Chapter 62: The Overhaul of the Tan Athlete
Lawyer Feng carefully reviewed the contract for nearly half an hour before stating, “The contract is clear and transparent, with no hidden traps. In fact, Party A has done everything possible to protect Party B’s interests.”
Xu Youyou nodded. Although she found Lu Jingyao to be somewhat eccentric, she had never suspected that he would resort to underhanded tactics against her.
“Lawyer Feng, I have another matter I’d like to consult you on.”
“Please speak freely, Miss Xu. I will answer to the best of my ability.”
“If a person unknowingly buys stolen goods—say, purchasing a necklace from a thief without knowing it was stolen—and that necklace later sells at auction for tens of millions, would they be legally liable if the rightful owner pursued the matter?” Xu Youyou asked.
Lawyer Feng frowned slightly before responding, “If your friend was truly unaware and purchased the necklace at a fair market price, the principle of bona fide acquisition applies. They would not face criminal liability but would be obligated to assist in returning the stolen property.”
“And if the rightful owner never pursues the matter, would that still be considered a crime?”
Lawyer Feng raised an eyebrow. “If there’s no claim, where is the crime?”
Xu Youyou wasn’t actually worried about the expensive documents from the Yasuda Consortium. What concerned her was the dou cai porcelain cup she had originally purchased from that yellow-haired guy. Given that he had managed to steal a Yasuda-branded baguette bag, who was to say that the porcelain cup wasn’t stolen as well?
Lawyer Feng then added, “If the rightful owner does not pursue the matter, it is either because they are unaware of the true value of the item or because the item itself has an illicit origin, making it impossible for them to admit they ever owned such a valuable possession.”
Xu Youyou immediately grasped the implication—she leaned toward the second possibility. The original owner of the dou cai cup was someone who, on the surface, could not afford to own such a treasure. Thus, when it was stolen by the yellow-haired guy, they had no choice but to stay silent and pretend nothing happened. The identity of such a person was now self-evident.
Amused by Lawyer Feng’s keen insight, Xu Youyou asked, “Lawyer Feng, are you interested in becoming our company’s legal consultant?”
Her company wasn’t large enough to require a full legal department yet, but hiring a legal consultant was definitely within reason.
Lawyer Feng smiled. “It would be my honor, Miss Xu.”
With a skilled legal expert on board, Xu Youyou quickly finalized the contract with Lu Jingyao. Once she received the complete technical documents, Lu Jingyao immediately had them verified for authenticity.
True to his word, once the documents were confirmed genuine, Lu Jingyao swiftly transferred 2.1 billion RMB (the equivalent of $300 million USD) into Xu Youyou’s account via discreet channels.
After enduring three days of incomprehensible meetings, Xu Youyou was ecstatic to see such a large sum finally credited to her account. It was the biggest payday she had received since acquiring the system, and it was only the first installment—over the next three years, she would continue to receive steady payments.
“Lu Jingyao may be annoying, but he actually pays up!” Xu Youyou marveled.
As for the Yasuda Consortium, which had suffered a massive loss, Xu Youyou simply thought: Petty thieves are called criminals, but those who plunder nations are called rulers. Given the history of national grudges, she felt zero guilt about taking their money.
In fact, she immediately donated 10 million to every veteran welfare project she could find, casually exceeding 100 million in charitable donations.
She was equally generous with her own people: “Everyone’s getting a bonus this month!”
Her bodyguards, hidden behind their sunglasses, practically grinned from ear to ear.
The household staff worked with even greater enthusiasm.
Even the film crew shooting in Gansu, including Ouyang Ouyang’s team, wasn’t left out. Xu Youyou directly called them: “Do you guys need more investment? I’ll have Xie Ran send you the funds!”
Before Ouyang Ouyang could respond, a golden prompt appeared in front of Xu Youyou’s eyes:
[Host, the treasure-hunting mission has been activated. Please proceed to the target location immediately.]
Xu Youyou saw the system’s golden navigation arrow pointing—straight at her own face.
“Wait… is there gold on my face?” she asked internally.
The system remained silent.
As she listened to Ouyang Ouyang reporting progress over the phone, she quickly walked to the nearest restroom. Finally, she understood.
There was no gold on her face.
The system’s arrow was indeed pointing at her, but more specifically, at her phone.
“There’s a very important prop I commissioned a master craftsman to make. It might exceed the budget…” Ouyang Ouyang was explaining his request for additional funds.
Xu Youyou didn’t hesitate. “I’ll have Xie Ran add another 10 million to the budget.”
Ouyang Ouyang’s breathing grew rapid. Even though he had worked with her for a while, he still couldn’t help but admire her.
After all, who wouldn’t love a rich boss who funded everything without micromanaging?
“Boss, tha—”
Before he could finish his thanks, Xu Youyou cut in, “I’m visiting the set tomorrow.”
Ouyang Ouyang fell silent for a moment before replying, “…Got it.”
After hanging up, he returned to the set looking grim.
“Boss, what’s wrong? Did she refuse to increase the budget?” Assistant Director Xiao Huang asked.
“She increased it by 10 million.”
Xiao Huang immediately cheered, “Long live the boss!” Then, realizing Ouyang Ouyang still looked troubled, he asked, “Why do you look so miserable, then?”
Ouyang Ouyang sighed, his gaze landing on Song Zhibai, who was training with the action director. “Look at how dark Song has gotten. When the boss sees him, she’s going to flip out.”
Xiao Huang shivered. Everyone in the company knew that Song Zhibai was the boss’s favorite. She had even taken him to the U.S. for half a month to seek medical treatment for his mother, spending tens of millions. Rumors said she had even started the company just to support him.
“To be fair, Song Zhibai has been really dedicated,” Xiao Huang said.
If he weren’t so hardworking, he wouldn’t have tanned so much for the role.
With his mother’s health improving, Song Zhibai had finally relaxed. He was eating well and sleeping well, his complexion looking healthier than before. While his face was still strikingly beautiful, the fragile, ethereal aura he once had was mostly gone.
Thinking about how Xu Youyou would react upon seeing the transformation from “fragile prince” to “sun-kissed athlete,” Ouyang Ouyang felt an impending headache. He wished he could just bury himself in a hole.
Meanwhile, their cameraman, Xiao Sun, watched their anxious faces, thought for a moment, and simply said: “Forget it, let’s eat first.”
Ignoring their incredulous stares, he grabbed his lunchbox and started eating heartily, his carefree attitude making Ouyang Ouyang’s chest tighten.
Despite his reluctance, the next afternoon, Ouyang Ouyang personally drove to the airport.
Xu Youyou arrived in her private jet. After a four-and-a-half-hour flight, she had simply taken a nap on board, so she and her bodyguards all looked completely refreshed.
Seeing that Ouyang Ouyang himself had come to pick her up, she frowned.
“Was there no one else from the crew available?”
Ouyang Ouyang, thinking she was eager to see Song Zhibai, quickly explained, “Boss, Song—no, Xiao Song stayed behind for training. He wanted to come, but he has an important action scene tomorrow that he couldn’t reschedule.”
Xu Youyou’s face darkened. “I wasn’t asking about him. I was asking about you. You’re the director. Don’t you have a film to shoot? Why are you here playing chauffeur?”
