How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 214 It’s a sure thing
The essence of emotional intelligence is respecting yourself and others.

Speaking only in a way that shows respect for others can come across as obsequious.

Respecting only oneself can appear harsh.

But not everyone who speaks harshly has low emotional intelligence.

Some people are simply straightforward, don't like to beat around the bush, and are fearless of offending others, like Zhao Liying.

Some people are simply unwilling to speak properly because they are too lazy to act and are somewhat rebellious, like Liu Yifei.

She received a huge amount of attention and discussion after her debut at a young age. Although her mother and godfather provided her with excellent resources, they had no taboos when it came to marketing and hype.

The sarcastic and malicious remarks from the media and her colleagues greatly upended Liu Yifei's worldview, who had been raised with gentle and virtuous education. As she gradually discovered that not everyone shared her peaceful state of mind, her own emotions began to waver.

In addition, influenced by Western culture, their rebellious spirit, which had been suppressed, became even stronger.

Since I'll get criticized no matter what I do, I might as well just be straightforward.

Therefore, she would not hesitate to fight back against malicious comments in various public programs or interviews. However, she only fought back and never made excuses. Over time, her speaking habits became somewhat 'harsh'.

Later, when her mother asked her to attend various events, she rarely arranged for the organizers to let her speak. Even for interviews, she would bribe the reporters or organizers in advance to help her answer questions, for fear that she would say something outrageous again.

After all, Liu Yifei, now that she's over 20, can no longer use the excuse of "children's innocent remarks." So she talks less and less to people and spends more and more time talking to animals or to herself.

The last person Wang Yao had ever met who could communicate and chat with small animals was Song Qian. She could even chat with flowers and plants, but Song Qian did it to practice her spoken language.

Liu Yifei's conversation didn't sound like a chat; it was more like a one-sided rant.

Wang Yao's villa renovation is almost halfway complete. This row of villas along the river has been acquired by Tianhuo, with a total usable area of ​​thirty to forty acres of garden. Because only 30% of this villa area has been sold over the past few years, most of the houses were previously empty, and because they are by the river, they have become a paradise for stray animals.

After Wang Yao took over, he didn't drive away the stray cats and dogs. Instead, he divided them into two areas and kept them there, preparing to use them as material and actors for a future pet-themed competition.

"This area is the cat cafeteria, they're going to build two or three stories, and dig a small pond for a drinking area. This side is the dormitory area."
"Cats have classes and gangs, so we need to divide them into several dormitory areas. These main buildings should be enough material for you to shoot for half a year." Wang Yao explained to Liu Yifei as they walked through the area that had been planned but not yet started construction.

"Such a big dormitory? Is it for people or cats?" Liu Yifei's eyes widened.

Liu Yifei is very knowledgeable about stray animals because her godfather, Chen Jinfei, had already entered the pet market in 07 and founded Aigou.com, one of the earliest pet companies in China.

Liu Yifei was often dragged by him to participate in various activities related to stray animals and animal protection, but the environment of those animal welfare centers was almost no different from that of a breeding farm. However, Wang Yao's plan clearly elevated the treatment to the level of a pet.

She also suspected that her mother's decision to let her participate in this project was influenced by Chen Jinfei.

“There are a lot of cats. In order to keep generating buzz for your show, you’ll keep taking in stray cats. This acre of land can probably support around 200 cats. After the first episode is finished, you can start building the second episode,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I'm building it all by myself?" Liu Yifei pointed to herself.

“Someone will help you, but you still have to do it yourself.” Wang Yao nodded.

"Are you using me as a laborer?" Liu Yifei rolled her eyes.

Although she wasn't a pampered young lady who couldn't lift heavy loads, she had never been involved in physical labor such as construction. The closest she came to any craft project was building Lego.

Hearing Wang Yao say that she should drive the piles, saw the planks, hammer the nails, and even install the plumbing and electrical systems herself, she immediately felt it was utterly absurd.

"There's nothing I can do. Your mom wants you to go the international route. Foreigners have a soft spot for handicrafts, especially for girls who can do them. Even though you won't be showing your face, you'll definitely attract attention. Just think of it as taking on a role as a construction worker to experience life." Wang Yao smiled.

"Tsk, now that you mention it, I really don't know how to refute it. Doesn't anyone else live in this area?" Liu Yifei rolled her eyes, looking at the somewhat desolate scenery of the villa area.
“The original developer had some issues with the project's positioning, and the houses didn't sell very well. So I bought the whole area and plan to use it as company dormitories or a filming location. I also plan to build a small dock on the riverbank and eventually get a small cruise ship or pleasure boat so we can take a boat directly to the university town on the other side,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Tsk, it's good to be rich," Liu Yifei said with a pout.

Influenced by her godfather Chen Jinfei from a young age, she didn't have a strong concept of money. She got tired of luxury cars and cruise ships as a child, but she never actually controlled much wealth. Even now, she still needs to ask her mother for permission to make large purchases.

Deep down, she still felt like a child who needed her parents' protection.

But Wang Yao, a peer with enormous wealth, did give her a slight shock. It turns out that at her age, she is also capable of controlling her own wealth and power.

For the first time in her life, Liu Yifei became curious about consumerism.

What kind of life would it be if she controlled all the money she earned?
“It’s good to be rich, of course. Your family is quite wealthy, isn’t it? What, are you restricting your spending?” Wang Yao laughed.

"It's not a restriction, it's just that I suddenly realized that pocket money seems to be a standard for children, and I'm not a child anymore." Liu Yifei twitched the corner of her mouth.

“Although you’re of age, in terms of experience, you’re pretty much the same as other people who go to university for a master’s degree. You’re still a kid, you haven’t had any independent exposure to society, and you rely on your family a lot, so you really are a kid,” Wang Yao said.

"Hey, I'm older than you." Liu Yifei frowned, somewhat displeased.

“Age doesn’t mean anything, young lady.” Wang Yao glanced at her.

"Tsk, you're the young man." Liu Yifei snorted and asked curiously, "Have you liked small animals since you were a child?"

"It's alright. Small animals can't talk, but they respond when you feed them, so they provide a lot of emotional value," Wang Yao smiled.

"At your age and with your wealth, shouldn't you be feeding women? I believe most women will provide you with enough emotional value," Liu Yifei said with a smile.

“I’m also very troubled. My moral standards are too high. I can’t completely treat people like animals to be fed,” Wang Yao sighed.

"Tsk, sure enough, all men are the same once they have money." Liu Yifei scoffed lightly, seemingly used to it.

“Wrong. Everyone will act like this once they gain power, regardless of gender. Think about it: if you adopt a stray animal, provide it with food and clothing so it doesn’t have to wander around and face the risks and storms outside, wouldn’t you feel like a savior?” Wang Yao curled the corners of his mouth, his smile subtle.

"...? You'd better be talking about stray animals." Liu Yifei frowned, finding the words increasingly strange.

“The symbol behind the savior is the desire for control and ownership. I can have complete control over small animals, but if it's a person, even if I feed them, I can't completely control them. So I can't invest too much cost and emotion. For me, if I can't devote myself wholeheartedly, then I might as well not invest at all,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

Looking at Wang Yao's smile, Liu Yifei felt a tightness in her chest and said, "Although I also think that people aren't all good, at least we're the same kind of people, right? People have emotional needs, so does that mean you can't have a relationship?"

"That's a misconception. Humans are just of the same species, but not of the same kind. Each person is actually an independent biological entity. There is no such thing as a 'same kind'. In all your life, have you ever come into contact with someone of the same kind who is completely on the same wavelength as you?" Wang Yao asked rhetorically.

“I still have a few friends,” Liu Yifei said, frowning.

"Friends are selected to fill in the gaps in one's own life," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"What you said makes a lot of sense." Liu Yifei seriously reflected on the few good friends she had made.

It seems that there is something about everyone that she envies.

"Human social interaction is about using fleeting or hypothetical illusions like emotions to beautify the paths we've never walked," Wang Yao said with a detached smile.

"Thinking about it this way, it's true that the feedback rate is higher when interacting with small animals." Liu Yifei chuckled.

I finally realized why I like to hug my cats and dogs and talk to myself.

“ROI is very important.” Wang Yao nodded with a smile.

“But I’ve heard that the number of stray animals being taken in is increasing. A few hundred or a few thousand might not be a burden for you, but what about tens or hundreds of thousands? For someone like you who values ​​return on investment, it wouldn’t just be a hobby, would it?” A sly glint flashed in Liu Yifei’s eyes. “Of course. The [Women’s Aid Association] has set up a pet food processing line. The stray cats here, after social screening, will have their personalities suitable as pets released to the company for employees to adopt.”
"From now on, every new employee will be paired with a 'cat/dog colleague' to provide emotional support, at a cost of 50 yuan per month. If they leave, the pet will be returned to the company. This will not only reduce the company's burden but also increase the cost of employee turnover," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Liu Yifei stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief.

How could this man's brain possibly be so clever as to come up with such an idea?

"What if the employees don't like cats and dogs?" Liu Yifei asked doubtfully.

“Then let’s set up a separate ‘individual department’ because, in terms of personality, people who like pets are more emotionally rich and more accustomed to group collaborative life, while those who don’t like pets are relatively emotionally detached and accustomed to individual life. It’s not suitable to put employees with these two different personalities in the same environment.” Wang Yao smiled.

This, like the MBTI personality test, is a classification method for workplace-related issues.

"President Wang's considerations are quite comprehensive." Liu Yifei hadn't expected there to be another reason behind this.

"Anyway, we don't expect them to make any particularly big contributions. As long as they don't cause trouble, that's fine. We'll try our best to make everyone's work more comfortable based on that principle," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Mr. Wang is really a good boss. Working for you must be quite a happy job," Liu Yifei said with a light laugh.

"It's alright. When are you coming to work?" Wang Yao joked.

"I'll go back and discuss it with my mom," Liu Yifei said, her smile fading.

"Okay, it's dinner time. Please try our company cafeteria." Wang Yao smiled.

"No." Liu Yifei initially wanted to refuse, but then she thought about it and agreed.

After seeing Liu Yifei off, Wang Yao originally wanted to talk to Yang Ying about the arrangements for the variety show "Sister Hua", but on the way, he was invited to Huang Shengyi's house by phone.

"Why is Mr. Huang staying here during this time of year?" Wang Yao asked curiously.

The story of "Fairy Robe" has ended, so there's no reason for Huang Shengyi to stay here overnight.

"I'm getting a divorce, so of course I have to move out. Has Mr. Wang eaten yet?" Huang Shengyi was dressed in casual pajamas, with no makeup, as if she had just woken up. Her face was still a little puffy, and she had a faint smell of red wine on her body.

Looks like you've been drinking quite a bit lately.

"Divorce? President Yang cheated on you?" Wang Yao was somewhat surprised.

"No, at least I haven't heard of it." Huang Shengyi paused for a moment and then shook his head.

"So, Mr. Huang cheated on his wife?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Tsk, does divorce always have to be because of infidelity?" Huang Shengyi said angrily.

"Financial dispute?" Wang Yao nodded.

"Well, I guess so. Actually, it's directly related to President Wang," Huang Shengyi said with a light laugh.

"Could it be because of that loan from Chengtian before?" Wang Yao squinted.

"President Wang was right, he was right. Yang Zi is such an idiot, he didn't even inform the company about such a big thing, and now that something's happened, he's making me come out and ask you for money." Huang Shengyi was both amused and exasperated.

“It’s no use for you, I don’t have any money either.” Wang Yao shrugged.

"Want some wine?" Huang Shengyi suddenly went to the kitchen to decan the red wine.

"No, why are you drowning your sorrows in alcohol? Although Juli is broke, Mr. Huang's business is booming, isn't it?" Wang Yao laughed.

"I didn't drink much before, but after attending more drinking parties, I discovered that drinking helps with thinking and I fell in love with it. Whenever I encounter something I can't figure out, I drink. Either my mind opens up and I get a burst of inspiration and figure it out, or I drink too much and sleep it off and forget about it. It works really well." Huang Shengyi smiled sheepishly.

She doesn't look like a married woman at all; she looks like a young girl.

“That’s a good idea.” Wang Yao nodded, waiting for further explanation.

"The reason for the divorce was that I suddenly realized we weren't compatible anymore. It seemed to have suddenly overturned my previous understanding of him, and I couldn't accept it," Huang Shengyi sighed softly.

“People do see different scenery at different stages of life,” Wang Yao nodded.

"What kind of person does Mr. Wang think of me?" Huang Shengyi's eyes lit up.

"It's a done deal." Wang Yao pondered for a moment.

"What do you mean? Are you saying I'm ruthless and decisive?" Huang Shengyi was taken aback.

Wang Yao didn't speak, but simply looked the other person up and down with his eyes.

Huang Shengyi looked down at her toes, which were painted with black nail polish, and suddenly realized what she had done. Her face flushed with embarrassment and annoyance, she said:

"I didn't expect President Wang to be such a shallow person! I just didn't wear it, but that doesn't mean I didn't have it. How can B be a sure thing?! Not everyone is as gifted as Zhang Meng. This is just normal for me."

"I mean, Mr. Huang's determination to get a divorce seems like it's a done deal," Wang Yao chuckled.

In social interactions, offense is a form of probing. If you don't want to develop the relationship further, it's best to leave it at that and leave it at that.

"You'd better be." Huang Shengyi rolled her eyes, picked up the decanter and wine glass, and sat back on the sofa. "I told him that if he gets the money back, we'll get a divorce and then divide the assets."

“It’s right to divide the family property, but this money is indeed hard to get. President Yang’s family has a listed company worth tens of billions. Lending 2 million shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"He's probably too embarrassed to go back to his mother for money," Huang Shengyi sneered, taking a sip of his drink.

"It might be difficult for Mr. Huang to get a divorce then," Wang Yao said.

"We're secretly married. If we publicly break off our relationship, both Juli and Juli Entertainment will be affected. Yangzi understands this. Besides, he's been secretly borrowing company funds this time..."
Together with Yangzi, I own 30% of the shares. In a divorce, I would receive 15%. As a shareholder, I have the opportunity to join forces with the major shareholder, Wang Tianyun, to remove him from his position. Although I lack business acumen, if I can persuade General Manager Wang to acquire Juli...
With Director Hu fueling Wang Tianyun's ambitions, the probability of Yang Zi being kicked out of the house will greatly increase. I have a winning hand, why should he dare not divorce me? I can afford to wait, but can he?" Huang Shengyi's face was solemn, and his eyes revealed a cold glint.

She was no longer the timid and naive girl she used to be, which made Wang Yao a little uneasy.

How could the situation be analyzed so clearly?

Did I suddenly have an epiphany, or was I guided by a master behind the scenes?

After all, Huang Shengyi's family not only has highly educated parents, but also a relative who is a big name in economics.

"President Wang, don't look down on Juli's small assets. The chain of interests behind it is quite large. Just Wang Tianyun alone has a group of Shanghai-based investors standing behind him," Huang Shengyi said in a deep voice when he saw that Wang Yao was unmoved.

"I just suddenly realized that Mr. Huang seems to be really suited for business, and he has a very accurate grasp of the pros and cons," Wang Yao said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"Huh?" Huang Shengyi's face flushed red at the sudden praise. "Well, this wasn't my idea alone. I made some friends online, and we all helped each other come up with the idea. Besides, the highly profitable 'White Snake' project has already started."
If the lack of funds affects the project, Yang Zi will be held responsible. He'll either have to go back to his mother for money or find a way to raise funds. I don't know how much assets he has, but I suspect it's definitely less than 2 million, unless he's mortgaged his highly profitable stocks.

Although he has ways to cover the losses, if I insist on divorce and make a big fuss, and I, as the female lead, am in the news for marital discord, then this project will also be affected. Yangzi won't allow that to happen and will inevitably compromise.

Strike the snake at its vital spot; it's a very forceful method.

(End of this chapter)