108 The Li Cousin Schemes Against the Yang Cousin

"Lao Hu, you there?"

"What? Ready to make a move on Young Master Yang the Second?"

"..."

Boss Li had originally sought out "Hulatang Is Powerful" to dig for information, but it was clear that "Lao Hu" had no interest in anything else; he only wanted to know when "Crab Brother" would break Young Master Yang the Second’s third leg. "Crab Brother, I guarantee you, Young Master Yang the Second is still at the rehabilitation center. He hasn't left Xuzhou."

"How the hell do you know that?"

"Because I went to work a part-time job there, working in the kitchen."

"Are you kidding? They’re hiring trash like you? This 'Kaihuang Rehabilitation Center' really isn't much."

"..."

"Alright, how can you be sure?"

"The menu. There’s a specific one for post-op recovery meals. I’ve been watching it for several days. Crab Brother, want to come over and poison him? I can help."

"In your eyes, am I really that low-life?"

"You already have the answer in your heart, so why ask? Asking like that is rude, you know."

"I'll 'you know' your mother's head!"

After a round of mutual insults, Li Jie sent "Lao Hu" an eighty-eight yuan red envelope and said, "Don't go for now. Don't get caught like an idiot."

"Holy shit, you’re actually coming?!"

"You really are presumptuous..."

Too lazy to deal with "Lao Hu," Boss Li went offline at light speed. These past two days were the main event. The "Clockwork Rat," an important subordinate of "One-Eared," had finally completed his full look. According to the "Black Cat Detective Filming Guide" provided by the dog system, the character design was in the same aesthetic vein as Kroenen, the Nazi officer from Guillermo del Toro’s *Hellboy*.

The uniform was distinctly German in style, except the Nazi insignia had been replaced by a skull-rat head wearing an eyepatch.

Returning to the point, with a logo like that, why was he called "One-Eared" instead of "One-Eyed"?

The props team recruited by "Creative Ability" was just manual labor; the real craftsmanship still depended on the boss himself. The various character designs Li Jie created for *Black Cat Detective*—from color palettes and costume designs to makeup and weapon patterns—were simply breathtakingly cool.

His capability was obvious at a glance. The entire props team learned from him on their knees; this level of craftsmanship was something you couldn't learn even if you studied your whole life for a certification.

"Attention everyone, 'Clockwork Rat Scene Twelve'..."

Chen Bosheng noticed the clever use of light and shadow today. Since it was an overcast day at the abandoned industrial factory set, the mottled light and shadow constantly intersected. Combined with the potholes and sewage pits inside the cluttered, derelict factory, that dark, grim vibe was dialed up instantly.

It was eerie; the boss was absolutely a directing genius!

Aside from his acting being abysmal, he was talented at everything else.

Fortunately, these scenes didn't require acting.

What kid gives a damn about acting? They just love watching the monkey beat up the demons!

In the post-production edit for this sequence, following the appearance of "Black Cat Detective," the "Clockwork Rat" would see the "Black Cat Detective" gradually revealing his true form amidst the play of light and shadow, accompanied by a powerful surge of music...

The soundtrack was Rob Simonsen’s "Hideout." As Boss Li appeared, spinning a "cat-claw dart" on his finger, Chen Bosheng, wearing his headset, felt like he was about to wet himself.

Damn, this aura!

This stage presence!

This cool, high-end style!

These muscles!

This flashy cape!

To describe it in one phrase: it was like when he hadn't finished his homework back in the day and was kicked out of the classroom by his homeroom teacher to stand in the hallway, only to see his bro—who clearly hadn't finished his either—slowly walk out of the classroom door...

The moment that foot stepped out the door, it was art!

Yo, bro! Standing in the hall together, bro!

Damn, that felt good!

If it weren't for the need to push the camera, Chen Bosheng would have really wanted to rush the post-production editors to get it cut immediately.

Quite a few companies had sent people to observe, including "Sanjiang Media," "Yongle Media," "Tangyao Entertainment," and "Huating Media," all waiting for *Black Cat Detective* to wrap up.

By now, samples of the first ten episodes were out, and everyone wanted to sign for exclusive first-run broadcasting rights. Yet, even when the price hit 3.2 million per episode, Boss Li couldn't care less.

Exclusive broadcasting was out of the question. What Boss Li wanted was prestige points, completion status, and long-term reputation; a quick buck in the short term was useless to him.

Of course, that wasn't to say it was useless—if you offered 30 million per episode, Boss Li would grit his teeth and agree.

The copyright fee for a global blockbuster series was roughly 40 million per episode. Boss Li wasn't greedy; he gave a twenty percent discount—a fair price.

As for the argument that *Black Cat Detective* wasn't a global blockbuster...

In Boss Li’s mind, it was.

My mind is the world.

"This Boss Li’s acting is truly terrible, but he really has a gift for filming this live-action animation."

"No kidding. This is a guy who could roar 'Shatter the darkness with thunder!' during a reporter's interview."

"Come to think of it, I've watched the show; the quality is even above *Gourd Hero*. The soundtrack added to the sample is also incredible. I had people scour the world for Rob Simonsen, and we couldn't find him. Could it be a smoke screen set by Boss Li?"

"Drop the 'could it be.' I checked several times; the copyrights are all in his hands. 'Creative Ability' only holds the license from him personally, meaning all these music copyrights belong entirely to him. If anyone wants a package deal for *Masked Gourd Hero* or *Black Cat Detective*, they have to keep paying him."

"..."

"Having talent really means you can do whatever you want."

The cooperation representatives sent by several companies sighed; if "Creative Ability" had been even slightly weaker or less capable, they would have been torn apart and consumed.

Unfortunately, "Creative Ability" had now become the apple of Jianye City's eye. Su Yongzhi, the former Zhuque District councilor, had laid low for a while after getting out of prison, seized the opportunity, and taken off immediately by hitching a ride with his granddaughter's husband.

Although he jumped from Zhuque District to Canglong District, it was still within Jianye City.

Two years from now, running for Jianye City Councilor would be a sure win.

The logic was simple: Mr. Su’s granddaughter's husband wasn't standing still; he was making progress too.

In two years, given Director Li’s current pace, he was much faster than Director Lu Xiaoguan. Director Li directed much faster!

That’s why Director Lu was called "Little Tube"—he was a bit thinner, and his output was clearly not as great as Director Li’s.

The tube has to be thick enough to spray enough, to be satisfying!

How much volume Director Li could spray in two years was something one didn't even dare to imagine.

Calculating on his fingers, Su Yongzhi might even end up as a Sanjiang Province Councilor... that wasn't impossible.

Right now, Boss Li was still considered a "local powerhouse," but the Canglong District council election would end soon, and with Old Man Su and Boss Li, it was a classic "upstart family" configuration.

That was exactly the type of person noble families looked for when recruiting a son-in-law.

At the filming site, Ma Youchang, the business director of "Tangyao Entertainment," didn't come here just to discuss copyright cooperation.

"Director Ma, headquarters says to come up with a profile report as soon as possible."

"What for?"

"The Third Young Master's second daughter is already sixteen. Headquarters thinks we can train her to reach a 'perfect state'."

"I've only been here for three days, how the hell am I supposed to see anything? Let me eat a couple of meals with Boss Li first."

"Director Ma, should I let headquarters know?"

"Tell the Third Young Master first, and let him talk to headquarters."

"Yes."

After the assistant left, Ma Youchang frowned. There were six eligible third-generation young ladies in the "Longyou Group." The "Tangyao Entertainment" branch where he worked was under "Third Young Master Li," who happened to have two daughters—the eldest at eighteen and the second at sixteen—perfect for a strategic marriage.

Ma Youchang calculated Boss Li’s assets. He definitely had 40 to 50 million in cash, but the copyright development for *Masked Gourd Hero* was conservatively worth 2 billion.

Looking at *Black Cat Detective*, it might be even more ferocious than *Masked Gourd Hero*. Even at 1.5 times, that was 3 billion.

Five billion...

Forget one daughter; it would be a bargain to send ten.

Everyone coming to "Creative Ability" today to visit the set wasn't looking at the "petty cash" of the cooperation; they were all eyeing Boss Li himself.

After all, had that old man Su Yongzhi’s granddaughter registered her marriage with Boss Li?

No.

If not, they weren't legally husband and wife.

To drive, you need a license; to touch electrical wires, you need an electrician's certificate; to ride your wife, you need a marriage certificate...

Makes perfect sense.

The only thing was, although Ma Youchang thought he was incredibly clever and had seen all kinds of people, he just couldn't figure out what kind of creature Boss Li was.

He couldn't see through him—no matter how he looked at him, he seemed like a neurotic, idiot youth.

Just as he was hesitating, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out to see a message from Third Young Master Li mentioning that Young Master Yang the Second was going on a blind date with a girl from the Ji family in North Zhili.

"Third Young Master, does this have anything to do with us?"

"The Ji family has vast connections, and the logistics procurement for several group armies in the Anbei border region is handled by them. The Yang family's business in the Ministry of National Defense also has to partner with the Ji family. But this matter is mainly about some copyright libraries. Do you know 'Perfect Music'?"

"I do."

"It’s specifically prepared for the Ji family’s eldest daughter, Ji Shengnan. Not many people know about this. I have a lover in the Northern Capital, right on West Second Street of Zhuque Avenue in Youdu. She often goes to the 'Ji Family Courtyard' to play mahjong and is a mahjong buddy of the eldest daughter's biological mother."

"Good heavens..."

Ma Youchang had to admit that these noble families were quite extraordinary.

"So, if my cousin registers his marriage with Ji Shengnan, this 'Daye Film and Television' might just flip over and stay alive. You need to think of a way."

"Think of a way?"

Hearing Third Young Master Li say this, Director Ma’s mind raced. He was here at "Creative Ability" watching Boss Li act cool, so why was Third Young Master Li bringing this up?

Good heavens...

So, you, cousin of the Li family, are asking me, a "hired hand" of the Li family, to help plot against your cousin Yang?

How to plot?

Obviously, by finding someone capable of breaking Young Master Yang’s leg.

Although the rumors were rife in the circle, fewer than ten people were certain that the incident was tied to Li Jie.

The Yang family had silenced things in Luzhou, and here in Jianye City, Sanjiang Province, people thought it was complete nonsense. Our students at the Jianye Academy of Arts all study art; how could they possibly learn techniques to injure people?

Impossible!

"Don't worry, Third Young Master, I know what to do."

To be honest, Ma Youchang really didn't want to do this kind of thing; he felt like he was going to crash and burn.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his own ability, but he felt that Boss Li just wasn't a normal person.

Of course, Young Master Yang the Second wasn't normal either. Two idiot youths had already clashed several times, and now, Young Master Yang the Second’s own cousin was scheming to make his cousin suffer even more.

If his third leg were to be broken, and the eldest daughter of the Ji family came over to be his cousin-in-law...

Wouldn't she be a widow in all but name?!

Thinking of this, Director Ma actually developed a twisted, perverse psychological thrill. Damn it, it was actually quite exciting.