Chapter 49 Showdown and POP MART

The next day, Zhang Qianjun received a return call from Wang Ning, the founder of POP MART. However, since the company was located in Guangzhou, as an investor, he felt he should make an on-site visit anyway, so they agreed to meet in person for a detailed discussion when Zhang traveled to Macau in a few days.

Meanwhile, Kan Qingzi finally returned to Beijing because she had to join the cast of *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*.

She knew there had been issues between them before, and she had initially thought about taking a cooling-off period to let them both sort out their emotions.

Because she had gone to Likeng in Wuyuan to shoot scenes for *So Young*, and had headed straight back to her hometown for the Lunar New Year right after wrapping up, she hadn't returned to their apartment at Jinmao Palace all this time.

The moment she walked back in, however, she was dumbfounded. Every single item in the apartment belonging to Zhang Qianjun had been completely cleared out, as if that person had never lived there at all.

Furious, she immediately dialed Zhang Qianjun's phone number.

"What do you mean by this? Have you moved all your things away? Are you done with us?"

"Qingzi, you're back? Wait for me a moment, I'll come see you."

Not long after, Kan Qingzi saw Zhang Qianjun, along with the person she detested the most—the one surnamed Chen.

Already enraged, Kan Qingzi became even angrier. What on earth did he mean by bringing this woman along?

"Zhang Qianjun, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to break up with me?"

Looking at her angry face, Zhang Qianjun had originally prepared a lot of words to say, but in the end, they all condensed into two simple words.

"Yes, Qingzi. I feel that given the current situation, we are no longer suited to stay together."

Kan Qingzi suddenly felt her mind go completely blank.

A moment later, tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Why? I don't understand. Didn't you just help me secure a female lead role?"

Looking at her tear-streaked face, Zhang Qianjun suddenly recalled all their moments together, feeling a pang of softness and a trace of shame. Ultimately, however, everything turned into a cruel and realistic reply.

"The female lead in the new drama is your compensation. Qingzi, you did nothing wrong. The one at fault is me; I cheated."

"What did you say?" Kan Qingzi asked, as if unable to believe her ears.

Zhang Qianjun's tone was as calm as someone reading a voiceover narration.

"I said I cheated."

Kan Qingzi screamed, "That's impossible! You never flirt with anyone else. When would you even have the chance?"

Immediately afterward, her gaze shifted to Chen Xiaoyu standing by the entryway.

"Is it her? Is it? Tell me!"

Zhang Qianjun shook his head slightly.

"It has nothing to do with Xiaoyu. She's here to handle the aftermath. You don't need to doubt yourself either; that person's figure, appearance, and fame are all inferior to yours. For me, that first time could perhaps still be called an accident, but everything afterward was entirely my own problem. Qingzi, I'm sorry. I know saying this is useless, but I still owe you an apology. You deserve a better future."

Kan Qingzi looked at Zhang Qianjun as if seeing him for the very first time.

"Why can you say these things so calmly? Were all those past days fake?"

Zhang Qianjun hesitated slightly, but still chose to be honest.

"Everything in the past was real. I told you, don't doubt yourself—you did nothing wrong. The reason for all of this is simply that I am a very selfish person when it comes to relationships. So selfish that I'm even unwilling to lie to you."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Kan Qingzi slumped onto the sofa, staring blankly toward the doorway, still unwilling to believe that all of this had actually happened.

* * *

Click-clack, the sound of high heels echoed beside her, and an open pack of facial tissues was handed out in front of her.

"Wipe your tears and keep some dignity for yourself. Life still has to move forward. Besides, you're very lucky. In a few years, you'll thank him."

Kan Qingzi reached out and took them, beginning to wipe away her tears.

"Did you come here to watch me make a fool of myself?"

Chen Xiaoyu smiled faintly, mocking herself.

"A servant girl like me, what qualification do I have to mock anyone? I said it before—you're very lucky, and you should thank your lucky stars that you met the boss."

She then handed over a stack of documents.

"Sign all of these."

Kan Qingzi glanced at the papers in front of her.

"You two really are cut from the same cloth. Both of you are so nakedly direct."

This time, Chen Xiaoyu wore a sarcastic smile.

"Wasn't it just like this when you first met him? He only chooses to take a roundabout way when he needs a favor from someone. Stop wallowing in self-pity. Act like an adult and sign the documents immediately; I have other things to attend to. Like I said, you're very lucky—so lucky it even makes me jealous, because his generosity is simply shocking. The apartment is left to you, and the car's ownership will be directly transferred to your name as well, though the license plates belong to the company, so you won't be able to keep using them. The driver, bodyguard, and RV that the company previously provided for you will all be reclaimed."

Then, looking expressionlessly at Kan Qingzi, Chen Xiaoyu added, "Big sister, take these, go cheerfully shoot your television dramas, and cooperate fully with the promotion when the movie hits theaters. Whether you sign or not makes no difference to me, but you will definitely regret it later if you don't."

Kan Qingzi wiped away her tears, her expression gradually turning cold.

"I took that back earlier. You're even more realistic than he is. Aren't you afraid that Zhang Qianjun will dump you the exact same way one day?"

Heh, Chen Xiaoyu let out a soft scoff.

"I'm just his employee, getting paid to do a job. Besides, most of the time, he doesn't care about the process."

In the end, Kan Qingzi signed her name.

Down in the underground parking garage, Chen Xiaoyu got straight into the backseat.

"She signed."

Zhang Qianjun nodded. "Good."

The little assistant remained silent for a moment. "Was it necessary?"

Zhang Qianjun chuckled lightly. "Xiaoyu, when you make money as easily as I do, you'll realize that peace of mind is much more important."

It was rare for the little assistant to argue back. "Even if it's just self-consolation?"

Zhang Qianjun was silent for a while. "Yes, even if it's just self-consolation."

* * *

A few days later, a grand production crew set out from Beijing for Macau.

Li Kai remained as the executive producer, though this time the lighting and prop departments were no longer under his jurisdiction. Han Qiming shifted from director of photography to a regular cameraman. Micky also transitioned from the styling director of the previous film to Zhang Qianjun's personal stylist.

Yet the three of them had no complaints. This was their first time collaborating with a behind-the-scenes team from Hong Kong and Taiwan, especially with a director who excelled in crime and action films, and they were eager to see what differences there were.

Besides, spending someone else's money to nurture his own team—why wouldn't Zhang Qianjun be happy to do it?

Flying directly to Yangcheng, Zhang Qianjun met Wang Ning, the founder of POP MART, in a remote factory district.

Much like the four-member team from Shanghai Jiaotong University behind miHoYo, Wang Ning knew nothing about so-called movie stars, and he hadn't even heard of the two films Zhang Qianjun had already released.

"President Wang, if I hadn't read your self-introduction, I truly wouldn't have believed you're only twenty-five."

Having spent years dealing with plastic molds and warehouses, Wang Ning looked far more mature than his actual age. Upon closer inspection, even his temples and the top of his head were already flecked with quite a few gray hairs.

"Ah, well, it's for the sake of the business. President Zhang, I sent business plans to over three hundred publicly traceable investment institutions, and you are only the second person willing to come for an on-site visit. Please excuse the crude environment."

Zhang Qianjun smiled and shook his head.

"That just shows you're someone who is genuinely building a business. Can you tell me why the previous investor ultimately abandoned this project?"

Wang Ning gave a self-deprecating chuckle.

"The other party didn't understand what designer toys were. The reason he was willing to come talk to me was simply because he felt that products targeting young people had more developmental potential. In the end, we couldn't reach an agreement because he didn't approve of me opening offline retail stores. He believed maintaining the current online sales and expanding our online advantage should be the future developmental route. The rest, you already know."

Zhang Qianjun nodded. "I can understand that kind of hesitation. Opening offline shops and stocking inventory definitely drives up operating costs significantly, and current profits probably can't sustain that kind of expansion, right? Moreover, I looked it up online, and designer toys are really expensive—a kind of expensive I don't quite understand. But since online sales are doing pretty well, it means there's a rationale behind it."

After inspecting the workshop and warehouse and gaining a general understanding of the company's operational status, Zhang Qianjun got down to business.

"President Wang, what is the company's valuation, and how much investment are you looking to take in this time?"

Wang Ning took out the materials he had prepared beforehand.

"The company's angel round was in January 2011, with a valuation of twenty million and a financing of two million. This time, the valuation is fifty million, and the financing target is four million."

The accounting firm personnel accompanying Zhang Qianjun took the materials and carefully reviewed them, while Zhang Qianjun looked somewhat surprised.

A valuation of fifty million, wanting to raise only four million, and offering just 8%?

"President Wang, I basically agree with the valuation, but isn't this financing amount a bit too small? How many stores can four million open? Not to mention twenty or thirty percent, shouldn't it at least be ten points?"

Wang Ning smiled slightly.

"President Zhang, this was a joint decision by the company. At this stage, we won't release too many shares all at once. The period from 2013 to 2015 is our projected financing peak."

After a brief calculation, Zhang Qianjun thought that was fine; he could just continue following up with subsequent rounds when the time was right.

Thus, he extended his right hand.

"Happy cooperation. Specialized personnel will follow up with you on the rest. I hope the company soon becomes the world number one in the designer toy industry."

Wang Ning shook his hand, thinking to himself that celebrities really threw money around casually and that this financing round was unexpectedly effortless.

"Happy cooperation. Our initial dream was to become number one."