Chapter 79: A New Project and Shifting Fortunes

“That.”

After a long moment of thought, Xu Hao made his decision.

“What if we postpone the official opening of Tengwang Pavilion a bit? Today’s situation partly stems from our plot lacking proper tourism projects. Visitors now barely reach Oasis 2—instead, they wander around the Desert Pavilion. Once our Ancient Building Courtyard is finished, things should turn around.”

“Brother Hao, postponing is fine, but I’m worried our viewers won’t be patient, especially those tourists who traveled far to stay at the guesthouses. Why not let those visitors try it out first?”

Zhu Qiang still hesitated.

“Today is Saturday—the situation should improve by tomorrow or the day after.”

“If we let them test it now, any bad experiences will soon be all over social media. Let’s brainstorm further and see if we can find some artifacts that complement Tengwang Pavilion.”

“This pavilion is best used to display artifacts for visitors to admire.”

Xu Hao waved his hand dismissively.

“Tengwang Pavilion was built with so much effort—it wouldn’t be worth its reputation to mar it for ticket sales.”

“Artifacts? Exactly! Even if they aren’t expensive, as long as they’re desert-related they fit the theme. President Luo, aren’t you from Hongsha Gang Village? Go chat with the village elders and see if there are any heirloom trinkets. They just need to carry a bit of Mingsha County’s desert essence.”

“We can rent, borrow, or purchase them.”

Zhu Qiang nodded as he glanced over at Luo Peng.

“Good! No problem.”

After a brief pause, Zhu Qiang patted his head as if a thought struck him, then hurriedly added,

“Oh, Brother Hao, speaking of projects, Tianchen Culture leaked news of a new project yesterday!”

“A historical comedy?”

“Yeah, it’s called ‘The Culinary Detective.’ They’ve hired top domestic directors and stars. Last night, Zhang Chi announced it on his live stream, and it’s already drawing a lot of fan attention. It should bring in a wave of tourists.”

“Plus, Zhang Chi said that ancient architecture without culture is trash—clearly a jab aimed at us.”

“Alright, got it!”

Xu Hao nodded.

“So, Brother Hao, when do we kick off our historical comedy project?”

A spark of expectation shone in Zhu Qiang’s eyes as he looked at Xu Hao.

Unbeknownst to outsiders, ever since Xu Hao suggested ideas to attract tourists, filming ancient costume dramas in the Shadou area had been slated.

But with one matter after another, there was never enough time to push it forward.

Although Zhu Qiang wasn’t thrilled about Tianchen Culture’s involvement, his intent was to add attractions for Shadou.

Today’s chaotic tourist reception didn’t mean things would always remain so disorganized.

“Ours? It’ll start as soon as the Ancient Building Courtyard is completed!”

Xu Hao nodded again.

In fact, even without Zhu Qiang’s reminder, plans for the historical comedy had long been in place—especially since a classic historical comedy fits Shadou perfectly.

With his growing acumen and the local directors’ professional insights, he was confident they could capture the original charm of the series.

With this historical comedy backing us, the Ancient Building Courtyard’s popularity is sure to soar.

“Brother Hao, are we starting construction tomorrow? Although we were busy receiving tourists today, plenty of blue bricks and timber were delivered, the machines are on site, and we’ve got thirty excavators and bulldozers ready to roll.”

Zhu Qiang beamed and quickly exclaimed,

“Great!”

“President Luo has already arranged the laborers—all seasoned workers we’ve used before.”

“By the way, Qiangzi, please help me send an express package to Yan City tomorrow. Make it expedited with insured value!”

“Got it, Brother Hao.”

Days passed one after another.

Under Tianchen Culture’s careful steering, public opinion in Ning’an shifted away from debating whether Xu Hao’s ancient architecture was superior—the focus was now entirely on ‘The Culinary Detective.’

Stars and top actors have allure that surpasses Xu Hao’s niche streaming, drawing explosive visitor numbers in Ning’an in less than a week.

Especially after Tianchen Culture announced on Weibo that an opening ceremony would be held when the Ancient Building Courtyard was complete, bookings for hotels and tickets hit their peak.

Meanwhile, Xu Hao quietly continued building the Ancient Building Courtyard. Tengwang Pavilion was explained as not yet ready for opening, and tourist numbers resumed a modest three to four hundred per day during the week.

Perhaps Xu Hao’s fans knew that with a renowned director and two top-billed actors, ‘The Culinary Detective’ was destined for high ratings. Supporting Xu Hao in bringing the crew on board would only be self-sabotage—so most quietly backed the construction.

Little did they know, just as the live stream fans dared not bring up the topic, by dusk…

After finishing his work, Xu Hao returned to his room, washed up, took a deep breath, and dialed a number.

Beep… beep… beep… The phone rang for a while before being answered, and then a slightly hoarse voice came through,

“Hao Zi, what’s up?”

In the background, the clack of mahjong tiles could be faintly heard.

“Monkey, I want to shoot a TV series. I need you to help me out!”

Xu Hao declared.

He was calling his closest friend and college roommate, Fang Hou, whose nickname was Monkey.

When they graduated, they were full of ambition and swore to make films and TV dramas together someday—but reality soon hit them hard.

Directors from their school seldom got a crew, not even as assistants. Fang Hou spent two years working as a set assistant at an amusement park before returning to his hometown.

With little hope in the directing field, Fang Hou eventually opened a mahjong parlor in the county, living a modest life but managing to get by.

They used to keep in touch frequently, but after Fang Hou returned home, their calls became rare.

Now, needing to shoot a TV series and lacking a suitable partner, Xu Hao had no choice but to call him. Although Fang Hou’s directing skills were average, he excelled at overall planning and, more importantly, was a man of integrity.

“You’re making a TV series? Have you got the funds?”

Fang Hou’s voice faltered for a moment.

“Not a huge amount, but as long as we don’t hire big-name actors, it should suffice.”

Xu Hao explained.

“For crying out loud—did you rob a bank or something? How’d you get so much money?”

“I joined a wilderness survival challenge and won some prize money. I’m currently in Wei City, Su Province, in Mingsha County!”

Xu Hao answered honestly.

“Wilderness survival? The Xu Hao who works on ancient structures in the desert? Wow! Since when did you become an expert in ancient architecture?”

Fang Hou’s voice suddenly rose.

He wasn’t particularly into ancient architecture, so although KuaiDou rarely pushed similar live streams on him, one text alert on the homepage caught his eye. His first thought was, “This guy shares the same name as my college roommate,” and that was it.

In his mind, Xu Hao was just clumsy—how could he possibly be an expert in ancient architecture?

“It’s all been forced! So, what do you say? Are you in? Money’s still available, and if we don’t act now, the chance might vanish for good later.”

Xu Hao offered no further explanation.

“Come on, why not? Running a mahjong parlor is soul-crushing. Filmmaking is way more exciting! By the way, is Fang Ya with you?”

Fang Hou replied enthusiastically,

“Fang Ya? No, she’s with Longhai Brokerage! We broke up!”