85: You were actually serious back then?

The topic he assigned wasn't easy, testing the actor's ability to improvise. Zhou Fang not only made no mistakes but also showed great ingenuity in handling certain details.

The director's gaze shifted, his interest in Zhou Fang growing. The scene Wang Ning assigned was for the lead role; others who had auditioned for the lead had performed it, but none had truly satisfied him. Seeing it now, this Zhou Fang was indeed very good.

Three minutes later, Zhou Fang finished his performance. This time, Wang Ning and the director both nodded. "Go home and wait for news."

Zhou Fang left in a great mood. He felt there was a good chance for the male third lead role, with over a fifty percent probability of landing it.

After accompanying Lu Qingyu to his afternoon activities, Su Jixing drove him home in the evening.

Su Jixing managed Lu Qingyu's fan club. Every night, he would browse the club's content to ensure he didn't miss any information from any channel regarding Lu Qingyu.

Lu Qingyu was also fiddling with his phone when he suddenly heard Su Jixing laugh out loud from the front. He asked curiously:

"Brother Su, what's so funny?"

Su Jixing shared what someone had posted in the fan club.

"I don't know what netizens are thinking these days. I just took you to Qingcheng Entertainment for an audition this afternoon, and they're actually saying you're the boss of Qingcheng Entertainment."

Su Jixing shook his head while laughing. "According to them, if I took you to a hotel to stay, they'd probably say the hotel belongs to you too."

"What are they thinking? Don't they use any logic when making up lies anymore?"

"Hey, there's even a photoshopped image. This is going too far. They photoshopped you as the legal representative of Qingcheng Entertainment. This won't do. Joking is one thing, but how can they do this? I need to contact the company's legal department and have them find the source to send a lawyer's letter."

Su Jixing was about to call the legal department immediately when Lu Qingyu bit his lip and patted Su Jixing's shoulder.

"Brother Su."

Su Jixing: "Wait a second, I'll talk after I finish this call."

Lu Qingyu: ---That might not be a good idea.

Lu Qingyu loosened his seatbelt and leaned forward. "Is it possible that the company really is mine?"

The dial tone was beeping on the other end. Su Jixing didn't take it seriously at all, but when Lu Qingyu leaned in, he turned around and met his eyes.

Lu Qingyu's gaze wasn't the joking kind; it was sincere, extremely sincere.

You felt that if you didn't believe him, you'd be struck by lightning.

The call connected, but Su Jixing slammed it shut.

His heart tightened, and he felt the hair on his arms stand up.

"Are... are you serious?"

Lu Qingyu: "Longguo people don't lie to Longguo people."

Quiet, extremely quiet. Two seconds later, Su Jixing whipped his body around to the back. This was truly unbelievable.

"You... you're the boss of Qingcheng Entertainment?"

Lu Qingyu replied with certainty: "Yes."

Su Jixing was speechless. Damn, how was that possible? That was a whole company, and a company that already had achievements.

Thinking back... cough! Three months ago, when he first met Lu Qingyu, the kid was dressed sloppily and looked miserable. If he had a company, how could he have ended up in that state?

"Did... did you lie to me back then?"

Su Jixing thought Lu Qingyu's image back then was a lie.

Lu Qingyu: "I certainly did not."

Su Jixing's mind was a mess. He didn't lie, but why did he make himself look like that? Since Lu Qingyu was a boss himself, why did he sign with Black Pearl Entertainment? What was he after?

Su Jixing: "Since you have your own entertainment company, why did you sign with ours?"

Lu Qingyu: "I didn't have any money when I signed with you."

"At that time, I only had a few hundred yuan I earned from busking in the square. Have you forgotten that after I signed with you, you were the one who bought me my apartment and clothes?"

How could Su Jixing forget? The kid dressed like a little beggar but had incredibly high demands—he wanted a large apartment and branded clothes.

Su Jixing said subconsciously: "So you were scamming me?"

Lu Qingyu: --- "I was not."

Su Jixing: "Then how did you start your company?"

Lu Qingyu: "With the payment I got from Love Journey."

Su Jixing was even more confused. That was only two and a half months ago. Damn, what was going on?

Su Jixing tried hard to burn his brain's CPU. Qingcheng Entertainment rose to prominence through short dramas, and the timing of that rise did indeed seem to be about two months ago.

Su Jixing knew Lu Qingyu had money now. The child support he got from his father was over a hundred million, but that happened only half a month ago.

In other words, Lu Qingyu really did use his first paycheck to start this company.

And he managed to grow it to this level in less than three months!!!

Damn, was he some kind of business genius?

He suddenly remembered the sentence Lu Qingyu wrote on the Wish Wall when he joined: 'Acquire Black Pearl within two years.' You were freaking serious!

Shocked, Su Jixing confirmed it with Lu Qingyu repeatedly, and Lu Qingyu answered patiently.

It took Su Jixing a full half hour to digest this information.

Then there was silence all the way until they almost reached Lu Qingyu's neighborhood. Su Jixing still couldn't help but ask: "Why didn't you tell me back then?"

Lu Qingyu: "You didn't ask."

Su Jixing: ---Kid, you're only eighteen. Couldn't you show off a little?

Lu Qingyu: Keeping a low profile is the way to make a fortune.

There was another question Su Jixing pondered for a long time; he felt he'd burst if he didn't ask.

"Then are you going to terminate your contract?"

Lu Qingyu had money, a company, and popularity now. If he wanted to leave Black Pearl Entertainment, no one could stop him.

Lu Qingyu: "Why terminate? My job is going well, and I like Black Pearl very much."

Chen Ting was good to him, and he liked this boss. He could invest in Black Pearl Entertainment for a partnership. That way, he'd be one of the owners of Black Pearl Entertainment, earning dividends while saving on his own termination fees.

The first step of financial management is knowing how to spend money.

Hearing Lu Qingyu's words, Su Jixing subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as he didn't terminate the contract. If he did, Su Jixing would definitely be the first one to cough up blood.

Lu Qingyu was a talent he had worked hard to scout—young, popular, and with a good public image. He had planned to push Lu Qingyu to become a top-tier superstar in the entertainment industry within ten years. If Lu Qingyu really left, he would truly suffer a huge loss.

The key was that it would be very difficult to find a replacement for Lu Qingyu.

The next day, Zhou Fang was anxious all day, waiting for news from the crew.