Chapter 5

Liu Xin walked into the office of Li Hong, the general manager of Jinhong Culture Company. Li Hong is a woman with a pure passion for the comic industry. She started learning art at a young age and, though only 25, has been running this company for two years. It was she who, together with Aheng and another friend, founded Jinhong Culture Company. In the tough times, they all harbored the simplest dreams and worked hard to open up the domestic comic market. However, due to external constraints, although the company published six comic books in one year, it became increasingly difficult to make money in the following days, and Jinhong Company was also facing a difficult situation. Although the young people enthusiastic about the comic industry sometimes did not care about personal treatment, it was hard to sustain the entire business solely on passion and ideals, especially in the context of socialist reform.

At this moment, Li Hong was supporting her head on the desk, massaging her temples. In recent days, due to the company's financial situation, the pressure she faced had become even greater. As the company's technical director, Aheng proposed to connect with the Hong Kong animation industry, making Jinhong a window for introducing Hong Kong comics to the mainland, and at the same time, relying on the mature Hong Kong animation market, doing outsourcing work for Hong Kong animation artists to maintain the company's operations. Although this was a last resort for the company, for young people with their own ideals, such a choice was undoubtedly depressing and disheartening.

Just then, Liu Xin opened the door and rushed into the room, her face filled with urgency and joy. She approached Li Hong's desk and, in a voice that could barely contain her excitement, whispered, "Sister Hong, good news!"

"Ah, it's Xinxin?" Li Hong lifted her head and looked at Liu Xin. For this second-generation rich girl who was also dedicated to the domestic comic industry, she felt both comforted and happy, but also somewhat guilty. Liu Xin had provided the company with over ten thousand yuan without any compensation and worked for the company for free. Anyone who encountered such an employee would feel a sense of guilt.

"Sister Hong, are you not feeling well?" Liu Xin asked with concern, noticing Li Hong's pale face.

"No, just a bit tired, didn't sleep well," Li Hong replied, smiling at Liu Xin's expression. "What good news?"

"Right now," Liu Xin said excitedly, lowering her voice, "there's a big shot outside who wants to invest in comics, specifically in our company. Sister Hong, you need to think of a way to get the money out of him."

Li Hong, with years of social experience, did not immediately become ecstatic at the good news Liu Xin mentioned. She smiled slightly and asked, "Oh, what big boss, and how did you meet him?"

"I..." Liu Xin started but then choked. Li Hong looked at her attire, "Didn't you go on a blind date today? Why are you dressed like this?"

"Uh..." Liu Xin took off her blue wig and sighed, "I met him on the blind date!"

"Then is he your boyfriend?" Li Hong asked.

"Not really," Liu Xin shrugged, "We just met a few days ago. He... " Liu Xin hesitated, not wanting to mention the complicated attitude of Shen Zhenghui during the blind date, "But he is really rich. His parents are in foreign trade, with assets in the hundreds of millions. He himself is also very capable, making millions from stock trading. This time, he's in Pengcheng for some venture capital. I mentioned where I work, and he's quite interested in animation. He came to take a look and might invest."

Understanding the background, Li Hong felt more at ease. She did not have high hopes for this but was not indifferent either. She stood up and said seriously, "Since he's here to investigate, we should show him the real side of our company. Don't use the word 'cheat' lightly."

"Understood," Liu Xin nodded and reached out to pull Li Hong, "He's still waiting outside, Sister Hong, hurry up!" But she quickly let go, "Right, I'll get a change of clothes." She took a cultural T-shirt from the wardrobe and put it on.

"Don't rush," Li Hong patted Liu Xin's hand, "Since it's a business discussion, it's not good for you to be present. When you go out, call Aheng over."

"Why is it not good for me to be there?" Liu Xin asked, somewhat unhappy, "This is the investor I brought in!"

Li Hong patiently explained, "Isn't he your boyfriend? If you're there, some things might be hard to discuss, and it could affect your relationship."

Liu Xin opened her mouth in surprise and finally nodded reluctantly. The two of them opened the door and walked out.

...

Shen Zhenghui wandered around the office area converted from a living room. The bedroom with the door open was filled with bunk beds, making it look like a dormitory. He approached the cabinet with original comics, and the person nearby looked at him with suspicion. The sign on the bookshelf, "Though stealing books is not theft, it is a painful cut for us," was particularly noticeable. Shen Zhenghui sighed; the value of these original books combined was likely over a hundred thousand yuan, a huge sum in 1997.

"Hey, buddy," a somewhat sleazy guy approached Shen Zhenghui, greeting him casually, "Are you Liu Xin's boyfriend?"

"I'm her friend," Shen Zhenghui replied, "Our parents are friends."

"Ah, then you're childhood sweethearts!" The guy patted Shen Zhenghui's shoulder enviously, "You've saved so many years of struggle!"

Shen Zhenghui couldn't help but smile.

"Liu Xin is a good girl," the guy continued, "I hope you'll treat her well. Maybe after you get married, she won't be interested in comics anymore. Women are like that, if..."

"Ge Jie! What are you blabbering about!" Li Hong, who had just walked out of the office, saw her favorite blabbermouth, Ge Jie, standing next to a stranger. Not knowing what was happening, she immediately scolded him. Liu Xin, following behind, looked at the young man called Ge Jie, who immediately looked embarrassed, "I saw he was Liu Xin's friend, so I just chatted with him."

Li Hong walked over and formally shook hands with Shen Zhenghui, introducing herself, "I'm the head of Jinhong Company, Li Hong."

Shen Zhenghui looked at Liu Xin beside her, smiled, and shook hands with Li Hong, "Hello, I'm Shen Zhenghui."

Ge Jie, standing nearby, was confused, "Liu Xin, is this just a casual introduction? Why so formal?"

People around them, who had been working, looked up. Liu Xin glared at Ge Jie, "Who said he's my boyfriend? He's just a friend."

Li Hong turned to Liu Xin and gave her a look, then said, "Xinxin, go get Aheng."

"Okay!" Liu Xin left to knock on the door of the adjacent room.

Li Hong said to Shen Zhenghui, "Mr. Shen, let's go to my office to talk. Our art director will join us shortly."

Shen Zhenghui nodded and followed Li Hong into her office.

Some young people gathered and whispered, "Who is this guy? What's going on?"

When Liu Xin brought Aheng over, Aheng entered Li Hong's office, while Liu Xin stayed outside. The young people surrounded her, "Xinxin, what's happening? What does your boyfriend do? Is he a publisher?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Liu Xin said angrily.

"Then what's going on? The boss and Sister Hong are talking to him. It must be about work, right?" someone asked.

Liu Xin tried to keep her excitement in check and said calmly, "Of course it's about work. There might be an investment."

Investment! This word quickly spread through the office, and everyone looked hopeful, with more people gathering to get more information from Liu Xin.

Just then, the door opened, and Li Hong appeared at the entrance, looking somewhat helpless, "Xinxin, come in."

Liu Xin squeezed out of the crowd and bounced into Li Hong's office, feeling a sense of pride as if she were participating in history.

Li Hong and Aheng's expressions were not good. Liu Xin thought it was because Shen Zhenghui was trying to buy the company and was negotiating to lower the price, which made the two bosses unhappy. However, when Shen Zhenghui spoke, Liu Xin realized she was wrong and her perspective was too narrow.

"I think since we're discussing cooperation, we should be open and honest. Since we're all young, there's no need to play the old tricks of business. Personally, I believe that big business requires integrity. There are some things I won't say, but there are some things I need to clarify."

As soon as Liu Xin sat down, she heard Shen Zhenghui say this. Then, what he said next involved her.

"Miss Li, you think Liu Xin, as an intermediary, might not be suitable for this negotiation to avoid being in a difficult position. I don't think there's a need for such concerns because we are being open and honest. Haggling over every detail is not my style," Shen Zhenghui said seriously, "Actually, it's not because Liu Xin told me about your situation that I suddenly decided to support the domestic comic industry or anything else. I've been paying attention to the comic industry for a long time and have many ideas. Liu Xin just mentioned it, so I think if I can implement or test my ideas, it could, on one hand, create benefits for me—this is the most important point—and on the other hand, develop our own comic industry. Whether you see this as two separate things or as one, I hope you will consider what I'm about to say carefully."

Liu Xin, hearing this, was inwardly shouting, "Deception!" while Li Hong and Aheng had already taken on serious expressions.