Chapter 109: Fallen into the Wolves' Den (4)

Yang Xiaofan hung up the phone, scrolled through his mobile screen for a little while, and was about to head upstairs to bed.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang.

It was an unfamiliar, unrecognized number, yet the area code indicated it was from his hometown.

Without thinking much of it, he swiped to answer. A middle-aged man's triumphant and excited voice echoed from the receiver.

"Mr. Yang, I didn't expect that in the end, you would still have to work with me, hahaha..."

The voice sounded familiar to Yang Xiaofan, as though he had heard it somewhere before.

Fortunately, his memory had long been enhanced through system upgrades, far surpassing that of an ordinary person. After a brief second or two of hesitation, he recalled the man's identity.

It was the president of Blu-ray Entertainment Group, Zhao Liufang!

Yang Xiaofan's face darkened instantly. *Damn it, how did I end up crossing paths with him?*

He asked cautiously, "President Zhao, you couldn't possibly be that wealthy tycoon who runs the high-end wedding photography studio, could you?"

"None other than yours truly."

Yang Xiaofan slapped his forehead in sheer exasperation.

He had just rejected the man's invitation that morning, only to end up needing his help by the afternoon. Talk about a miscalculation!

Zhao Liufang chuckled over the line and said, "Mr. Yang, to tell you the truth, my wedding photography business is a nationwide chain. If I claim to be second best, absolutely no one would dare claim to be first. As for high-end wedding photography, there are only a handful of such businesses in the country, and mine is the finest and most established.

"The locations I choose for shoots are all extremely rare natural conservation reserves around the world—precious, exclusive sites that ordinary people can't even enter. As for the photography itself, the cameras and video gear we use are on par with Hollywood's finest. You won't find a second company in the country that can match us!

"Furthermore, the wedding gowns used for the shoots are all custom-ordered brand new, from bespoke design to hand-stitching. A single dress costs at least two to three hundred thousand yuan. Not to mention the main wedding gown, which is crafted by the most skilled embroidery masters from Suzhou and Hangzhou. A single piece costs upwards of two to three million yuan! It's the luxury of luxuries, the Rolls-Royce of the wedding gown world!

"As for the wedding venue setup, I employ professional teams that rival international luxury weddings. Even for the officiant, I hire highly prestigious archbishops from the Holy See.

"Have you heard about those celebrity couples who spent hundreds of millions of yuan on their weddings in recent years? I'll let you in on a secret: I organized all of them. And let me tell you something else—even though they spent hundreds of millions, that tier is actually the lowest grade I offer!

"When I organize weddings for the country's top families, the cost never falls below one billion yuan. And that only covers the wedding photos, venue setup, motorcade, and coordination team... it doesn't even include the banquets and other expenses.

"So, how about it? Tempted?"

Yang Xiaofan's cheek twitched violently.

Of course he was tempted!

After all, his goal was to give Qin Nuanyu the absolute best wedding possible. What could possibly top what Zhao Liufang was describing?

As for the money?

Ha! What was money anyway? Just paper!

If he didn't spend it, someone else would eventually. What was the point of hoarding it? It wasn't going to breed more money on its own.

However, spending the money was a minor detail. What Yang Xiaofan feared was that the man would use this opportunity to leverage something else out of him. That would make the whole endeavor not worth it.

"Ahem, let me ask you first. If I want you to organize one of those billion-yuan weddings for me, is money the only requirement?"

"Of course not!"

Zhao Liufang rejected the idea flatly, causing Yang Xiaofan's face to darken once more.

This was exactly what he was afraid of—the man using this to cause him trouble.

"Then what do you want? Let's get one thing straight first—I am not joining your company. If you're trying to leverage this to force my hand, I'd rather find someone else. I refuse to believe that in this entire country, I can't find another company capable of hosting a grand wedding. Even if they aren't quite as good as you, I'd be perfectly happy with seventy or eighty percent of what you offer."

"Rest assured, Mr. Yang, I, Zhao Liufang, am not that kind of person! Besides, earlier today, my mentor, Elder Liang, explicitly told me not to force you into doing anything you don't want to do.

"Furthermore, while there are indeed two or three other companies in the country that can compete with mine, you and I are from the same hometown. Working with me is far simpler and more straightforward than dealing with them, isn't it? Besides, do you really think that if you went to them, they wouldn't ask you for favors in return?"

Yang Xiaofan weighed the pros and cons. The man did have a point.

"Then what exactly do you want me to do?"

"It's nothing major. I recently invested in a film, and I want you to make a cameo appearance in it. Now, don't reject me just yet. I can give you a twenty percent discount. If you agree to this cameo, I'll shave twenty percent off the price. A one-billion-yuan wedding will only cost you eight hundred million. What do you think?"

"I refuse," Yang Xiaofan replied immediately, shutting him down on the spot.

Zhao Liufang grew anxious. "What's so bad about that? It's just a cameo, and it saves you two hundred million yuan. Don't you think that's incredibly cost-effective?"

"Of course it's cost-effective, but I'm already famous enough as it is. I don't want any more publicity. Do you have any idea what it's like? Whenever I go out now, I have to wear a mask for fear of being recognized. Getting mobbed by crowds every time is a massive headache. If I appear in your movie and my popularity spikes even more, I'm worried people will start showing up at my front door. I wouldn't have any life left."

"Oh, is that all? Don't worry. I won't have you on screen for long—just a brief cameo of a few minutes. With only a few minutes, how much more famous could you possibly get? You're not the lead actor, just a guest star. At most, it'll just add a tiny sliver of attention to your current popularity."

"Really?"

"Of course. Would I lie to you?"

"Well... alright then."

Hearing such a firm guarantee, he decided not to press the matter further.

A mere few minutes on screen was practically nothing compared to the hours he spent livestreaming. It shouldn't cause too much of a frenzy. Besides, he was already so wildly popular that a tiny bit more wouldn't make much of a difference.

As for his acting skills, he wouldn't be stingy when the time came. He could easily spend ten million yuan in the system to upgrade his acting level to Grandmaster. Problem solved.

Since the man was shaving two hundred million yuan off the bill, Yang Xiaofan wasn't about to be petty. He could easily afford a mere ten million.

Upon hearing his agreement, Zhao Liufang let out an excited shout.

"Fantastic! I'll come pick you up first thing tomorrow morning."

Yang Xiaofan was left somewhat speechless, though a trace of doubt still lingered in his mind.