After Getting Pregnant, I’m Divorcing My Alpha - Chapter 32

For the following half month, An Xiangdi focused wholeheartedly on filming in the crew, and the progress was nearing completion.

Shen Xiao, meanwhile, began making arrangements for the official announcement of his personal studio.

When the idea of establishing a personal studio was first proposed, Shen Xiao had negotiated a condition with his former agency, Yiguang Entertainment: instead of terminating the contract, the profit-sharing ratio would be adjusted from the original 60-40 split to 80-20.

Shen Xiao would take 80%, and Yiguang Entertainment 20%.

Yiguang Entertainment would only need to handle timely public relations for Shen Xiao, and without doing anything else, they could earn money effortlessly. However, Yiguang Entertainment was unwilling to compromise. Not only did they want to keep the money, but they also tried to demand an exorbitant share, insisting on maintaining the original profit-sharing ratio.

Naturally, Shen Xiao refused to agree. After his rejection, the negotiations between the two sides officially broke down.

Hua Jiang had initially wanted to fight for it, as Shen Xiao was the most low-maintenance artist she had managed in recent years, the one most likely to win the next Best Actor award, and the one most capable of fulfilling her ambitions as a talent agent.

But Shen Xiao was definitely not going to be a stepping stone for someone else’s career. He signed a contract termination agreement with Yiguang Entertainment and, without batting an eye, transferred the 70 million yuan penalty directly into the company’s account.

Afterward, the establishment and registration of Shen Xiao’s personal studio were completed. By now, the studio had officially gotten on track.

An Xiangdi had heard Shen Xiao mention the studio before, but both of them were quite independent when it came to their careers. Especially An Xiangdi, who disliked prying into Shen Xiao’s work, so he hadn’t asked for details.

However, after seeing the trending topics on Weibo, An Xiangdi found himself forming a rough idea of the scale of Shen Xiao’s studio.

The reason was that Shen Xiao’s personal studio had a total registered capital of 800 million yuan. Of this, 10 million yuan was funded by Yisheng Entertainment, while the remaining 790 million yuan was personally invested by Shen Xiao.

As the topics #ShenXiaoContractTermination# and #ShenXiaoPersonalStudioEstablished# ranked first and second on Weibo’s hot search list, netizens were already in an uproar, imagining all sorts of dramatic storylines.

Oh my god: Did I count wrong? 800 million?
Kinda get it: Seriously, you see something new every day. That’s so much money!
Flirtatious Hottie: Damn, I’m genuinely jealous. Do celebrities really earn this much?
I Stan a God: Could it be one of those Mary Sue plots where a prince from a foreign country, lost and wandering, is finally recognized by the royal family?
Little Erlang: I think it’s more like a domineering CEO giving up billions for his sweet Omega, struggling alone outside, and then reclaiming control of his family.
Innocent Little Leaper: No, no, I bet he won the lottery!
MatchaIsTheBest: Hahahahaha sorry I burst out laughing!
DisposableChopsticks: Winning the lottery, for real?
EarlyToBedEarlyToRiseToGetRich: So, does that make An Xiangdi the lottery winner’s pampered wife?

While netizens were letting their imaginations run wild, the crew of The Yellowed Season wasn’t idle either. Unable to contain their curiosity, they chattered nonstop, not even caring that An Xiangdi was still on set.

“How high must his pay be to casually invest 800 million yuan just to register a studio?”

“And it’s a full investment, not some shell company!”

“Even if you earn tens of millions for a TV drama, you’d have to film for six or seven years, right?”

“So, the rumors before were true, weren’t they?”

When Wei Yi saw the eight hundred million, he rushed over to An Xiangdi in shock. “Did you know that guy Shen Xiao was this rich?”

“robably.” He didn’t know.

An Xiangdi was also surprised. As far as he knew, Shen Xiao didn’t have that much in savings after breaking away from his father. Could it be that he had secretly built up a private stash without telling him?

“What do you mean, ‘probably’? Is this how you rich people look at us ordinary folks?” Wei Yi clicked his tongue, unable to comprehend the world of the wealthy.

“What kind of look is that?” An Xiangdi didn’t understand.

“Probably very rich, probably cheap, probably free.” Wei Yi rattled off three “probably”s in a row. “You guys are always saying ‘probably’ because you have so much money you’ve lost all sense of its value. Not like me I have to check if I have enough change just to buy a bowl of wontons.”

“Oh.” An Xiangdi’s tone was indifferent.

Wei Yi was annoyed by his reaction, but then it occurred to him: if his friend’s Alpha was rich, then his friend was also rich, which meant he was friends with a rich person.

Simplify that a bit, and he was rich too!

“Never mind. Since I’m rich too, I’ll forgive you.” Wei Yi was quite impressed with his own logic.

An Xiangdi shot him a puzzled glance, not quite understanding how he’d reached that conclusion.

One after another, many people in the film crew came to check on An Xiangdi, openly or discreetly especially some lesser-known actors whose every move reeked of “money-grubbing.”

An Xiangdi grew tired of dealing with them and cleverly pushed Wei Yi into the spotlight.

Sometimes, good friends were meant to be thrown under the bus.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiao, the center of the controversy, was not on the set of The Yellowing Season. He had left a few days earlier for an economics-related interview. An Xiangdi recalled that the topic was related to the fan economy.

As for what Shen Xiao was doing today, An Xiangdi wasn’t entirely sure.

Returning to the break room with his phone, An Xiangdi sent him a message.

Dizi: With 800 million to your name, do I have to pay to chat with you now? Three million a minute?

Sitting in Cheng Youyi’s office, Shen Xiao couldn’t help but smile when he saw the message, a rare flicker of amusement crossing his usually expressionless face.

Xiao Xiao: I’m worth that much?
Xiao Xiao: Can you afford it?

An Xiangdi’s temper flared at the reply.

Dizi: Pushing your luck?
Xiao Xiao: I’ll pay you. Three million a minute.

Not wanting to drag it out, An Xiangdi asked him directly where he was.

This time, Shen Xiao took a long time to reply, sending only two words.

Xiao Xiao: Pingbei.
Dizi: Weren’t you in Hangnan for an interview?
Dizi: Though that was a few days ago.
Xiao Xiao: The studio is just getting on its feet. There are still a few things to sort out.
Xiao Xiao: The studio’s official account will post my schedule for the next half of the year later.
Dizi: Oh.

An Xiangdi really wanted to ask, Don’t you think you owe me an explanation about the 800 million and what’s going on with Yisheng Entertainment? But his pride held him back, so he said nothing, put his phone away, and returned to the set.

In the heart of Pingbei’s business district, skyscrapers stood tall, among them a cluster of silver-toned buildings. From the stone lions at the entrance to the interior decor, everything exuded an air of wealth.

Cheng Youyi, with his wild red hair, had his legs crossed on the desk, leaning back in his leather chair. His polo shirt and ripped jeans clashed sharply with the office’s elite atmosphere.

In contrast, Shen Xiao, dressed in a crisp suit, sat frowning on the leather sofa. His black suit jacket was draped beside him, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up, revealing broad shoulders and solid muscles that were barely concealed.

The two Alphas, with their starkly different styles, created a unique scene in the office.

“Shen, why do you look so troubled?” Cheng Youyi asked, then immediately realized his mistake. Shen Xiao always wore that troubled expression when he wasn’t with An Xiangdi.

“It’s nothing.” Shen Xiao was pondering whether An Xiangdi was upset about the trending topics.

Just as he was thinking about how to cheer him up, the office door was knocked.

An Omega secretary in a short skirt pushed the door open. “Chairman Cheng, it’s time for the meeting.”

Cheng Youyi, seated in the leather chair, pushed off with his feet, sliding the chair backward. He let out an “oh” and stood up. “Shen, let’s go.”

After finishing his shoot in the evening, An Xiangdi lay in bed reading. The scab on the back of his hand was unbearably itchy, but he didn’t dare scratch it carelessly. If he accidentally broke it, it would leave a scar.

Turning a page, the itch became too much to bear. An Xiangdi carefully scratched around the edges of the scab, but his skin was so tender it turned red.

Rolling over, he opened the aloe vera gel on the bedside table and applied a thin layer to the wound. His interest in reading vanished.

Reopening Weibo, he saw that Shen Xiao’s two trending topics were still there. Netizens had come up with countless versions speculating about the amounts involved, and some had even started writing short stories about An Xiangdi and him.

Remembering what Shen Xiao had said about his schedule, An Xiangdi clicked into “Shen Xiao Studio Official Weibo,” followed it, and carefully studied the schedule posted in the latest update.

Shen Xiao’s schedule for the second half of the year was packed every month, but it wasn’t specific about which programs or dramas he was involved in. Instead, it vaguely listed “commercial events,” “magazine shoots,” “filming,” and “variety show recordings.”

However, An Xiangdi could roughly deduce that the “filming” around August was the melodramatic period drama Yao Honglang had mentioned to him.

“Your savings card ending in 8888 received a transfer of RMB 1,000,000.00 at 18:57:25 on June 23. Current balance”

An Xiangdi was startled by the SMS notification that popped up on his screen.

Had some recent work payment come through? Why hadn’t Yao Honglang mentioned it?

Just as he was about to open the message to check the details, he received a text from Shen Xiao.

Xiao Xiao: There’s a daily transfer limit on the bank card.

Xiao Xiao: Thirty million will have to be transferred over thirty days.

Xiao Xiao: So, does Mr. An Xiangdi have a minute to chat? I’m buying on credit.

An Xiangdi was stunned by Shen Xiao’s audacious move and burst out laughing. His peach-blossom eyes curved into crescents. If Shen Xiao could see his expression now, he’d surely compliment how lovely he looked.

Di Zi: Ten seconds.

Xiao Xiao:

Xiao Xiao: I acquired equity in Yisheng Entertainment.

Xiao Xiao: Now, I hold 40% of Yisheng Entertainment’s shares, Cheng Youyi holds 41%, and the remaining 19% are circulating shares.

Xiao Xiao: We just finished the new shareholders’ meeting.

An Xiangdi was so shocked he couldn’t speak. The wealthiest person in China was the head of the Jiang family in Pingbei City. Although Yisheng Entertainment, as the largest domestic talent agency, was merely a branch business of the Pingbei Jiang family, its total market value alone was worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

He had only heard that the chairman was a young and capable person, but how had things suddenly turned out like this?

Dizi: Wait, explain clearly.

Dizi: What is Little Redhead to Yisheng Entertainment?

Xiaoxiao: He’s a member of the Pingbei Jiang family’s branch line, the chairman of Yisheng Entertainment.

Dizi:

Cheng Youyi is really something else!

Xiaoxiao: Dizi.

Xiaoxiao: Shouldn’t your focus be on me instead?