Chapter 148: Shifting Dynamics in a Changing Landscape

Hmm, that’s fine—as long as it sparks new ideas!

After a moment’s thought, Xu Hao said.

The guesthouse construction will continue, and as long as these related service projects don’t hinder future developments, they’re all acceptable.

“Then I’ll go discuss it with President Luo,” he said.

Zhu Qiang interjected hurriedly.

For the past few days, his biggest worry had been a drop in visitors, and now that a plan had finally materialized, waiting was not an option.

“Alright! I’m heading to the ruins too. If nothing is unearthed today after an entire day with no relics, we’ll declare the excavation over and start rebuilding at the original site. In that case, coordinate with the Wood Mill.”

“Okay, Brother Hao!”

While Xu Hao got started on work, Xu Chen was in his car on a call.

“Second Sister, where are you now?”

“I’m planning to head to Jiangcheng.”

Xu Xin’s voice carried a note of resignation.

“Second Sister, don’t go to Jiangcheng—head straight to Mingsha County to meet Old Six!”

Xu Chen added.

It was obvious that Xu Chen was completely at ease; his mood couldn’t have been any better.

“Meet Old Six? What’s going on with him? Did something happen?”

Xu Xin’s voice tightened.

“Second Sister, Old Six is no longer the man he used to be. He’s become a major player—Mingsha Cultural Tourism is now his, and he’s the Senior Researcher at the Long Kingdom Ancient Architecture Research Institute.”

Xu Chen laughed.

“What? Mingsha Cultural Tourism is his? I thought he sold that place.”

The confusion was palpable.

On the other end of the line, Xu Xin’s reaction was just as shocked as when Xu Chen learned of Xu Hao’s true identity yesterday.

“Old Six just dissolved that company as part of a corporate restructuring—my mistake! Mingsha Cultural Tourism is still his; they merely granted some shares to the staff.”

Xu Chen chuckled.

Sometimes, preconceptions really slow things down—he had assumed Old Six was still the same as before.

“That rascal has really come into his own—if he’s handing out shares to employees, he’s definitely grown up!”

After a moment, Xu Xin replied with relief.

It felt as if the rebellious kid of the family had suddenly become its pillar.

“Mm-hmm!”

“Since Old Six is fine, I’ll finish my work here before I go see that rascal.”

“No, Second Sister. Honestly, you’re just not cut out for business. I’ll handle it— you go over to Mingsha and help Old Six. He could really use some extra hands!”

Xu Chen said urgently.

That was the main reason he had called Xu Xin.

“Me, help Old Six?”

“Yes—Old Six also owns a cultural company called Haofang Culture! Right now, his brothers are overwhelmed and have no time to manage the company’s artists. Aren’t you the best at that?”

Xu Chen glanced out the window.

Our Second Sister, Xu Xin, is unrivaled when it comes to managing artists. As long as Haofang Culture keeps producing hit dramas, top celebrities will flock here.

Not to mention, the fans alone would be enough to sustain the guesthouse tourism.

“Ah? Haofang Culture is also Old Six’s?”

Xu Xin’s voice suddenly rose.

Lately, all she had heard about was Haofang Culture—with numerous celebrity studios eager to have their stars try out for its third drama, claiming no time for other projects. This only spiked her curiosity further.

“If even Mingsha Cultural Tourism belongs to Old Six, then Haofang Culture must belong to him as well!”

“I—I thought Haofang Culture was just registered over in Mingsha to facilitate filming and allow for tax breaks. I never expected…”

Xu Xin was at a loss for words.

If she’d known that Haofang Culture was Old Six’s, she could have mentioned that there was no shortage of brand ambassadors there—even if the pay was low, eager actors would volunteer.

“There’s plenty you don’t know. Anyway, just come over these few days to help Old Six.”

“Alright then!”

This time, Xu Xin didn’t hesitate; she even felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Xu Chen was right—she was best suited for her former line of work. Business was just forcing her to stretch herself too thin.

“By the way, Second Sister—I reckon knowing Old Six, once you get there he might just hand Haofang Culture over to you, so…”

After a brief pause, Xu Chen continued.

“I know! Our family’s traditional mindset is that what’s ours stays ours! I’m here merely to work for Old Six—if he disagrees, I’m not involved! But that means over in New Country…”

Xu Xin interjected hurriedly.

She knew exactly what Xu Chen was implying.

Back when she managed Longhai Brokerage, the company was under the Xu Family’s name, yet she held no equity—she was just the CEO, drawing her salary and bonus.

“I’ll handle it with Grandfather; you need not worry about it! Besides, staying over there wouldn’t help at all!”

“Third Brother, that’s a bit harsh!”

“Hehe.”

Time flew by, and before they knew it, several days had passed.

It wasn’t just Mingsha Cultural Tourism feeling the pinch. Both Ning An Cultural Tourism and Qi Haoyong, slumped behind his desk, looked nearly aged with worry.

Ning An Cultural Tourism already had few visitors, and with the underwhelming finale of the Tan Hua drama and the dropping temperatures,

the Ancient Building Courtyard and the guesthouses were completely deserted! Nowadays, they could only book five or six rooms a day, and after operating costs were factored in, they were operating at a loss.

It might be best to close them down to cut losses—the situation looks grim!

But if they stayed open, the losses would only continue mounting.

In short, everything was in limbo—”Sigh, what do we do now?”

Qi Haoyong casually lit a cigarette and leaned back slowly in his chair.

“Qi, honestly, this is a common issue for Northwestern attractions. These days, even the once booming Mingsha Cultural Tourism just can’t get going,”

a manager across the desk quickly added.

“Exactly, Qi. Mingsha Cultural Tourism had an enormous tourism festival recently that captured nationwide attention—followed by the unveiling of the Duhu Mansion ruins and the buzz over Haofang Culture’s third drama.”

With such a boost, Mingsha County should have plenty of tourists, yet travel data shows the numbers are steadily dropping—even some top southern attractions are drawing more visitors.

Another operations manager in the office piped up.

In their eyes, the drop in tourists at Ning An Desert wasn’t due to any internal fault but external factors.

“Mingsha Cultural Tourism—any new updates from that side?”

Qi Haoyong straightened in his seat.

The two managers felt significantly relieved by his words.

They even began to accept that fewer tourists might be manageable.

“No, nothing new! Ever since the Yeguang Cup incident, netizens have been pestering Mingsha Cultural Tourism, but they’ve offered no response—I suspect they’re busy with infrastructure work.”

“If the grass lattice installation falters in winter and heating fails, the harsh winds and sand of the Great Northwest could really pack a punch for Mingsha Cultural Tourism,” one manager observed quickly.

Another manager added hastily.

Speaking of infrastructure, his face lit up with pride. As an established attraction, Ning An Cultural Tourism wasn’t worried—its facilities were well-developed.

“Alright, even if Mingsha Cultural Tourism struggles now, it’s still in a better position than us. Once spring arrives next year, with Mingsha’s knack for creating buzz, its momentum will undoubtedly soar.”

Qi Haoyong waved his hand. “So even if we all take a hit this winter, it doesn’t matter. The real challenge is how we compete for tourists when spring finally comes.”

“Spring next year?”

The two managers exchanged glances. “Qi, as you said, come spring, Mingsha’s third costume drama might debut, and with that ruin in play, we could be outmatched.”

“Don’t worry! After spring next year, the 35th Long Kingdom Film Festival in March will be around the corner. By tradition, it’s the West’s turn this year, so we’ll leverage our contacts—our film city stands a strong chance of landing the event.”

The Long Kingdom Film Festival isn’t like any other; it’s the most respected among Long Kingdom residents and carries immense influence. When it happens, top stars from home and abroad will attend. The buzz is unparalleled—nothing like the hype of a single Haofang Culture drama.

Qi Haoyong stubbed his cigarette forcefully in the ashtray.

“Our film city?”

“Yeah. Look around the West—attractions with an actual film city are few and far between.”

“But didn’t you say Xu Hao’s background is no joke? What if he uses his connections…”

The manager hesitated for a moment.

Officially, Mingsha is known for its guesthouses, not a film city, yet its urban construction now rivals that of real film cities—if there’s a worthwhile opportunity, they’ll definitely get involved.

“Don’t worry—I found out that Xu Hao is a Senior Researcher at the Ancient Architecture Institute. Although he holds an administrative rank, he’s not really tied to the entertainment world.”

Most importantly, the Director Association is currently at odds with Haofang Culture.

“Qi, is this related to the Director Association?”

“Of course. The Long Kingdom Film Festival is typically co-hosted by the Director Association, the Actor Association, and the Television Association. This year, Xu Hao just assumed a rotating leadership role in the Director Association.”

A smile played on Qi Haoyong’s lips.

So, his worry was about this winter, not next year.

Once the Long Kingdom Film Festival is secured, the entire entertainment industry will be present—ancient architectures and ruins alike will pale in comparison.

“Qi, that’s great! So what application materials should we prepare in advance?”

The manager asked eagerly.

“We’ll be notified by the organizers when the time comes.”

“Alright.”

What Qi Haoyong didn’t realize was that just when he thought Mingsha Cultural Tourism couldn’t escape this harsh winter and was planning to vie for the Long Kingdom Film Festival spot next spring, a post suddenly appeared on the Drama Forum that grabbed viewers’ attention. Once they saw the title and content, the comments flooded in.

“Hahaha, this is hilarious—I never imagined an ancient architecture attraction could stir up such trouble.”

“Exactly, and that tourist is just too outrageous!”

“What’s wrong with this tourist?”

“He actually pretended to be Xu Fengnian from the Snowy Series, went to Qixia Town, and hijacked Guo Furong. Now the crew from Wulin Wai Chuan aren’t having it—they’re threatening to storm Wudi City and snatch the Qingniao!”