Chapter 50: Zhou Yang

Night.

Deep.

In the attic of the Feihe Cinema, Zhang Jiali curled up her body, lying in the cramped space.

She was tired.

But…

She dared not sleep.

Although she had never made a film, after seeing this utterly ridiculous crew…

She felt as if she had been deceived.

And this feeling grew stronger and stronger!

Around ten p.m.

At the entrance of the Feihe Cinema, people carrying cameras arrived.

These people clearly looked like recent college graduates, their eyes radiating a pure, unclouded glow…

They were extremely excited…

Upon seeing Zhou Yang, they kept shaking his hand.

Below, Zhou Yang seemed to be speaking earnestly to them…

Yinyuejian ， Sihushi 「 Mengxiang 」、「 Rensheng 」、「 Shidai 」「 Haolaiwu 」「 Diantang 」 Zheyanggaodashangdecihui 。

As they chatted, these college students became so excited they screamed, eager to immediately join the battlefield and charge for Zhou Yang.

Heaven!

Could this possibly be a pyramid scheme?

At this moment, Zhang Jiali grew more frightened the more she listened.

By dawn, the college students gradually dispersed, but another group arrived.

Another group, seemingly consisting of directors, along with a young man dressed in a Superman costume, followed Zhou Yang into the cinema’s office.

At two a.m.…

These people left.

But…

Another slightly sleazy middle-aged man entered, and when he reached the side of the cinema, he cautiously scanned the surroundings, knocking on the door below like a thief sneaking about.

Zhang Jiali glanced carefully and noticed the man carried a bag, following Zhou Yang into the office.

The middle-aged man stayed only a short while—about seven or eight minutes—before leaving, but Zhang Jiali noticed one detail: the bag in his hand was gone.

What exactly were these people trying to do?

With this expression of utter confusion, Zhang Jiali gradually grew drowsy.

Finally, she blocked the attic’s small door with her bag and belongings, then closed her eyes in relief.

……………………

The next day.

Zhang Jiali carefully descended from the attic, carrying her luggage.

After hesitating, she finally walked toward the entrance of the Feihe Cinema.

After leaving…

She noticed no one stopped her.

If this were a scam gang, someone like me should have been detained, right?

Besides, this place has heavy foot traffic—if they were truly running a scam, wouldn’t they avoid such a public spot?

And Zhang Jiali glanced at the poster for “Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2,” seeing the director and producer listed…

After watching the movie inside the cinema, Zhang Jiali confirmed they were genuinely making a film—though the film seemed just a little bit terrible.

Thinking this, her initial urge to flee faded slightly, and she ultimately decided to stay.

After lunch, Zhang Jiali was called into Zhou Yang’s office.

“Little Li, after one day, you should understand what kind of crew we are, right?”

In the office, she saw Zhou Yang smiling at her.

She sat across from Zhou Yang, uneasy.

“I know… but I also don’t quite know…” Zhang Jiali didn’t know how to answer.

“In short, you just need to believe we’re making real films—not a scam group, not a pyramid scheme…” Zhou Yang’s smile deepened.

“Mm…” Zhang Jiali nodded, but for some reason, her unease grew stronger.

“We’re a group of young people with dreams. I’ve said it before—we all come from the bottom. It’s our burning dreams that brought us together…”

“Zhou Zong… I don’t quite understand.” Zhang Jiali felt something growing wronger by the second: “Zhou Zong, what… what are you trying to do?”

“Oh, I just received a batch of phones, and a batch of SIM cards…”

He pulled out a bag.

Seeing the bag, Zhang Jiali froze slightly.

That bag was the same one the middle-aged man brought last night.

“Zhou Zong, what is this…?”

“We have two crews shooting simultaneously: one is the ‘Superman’ sci-fi epic, the other is our ‘Lin Daiyu vs. Lu Zhishen’ crew. Since both are active, funding is tight. Our old film ‘Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2’ needs time to recoup costs. So I thought—we need more angel investors to collaborate on this project…”

“So…”

“Phones are a great tool—they connect strangers through a tiny box, cutting down social costs significantly…”

“Zhou Zong, you… you…” She stared at the several phones on the desk, then at Zhou Yang’s smiling face.

That bad premonition grew stronger and stronger.

“At times, we can use faster methods. Look—I’ve drafted a text message. If you’re interested, help forward it to explain our crew’s situation. Of course, we’ve set up a mass messaging system in Zhongguancun—you just need to manage it…”

“???

“Don’t worry, everything we do is normal, legal. I checked the law thoroughly—it doesn’t qualify as illegal fundraising. To make you believe me, we’re currently inviting partners openly. I’ll take you to visit our new company—you’ll understand once you see it…”

“…”

Half an hour later.

Two hundred meters from the Beijing Public Security Bureau building.

A film company named Xuan Shi Entertainment quietly hung its sign last night.

Few paid attention…

In 2003, China’s film industry was booming. Since the millennium, dozens—even hundreds—of film companies opened and closed each year in Beijing; no one found it unusual.

Zhang Jiali followed Zhou Yang into the new company. When she saw the Beijing Public Security Bureau nearby, she instantly relaxed.

But when she saw the phones, she grew confused.

What confused her even more…

She saw Zhou Yang silently pull out a phone and send mass messages to a series of unfamiliar numbers.

After sending them, he pulled out his own phone and dialed a number.

“Hello…”

“Is this the 1819 News Segment?”

“Someone is suspected of illegal fundraising…”

“I’m reporting it!”

“…”

“Yes, one hundred meters across from the Public Security Bureau, someone is running an illegal fundraising scheme…”

“Suspected scam gang—I received text messages. They claim to be raising funds for a movie. Clearly a scam…”

“Yes!”

“Send reporters over to check it out…”

“Hurry up…”

“Don’t call the police yet—don’t alert them…”

“…”

“Hello, is this FM95?”

“I’m reporting illegal fundraising!”

“Yes, at this address…”

“…”

…………………………

“What are your plans after finishing this film?”

“I don’t know… I just don’t understand—is this what making a movie is like?”

“Sigh…”

Night.

Deep.

An Xiaoshi and Zhang Jingya lay on the hotel sofa, watching TV and chatting.

These days…

The progress of “Love Ferris Wheel” suddenly accelerated.

Almost one plot point per day, and most scenes were done in a single take.

The two investors had absolutely no say.

This left both of them deeply frustrated.

As they were chatting away...

They suddenly landed on a news channel called 【1819 News】.

And then...

They saw a familiar figure.

"Sorry, sorry..."

"We didn't know this was illegal fundraising; I thought..."

"Sorry, I had weak legal awareness, but we truly wanted to make a great film..."

"Yes, we wanted to make a movie, but we were short on money, so I came up with this idea... We only needed fifty thousand in investment, but we didn't know any big bosses... We're just a group of young people with dreams..."

"Sorry, I know I was wrong; I'll follow the law from now on..."

"Thank you to 1819 News for overseeing us... and thank you for the criticism; I will take this to heart and never stray further down the wrong path!"

"..."

"..."

"Yes, we'll take this to heart and make films seriously... striving to bring more positive energy to society!"

"We'll lead by example!"

The familiar figure was on television.

Right in the most prominent part of the frame, he was red-eyed, sniffling and crying as he accepted criticism and re-education from the relevant media authorities...