QTIMP -Chapter 183 Character Persona – Overachiever (Part 15)

Si Qiu closed the proposal and smiled warmly at Dong Keyu.

Dong Keyu put down his teacup and nodded in agreement.

After skimming through the remaining chapters, He Fengxuan’s expression carried a smile even more sincere than before. He politely picked up the teapot and prepared to pour more tea.

Seeing that the cup was full, he finally sat down. “President Si, you are absolutely right. But this time, we won’t accept too many investors. Smaller, scattered investments are easier to manage.”

Si Qiu nodded, looking quite satisfied, then paused thoughtfully before speaking.

“As for the investment, we really can’t offer too much. But to show my confidence in this work, I’ve decided to invest 40 million yuan. Combined with the revenue share from the novel’s adaptation rights, I’ll be content whether we make more or less.”

In Qisheng’s proposal, the total investment was 200 million yuan. Si Qiu’s 40 million is the company’s investment, not including the share from her novel’s rights.

Dong Keyu’s mouth twitched slightly, and he exchanged a glance with He Fengxuan. Si Qiu’s investment amount was perfectly measured—any more would have squeezed out other companies’ shares.

The “cake” can’t be eaten by one person; any less, and the investment wouldn’t make a meaningful difference. This amount also guaranteed a certain level of influence.

And this sum, combined with the novel’s copyright revenue share…

Oh, right—she had now directly stated that she wanted a share of the adaptation rights, refusing a full buyout. Although they had anticipated this, a flicker of disappointment was unavoidable.

They thought to themselves that this woman was too shrewd—definitely not easy to deal with.

Next came the discussion about the novel’s copyright division, which the two men argued firmly over. Si Qiu wasn’t satisfied. In the end, she said one more thing: “You two should know, our cooperation isn’t a one-time deal. If this collaboration goes well, next time, you’ll be the first people I think of.”

The two men pondered this for a moment, and their eyes brightened at the meaning behind her words.

He Fengxuan cautiously asked, “May I ask if President Si already has some ideas?”

Si Qiu opened another copy of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. Of course, this was just a small portion of it.

She then pushed the laptop over, and the three of them studied it together for a while. Si Qiu carefully savored the rich aroma of the Biluochun tea.

Even if both sides internally agreed, negotiations always required back-and-forth tugging. Both buyers and sellers knew that things gained too easily were undervalued—so a meal could feel like a game of strategy.

At Director Song Anbang’s request, Dong Keyu insisted that the opening, ending, and insert songs be handed over to Si Qiu, the original author of the novel.

This also came with free assistance for editing, and of course, Si Qiu also secured decision-making power over the casting.

“Next, I’ll need Director Song to help guide the newcomers in my company as well.”

Finally, the preliminary agreement was set. Next would be moving forward to sign the formal contract.

Si Qiu got into the car with her assistant, Xiao Yuan, and let out a long breath.

Xiao Yuan patted her chest. “These people are sharp—they speak with hidden barbs, always trying to squeeze something out of us.”

Si Qiu laughed at her. “You must be exhausted. Tell Yingying that your bonus for this month will be doubled. In a couple of days, when your colleague Xu Tingting is back, it’ll be better.”

Xiao Yuan is Wu Ying’s assistant. Today, given the situation, she couldn’t bring her along. Si Qiu’s assistant is the same age as her, named Xu Tingting. Her two-year-old daughter had fallen ill just two days ago.

Si Qiu gave her two days off.

When their company hired staff, Si Qiu deliberately recruited female employees. Once women reached around thirty, the workplace suddenly felt extremely awkward.

Companies worry about marriage, and even more about childbirth. For those who have already had children, there’s the concern of needing to care for kids or elderly family members.

Even if you’re hired, the conditions are often harsh, and “equal pay for equal work” seems to exist only as a slogan.

Si Qiu’s company was very lenient with such leave requests, but not unconditional. When others took personal or sick leave, you would also need to cover part of their work.

Yet even with such simple arrangements, the salary wasn’t much higher than other companies, and still, the staff fully supported it.

When things got busy, plenty of people volunteered for overtime.

Not just for show—truly voluntarily, as if they feared slowing down the company’s profits.

When the two returned to the office, Xiao Yuan went to find Wu Ying.

Si Qiu returned to her office and immediately contacted the legal department, starting to review and revise the draft contracts.

After everyone else had left for the day, she listened again to the recordings of Qin Shuang and Sun Yu, and checked the progress of the web drama filming.

By the time someone knocked on the office door, it was already 10:20 p.m.

Song Huaiyi entered the office carrying several items. “Miss, you should take a break. Don’t you even see what time it is? Work is important, but your health is more important.”

He placed the coat he brought aside and set two insulated containers on the coffee table.

He was no longer in the three-piece butler uniform, wearing casual clothes that made him look like a college student.

Naturally, he came up behind Si Qiu, massaging her shoulders, then moved his hands to her temples and began to knead gently.

Si Qiu looked up: it was already 10:40 p.m.

The massage felt so good that she relaxed back into her chair. “I didn’t expect it to get this late just being busy. Why did you come?”

“I am your butler. Taking care of your health and well-being is my duty. Now that it’s so late and you’re still working while starving… this is a failure on my part.”

As he spoke, he took Si Qiu’s hand and guided her to the sofa. She sat down while he knelt on one knee, using a wet wipe to clean her hands.

Then he poured her a glass of water and opened the lunch boxes: small wontons with a few cold dishes.

Though not made of rare ingredients, everything was naturally high-quality, and the chef’s skills were excellent—perfectly suited to her taste.

Si Qiu didn’t know whether this was a professional skill of his as a butler, or if he was catering to her because he had a little personal interest in her.

Either way, she enjoyed it and didn’t question it.

Perhaps it was her silent acceptance that sent Song Huaiyi subtle signals, allowing him to gradually integrate into her life and work.

This wasn’t unusual to anyone at the company; they no longer found his visits strange.

“Oh, it’s Butler Song! Come, come, let us help you carry these. If you’d given us a heads-up, we at the front desk could have come to meet you—so many things, they must be heavy.”

The young receptionist hurried over to take the items from his hands, thoughtfully leaving two differently packaged bags with him.