Chapter 192: Modern Solutions in an Ancient Setting

“Right now, we can only consider modern transportation; even at full capacity, other modes can’t meet the demand.”

Xu Hao leaned back slowly in his chair.

“There’s no other way! The guesthouse area is enormous! Other scenic spots boast streets of just a few hundred meters, but here on Mingsha, the ancient architecture streets start in kilometers!”

“Besides, the distance between each attraction isn’t ideal for walking, especially for elderly visitors or those with mobility issues.”

“And another reason: the park is already on the brink with the number of animals it keeps! If we continue to add more without control, the cost of cleaning up all that horse manure, camel dung, and yak droppings will be enormous.”

“Brother Hao, if we introduce modern transit, how can it blend with the park? Many visitors come to Mingsha specifically for its genuine ancient atmosphere.”

“Besides, running electric vehicles along Qing Brick Avenue would endanger the visitors.”

Luo Peng couldn’t help but add from the side.

“We can’t use surface transportation—only the subway! If we design the subway entrances to look like traditional government office gates, it won’t spoil the hard-earned ancient charm of Long Kingdom.”

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Hao glanced at the sand table.

“Luo Peng’s right. If our original goal is to create an authentic ancient vibe, we must see it through. Otherwise, it’d be jarring to see ancient costumes, camels, and yaks on one side of the street and modern cars and skyscrapers on the other!”

“Subway? Brother Hao, are we really building a subway for our guesthouse?”

Xu Hao stayed silent for a moment; as soon as he spoke, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng were instantly stunned.

They had toyed with the idea briefly before discarding it.

No other reason.

A subway could perfectly solve the transportation issue for visitors—it might even become a distinctive feature of the area.

“Imagine it: Qixia Town, Wudi City, Langya Pavilion… The sound of subway announcements would be so atmospheric. But what about the costs? Mingsha Tourism has so many projects underway now—a single subway line easily starts at billions. We simply can’t afford it! Moreover,”

“Actually, building a subway in the desert isn’t as expensive as in a city—there’s no need for demolition! Most importantly, no other modern transit can preserve our guesthouse’s ancient charm like the subway can.”

Xu Hao slowly picked up his teacup, growing ever more convinced of the plan.

On the flip side, constructing the subway ahead of time isn’t such a bad idea. If we pile on too many ancient structures now, future construction would only drive up the costs.

“Brother Hao, there’s one more issue: subway construction takes a long time. We might—”

Zhu Qiang hesitated, still worried.

“There’s no way around it—if the project takes long, so be it! If necessary, we can launch the line with limited service. We could even start with just a line from the City Gate to Langya Pavilion!”

Xu Hao waved his hand dismissively.

“No city builds its subway overnight. Lines are added gradually—often excavation starts only to have funding run dry, then resumes when money is available.”

“As soon as the funds from Mingsha Tourism are secured, subway construction could speed up considerably.”

“Then…”

“Qiangzi, you and Little Luo, spend the next couple of days exploring if there are any better transit options! Also, get in touch with a construction firm that specializes in subways. Check if we can make it work in the desert—if so, have someone draft a preliminary budget.”

Without further hesitation, Xu Hao arranged the plan immediately.

“Alright, Brother Hao!”

Time passed, sunrise to sunset.

By the fourth day of the New Year, time had flown by. Some workers barely had time to enjoy the Spring Festival break before the seventh day arrived, marking the start of a new year of labor.

Because of this,

Some workers began to refocus on work while others were still caught up in holiday syndrome, binge-watching shows and catching up on episodes.

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

On the evening of the seventh day at around 8 p.m., some netizens surfing the internet discovered an oddity.

Originally, on the morning of the sixth day, both Longmen Inn and New Moon Legend had hit 1.4 billion at the box office, with no clear winner! But now, New Moon Legend had inexplicably surged ahead by over 30 million, reaching a total of 1.58 billion, while Longmen Inn stood at only 1.55 billion.

“What’s happening? Did New Moon Legend suddenly take off?”

One netizen immediately posted the discovery on an entertainment forum, sparking a flurry of discussion.

“It doesn’t seem like there was any major publicity!”

“Exactly!”

“Recently, everything being said involves Longmen Inn. Rumor has it they even initiated a challenge stay that amplified their ancient ambiance. So if anyone were to see a rise, it should be Longmen Inn—not New Moon Legend.”

“I agree!”

“Sigh, tomorrow’s workday and there aren’t many moviegoers tonight. With New Moon Legend surging like that, Longmen Inn might not catch up!”

As the chat unfolded, one comment read with exasperation:

“If they can’t keep up, so be it! Longmen Inn isn’t going anywhere. There will be more opportunities down the line!”

“Exactly. To be fair, Longmen Inn has already become a household name. As for New Moon Legend, family-friendly films usually see a steep drop in box office once work resumes.”

Another netizen joined in the discussion.

“Tonight’s winner will be crowned the Spring Festival box office champion!”

At that moment, one user retorted,

“Spring Festival box office champion?”

The netizens fell into a brief silence, but comments quickly began pouring in.

“Do you think it’s possible that those extra 30 million in revenue for New Moon Legend were intended to secure the title of box office champion for the Spring Festival? With that, they can launch a massive publicity campaign.”

“That’s entirely plausible!”

“So, did Ning An Cultural Tourism, the backers of New Moon Legend, use some unconventional methods?”

“Not sure, but it doesn’t seem straightforward! If it were just a few million more, it’d be understandable—30 million is a big jump.”

“Just wait and see. If Ning An Cultural Tourism truly employed shady tactics, you can bet there’ll be more moves soon. If not, who’d even risk this?”

“We’ll see.”

Little did anyone know, as some netizens sensed something was off, Qi Haoyong, sitting at his computer, slumped back in his chair like he was utterly drained.

His hair was a mess and dark circles framed his eyes—clearly, he hadn’t rested in days.

“Mr. Wang, call President Ran. Tell him he must make an official announcement by early morning—otherwise, this 30 million gap won’t hold out for long.”

After a brief pause, Qi Haoyong looked across at the Deputy Director sitting at the desk.

Ever since Mingsha Tourism’s quirky mounts trended, he’d been pushing President Ran to use unconventional methods to boost box office figures. On the fourth day alone, they had poured in over 8 million.

If they hadn’t started these tactics on the fourth day, the two films wouldn’t have been neck and neck—it’s likely Longmen Inn would have pulled far ahead.

Later, in a desperate bid to outdo a 30 million gap, Qi Haoyong even dug into his last reserves. And that’s how we ended up here.

“President Qi, after the film festival, we should steer clear of the Director Association!”

As he nodded, the Deputy Director looked at Qi Haoyong with a hint of concern.

When the phone call first went out, President Ran had claimed that buying 10 million in box office wasn’t too costly. But once operations began, it turned out nothing was as simple as they’d hoped.

They needed to arrange people, coordinate with theaters, and even offer discounted tickets—by the end of it, purchasing 10 million in box office with President Ran’s methods required over 9 million in investment. It was downright underhanded.

Though the company had always focused on cultural tourism rather than filmmaking, they knew that if buying box office wasn’t cost-effective, who would even risk it?

Money in the pocket is tempting, but once you’ve spent half the fortune, you can’t just stuff it back—you have to push through.

In this round, Ning An Cultural Tourism had invested at least 50 million more, meaning they needed 150 million in total box office to break even.

“Director Association? Let’s postpone that conversation until after the film festival!”

Qi Haoyong’s tone carried a note of irritation.

At this stage, if anyone hadn’t realized they were being led into a trap by President Ran, they’d be completely out of their depth.

On paper, New Moon Legend’s box office of 1.58 billion should net about 500 million in returns. Yet, with all the investments, that’s about the break-even point.

In short, after four or five months of relentless work, only President Ran would end up profiting.

“It’s just too outrageous.”

The Deputy Director exhaled deeply.

Though Qi Haoyong had been forceful earlier, he knew it was just venting—after all, Ning An Cultural Tourism wasn’t Mingsha Tourism.

If this happened to Mingsha Tourism, they’d have the Director Association under their thumb in no time.

“Alright, you go call President Ran. I need to rest! Hopefully, tonight’s official announcement regarding the film festival will boost our profile a bit.”

After a pause, Qi Haoyong wearily waved his hand.

“Okay, Qi.”

Minute by minute, time passed until the early hours of the eighth day of the New Year arrived as scheduled.

At that moment, the official website of the Long Kingdom Directors Association posted an announcement with a simple, straightforward title:

“Announcement: After unanimous recommendations from the organizers, congratulations to Ning An Cultural Tourism for winning the rights to host the 36th Long Kingdom Film Festival. For years, Ning An Cultural Tourism has been deeply involved in the film industry and even clinched the Spring Festival box office championship this year with a total of 1.58 billion.”

Wow! As expected, the announcement sparked immediate heated discussion on the forums.

“What? The film festival rights went to Ning An Cultural Tourism? Why not Mingsha Tourism?”

Many netizens reacted in shock, hardly able to believe it! Recently, Mingsha Tourism had been all over the headlines—whether it was a Long Kingdom film festival or even an international one, it should have been Mingsha Tourism’s domain.

Yet now, the rights were awarded to Ning An Cultural Tourism!

So,

what’s next?