128: betting

“That old man Meng Wei is full of bad ideas. His invitation certainly doesn't mean anything good. Why don't we just skip it?”

Wang Ning still harbored resentment over what happened at the last banquet, and his impression of Meng Wei was extremely poor, so he wanted to persuade Lu Qingyu not to attend this kind of banquet either.

However, Lu Qingyu was genuinely interested in this banquet, as he felt that Meng Wei was not someone who would give up easily, and this event surely involved something else.

“If soldiers come, we block them; if water comes, we cover it with earth. Besides, I genuinely want to meet with President Meng and see what kind of person he truly is.”

Wang Ning's attempt to persuade him failed, so he said, “Alright, Boss, I'll go with you.”

Chen Ting also knew Meng Wei was up to no good. Fearing Lu Qingyu might suffer a loss, he decided to go along too.

And so, the three of them went together that evening.

It was past 8:30 when Lu Qingyu, Chen Ting, and Wang Ning finally arrived at the venue. Meng Wei had already been waiting for over half an hour.

The moment the three entered, they attracted the attention of many people.

The circle was only so big. With the slightest disturbance, everyone vaguely knew about Xiangwan Entertainment's attempted acquisition of Black Pearl. Everyone understood that Qingcheng Entertainment, which had popped up halfway through, had stolen the deal. Initially, they thought the news was fake—who would dare snatch food from Xiangwan Entertainment's mouth? But seeing the two parties attend the event together, this was likely true.

However, compared to Wang Ning and Chen Ting, people were more curious about Lu Qingyu himself.

Facing the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Wang Ning felt deeply moved. At the previous banquet hosted by Meng Wei, he had been like a transparent, insignificant figure on the periphery.

This time, however, they seemed like the protagonists, as if the entire banquet was being held just for them.

As the three entered the banquet hall, Meng Wei's gaze immediately fell upon them. To be honest, Meng Wei was genuinely worried they wouldn't show up tonight.

Meng Wei saw the three approaching and stood up.

“President Lu, President Wang, President Chen, thank you for honoring us by attending tonight's banquet.”

Lu Qingyu politely shook his hand: “This is the first time I've attended this banquet as the person in charge of Black Pearl Entertainment rather than as an Artist. I must thank President Meng for giving me this opportunity.”

Lu Qingyu knew exactly how to provoke people. Meng Wei silently ground his back teeth.

“But President Lu is truly young and promising. You are the same age as my son, yet you are already the boss of Qingcheng Entertainment and Black Pearl Entertainment. I truly admire you.”

Wang Ning and Chen Ting silently rolled their eyes. The shameless old man wants to take advantage of our younger brother. With your genes, even if you offered the highest incense to eight generations of ancestors, you couldn't produce a handsome guy like Lu Qingyu.

Meng Wei didn't know much about Lu Qingyu; he had only temporarily had someone investigate the relevant information because he was hosting the banquet tonight.

Seeing that Lu Qingyu had founded Qingcheng Entertainment and then acquired Black Pearl, Meng Wei felt this person must be extraordinary.

But upon seeing that Lu Qingyu was only 18 this year, and viewing some of his variety show clips, Meng Wei immediately relaxed his guard, believing Lu Qingyu was merely lucky and possessed some minor cleverness.

Even if he was powerful, he was only 18. He couldn't compare to the big shots in their circle. Their working careers were longer than Lu Qingyu's age. As long as they used their brains, Lu Qingyu wouldn't be able to outplay them.

It seemed his plan for tonight could proceed smoothly.

While Meng Wei was sizing up Lu Qingyu, Lu Qingyu was also observing Meng Wei. This man didn't seem as smart as he had imagined.

“I know President Lu enjoys acting and singing. I wonder what President Lu's recent schedule looks like? Xiangwan Entertainment also has some excellent projects we'd like to collaborate on with President Lu.”

Wang Ning and Chen Ting had been very vigilant since entering the venue. Hearing Meng Wei wanting to invite Lu Qingyu, their immediate feeling was that it was a trap.

Chen Ting: “Business matters are handled by Qingyu's Agent. If President Meng wants a business collaboration, he can contact Su Jixing directly.”

Meng Wei was rejected but did not get angry.

A person nearby stepped out to smooth things over: “President Meng, why are you being so biased now? You didn't even tell us about such a good opportunity.”

Meng Wei laughed heartily twice: “It's not that I wouldn't tell you, it's that I was afraid that even if I did tell you, you wouldn't have the guts to cooperate with us.”

“We are all old now, not like the young people who have drive and vigor. Even if I mentioned this project, you wouldn't dare take it on.”

The people around Meng Wei felt indignant.

“President Meng, the way you speak... If we don't dare do it, does President Lu dare?”

Meng Wei's suspenseful tactic successfully drew in everyone else.

“President Meng, what exactly is this great project? Why don't you introduce it to us?”

Seeing that everyone around was interested, Meng Wei knew he could speak: “This circle has been stagnant for too long. We old guys lack any ambition. Think about our youth—how many times did we go all-in just to achieve our status today? I increasingly miss that feeling of boiling passion.”

“Everyone knows Xiangwan Entertainment has been the industry leader for a long time. I want to give the young people below us a chance. If someone wants to develop their company, we, Xiangwan Entertainment, are willing to engage in a gamble with them.”

The moment the words “gamble” were uttered, the faces of those around them changed drastically. There is a saying that nine out of ten bets lose. This applies not only to the gambling table but also to all capital activities: win and you ascend in capital; lose and you lose everything.

However, when Lu Qingyu heard those two words, joy immediately spread across his face. So the scheme Meng Wei came up with was a gamble! That suited him perfectly. He had originally been thinking about how to acquire Xiangwan Entertainment, and now, it was practically an opportunity delivered right to his doorstep.

Lu Qingyu: “What exactly does President Meng mean by a gamble?”

Seeing that Lu Qingyu was interested, Meng Wei thought he had taken the bait, so he threw out the lure.

“Is President Lu interested?”

Lu Qingyu: “I just like doing things that others don't dare to do.”

Wang Ning and Chen Ting kept a constant watch on Lu Qingyu, afraid he might do something rash in a moment of impulse.

Meng Wei said, “I told you, you old guys are no good. Only young people can handle this.”

“This is a gamble where, if President Lu wins, he can take the entirety of Xiangwan Entertainment.”

“However, President Lu is young and might not know that the risk of a gamble is also very high.”

Lu Qingyu: To be honest, he never lost a gamble in his previous life.

“I love things that involve risk.”

“President Meng, give me a chance.”

Wang Ning whispered softly into Lu Qingyu's ear: “Boss, don't fall for his trick. He's trying to fool you.”

Lu Qingyu looked like a gambler who had sat down at the table, refusing advice: “Am I the boss or are you the boss? I have my own plans, so stay out of it.”

Seeing Lu Qingyu act this way made Meng Wei even happier. Sure enough, children were easily fooled.