Chapter 248: Groundbreaking Ceremony

A week later, the largest conference room at Feimin Entertainment was glittering with stars.

Jackie Chan, wearing sunglasses and a casual suit, was chatting enthusiastically with Leonardo DiCaprio in broken English: "Leo, after we finish filming, I'll take you to eat the most authentic Beijing duck!"

"That's amazing!" Leonardo clapped excitedly. "Aiven said you'd take me to the best place!"

On the other side, Anne Hathaway stood elegantly by the window in a white dress, her golden hair shimmering in the sunlight, her blue eyes seeming to speak.

"Anne, hello, I'm Xiang Sheng." Xiang Sheng appeared beside her without warning, wearing his signature smile. "Welcome to China."

"Thank you, Mr. Xiang," Anne replied politely, but noticed Xiang Sheng's gaze was overly warm.

A little way off, Wang Zhonglei and Jackie Chan also approached.

"Young Lady Anne," Wang Zhonglei adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "You are beautiful."

Jackie Chan simply gave a thumbs-up: "Beautiful! Great acting too!"

The three pairs of eyes made Anne uncomfortable; she stepped back slightly: "Uh, thank you for the compliments..."

Fortunately, Xiang Fei walked over: "Anne, the media are arriving soon. Let's get ready."

Anne breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed Xiang Fei away.

The conference room soon filled with media from all over. Cameras, long and short, were trained on the main creative team onstage.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the media," Xiang Fei stood at the center, smiling. "Thank you all for attending the groundbreaking ceremony of 'Avatar.'"

Flashbulbs erupted in a blinding burst.

"This film will employ the most advanced motion-capture technology..."

Reporters below frantically took notes.

"Aiven," the reporter from The Hollywood Reporter asked first, "why did you choose Jack as the male lead?"

Xiang Fei smiled. "Jack has excellent kung fu, and his acting and movement skills are top-tier. Most importantly—" he paused deliberately—"he's cheap."

The entire room burst into laughter. Jackie Chan, offstage, pretended to be angry and waved his fist.

"Mr. Leonardo," the reporter from Variety turned to Little Li, "what attracted you to this Chinese film?"

Leonardo flashed his signature sunny smile: "Aiven is my good friend, and his script is amazing. Plus..." he winked mischievously, "Jack promised to take me to eat duck."

More laughter erupted.

When Hiroshi Nagano was introduced, the room suddenly erupted in childish screams.

"Tiga! Tiga!"

They were a group of young fans, all devoted followers of "Ultraman Tiga."

Hiroshi Nagano stood up in surprise and greeted them in Japanese: "Hello everyone! I'm Hiroshi Nagano!"

The children grew even more excited; some even tried to rush the stage. Security rushed to restore order.

Xiang Fei laughed to defuse the scene: "Looks like our 'Ultraman' is more popular than we are!"

Hiroshi Nagano, moved, said: "I never expected so many fans in China. I'll work hard to portray Su Tai well!"

After speaking, he struck the classic transformation pose of Ultraman Tiga, triggering a roar of cheers from the crowd.

"Young Lady Anne," a female reporter from the South China Morning Post asked, "you'll be playing a female warrior from an alien race—what preparations have you made?"

Anne gracefully smoothed her hair: "I've trained in martial arts." She added playfully, "Of course, the biggest challenge is applying five hours of blue skin makeup every day."

"Master Li Xuejian," a CCTV reporter asked, "you're playing the villain this time—what's different about this experience?"

Li Xuejian answered calmly: "This villain isn't just a simple bad guy—he has his own beliefs and convictions. Playing him is incredibly satisfying."

Suddenly, a tabloid reporter threw out a sharp question: "Big Brother Jackie, I heard you're getting close to Young Lady Anne?"

The room fell silent.

Jackie Chan looked utterly bewildered: "Huh? We've only just met!"

Xiang Fei quickly stepped in: "Reporter, today is a film launch event—please focus on the work itself."

As the launch event neared its end, Xiang Fei stepped to the center.

"Tomorrow, 'Avatar' will officially begin filming." He scanned the room. "This will be a groundbreaking film—we will create history!"

The entire creative team stood together on stage for a group photo. Jackie Chan and Leonardo had their arms around each other's shoulders; Anne stood beside Xiang Fei; Li Xuejian maintained his usual dignity; Hiroshi Nagano was still making Ultraman gestures toward the children.

Flashbulbs erupted again in a blinding burst.

After the launch event, in the backstage lounge.

"Aiven," Leonardo asked curiously, "why did you choose blue for the aliens' skin color?"

Xiang Fei smiled mysteriously: "Blue has the strongest visual impact on screen, and..." he lowered his voice, "it's less likely to show through."

Jackie Chan was teaching Anne how to say "duck" in Chinese; her pronunciation made everyone burst into laughter.

At that moment, an assistant rushed over: "General Xiang, Minyang has arrived and is waiting for you to attend the meeting."

Xiang Fei nodded and addressed everyone: "Everyone, see you on set tomorrow! Let's create miracles!"