Afterward, the two of them discussed some matters related to their respective families. When Jiang Cheng learned that the woman in front of him actually worked at the Ministry of Land and Resources, he couldn't help but be extremely surprised.
The Ministry of Land and Resources! It oversaw national land management, and anyone wanting to engage in real estate had to go through the Ministry for approval. It was a department with real power. Moreover, he heard that everyone else in Lin Wanjun's family held high positions in the military and government, making them a truly influential and powerful family.
What kind of power and influence then did the Jiang family have, having been friends with the Lin family for generations?
Jiang Cheng asked Lin Wanjun about this, but she just smiled and didn't provide an answer.
"You'll be turning 18 next year, and your dad will definitely take you back to Beijing for a visit. By then, you'll know everything," Lin Wanjun said, leaving Jiang Cheng with this enigmatic response.
They continued to talk for a while, but then a male secretary whispered something in Lin Wanjun's ear.
Lin Wanjun nodded knowingly and turned to Jiang Cheng with an elegant smile. "Xiaocheng, I'm sorry, but I have to go."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Lin, you're leaving already?"
"Yes, I have an early morning meeting tomorrow, and my flight tonight is approaching its departure time. I have to go."
"Well... Aunt Lin, when can we meet again?"
Lin Wanjun smiled again and replied, "We'll have the opportunity to meet again. Besides, it's the modern age; we can always communicate through a phone call."
Jiang Cheng chuckled awkwardly, admitting that he had momentarily forgotten about that option. They exchanged contact information, intending to stay in touch in the future.
Afterward, Jiang Cheng and his group left the meeting room. The spacious office suddenly fell silent as all the administrative staff members watched them from a distance.
….
"Hello, everyone. Perhaps some of you know me, and maybe some don't. But what I want to say is that I am Jiang Cheng, also known as Bright Moon, the somewhat famous author from back in the day," Jiang Cheng walked to the center of the office, surveyed the employees, and felt a bit nervous. He smiled and continued, "I'm now your new boss, but please don't look at me like that; I'm a bit scared."
All the employees burst into laughter and applause. Every one of them had been worried about hearing their new boss say "layoffs." However, now they could temporarily put their worries to rest.
"Hey, folks!" Jiang Cheng called out loudly, getting everyone's attention. He smiled and announced, "But I have to say, I won't make any changes to the company's internal operations for the time being. Everyone can continue working as usual."
As he finished speaking, the employees enthusiastically clapped their hands, some even whistled. Each person had a big smile on their face. In recent days, they had been most afraid of hearing about layoffs from the new boss. But now, with the news of an upcoming film project, the risk of layoffs had significantly decreased.
"Great job, everybody!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed, allowing the applause and cheers to continue. "However, I have to mention that the company will soon be working on a new movie project, so everyone will be quite busy!"
All the employees cheered, clapping their hands and shouting, "That's awesome!" In the entertainment industry, companies feared having no projects lined up because it meant a lack of work, which would eventually lead to layoffs. But now that there was a plan to shoot a new film, their worries were temporarily put to rest.
Lin Wanjun watched the lively scene in the office and then looked at Jiang Cheng not too far away. She saw in him her younger brother, a stubborn young man, and smiled with relief in her heart. "Keep striving forward, young man!"
※※※
For a company to run smoothly, it not only needed a strong leader but also someone who could keep things together and maintain unity.
After staying in Wuhan for two more days to complete all the necessary procedures, New Century Entertainment was officially renamed Apex Films Studio. They merged the currently unnecessary departments and integrated them with departments such as the production and distribution units. While no staff members were laid off, the entire company underwent a transformation. All departments became closely interconnected, and operational efficiency took a significant leap.
Jiang Cheng had observed everything for two days and officially appointed Zheng Hai, the former deputy general manager of New Century Entertainment, as the new company's CEO.
Zheng Hai was only 35 years old, of average build and looked quite mild-mannered. He had been working alongside the late company founder, Lin Junhao, in the early days of the company. He was an old-timer and had the ability to win people's trust. He was also highly capable, although he had been suppressed in Lin Junhao's shadow and hadn't had much chance to showcase his talents.
After talking with him in detail, Jiang Cheng discovered that this middle-aged man had a keen insight into the current trends in the film and television market. It was evident that he had put in considerable effort to stay updated. Jiang Cheng was pleased with this finding; it seemed that everyone in the company had a certain level of competence. The previous failure to develop New Century Entertainment under Lin Junhao's leadership was likely due to bad luck and a lack of clear direction.
Jiang Cheng handed over the management of the entire company to Zheng Hai and provided him with ¥1.5 million RMB for the company's day-to-day expenses. Afterward, he and Xu Lirong took a flight back to Shanghai.
※※※
On the plane, Xu Lirong suddenly said to Jiang Cheng, "Acheng, do you think buying this company was really worth it?"
Jiang Cheng replied confidently, "It's worth it! Just the special effects company alone is a great deal, not to mention it comes with a fully-equipped production company."
Xu Lirong hesitated and said, "I know that special effects can be very expensive, and your foundation is still shallow. Can you afford it?"
Jiang Cheng sighed and said, "Even if I can't afford it, I have to! Special effects will play an increasingly important role in future films and television production. Without good special effects, many scenes can't be created. Just like the American 'Star Wars' series, it couldn't have been made without special effects. And in recent years, Hollywood has been producing one big blockbuster after another, clearly indicating that the future will be dominated by big-budget films. If China doesn't 't put more effort into this area, our domestic films will definitely be at a disadvantage when competing with those blockbusters!"
Xu Lirong didn't have much knowledge in this area but felt that Jiang Cheng made a valid point. However, he still thought Jiang Cheng might be worrying too much. China only had quotas for importing 20 Hollywood films each year. How much impact could it have on domestic films?
Seeing Xu Lirong's skeptical expression, Jiang Cheng knew he wasn't completely convinced and couldn't help but smile bitterly. He would find out in due time. Blockbusters like "The Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" would become more and more common, continuously breaking domestic box office records. Even now, the top-grossing film in China was still "Titanic"!
Xu Lirong thought for a moment and changed the subject, asking, "By the way, A-Cheng, weren't you planning to make a movie soon? Why did you return to Shanghai so quickly? Do you have a new plan?"
Jiang Cheng smiled wryly, "I came back to Shanghai to publish another book."
"What? That's too fast! It's only been a few months, and you're already publishing another book?" Xu Lirong was surprised. This guy seemed incredibly prolific!
Jiang Cheng shook his head and said, "I have no choice. Running a special effects company is really expensive, and I need to earn money quickly."
These past few days, John Weber, the head of the X-Lin special effects company in the United States, had already called Jiang Cheng, urgently requesting additional funds. The X-Lin company had made progress on a project they had been researching recently and needed a large amount of funding. However, due to Lin Junhao's sudden death, the X-Lin company hadn't received financial support from New Century Entertainment for nearly a month. The company's balance was running low.
John Weber, a trusted friend of Lin Junhao in the United States, was the person in charge. Lin Wanjun had mentioned that he could be trusted. However, Jiang Cheng wouldn't spend money without reason. He asked John Weber to send him their research results for his review.
This was reasonable, and John Weber didn't hesitate. That same day, he sent Jiang Cheng an encrypted file over the internet. After decrypting it, Jiang Cheng was taken aback at first, but then an expression of excitement appeared on his face.
He never expected that the X-Lin company was currently researching 3D rendering software! This technology had a wide range of applications, not only in film special effects but also in animated films, like the famous animated film "Ice Age" that had utilized this technology.
Jiang Cheng immediately decided: invest more money!
Subsequently, Jiang Cheng transferred ¥3.5 million RMB/ $500,000 to John Weber, but that would only cover the company's expenses for a month. Jiang Cheng was nearly broke now, with less than 100,000 RMB left in his bank account, so he needed to make money quickly.
※※※
Back home, Jiang Cheng found his father, Jiang Dejun, and the two of them had a private conversation. Jiang Cheng told his father about meeting Lin Wanjun and the news of Lin Junhao's passing. Upon hearing about Lin Junhao's death, Jiang Dejun displayed deep sadness.
"I can't believe Little Hao is gone just like that! I remember when he was a kid, he used to follow me around, asking me to take him out to play. He was only about ten years old back then. Who would have thought that he would leave us at such a young age! Uncle Lin San only has this one son; this is truly a heavy blow to him," Jiang Dejun said sorrowfully.
Jiang Cheng consoled him, saying, "Dad, try to look at it positively. People can't come back to life once they're gone. Fortunately, I heard from Aunt Lin that Uncle Lin Junhao left behind an illegitimate child, so he didn't leave the Lin family without an heir. Besides, since I've inherited Uncle Lin Junhao business, I'll work hard to make it prosperous and won't let him down."
Nodding, Jiang Dejun advised, "That's right, Acheng. Since you've acquired your uncle's business, you should strive to make it thrive. Don't waste your uncle's lifetime of hard work."
Jiang Cheng replied firmly, "Don't worry, Dad! I own this company now, and I'll make it rise to great heights!"
Jiang Dejun had complete confidence in Jiang Cheng now, and seeing his determination, he didn't say much more. Then he asked, "By the way, you were planning to make a movie soon, right? Why did you come back to Shanghai so quickly? Do you have a new plan?"
Jiang Cheng smiled wryly and said, "I had to come back to publish another book."
"What? That's too fast! It's only been a few months, and you're already publishing another book?"
Jiang Cheng shrugged and said, "I have no choice. I'm a bit short on funds right now, so I need to earn some money quickly."
Jiang Dejun asked with concern, "You need money right now? Why don't you take some from me? Your mother and I have some savings. You don't need to repay us immediately. Take it for now."
Jiang Cheng shook his head and said, "No need, Dad. I already have the money for this movie. It's just that the X-Lin special effects company in the United States is very expensive to run, and they're in urgent need of funds due to recent progress in their research. So, I need to make money quickly. Moreover, I have a plan."
"What plan?"
"This plan!"
Saying that, Jiang Cheng took out a thick stack of printed manuscripts and handed them to Jiang Dejun.
Jiang Dejun took a look and saw the two big characters "Zhu Xian" (Jade Dynasty) on the cover. He couldn't help but be surprised again, "Another book? When did you write this?"
Jiang Cheng shrugged and said, "Just these past few months. Because I've been busy, I could only write about 20,000 words per day on average, but I've accumulated over a million words by now."
Shaking his head, he was a little speechless at his son's high speed and productivity. After calming down, Jiang Dejun asked again: "You! What is the theme of this book?"
"Xianxia."
"Oh? Is it the theme you told me about when you wrote [Kunlun] during the summer vacation?"
"Yes."
"When did you come up with this idea?"
"I came up with it together with [Kunlun], but I decided to write [Kunlun] at that time, so this book was shelved first. After school started in September, I slowly typed up this book when I usually had nothing to do. "
Jiang Dejun was completely speechless. It may take several years for others to write a book from conception to publication; but this guy came up with the ideas for two books at once, and they were both published within a few months.
How could those "well-known writers" be embarrassed? Shaking his head and putting those messy thoughts to the back of his mind, Jiang Dejun opened the printed manuscript and said, "Then let me see what you wrote first?"
Jiang Cheng smiled and thought to himself: This book has been revised for nearly three months, and all the unresolved suspense in the original version has been resolved and added to one by one. I think it will definitely be more attractive than the original version.
Sure enough, this book enticed Jiang Dejun immediately.