Chapter 1: Sun Wukong Battles Superman 2!

2003.

June.

The weather was so stifling it made one gasp for breath.

Zhou Yang sat quietly by the window, ordered the cheapest coffee, did nothing, and just stared blankly at the bustling street outside.

Having come to this world that was both familiar and strange for about a month, he still felt a slight sense of confusion at this very moment.

Qin Shi Huang and Han Wudi, Tang Taizong and Song Taizu were all there; the late Qing Empress Dowager and the eight years of humiliation were there; 【Romance of the Three Kingdoms】 and 【Journey to the West】 were there, as were those historical figures everyone knew by name.

But history after that began to gradually become somewhat ambiguous...

After finishing a cup of coffee, he withdrew his gaze, smoothed out his slightly wrinkled suit, lowered his head, and wiped his glasses.

His reflection in the mirror, though slightly less handsome than before, possessed a refined demeanor that Zhou Yang found very satisfactory.

The music in the cafe was very gentle, a melody; yes, it was a famous Austrian piano piece titled "To the Wonderful You."

Zhou Yang listened silently, enjoying this moment of tranquility; before long, the coffee had slowly run out.

Just then, a knocking sound came from the private room.

"Come in."

Zhou Yang put on his non-prescription glasses, revealing a warm smile as he looked at the beautiful, tall girl pushing the door open.

Seeing Zhou Yang, the girl was stunned for a moment, but then quickly forced a smile, extending her hand: "Hello, President Zhou."

"Hello, President Zhang..." The girl's name was Zhang Muxue, a shareholder of the 【Feihe Cinema】 in Yanjing.

After the girl sat down, she sized up the young man who, though wearing a cheap suit, was meticulous and possessed a certain air; hesitating for a moment, she said: "President Zhou, let's get straight to the point. Is it true you want to take a share in our 【Feihe Cinema】?"

"Yes." Zhou Yang nodded.

"President Zhou, you should be aware of the current situation of our 【Feihe Cinema】, right?" Zhang Muxue hesitated for a while before asking this question.

"I am aware. Four months of rent remain, and then it will go bankrupt." After asking the waiter to refill his coffee, Zhou Yang nodded seriously.

"Although the four months are about to expire, but... we will renovate; tables and chairs will all be replaced; besides that, we will also reach various strategic cooperations with major cinema chains... we..." Seeing this, Zhang Muxue immediately took a long list out of her bag and handed it to Zhou Yang.

But Zhou Yang shook his head and did not take the list: "President Zhang, I'm sorry, I am a person who likes to be direct. Just tell me directly, how much money is needed to take a share in your cinema?"

"One hundred thousand!" Zhang Muxue's face turned slightly red, but she still stared tightly at Zhou Yang and stated a number exceeding expectations.

But unfortunately.

She could not see any other emotion on Zhou Yang's face.

Amidst the melody of a beautiful French song titled "Wonderful World," Zhou Yang silently took a sip of coffee, looked out the window, and showed no intention of responding.

"Ninety thousand. If you can give me the money now, ninety thousand, and I'll let you have it!" Zhang Muxue took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and stated another number.

Zhou Yang turned his head slightly, looked at Zhang Muxue, and revealed a warm smile: "How about this, President Zhang, let's order first. Is steak okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Waiter, please bring two steaks. Medium-well is fine, keep the original flavor, and another cup of coffee..."

Under Zhang Muxue's gaze, Zhou Yang looked at the arriving waiter and revealed an elegant smile.

The waiter nodded, then turned and left.

"President Zhou, although our cinema's rent is about to expire and the profit for the past half month of 2003 isn't high, but, President Zhou, you should know that our 【Feihe Cinema】 is an old-established cinema with many customers. Moreover, more importantly, our team is very cohesive. In the upcoming wave of cinema chain acquisitions, we hold a significant advantage..." Zhang Muxue felt very uncomfortable talking with Zhou Yang.

He seemed always so casual, and always gave the impression of standing in a high position, looking down on her.

But Zhang Muxue knew very well that at this very moment, she needed money!

In the 80s and 90s, the 【Feihe Cinema】 in Yanjiao was once very glorious; almost whenever a blockbuster was released, the cinema was packed with people, and the surrounding snack and popcorn vendors also enjoyed a boom.

In the late 90s, after the second owner was caught secretly screening pirated movies and the cinema was closed for a while, 【Feihe Cinema】 gradually went downhill.

Three years, several owners changed in succession...

But all of them were stingy and refused to buy major movie copyrights; the movies they bought either had no ending, or were those terrible films that made blood pressure skyrocket and no one cared about.

In late autumn 1999, with the arrival of the millennium, as the golden age of Hong Kong films gradually ended, and as the concept of cinema chains was proposed by capital, small and large cinemas began to merge, reorganize, and implement systematic brand management under capital operations.

This wave came very fast; by 2001, cinemas across the country, from large cities down to small towns, big and small, any cinema with slight value had been reorganized and acquired.

However, the 【Feihe Cinema】 in Yanjing, located in the suburbs and on the verge of bankruptcy, was not included in this acquisition wave.

Its age was too old.

Its facilities were too old.

Plus, the reputation had collapsed from the earlier piracy, and as the rent deadline approached closer and closer, its situation became more and more awkward.

And Zhang Muxue was the unlucky person forced to take over 【Feihe Cinema】 as the last owner.

Why forced?

The previous owner had borrowed loan shark money through drinking, eating, whoring, and gambling, had absolutely no money to repay, and the court forcibly executed the transfer to Zhang Muxue.

Facing this mess of 【Feihe Cinema】, Zhang Muxue was completely numb.

"President Zhang, I am very clear about the situation of 【Feihe Cinema】, and I also understand your feelings, but taking a share is by no means a small matter... it needs careful consideration. Let's eat first..."

Sunlight shone through the window, illuminating Zhou Yang's face.

Zhou Yang still maintained that air of indifference; after the steak arrived, he skillfully picked up his knife and fork and began to eat slowly and even more elegantly.

Like a noble elite who had long been through the battlefield.

Zhang Muxue hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something, but ultimately chose silence.

She just looked at the steak placed before her, with no desire to eat at all, and simply took a sip of lemon water.

Then, her phone rang.

She looked at the phone number, then looked at Zhou Yang.

"Excuse me for a moment."

"Please."

Under Zhou Yang's gaze, she picked up her phone and hurriedly left the private room.

After about ten minutes, she walked in silently.

Zhou Yang had already eaten his fill.

"Steak tastes best while hot; once it cools, it loses its flavor," Zhou Yang said, looking at Zhang Muxue.

Zhang Muxue took a deep breath, glancing at the pretentious Zhou Yang, her mood growing irritable: "Mr. Zhou, now that you've finished eating, can we discuss the equity investment?"

Facing Zhang Muxue's increasingly cold expression, Zhou Yang maintained a gentle smile: "Ms. Zhang, are you going to eat your steak?"

"No, I'm quite full."

"Oh, then it shouldn't go to waste."

Zhang Muxue watched helplessly as Zhou Yang took her steak.

Then, she watched helplessly again as he picked up his knife and fork and continued eating at a leisurely pace.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"No."

"Oh."

Zhou Yang nodded, then, under Zhang Muxue's murderous glare, took the cup of coffee that rightfully belonged to her and took a sip.

After finishing it, he leaned back in his chair with an expression of pure contentment.

Zhang Muxue checked the time, her gaze growing progressively colder: "Mr. Zhou, can we now discuss the acquisition contract?"

"Ms. Zhang, please let me see the contract."

"Very well." Zhang Muxue handed the contract to Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang did not take it immediately; instead, he wiped his hands with a napkin, and only once they were perfectly clean did he accept the contract from Zhang Muxue with both hands.

After taking the contract, Zhou Yang gave it a serious look.

"A quote of 90,000 is not an ideal price..."

"Mr. Zhou, does that mean..."

"Here's the plan: I have some matters to attend to in the entertainment industry shortly. Leave the contract with me; I will have my lawyer review it thoroughly, and I will give you my answer tomorrow."

"Agreed!"

Seeing Zhou Yang's serious demeanor, Zhang Muxue nodded: "So tomorrow, shall we meet here..."

"Let's continue here; I enjoy finalizing collaborations amidst gentle French music."

"Agreed!"

"Ms. Zhang, please stay seated; no need to see me out."

"Very well."

Zhang Muxue watched as Zhou Yang tucked the contract away, stood up, and walked out of the private room.

Zhang Muxue nodded, then lowered her head to ponder the upcoming film copyright strategy, but the more she thought, the more headache-inducing it became.

Currently, cinemas across the country primarily operate through connections between theater chains, production companies, and distributors, gradually forming a state of capital monopoly.

Small cinemas without backing find it extremely difficult to secure popular blockbusters at this moment, and the licensing fees are outrageously expensive.

But without good films, customers won't come to spend; without customers, reselling the cinema becomes even harder, let alone fetching a good price; everything seems trapped in a vicious cycle.

Zhang Muxue glanced at the meager balance in her bank account, recalling the condescending attitude of this "Mr. Zhou" just moments ago, and her face filled with worry; was her first entrepreneurial venture destined to end in failure?

Forget it; I'll just take it one step at a time.

She left the private room, but just as she was about to depart, someone called out to her.

"Hello, your total comes to 514 yuan, thank you!"

"What? 514 yuan? How can a few cups of coffee and a couple of steaks cost so much?"

"Apologies, sir, the Mr. Zhou who shared your private room packed up our signature steaks, four glasses of milk, and four servings of pasta... oh, and he also made off with one of our guitars..."

"???"

Zhang Muxue took the bill and glanced at it, then immediately looked toward the entrance.

Her face flushed crimson, trembling with rage!

…………………………

"Director Shen, didn't your brother want a guitar? Here's one for you..."

"Mr. Zhou, this guitar is far too valuable... I... these past days, you've been taking care of us brothers, we..."

"What are you thinking about? By the way, I just bought a cinema and want to invest in making a movie; help me assemble a crew, and we'll shoot it whenever you have time."

"Huh? A movie? Mr. Zhou, you're amazing!"

"Ha, nothing amazing about it; I wrote a script, take a look..."

"What kind of script?"

"A Zhongxi fusion blockbuster!"

"Wow! Mr. Zhou, for your film, I will definitely direct with utmost seriousness; thank you for your trust, I... I... wait, 'Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2'?"

"..."