A post Zhang Tianxing made on a whim at Zhonghai University was dug up.
"What the heck is this? I've never heard of this movie."
"I have heard of it. It's one of Stephen Chow's bad films, winning the award for the worst film of the year. To think someone is praising it, they must be eating excrement that isn't even warm. The world is full of all sorts of people."
"Setting aside other things, I found some of the dialogue quite moving."
"Moving or not, the public has discerning eyes. Don't you remember Stephen Chow's ambitious attempt to usher in a new era of cinema? After these two films, he went bankrupt. Stephen Chow isn't what he used to be, and now we have to rely on Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat."
"To be fair, I really liked the old Stephen Chow comedy style. I watched A Chinese Odyssey and even contributed ten yuan to its box office. But I didn't understand it at the time; it felt so chaotic. I ended up falling asleep."
"Actually, when I heard the music for A Chinese Odyssey, I knew this movie was going to be bad. Years of watching films have taught me that bad movies often produce great soundtracks. That background music was truly good."
"I don't understand. I can only say the person above is an expert. But speaking of which, after watching a TV series, I can't remember any of the plot, only the songs."
"This fully proves the adage that great songs often come from bad films."
Zhang Tianxing ignored the happenings on the forum; he had more important things to do.
He had checked online and found that A Chinese Odyssey, like in his previous life, had poor box office performance and was pulled from theaters. What he needed to do now was buy the copyright and let the world see the true value of A Chinese Odyssey.
It wasn't that Stephen Chow's films were bad. It was just that they were far beyond the understanding of the audience at the time.
Without a second word, Zhang Tianxing directly found Teacher Ma Qiang. Ma Qiang was amused when he saw Zhang Tianxing.
"Class monitor Zhang, what brings you here?" Ma Qiang asked teasingly. Ever since Zhang Tianxing's businesses had grown, he had completely pushed all class responsibilities onto Tan Honghong.
Fortunately, the young lady didn't hold it against Zhang Tianxing and took on all the tasks diligently, allowing the second class of the Materials Science department to function normally.
"Teacher Ma, you jest. Am I that unaware of priorities? I've come because I need to request a week's leave. I need to go to Xijing."
Hearing Zhang Tianxing, Ma Qiang seemed puzzled. "Leave is fine, but may I ask why you're going to Xijing?"
"I have an unavoidable reason. I'll tell you when I get back."
"Still keeping it a business secret? Alright, you have a company now, so I can approve your leave. However, you'll have to figure out the exams yourself." Ma Qiang reminded him. Zhang Tianxing was good at everything, except his academic performance seemed to be lacking.
But everyone understood that human energy was limited. When heaven closes one door for you, it usually opens another.
This was precisely the meaning of "heaven never closes all doors."
Zhang Tianxing's trip to Xijing was to acquire the copyright for A Chinese Odyssey, thereby vindicating Stephen Chow and making a profit for himself.
The plan sounded perfect, but it all depended on how much the Xijing Film Studio would demand.
Zhang Tianxing had a plan for that too. Several years had passed, and the Xijing Film Studio had already written off the losses for these two films.
However, when doing business with a state-owned enterprise, he was the one seeking them out. He would need to register a company first.
One task at a time. With Yan Ruyu now on board, Zhang Tianxing felt much more relaxed. Many things wouldn't require his personal attention anymore.
"Sister Yu, has the investment company been registered yet?"
"It's registered, but it's just an empty shell right now."
"No one has been recruited... How about this, Sister Yu, you and I will go to Xijing in the next couple of days. We'll go there to buy the copyrights for those two movies." Zhang Tianxing mused that there was no time to waste. The drawback of a makeshift team was precisely this.
He had very few people he could rely on, forcing him to juggle multiple roles.
"I'll go with you? That might not be appropriate. Besides, if I go, who will be responsible for the crayfish hot pot business?" Yan Ruyu refused without hesitation.
What a joke! The crayfish hot pot business was booming. If it attracted envy from others, what if something happened while both Zhang Tianxing and she were away?
"A well-run enterprise isn't so easily shut down. The Blue Star will continue to operate regardless of who is here. Don't overestimate your own importance," Zhang Tianxing said casually. "However, if you can't go, then find a way to recruit someone talented in investment. Our investment company is ready to go, and our cash flow is very substantial. Utilizing money is the key."
My goodness, were wealthy people this busy? They were already thinking about how to spend money before it was even in hand.
Yan Ruyu thought for a moment. "I have a candidate. This person returned from Shengjing. I can invite her over. Whether she'll be willing to stay will depend on your skills."
Having a candidate was good. The fear was not finding a suitable person.
One could appeal to passion, or ideals, or if all else failed, material incentives.
With only a few people around, it was important to secure them first.
It was hard to find talent these days.
"There's another matter, how do we plan to deal with the Bund Building?" Yan Ruyu asked.
"Let's not rush into it. We'll decide after the Zhonghai City urban planning is released. Our internet company will occupy one floor, and we'll discuss the rest later," Zhang Tianxing decided.
"Why don't we rent it out now? I've calculated it, and we could collect quite a bit of rent if we lease it out," Yan Ruyu's eyes sparkled at the mention of money.
Zhang Tianxing shook his head, rejecting Yan Ruyu's suggestion.
In Zhang Tianxing's view, he would use five or six floors of that building himself, and rent out the rest. Once he had enough staff, he would set up the stage for their endeavors.
Currently, only the internet company and the crayfish hot pot business were established. The others were just facades.
They didn't even have administrative staff, just names.
What Zhang Tianxing needed to do now was to recruit people and build the framework, regardless of their abilities.
He now understood the plight of those who tried to start a business while still in school. Zhang Tianxing could truly empathize with why Bill Gates dropped out of school to start his company.
Starting a business and attending school simultaneously was not for humans. Zhang Tianxing was almost exhausted and wished he could split himself into eight to collaborate clearly.
He avoided as much of the schoolwork as possible, pushing it off whenever he could. With Tan Honghong in his class helping him shoulder a lot of the work, it was already quite manageable.