A few years later, one day, Lin Qi curiously asked Jiang Cheng, "Why did you trust me so much when we first met? Weren't you afraid I was deceiving you, or that I'd take advantage and then deny everything?"
Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "Actually, I couldn't be sure everything you said was true, as I knew nothing about you before. However, I could see that your feelings for Uncle Lin were genuine. Just confirming that was enough for me. I believed you truly wanted to manage Uncle Lin's legacy well, so you, with nothing at the time, would definitely cooperate with me. As for whether you'd turn your back on me after gaining benefits, honestly, I couldn't be certain. But it's not just you; I can't be certain with anyone. Few can maintain their integrity in the face of money and interests. So, I chose to trust you, to take a gamble. If we won, great; if we lost, I'd take it as a lesson, and realizing someone's true nature is worth it."
Lin Qi was silent for a long time, then asked, "So, have you seen through me now?"
Shaking his head, Jiang Cheng said, "In my opinion, it's hard to fully understand a person because one's thoughts are always changing. Using past views to judge your present self would be foolish. Isn't there a saying, 'One should look at a person with fresh eyes after three days of separation'? I've spent years confirming you're my friend, and that's enough. The rest doesn't matter."
Lin Qi also smiled, "You're right. Just like I can't see through you. After all, understanding someone takes a lifetime."
Jiang Cheng added, "That's why friendship is a lifelong matter."
※※
With their partnership confirmed, the distance between the two quickly closed, and their conversations grew more familiar.
Looking at the clock, it was already past 3 a.m. If they didn't rest, the night would pass.
Lin Qi initially planned to return to his hotel, but Jiang Cheng insisted it would disturb others and, besides, there were no more cars available, so he should just stay. Lin Qi agreed.
The study only had one single bed, which would be too cramped for two, but thankfully there were enough blankets for one to sleep on the bed and the other on the floor.
As the host, Jiang Cheng naturally wouldn't let his guest sleep on the floor, so he took the floor himself, thankfully on a thick mat, avoiding the cold.
Lying in bed, perhaps due to the tea (coffee) earlier, Lin Qi felt too energized to sleep, so they started chatting again.
"Do you plan to pursue filmmaking for life?" Lin Qi suddenly asked. "Haven't you considered other industries? Your novels are well-written; you could be a professional writer if you ever tire of filmmaking."
Shaking his head, Jiang Cheng firmly said, "Although I enjoy writing, I love filmmaking more. It's what I've committed to for life. In fact, I write novels mainly to serve my films. The feeling of bringing the worlds from my writing to life is incomparably marvelous!"
"Aren't you afraid you'll get tired of it one day?"
"How could I?" Jiang Cheng laughed, "LOL, your question is really silly! How could I get tired of something I genuinely love? Maybe with other jobs, but not with films..."
Jiang Cheng shook his head, "Absolutely not, because it's what I truly love!"
Lin Qi pondered, "Truly love, huh?"
"How about you? Are you still not sure what industry you truly love?" Jiang Cheng asked curiously, "It seems like you're still in doubt."
Lin Qi nodded but didn't speak.
"Initially, you chose USC because of Uncle Lin, right? But do you like films yourself?" Jiang Cheng suddenly asked.
After thinking, Lin Qi seriously said, "At first, not really, but the more I learned and watched, the more interested I became. Although I can't say I'm obsessed, I've grown to love it a lot. Seeing a story slowly turn into a visual piece in my hands is a fascinating feeling!"
"Yes, that's the charm of films!" Jiang Cheng exclaimed, "Then what's there to doubt?"
Lin Qi fell silent, then suddenly smiled broadly, "Right, what's there to doubt? Let's not talk about this. What should we name our company?"
"What do you think?" Jiang Cheng countered.
"I can only think of 'Apex or Summit,'" Lin Qi said with a wry smile.
"Unfortunately, that name is already registered by a company that's been doing well in the past two years, and it's not something we can touch," Jiang Cheng said calmly.
"How long do you think it'll take for us to acquire it?" Lin Qi asked.
"Not possible this year," Jiang Cheng stated, "Maybe next year if we're lucky."
"Hopefully," Lin Qi nodded.
The two were talking about Summit Entertainment LLC, a global film studio based in Santa Monica, California, focusing on film development, financing, production, and distribution. The company handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its internally developed movies and acquired films.
The founders, like Patrick Wachsberger, Bob Hayward, and David Garrett, were ambitious, aiming to compete with top Hollywood studios, not just be a small production company. However, in its early years, this goal seemed like a joke. Like other Hollywood challengers, Summit Entertainment struggled with insufficient funds, unable to attract top directors and stars, often ranking just below major distributors in box office results.
But Summit had a keen eye, picking classics like "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Memento." However, these weren't cash cows like "Harry Potter."
It wasn't until 2008, when Summit took a big gamble on the "Twilight" series and achieved tremendous success, freeing itself from financial woes. That year, "The Hurt Locker" also won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, suddenly making Summit a known name in the industry.
In the future, Summit is involved in producing and distributing many hit films, such as "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "Step Up" series, "Knowing," "Source Code," etc. Last year, the remake of "Vanilla Sky" produced by Summit and Artisan, driven by Tom Cruise's popularity, grossed $201 million worldwide and received high critical acclaim. Despite many nominations, it proved its popularity.
If others knew these two young men were considering acquiring a currently decent Hollywood company even before their company was established, they would be deemed mad and labeled as naive.
But that's life. You always need to set a seemingly unattainable goal for the current stage. If it's too easy to achieve, where's the fun in striving?
"Do you have a good name in mind?" Lin Qi asked.
"How about 'Miracle City'?"
"'Miracle City'?"
"Yes, a combination of our names in English, Miracle City, Miracle－City, how about that?" Jiang Cheng suggested with a smile.
"Good name!" Lin Qi said contentedly, then teasingly added, "And my name is first!"
"It doesn't matter. After all, you'll be the one in the limelight, and I'll be behind the scenes," Jiang Cheng shrugged and laughed.
"Then it's settled! Miracle City Films, phonetically 'Qicheng,' meaning 'set forth.' The road is under our feet, starting today. A pun, indeed, not bad!" Lin Qi said.
※※
The next morning, Lin Qi bid farewell but didn't immediately return to the U.S., as Jiang Cheng was sending someone back with him to handle company affairs.
Jiang Dejun, although curious about Lin Qi's sudden visit and departure, didn't ask further as Jiang Cheng only mentioned business reasons. Despite their curiosity, the others didn't inquire further.
On February 14th, Thursday, the third day of the lunar new year, Lin Qi and Zheng Hai, sent by Jiang Cheng, boarded a direct flight to Los Angeles, U.S.A.
After a week of negotiations, they acquired the American branch of Simian Films.
In 1994, during the romantic peak of Hugh Grant and his former girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley, they jointly invested in a film company named Simian Films, collaborating with Castle Rock Entertainment in the U.S. to produce films. After producing "Extreme Measures" and "Mickey Blue Eyes," despite good box office returns, the company didn't profit due to poor management. After "Mickey Blue Eyes" in 1999, Simian Films essentially existed in name only.
In 2000, following Grant and Hurley's split, the company's plans were indefinitely postponed. Though the London headquarters and the U.S. branch needed to continue operating, requiring millions of dollars annually.
Elizabeth Hurley had previously considered closing the U.S. branch. Upon learning of Lin Qi's intentions, she readily sold Simian Films' U.S. branch to Lin Qi for a mere $1 million. Additionally, through negotiations, Lin Qi also acquired the film rights to "Extreme Measures" and "Mickey Blue Eyes."
Spending $1 million for a complete film production system and the rights to two well-received films was undoubtedly a good deal.
After about a week of adjustments and registering the new company's name and trademark, Miracle City Films was established in Santa Monica, California. The chairman was a young Chinese-American named Lin Qi, a recent graduate from USC's directing program.
However, this news didn't garner much attention, as companies like this were common in Hollywood, with many film production companies starting up or folding each year. Some were acquired by larger companies, while others disappeared after a few months, reflecting the brutal nature of the entertainment industry.
What's interesting about this company was its immediate acquisition of a special effects company called X-Lin, although it was also small and had only worked on effects for some ads and MVs in recent years. Yet, Miracle City Films' bold moves suggested a big ambition.
Sure enough, in early March, Miracle City Films purchased the film adaptation rights to Jerome Bixby's last novel, "It's A Good Life," and announced the immediate production of "The Man from Earth."
But a small company's first film is a sci-fi? How much investment does this film have? Can the small company afford it? This piqued the interest of some media and film companies.
Surprisingly, this anticipated "sci-fi film" announced completion a week after starting production, set to premiere in early April!
What kind of sci-fi film can be made in a week?
Some tabloids revealed that Lin Qi, the young chairman of Miracle City Films, visited CAA and selected 8 actors.
Only 8 actors?
What sci-fi needs so few actors?
But indeed, some film companies recalled a recent Chinese film "[Immortal]" that was also a sci-fi with less than ten actors and produced in less than a week. Rumor had it the film cost only $12,200 but earned nearly $25 million in just three Asian countries.
However, "[Immortal]" wasn't released in the U.S., and they only knew about it through Asian partners.
Could "The Man from Earth" be adapted from "[Immortal]"? How else could they be so similar?
But that's not entirely accurate, as Miracle City Films clearly stated "The Man from Earth" was adapted from Jerome Bixby's sci-fi short story "It's A Good Life," unrelated to "[Immortal]."
Yet, there might be a connection. Insiders revealed the scriptwriter for this film was named Jiang Cheng, a Chinese guy.
Wait!
Wasn't the director of "[Immortal]" named Jiang Cheng, recently deemed "the youngest director in the world" and a rising star in the Chinese entertainment scene? And according to investigations, Lin Qi visited Shanghai, China, in February, and shortly after returning, established Miracle City Films and quickly produced "The Man from Earth." And Jiang Cheng resides in Shanghai...
Is there a connection?
That remains unknown. However, "The Man from Earth" gained considerable attention due to this, and some curious individuals managed to watch "[Immortal]," being thoroughly surprised. They couldn't believe a Chinese film could be so imaginative and unexpected. Previously, Chinese films were often criticized for poor plots, so the emergence of such a plot-driven film surprised them, and they became interested in Jiang Cheng.
However, due to Jiang Cheng's still growing fame, their information was incomplete. But just the title "the youngest director in the world" was enough to catch their attention. They had heard of him but hadn't paid much mind, dismissing it as Chinese media hype. But after watching "[Immortal]," their opinions changed. He was indeed a talented young individual with a promising future.
And word was his second film was already in production, drawing their interest.
The premiere date for "The Man from Earth" was soon set. On April 1st, 2002, "April Fool's Day," it would premiere in 528 U.S. theaters.