Chapter 104: Urgent Calls and New Ventures

If everything goes well, they’ll send your side’s person in a few days to meet me here in Yan City. I’m Han Lijun!

“Han Tai, thank you so much!”

Xu Hao hurriedly agreed.

Securing a TV slot was already a huge win—who needs a bike?

“Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.”

“You’re busy!”

After hanging up, Xu Hao handed the phone to Han Xiaoqing, overwhelmed with gratitude. What had seemed like a hopeless situation was solved with one call—a truly enormous favor.

“Thank you! I’m really, really grateful.”

“Then think about what you’ll treat me to at lunch today!”

Han Xiaoqing smiled. If anyone else had done such a big favor, they’d be expected to show some thanks—but she never cared for credit. It was just like helping out a good friend.

“As long as our guesthouse restaurant has it, choose whatever you want.”

“But that’s what you said.”

“Yes!”

“Alright. But first, why don’t you give me a tour of Qixia Town? I hear even the shopkeepers dress in traditional costumes—it sounds so fun.”

“No problem. I’ll also show you our Tongfu Inn while we’re there.”

“Okay!”

Meanwhile,

at the Mingsha County Government Building,

Wang Xun, after finishing his call, sank back into his chair and massaged his brows.

After a long pause he picked up the phone again to dial a number. About ten minutes later, Qin Xuan pushed open the office door.

“Boss, you wanted to see me?”

“Yes. The provincial office called just now, notifying us that our county must head to Lanshi for a tourism festival briefing!”

Wang Xun looked at Qin Xuan.

“A tourism festival briefing?”

Qin Xuan was taken aback.

“Yes, the annual Su Province tourism festival is coming up.”

Wang Xun let out a bitter laugh.

There was a time when the tourism festival was the highlight for every province. But over time it lost its charm. With bigger stars and more lavish productions, people have long lost their interest, making the expenses way out of proportion with the returns.

Even though the province provides some funding every year, it’s as ineffective as a drop in the bucket.

Now, just the mention of the festival has every scenic spot in a tizzy.

Yet, not hosting it isn’t an option—it’s become a tradition.

“Boss, um… since this is a tourism festival briefing, what does it have to do with our county?”

Knowing well the state of the festival, Qin Xuan hurried to explain.

In the past, the festival was handled by renowned scenic spots in Su Province—hardly related to Mingsha County, let alone Wei City.

“Isn’t it because we now have Hongsha Gang Village 256?”

Wang Xun remarked.

“But Hongsha Gang Village 256’s tourism landmark hasn’t been approved yet; it doesn’t count as a scenic spot!”

Qin Xuan shrugged helplessly.

“I suspect there was a special approval from above—otherwise, why would our county be notified?”

“But we haven’t received any documents yet.”

“Alright, since the call came in, our county will make the trip. I was thinking—why not have Xu County accompany you? Just follow his lead.”

Wang Xun considered for a moment before speaking.

“Xu County?”

“Yes. Didn’t Xu County produce a promotional video? They’re also in town these days to discuss going live on Yan City TV, and they need to attend a meeting in Lanshi!”

“Alright then. Xu County has good ties with several provincial leaders. With him in tow, this tourism festival likely won’t fall on our shoulders.”

Qin Xuan beamed with relief.

If he had to go alone, he’d be rather hesitant.

After all, if leaders from other counties ended up pushing everything onto Mingsha County, there’d be no answer for it.

“Okay, I’ll call Xu County in a bit!”

“Great!”

As the sun dipped below the horizon and night fell, the guesthouse lights flickered on and tourists couldn’t help but marvel. Under the warm glow, both Tengwang Pavilion and the Desert Pavilion looked even more beautiful. Qixia Town sparkled too.

Especially once the shops lit up, it evoked the feel of an ancient capital during a lantern festival.

“Haozi, is what you’re saying true?”

In Qixia Town,

Fang Hou looked at Xu Hao in disbelief.

“Yes, this time it’s all thanks to my friend. Without her…”

Xu Hao nodded.

He had spent the entire day with Han Xiaoqing, even escorting her back to a lakeside guesthouse room.

“Haozi, your connections are seriously strong, and she truly helped out. Even though Yan City TV isn’t the top channel in the country, it’s still one of the best among the second tier—most people can’t even secure the late-night slot, let alone prime time.”

Fang Hou shot Xu Hao a knowing look.

“I owe her so many favors; I don’t even know where to start repaying her!”

Xu Hao sighed.

“How about repaying her with your heart? I really think you two have a chance. Besides, she’s a top beauty, and you fit the role of a college professor perfectly.”

“Or speaking of business—this time, you might have to go to Yan City!”

Xu Hao shook his head, ignoring Fang Hou’s suggestion.

One thing was certain: while chatting with Han Xiaoqing, she had casually mentioned she was single.

“Should I go, or are you not going?”

Fang Hou was taken aback.

“This afternoon, the county called saying they might need to go to Lanshi for a meeting, so you’re the one heading to Yan City.”

“But I don’t know the director of Yan City TV.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already arranged everything over the phone with Director Han. Just find him—decisions at this level don’t change last minute.”

Xu Hao continued,

“Then that’s the best we can do!”

“Anyway, you need to act fast. They secured the slot for midnight half a month from now. If our film doesn’t pass review within that period, this rare opportunity will vanish.”

“No problem! I’ve already contacted an acquaintance in the review department. With a little PR, we’ll have plenty of time.”

Fang Hou patted his chest proudly.

All our relationships over the past few years hinge on this. Without that guarantee, our television project wouldn’t have been greenlit so swiftly.

“Alright!”

“By the way, Brother Hao, once our film secures a TV slot, shouldn’t we start preparing new projects? We can’t have our staff idling away each day.”

After a brief pause, Fang Hou added,

“New projects are definitely in the works, but exactly what to prepare needs further discussion. Ideally, something that leverages our guesthouse’s ancient architecture or the desert scenery.”

“Or if you have any ideas, feel free to share them.”

Xu Hao leaned back in his chair, massaging his brow.

Before he knew it, several issues had converged—the construction at Oasis 2 was still unresolved, and now the cultural company had come knocking all at once.

“Leveraging ancient architecture? Haozi, if we stick to that, the theme is pretty limited. We can only manage historical costume dramas since we lack the resources to build a grand imperial city.”

“That leaves us with small-scale jianghu dramas. Frankly, our version of Wulin Wai Chuan’s filming locations still feels a bit confined.”

Speaking of serious matters, Fang Hou said earnestly,

“A genuine jianghu series featuring clusters of ancient buildings on a small scale?”

Xu Hao stroked his chin as the title of a drama flashed through his mind.