The night air outside was cool and calm.
After leaving the bar, Luo Zheng walked slowly back toward the hotel, hands in his pockets, his steps relaxed yet steady.
But his mind was far from calm.
Just moments ago, while he had been laying out Blue Whale Entertainment's ambitious future before Zhang Hui and Chen Guofu, the familiar mechanical chime of the System had suddenly echoed in his mind.
A new mission.
As soon as he stepped into the quieter street near the hotel entrance, he opened the System interface.
A line of glowing text appeared before his eyes.
[Ding! The host's grand blueprint has successfully inspired the employees.]
[New mission triggered: The Birth of Blue Whale Entertainment]
[Mission Requirement: Establish the company's film and television department, artist management department, and production department, and expand them to a certain scale.]
[Mission Reward: Lottery Draw ×10]
Luo Zheng's eyes immediately lit up.
Ten draws.
This was no small reward.
That was enough to guarantee something valuable from the System.
His mood instantly improved.
However, one question remained.
What exactly did the System mean by "a certain scale"?
He asked internally, and the System quickly responded.
The answer was surprisingly straightforward.
First, every department must have at least one person in charge and one full-time employee.
Second, each department must already have at least one active project or signed artist.
Luo Zheng nodded slightly.
Not impossible.
The company framework itself was easy to build.
Office space, paperwork, legal structure—those were all things money could solve.
The real difficulty was talent.
Finding capable department heads was always the hardest part.
Looks like I'll need to start poaching people again.
A faint smile curved on his lips.
Fortunately, Hong Kong had exactly the kind of talent he needed.
There was one artist manager there whom he had already set his sights on.
This trip would be the perfect chance to swing the pickaxe.
By the time he arrived at the hotel entrance, his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the screen.
Xu Jinglei.
Luo Zheng looked at the name for two seconds, then calmly let the phone continue ringing.
He had no intention of answering.
Recently, that woman had been in one of her artistic moods again.
Before he returned to China, she had been deliberately ignoring several of his messages.
Luo Zheng wasn't the type to indulge that sort of behavior.
Playing hard to get?
Not with him.
The call ended.
Just as he was about to put the phone away, it rang again.
This time, the caller ID showed a different name.
Dong Jie.
A smile finally appeared on his face.
Compared to Xu Jinglei's pretentious distance, Dong Jie was much more pleasant.
Sweet, obedient, emotionally attentive.
A woman who knew exactly how to make a man feel comfortable.
He answered.
"Hello."
Her soft voice came from the other end.
Luo Zheng leaned lightly against the hotel wall.
"Yes, I arrived in Beijing today."
"No, not tonight. I have business tomorrow and I'm flying to Hong Kong."
"Next time."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"The film only has the male lead decided for now."
"Don't worry. I'll leave a role for you."
"But when the time comes, don't be picky."
The other side responded immediately with grateful sweetness.
Dong Jie clearly understood how to behave.
She first asked if he was tired.
Then carefully brought up the matter of the role.
And judging by her tone, if he had even slightly hinted at it, she would probably have boarded the next flight to help him "relax."
Unfortunately for her, tonight he had promised Xixi.
No girls.
At least not tonight.
After ending the call, Luo Zheng returned to the hotel suite.
The moment he entered, he found the room completely quiet.
Xixi was already fast asleep.
Children really did have enviable sleep quality.
He looked at the sleeping girl and smiled faintly.
After drinking earlier, he actually felt more awake instead of sleepy.
With no one to distract him, he sat down in front of the computer.
Almost by instinct, the first thing he did after turning it on was log into QQ.
The moment he signed in—
Ding!
A message notification flashed.
The sender's avatar made his brows rise slightly.
Fan Bingbing.
Interesting.
He clicked the message.
A long paragraph immediately popped up.
[Director? Who are you? What's your name? Are you a TV director or film director? Do you have any famous works? I'm an actress—maybe we've even worked together before?]
Luo Zheng couldn't help but smile.
From the tone alone, he could already sense the other party's curiosity and excitement.
After thinking for a moment, he typed back.
[I'm a new film director. Just finished one movie. No famous works yet.]
After sending it, he was about to close the chat window.
But the reply came almost instantly.
[A new film director is still impressive! What's the movie called? Has it been released yet?]
Luo Zheng's smile deepened.
The emotional value was excellent.
Even after hearing he was just a newcomer, her attitude didn't cool down in the slightest.
Instead, she became even more enthusiastic.
Either Fan Bingbing's EQ was already frighteningly high…
Or she was being genuinely sincere.
For a rare moment, even Luo Zheng—armed with two lifetimes of experience—couldn't tell.
Still, it didn't matter.
He wasn't looking for sincerity.
He simply wanted what she could offer.
And whatever she wanted from him would merely be an exchange of value.
No losses on either side.
So he replied:
[The film is called The Man from Earth. It premiered globally today and was screened at the Berlin Film Festival. Reviews are good. Should at least break even.]
Almost immediately—
[Global premiere? Berlin Film Festival? Good reviews? Wow! Director, you're about to become famous! By the way, I'm Fan Bingbing. What should I call you?]
Only now did she formally introduce herself.
Smart woman.
Only after sensing clear potential benefit did she reveal her identity.
Luo Zheng chuckled softly and typed:
[I know who you are, Fatty Fan. As for my name, I'll tell you next time I'm online. Going to sleep. 886.]
The moment the message was sent, his avatar went offline.
At the other end of the screen, Fan Bingbing stared at the dimmed profile picture in disbelief.
Fatty?
Where am I fat?!
She immediately got out of bed and walked to the mirror.
Under the bright room light, she carefully examined herself from every angle.
After several minutes, her hands unconsciously moved toward her chest.
Her expression froze.
…Had she really gained a little weight?
But if it's only here…
that should be fine, right?
The next morning, the weather was bright and clear.
The flight to Hong Kong departed on time.
Inside the spacious first-class cabin, Luo Zheng sat between Liu Xiaoli and Xixi.
Under Liu Xiaoli's deliberate guidance, the conversation soon shifted toward the audition for "The Story of a Noble Family."
Her voice carried obvious worry.
"Little Zheng, are you sure there won't be any problems?"
Luo Zheng leaned back calmly.
"Auntie, this is a small matter. There's no need to trouble Chairman Han personally."
"But what if the crew doesn't wait?"
Her expression was tense.
"What if the audition ends before we hear back?"
Luo Zheng smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry. I've already spoken privately with Chairman Han's secretary."
"We should have news within the next two days."
Only then did Liu Xiaoli relax slightly.
But before she could fully settle down, Luo Zheng suddenly spoke again.
"Auntie, I'm planning to fully fund a domestic entertainment company."
"I want you to be the nominee shareholder."
The words hit her like thunder.
"What?"
Her eyes widened.
"Start a company? And make me the nominee?"
Having lived with Chen Guoli, a lawyer, for several years, Liu Xiaoli naturally understood what that meant.
A nominee shareholder.
A figure in the spotlight.
A visible face.
But the real control would remain in Luo Zheng's hands.
Like an emperor in name only.
She looked at him in confusion.
"Why can't you register it under your own name?"
Luo Zheng turned and looked at her profile.
His tone was calm.
"Because I'm still Marvel's chairman."
The moment those words left his mouth, Liu Xiaoli understood.
If the domestic company were directly registered under his own name, it would remain heavily tied to Marvel.
Its independent brand value would be weakened.
More importantly, it would be difficult to fully leverage Marvel's capital and resources.
But through an offshore structure and nominee holding…
everything could be perfectly arranged.
It was an extremely clever move.
Sophisticated.
Far beyond what someone his age should be able to conceive.
Her eyes lingered on Luo Zheng's sharply defined face.
For a moment, she fell silent.
Then a single thought rose in her mind.
Why me?
Did he truly trust her this much?
Or…
was there another reason?