Chapter 180: Shifting Tides

So, later on, give Mr. Fang from Haofang Culture a call and tell him that Yan City TV will fully back Haofang Culture’s new xianxia drama! If it makes it to a major network, the airing time can be adjusted to match Yun Province TV’s schedule.

After a brief pause, Han Lijun said so.

“Boss, I’m on it—I’ll contact Mr. Fang from Haofang Culture right away!”

Ren Long immediately turned to leave.

“By the way, wasn’t it leaked online that Haofang Culture has also registered a film? Ask him when it’ll go live and if they need any promotion!”

At that moment, Han Lijun added.

“Okay, Boss!”

Night deepened. At the Qingming Scroll construction site in Mingsha County, the lights still burned brightly.

Xu Hao glanced at the newly built cloth workshop beside him and exhaled deeply.

Now, like an artist, he started sketching the Qingming Scroll along both banks of the river. Though the scroll measures 5.28 meters in total, he’d only managed about 0.28 meters so far. With just two months left until the end of March, the challenge ahead was far greater than expected.

“Let’s tackle the big structures first—then move on to the smaller ones.”

Muttering to himself, Xu Hao turned back toward the construction shed to prepare for his next task.

Despite the fatigue, he felt a strong sense of accomplishment.

Especially when he looked back at the partially built market—it felt even more promising than Qixia Town or Wudi City.

Just as Xu Hao was about to step inside, he ran into Luo Peng hurrying over from behind.

“Brother Hao, Brother Hao!”

“What’s up, Little Luo?”

Hearing Luo Peng’s voice, Xu Hao paused.

“Brother Hao, I heard a bunch of people talking this afternoon that Haofang Culture is planning to shoot a xianxia drama?”

Luo Peng had been busy for days on the opposite bank, crafting various props, so he hadn’t been following online chatter. It wasn’t until he finished eating that he caught wind from other staff and dashed over.

“Yes, that’s the plan!”

Xu Hao nodded in agreement.

Haofang Culture’s announcement had gone live—this wasn’t a joke. It even vindicated our Second Sister!

“Brother Hao, have they decided on a location? Is it Oasis No.4?”

Luo Peng’s voice brimmed with excitement as he confirmed the news.

“Not yet! Once things settle here, we’ll discuss it. What do you think? You seem pretty interested!”

Xu Hao couldn’t help but steal another glance at Luo Peng.

Back when filming, Luo Peng never got involved or even asked questions—he was always buried in his own work. This time, however, he was clearly different.

“Brother Hao, I think since we’re shooting a xianxia drama, shouldn’t we start moving the mounts? The tamers over there have been urging us these past few days, saying they need to go home for the New Year or face extra charges. I figured that since we’re about to shoot, bringing the mounts back early might come in handy—especially since they’re almost tamed.”

Luo Peng hurriedly explained.

“You mean those deer and the like?”

Xu Hao hesitated for a moment.

Truth be told, although xianxia dramas mostly rely on special effects, some props can actually be useful—especially for the one he planned to shoot.

“Mm!”

“Alright, bring them back then. First, settle them in Hongsha Gang Village, and after the New Year, create proper enclosures in the Desert.”

“Brother Hao, I’ll get in touch then. I won’t keep you any longer!”

“Good!”

With Xu Hao’s blessing, Luo Peng nodded, pulled out his phone, and soon Xu Hao could faintly hear distant voices approaching.

“Hello, Mr. Wang? Can the fifty elephants I ordered be moved before the New Year?”

“What? They were lent out to that tourism company at the last minute?”

“A few days’ delay? No way! Your show at Yun Province is just too awful. Hurry up and get them back, or we’ll treat it as a breach of contract.”

“Mr. Li, the hundred reindeer have been moved over. Sorry for the hassle these past days.”

“Mr. Zhang, there’s no rush with your white yaks. I’ll check on them after the New Year, okay?”

“Huh? Another hundred?”

“That’s too many! Who needs two hundred white yaks? It’s not like we’re filming a battle between Chi You and the Emperor!”

Busy days always seem to fly by! For everyone at Mingsha Tourism, two days felt like nothing—eating, working, eating, sleeping, and then back to work! But for some, it was growing increasingly torturous.

January 31, 5:00 PM—there were only thirty minutes left before the official end of the day. For the employees of the Actor Association, finishing work should have been a joyful moment, but today the atmosphere was bizarrely eerie. Many staff kept glancing at Ran Xiangfei’s office.

Inside, Ran Xiangfei paced back and forth, occasionally wiping cold sweat from his forehead. Across from him sat Ding Xiaoping, the President of the Director Association.

At that moment, Ran Xiangfei finally panicked. Gone was his earlier composure and the arrogance he’d shown when hearing about Mingsha Tourism’s maneuvers.

No particular reason.

In another thirty minutes, the film festival application would officially close, yet there was still no word from Mingsha Tourism. Considering the promise made to Cai An, how could Ran Xiangfei stay calm?

“Old Ran, you didn’t make things difficult for Mingsha Tourism, did you?”

Ding Xiaoping looked at Ran Xiangfei with deep suspicion.

“Old Ding, for heaven’s sake! Although we’ve had our differences with them before, this time they really haven’t submitted an application!”

Ran Xiangfei threw his hands up in defeat.

“But judging by their actions, Mingsha Tourism is clearly gearing up to host a film festival! And Old Cai even called me, insisting you hand over the hosting rights to them—but you wouldn’t budge, insisting on waiting for the application.”

Ding Xiaoping leaned back on the sofa, furrowing his brow as he continued.

“Old Ding, why don’t you trust me? What Mingsha Tourism does is none of our business. But since they haven’t applied, why should we be the ones to reach out to them proactively?”

Ran Xiangfei was nearly at his breaking point!

Some labels simply shouldn’t be slapped on lightly—a once attached, they bring nothing but trouble.

“Really not?”

“Really not! Old Ding, I can swear it! And I just can’t figure it out—although Mingsha Tourism has recently launched several projects and even leaked that they registered a film online, it seems nothing can move without their film festival. Even among the designated scenic spots, many film cities are well-established. Do we really need to grovel to Yan City TV and Haofang Culture?”

After a barrage of questions, Ran Xiangfei was on the verge of exploding! In all these years, he’d never felt so stifled.

“Old Ran, don’t get too riled up! Everyone has their reasons—Old Cai has his own ideas, and in the end, all we want is for the film festival to succeed.”

Ding Xiaoping’s expression softened slightly.

“Succeed in the film festival? Old Ding, if that’s the goal, then let’s focus on making the festival a success instead of obsessing over Mingsha Tourism!”

An angry glance passed between Ran Xiangfei and Ding Xiaoping.

“Well, the western region seems to favor Mingsha Tourism. They’re the only ones capable.”

Ding Xiaoping met his gaze steadily.

“Who said I don’t think Ning An Cultural Tourism is good? They’re more than capable of hosting a film festival!”

Without thinking, Ran Xiangfei blurted out.

“Oh? Ning An Cultural Tourism? Can you be sure about that?”

Straightening up, Ding Xiaoping pressed on immediately.

That evening at 7:00 PM,

In Ning’an, Qi Haoyong from Ning An Cultural Tourism was still seated in his office, with the Deputy Director and another member of the company’s management team across from him.

“Have you confirmed the details?”

Qi Haoyong leaned forward.

“Boss Qi, I’ve got the details. Haofang Culture’s film is slated for a Spring Festival release. Yesterday afternoon, some tourists witnessed the filming crew leaving Vermilion Bird Building while dining there.”

If they had coordinated with the theaters in advance, once approved, the film could hit screens during the Spring Festival.

The Deputy Director nodded heavily.

“So, are we going to drop the Tourism Festival to safeguard our movie?”

After a brief silence, Qi Haoyong spoke again.

“Boss Qi, this might actually be the safer option. After Legend of Langya blew up, online buzz for Mingsha Tourism soared. If this film turns into a box office hit, that side will suddenly boast four major IP landmarks! Even if we end up hosting the film festival, we’d probably face backlash. Better to let it go.”

The Deputy Director bit his lip.

“Alright then. Since we can’t compete, might as well protect the film!”

After a long pause, Qi Haoyong finally made his decision.

Although he had built many connections for the film festival and even invested in a film, giving it up now felt somewhat uncomfortable—yet, strangely, it also brought a sense of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted.

“Alright, I’ll call President Ran right now.”

With that, Qi Haoyong immediately pulled out his phone.

But before he could dial, his phone screen lit up—a call from Ran Xiangfei came through first.

“Mm?”

Surprised, Qi Haoyong answered the call.

“Boss Qi, are you busy right now? I’ve got good news to share.”

Before Qi Haoyong could speak, Ran Xiangfei’s voice rang out.

“Good news? What good news?”

This left Qi Haoyong rather dumbfounded.

The past few days had been filled with disheartening news—where was any good news to be found?

“Boss Qi, thanks to my relentless efforts and meticulous planning, Ning An Cultural Tourism’s film festival is a done deal. Surprised? Thrilled? Hahaha! You really should thank me for locking this down!”

In the next moment, Ran Xiangfei’s voice boomed with hearty laughter.

“Ah? The film festival is secured? So it’s all ours now? No more preselection?”

Qi Haoyong was instantly stunned.

Had Ran Xiangfei told him this a month ago, he would have leapt for joy.

But now… Surprise? It felt as though the burden he’d just shed was being dumped back on him by Ran Xiangfei.

Four chapters for now; more will come tomorrow during the day.