Chapter 158: Negotiations and New Ventures

Chairman, our film city spans 3,000 acres and features zones like an ancient architecture district, a rural western area, and a war-themed zone. Our themes are diverse—unlike Mingsha Tourism, which only has ancient structures.

While describing the features of Ning An Cultural Tourism’s film city, Qi Haoyong couldn’t resist belittling Mingsha guesthouses.

“That’s true, but over there they have two blockbuster dramas with sky-high ratings. Your film city has produced many TV shows, yet nothing has reached the success of that Tanhualang project!”

The man leaned back slowly on the sofa, his true thoughts and feelings hidden from the onlookers.

“Chairman, ratings don’t tell the whole story. Even high-quality, well-received shows sometimes have only average numbers. The key is that Ning An Cultural Tourism is a veteran destination with mature facilities and close, convenient access to Ning’an county town.”

“Meanwhile, Mingsha is far from the county town and currently has just over 3,000 guesthouses, so their capacity still needs improvement.”

Taken aback, Qi Haoyong quickly added:

“You have a point, but Mingsha Tourism still holds several advantages. Didn’t they recently uncover something like the Protectorate of West Liang? Moreover, Haofang Culture is already preparing a third production.”

“If they manage to launch the third project before next year’s film festival, their credentials will clearly surpass yours. Electing your site might spark controversy.”

The man scratched his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

“Chairman, it’s already winter. Building ancient structures in the northwest desert is nearly impossible. So, Mingsha’s ancient constructions might not be finished before March.”

Qi Haoyong looked at him intently.

“What if they do?”

“Well…”

Qi Haoyong was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond.

“Then how about this: you push harder over there. See if you can add another project or boost your capacity. Come mid-February next year, we’ll compare notes. If the gap isn’t significant, I’ll ease up by awarding the film festival rights to you. That way, everyone saves face.”

After a brief silence, the man said,

“Thank you for the guidance, Chairman!”

Qi Haoyong hesitated for a moment before nodding.

At this point, all he could do was agree with a nod.

Ten minutes later…

No sooner had Qi Haoyong stepped downstairs than he grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

Beep beep beep. As soon as the call connected, he urgently declared, “Chairman Ran, I’m out!”

“How is it? Did Old Ding agree? Ultimately, it’s his call. We only offer suggestions.”

Soon enough, the voice of Director Association Vice Chairman Ran Xiangfei came through.

It turned out that to secure the film festival rights, Qi Haoyong had pulled strings—and even involved Ran Xiangfei.

“He didn’t agree outright, but he hasn’t refused either.”

Qi Haoyong glanced back at the door.

“What did he say exactly?”

“He suggested we push our side harder and wait for a comprehensive evaluation in February next year. If the gap isn’t vast, he’ll favor us. I can’t tell if I slipped somewhere, but I feel he’s calling my bluff.”

“The goods?”

“The goods haven’t been collected!”

“Understood. It’s not a dig at you. Old Ding is meticulous, as always, and with his impending retirement, he’s playing it safe. He even stayed out of that Yan City TV matter.”

After a brief pause, Ran Xiangfei said,

“So, Chairman Ran, what should I do now?”

Qi Haoyong hesitated for a moment.

“Then you need to find a way to ramp up the ancient construction over there. Try to produce a project by February so we can negotiate. That should secure the film festival rights for Ning An Film City.”

After thinking it over, Ran Xiangfei remarked,

“Ancient construction? In the northwest winter? That’s practically impossible.”

Qi Haoyong sighed helplessly.

They spoke easily, but no one understood the real difficulty involved.

“Impossible? Didn’t Mingsha Tourism build a wooden structure in just one week? It’s already caught the media’s attention.”

“What? A wooden structure in a week? Aren’t they busy with traditional weddings? Who has time for that!”

Qi Haoyong was instantly stunned.

“Don’t believe it?”

“Chairman Ran, that sounds a bit unrealistic.”

“Sigh, Qi, it seems you really did exert extra effort. Otherwise, even with our help, securing these film festival rights would be a long shot. Just search for ‘Mingsha Ancient City Wedding’ and you’ll see. I have some matters to attend to—let’s reconnect later.”

Beep beep. Hearing nothing but static, an alert Qi Haoyong quickly opened his browser and searched for ‘Mingsha Ancient City Wedding.’

Wow! In an instant, his phone screen filled with news entries and web links.

Ten minutes later…

A bit dazed, Qi Haoyong slipped his phone back into his pocket.

“Push harder? How exactly? Mingsha Tourism is really cutting off our options.”

Winter brings early darkness. By 6:50 PM, Hongsha Gang Village 256 was fully illuminated.

Wudi City Ancient Building Courtyard.

Xu Hao had just woken up, stretched lazily, and then stepped out of his bedroom.

Meanwhile, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng had already settled in the reception hall.

“Have all the wedding guests left?”

Xu Hao walked to the tea counter and made himself a cup of green tea.

No one knew how he managed to endure the past week until this morning—he had simply reached his limit and woke up right at this moment.

“They’ve all been sent off!”

Luo Peng nodded quickly.

“How was the reception? No mishaps, I hope. Although Vermilion Bird Building was hastily completed for the event, many details still need refinement. They’ll keep spraying deodorizer to mask any lingering paint fumes.”

Xu Hao sat opposite them, tea cup in hand.

“Brother Hao, this traditional wedding was executed perfectly. The newly built Vermilion Bird Building stunned everyone on-site, and online praise has been relentless. Netizens are even calling it the fifth landmark of Mingsha Tourism. In fact, calls to Mingsha Tourism nearly went off the charts.”

Zhu Qiang remarked with admiration.

All signs suggest that Vermilion Bird Building will become a key venue for receptions and major events.

“That’s excellent. All our hard work is finally paying off.”

Xu Hao nodded in agreement.

“By the way, how profitable was the traditional wedding this time?”

After a pause, Xu Hao turned to Luo Peng.

“Brother Hao, we earned a good sum. Besides our regular revenue, the Xiang family even paid Mingsha Labor a bonus of 500,000 as a token of gratitude!”

“500,000 as a thank-you fee?”

“Yes, the Xiang family originally wanted to thank you in person, but since you were resting, they didn’t want to disturb you. In the end, they left a bonus of 500,000 and handed each wedding participant a generous red envelope.”

Luo Peng couldn’t help but express his admiration upon hearing about the money.

In many places, hosts usually offer a few cigarettes or a modest sum as thanks. But this time, the bonus far exceeded typical fees—it was unprecedented.

“If we ever work with Anmin Real Estate again, we should consider lowering the fees.”

Xu Hao slowly set down his tea cup.

“Mutual benefit is key to a lasting partnership! By the way, Brother Hao, shouldn’t we consider building more guesthouses?”

After a brief pause, Zhu Qiang said,

“More guesthouses? Aren’t the current ones enough?”

Xu Hao looked somewhat surprised.

“Brother Hao, you know that many guests invited by the Xiang family ended up staying on—eager to enjoy another night and catch our fireworks show. That means the other wedding guests at Mingsha have nowhere to stay.”

Moreover, many visitors want to experience the famous ‘Ten-Mile Red Wedding.’ Since early this morning, calls to Mingsha Tourism’s customer service and booking hotline have been non-stop—it’s all room reservations.

Zhu Qiang chuckled in resignation.

“While other northwest destinations struggle with a lack of visitors, Mingsha is booming. They’re even facing a shortage of guesthouses.”

Some netizens, frustrated by not securing a room, have even called the Mingsha County Tourism Bureau to complain about Mingsha Tourism.

“Speaking of guesthouses, how’s the renovation of the guesthouses by the ancient city wall coming along?”

After a brief thought, Xu Hao looked at Zhu Qiang.

The city wall extension project has been ongoing—both the north and south gates have recently been extended by nearly a kilometer.

Except for the area within 100 meters of the gates, where guesthouses weren’t planned, all subsequent sections include them.

“Brother Hao, even the completed guesthouses on the city wall number less than a hundred, which won’t solve our capacity issue. Besides, with the wall extended only about a kilometer, opening them now could hurt visitor experience. It’d be better to extend to at least five kilometers on both sides before launching.”

Zhu Qiang replied quickly.

He had been monitoring the city wall guesthouse project closely. In his view, now isn’t the time to open them; perhaps after the New Year, come early spring next year, things will be ready.

“Then we wait a bit longer!”

Xu Hao nodded, rising to approach the sandbox. Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng quickly followed.

“Brother Hao, how about we build some ancient-style hotels on both sides of the property? That would greatly boost our capacity and enhance Mingsha’s overall layout.”

Staring at the sandbox for a moment, Zhu Qiang pointed to the road leading to Vermilion Bird Building.

At Oasis 3, ground-level construction is about to start. We could also erect a few buildings with modern interiors and ancient exteriors—a project I can easily manage.

“Yes, that works. This empty stretch on both sides makes the area look barren. Adding ancient-style architecture would enrich the space around Vermilion Bird Building. Ideally, a building with a three-by-nine layout to complement Vermilion Bird Building.”

Xu Hao immediately nodded; he had been considering that very location.

Little did they know, as Xu Hao, Zhu Qiang, and Luo Peng discussed new guesthouses, a luxury business vehicle slowly pulled into the parking lot at the far end of Qing Brick Avenue.

Moments later,

The car door opened slowly.

A middle-aged woman stepped out first.

It was none other than Li Ying—the agent once sought by Xu Hao’s Second Sister, Xu Xin.