The Fallen Film Queen’s Possessive Alpha - Chapter 51

The year-end cross-border video conference brought together regional presidents and key project leaders to discuss the past year’s business and future plans.

The three-hour meeting left Zhou Mu dizzy and exhausted, barely able to stay upright in her seat.

As the heir, Zhou Mu’s mind had been running at full speed throughout the meeting, turning the final summary into a physical endurance test. But her stamina was only average. she wasn’t the type with boundless energy. By the end, her head was spinning, and all she wanted was to go home and sleep.

Just when she thought the meeting was over, a vice president stayed behind to chat with Zhou Qing for a few more minutes.

This vice president had a unique background. she had joined Jiuzhou Group through campus recruitment and risen to senior vice president after over a decade of work. However, she was also a distant relative of the Zhou family. Today, she had stayed to present Zhou Qing with a report.

It was a research report on the international pheromone industry, with a simple conclusion: if Jiuzhou wanted to enter this market, partnering with Cube Industries would be far easier than starting from scratch.

Suddenly, Zhou Mu wasn’t tired anymore. She straightened up immediately, her sharp gaze fixed on her mother at the head of the table.

Zhou Qing, oblivious to her daughter’s reaction, was entirely focused on the report. The pheromone industry was still in its infancy, but based on the current Alpha-Omega population, future birth rates, and the inevitable demand for synthetic pheromones, conservative estimates placed its value in the hundreds of billions.

This vast market was a blue ocean, and Cube Industries wouldn’t remain the only player forever.

In fields like synthetic pheromones, which leaned toward biopharmaceuticals, researchers could patent new discoveries. but those patents had expiration dates. Once they lapsed, competitors could begin producing generic versions.

Cube Industries couldn’t monopolize this entire market. While it would be difficult for other companies to establish themselves from scratch, given enough time, they could catch up or even innovate beyond existing research. If Jiuzhou wanted to enter this industry, the fastest route was through collaboration with Cube.

Cube would provide its established research framework and manufacturing infrastructure, while Jiuzhou would contribute funding and military connections.

Back then, Cube’s first major success had come through Xuan Tinglu’s connections her mother, General Xuan, had facilitated their entry into the navy’s pharmaceutical procurement program. If Jiuzhou partnered with Cube, they could expand into the air force’s pharmaceutical procurement as well.

The air force was practically Jiuzhou’s backyard, this would be a win-win scenario. The vice president had even outlined the collaboration model: Jiuzhou could secure voting shares in Cube, and Zhou Qiwei could join Jiuzhou’s board. If Zhou Qiwei declined, Du Xin or Xuan Tinglu could represent Cube instead.

As the two discussed this enthusiastically, Zhou Mu was left stunned. Entering the pheromone industry? She hadn’t heard a single whisper about this report from the company’s strategic research team!

Why had they kept it from her? Were they worried she’d oppose it, or…? In an instant, countless suspicions flashed through her mind.

Zhou Qing put away the report, and as the vice president left, she finally noticed her daughter sitting motionless in her seat. “Mumu?” she called out worriedly, but her daughter seemed frozen in place, as if held by some invisible force.

York had transformed into a white city.

Reportedly the heaviest snowfall in a decade had forced the suspension of hearings, with lawmakers snowbound in their homes. Similarly, Zhou Qiwei, Du Xin, and their team were stranded in their hotel, left with no choice but to admire the snow through the windows.

Snowflakes as large as goose feathers drifted down. Extreme weather alerts warned that accumulations had already reached 30 centimeters, urging York residents to stay indoors.

Standing by the window, Zhou Qiwei found herself thinking of Song Haoyin. For their New Year vacation, perhaps they could go skiing no, that might be risky. An injury could delay her sister’s filming schedule, which wouldn’t be ideal. Hot springs, then? That sounded perfect. Where should they go? Domestic or abroad? Hakodate or Helsinki? Or maybe they should chase the northern lights?

Du Xin approached, nudging Zhou Qiwei’s arm to snap her out of her reverie, then handed over her phone. “Take a look.”

Luo City News Online prominently featured the headline: [Song Haoyin Watches Zhou Qiwei’s Speech in Luo City Film Festival Lounge], accompanied by high-definition photos showing Song Haoyin’s phone screen displaying Zhou Qiwei’s public lecture at York University two days prior.

That day, Zhou Qiwei had worn a sleek black satin suit, radiant and in peak form. Du Xin, sitting in the audience, had even overheard someone murmur in broken Chinese, “She’s stunning!”

Now, Du Xin watched as her typically expressionless, distracted friend swiftly transformed her ears turning pink, a smile spreading across her face as she returned the phone and immediately pulled out her own. No need to ask; she was undoubtedly messaging Song Haoyin privately.

Who would’ve thought that the awkward girl from back then would grow up to meet someone like Song Haoyin? During this business trip, Du Xin had noticed a change in Zhou Qiwei. she’d become far more forgiving, both toward others and herself.

“Tinglu mentioned planning a New Year trip to see the northern lights. Have you two decided where you’re going?”

Hearing this, Zhou Qiwei silently crossed the northern lights off her mental list before replying, “Probably hot springs, but I’ll need to check with her first.”

“There’s something else you should know. Though there’s no formal offer or legal documents yet, Jiuzhou wants to collaborate with Rubik’s.”

The news stunned Zhou Qiwei. Back when they’d first started the company, Jiuzhou had tried to get involved, only to be flatly rejected. Now they were making overtures again whose idea was this?

Madam Zhou’s? Zhou Mu’s? Surely not some unrelated executive at Jiuzhou.

“A senior vice president from Jiuzhou, surnamed Zhou, sounded out Tinglu at a cocktail event. She told me yesterday.”

Zhou Qiwei fell silent as Du Xin continued, “The proposed framework is compelling. Jiuzhou would secure long-term Air Force pharmaceutical procurement contracts and invest in research facilities. The VP made a fair point. technological iteration is accelerating. With Jiuzhou’s resources, they could easily build their own R&D team or fund smaller existing firms to carve out a significant share of the market.”

“Are they proposing a share swap?”

“That’s the current suggestion.” Du Xin hesitated briefly before advising frankly, “We should consider this carefully. If it works out, it could be a major opportunity for the company.”

Stable, long-term military procurement projects and substantial funding, Zhou Qiwei fell into deep contemplation. She had repeatedly rejected Jiuzhou before to maintain Mobius’s independence, unwilling to let the Zhou family interfere with her company. That’s why she’d rather borrow money from Leliana than seek help from Jiuzhou or leverage their connections.

But now the situation had changed. Strictly speaking, Pan Rock Culture represented Jiuzhou’s significant foothold in the cultural industry, and weren’t they currently sitting together with Zhou Qiwei in a meeting at Ferris Wheel?

Mobius’s current structure was stable. If the equity swap remained above her bottom line, Zhou Qiwei could accept it. She might even agree to Jiuzhou having voting rights on Mobius’s board. but in return, she would demand voting rights on Jiuzhou’s board as well.

“After the hearing concludes, we’ll host a celebration banquet with Leliana. Then you’ll stay to sign the contract, and I’ll return home.”

Du Xin understood Zhou Qiwei was considering accepting Jiuzhou’s terms. She was somewhat surprised. “Do you want to think it over again?”

“Don’t worry.” Zhou Qiwei smiled at her. “I’ll have a proper talk with Madam Zhou first.”

The Losk Film Festival lasted eight days and concluded smoothly. Filmmakers gathered to discuss their craft, and many emerging directors were discovered. The Song Yu Director Memorial Foundation would provide them with independent shooting opportunities and necessary funding, striving to offer young directors the conditions to create.

More importantly, this also opened doors for aspiring actors to secure roles. As the industry saying went: A film might be bad, but an actor can still deliver a great performance.

Even a passable performance could shine brighter in a bad film, offering many actors both a livelihood and a chance to showcase their skills. Something was better than nothing.

After the festival’s closing banquet, a tipsy Xiang Zi told Song Haoyin, “You’re gaining more and more weight in this industry, and soon you’ll seize real influence.”

Song Haoyin understood her meaning. Just as the field of pheromone research had to acknowledge Zhou Qiwei because she had published papers, secured funding, and built her own R&D system, Song Haoyin only needed to maintain the current momentum for five or ten years. Future directors and actors would owe their careers to her support, films would be backed by her foundation’s investments, and distribution would go through Ferris Wheel’s channels.

Then, she would hold unquestionable authority in this industry. Even if Song Haoyin had no intention of throwing her weight around, her words would still become gospel.

“How does it feel to hold such power?” Zhou Qiwei asked softly over the phone. She was still in York, listening to her girlfriend’s uncertainties.

Zhou Qiwei listened quietly. The doubts Song Haoyin was experiencing now were ones she had once faced herself. So she could confidently tell the person on the other end: “Just take it step by step. Do what you want to do, realize the vision you want to achieve.”

“Don’t you ever feel lonely?”

“No. In the past, I had friends. Now, I have you.”

The laughter that came through the phone was warm. The person on the other end assured Song Haoyin that she would always, always stay by her side.

On the eve of the New Year, Zhou Qiwei finally returned to Luocheng. Song Haoyin had specifically remembered her arrival time and came to the airport early in the morning to pick her up, saying it was Zhou Qiwei’s first time away from Luocheng for so long and she simply had to welcome her girlfriend home.

Zhou Qiwei pretended to decline politely, but in truth, she was so happy she could have danced on the plane. In her over twenty years of life, this was the first time someone had come to meet her at the airport!

As luck would have it, Zhou Qiwei wasn’t just being picked up by Song Haoyin that morning the Zhou family had also sent people. Madam Zhou Qing had dispatched the family butler and her personal assistant to bring Zhou Qiwei home for the New Year celebration, which was their annual family reunion day.

Generally speaking, this was the only day Zhou Qiwei would definitely return to the Zhou family estate. Other times, she made no such promises. Typically, she would leave the Zhou household on the afternoon of New Year’s Day and return to her own place.

But now, looking at Song Haoyin by her side, Zhou Qiwei naturally prioritized her girlfriend. How could she abandon her girlfriend and leave with these people?

Say what you will about Madam Zhou, but she had an excellent eye for talent. Her personal assistant was extremely reliable and immediately called the boss upon spotting Song Haoyin. Madam Zhou on the other end of the line was thrilled: “Please invite Miss Song to join us!”

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