My capital is quite large.

Chapter 223 Times Have Changed

November 5th, early morning.

Inside the top-tier private club of the Jinling Zifeng Tower, Su Youpeng and Zhao Daye were on edge for tonight's dinner party.

Early in the morning, the two arrived at the reserved private room. From the angle of the mahogany table and chairs to the wiping of the bone china tableware, and the source of the ingredients for each dish, they confirmed with the club manager no less than three times.

"Big Eyes, are you sure the lighting isn't too dim? Won't Boss Li feel too oppressed?" Su Youpeng asked somewhat worriedly, looking at the antique-style chandeliers in the private room.

"Oh my Fifth Prince, you're worrying about things far too much."

Zhao Daye rolled his eyes, holding a freshly printed menu in his hand. "They're big bosses worth hundreds of billions, what haven't they seen? This Zifeng Club is the most upscale place in Jinling. They care about whether you can bring them real benefits, not whether you're a good light bulb or not."

"However..." Zhao Daye frowned slightly, "This dish is easy to order, but we still can't quite figure out Boss Li's tastes and preferences."

"That won't do!" Su Youpeng exclaimed anxiously. "We're here to beg for alms today. We don't even know what the God of Wealth likes. How can we possibly flatter him?"

"Don't panic, I'm already asking around, aren't I?" Zhao Daye smiled.

"I'm treating everyone to lunch. I've invited Zhang Ruoyun and Chen Xiao to lunch. They just played the male lead and second male lead in my movie 'So Young,' so it's a good connection. They're Haofeng's protégés, so they definitely know Boss Li's preferences inside and out."

……

At noon, at a high-end private restaurant in Nanjing city.

Zhang Ruoyun and Chen Xiao arrived at their appointment on time.

During the meal, Zhao Daye and Su Youpeng acted very familiarly and warmly, not only praising the two for their outstanding acting skills in "So Young", but also subtly implying that they would be given priority consideration for future big productions.

After a few rounds of drinks, Su Youpeng naturally steered the conversation towards Li Feng.

"Ruoyun, I am honored to have the opportunity to invite your CEO, Mr. Li, to dinner tonight."

Holding his wine glass, Su Youpeng smiled and tentatively asked, "As you know, I'm new here and don't really know much about Mr. Li's preferences. As for the food and tea... I wonder what Mr. Li usually likes? Could you two brothers give me a hint?"

Upon hearing this question, Zhang Ruoyun paused slightly in her hand as she picked up food.

He and Chen Xiao exchanged a glance, understanding the true purpose behind the meal.

Inquiring about the boss's preferences? In any company, especially in a hierarchical empire like Haofeng, that's a major workplace taboo!

"Oh, Director Su, Director Zhao, you're giving us far too much credit."

Zhang Ruoyun put down her chopsticks, put on a flattered yet helpless expression, and said with a wry smile, "In the end, we are just low-level actors working in the company. Apart from filming on set, we rarely even have the chance to go back to headquarters."

"To be honest, even if it makes you two laugh, we've been with the company for so long, and we haven't even had the chance to eat a boxed lunch with the boss alone. How could we, as his subordinates, possibly know the preferences of a big shot like Boss Li?"

These words were perfectly worded, expressing both the speaker's powerlessness due to their lowly position and skillfully avoiding the pitfall of revealing the boss's privacy.

Chen Xiao nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, it's harder than climbing to heaven for us to even see the boss."

Watching the two of them play dumb while pretending not to understand, Zhao Daye cursed them inwardly as "little rascals."

She knew, of course, that the two protégés were trying to avoid suspicion, but she also knew that such things couldn't be forced.

If she pushed them too far, and those two boys went back and complained to Li Feng, then her dinner with Su Youpeng tonight would be ruined.

"Sigh, I understand. He's a big boss, so it's normal for him to be mysterious and unfathomable."

Zhao Daye chuckled, preparing to change the subject, "Since we don't know their tastes, let's just arrange it as we see fit. It's all out of goodwill."

Just then, Zhang Ruoyun seemed to feel a little guilty about the meal, or perhaps she didn't want to make things too awkward.

He took out his phone and said casually, "However... I overheard Yang Yang mention it once. The boss seems to really enjoy drinking tea."

As she spoke, Zhang Ruoyun dialed Yang Yang's number.

After a few brief pleasantries, Zhang Ruoyun covered the microphone and turned to Su Youpeng, saying, "Director Su, Brother Yang said that the boss usually prefers Wuyishan Da Hong Pao tea, the older the better. As for the taste of the dishes... he really doesn't know."

"Big Red Robe! Great! Thank you, Brother Ruoyun! Thank you, Brother Yangyang!"

Su Youpeng was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

Finding out which tea the boss likes is already a pleasant surprise!

"Brother Ruoyun, Brother Chen, I'm truly grateful for your hospitality today!"

Su Youpeng raised his glass and sincerely toasted the two of them, saying, "If there are any suitable roles for my brother in any of his films in the future, I will definitely contact you two as soon as possible!"

……

After the meal, we left the private restaurant.

Chen Xiao rubbed her slightly bloated stomach, looked at Zhang Ruoyun walking ahead, and couldn't help but ask in a low voice:

"Brother Zhang, what happened just now... We just asked them about their tea preferences, did Director Su and Director Zhao really have to get so worked up? Do they owe us and Brother Yang such a huge favor?"

In Chen Xiao's opinion, it was just asking the boss what kind of tea he liked to drink, no big deal.

Zhang Ruoyun stopped and looked back at her still somewhat naive junior brother, then smiled meaningfully.

"Little brother, you just don't understand."

Zhang Ruoyun lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. "When you need to ask someone of a completely unequal status to do something, you have to learn to cater to their preferences. This is called going with the flow and leveraging their strength."

Chen Xiao nodded, seemingly understanding, but still puzzled: "But Brother Zhang, I'm just wondering. Zhao Daye and Su Youpeng are both well-known figures in the industry. I heard that big companies like Huayi Brothers and Enlight Media are chasing after them to invest in their films. Why are they so desperately trying to curry favor with our boss?"

Hearing Chen Xiao's question, Zhang Ruoyun flicked her cigarette ash and looked at him as if he were a complete novice.

"Chen Xiao, you're still young and you're too superficial."

"The entertainment industry is no longer the era of a few traditional film and television companies cutting corners and dividing the pie, as it was a few years ago!"

"Now is the era of internet giants entering the fray! Besides Haofeng, Tencent is doing it, and Alibaba is doing it too! Traditional film and television companies, like Huayi Brothers and Enlight Media, have long been squeezed out of their survival space by these internet giants!"

"Look at TV dramas and movies these days. Without the backing of online platforms for promotion and exclusive online streaming rights, which show dares to say it can make money?"

Zhang Ruoyun used herself as an example: "Take when I first entered university, for instance. Back then, Zhouyi Film and Television produced shows like 'Shuiyue Dongtian' and 'Wulin Waishi,' which were top-tier domestic TV dramas! They were incredibly successful!"

"But look at it now? Family workshops and husband-and-wife shops, abandoned by the times, can't even make a ripple. I heard they're on the verge of bankruptcy!"

Hearing that a former industry giant had fallen to such a state, Chen Xiao was also shocked.

But he still didn't quite understand: "Since internet giants are so powerful, and I heard Jack Ma has a pretty good relationship with Director Zhao, why doesn't Director Zhao go to Alibaba for investment, but instead drags Director Su to our Haofeng?"

"Alibaba?"

Zhang Ruoyun scoffed, "Getting Alibaba to invest in TV dramas is fine, but movies are a different story!"

"Chen Xiao, you don't usually follow financial news, do you? I heard it from your brother Yang. Our boss is going to invest heavily in Wanda Cinema Line and get a seat on their board of directors!"

"Things are different now. Wanda Plazas are springing up all over the country! The number of screens and the percentage of screenings for a single Wanda Cinema chain are far more than the second and third largest in the industry combined!"

"You could say that in today's domestic film market, whoever wins over Wanda wins!"

"And now, Wanda's cinema chain is basically tied to our Haofeng Group!"

"Su Youpeng wants to transition into film directing, and if his films want high screen share, he can't avoid Wanda! Since he can't avoid Wanda, he has no choice but to come to Nanjing!"

"However, judging from the scale of their operation this time, it's probably not just about securing an investment," Zhang Ruoyun analyzed, stroking her chin.

"I guess they want to establish some kind of long-term partnership with Haofeng. Isn't that what's popular now? Actors become directors, and as long as you latch onto the coattails of capital, you'll be a player at the table."

After listening to Zhang Ruoyun's analysis, Chen Xiao was convinced.

He looked at his senior, who wasn't much older than him, with eyes full of admiration: "Brother Zhang, you really know a lot! I'm completely dumbfounded!"

Zhang Ruoyun laughed and said, "You still have a lot to learn."