Chapter 114: Missed Opportunities and Clogged Roads

It’s too late to say anything now! It was meant to be a favor, but we dropped the ball!

Zhang Ping gave a bitter smile.

He slowly leaned back into his chair.

In theory, when two leaders call personally, you’d want to show some respect by giving them priority. But for some unknown reason, his mind was clouded with thoughts about all the dubious projects leaders insist on pushing down your throat.

Even if the other side explained every detail, he wouldn’t have considered it a quality production!

So they deliberately set up a barrier, and ultimately, Su Province TV lost a chance to rise.

“Leader, you really can’t blame us. Who would have thought that a company barely off the ground could produce a film like this?”

The man murmured softly.

His name was Chen Wei, the Production Director of Su Province TV; even when he kept postponing the schedule, he was always there to offer advice.

“Absolutely unexpected.”

Zhang Ping smoothed down his sparse hair as he leaned back.

In Long Kingdom, Su Province is one of the lowest-ranked among the dozens of provinces—lagging far behind in both economy and culture, especially when it comes to cultural companies.

After all, producing a drama can cost anywhere from tens of millions to over a hundred million, and no cultural company in Su Province has that kind of strength.

So, Su Province TV typically buys reruns; they never invest in new productions.

“By the way, I called the local broadcasting bureau in Mingsha County this morning. They mentioned that Haofang Culture is planning another film. Do you think we should contact them to secure the premiere rights for this film?”

After a brief silence, Zhang Ping looked up at Chen Wei. “After all, we’re Su Province TV, and there’s also a poverty alleviation leader in the desert. If we bring it up first, they’ll likely choose us as a priority.”

“Leader, I did ask around this morning, but honestly, I think the risks are enormous!”

Chen Wei paused and shook his head slightly.

Since the success of Wulin Wai Chuan, he had been gathering every bit of information available, and by now he had uncovered every detail about Haofang Culture.

“Enormous risk? What do you mean?”

Zhang Ping couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Leader, they told me that Haofang Culture’s aim with this film is to endorse the Su Province Tourism Festival being held on October 20th. Many of the actors are being recruited from the Mingsha County Troupe.”

He added that since Mingsha Tourism has been busy with new projects, the quality of the film is hardly assured.

“Hardly assured? Isn’t that true for this film as well?”

“Leader! No cultural company can repeatedly produce blockbusters. Frankly speaking, Wulin Wai Chuan has a simple setup with plenty of shortcuts.

But I’ve heard that this time it’s a period martial arts drama. Haofang Culture might not be adept at handling large-scale historical productions.

Most importantly, I picked up from industry insiders that Yan City TV bought the exclusive broadcast rights for Wulin Wai Chuan at a price of two million per episode.

With Wulin Wai Chuan blazing in popularity, the cost for acquiring one episode wouldn’t be cheap either.”

Chen Wei voiced his true thoughts.

In his view, since they had already missed out, there was no need to force another cooperation with Haofang Culture.

After all, if this turns out to be a mess, Su Province TV could suffer a huge loss. “You make a valid point,”

After hearing Chen Wei’s analysis, Zhang Ping fell into deep thought.

“Leader, the Tourism Festival is actually managed by the province in Mingsha County. Haofang Culture is bound to care more about the festival than the film itself.”

“I get it!”

Snapping back to reality, Zhang Ping waved his hand to signal Chen Wei to stop.

“Alright, if it’s meant to be, so be it. We simply weren’t destined for this!”

“Mm!”

Meanwhile,

Just as Haofang Culture was beginning to catch the attention of various TV stations, the junction between Hongsha Gang Village and 256 had already become a sea of people.

Tourists from nearby cities, eager to visit Qixia Town, were pouring in.

Most had driven here themselves, and the constant flow of dirt trucks and wood transport vehicles had turned the intersection into complete chaos.

Even with traffic police trying to manage the situation, nothing could be done as cars kept jostling forward, determined not to miss a glimpse of Qixia Town.

“Why aren’t you letting the cars through?”

At that moment,

In front of Qing Brick Avenue, a group of trendy young men and women riding five off-road vehicles glared angrily at Luo Peng, who was wearing a safety helmet.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please understand. We’re currently in the middle of construction inside. There’s just no way we can accommodate you right now. Once the work is finished, we’ll gladly welcome you in. And for any tourists arriving today, we’ll offer a free ticket to Tengwang Pavilion as an apology.”

Casting a glance at the impassioned youths in front of him, Luo Peng explained helplessly.

Originally, he was supervising the construction of Wudi City at Oasis 2, but one call after another reported that material trucks were stuck en route. With no alternative, he had to come over and assess the situation in person.

He then discovered that a group of young people had effectively blocked the entrance to Qing Brick Avenue, preventing the engineering vehicles behind them from getting through.

“We won’t interfere with your construction work,”

Luo Peng explained, but the determined youths were unmoved.

“Brother, it’s not that we don’t want to help; it’s just that the area is swarming with construction vehicles, and we can’t guarantee the safety of the tourists. Our guesthouses have even suspended bookings these past few days.”

Luo Peng glanced at the line of off-road vehicles behind him and patiently continued,

“We’re just here to visit Qixia Town, not to stay overnight! We’ll take a couple of pictures and post them on our social media, then we’re out!”

The youths shot Luo Peng a dismissive look before one of them replied casually,

“Brother, this just won’t do. If something goes wrong on the road, no one will want to take the blame.”

Luo Peng frowned slightly.

Whether it was on the Mingsha Tourism website or at the entrance of Hongsha Gang Village, clear notices had been posted: due to limited reception capacity during construction, tourist visits were temporarily suspended. But clearly, these warnings were falling on deaf ears, especially among those stubborn wild tourists eager to snap photos for their social feeds.

“Why are you being so fussy? We’re just taking a quick look—it won’t disrupt your work. Besides, we came all the way from Lanshi.”

One of the youths glanced at his companions.

A young woman with wavy hair and sunglasses immediately caught on, chiming in from the side,

“Exactly—if need be, we can ditch your Qing Brick Avenue and take a shortcut through the desert!”

“Everyone, regardless of where you’re from, remember that theoretically this entire desert falls under the jurisdiction of Mingsha Tourism. So even in the desert, you don’t get to choose your own path!”

Seeing these youths grow increasingly overbearing, Zhu Peng’s expression darkened.

The construction at Oasis 2 couldn’t be delayed for even a moment—anyone would be anxious under such circumstances.

“No right? Is that so? Today, I’m going to take a stroll. What can you do about it? We’re just a tourism company, not law enforcement!

These days, who’s afraid of whom!”

The leading youth’s face set in determination as he swung open his car door and climbed into his SUV.

Moments later, the off-road vehicle roared to life, its engine sound echoing into the sky.