Chapter 124: Partiality

Jin Youqian was brimming with suppressed anger, but when Song Wan simply asked in confusion and repeated the title "President Jin," he almost hung up the phone right then and there.

"Jin Youqian, are you still there?" Song Wan frowned.

It was meant to be an indignant interrogation, but it strangely smoothed over the rage in Jin Youqian's heart.

"I'm here." He paused before answering her previous question. "I think the proposal you mentioned is feasible, but if you want investment, get the plan to me as soon as possible."

Even if Song Wan were behind this, Jin Youqian wouldn't lightly gamble with an investment of tens or even hundreds of millions. Although the concept was unique—with nothing similar currently in the entertainment industry—the high level of online buzz could drive viewership, and barring any accidents, the show wouldn't lose money. However, for Jin Youqian, "not losing money" was, in itself, a loss. So... if it couldn't make a profit? Then it was out of the question.

Song Wan raised an eyebrow; she knew this would be Jin Youqian's response. She wasn't surprised and nodded immediately. "We've already written the proposal, but..." She frowned, "our production team has hit a disagreement, and we can't reach a consensus for now."

Jin Youqian was puzzled. "What's going on?"

Song Wan sighed. "Sister Gao wrote the proposal, but it’s so heavily commercialized that it’s completely lost the original intent of my idea. Director Zhou and I aren't satisfied with it, so..."

Jin Youqian understood. He encountered this situation often, especially when dealing with so-called professionals. On one hand, they wanted high ratings; on the other, they insisted on style, quality, and professionalism. Jin Youqian pondered for a moment. Usually, he wouldn't hesitate; he would naturally choose whichever option made more money. But this was his wife, after all.

Jin Youqian felt quite distressed. Choosing between money and his wife was a very serious matter.

"Draft a proposal according to your own ideas," Jin Youqian said, tapping his desk irritably. "Submit it along with the one you've already completed..."

To prevent him from doing futile work, Song Wan hurriedly interrupted, "Jin Youqian, there's one thing I think I must say first!"

Jin Youqian’s thoughts halted, and irritation flared in his heart. "What else is there?" He had intended to compromise; did Song Wan want to push her luck?

Song Wan sensed his displeasure but acted as if she hadn't heard it, continuing, "If you ultimately decide to choose Sister Gao’s proposal, Director Zhou and I would rather hand the plan over to another production team in the company or find someone else to make a similar show." She paused, then added seriously, "If the purity of this program cannot be guaranteed, I would rather abandon the idea entirely."

"Are you threatening me?" Jin Youqian’s face remained expressionless, but he was fuming inside. He never expected Song Wan to dare threaten him! Had his indulgence over this period cost him his authority in her eyes? Later, when Song Wan learned of his thoughts, she asked him in confusion, "Authority? What kind of delusion led you to believe you had any authority in front of me?" Jin Youqian was so angered he walked out of the house on the spot...

Returning to the day of the incident, after Jin Youqian asked his question, Song Wan felt nothing and simply said, "Jin Youqian, do you know what I'm doing right now?"

Changing the subject? Jin Youqian was confused, but he held back his anger and replied, "How would I know what you're doing?" The words had barely left his lips when, feeling resentful, he added, "Aren't you talking to me? What else could you be doing?"

On the other end of the line, Song Wan couldn't help but roll her eyes before telling him truthfully, "What could I be doing? I was just rolling my eyes at you."

She said this with a tone of feigned surprise that was truly infuriating. Jin Youqian’s breathing grew heavy with rage.

Song Wan continued, "You are my big boss, my bread and butter; how could I possibly threaten you?"

Jin Youqian: "..." So infuriating, yet he had to maintain his stoic expression.

Seeing that she was about to push him over the edge, Song Wan quickly reined it in. "I'm not threatening you, and I have no ill intentions."

Jin Youqian, who had been holding his breath waiting to explode, was stifled by this earnest statement: "..."

"I just wanted to remind you so you wouldn't waste your effort and then say we were ungrateful." Song Wan sighed. "I know that commercializing a variety show leads to better ratings and more profit for the company. But I don't want to be fake." If the whole show ended up full of catfights, manufactured dreams, and tragic backstories... a string of inexplicable things, who would care about the actors' performances?

Jin Youqian paused, understanding her unspoken meaning. Furthermore, he was almost certain that a proposal written according to Song Wan's ideas wouldn't make much money. If it were a guaranteed profit, why would Song Wan be so nervous and uneasy?

Yet, he couldn't offer a guarantee right away. Lines like "As long as you're happy, I'll invest" or "Since this is what you want, I'll hand it over on a silver platter" might be cool and interesting on TV, but in real life, Jin Youqian would only call someone saying such things an "idiot." With so many people relying on the company and so many interests involved in a project, making a decision as if it were a joke because "you like it" or "you want it" was, in his view, extremely irresponsible and laughable.

Jin Youqian was rational. Even if such thoughts occasionally flickered in his mind, he suppressed them at lightning speed. He would not be an irresponsible person. Besides, he couldn't bear to invest money and see no return.

Jin Youqian’s eyes flickered, but he still gave Song Wan an answer: "I cannot guarantee that I will agree with your idea, but I am willing to give you a chance." He finally compromised. "Submit the proposal to me. As long as it can make money for the company, no matter how much, I can invest."

After all, she was his wife; he couldn't treat her entirely like a stranger. Besides, when he proposed, he promised to provide her with resources.

Song Wan immediately looked delighted. "That's great! We'll get the plan to you as soon as possible!"

After all, only a part of the proposal Gao Xiang and the others had written overnight needed changing; the rest could be reused, so it wouldn't take much time.

Gao Xiang and Zhou Qi sat to one side. Seeing Song Wan’s smile, they sighed. "It seems President Jin agreed to your idea."

Zhou Qi narrowed his eyes. "That's not necessarily true." A smile curled on his lips, but rumors from the industry echoed in his mind: "Jin Youqian? That’s a tough nut to crack. I don't know how his brain works, but every time you negotiate a contract, he steps on your bottom line to set the terms. The end result will never be a cent less than your bottom line, but never a cent more. His subordinates are fine, but negotiating with him is miserable..."

"I know, I know. He's someone who never takes a loss! It's strange—he's already so rich, why does he haggle over these petty profits? It's only tens of millions; isn't that just a drop in the bucket for him?"

"He's a bit... well... he won't release the hawk until he sees the rabbit, and once he gets something in his mouth, you'll never pry it out."

"So, in short, he's stingy?"

"Not exactly stingy, just... he’ll never agree to lose even a single cent of potential profit."

Zhou Qi had heard such remarks countless times. Therefore, he held no hope for his and Song Wan's insistence. Perhaps Song Wan was just smiling because she and the President had talked about something funny?

"Sigh..." He wondered if refusing the President's investment would directly offend him. Zhou Qi was deeply troubled.

Song Wan chatted with Jin Youqian a bit more before hanging up. When she turned back, she found Gao Xiang and Zhou Qi looking unhappy, sluggish, and dejected.

She asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you two? What happened while I was on the phone? Why do you look so down?"

Gao Xiang looked at Song Wan resentfully and asked, "Well? Is there a result?"

Song Wan immediately smiled. "President Jin said to send over our proposal. As long as it can make money for the company, he’s willing to use our plan."

Gao Xiang and Zhou Qi showed expressions of surprise in unison. Gao Xiang had expected the President to simply agree to Song Wan’s proposal—a "whatever makes you happy" kind of response. It wasn't that she had a vivid imagination; such things were countless in the industry. Many people used their charms to secure resources because a few words whispered in the right ear could yield massive benefits. Such temptation was so great that most couldn't resist. Yet, Song Wan was already Mrs. Jin, and the result was just a "maybe"? Gao Xiang felt she not only had to worry about this hypothetical variety show but also had to start worrying about her artist's marriage. *At the very least, she shouldn't end up losing both her heart and her dignity.*

As for Zhou Qi, he had thought that for such a big deal, the President would never let Song Wan "mess around" and turn away money that was already in his grasp. While the result didn't lean entirely toward Song Wan, the President's words were clearly a compromise—if the rumors were true. Moreover, Zhou Qi didn't believe the President was unaware of the online uproar. With such high topic engagement, if the show was launched and the quality was up to par, even if it didn't make a fortune, making a profit would be effortless. This was already favoring Song Wan. The President was a businessman, after all; if the plan were truly so dull that it was obviously unprofitable, he wouldn't risk his company's reputation.

Zhou Qi smacked his lips. He felt it was necessary to raise Song Wan’s status in his mind by another notch.