Chapter 264: Avatar Wraps

December 2000, Wellington, New Zealand, the Avatar set.

"Cut! Perfect!"

Xiang Fei took off his headphones, stood up from the director's chair, and scanned the set. The countless days and nights of hard work finally came to an end at this moment.

"Avatar—officially wrapped!"

The set instantly erupted in deafening cheers. Leonardo rushed over first, hugging Xiang Fei tightly: "Aiven! We've made history!"

Jackie Chan laughed, slapping Xiang Fei on the shoulder: "Ah Fei, we've done it!"

Anita Mui stood aside, her eyes slightly red, and said softly: "Ah Fei, congratulations."

Xiang Fei looked at this group of partners from all over the world, his throat tightened, and finally turned into a single sentence: "Thank you all, this is a victory belonging to all of us."

Over the past two-plus years, this set in the Southern Hemisphere never lacked visitors from all over the world.

Zhou Huimin brought her son Yangyang three times. When the little guy first saw the crew wearing motion capture suits, he innocently asked: "Why do daddy and the uncles have little dots stuck on them?" causing everyone present to burst into laughter.

After China Film was established in mid-1999, Han Shanping flew to New Zealand immediately. Standing in front of the green screen, this newly appointed chairman of China Film sighed: "Xiang Fei, I knew you could do it."

Wang Zhonglei came with the contract, and when signing the China-US co-production agreement on set, he half-jokingly said: "President Xiang, remember to bring us Huayi along for future Hollywood business."

The most unexpected person was Zhang Weiping. He stared at the real-time rendered images of the planet Pan Duola for a full half-hour, and finally only said one sentence: "I'm convinced."

That night's wrap party was held at Wellington's most luxurious hotel.

Hiroshi Nagano raised his glass, shouting in Japanese: "Cheers! Aiven is the best director!"

Anne Hathaway elegantly sipped her champagne and said to Lin Qingxia beside her: "I never thought Director Aiven could master the sci-fi genre so perfectly."

Li Xuejian and Liu Xiaoqing sat in the corner, looking at the actors celebrating all around, and exchanged a smile. They lightly clinked glasses: "This toast is for the future of Chinese cinema."

Xiang Fei was toasted by everyone in turn, and Chen Kaige, with his arm around his neck and drunk, said: "Ah Fei, in these two-plus years, I have indeed learned a lot about shooting sci-fi films!"

In a corner of the banquet hall, reporters from around the world had already set up their long lenses and short guns.

A BBC reporter struck first: "Aiven, this film's investment far exceeds your Titanic. Aren't you worried about losing everything?"

Xiang Fei swirled his red wine glass and calmly replied: "Every breakthrough in film history requires someone to take the first step."

The Hollywood Reporter pressed on relentlessly: "Can Western audiences accept the sci-fi aesthetics of a Chinese director?"

"Art has no borders." Xiang Fei pointed to Leonardo, who was demonstrating martial arts moves with Jackie Chan, "Just like them, from different cultural backgrounds, yet finding resonance on the planet Pan Duola."

The most cutting question came from Xiangjiang media: "If Avatar fails, will you make these investors regret it?"

The scene suddenly fell silent.

Anita Mui suddenly snatched the microphone: "I've known Xiang Fei for nearly twenty years, and he has never let anyone down!" Her sharp gaze swept over the reporters, "This question can wait until after the premiere."

At the same moment, in a private club in Beijing, Xiang Sheng was clinking glasses with Han Shanping.

"Chairman Han, are China Film's distribution channels all ready?"

Han Shanping smiled and showed the documents: "When it releases, five thousand screens nationwide, full support for the Spring Festival slot. This is the largest-scale distribution plan in Chinese film history."

On the other side, in the Huayi Brothers office, the Wang brothers stared at the live footage of the banquet being transmitted.

"Brother, I'm still a bit scared?" Wang Zhongjun sounded uneasy.

Wang Zhonglei spun his wine glass: "If we win the bet, Huayi will ride this ship of Zhou Huimin to storm Hollywood; if we lose..." He looked at the poster for The Dreamers on the wall, "At worst, we'll just make New Year's films for another ten years."

At three in the morning, the noise had finally died down.

Xiang Fei stood alone on the hotel terrace, the Wellington night wind carrying the unique saltiness of the South Pacific. His phone vibrated; it was a message from Zhou Huimin: Yangyang said Daddy is a superman who creates planets.

He looked up at the starry sky, where there was a particularly bright star.

The night wind scattered the unfinished words.

The next morning, global entertainment sections simultaneously published the same photo: Xiang Fei standing in front of a massive concept art of "Pan Duola Planet," with a dream team of Eastern and Western superstars behind him.

The New York Times' headline was the most striking: "Can the Huaxia director recreate the glory of Titanic?"