Chapter 55: Burning Flames!

Midnight.

A gentle breeze blows outside the window.

Not far away, a clamor rises in waves.

Shen Long sits in a chair in the rental room, smoking a cigarette while making a budget.

But...

The more he makes the budget, the more his head aches.

It's easy to shoot another "Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2," at most costing twenty thousand yuan to finish, but to seriously and properly shoot a sci-fi film...

Shen Long silently lowers his head, staring at the budget...

Wirework and equipment: 20,000 equipment cost plus an average of 3,000 per day.

Props and camera equipment supplements: 45,000...

Actor fees and boxed meals: around 60,000...

Special effects production computer technology, props, and rental fees: 85,000 yuan, lowest level...

Extra budget for various management and equipment expenses: 50,000 yuan...

Looking at the groups of figures above.

Shen Long extinguishes the cigarette butt, a hint of bitterness faintly on the corners of his mouth.

Damn it!

No matter how "Zhengban Tiao Ren: Reboot" is shot, damn it, 260,000 yuan RMB is the absolute minimum; this is already the bare-bones beggar version.

Just as Shen Long took out his phone, preparing to call Zhou Yang again to report the filming funds, his phone rang first.

He immediately answered the call!

"Hello?"

"What?"

"President Zhou!"

"The funds have arrived?"

"President Zhou, I probably, probably need around 260,000..."

"What!"

"If it's 500,000, what effect can I achieve?"

"That would definitely double the effect..."

"One million?"

"Holy crap!"

"..."

…………………………

Three o'clock in the morning.

The rental room is brightly lit.

Actor Chen Jianfeng, prop master Liu Fang, cinematographer Zhang Yunyi...

The original crew from "Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2," everyone excitedly crowded in the rental room, gazing eagerly at Zhou Yang walking in from the doorway, looking somewhat dusty and travel-worn.

Outside the window, the starry river shines brilliantly.

"President Zhou!"

"President Zhou!"

"President Zhou!"

They saw Zhou Yang, in a suit and leather shoes, silently carrying a suitcase walk in, looking around at everyone.

When everyone saw Zhou Yang enter, they instinctively stood up.

"Sit!"

Zhou Yang waved his hand at everyone, signaling them to sit down, then immediately placed the box in his hand on the table.

Shen Long stared tightly at that box, his eyes gradually turning red, his excitement beyond measure...

But a moment later, recalling the bulging red envelope President Zhou had sent them before, a trace of bitterness flashed in his eyes again.

The box probably doesn't contain real money; even if it does, it's likely stuffed with one-yuan and five-yuan banknotes...

Almost everyone's thought was the same...

However...

Just at this moment, they saw Zhou Yang lower his head and, under everyone's gaze, open the box!

Under the dim light.

The rental room fell into brief silence.

Immediately, Shen Long trembled slightly, his gaze fixed tightly on the red hundred-yuan banknotes inside the box.

"Boom!"

At this moment, his brain felt as if it had exploded, a blank void.

That is?

That is...

That is!

Impossible!

Impossible!

How could it be? How could Director Zhou possibly bring over so much money? Where on earth did he get it? He...

Is it possible that the top layer is money and the bottom layer is paper?

Is Director Zhou playing the "quenching thirst with plums" trick?

Yes, yes!

It must be, it must be. Director Zhou couldn't possibly have gathered that much money all at once...

Chen Jianfeng, Liu Fang, and Zhang Yunyi looked at the box with even more disbelief, then raised their heads to look at Zhou Yang.

Just as a reasonable explanation began to form in everyone's minds...

Under everyone's gaze, Zhou Yang took out stack after stack of cash from that box.

Shen Long opened his mouth. At this moment, he felt as if his heart had been stabbed viciously by someone; his whole body trembled violently.

Damn it!

It's real banknotes!

Stack after stack of real banknotes!

There weren't even any fifty-yuan notes; they were all, damn it, all one-hundred-yuan notes!

Holy crap!

"Thank you, everyone, for accompanying me since 'Sun Wukong Battles Superman 2'..."

"This period of experience has been a brief journey. Along the way, we experienced bitterness, sweetness, sourness, and spiciness. We were once brutally slapped onto the beach by reality, and for a time, we lost all hope..."

"But, in the end, we still endured the trial and took another step forward, a very important first step..."

"In life, the first step is the hardest to take!"

"The first step on the road to success is the same!"

"But, as long as we do not give up on our dreams!"

"As long as we keep persisting, even amidst wind and rain, supported by our unyielding belief, we will have a second step, a third step, a fourth step..."

"Step by step, step by step, rising higher with every step..."

Zhou Yang's gaze burned like flames.

A surge of emotion, powerful as waves, rushed out from Zhou Yang and permeated the depths of everyone's hearts.

Their emotions began to slowly stir. Shen Long clenched his fists, his body trembling desperately...

Meanwhile, Zhou Yang, while speaking, took out a stack of money and, to Shen Long's shock, stuffed it into Shen Long's hand.

"Director Shen, I know you are a talented person!"

"I once said that you would shine and stand higher and higher..."

"This is a bonus. It's not much, twenty thousand. It doesn't count as investment money. Take it first!"

"For the investment in 'Zhengban Tiao Ren: Reboot', I will give you another one million for investment!"

"One million for investment is still not much; compared to 'Superman 2', it is like a firefly next to the full moon. But, remember, the world never lacks stories of counterattacks..."

"I would rather be a witness, a witness to you being able to unleash your full potential and present your talent through the most vivid cinematic language!"

"..."

Zhou Yang adjusted his glasses and his gaze turned to Chen Jianfeng.

"Jianfeng, from the moment I first met you, I knew you would become the Best Actor of the future..."

"Your dreams are gradually taking concrete form on you..."

"Your stage will be very, very large. Thank you for persisting all this time, and I hope you will continue to persist, walking forward with me..."

"I will pave a step-by-step staircase for you, climbing higher and higher with every step, higher and higher..."

"..."

Zhou Yang stuffed a stack of money into Chen Jianfeng's hand.

He patted Chen Jianfeng on the shoulder.

Chen Jianfeng's entire mind went blank, but his face flushed red with excitement. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he could not utter a word.

He looked at Zhou Yang's back...

At this very moment, Zhou Yang had walked over to the cinematographer, Zhang Yunyi: "Teacher Zhang... I still remember, during the filming of the previous movie, you stayed up all night learning Photoshop, learning special effects... And you would almost pull an all-nighter, then get up the next day, carrying the camera to find angles and throwing yourself into the filming... I believe, I am certain, that effort will always be rewarded. 'Sun Wukong Battles Superman 2' is undeniable; it might be terrible, but... our team will become better..."

Zhang Yunyi stared blankly at Zhou Yang.

For some reason, he felt a sourness in his throat.

An unprecedented sense of being valued surged into his heart.

He nodded desperately: "It will get better, absolutely it will get better!"

He took the money.

Immediately after, Zhou Yang patted his shoulder and his gaze turned to the prop master, Liu Fang...

In the rental room.

When the sums of money were handed out into everyone's hands.

In the rental room, these young people who had once been disregarded now all had red-rimmed eyes.

Before knowing Zhou Yang, they had encountered too much coldness and exclusion, once like mere scraps.

And...

After knowing Zhou Yang, they began to gradually feel being valued, recognized, and encouraged.

"'Zhengban Tiao Ren: Reboot'!"

"I am giving you one million for investment!"

"I hope..."

"I can light a small flame for you, so the fire of your dreams does not go out!"

"I hope even more that you can take this small flame to attract and illuminate more like-minded people..."

"..."

"My request!"

"Is only one: I hope 'Zhengban Tiao Ren: Reboot' can be seen by everyone faster, preferably before 'Superman 2' leaves theaters..."

"I hope..."

"I long for more people to know..."

"We can do bigger things with less money!"

"Alright!"

"..."

Zhou Yang looked around at everyone.

Then he turned and left the rental house.

Not far away, Zhang Jiali, who had been following, stared at Zhou Yang in shock.

Once she left the house, she finally could not hold back.

"President Zhou, are you not afraid they..."

"If their dreams are worth only a little over a million, then the ones losing out are not me, but them..."

Zhou Yang's gaze looked upward.

In the distant sky, the star river shone brilliantly.

Just as Zhou Yang was about to get into the car.

His phone rang.

He answered the call.

The call was from An Xiaoshi.

"Zhou Yang..."

"Director An?"

"Zhou Yang, how much more investment do you need?"

"..."