Chapter 440: Chapter 429 Box Office Chapter 440: Chapter 429 Box Office Su Heyuan broke up with Miss Bai. Since there were no prior signs, Lu Jiaxin was very surprised when she received the news.
Thinking back to the joke she had made with Su Heyuan, a cold sweat almost broke out on Jiaxin. She hurriedly called Su Heyuan, “Why did you break up with Miss Bai? You didn’t really see a fortune-teller, and then you found out that your zodiac signs clash, right?”
Su Heyuan laughed and said, “How could that be possible? Before we got engaged, my dad already checked our compatibility based on our birthdates, and there was no problem.”
“Of course, it’s true. The main reason Miss Bai and I broke up is that our personalities didn’t mesh. Stop overthinking it; we parted amicably.”
They could have broken up at any other time but doing so shortly after she made that comment made it hard not to think too much into it.
Seeing her frown, Gu Wenfeng said with a smile, “Boss, if you want to know the real reason they broke up, just have someone investigate it.”
Lu Jiaxin thought his suggestion was bad, “We are friends, not enemies. Why should I investigate him? Forget it, if he and Miss Bai parted on good terms, it shouldn’t involve me.”
Hearing this, Gu Wenfeng actually couldn’t understand, “Mr. Su has been with this Miss Bai for so long, and they were even discussing marriage. Now, she accepts the sudden breakup without tears or fuss, which seems a bit illogical.”
Lu Jiaxin argued, “How do you know she didn’t cry? Some people don’t like to show their vulnerability, and even if their heart is breaking, they will pretend nothing is wrong in front of others.”
Well, Gu Wenfeng had nothing to say to that.
Nie Zhan had just returned from a business inspection abroad when he heard about Su Heyuan breaking up with Miss Bai, and the reason was personality differences. He found it strange and asked Lu Jiaxin about it.
Jiaxin didn’t tell him about her slip of the tongue; she only said, “The matters of the heart are unpredictable; people can be deeply in love one day and then suddenly find they’re not compatible the next day, leading to a breakup.”
Nie Zhan shook his head and said, “That would make sense with Feng Qinglei, as his dating is as frequent as changing clothes — today one, tomorrow another. But not Su Heyuan; he takes relationships very seriously. It took him so long to get over his previous girlfriend. There must be a reason for this sudden breakup with Miss Bai.”
Lu Jiaxin knew there was more to the breakup but couldn’t tell how much Su Heyuan was hurting. Perhaps this is the difference between a relationship that’s truly heartfelt and one that’s bound by interests.
“Didn’t he tell you?”
“No, only that it was an amicable separation.”
Nie Zhan wasn’t one to pry into others’ affairs. He changed the subject upon hearing her answer and discussed his findings from his trip abroad. He was interested in a big hotel in America and had already sent people to negotiate. If all went well, the acquisition should be successful.
Lu Jiaxin asked for the name of the hotel, but she had never heard of it; it likely failed in the market later on.
Nie Zhan mentioned to Lu Jiaxin that telecom development overseas was progressing rapidly. He saw great potential in the field and was preparing to invest.
Lu Jiaxin knew the future belonged to the internet, but the fact that Nie Zhan was alert and ready to invest showed his exceptional vision, “Telecom is developing rapidly, and we definitely should invest. But since we’re not very familiar with this sector, let’s take it step by step.”
The internet would boom in the mid-nineties, but they could start setting the stage now. Opportunities are often captured by those who are prepared — a concept that applies just as much in business. If they waited until the industry heated up before entering the market, they might be lucky enough to carve out a profit or unlucky enough to lose everything. But with her “external help,” they were bound to make money. Of course, she didn’t understand the internet, so she would leave such matters to the professionals; she would simply invest without getting involved in the management and just collect her dividends.
Seeing that he agreed, Nie Zhan was pleased, “My grandfather said I’m too impulsive and doesn’t approve of my involvement in so many projects at once. But how can I catch up with those ahead if I don’t speed up?”
Lu Jiaxin said, “I hold sixty percent of the shares in Five Auspicious Jewelry, and although Qirui is in your name, it’s actually my asset. The old man should know this, right?”
Nie Zhan didn’t conceal anything from her and said, “Yes, he knows, and he was quite angry about it. But I believe that you can’t bear to break up with someone as good as me.”
Suppressing her laughter, Jiaxin asked, “So tell me, what’s so good about you?”
Nie Zhan really started listing his attributes: “Handsome, faithful, and I can make money for you to spend. With such a boyfriend, could you bear to let go?”
Lu Jiaxin laughed heartily, “Such a boyfriend is hard to find even with a lantern; anyone in their right mind wouldn’t bear to part with one.”
Knowing that Nie Zhan let her hold sixty percent of the shares in Five Auspicious Jewelry and even share ownership of Wansheng Real Estate, Lu Jiaxin suspected that he was planning to bind her with these arrangements. The marriage laws in Hong Kong differ from those in the Mainland, treating property as separate rather than shared, regardless of whether it’s before or after marriage. So, his actions really showed his sincerity.
As long as Nie Zhan stayed faithful and treated her well, Jiaxin planned to stick with him for the long haul.
The box office results for May came out, totaling over 23.9 million. The top three films during the New Year season each crossed over 30 million, so her film couldn’t compete, but Jiaxin was satisfied with the results. With a cost of over 5.8 million and the cinema taking forty percent of the box office, the profit was almost 1.5 times the cost, which was quite good.
Nie Zhan said with a smile, “Jingting made nine movies, losing over ten million in total. I never expected you’d earn over eight million with just one film.”
He originally thought breaking even would be fine, but the profit exceeded his expectations. Realizing this, he suddenly noticed something: none of the projects Jiaxin invested in had lost money. It made sense for her to succeed in fashion, her specialty, but not in films, which he had been skeptical about.
Lu Jiaxin corrected him, “Over eight million is just what I earned in Hong Kong. The general manager of Jiahe wants to buy the rights to distribute the film overseas, and I’ve agreed.”
Nie Zhan was unaware of this development. “When did this happen?”
“It was settled today.”
“How much did you sell it for?”
When he heard that overseas distribution sold for one hundred and fifty thousand greenbacks, the first person Nie Zhan thought of was Nie Jingting: “It’s a pity my younger brother went to the Mainland; otherwise, I would have dragged him here to learn properly from you.”
Lu Jiaxin certainly didn’t dare undertake teaching that playboy; she waved her hand and said, “Better not. I’m making movies to make money and to promote our company’s clothing; your brother pursues art, and I, a mere mortal, cannot compare.”
Nie Zhan couldn’t help but laugh at these words, saying, “What art? He’s just splurging money for fun. But that’s over; when he’s back from the Mainland, my grandfather won’t fund his filmmaking anymore. If he truly likes it, he’ll have to start as an extra.”
Lu Jiaxin found it amusing, influenced by her to think of Nie Jingting as a profligate.