Volume One: High School Days Chapter 29: The Wan Family Changes Hands

For half a month, Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong did not return home but stayed in a hotel, tending to their wounds and plotting revenge against Wan Jiangfei. During this time, Sister Ya visited every day, bringing them food, bandages, and medicine.

One afternoon, a week later, Sister Ya arrived as usual.

“Sister Ya, we’re fine now. We’ll be going home today,” Liu Sheng said, pulling out ten thousand yuan he’d obtained that morning from his coat. “Here, take this as payment for looking after us. And if you hear anything about Xiaoya, please let me know immediately.”

Sister Ya took the money without a word and turned to leave. At the door, she paused. “If I hear from Xiaoya, you’ll be the first to know. She’s never disappeared this long before, and I don’t think she’ll be coming back this time. And one more thing—Wan Jiangfei is not someone you can afford to provoke. Don’t do anything foolish.”

After she left, Liu Sheng sat on the bed and wept again. He’d been suffering from insomnia for a week, calling Xiaoya’s phone over and over, only to find it switched off every time.

“Come with me to Wan Animation Company later. I have to do something today or I’ll never find peace.”

Ren Xiadong merely grunted in response, saying nothing more. He understood that, at this point, Liu Sheng would not listen to any advice. The only way to make him happy was to follow his lead.

After eating the meal Sister Ya brought, the two dressed and headed straight to Wan Animation.

Wan Animation was nowhere near as strong as Senhai and had no building of its own; while Senhai was a corporate group, Wan Animation was just a company. Located on the twelfth floor of a commercial building in the city center, the entire floor was occupied by Wan Animation.

“Hello, are you here for an interview?” The receptionist, seeing two young men, assumed they were fresh graduates looking for a job.

Standing at the reception desk, Liu Sheng replied, “I’d like to see President Wan.”

The receptionist quickly said, “President Wan isn’t in right now. You can leave a number, and I’ll have him contact you when he’s back.”

Liu Sheng naturally understood what this meant. Someone of President Wan’s status couldn’t be seen on a whim, and with the company on the verge of bankruptcy, creditors came knocking daily—now, more than ever, President Wan would avoid showing his face.

“I’m not here for a job, nor to collect a debt. I’m here to help him,” Liu Sheng continued, seeing the receptionist’s skepticism. “I’m the chief editor of Senhai Animation Group. My name is Liu Sheng.”

The receptionist looked up Senhai’s HR number and called. Though Liu Sheng had resigned, only Xia Yao knew; to everyone else, he was still head editor, his contract set to lapse automatically. For now, Liu Sheng was free.

Once his identity was confirmed, the receptionist phoned President Wan. After the call, she said, “Right this way, please. President Wan will be back soon. Can I get you anything to drink?”

Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong were led to the president’s office. Looking around the grand office, Liu Sheng couldn’t help but remark, “Wan Animation may be at a bottleneck, but this office is still impressive! Soon, it’ll be mine.”

Ren Xiadong, unwilling to concede, replied, “No way! I want this office.”

As they bantered, a short, rotund man in his fifties entered, hair slicked and shining, dressed in a suit. This was President Wan.

He glanced at Liu Sheng and Ren Xiadong, then asked the receptionist, “These two?”

She whispered a few words in his ear.

Liu Sheng, catching this, tuned in, “Yes, I already called Senhai to confirm. There’s no mistake.”

“Mr. Liu, so young and talented! I never expected the author of ‘Chronicles of Shanhai’ to be such a spirited youth.” President Wan shook Liu Sheng’s hand warmly.

Once they were seated, Liu Sheng got straight to the point. “President Wan, I’ll be direct. I want to acquire your company. Name your price.”

Liu Sheng watched President Wan’s eyes light up with barely concealed joy; with Wan Animation a mess, someone willing to take over was a blessing.

“Of course, the price is negotiable. With your talent, I’m sure we’ll flourish in the future,” President Wan replied. Previously, he’d approached Senhai, hoping they’d buy out Wan Animation and make it a subsidiary under his management, splitting profits but ensuring survival. Even that would have been a relief.

Liu Sheng saw through him. “I think you misunderstand. I’m buying as an individual, not on behalf of Senhai. I know your company’s situation. If you don’t sell to me, Wan Animation will be bankrupt by the end of the month, and you’ll face legal action for massive debt.”

President Wan began to sweat. He’d been losing sleep, haunted by his financial troubles each night.

“Sell to me, and at least you’ll be safe. Money is just material—so long as you’re alright, you won’t have to live in fear every day.”

Wiping his brow, President Wan asked, “How much are you offering?”

“I need to review your debts first, then I’ll decide.”

President Wan didn’t hesitate; he called Finance and had them bring over all the debt records—ledgers thicker than any of Liu Sheng’s books. Liu Sheng went through each one.

“You’re ten billion in debt. For a company your size, that’s quite a sum.”

President Wan wiped his brow again. “You figured that out just from flipping through? Incredible. Animation is a tough business these days. I borrowed everywhere for a turnaround, but every project lost money. I’m at my wit’s end.”

Liu Sheng then asked for a list of all the company’s assets. After reviewing everything, he said, “Your real estate, cars, and other business shares total nearly thirty million. Alright, I’ve seen enough. Set your price—how much to sell Wan Animation to me?”

President Wan thought for a moment. “Twenty billion.”

Ren Xiadong, silent until now, nearly fell off his chair at the astronomical figure.

Liu Sheng shook his head. “If I don’t buy you out, you won’t even be able to pay your staff next month, and you’ll be in serious trouble. I’ll give you nine point seven billion. Sell your personal assets and you’ll almost clear your debt.”

President Wan’s mouth twitched, clearly furious, but there was nothing more he could borrow. Refusing meant not just facing legal action, but also angry creditors and friends.

Seeing President Wan hesitate, Liu Sheng pressed, “Even if you’re broke, at least you’ll have peace of mind. Let it go.”

After an afternoon of persuasion, Liu Sheng finally acquired Wan Animation for 9.7 billion. Over the next week, he ran around with the company’s staff to handle formalities. On the seventh day, Wan Animation was officially his.

Upon the changeover, Liu Sheng renamed it “Liu Yao World Animation Company,” signifying his ambition to illuminate the world with his creativity.

That week, Liu Sheng also watched as the financial department helped President Wan liquidate his assets to pay debts. The former president, now penniless, moved his family into a rented apartment, living a life of hardship.

On the day everything was finalized, Liu Sheng sat in the president’s old office as Ren Xiadong entered with two boxed lunches. “President Liu, time to eat.”

“Oh, a meal bought by President Ren himself—this must be delicious.”

As they ate, Ren Xiadong said, “I always thought you’d use force to avenge Sister Xiaoya. I never expected you’d buy out Wan Animation and reduce Wan Jiangfei’s family to beggars. ‘Chronicles of Shanhai’ netted you twenty billion, and you spent half just to acquire Wan Animation! What if you lose everything?”

Liu Sheng set down his chopsticks. “Money’s meant to be spent—what else would I earn it for? By the way, when I left Senhai, there was a condition: Liu Yao can’t collaborate with other companies. For our future development, our first project must be a joint venture with Senhai.”

He lied to Ren Xiadong because he couldn’t reveal the existence of the Infinite Balance Card—it would be too dangerous.

Ren Xiadong packed away the empty lunch boxes and asked, “What’s next?”

“I’m going to create an animated feature film to premiere on October first, jointly released with Senhai. In the meantime, Senhai will handle publicity and promotion. Before the new semester starts, you’ll go to Senhai’s headquarters in Beijing to work with their promotional team. Learn from them, because after that, all marketing and publicity will be your responsibility. All senior managers at the company will be dismissed; the junior managers and staff will stay. Anyone with ability will be promoted.”

The company had a dedicated marketing and publicity team, which Ren Xiadong would now lead. The finance department had to be replaced—Liu Sheng couldn’t trust outsiders. He could handle the entire animation process himself, but kept all creative and planning departments; as long as their ideas had value, the marketing department would push them and bring them to release.

That afternoon, Liu Sheng held a company-wide meeting. When the staff learned he was the author of “Chronicles of Shanhai,” they were electrified, vowing their loyalty to Liu Yao World Animation.

Back home that night, his developed mind allowed him to work a hundred times faster than others. In an hour and a half, Liu Sheng completed his second animated feature, “Legends of the Ancient Era,” depicting the epic Battle of Zhuolu, where the Yellow Emperor’s tribe joined forces with the Flame Emperor’s tribe to wage war against Chiyou.

The story was succinct, the battle scenes breathtaking, and the mythical beasts strikingly lifelike.

The next day, Liu Sheng put the finished film and its trailer onto two USB drives, giving one to Ren Xiadong to take to Senhai for promotion. The distribution rights, however, stayed with Liu Yao.

Voice acting would also be handled in-house. After watching the film, the employees were left speechless; they’d thought nothing could surpass “Chronicles of Shanhai,” yet “Legends of the Ancient Era” made the former pale in comparison.

The dubbing process began, with Liu Sheng overseeing every detail.

A week later, mid-summer had arrived. Liu Sheng had filled all senior positions with capable people, except for one: a trusted financial officer. The company originally had four accountants; the previous finance manager had been dismissed for holding ten percent of Wan Animation’s shares. Three remained, but Liu Sheng needed someone loyal to oversee them. He gave Ren Xiadong forty percent of the shares, kept forty percent for himself, and reserved twenty percent for future contributors.

Not knowing anyone qualified in finance and unable to trust a random hire, Liu Sheng called Sister Ya.

“Sister Ya, do you know anyone good with finance?”

“Of course. Xiaoya and I both graduated from Xinghai City University of Finance and Economics with degrees in accounting. Why do you ask?”

Hearing Xiaoya’s name made Liu Sheng’s heart clench again. After a moment, he replied, “I’ve found you a job. The pay’s definitely better than what you get now.”

Since it was hard to explain over the phone, Liu Sheng gave her the address of Liu Yao World and asked her to come for an interview.

After hanging up, Liu Sheng dialed Xiaoya’s number once more—still switched off. Opening his chat app, he scrolled through the tens of thousands of unanswered messages he’d sent her over this period, and again, tears welled in his eyes.