Free Web NovelChapter 269: Chapter 208: Youngest in Age, Highest in Status
Hou Chengjin lit a cigarette and spoke through gritted teeth.
"Alright. I just happened to get my hands on an antique knife a couple of days ago. It’s really sharp. I’ll lend it to you when the time comes."
Lin Chu cracked a joke, then a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "What’s the word from Zhao Rong?"
She had also invested six million, after all.
Hou Chengjin’s smile became even more bitter. "She hasn’t said anything for now. In fact, her attitude is even more enthusiastic. She was just encouraging me, hoping it’s not completely dead yet and still has a breath of life left. But if the last one flops too, then I guess we won’t be friends anymore."
That, too, was perfectly normal.
When she invested back then, she was actually a bit reluctant. She was just backed into a corner by Lin Chu, so she gritted her teeth and invested.
Right now, watching her lose money, Lin Chu was actually quite wickedly pleased, even though... he was losing money too.
"Alright, then you keep at it."
"But I suggest you take a couple of days to calm down. With some things, haste makes waste. Hey, what about that screenwriter? The script for Xiangyun Sha?"
Lin Chu asked nonchalantly.
Running in parallel with the micro-dramas was the script for Xiangyun Sha. However, Lin Chu wasn’t in such a hurry with this show. He told the screenwriter, Jiang Chao, to strive for perfection and polish it several times.
The final draft of the script wasn’t out yet.
Hearing this, Hou Chengjin’s eyes flickered for a moment.
’Actually, this was one thing he wanted to complain about.’
’Jiang Chao was definitely skilled, but during the filming of the short dramas, this new demand from Lin Chu had indeed taken up a lot of Jiang Chao’s energy.’
’Of course, these thoughts of complaint and grievance only flickered through his mind for a moment. He couldn’t blame Lin Chu for this.’
’That would be too unreasonable.’
’And he wouldn’t dare.’
"He’s almost done, I think. He hasn’t reported his progress to me, but he looks incredibly focused every day. He’s about to go crazy. He’s really in the zone when he writes, often drinking and smoking on the rooftop at four in the morning, looking for inspiration."
Hou Chengjin said with a smile, a clever idea suddenly popping into his head.
’The script he saw as his last hope for a comeback wasn’t even in the early stages yet. He was thinking, if they could film the Xiangyun Sha project, then...’
’The genre and all that didn’t really matter.’
’The main thing was:’
’If they filmed this one, Lin Chu would definitely be interested. And during filming, if they ran out of money, or if they needed more resources during the ad-buy campaign, Lin Chu would most likely provide additional funding.’
’Also, if it flopped again, he would have an excuse—Boss, this was the project you pushed for. Even if I don’t get credit for success, at least I get points for effort.’
These two thoughts circled in Hou Chengjin’s mind.
’He felt this idea of his was a bit cheap, but things had been pushed to this point.’
’The price of failing one more time was just too high.’
At this moment, through the video call, Lin Chu saw the flicker in his eyes. After a moment’s thought, he seemed to understand something. Licking his lips, Lin Chu said in a deep voice, "If it comes to it, why don’t we just film the Xiangyun Sha project for the last one?"
"With this one, let’s meticulously craft it right from the script. I want you, me, Jiang Chao, and Pei Jin all to review the final script and give suggestions from our respective angles. Jiang Chao will be in charge of the plot, you’ll handle the commercial aspects, Pei Jin will cover the cultural side, and as for me... I’ll provide the money and resources."
Lin Chu said, choosing his words carefully.
He was still taking a step back.
The previous few flops were already a done deal. There was no point in saying anything more. Complaining was the most useless emotion to have. It was better to think about how to film the next one properly.
This was also a way to lighten Hou Chengjin’s burden.
’The man still had ability. Although he was quite ambitious and had his own little schemes, overall, he was still usable.’
’Lin Chu now deeply understood the principle that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. As the boss, you had to act the part and be tolerant.’
’Li Ziming had previously embezzled over twenty million. Although it wasn’t his own money, he still had the capacity to be tolerant and didn’t hold that prior offense against him. He was still working just fine now, just with some of his power reallocated.’
Hearing Lin Chu’s words, Hou Chengjin’s eyes instantly lit up, and a great deal of his pressure immediately lifted.
He even felt a sense of gratitude welling up in his heart.
’Of course, Lin Chu was no fool.’
’On the contrary, he was very shrewd.’
’He knew very well in his heart that these words were actually Lin Chu giving him an out.’
He let out a long sigh. "Brother Chu, I... I’m really too ashamed to face you. Why don’t you send someone else to supervise me? I agree with your plan, I’m just worried that I might really not be capable enough. I’m not trying to pass the buck, this is a sincere request."
Lin Chu laughed heartily.
"Nonsense."
"No need to send anyone. You’ll still be in charge of execution. The four of us will review the script. Don’t worry, if it flops again, I won’t let you take all the blame."
Lin Chu said with a knowing smile.
’Let’s finish this thing first. As for how they would get along afterward, they could discuss that later.’
’If the project succeeded and made money, anything would be fine.’
’If it failed, they’d see how everyone performed and passed the buck. That would be the time to see their true characters.’
......
「One day later.」
The results of the online election in the MBA class group were finalized.
The voting link Kong Qi sent out was for an anonymous poll. After the results came in, Lin Chu received another call from him.
"Chairman Lin, I wanted to touch base with you first. The results from the backend have been tallied. There are 60 people in our class. Four people abstained from the vote for class president, leaving 56 votes. A total of 49 people voted for you to be class president. That’s an absolute majority. Everyone has high expectations for you. The people have spoken."
His voice carried a hint of amusement, a bit of difficulty, some awkwardness, and also an indescribable teasing tone.
Lin Chu: ?
"What’s this all about?"
Lin Chu couldn’t help but ask, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Kong Qi laughed too.
"Perhaps we’ll cover this in an upcoming class: game theory. Everyone feels that electing a strong class president is the optimal choice for the benefit of the group as a whole."
"Furthermore, if they didn’t elect you and chose someone else, only the class president and vice president would have a legitimate reason to approach you."
"But by electing you, all the students can."
"As an ordinary student in the group, given the first premise that they can’t be sure they’ll be elected themselves, and the second premise that you are the most powerful person in the class, I’m not actually surprised by this outcome."
Lin Chu took a deep breath. In an instant, he understood.
’They were all a bunch of cunning bastards.’
’It seemed the position of class president naturally came with a certain sense of responsibility. By electing him, if they needed something, it would be natural for them to cozy up to him and build a connection.’
"Fine, I’ll do it."
"But I have one request."
Since things had come to this, Lin Chu couldn’t very well refuse.
"Go ahead."
When Kong Qi saw that Lin Chu had agreed, he breathed a sigh of relief. If Lin Chu had insisted on refusing, he couldn’t have forced the position on him.
"I request to bring an assistant to audit the classes and help me handle things. Otherwise, I really don’t have the time or energy."
Lin Chu said with a calm smile.
Tsk.
’—One of my dreams back when I was a student.’
’Gu Jiayan didn’t have much on her plate right now. Besides, the planning and coordination skills she showed during the Bohe Island trip were impressive. And also... hehehe.’
’He really had been neglecting her lately.’
This request...
There hadn’t been a precedent for this before. Even if there was, it was done privately. No one had ever been as open and aboveboard about it as Lin Chu.
However, Kong Qi thought about it for a moment and agreed with a smile.
"Alright, no problem. I’ll arrange it for you, as an auditing student."
"But for any subsequent social activities and group events, her expenses can’t be covered by the university. They’ll have to be paid for personally. After all, those are included in the tuition fee, and I don’t personally have the authority to change that."
Lin Chu naturally understood this.
"Okay, no problem."
......
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