Rebirth and Conquest

After Chen Haoran was sent away, Chen Yan went to see someone named Qi Hao, who was contacted by Hua Fengchen.

A few years ago, before Haoran Group entered B City, the B City business world was dominated by three powerful families: the Yan, Qi, and Xi families. Among these three, the Yan family was the most powerful, followed by the Qi family, while the Xi family was relatively the weakest. However, because the Xi family's company was a major player in the entertainment industry, they appeared to be the most glamorous on the surface. The Qi family, on the other hand, was arguably the most chaotic of the three. The chaos in the Qi family stemmed from the large number of their descendants. With so many people, it was easy for infighting and power struggles to arise. The internal strife within the Qi family never ceased. It involved not only direct descendants and collateral branches, but also various distant relatives and kin, creating a complex web of relationships that were impossible to unravel. However, their struggles were all conducted covertly, while maintaining a facade of calm.

The Qi Hao that Chen Yan met was from the Qi family. Qi Hao's father and Qi Wenqing's father were brothers, with Qi Wenqing's father being the eldest. They also had a younger sister named Qi Wenhui, who married into the Yan family through a business marriage and became Yan Haobo's mother. However, the second and third siblings did not live long and passed away early. So now, Qi Wenqing's father, Qi Yunpeng, is in charge of the Qi family. However, although Qi Yunpeng is in charge, none of the various powerful figures under him are at peace.

Qi Hao and his mother were an orphan and widow, and they couldn't win anything by fighting for power. So they made plans early on, partially leaving the Qi family and starting their own small company. But they wouldn't give up the shares that belonged to them in the Qi family; they just didn't want to be in dire straits for the time being.

In an office, Chen Yan met with Qi Hao.

"You said you're willing to help me return to the Qi family and regain control?" Qi Hao asked Chen Yan. Qi Hao was an outstanding person in both appearance and temperament. At least compared to his cousin Qi Wenqing, he looked more like the heir to a business family.

"Yes, don't you want to?" Chen Yan said. "You're also a member of the Qi family. It's not pleasant to be forced to leave, is it?"

Qi Hao smiled indifferently, "There's nothing to feel good or bad about it, it's just my own choice." He paused, then his smile faded and his expression turned serious, "However, it's easy for me to go back, but taking power from Qi Yunpeng is no small matter. Even though he's sitting in the main seat now, he's not sitting securely."

"So it all comes down to your ability. How will you know the outcome if you don't try?" Chen Yan said with a smile. "The younger generation will surpass the older one. You don't want to be a manager of a small company forever, do you?"

Qi Hao remained noncommittal, instead changing the subject and asking, "Why would Chairman Chen help me? We're not even acquainted."

Chen Yan didn't hide anything, but said, "I am irreconcilable with the Yan family, but the Qi family, which is in power under Qi Yunpeng, has a good relationship with the Yan family. I don't want to be stabbed in the back by the Qi family while I'm fighting the Yan family."

Qi Hao pondered for a moment after hearing this. Indeed, the entire B City knew about the struggle between the Yan family and the Haoran Group, and Chen Yan was definitely not lying about this.

"Alright, I'll assume you're willing to help me. So, Mr. Chen, how much help can you offer?"

“I can’t guarantee that, but I won’t be stingy with what I can give you. At least when it comes to money, I can definitely give you enough for what you need,” Chen Yan said with a smile. “Actually, my current struggle with the Yan family is also helping you control them, at least preventing them from interfering in the Qi family’s affairs. Of course, you can also help me control the Qi family after you go back. So we can be considered to be helping each other.”

"Alright." Qi Hao said as if he had made up his mind, and stood up from his seat. "Thank you for your kindness, Chairman Chen. I will seriously consider this matter when I get back."

"Okay, I'm waiting for your good news."

After Qi Hao left, Hua Fengchen looked at Chen Yan and asked, "Chairman Chen, do you think he can successfully seize power?"

"Whether we succeed or not is not important. What I need now is for him to keep the Qi family in check," Chen Yan said nonchalantly. "We're already entangled with the Yan family, and we have another battle to fight with the Xi family in a few days. We can't spare the energy to keep an eye on the Qi family."

"Then...should we do everything we can to help Qi Hao?"

Chen Yan scoffed, "We can't even handle our own affairs, how can we have the energy to spend on him? You just need to give him a little something every now and then to keep him hanging on. If he's capable, he can reshuffle the Qi family and take power. If he's not capable," she paused, "then he can just wait to be buried with us later."

Hua Fengchen trembled slightly. He looked up at Chen Yan's indifferent face and felt a chill run down his spine. But he lowered his eyes again, concealing his emotions, and calmly replied, "Yes, I understand."

Not long after meeting Chen Yan, Qi Hao indeed returned to the Qi family in a high-profile manner. His return caused quite a stir in the Qi family. The Qi family was already in chaos, and he was like a ignition point, setting off the already restless crowd. The covert struggles and infighting rose to the surface, and a battle for the interests of a large family officially began.

Qi Wenqing initially acted carefree and irresponsible because of his family's troubles. He was too lazy to get involved in those things, since his father was still in power and he had the means to play around without worry. However, as things escalated, he gradually found himself unable to escape and was soon forced into the chaotic mess.

In the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*, the Third Sister once said, "Even a centipede with a hundred legs dies but does not fall down." This means that a large family like this cannot be destroyed by an attack from the outside; it must self-destruct from within to be completely defeated! This saying is very suitable for the Qi family. It was precisely because of this internal strife that the Qi family completely collapsed and never rose again. Of course, that is a story for later.

Leaving aside the Qi family's affairs, the release date of JK's movie was fast approaching. The movie was generating a lot of buzz, and everyone was eagerly anticipating seeing the legendary blockbuster.

However, just two weeks before the movie's release, a shocking incident broke out that stunned the entire entertainment industry. This incident was originally just a scandal exposed online by someone from JK Entertainment, claiming that some artists had accepted unspoken rules in order to get roles.

Coincidentally, the artist exposed was one who had participated in this movie. And that wasn't all; following that, various scandals involving unspoken rules were exposed one after another, all involving people from JK Company, with evidence and photos readily available, leaving no room for denial.

Chen Yan spent a lot of money to have Xingfeng Studio dig up dirt on JK Entertainment, and now it has come in very handy. For more than a year, they have devoted all their energy to digging up dirt on the people in JK Company. They have used all sorts of methods. Everyone in the entertainment industry has some dirt, but such a large-scale exposé, with evidence to back it up, is truly shocking.

Audiences aren't even in a hurry to watch the movie; this bombshell revelation is enough to blow their minds, with its brilliance comparable to an international blockbuster.

Suddenly, JK was embroiled in scandal and caught in the eye of the storm, putting the movie she was about to release in jeopardy.

The day after the incident, Wang Wei, the editor-in-chief of the Public Conduct Studio, met with Chen Yan.

"Chairman Chen, are you satisfied with this?" Wang Wei asked Chen Yan with a smile.

"Very good." Chen Yan nodded in satisfaction. "I knew I hadn't misjudged Xingfeng Studio's capabilities."

"So, should we release all the information at once, or continue to release it all at once?"

"Just send them out one by one."

"That's what I was thinking too." Wang Wei chuckled, his face giving off a sinister aura. "That way, the audience will have a more exciting experience, right? They probably won't be able to see the movie, so we'll just give them a free screening of a new film—"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Chen Yan stopped Wang Wei from speaking and then said, "Come in."

The person who walked in from outside was Fu Mingxue. When Fu Mingxue saw Wang Wei inside, she was obviously stunned for a moment before walking towards Chen Yan.

"Mr. Fu, what can I do for you?" Chen Yan asked Fu Mingxue with a smile.

Fu Mingxue hesitated for a moment, as if there was something she couldn't say. "Can I talk to you alone?"

“Of course,” Chen Yan said, then looked at Wang Wei, “You go back first, I’ll contact you again if anything comes up.”

"Okay, I'll leave first."

After Wang Wei left, Chen Yan looked at Fu Mingxue and said, "Mr. Fu, you can say what you have to say now."

"You orchestrated this whole thing, didn't you?" Fu Mingxue asked, looking up at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

"I know my request might be a bit excessive, but I would like to ask you to stop."

Chen Yan remained silent.

"Over the years, I've made some money for your company. Even if I haven't done anything outstanding, I've still put in some effort. Today, I'm just asking you for a favor."

Chen Yan leaned back in her chair and asked, "Why?"

"You should already know that JK Entertainment's next movie is directed by Wang Mingyang. He has been preparing for this movie for many years and has put in a lot of effort. It is really not easy for JK Entertainment to invest so much money in it. I have watched him come this far. He has already filmed most of it and is about to finish filming. If it cannot be broadcast because of this, it will be more painful for him than death."

“No matter what your relationship with JK Company is like, Director Wang is a good director. If his hard work is ruined this time, it will really be a disaster.” Fu Mingxue suddenly couldn’t continue. He was also a director, so he felt this kind of thing very much.

“Mr. Fu,” Chen Yan said, “I know you appreciate each other, but business is business. The company’s plans cannot be ruined because of one person. No one can.”

Chen Yan's face showed a cold indifference, "I've heard of that Director Wang. He's a talented director. If he's willing to come to my company, I can give him more funding to make films." After a pause, she continued, "I can tell you clearly now, Mr. Fu, that film of his won't be released. If you're willing to persuade him to come to my company, I can even invest in remaking the film, replacing the actors with other ones, such as artists from our company. However, if you want me to back down, Director Fu..." Chen Yan looked directly at Fu Mingxue and said, "You're making things too difficult for me."

"I------"

"Mr. Fu, I have always respected you. You wouldn't be going to oppose me at this time, would you?"

"No, no," Fu Mingxue quickly denied. "You have been kind to me. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. I will never betray your company."

"That's good. I trust Mr. Fu's character." Chen Yan smiled again. "Mr. Fu should know that I have put in a lot of effort to get to where I am today. I have to fully consider the interests of my company. Moreover, things have already attracted too much attention, and it's not something I can just stop at will."

"Alright, Mr. Fu, just focus on filming. Don't worry about anything else. The company will take care of everything for you. Making good movies is what an excellent filmmaker should do, isn't it?"

"Okay, I understand." Fu Mingxue said weakly. He was always grateful to Chen Yan, and he couldn't ask for more from her. In the end, he only said, "I was too demanding. I'm going back now," and then left Chen Yan's office.

...