My capital is quite large.

Chapter 238 Lighting a Cold Stove

Chen Duling remained silent as he listened to Tian Xiwei's self-righteous analysis.

She felt that things were probably not that simple, but she couldn't refute it, since Tang Yan had indeed been unusually low-key lately.

"What about Liu Yang?" Chen Duling changed the subject.

"It's quite lively on both sides!"

Tian Xiwei rattled off a list as if he knew them by heart: "On Liu Yifei's side, the most capable one is Zhao Liying! She's even more popular than Li Xin right now, but she's completely devoted to being Liu Yifei's underling and has never started her own business."

"However, Zhao Liying herself has also taken on two of her underlings' underlings, namely Mao Xiaotong and Xin Zhilei. Mao Xiaotong is more favored and has clearly already secured a place at the table, with a constant stream of resources. Although Xin Zhilei hasn't secured a place at the table yet, his treatment is still better than ours; at least he gets acting roles."

"Besides Zhao Liying and her group, another of Liu Yifei's trusted subordinates is Song Tie. I heard that she hasn't officially joined the party yet, but she's finally made it big. She just landed the lead role in a war drama."

Chen Duling silently memorized these relationships, then asked, "Where's Yang Mi?"

"There's no need to talk about over there. A little inquiry will tell you that the boss's favorites are Nazha and Dilraba, those two beauties from the Western Regions! They're incredibly popular right now! The rest are people like Song Qian and Zhu Xudan, the less favored ones. But even if they're not favored, at least they live in their own spacious apartments, unlike us who have to squeeze into shared rooms!"

At this point, Tian Xiwei sighed and said with some empathy, "But speaking of which, there's someone in our company who's even worse off than the two of us."

"Who is it?" Chen Duling asked curiously. Could there be someone even lower than them, living in the Cold Palace?

"Zhang Tianai!"

Tian Xiwei curled his lip. "I heard she was put in the company by Zhang's former secretary. I don't know if she's considered one of Haofeng's cronies. Anyway, she's been with the company for so long, and they haven't even provided her with an employee dormitory. She has to pay for her own rent every day! Right now, all she has is one ridiculous, melodramatic web series being filmed. She's really pathetic."

After listening to Tian Xiwei's detailed analysis of the power structure of the harem...

Chen Duling leaned back on the sofa, his brain racing.

As a science student, she is used to making decisions based on data and cost-benefit ratios.

Although Yang and Liu's camps were at their zenith, they were already teeming with talented individuals.

If I were to seek refuge at this point, I would at best become a lowly lackey, serving tea and water, and I don't know when I'd even get a taste of the benefits.

This is called a heated stove, and the profit is extremely low.

on the contrary!

Tang Yan and Liu Shishi's camps are currently falling apart, and they are in a transitional period with no new leaders!

If I take the initiative to approach them at this time and offer help when they are in need, I will definitely gain their attention and receive their resources!

As for falling out of favor?

Chen Duling sneered inwardly.

As long as Tang Yan and Liu Shishi still hold onto the foundation and connections that Haofeng built during its early days, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse!

Even if I find out later that they're no longer good enough, I can just switch allegiances once I've gained some fame!

In this circle, good birds choose good trees to perch on; who cares about loyalty anymore?

Having made up his mind, Chen Duling turned his head and looked at Tian Xiwei, who was still complaining.

"Xiao Wei, since Sister Tang Yan and Sister Shi Shi are short of people around them right now..." A calculating glint flashed in Chen Duling's pure eyes.

"Then why don't we go find them and offer ourselves as a pledge of allegiance!"

"A pledge of allegiance? How do I offer it?" Tian Xiwei was taken aback.

"Tomorrow, come with me to buy some good tea and snacks, and we'll go visit Sister Shi Shi on set!" Chen Duling leaned close to Tian Xiwei's ear and began to seriously plan this breakthrough battle.

......

The next day, on the outskirts of Nanjing, at a newly developed private lakeside club.

A gentle breeze rippled across the water.

Three huge parasols were set up side by side at the VIP fishing spots on the shore.

Li Feng, Jack Ma, and Wang the Richest Man, dressed in professional fishing gear, sat upright, staring intently at their respective fishing floats.

Standing behind Li Feng, Zhang Yuxi's hands, gripping the towel, were covered in cold sweat!

Her beautiful eyes were fixed anxiously on the lake, and she silently prayed to the gods: "Dear water ghosts, please don't mess this up! If we botch this underwater job, the entire administration department will have to go to the lake to feed the turtles today!"

However, as time went by, Zhang Yuxi's anxiety gradually subsided.

Less than two hours had passed!

"Buzz—!"

The specially made sea fishing rod in Li Feng's hand, which was said to be able to pull up sharks, bent into an exaggerated full moon once again!

"Oh! Here we go again!"

Li Feng sprang up from the fishing chair with a smug look on his face and began to reel in the line with practiced, rough movements.

With a violent splash, a huge wild blackfish, weighing over 20 kilograms, was pulled from the bottom of the water and thrashed about on the grass.

"Good heavens! Brother Li, these fish in Jinling really know their own fish! They only bite your hook!"

Jack Ma looked at the seven or eight giant fish weighing around twenty pounds each in Li Feng's fish basket, and then at the few pitiful crucian carp on his side, and couldn't help but laugh and joke.

Wang, the richest man, chimed in with a thumbs-up: "Brother Li's skills are amazing! I've been fishing for so many years, and today I'm truly impressed!"

Faced with the praise from the two business titans, Li Feng smiled with immense pride.

"You two are too kind. I guess I really was lucky today, plus the feng shui here is good for me! Hahahaha!"

Seeing Li Feng showing off so arrogantly, Jack Ma and Wang the richest man exchanged a knowing glance.

These two old foxes are almost a hundred years old combined. What kind of situation haven't they seen?

In Jinling, Boss Li, your fishing hook can catch the exact same twenty-pound blackfish every time.

Do they really think the fish at the bottom of the lake are mass-produced on an assembly line? They wouldn't believe it for a second if you beat them to death if there weren't a few turtles hiding at the bottom of the lake!

However, it's an unspoken understanding within the circle to see through things but not say anything.

Everyone has come all the way to Nanjing today, not really to compete in fishing skills.

Li Feng is still a young man in his twenties. He cares about his image and is playful. Let him have some fun and get the business deal done.

"Brother Li, about that collaboration you mentioned last time, I met with the board of directors after I got back."

Jack Ma put down his fishing rod and got down to business, "The deal for Alibaba to invest in Wanda is basically finalized. Of course, in return, all merchants and cinemas in Wanda Plazas nationwide will be fully integrated with and prioritize our Alipay interface!"

This is a genuine expansion of offline payment scenarios! For Alibaba, which is currently locked in a fierce battle with Tencent Pay, this is absolutely a strategic victory!

Wang, the richest man in Taiwan, nodded with a smile: "Yes, with Alibaba's financial and technical support, Wanda's asset-light transformation and O2O layout can be accelerated a lot."

"Then congratulations to the two of you for joining forces."

Li Feng was in a great mood and raised his teacup to toast the two of them.

As the middleman who facilitated this deal, he certainly didn't work for nothing.

Just two days ago, Jack Ma, in return for the favor, used Alibaba's resources to help Haofeng successfully secure a 20% Series A share from Didi Chuxing, a giant in the ride-hailing industry!

Everyone got what they wanted, and in this battle without bloodshed, they divided up the future landscape of China's internet.

……

As evening approached, the sun began to set.

After seeing off the two bigwigs, Li Feng got into the Rolls-Royce Phantom that returned to Zijinshan Manor.

"Boss, you were absolutely phenomenal today, you completely dominated the scene!"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Zhang Yuxi looked at Li Feng, who was in a great mood, and handed him a hot towel while flattering him in a sweet voice.

"You're so sweet-talking." Li Feng wiped his hands, a smile playing on his lips.

Although I know this girl is acting, nothing can buy my happiness.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuxi's eyes lit up, realizing this was a golden opportunity.

The boss has been busy dealing with the divestiture of Huaxin and the power struggles among various giants lately, and hasn't had a proper break for quite some time.

Since the boss is in such a good mood today, we should naturally arrange some grand events to liven things up.

"Boss, what do you think about tonight... should we invite Sister Xin Xin and the others over?" Zhang Yuxi asked tentatively.

Upon hearing the word "them," Li Feng raised an eyebrow.

"Connect the Dots..."

If you think about it, it's been a while since I've managed to collect all the bombs.

Thinking of this, he nodded slightly, then closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

Seeing the boss's tacit approval, Zhang Yuxi understood and quickly dialed Li Xin's number.