Chapter 151: That’s Exactly What I Meant

There was actually nothing much to discuss with the theater owner. Xiao Ran resolved the matter with just one sentence: “Give me the agency rights, and I’ll take care of Lin Guiyun!”
The negotiation ended unexpectedly in a surprising turn of events—the theater owner had no choice but to agree. He certainly wanted to give the agency rights to Hong Kong’s largest company, Shadow, but Lin Guiyun held the contract granting those rights. Without his consent, the theater owner was helpless.
The theater owner was well aware that Shadow controlled about 30% of the market for the over a hundred films produced in Hong Kong. Shadow alone had produced more than a dozen films in the first half of the year, a considerable number that could sustain a theater chain throughout the year.
Yet the theater owner was unwilling to accept this. Due to Lin Guiyun’s interference, Shadow had stopped supplying films months earlier, leaving theaters that relied on Hong Kong movies with no films to show. Eventually, Lin Guiyun secured some scattered films and also obtained Haile Group’s distribution rights in Taiwan, barely keeping things afloat.
This negotiation greatly broadened A Mai’s horizons. Xiao Ran merely gave one piece of advice: “Grasp what your opponent needs and force them to make a choice.”
But things wouldn’t be that simple going forward. Finding Lin Guiyun was actually quite easy. Yet Lin Guiyun seemed quite proud, having obtained Haile Group’s distribution rights. When Xiao Ran learned this, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Fang Ruohai simply didn’t understand movies, let alone distribution. Fortunately, none of the people he had recruited earlier were from the distribution department. By giving Lin Guiyun the distribution rights in Taiwan, Haile Group’s profits were significantly drained by Lin Guiyun as an intermediary, and the interests of producers and theaters were also reduced, inevitably leading to dissatisfaction.
But Xiao Ran miscalculated one thing—Fang Ruohai surely knew the advantages of bypassing intermediaries and communicating directly. In Hong Kong, he could still rely on Cathay Group to hold his position. But in Taiwan, who would buy his films? Unless Haile could produce countless profitable films every year like Shadow. Under pressure, Fang Ruohai had no choice but to hand over the distribution rights to Lin Guiyun.
Mocking and marveling at Fang Ruohai’s foolish actions, Xiao Ran finally understood the strange feeling he had when he first received the news that Wang Yang wanted to kill him. Wang Yang was connected to the Chulian Gang, and Lin Guiyun had a good relationship with them. Putting it all together, Xiao Ran could roughly deduce that this whole affair was a conspiracy—by Fang Ruohai or the Fang family.
At this thought, Xiao Ran exhaled deeply in frustration. He had originally planned to keep the Fang family around, but since they dared to resort to such underhanded tactics, he wasn’t going to let Haile Group off this time. Although he didn’t want to form a feud, as long as he could force Fang Ruohai out of his domain, there would likely be no more threats.
Now, facing Lin Guiyun, the two spoke as if they were friends. Lin Guiyun snorted coldly, “A Ran, I originally thought of you as a friend. Who would have thought you’d dare trample on me?”

Xiao Ran smiled and playfully teased the steak on his plate with a light, polite touch, mocking him, “Brother Yun, you must know that the rise of any enterprise inevitably means countless smaller companies being swallowed up, right? You’re well aware of Phantom’s current situation—you have no chance against them.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Although Phantom is large and powerful, I, Lin Guiyun, am not necessarily afraid of you!” Lin Guiyun lowered his head to carefully pick up some vegetables on his plate, took a gentle bite, and then continued, “Now, Hailue Group has given me the local distribution rights. What do you think?”
Xiao Ran glanced at A Mai beside him, signaling him to be more respectful. Seeing A Mai nod firmly, he then spoke in a half-smiling tone about something else, “Brother Yun, you’ve helped me. Without you, Phantom wouldn’t have grown so fast. Out of gratitude and reason, I’m thankful to you.”
Lin Guiyun raised his head with a hint of pride. Xiao Ran noticed this and his smile grew wider. “But have you ever thought that your presence is hindering Phantom’s progress? If it were someone else, not to mention blocking me for half a year, even just one month would be enough for me to make them go bankrupt right away. Do you believe it or not?”
Staring into Xiao Ran’s sincere eyes, Lin Guiyun didn’t doubt that his words were just bluster. At that time, Xiao Ran had very good relations with the other three major companies, so cutting off Lin Guiyun’s supply source wouldn’t have been difficult at all. Realizing this, Lin Guiyun finally understood that he had already escaped death once and couldn’t help but feel terrified.
“It’s precisely because you’ve helped me that I’m grateful to you!” Xiao Ran wasn’t the kind to get bored easily, so he still hoped to keep in touch with Lin Guiyun, whom he had known since early on. “I came here in person now because I hope you’ll make way for me!”
Lin Guiyun hesitated. He knew full well that with Xiao Ran’s abilities, destroying him now wouldn’t be difficult at all. But thinking of Hailue Group’s vast funds, his chest swelled again. “Impossible, absolutely impossible.”
“Absolutely impossible…” A relieved smile gradually appeared on Xiao Ran’s face. Since Lin Guiyun had rejected him so firmly, it wasn’t surprising he was ruthless. He stood up and said with a smile, “Brother Yun, since you choose to stand with Fang Ruohai, there’s nothing I can do. But I can tell you that within three months, I’ll crush Hailue!”
Just as he was about to leave, a plump middle-aged man approached Xiao Ran. He carried considerable authority, and there were four bodyguards behind him—clearly no ordinary person. Xiao Ran didn’t know this man, but Lin Guiyun did. He quickly went up to greet him with a smile, “Mr. Yang, what brings you here?”
Mr. Yang glanced at Lin Guiyun, smiled immediately, and pointed at Xiao Ran, saying, “I’m here for him!” Then he ignored the dazed Lin Guiyun and stepped forward to examine Xiao Ran from head to toe.
Yang Shuanghe and Monkey grew slightly nervous, but they relaxed a bit when they saw the four bodyguards not approaching Xiao Ran. After sizing Xiao Ran up, Mr. Yang spoke to him in Mandarin, “Sit!”

Xiao Ran shrugged indifferently. This old man before him seemed to have quite a background, but he wasn’t necessarily afraid of him. He gave Xiang Yangguang and Monkey a glance before sitting down and smiling at the middle-aged man. Mr. Yang stretched out his hand, placed it on the table, and said something that greatly surprised Xiao Ran: “Young man, you’re truly remarkable. The triads in Hong Kong and Taiwan have always had close ties. It’s really not worth it for them to become enemies just because of that bastard Wang Yang!”
Xiao Ran was truly surprised. From the way he spoke, it seemed this middle-aged man was some kind of high-ranking figure in the Chuhai Bang. It wasn’t until later that he learned this man was actually the leader of the Chuhai Bang. Despite being surprised, he still wanted to hear what this man had to say.
“It’s very simple. I’ll take care of Wang Yang’s matter for you. From now on, the Chuhai Bang will never touch you or your company again.” Mr. Yang spoke very decisively: “This matter is settled! What do you think?”
Xiao Ran couldn’t help but laugh. It was hard to describe how lucky this man was. The Chuhai Bang, which he had been worried about, simply gave up—something he didn’t understand. Actually, it was quite simple. Xiao Ran could somewhat control Hong Kong’s underworld, and driving the Chuhai Bang out had caused them significant losses. From a financial perspective, it was better to maintain good relations rather than create such a feud.
“Mr. Yang, I’m a legitimate businessman. I don’t get involved in gang affairs, nor do I want to.” Xiao Ran smiled lightly, rubbed his nose, and said, “So, if it’s settled, then let it be!” The next day, news broke of Wang Yang’s dead body lying on the street.
Lin Guiyun was greatly surprised. He was somewhat aware of the feud between the Chuhai Bang and Xiao Ran a few days ago. But he never expected Xiao Ran’s status to be high enough to require the Chuhai Bang’s leader to come and negotiate in person. At this thought, he broke into a cold sweat. In this case, Xiao Ran didn’t even need to use his financial power; just a word from him to the Chuhai Bang would likely make things difficult for them.
After Mr. Yang left, while Xiao Ran was satisfied that he had resolved all the problems caused by the gangs, Lin Guiyun approached him, saying awkwardly, “A Ran, is it really possible to shut down Juehai Le within three months?”
Xiao Ran smiled faintly, gave a nod to Xiang Yangguang and Monkey, then turned to stare at Lin Guiyun with a gaze that seemed to pierce straight through his heart: “If I say it’s possible, it is!”
Back in Hong Kong, Xiao Ran assigned Lin Yongmai to the distribution department and immediately focused on the post-production of “Spy Change.” They worked day and night on it until mid-July before finally finishing it.
After arranging a preview screening, Xiao Ran could finally rest. That night, in Lin Qingxia’s arms, he slept soundly, like a child, occasionally showing a faint smile.
He slept very well, waking up after nearly twenty hours. When he went to the company, he learned about the general situation. Under Wei Dongling’s management, the company’s systems were gradually improving, with sufficient potential for talent development, so that they could be sent to other countries to manage subsidiaries in the future.

The business has grown significantly. The French company Rio acquired several films from Phantom, such as “Prison Storm” and “A Fairy Tale in Autumn.” These films performed well in France, especially “A Fairy Tale in Autumn,” which received excellent ratings both at the box office and among critics. Its first-run distribution rights were also purchased by another European distributor. With “Dark Flowers” also performing well, Rio is turning losses into profits, its stock price rising steadily, with its market value increasing by about half. Fang Xiaoqiang has also achieved remarkable results in the Japanese financial market; investing 500 million Hong Kong dollars, it has now appreciated by 200 million.

Dell’s stock was recently listed and doubled in value shortly after going public. Next year, profits are expected to be even higher. The 600 million Hong Kong dollars invested by Phantom are likely to grow to at least 6 billion soon. Microsoft’s stock is also rising; through gradual acquisitions, Xiao Ran personally owns 15% of Microsoft’s shares.

Tianxia Fund is doing fairly well. It suffered losses of over 100 million due to failed investments some time ago, but it still has around 1 billion left. For Tianxia’s future development, Xiao Ran suggests investing in promising companies or technologies, starting with smaller firms by acquiring them and then splitting them up for sale.

Speaking of this, it’s impossible not to mention Fang Xiaoqiang’s exceptional trading skills. Rong Xiaoyi is currently planning an acquisition, while Fang Xiaoqiang manages the Japanese financial market and oversees this acquisition at the same time—truly remarkable. It seems this talented individual is gradually showing his true strength.

Regarding distribution rights, Lin Guiyun has transferred the contracts he held with theaters. Through negotiations, Phantom acquired the distribution rights for another Taiwanese theater chain. After overcoming crises, benefits often follow. Currently, Phantom holds distribution rights in Southeast Asia, except in Japan and South Korea, slightly behindKia Kia.

Everything is going very well. According to Xiao Ran, it’s like the sun is shining brightly. The only thing that bothers him is that when other powerful figures in his secretariat learned he has a lot of free time lately, they sent numerous invitations. After selecting a few, he inevitably had to attend a charity gala organized by the Finance Minister. After spending the morning dealing with matters, Xiao Ran called Wei Dongling to discuss some changes in the company.

There are already quite a number of employees at Phantom who receive salaries, and all departments have inevitably expanded. Xiao Ran thinks that at the company’s current size, if no changes are made, inefficiency may arise. Wei Dongling agreed with Xiao Ran’s view and will take charge of restructuring starting today. Wei Dongling was officially promoted from general manager to CEO of Phantom, while Xiao Ran was promoted to chairman. After discussing this, Xiao Ran decided to go home, as he hadn’t been there for some time.

If Xiao Ran hadn’t inquired about An Yuxuan, he might not even know where his parents live now. Although he paid for the house to give to his family, he arranged it through his subordinates and wasn’t aware of the details himself.

When Lin Qingxia learned this, she couldn’t help but mock him harshly. Xiao Ran, feeling utterly embarrassed, tried to defend himself, saying, “I’m too busy with work; I don’t have time to visit them!”
“You just like to make up stories…” Lin Qingxia gave Xiao Ran a disdainful look. If she hadn’t known he wasn’t the kind of person lacking filial piety, she might have immediately labeled him as an ungrateful wretch. “Where do you get the idea that you’re too busy? It’s Ah Dong who’s busy, right?”
Xiao Ran was extremely awkward; this was indeed hard to explain. After struggling to come up with a way to change the subject, he smiled strangely and said, “Do you know why I want to take you to meet my parents?”
A hint of shyness appeared on Lin Qingxia’s face. Taking a woman home to meet one’s parents—what could that mean? Even a fool would understand. But it didn’t matter; she could still pretend to be clueless to avoid this embarrassment. “I don’t know. Maybe you want to show me how busy you are with work!”
“Sigh, seems someone doesn’t want to go with me…” Xiao Ran pretended to sigh deeply while gripping the steering wheel. Today, he had given Yangguang and Monkey a few days off to have some fun. “My second half of life is going to be miserable—lonely and desolate, in one word.”