270: Chapter 270 Teng Huatao

An hour later, the car pulled up at the terminal's departure level.

Driver Liu got out, opened the trunk, lifted the suitcase out onto the roadside, and then stepped back to the driver's side, waiting for Chen Fan and Qiao Linlin to get out.

Chen Fan pushed the car door open, bent down to step out, took the suitcase from Driver Liu, and said, "Alright, Brother Liu, you can head back."

"Alright, President Chen," Driver Liu replied. He turned, got back into the car, started the engine, and slowly drove away.

Once Driver Liu had driven off, Qiao Linlin suddenly reached out her right hand toward Chen Fan.

Chen Fan looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What is it?"

Without saying a word, Qiao Linlin took Chen Fan's left hand and placed her right hand in his palm.

Seeing Qiao Linlin acting like a little girl, Chen Fan found it quite endearing. Holding her hand with his left and pulling the suitcase with his right, he walked toward the terminal.

A smile bloomed on Qiao Linlin's face. To onlookers, they looked just like an ordinary couple; there was absolutely no telling that one was the boss and the other was his assistant.

After entering the terminal, they went through check-in, security, and boarding. It was not even eleven o'clock when the plane landed.

Stepping out of the Beijing Airport, Chen Fan and Qiao Linlin stood at the exit of the arrivals hall, scanning the crowd of people waiting to pick up passengers.

People bustled past. Some held up signs, some looked down at their phones, and others stood on their tiptoes, peering toward the exit.

Not far away, a girl in her early twenties wearing a light-colored coat was holding up a pickup sign with the name "Chen Fan" written on it.

Standing at the edge of the crowd, her eyes swept back and forth across the exit.

Chen Fan walked in her direction, and Qiao Linlin followed closely behind.

When he stopped in front of her, the girl sized him up and asked, "Excuse me, handsome, can I help you?"

Chen Fan felt a bit helpless; the girl didn't seem to realize he was the person she was supposed to pick up.

He pointed at the sign in her hand. "I'm Chen Fan. Director Teng Huatao sent you to pick me up, right?"

The girl froze. She looked down at the sign in her hand, then looked back up at Chen Fan.

A moment later, a look of surprise washed over her face, and her tone instantly changed. "You're President Chen of Fanti?"

"That's me."

"Ah—I'm so sorry, President Chen. I thought..." She quickly hid the sign behind her back. "I thought you would be... someone a bit older."

As she spoke, she stepped aside and made a welcoming gesture. "The car is waiting outside. Director Teng asked me to pick you up. This way, please."

Chen Fan nodded and followed her out.

The girl led the way, walking briskly. She threaded through the crowd, exited the terminal, and stopped beside a black Buick GL8 parked by the curb.

The car was spotlessly clean, its windows tinted dark. She slid open the side door and stepped aside. "President Chen, please get in."

Chen Fan bent down and got in, taking a window seat in the second row. Qiao Linlin sat down right next to him.

Once they were settled, the girl got in as well, closed the door, and said to the driver, "Brother Sun, let's go."

The driver, a man in his thirties wearing a dark jacket, gave a brief nod without saying much. He started the car and smoothly drove away from the airport.

Along the way, the girl stole glances at Chen Fan from time to time.

She had never expected this "President Chen" to be so young and handsome, and the girl next to him was incredibly beautiful as well.

If Director Teng hadn't told her he was the boss of Fanti, she really would have thought they were actors hired by Director Teng.

"Is there something on my face?" Chen Fan suddenly spoke up.

The girl was startled. "No, nothing." She quickly looked away and sat up straight.

Chen Fan didn't make things difficult for her. Leaning back against his seat, he asked casually, "Are we heading to the filming set now?"

"No, President Chen. We're going to Director Teng's studio first," the girl turned around to reply, her tone slightly more formal than before. "Director Teng actually halted filming for the day just to wait for you."

"I see."

Chen Fan nodded, feeling a bit disappointed. He had hoped to check out the filming set, as he was quite interested in it, but he hadn't expected they'd be going straight to the studio instead.

Still, he could ask Director Teng Huatao about it later and see if he could visit the set. He was sure Director Teng Huatao wouldn't refuse such a request.

After driving for nearly an hour, the car pulled up in front of an old office building.

The girl pushed open the door and got out. "President Chen, we're here." Chen Fan looked up at the office building. It wasn't tall, only five stories, with white ceramic tiles on the exterior walls that had yellowed in places, showing its age.

A faded brass plaque hung by the entrance, displaying the building number and the names of several companies.

The girl led them through the glass doors, across the lobby, into the elevator, and up to the third floor.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a company on each side of the corridor.

The entrance on the left bore an unfamiliar sign, while the glass door on the right was printed with the words "Huamei Shikong."

This was Director Teng Huatao's own company. The glass door was wiped clean, offering a view of the corridor running along the wall and the office area at the far end.

The girl pushed open the door and led them down the hallway, stopping outside a small reception room. "President Chen, please wait here for a moment. I'll go get Director Teng."

With that, she turned and left, her footsteps gradually fading down the corridor.

Chen Fan sat down on the sofa and looked around the reception room.

The room wasn't large, containing only a coffee table, two sofas, a movie poster on the wall, and a potted pothos plant in the corner. The overall environment was a far cry from Fanyu's office, being more on par with Fanti's setup.

Not long after they sat down, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man in his forties walked in briskly.

When his eyes fell on Chen Fan, his pace slowed slightly, and his gaze lingered for a brief second, a flicker of surprise clearly passing through his eyes.

Chen Fan looked back at him, waiting for him to speak first.

The man quickly composed himself, stepped forward, and extended his hand. "Hello, you must be President Chen. I'm Director Teng Huatao."

Chen Fan reached out and shook his hand. "Hello, Director Teng. I'm Chen Fan."

"I'm absolutely thrilled you could make it, President Chen." As Director Teng Huatao spoke, his gaze shifted to Qiao Linlin. "And this is?"

"She is my assistant, Qiao Linlin."

"Hello, Miss Qiao," Director Teng Huatao greeted her politely with a nod.

"Hello, Director Teng," Qiao Linlin replied.

Just then, the girl who had left earlier walked in carrying three cups of tea. She set them on the coffee table, quietly excused herself, and gently closed the door behind her.

"Please, have a seat, President Chen," Director Teng Huatao said, gesturing to the sofa opposite him.

Chen Fan sat down, and Director Teng Huatao took his seat opposite him.

Qiao Linlin chose a seat to the side and sat down quietly.

"President Chen, would you like to rest for a bit first, or should we go straight to the contract?" Director Teng Huatao asked, setting down his teacup and looking at Chen Fan.

Instead of answering immediately, Chen Fan looked at Director Teng Huatao. "Can we increase the share percentage?"

Hearing this, Director Teng Huatao said anxiously, "President Chen, originally one million would only get you a seven percent share. Offering ten percent for one million is already the absolute limit."

"Don't worry, Director Teng." Chen Fan leaned back against the sofa. "Isn't your movie short on funds? One million probably won't do much anyway. I have high hopes for this film, so I'd like to invest a bit more."

"Then how much do you want to invest?"

"Three million."

Director Teng Huatao's eyes widened slightly. "You really want to invest three million?"

"Three million isn't much to me; I can invest it just like that." Chen Fan looked at him. "But how much of a share can you give me for that?"