Chapter 165: Min Yang Special Effects

February 1994, the capital's airport.

The cold wind swept fine snow as Xiang Fei, wearing sunglasses and carrying a suitcase, walked out of the terminal.

"Fei-ge!"

White Dragon and Black Tiger stood beside a black Mercedes, waving at him.

Xiang Fei walked over and clapped them both on the shoulder: "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long," White Dragon took the luggage, "Fei-ge, Jingcheng is way colder than Xiangjiang."

Xiang Fei climbed into the car and exhaled a puff of white breath: "Turn the heat up higher."

Black Tiger started the engine while glancing at him in the rearview mirror: "Fei-ge, how long are you staying this time?"

"Depends." Xiang Fei gazed at the unfamiliar street scene outside the window, "Could be a long time."

The car stopped in front of the company. The four big characters "Feimin Entertainment" gleamed gold in the sunlight.

Xiang Fei walked into the company. The receptionist girl shot to her feet: "G-good morning, President Xiang!"

He nodded and headed straight for the finance department.

Cai Wen was reconciling accounts. He looked up, saw Xiang Fei, and froze for a beat: "What are you doing here?"

"Auditing the books." Xiang Fei pulled over a chair and sat down, "How much working capital does the company have right now?"

Cai Wen pushed his glasses up: "Around eighty million."

"That's enough." Xiang Fei tapped the desk with his fingers, "I'm planning to set up a special effects company."

Cai Wen frowned: "What kind of special effects company?"

"A professional one. For movie special effects." Xiang Fei's gaze was firm, "It'll need at least seventy million."

Cai Wen shot to his feet: "Seventy million? Are you out of your mind?"

"I'm not crazy." Xiang Fei's tone was calm, "Hollywood has already started using computer special effects. We can't fall behind."

"That's Hollywood!" Cai Wen slammed the desk, "This is Jingcheng! The audience doesn't even know what special effects are!"

Xiang Fei stared at him: "Which is exactly why we have to be the first."

"Feimin Entertainment is on the rise right now!" Cai Wen's voice trembled, "If you throw all the money in and it fails?"

"It won't fail."

"What guarantee do you have?" Cai Wen took off his glasses and rubbed his brow, "Xiang Shao, this isn't Xiangjiang. Nobody here gives a damn about special effects!"

Xiang Fei stood up: "I do."

The two locked eyes. The air froze.

Cai Wen suddenly laughed, a somewhat bleak laugh: "I understand. You're still that gambler."

"This isn't a gamble."

"It is a gamble!" Cai Wen grabbed the account book and slammed it on the desk, "Betting seventy million on an invisible future!"

Xiang Fei was silent for a moment: "I need your support."

"I can't support it." Cai Wen turned and walked toward the door, "Whatever you want to do is your business, but I can't gamble Feimin Entertainment's future with you."

He pulled the door open, then paused: "Xiang Fei, don't let A-Min and Yangyang down."

The door was slammed shut hard.

In the office, Xiang Fei stood alone for a long time.

White Dragon cautiously poked his head in: "Fei-ge... everything okay?"

Xiang Fei shook his head: "Go find every person in the country who understands computer special effects."

"Now?"

"Now."

Black Tiger hesitated: "But President Cai, he..."

"I'm the one who calls the shots at this company." Xiang Fei's gaze was sharp, "Get it done."

The two exchanged a glance and quietly withdrew.

That evening, Xiang Fei received a phone call at home.

"Heard you made Cai Wen blow his top?" Han Sanping's voice came through the receiver.

Xiang Fei rubbed his temple: "News travels fast."

"Come over for dinner," Han Sanping laughed, "I'll introduce you to a few friends."

An hour later, Xiang Fei sat at Han Sanping's dining table, facing several technical backbones from the Beijing Film Studio.

"This is Zhang Hong," Han Sanping introduced, "Computer graphics expert."

The bespectacled young man nodded stiffly: "Hello, Mr. Xiang."

Xiang Fei poured him a glass of wine: "Tell me, what's the current level we can achieve domestically?"

Zhang Hong adjusted his glasses: "If the equipment is in place... maybe we could pull off something like Jurassic Park."

Xiang Fei's eyes lit up: "Good."

Late at night, Xiang Fei stood at the hotel window, gazing at the lights of Jingcheng.

His phone rang. It was Zhou Huimin.

"How did it go?" she asked gently.

Xiang Fei sighed: "Cai Wen didn't agree."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment: "Are you sure about this?"

"Never been more sure." Xiang Fei gripped the phone tightly, "A-Min, I have to do this."

"Then go do it." Zhou Huimin said softly, "I'll hold down the home front."

After hanging up, Xiang Fei dialed White Dragon's number: "Starting tomorrow, register a new company. Call it 'Min Yang Special Effects.'"

One month later, Minyang Special Effects officially went public.

Xiang Fei stood before the brand-new equipment and spoke to more than twenty employees:

"I know many people say we're crazy," he looked around at them, "but one day, the whole world will remember Chinese Special Effects."

In the corner, Zhang Hong quietly adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting a gleam of excitement.

The door suddenly swung open, and Cai Wen stood at the threshold with a suitcase.

"Still need a general manager?" he asked.

Xiang Fei smiled: "We do."