Chapter 535 - 323: If I Lose, I’m at Your Mercy

Although He Wenyi’s talent wasn’t on par with Tang Wan’s, she could definitely make it in the entertainment industry.

Her singing talent, in particular, was only one point lower than Tang Wan’s, which was incredibly impressive.

As for her acting talent, a score of 74 wasn’t high, but it wasn’t low either. She was more than capable of handling supporting female roles, just not the main lead.

For someone like that to not be taken seriously... you had to admit, the entertainment industry was a complete amateur hour.

"Wenyi, how did you end up with a competitor?" Fang Jie asked.

"Ugh, I’m just out of favor. I’m not as sweet-talking as the younger girls, so this is how it is."

"So do you still have a chance?"

"With my skills? I’m not worthy of singing Adam’s song. If you’re talking about a chance, it’s theoretical at best."

"How about this? I’ll teach you a run-through. It should help a bit."

Lin Jiang suddenly spoke up, which surprised Fang Jie a little.

In her eyes, Lin Jiang wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s business.

"You... teach me...?"

He Wenyi looked at Fang Jie, her eyes filled with questions.

Because earlier, Lin Jiang had been singing a cappella in the recording booth. His voice hadn’t been loud, so He Wenyi had no idea what his skill level was.

"You’d better thank our President Lin. Most people don’t get the chance to be coached by him."

Hearing Fang Jie say this, He Wenyi quickly expressed her thanks.

"Thank you, President Lin."

"Don’t mention it. You have the lyrics, right?"

"Yes, yes I do."

He Wenyi took out the lyric sheet and handed it to Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang took a pen and marked the key parts on the lyrics.

"I’ll sing it for you once. Try to get a feel for it."

"Okay."

"Hey, slow it down..."

"What do you want from me..."

Fang Jie and the other two were once again stunned into silence.

That was Adam’s breakout hit, and he was singing it effortlessly!

His pitch was unbeatable, the high notes were perfect, and you couldn’t find a single flaw in his transitions. He was just too good.

Just then, the door to the recording booth was thrown open, and Guo Peng and his two companions rushed out.

Lin Jiang’s voice echoed across the second floor. Forget being separated by a single door; you could probably hear it clearly even on the first floor.

And that kind of vocal penetration was one of Adam’s greatest weapons.

Guo Peng, Wang Sheng, and Yu Na were all dumbfounded.

To be able to sing "Whataya Want From Me" at that level... one could only call it an exceptional gift.

They even felt he was on par with Adam himself.

Lin Jiang paid no attention to the others and performed the entire song perfectly. Then he handed the lyrics to He Wenyi.

"That’s more or less the feeling. Go home and practice with these lyrics."

He Wenyi had been completely mesmerized and only snapped out of it when she heard Lin Jiang’s voice.

"I understand. Thank you, President Lin."

"It was nothing. Don’t be so formal."

With that said, Lin Jiang left with his two companions.

Back in the car, Lin Jiang said:

"I think He Wenyi is pretty good. I just did her a favor back there. If we get a chance, let’s poach her. We can develop her potential."

"So that’s why you were teaching her to sing. You had an ulterior motive."

"It was just a small favor, and it didn’t take much time. If we can sign her, it’ll be a big win."

"Alright, I’ll get in touch with her when I get back."

"Mm."

The three of them went to eat first. Afterward, Lin Jiang dropped the two women off and drove to the company, summoning He Siyao to the secret room.

"How’s the store expansion coming along?"

"We’ve finalized eight locations, and another sixteen are in negotiation. But there are no major issues. We’ll handle it as quickly as possible."

"The locations that have been confirmed can start the renovation process now. In short, make use of all available time."

"Understood, Master," He Siyao mumbled indistinctly.

"How are things with the Mu Xing-owned stores?"

"We’ve already opened twelve in Zhonghai, with another six opening one after another next week."

He Siyao was enjoying Lin Jiang’s lollipop. "For now, that’s all for Zhonghai. Next, we’ll expand to the other three first-tier cities. As long as we have the money, the expansion of our self-owned stores will be very fast."

Since there were no specific size requirements, they could open a store as soon as they found a suitable location. The expansion naturally wouldn’t be slow.

"This progress is good, but if funds get tight, prioritize the food and beverage side."

"Understood, Master."

After finishing the lollipop, He Siyao leaned over the windowsill and began negotiations on their import-export trade.

About an hour later, the import-export trade negotiations were concluded.

He Siyao lay listlessly on the bed, her legs still trembling slightly, unable to keep them together.

Lin Jiang got dressed, and He Siyao regained some of her strength.

"Master, Huipin’s situation isn’t looking good right now. If this keeps up, they might not be far from going out of business."

"Tell me more."

"Every day on my way to work, I pass by Huipin City. Their foot traffic has already returned to about what it was before. Also, I heard some bombshell news. Apparently, the higher-ups are not satisfied with how Huipin City was handled."

This news came as a bit of a surprise to Lin Jiang.

If Huipin City hadn’t been so arrogant and tried to benchmark themselves against Donglai Supermarket, such a minor issue wouldn’t have been worth mentioning at all.

It certainly wasn’t worthy of the leadership’s attention. This was a bit illogical.

"Is this information reliable? A mere Huipin City isn’t worthy of this kind of attention from the top, is it?"

"Because when the city leaders went for an inspection, they tasted their cold-skin noodles. Immediately after, the sanitation scandal broke out, and their noodle processing point was prominently on the list, so..."

Lin Jiang couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this.

Back when the city leaders finished their inspection, Huipin had bought a ton of online traffic to hype it up. He himself had seen the footage of the leader eating those noodles.