This dried tangerine peel is remarkably fresh.

“Mr. Chen, our President Yang is very sincere, and you should know well that 'Daye Film & TV' has one of the top copyright channels in Korea and Japan in Sanjiang Province. If you work with us, we’ll split the profits seventy-thirty.”

Directly across from Huating Workers’ Stadium was the Huating Grand Hotel. Li Lingbo, assistant to the chairman of 'Daye Film & TV,' had just met with Li Jie’s agent, Chen Pi.

Chen Pi, fully aware of his own limitations, had never aspired to be second-in-command for creative affairs. He stuck to his old trade as a professional agent while scouting suitable talents for 'Creative Ability.' He’d had his eye on a business director who’d been dismissed by Huating’s ‘Little Sunflower,’ but the candidate was currently disheartened. So Chen Pi kept searching.

Now, he found Li Lingbo before him quite promising, and his mind was filled with thoughts of poaching him. He paid no mind to Li Lingbo’s posturing and airs.

This was just the beginning—his own boss, Lord Li, could truly disgust people with his demeanor. Compared to that, this President Li’s attitude was positively decent.

“President Li, I didn’t expect ‘Daye Film & TV’ to be so forthcoming. A seventy-thirty split is more generous than most companies in the industry. If President Yang only takes thirty percent, there’s hardly any profit left for him.”

“Hm?” Li Lingbo was momentarily taken aback. He removed the cigar from his mouth, flicked the ash, and leaned forward, staring at Chen Pi as if he were an idiot. “Mr. Chen, since when does our President Yang take the smaller share? Seventy-thirty split means you get thirty, we get seventy. Usually, it’s eighty-twenty. If President Yang didn’t value the fact that we’re all Sanjiang Province companies, do you think he’d be so generous?”

“What? We only get thirty percent?”

“Thirty percent is plenty.” Replacing the cigar, Li Lingbo leaned back, fingers interlaced before him, and said arrogantly, “Think carefully. Once you secure the copyright sales channels in Korea and Japan, do you think there’ll be fewer collaborations in the future? This kind of business is unattainable for companies without strength. But if you partner with ‘Daye Film & TV,’ with President Yang, there’s no end to the money you can make.”

“President Li, may I report back to my boss first? Once he decides, I’ll contact you again.”

“Sure, but I won’t be in Huating for long.” Still maintaining his swagger, Li Lingbo exuded the style of Daye’s Chairman Yang Ying.

But Li Lingbo had no idea that he couldn’t possibly ruffle Chen Pi. After all the years of hardship, and only recently enjoying a little comfort, he cared little for others’ pretensions. Besides, he was used to being disgusted by his own boss daily.

So Chen Pi’s plan was to discuss the matter with Li Jie, then find out how much Li Lingbo made in a year.

The Huating City Sports Bureau had arranged for college athletes from six provinces and cities to stay at the Huating Grand Hotel and nearby luxury establishments—all five-star, a testament to the Bureau’s wealth and generosity. The scale rivaled the National Games, though the lower end of the competition quality was rather abrasive, with many unsightly scenes.

Yet the upper end of the quality was high, especially with Li Jie’s breakout performance, attracting coaches from domestic and international clubs scouting for talent.

Li Jie’s physique was particularly unconventional—clearly unsuited for high jump, yet he could clear 2.1 meters; equally unsuited for long jump, yet he could break provincial records.

Many suspected Li Jie of technological enhancement, but after a urine test, the doubts dissipated.

Not too cold, not too hot—just right.

“Lord Li, President Yang from ‘Daye Film & TV’ wants to work with us. Do you think this is worth pursuing?”

“Pursue what, damn it? Has that old fox come to Huating?”

“No, just his assistant, Li Lingbo.”

“So it’s that bastard…”

Li Jie rubbed his chin, his eyes rolling. “Go find out where that bastard came from.”

“Lord Li, what’s your plan?”

“Why ask so many questions? Get to work.”

“Alright.”

Chen Pi nodded, then scurried off.

So what if Lord Li said a few words? He was making three hundred thousand a year—who cared? A minor celebrity like Ding Wei only made six hundred thousand annually.

But after Ding Wei signed an acting contract for ‘Masked Gourd Hero II,’ things changed completely. Endorsements were practically guaranteed.

Now, ‘Masked Gourd Hero’ was hugely popular. Chen Pi had even opened an online store selling merchandise, earning one or two thousand a day—much more than his salary.

As a company veteran, he could procure goods at low cost with ease.

He arranged to meet the front desk girl for coffee, but midway, got a call from a thirty-something ‘goddess’ asking if he’d noticed the drop in temperature lately.

Chen Pi replied that he was already wearing long underwear, then hung up.

“Damn, what kind of miserable days did I used to live…”

Shaking his head, he hurried to the café, ordered a cappuccino to warm up, and as the front desk girl took her seat, influencer-style pastries were served.

“Wow, so exquisite—I have to take a picture…”

She snapped photos incessantly, pouting and flashing a peace sign, going through the whole routine with the trendy cakes.

Chen Pi watched, his heart warmed.

To hell with the ‘goddess’!

Long live Lord Li!

When Li Jie’s competition ended, Chen Pi was already waiting outside the locker room, eagerly handing him a bottle of purified water and bowing as he said, “Lord Li, I’ve found out—Li Lingbo came to Huating by high-speed rail from Luzhou.”

“Luzhou?”

“Absolutely certain.”

How could he not be certain? He had almost gone with the front desk girl to a love hotel to discuss the meaning of life.

Ultimately, it didn’t happen, and they agreed to go watch the sunrise at East Pole Beach next time. The front desk girl had violated the guest privacy policy of the Huating Grand Hotel.

Tsk, her lips aren’t very tight.

“All right, that’s all. Get back to work.”

“Sure thing.”

Chen Pi left—not to test if the front desk girl’s lips had tightened, but to get down to serious business.

After all, he was still chief agent for ‘Creative Ability,’ responsible for scouting promising talent for the company.

With college athletes from six provinces and cities gathered, those with low athletic ability but good looks were ripe for recruitment.

He might not have the skills to train young artists, but Ding Wei—the actor playing 'Orange of Wisdom'—was a professional.

Within ‘Creative Ability,’ Ding Wei, who played ‘Erlang God,’ was considered a washed-up idol by outsiders, but internally, he was regarded as a bona fide veteran.

Chen Pi scrutinized handsome men on the field more closely than beautiful women, but his gaze was so intense that several guys came over, smiled at him, and gestured: “Yaranaika?”

Disgusting!