Chapter 55: Burning Flame!
Midnight.
A light breeze stirred outside the window.
In the distance, a clamor rose steadily.
Shen Long sat on a chair in his rented apartment, smoking a cigarette while working on a budget.
But…
The more he calculated, the more his head throbbed.
Shooting another film like “Sun Wukong vs Superman 2” was easy—no more than 20,000 yuan would cover it—but to make a serious, decent sci-fi film…
Shen Long silently lowered his head, staring at the budget…
Wire rigging and equipment: 20,000 yuan equipment cost + 3,000 yuan per day average.
Props and camera equipment supplements: 45,000 yuan…
Actor salaries and meals: around 60,000 yuan…
Special effects, computer tech, props, and rental fees: 85,000 yuan, lowest tier…
Additional budget for management and equipment expenses: 50,000 yuan…
…
Looking at the numbers above.
Shen Long crushed out his cigarette, a faint bitterness tugging at his lips.
Fuck!
No matter how you shoot “The Stranger: Reboot,” it’s going to cost at least 260,000 yuan—that’s already the bare-minimum beggar’s version.
Just as Shen Long pulled out his phone to call Zhou Yang again and report on the filming funds, his phone rang first.
He immediately answered the call!
“Hello?”
“What?”
“Zhou Zong!”
“The funding’s arrived?”
“Zhou Zong, I think… I think I’ll need about 260,000 yuan…”
“What!”
“If I had 500,000 yuan, what kind of result could I achieve?”
“The effect would double…”
“One million?”
“Fuck!”
“…”
…………………………
Three a.m.
The rented apartment was brightly lit.
Actors Chen Jianfeng, prop master Liu Fang, cinematographer Zhang Yunyi…
The original crew from “Sun Wukong vs Superman 2” all crowded excitedly into the apartment, their eyes fixed hopefully on Zhou Yang, who had just entered, looking weary from travel.
Outside the window, the starry river glittered brilliantly.
“Zhou Zong!”
“Zhou Zong!”
“Zhou Zong!”
They saw Zhou Yang, dressed in a suit, silently walk in carrying a suitcase, scanning each of them.
Everyone instinctively stood up as Zhou Yang entered.
“Sit!”
Zhou Yang waved his hand to signal everyone to sit down, then placed the suitcase on the table.
Shen Long stared intently at the suitcase, his eyes slowly turning red, his emotions overwhelming…
But moments later, remembering the thick red envelopes Zhou Yang had once given them, his gaze flickered with bitterness.
The box probably didn’t contain real money—even if it did, it was likely filled with nothing but one-yuan and five-yuan bills…
Almost everyone thought the same…
But…
At that moment, they saw Zhou Yang, under all their gazes, lower his head and open the suitcase!
In the dim light.
The rented apartment fell into brief silence.
Then Shen Long trembled slightly, his eyes locked on the stacks of bright red hundred-yuan notes inside the box.
“Boom!”
In that instant, his mind felt like it had exploded—blank.
What was that?
That was…
That was!
Impossible!
Impossible!
How could Zhou Zong possibly bring this much money? Where did he get it? He…
Could it be that the top layer was money, and underneath was just paper?
Was Zhou Zong playing the “quenching thirst with plums” trick?
Yes, yes!
It must be—Zhou Zong couldn’t possibly have gathered so much money all at once…
Chen Jianfeng, Liu Fang, and Zhang Yunyi stared at the box in disbelief, then looked up at Zhou Yang.
Just as everyone’s minds conjured a reasonable explanation…
Zhou Yang, under all their gazes, pulled out another stack of cash, then another, from the box.
Shen Long opened his mouth—this moment, he felt as if his heart had been stabbed, his whole body trembling violently.
Fuck!
It’s real!
Stack after stack of real cash!
Not even a single fifty-yuan note—every single bill was a hundred!
Fuck!
“Thank you all—for sticking with me since ‘Sun Wukong vs Superman 2’…”
“This journey has been brief, but we’ve tasted its bitterness and sweetness, been slammed hard onto the shore by reality, and once lost all hope…”
“Yet, in the end, we passed the test and took another step forward—a crucial first step…”
“The first step in life is always the hardest!”
“So too is the first step on the path to success!”
“But as long as you don’t abandon your dream!”
“As long as you keep pushing forward, even amid storms, the belief that refuses to give up will carry you to a second step, a third, a fourth…”
“Step by step, step by step, climbing higher…”
Zhou Yang’s gaze burned like fire.
A surging tide of emotion surged from Zhou Yang, spreading deep into everyone’s hearts.
Their emotions began to stir—Shen Long clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably…
Meanwhile, Zhou Yang spoke, and as he spoke, he placed a stack of cash into Shen Long’s hands, leaving him stunned.
“Shen Dao, I know you’re a talented man!”
“I once said you would shine, rise higher and higher…”
“This is a bonus—just 20,000 yuan, not part of the investment. Take it.”
“For ‘The Stranger: Reboot,’ I’m investing another one million yuan.”
“One million yuan still isn’t much—compared to ‘Superman 2,’ it’s like fireflies beside the moon—but remember, the world has never lacked stories of comebacks…”
“I’d rather be a witness—to see you unleash your talent, express it fully through your lens!”
“…”
Zhou Yang adjusted his glasses, then turned his gaze to Chen Jianfeng.
“Jianfeng, from the moment I first met you, I knew you’d become a future film king…”
“Your dream is gradually taking shape within you…”
“Your stage will be vast—thank you for holding on, and I hope you keep holding on, walking with me…”
“I’ll lay down step by step for you, helping you climb higher and higher…”
“…”
Zhou Yang slipped a stack of cash into Chen Jianfeng’s hands.
He clapped Chen Jianfeng on the shoulder.
Chen Jianfeng’s mind went blank, yet his face flushed with excitement; he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.
He stared at Zhou Yang’s back…
At that moment, Zhou Yang walked toward the cinematographer Zhang Yunyi: “Zhang Laoshi… I still remember, during the filming of your last movie, you stayed up all night learning Photoshop and special effects—often pulling all-nighters, then getting up the next day, shouldering the camera, hunting for angles, and diving straight into shooting… I believe it, I’m certain—effort always brings returns. Undeniably, ‘Sun Wukong vs Superman 2’ may have been terrible, but… our team will become better…”
Zhang Yunyi stared dumbly at Zhou Yang.
For some reason, he felt a lump in his throat.
A sense of being truly valued surged into his heart for the first time.
He nodded frantically: “It will be better—absolutely better!”
He took the money.
Then Zhou Yang clapped him on the shoulder and turned his gaze to the prop master Liu Fang…
…
In the rented apartment.
When each sum of money was handed out to everyone’s hands.
In the rented apartment, those once-overlooked youths now all had red-rimmed eyes.
Before meeting Zhou Yang, they had endured too many cold glances and rejections, feeling like scraps.
And…
After meeting Zhou Yang, they began slowly to feel valued, recognized, and inspired.
“‘The Traveler: Reboot’!”
“I’m investing one million yuan in you!”
“I hope…”
“I can ignite a small spark for you, so the flame of your dream won’t go out!”
“I also hope you’ll carry that spark to attract and illuminate more kindred souls…”
“…“
“My only request!”
“Is that I want ‘The Traveler: Reboot’ to be seen by everyone as soon as possible—preferably before ‘Superman 2’ ends its run…”
“I hope…”
“I long for more people to know…”
“We can do bigger things with less money!”
“That’s it!”
“…“
Zhou Yang looked around at everyone.
Then he turned and left the rented apartment.
Nearby, Zhang Jiali stood stunned, watching Zhou Yang.
When they stepped out of the apartment, she finally couldn’t hold back.
“Zhou Zong, aren’t you afraid they’ll…”
“If their dreams are worth only a little over a million, then the loss isn’t mine—it’s theirs…”
Zhou Yang gazed upward.
Far off, the sky blazed with stars.
Just as Zhou Yang was about to get into the car,
his phone rang.
He answered it.
The call was from An Xiaoshi.
“Zhou Yang…”
“Director An?”
“Zhou Yang, how much more investment do you need?”
“…“
End of Chapter
