Chapter 21: A Bold Business Proposition

“Chairman of Ning’an Cultural and Tourism Group?”

The receptionist scrutinized Qi Haoyong’s outfit before speaking.

“Mr. Qi, please wait a moment!”

“This is troublesome!”

Qi Haoyong smiled and nodded.

Ten minutes later, Qi Haoyong was seated at General Manager Yang Yuan’s desk.

“Mr. Yang, hello. I’m Qi Haoyong, Chairman of Ning’an Cultural and Tourism Group. Here’s my business card!”

Following custom, Qi Haoyong began with his self-introduction.

“Ning’an Cultural and Tourism Group? I’ve heard of it. By the way, is your company state-owned?”

Yang Yuan straightened up, a hint of awe flickering in his eyes.

“Oh, no—we’re just operators on contract. We got lucky; we’re managing all the local attractions.”

Qi Haoyong hurried to explain.

Before Yang Yuan, he had not displayed any airs of a boss.

“Ah, so you’re not state-owned.”

Yang Yuan leaned back in his chair and asked, “Then, Mr. Qi, what brings you here today?”

“I’m here to discuss a potential collaboration with you, Mr. Yang,” Qi replied promptly, leaning forward.

“A collaboration?”

“Mr. Yang, here’s the situation. I teamed up with your company previously, but our operations team wasn’t chosen. Now, I’m proposing we relocate the challenge area back to Ning’an. Our desert has plenty of oases and a better environment.”

“How can you change the location once a challenge has begun?”

Yang Yuan raised an eyebrow. He had heard about the issues between Ning’an and Mingsha County before.

“Mr. Yang, if you agree, Ning’an is ready to offer compensation,” Qi continued, taking a deep breath.

Ever since the survival show premiered, more desert survival enthusiasts have flocked to Mingsha County. Qi was nearly envious.

In his view, these adventurers originally belonged to the main attraction in Ning’an.

Later, after hearing that Tianchen Culture had undergone management changes, he rushed to Haishi.

“Compensation? What kind of compensation?”

Yang Yuan tapped his index finger on the desk and said, “Five million! If you agree, we’ll pay you five million in cash, and our film base will be available for one project free of charge.”

Determined to bring the spotlight back to Ning’an, Qi had prepared meticulously.

“Five million, plus free use of the film base?”

Yang Yuan stroked his chin. Although Ning’an’s film base wasn’t huge, it was well known—numerous western-themed, road, and desert films had been shot there.

Their upcoming costume comedy would also feature desert scenes.

To Tianchen Culture, this deal promised considerable profit.

“Mr. Yang, look,” Qi began.

“But changing the challenge environment at the last minute will upset viewers and online followers. They voted on it—and it even involves contractual issues with the contestants,” Yang countered.

“Mr. Yang, I’ve done my research. A rare heavy rain is expected in the western region within the next two weeks. Given the condition of the contestants, they’ll have to withdraw in no more than ten days.”

“And then?”

Yang Yuan gave Qi Haoyong a knowing look and explained,

“You can announce that the challenge wasn’t designed for extreme weather, offer each contestant 200,000 in compensation, and then have them all switch over to Ning’an to continue the challenge.”

“Mr. Qi, that’s not a bad idea, but…”

“Mr. Yang, rest assured! Once the contestants join our side, they won’t succeed—if you know what I mean. We’re businessmen; we’re not really going to pay out those bonuses.”

Qi Haoyong flashed a knowing smile.

After a moment’s pause, Yang Yuan looked directly at Qi and said,

“I didn’t expect you to be such an interesting man. So, shall we wait until they all drop out? Xiao Wang, please get Mr. Qi a cup of coffee.”

Business is all about profit!

Although Tianchen Culture was shifting its focus from survival shows, Qi had convinced Yang—after all, not earning money is foolish.

As for the contestants’ interests? What does Tianchen Culture care! They’re just there to create buzz.

“Thank you, Mr. Yang.”

“My pleasure! By the way, let me check on the contestants’ status so we can be prepared. Too bad Xu Hao already warned them about the continuous rain; otherwise, they’d have dropped out sooner.”

“Mr. Yang, you are truly a man of action. But what difference does it make if we tell them? I grew up on the edge of the desert and know what continuous rain means for its people and animals.”

“Mr. Yang, I’m increasingly looking forward to our collaboration.”

“Likewise!”

A few minutes later, Operations Manager Liu Qing pushed open the office door.

“Mr. Yang, you wanted to see me!”

“Yes. This is Mr. Qi from Ning’an Cultural and Tourism Group. We’re about to collaborate with him. Now, brief him on the current status of the contestants in the desert—their popularity, trending topics, and survival supplies.”

Yang Yuan instructed.

“Alright, Mr. Yang!”

Without further ado, Liu Qing turned to Qi Haoyong and said, “Mr. Qi, I’m Liu Qing, Operations Manager of Tianchen Culture. Here’s the situation: the top three in popularity are Lord Bei, Stafford, and Matt, who also have the largest food supplies—especially Lord Bei, who has four days’ worth stored.”

“Following them, Xu Hao is generating a lot of buzz.”

“Xu Hao?”

“Yes. Xu Hao is trending because he built a log cabin frame in the desert today, which drew significant online attention. And his luck—yesterday he snagged seven big jumping rabbits in one go.”

Liu Qing couldn’t help but smirk when mentioning Xu Hao.

“A log cabin frame? Without nails and glue, can he manage? And seven big jumping rabbits?”

Yang Yuan and Liu Qing exchanged a worried glance. They weren’t concerned about top-notch experts like Lord Bei, Lord De, or Matt.

The shelters built by such experts could withstand continuous rain, but a simple log cabin might not. And with seven big jumping rabbits—what if Xu Hao manages to pull through the rain?

“Xu Hao’s woodworking skills are interesting, but I doubt he’ll hold out for long!” Liu Qing hurriedly explained.

“What do you mean?”

“Xu Hao caught seven big jumping rabbits mostly due to insane luck—four of them thanks to his foolish fans. His actual ability to gather food is likely weak. Besides, surviving on just rabbit meat isn’t sustainable—he needs fiber!”

“Fair enough! That does put my mind at ease.”

Yang Yuan and Qi Haoyong exhaled in relief.

“Now, tell me about the other contestants.”

“Alright, Mr. Liu. Next in line in terms of buzz is the Aussie Bloke.”

Night had fallen, and the Tengli Desert became a lurking beast under a starless sky, with howling winds and swirling sand.

Challenge Area

Finally, Xu Hao reappeared on the live broadcast.

He had already sent all the required onboarding documents for the Ancient Architecture Research Institute to HR Director Bai Ming. In fact, Xu Hao is now an official employee of the institute.

“Hao Ge, you finally made it!”

“About time—you’ve been waiting all afternoon. What kept you busy?”

The live stream erupted with excitement as Xu Hao appeared.