deal with your aunt soon enough. Once that's settled, I'll have an excuse to visit her film set, and we can meet in secret."

"Can we only meet in secret?"

Perhaps it was an innocent question from Mi Xiaoyue, but to Yan Xuan, it sounded gratingly harsh.

He had gone to such exhaustive lengths, jumping through all these hoops, just to catch a glimpse of Mi Xiaoyue—like something straight out of *Romance of the Western Chamber*.

When it came down to it, it was simply because he currently lacked the confidence to stand directly before Yu Jiangxiong.

"Don't worry, it won't be long before I can come see you openly and proudly."

Yan Xuan gripped Mi Xiaoyue's soft little hand tightly, offering a firm guarantee.

"Mhm!"

Mi Xiaoyue responded in a high-pitched, eager voice.

She didn't know much, and her little head wasn't particularly street-smart; all she possessed was one hundred percent unconditional trust in Yan Xuan.

Yan Xuan left the villa and drove back to the hotel, where Yu Mengyi had been waiting for a long time.

"Let's go upstairs and talk."

Yu Mengyi cast a gentle glance at him, let out a languid yawn, and stood up to walk toward the second floor.

A pair of black high heels clicked against the wooden stairs, leaving Yan Xuan with a mesmerizing, graceful view of her back.

Upon entering the room, Yu Mengyi sat down at the desk, and Yan Xuan began to carefully appraise the woman before him for the very first time.

Her skin was fair, her facial features exquisite, and she wore her straight, pitch-black hair loose past her shoulders. A tailored gray suit jacket hugged her curves, perfectly accentuating her slender silhouette.

Her willow-thin, graspable waist seamlessly connected with her lower half, forming an intensely alluring curve. The matching skirt clung tightly to her sensuous lower body, wrapping her already full and upturned curves into an irresistibly seductive full-moon shape.

The soft fabric of the hip-hugging skirt was stretched almost to the bursting point by the exaggerated curve of her waist and hips, while the hem of the short skirt naturally pulled upward, growing even shorter and revealing a length of rounded thigh encased in black pantyhose.

A powerful feminine charm accompanied by an overwhelming sense of pressure washed over him. Instead of shrinking back, Yan Xuan chuckled teasingly, "Director Yu dresses like this even when directing during the day?"

Black high heels, black silk, and a tight skirt—this was definitely not the proper attire for a film set director. Yu Mengyi caught the undercurrent of sarcasm in Yan Xuan's tone, as if mocking her for putting on a facade.

Yet she didn't get angry, merely offering a soft smile. "I'm the owner of Mengyi Pictures now. Since I'm here to negotiate a partnership with you, Mr. Yan, naturally I have to dress a bit more formally."

In Yu Mengyi's eyes, Yan Xuan was a man fond of beauty. When dealing with such a man, sexy attire might just work wonders during the negotiation.

After all, it was fifty million; letting Yan Xuan feast his eyes on her was hardly a loss.

As for getting the young lady of the Yu family to take off her clothes—that would be a completely different price...

Yan Xuan looked down at his own plain college-student attire and retorted, "Is Director Yu laughing at how shabby I look?"

"Mr. Yan, you are my financial backer, my VIP. Never mind what you love to wear—if you want the actresses to wear something specific, isn't that just a matter of a single word from you?"

"Oh... Then I suppose I'll reluctantly play the role of the sugar daddy for Director Yu?"

Yan Xuan pulled out a chair and sat down face-to-face with Yu Mengyi, his tone growing increasingly provocative.

The muscles in Yu Mengyi's face twitched slightly, but she managed to force a stiff smile and pushed a contract across the desk toward Yan Xuan.

"This is the contract drafted by my lawyer. Please look it over, Mr. Yan."

***

Yan Xuan picked up the contract, flipped through it casually for a moment, and slapped it back down onto the table.

"Are you trying to brush off beggars? Do you really take me for an idiot throwing tens of millions around just to sleep with women?"

"Mr. Yan, this is a standard industry contract template. If there's anything you're unsatisfied with, you're welcome to speak your mind."

"Speak my mind? You treat me like a gullible fool, what's there to discuss?"

Yan Xuan had never studied law, knew nothing of the legal loopholes in contracts, and had never produced a movie, so he had no grasp of market rates or investment shares.

At the very least, however, he knew how to haggle.

Even a vegetable vendor in the local market knew the first offer should be cut in half—that was the rule!

The first contract Yu Mengyi presented was guaranteed to be overwhelmingly favorable to her; without even reading it, he knew she would probably leave Yan Xuan with barely half a mouthful of soup.

"Then how about this, Mr. Yan?"

Yu Mengyi placed a second contract on the table.

Yan Xuan picked it up, skimmed it briefly, and once again slapped it onto the table with a cold, mocking scoff.

Yu Mengyi calmly replied, "If Mr. Yan is still unsatisfied, you can name a number, and I will show the utmost sincerity."

"Sincerity? I'm quite curious just how much sincerity Miss Yu has left to offer."

Yan Xuan sneered, "How much confidence does Miss Yu actually have in her own directorial debut? Even if you have confidence, do the theater chains, other investors, and even the actors share that confidence?

Not long ago, there was that whole mess about replacing the male lead. It honestly makes me worry for Miss Yu—can you even finish this film?

Subsequent promotion and marketing will also require no small expense. Out of the hundred million you borrowed from your brother, how many pennies do you even have left in your pocket?"

What Yan Xuan mentioned was hardly a secret; much of it had been told to him by Lu Ling earlier.

In short, even the lowliest extra in the industry held a pessimistic view of Yu Mengyi, believing she would soon squander the hundred million given to her by her older brother.

When that happened, she would most likely have to return home as the obedient sister and eventually be married off as a pawn for a political alliance.

Still, being Yu Jiangxiong's sister, Yu Mengyi possessed a certain level of composure. Even when her shortcomings were exposed to her face by Yan Xuan, she managed to keep her emotions steady, though the smile completely vanished from her face.

"Please take a look at this, Mr. Yan."

Yu Mengyi finally placed a third contract onto the tabletop.

Yan Xuan picked it up. This time, his actions weren't as casual as before; instead, he studied it word by word, line by line, before pulling out his phone and tapping on it with a theatrical air.

"When signing such a major contract, shouldn't Mr. Yan's financial advisors and lawyers be here with you?"

Faced with Yu Mengyi's probing, Yan Xuan ignored her and simply pushed the contract back across the desk once more.

"Mr. Yan, this is truly the maximum sincerity I can offer."

Thinking Yan Xuan was still dissatisfied with the contract, Yu Mengyi was about to speak when her phone suddenly rang. It was Lao Zhang, the company accountant.

"Excuse me, I need to take this."

Yu Mengyi picked up her phone and held it to her ear, listening as Lao Zhang reported in an excited voice from the other end.

"Director Yu, someone just transferred fifty million to the company's private account from an outside source! Is this the investment you managed to secure?"

Yu Mengyi lowered her phone with trembling hands, staring in utter shock at the man sitting before her.

Having grown up by Yu Jiangxiong's side, she may not have eaten pork, but she had certainly seen pigs run.

Transferring funds before signing the contract, and having it clear instantly?

Saying it out loud would probably make nobody believe it.

Could it be that this Yan Xuan was the God of Wealth reincarnated?!

"Sorry about that, Director Yu. I didn't feel like signing the contract, yet I still chose to believe in your sincerity. A stranger on the first meeting becomes an acquaintance on the second; I'm certain we can have a much broader and closer cooperation in the future."

Yan Xuan was gambling. If he lost, the cost was fifty thousand.

But if he won, Yu Mengyi would be firmly tied to his ship.

***

"May I ask Mr. Yan a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Where did your money come from?"

"Does Miss Yu actually care about that?"

Yan Xuan tapped his fingers lightly against the table, asking with an amused tone, "Actually, Miss Yu should already be able to guess, shouldn't you?"

Things had progressed to this point, and Yan Xuan was certain Yu Mengyi must have already investigated his background down to the last detail. As for what she chose to believe, that would depend entirely on her imagination as a film director.

Even though she had weathered major storms growing up alongside Yu Jiangxiong, Yu Mengyi still had to take a deep breath to steady herself at this moment.

Yan Xuan, a native of Xingcheng County, Lingxi Province—on paper, everything seemed fine.

Yet an ordinary person who grew up along the southeastern border could effortlessly pull out fifty million in cash, and judging by his demeanor, producing another hundred or two hundred million probably wouldn't be an issue either.

The southeastern border...

Just what kind of money was his?

And why did he want to make a movie with her?

In her heart, Yu Mengyi already had the answer.

She simply found it hard to believe that Yan Xuan could not only live openly and walk about as a student in Nanjiang, but also transfer funds so casually through formal banking channels.

Was there a powerful figure behind him?

And just how high up must that mastermind be for him to act with such audacity?

...

Reason told Yu Mengyi that she should cut her losses right now, report everything to her older brother Yu Jiangxiong, and leave him to handle it.

Then again, human pride was a stubborn thing...

She, Yu Mengyi, was different from Mi Xiaoyue. The thread-thin blood relation she shared with Yu Jiangxiong was negligible; if she failed to prove her worth within the next year or two, her only future awaited her in an arranged marriage of convenience.

"I will assume Mr. Yan has already signed this contract. Please rest assured."

Hearing the answer she wanted, a satisfied smile bloomed on Yan Xuan's face as a stone finally dropped from his heart.

As an ordinary person, his only trump card was that abnormal, bottomless cash flow.

How to make the most of this trump card was something Yan Xuan had been pondering for a while.

So far, the results seemed quite promising.

As for Yu Mengyi, she could think whatever she pleased.

He, Yan Xuan, would always remain a law-abiding, good citizen and an upright pillar of the motherland's future.

"Director Yu, shall we call it a day then?"

With business concluded, Yan Xuan was ready to wash up and go to sleep.

"There's a dinner banquet tomorrow evening, Mr. Yan. Would you grace us with your presence and have a few drinks?"

Since the serious matters were settled, everything else was just a bonus—such as Miao Leling, whom Yu Mengyi had promised Yan Xuan a few hours prior.

"I appreciate the arrangement, Miss Yu."

Knowing full well what would transpire at such a dinner banquet, Yan Xuan nodded in agreement for the time being.

After all, he was now the financial backer who had just dropped fifty million.

Sleeping with a minor celebrity... surely that wasn't asking too much, right?