Chapter 8

It’s the 16th day of the first lunar month, and the Lantern Festival has just passed.

The meeting room of the temporary preparatory office for the "Allure of the Nation" project still lingered with the mixed smell of takeout meals from the New Year holidays. For the past half month or so, there had been almost no real rest here.

Project coordinator Su Ying looked at the expenditure summary sheet, her face showing the fatigue of a late night. She confirmed with Director Lin Na and Producer, "Director Lin, Brother Chen, the 70 million yuan allocated by President Zhou upfront, based on signed contracts and outstanding payments, has now reached a total of 43 million yuan. This rate of expenditure is faster than we expected."

Chen Xin had been prepared for this. He produced a detailed expense breakdown and explained each item clearly, "Mr. Su, this money was primarily spent on the most crucial areas, ensuring we're on the right track. The core team members barely rested during the entire Spring Festival holiday, which is why we've achieved our current progress."

He pointed to the details and continued:

"First, the formation and urgent launch of a top academic advisory team, approximately 18 million..."

"Second, a nationwide high-density special site survey, approximately 12 million..."

"Third, the R&D advance and emergency proofing for the core art and costume and props teams is approximately 10 million..."

"Fourth, basic team protection and special insurance are approximately 3 million..."

Lin Na's tone was firm and clear, even though her eyes were a little dark. "Su Ying, this 43 million, especially the research the team produced during the Spring Festival, has bought us the most valuable foundation of the project—historical authenticity and academic rigor, as well as the most critical time window. But now, we're stuck on the next key issue—the live-action studio. Without it, none of our research results can be implemented, and the timeline will be significantly delayed."

Chen Xin turned his laptop towards Su Ying. The screen displayed information about Xiangbei City's "Han-style Ancient City." "We've found the optimal solution. Its early Chinese-style architectural foundation offers tremendous potential for renovation, saving us at least a year of construction time. However, their price, combined with our renovation budget, requires a substantial amount of funding, far beyond our current authority. This decision must be made by Mr. Zhou."

Su Ying took a deep breath and immediately understood the urgency of the matter. "I understand. I will immediately prepare the materials for a special report to President Zhou. Please prepare a detailed evaluation report, highlighting its irreplaceable academic value, our efforts to save time, and the current funding bottleneck."

Su Ying acted quickly. A well-organized special report with solid data, along with detailed information and assessment of the "Hanfeng Ancient City", was sent to Zhou Ping'an's work terminal half an hour later.

Almost immediately after the report was delivered, Zhou Ping'an's phone rang. The caller ID showed Su Ying.

"Mr. Zhou, have you received the report?" Su Ying's voice was slightly tense, as she knew the application amount was huge.

"I'm reading it." Zhou Ping'an's eyes quickly scanned the key information on the screen: a detailed breakdown of funding expenditures, a summary of academic achievements, and most importantly—an analysis of the potential of the "Han-style Ancient City" and the astonishing budget shortfall. His reaction was unusually calm.

"What do you think?" he asked Su Ying, his tone calm.

"Mr. Zhou," Su Ying took a deep breath and offered her professional assessment. "Director Lin is currently stuck with the physical hub of the movie studio. 'Hanfeng Ancient City' is indeed the best solution at the moment, buying us at least a year. However...their offer, plus the renovation budget, is enormous, far exceeding our initial estimates. This requires your decision."

"Yeah." Zhou Pingan responded, his eyes lingering for a moment on the imposing rendering of the main palace of the "Hanfeng Ancient City". Then, he said in an almost calm tone:

"Don't worry about the money. Give them 500 million yuan upfront to finalize the cinema and the subsequent preliminary renovations. Ask Lin Na to make a budget and report it to Xiaoyun. I'll have her transfer the money as soon as possible."

On the other end of the line, Su Ying was visibly stunned, even remaining silent for half a second. She had anticipated various scenarios that might require difficult explanations, but she had never expected such a casual "Call as many as you need."

On the other end of the line, Su Ying was visibly stunned, even falling silent for a moment. "Five hundred million...amount?" she repeated subconsciously. This figure far exceeded the amount she had expected to request when she submitted the report, and it was completely beyond her understanding of funds allocation!

But she immediately suppressed all her shock and doubts, and quickly restored her efficient tone: "Understood! Mr. Zhou, I will immediately tell Mr. Chen to submit the budget as soon as possible!"

"Tell them," Zhou Pingan added, his tone still calm but with undeniable strength, "the product must be made solidly and in advance. Money is not a problem."

After the call ended, Su Ying stood there, taking more than ten seconds to recover from the shock of Zhou Ping'an's "Call as many as you need." She quickly composed herself and walked quickly back to the project meeting room.

Lin Na and Chen Xin were still nervously discussing the details. When they saw her push the door in, they immediately cast inquiring glances at her.

Su Ying took a deep breath, and the previous anxiety on her face disappeared, replaced by an incredible excitement and unprecedented seriousness.

"Director Lin, President Chen," her voice was slightly tense with excitement, but her tone was unusually clear, "President Zhou has approved it."

She paused, as if she needed a moment to digest what she was about to say:

"General Manager Zhou has instructed: The project has been fully launched. Regarding funding, the first installment of over 500 million yuan has been secured, and subsequent funds will be provided based on actual demand."

The conference room fell into silence in an instant.

Lin Na's hand, holding the pen, paused mid-air. Chen Xin was about to light a cigarette, but forgot to lift the lighter to his lips. Even the lingering anxiety in the air seemed to be instantly drained away by the words "over 500 million, open supply."

A few seconds later, Chen Xin took a long drag on his unlit cigarette and exhaled heavily, as if to expel the shock in his chest. "...Open supply? Boss Zhou... has he found a gold mine?"

Lin Na slowly put down her pen. She didn't look at Chen Xin, but instead glanced at several core members in the conference room. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unprecedented solemnity and power:

"Old Chen, we artists may not be able to come across such an opportunity even after several lifetimes."

She paused, letting the weight of the words sink into everyone's heart.

"The money is in place. The trust is in place. Now, it's not a question of whether we can do it, but a question of whether we must do it, and do it to perfection, so that it will go down in film history. Everyone must be clear about what we are holding on to."

Chen Xin put away the playful expression on his face and nodded solemnly: "I understand. I understand the importance of this."

In a luxury apartment in Haicheng, Liu Yifan's agent, Yang Wei, received a call from Su Ying. The call was brief, and Yang Wei listened without saying anything. Finally, she replied in a deep voice, "Understood, President Su. I'll pass it on to Yifan."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Wei walked into the study, where Liu Yifan was curled up on the sofa reading a book about classical etiquette.

"Yifan," Yang Wei tried to keep her voice steady, but the slight tremor at the end of her voice still betrayed her excitement. "Su Ying just called. Mr. Zhou has completely opened the funding for the project."

Liu Yifan raised his eyes from the page of the book and gave him a questioning look.

"The first installment of 500 million has been in place. The subsequent amount needed will be directly allocated without an upper limit." After Yang Wei finished speaking, she stared closely at Liu Yifan's reaction.

Liu Yifan paused, her hand holding the book still. The relaxed expression on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of immense astonishment. She remained silent for a few seconds, as if comprehending the weight of these words, before slowly sitting up straight.

"Five hundred million...starting point? And still open?" Her voice was very soft, with an almost absurd sense of confirmation.

"Yes." Yang Wei nodded affirmatively, her tone becoming more serious. "This isn't a commercial investment. This is... this is building an art temple built purely with money. And we are the ones standing at the very center of it."

In an instant, many emotions flashed across Liu Yifan's face: shock, a hint of uneasiness, but in the end, all of these were replaced by an extremely strong, almost trembling sense of responsibility and desire to perform.

She stood up and spoke faster: "Do two things immediately."

"First, I contacted my acting coach, body language instructor, and dialogue instructor and replaced them all with top-notch ones, regardless of cost. I told them we needed to polish me to another level as quickly as possible. All the courses and preparations that I hadn't dared to think about or had no time to practice before were now on the agenda."

"Second, re-evaluate all my future commercial contracts and short-term exposure plans." Liu Yifan's gaze became extremely calm, even tinged with a hint of cruel scrutiny. "Any invitations and endorsements that might distract my attention, drain my energy, or be inconsistent with the spirit of the 'Alluring' project should be postponed or turned down. Tell the brand that my next phase will be completely focused on an 'important art project' and that I need to maintain a sense of mystery and maintain my optimal creative state."

Yang Wei immediately grasped the strategic significance of this. This wasn't just about professionalism; it was a gesture—a "strategic contraction and focus" that could only be undertaken when blessed with absolute resources. She was no longer a star pursued by capital, but rather the core vehicle of a larger art capital project.

"I understand!" Yang Wei's eyes lit up, her professional instincts fully activated. "We're going to temporarily separate you from being a 'commodity' and transform you into a 'pure work of art.' This in itself is the best publicity, more powerful than any press release! The outside world will be wildly speculating about what project has driven Liu Yifan to this point!"

"Yeah." Liu Yifan walked to the window, looking at the city below, his eyes deep. "Before, we had to adapt to the project budget and schedule. Now, all resources must adapt to this project and the state I need."

She clenched her fingers slightly, feeling a sweet and heavy pressure.

"If the filming wasn't good before, you could blame the director, the script, or the tight schedule. This time..." She smiled softly. There was no complacency in that smile, only the clarity of a last-ditch effort. "If the final product isn't good enough, there will be no excuses. The only explanation is that I, Liu Yifan, am unworthy of such investment and trust."

Yang Wei walked up to her and said firmly, "No. This will be your masterpiece, not at the box office, but... in another dimension."

Liu Yifan didn't answer, simply staring silently out the window. She knew that from this moment on, her battlefield had changed. The competition was no longer about ranking and trending searches, but about whether she could reach that elusive, ultimate artistic peak with the support of unlimited resources.