With global currency devaluation, I'll wear these back and take my whole family flying!

Lu Jinzhao hesitated, wanting to speak but then stopped, finally deciding to make his point clearer.

"Ms. Shen, the budget of 20,000 yuan that we advertised is actually the minimum budget, a conservative estimate. In reality, it will definitely cost more than that, since the male and female leads will split their salaries by nearly 5000 yuan. As you just mentioned, you want to help me make up the rest of the money, so I still think I need to explain these actual circumstances to you."

Shen Ci understood. Lu Jinzhao was clearly implying that he still had a huge problem and was afraid that the numbers he was about to reveal would scare her.

She smiled calmly: "Mr. Lu, just name a number."

Lu Jinzhao's throat moved slightly, as if he was weighing in his mind how much to say. He was really afraid of scaring Shen Ci away.

But for the sake of the project, he gritted his teeth and said the number in his mind: "Ten thousand yuan!"

As if afraid that Shen Ci would change her mind, he quickly added, "Ms. Shen, the more you invest, the greater the returns will be later. We are very confident in this project, and you must trust us."

Seeing his anxious and terrified expression, Shen Ci's smile widened.

He simply nodded and said, "No problem. As long as my sister gets the role, my 10,000 yuan investment will be credited to my account immediately."

To everyone's surprise, Shen Ci agreed so readily, leaving Lu Jinzhao, Xiao Man, and Feng Shan stunned.

In the end, Xiao Man was the first to come to her senses and hurriedly instructed Feng Shan: "Feng Shan, finalize this role immediately. You are more familiar with the school, so you can communicate with them. However, we will not announce the main cast until the press conference. Remember to keep it a secret."

"Understood, understood, I'll contact their teacher right now." Feng Shan nodded repeatedly, unconsciously glancing at Shen Ci a few more times.

He had never seen someone so young yet possessing such a powerful aura; to her, ten thousand yuan seemed like nothing more than one yuan.

Seeing this, Shen Ci spoke up at the right moment: "Mr. Lu, our cooperation should also be kept secret. I like to make a fortune quietly, so don't let others know, including my sister."

Ah-Li is naturally sensitive and insecure; knowing these things might not truly make her happy.

Lu Jinzhao understood Shen Ci's meaning and gave Feng Shan a wink, and Feng Shan knew what to do.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out at the main entrance of the banquet hall, as if people were arguing at the door.

The guests instinctively looked over out of curiosity, but unfortunately the main entrance was closed. They could only faintly hear the sounds of arguing, but couldn't make out what was happening.

Upon seeing this, Lu Jinzhao stood up and said, "Miss Shen, please sit for a moment. I'll go see what's going on."

Outside the banquet hall, Li Xiao, radiating anger, was stopped by two security guards.

"Sir, this is a private cocktail party. You cannot enter without an invitation."

"Sir, you cannot force your way in, otherwise we will forcibly remove you. Please understand!"

With red eyes and a fire burning behind him, Li Xiao suppressed his anger and whispered, "I'm just going in to find someone, I'll be right out!"

At this moment, Lin Biqi, who had been waiting for a long time, appeared quickly in her high heels. After running to Li Xiao's side, she deliberately tugged at him: "Brother Li Xiao, it's no use. You need an invitation to these high-end parties. Your ex-girlfriend is quite something. She's obviously hooked up with someone important."

Just as she finished speaking, Lu Jinzhao walked out from inside.

Lin Biqi recognized the man at a glance as the one who had just been with Shen Ci, and immediately pointed at him excitedly and shouted, "Brother Li Xiao, it's him!"

Before Lu Jinzhao could even ask what was going on, the manic man in front of him rushed up and grabbed him by the collar.

The sexy back view of Shen Ci in the photo flashed through Li Xiao's mind, and jealousy instantly drove him mad: "You dare to touch my woman!"

With a low growl, he raised his fist and delivered a heavy punch.

The punch was sudden and powerful. Before Lu Jinzhao could react, he was hit squarely in the cheek and fell to the side. Fortunately, a quick-thinking security guard caught him.

Another security guard snapped out of his daze and pounced on him, but he was no match for Li Xiao's height and tried to take him down but found it was no use.

Taking advantage of the door that Lu Jinzhao had just opened, the irrational Li Xiao shouted at the top of his lungs, "Shen Ci! Shen Ci, come out here!"

Lu Jinzhao felt dizzy and his left cheek swelled up instantly.

Looking at Li Xiao's current frenzied state, Lin Biqi's eyes flashed with a triumphant smile.

What white moonlight? Bah!

She will soon lose face in front of everyone.

The sudden chaos at the entrance immediately attracted the attention of the people inside, especially Shen Ci, who heard someone calling his name and quickly came to the entrance with Xiao Man.

"Li Xiao?"

Shen Ci was also very surprised to see Li Xiao here, but when he saw Lu Jinzhao's swollen cheeks, his face immediately darkened.

Li Xiao looked at Shen Ci. She was incredibly beautiful, but she was blooming for someone else, which only made him feel uncomfortable.

His eyes were bloodshot as he was about to rush forward, but Xiao Man's scream startled him.

"husband!"

Seeing Lu Jinzhao's disheveled appearance, Xiao Man ran over in alarm: "Oh my god! How could this happen? Are you alright?"

Someone behind him realized what was happening and quickly said to the waiter, "Quickly get some ice to help Mr. Lu reduce the swelling."

Husband?

Is this man's wife here too?

What about that photo?

If it's an improper relationship, then having Shen Ci appear in a setting where his wife is also present would be far too blatant.

Li Xiao wasn't stupid. Xiao Man's appearance gradually brought him to his senses, and his belatedly realized expression was particularly interesting.

The anger on his face had not completely dissipated; first, a hint of doubt appeared, followed by a hint of unease.

Lin Biqi was also dumbfounded. What was going on? Why was this man's wife here too?

She noticed Li Xiao's expression and realized that she might have made a mistake.

Oh no, she's in big trouble!

But there was no turning back now. Gritting her teeth, she decided to go all out and pointed at Shen Ci, loudly accusing her: "Shen Ci, you are shameless! You're flirting with other men behind Li Xiao's back!"

"you shut up!"

Lin Biqi's silence only made things worse; once she opened her mouth, Li Xiao's anger, which had just begun to dissipate, surged up again, and he immediately yelled at her.

Lin Biqi was startled and immediately fell silent.

Shen Ci withdrew her gloomy gaze and walked apologetically to Lu Jinzhao: "Mr. Lu, I'm really sorry, please call the police!"

Being punched in the face for no reason, and it's a solid punch, would make anyone feel bad.

However, the other party was someone Ms. Shen knew. Lu Jinzhao had just secured an investment of 10,000 yuan, and he didn't want anything to affect the investment outcome.

So, although his expression was extremely unpleasant, he still said, "No need, Miss Shen, there may be a misunderstanding."

Misunderstand?

Big misunderstanding!

But this punch cannot be dismissed with a simple misunderstanding.

Shen Ci expressionlessly pulled out his phone: "I'll call it for you!"