Hollywood, I became a legend with special effects.

Chapter 182 Should We Flop? Digital Godhood of Light and Shadow

On the morning of December 15th, Liu Yifei woke up to a rich aroma of coffee.

She groggily opened her eyes and found that Jiang Yu was no longer beside her. On the bedside table was a steaming latte with a crooked smiley face drawn with caramel on the milk foam.

There was a note next to it, written in Jiang Yu's elegant cursive script: "Went to the morning meeting, will be back at nine. I made the coffee myself, although I failed at latte art three times. Remember to eat breakfast, Mary made your favorite shrimp dumplings."

Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh out loud, picked up her coffee, and took a sip. The taste was surprisingly good, even more fragrant and mellow than Mary's usual coffee.

She got out of bed barefoot, drew back the curtains, and the California sun immediately flooded the entire room.

The infinity pool on the terrace shimmered in the morning light, and the Los Angeles skyline was clearly visible in the distance.

In the dressing room, she saw that the stunning dress from last night had been professionally cleaned and hung in a specially made dust cover.

Neatly hung beside them were five outfits chosen this afternoon: three formal suits and two pantsuits, all for *Avatar*.

Preparations for the premiere.

Each outfit also had a small label next to it with Jiang Yulong's flamboyant comment: "Dior grey dress: elegant but too conventional."

"Chanel trousers: smart but not stunning."

1

"Valentino red dress: Powerful but steals the spotlight from the movie."

"Guo Pei's custom-made: Oriental charm, but she wore it at the premiere."

"This last one: want to give it a try?"

Liu Yifei looked curiously at "the last one," a light blue long dress she had never seen before. The fabric was like gauze, yet not quite, and it shimmered with a soft, pearly luster under the light.

She took it off and tried it on, and when she stood in front of the mirror, she was stunned for a moment.

The dress features a halter neck design, revealing beautiful shoulder and neck lines. The waistline is perfectly cinched, and the hem is a fishtail design that is shorter in the front and longer in the back, making the legs appear longer while maintaining a dignified look.

The most wonderful thing is the color. It's not ordinary blue, but a shade that gradually turns silver-gray from the shoulders down, as if you're wearing the dawn sky.

"When did this guy prepare this?" Liu Yifei twirled in front of the mirror, her skirt billowing like flowing water.

At exactly nine o'clock, the sound of a door opening came from downstairs.

As Liu Yifei walked down the stairs in that blue dress, she saw Jiang Yu, David, and Wang Wei walk in.

Jiang Yu looked up and saw her, paused for a moment, and his eyes lit up noticeably.

"Looks like I was right," he said with a smile, putting down his briefcase and walking over. "This color suits you, like the sea at dawn."

"When did you prepare this?" Liu Yifei spun around.

"I ordered it in Paris last month." Jiang Yu adjusted the shoulder strap for her.

David whistled from the side: "Boss lady, you're going to kill memory again today."

Wang Wei had already opened her tablet and started reporting: "The afternoon's schedule has been adjusted. Director Cameron has decided at the last minute that he wants us to arrive at the Chinese Theatre two hours early for a private get-together. He has invited Nolan, Spielberg, Lucas, Peter Jackson, and the current CTO of Industrial Light & Magic."

Upon hearing this string of names, Liu Yifei instinctively gripped Jiang Yu's arm tightly.

Jiang Yu sensed her nervousness and gently patted the back of her hand: "Relax, it's just a few old men making movies, although the combined box office of their movies exceeds 10 billion."

"6

"Boss, your description is so ridiculous—" David said, both amused and exasperated, "That's half of Hollywood."

"So what?" Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we almost the other half too?"

This statement was arrogant, but no one refuted it because it was true.

Light Chaser Animation Studios now holds the main control over the Twilight series, and its digital technology has been proven in Avatar, so it certainly has the right to say this.

"The topic of the private gathering was virtual production technology," Wang Wei continued her report. "Director Cameron wanted to give a demonstration in front of those big shots to support us. In return, he hoped that Light and Shadow Digital would give priority to providing technical support for his 'Avatar 2 & 3'."

"Sure." Jiang Yu nodded. "Tell Cameron that we can not only give him priority, but we can also assemble a dedicated team to serve only his projects."

"The cost—" David hesitated.

"The fee will be 8% of the market price," Jiang Yu said, making a surprising statement. "There's one condition: in the opening credits of Avatar 2, Iogo, the digital lighting and shadow company, must appear alongside Industrial Light & Magic."

David gasped, "Boss, this—Industrial Light & Magic has never been featured in an opening sequence alongside any other special effects company since its founding in 1975!"

"Let's start with Avatar 2 then," Jiang Yu said calmly. "We have the capability, so we deserve the status. Let's go talk to them."

Liu Yifei's heart raced as she listened.

Although she didn't understand the technology, she understood what it meant to be "on par with Industrial Light & Magic in the opening credits"—it was the crown jewel of the special effects industry, an honor that countless companies dreamed of.

I had a simple lunch of salad and pasta.

At 1 p.m., the styling team arrived on time.

Isabella, dressed in a stylish pantsuit, brightened up when she saw Liu Yifei's blue dress: "Perfect! This dress must be one of the last few custom-made pieces by Jean-Paul Gaultier before his retirement, right? Mr. Jiang really knows his stuff."

"You know him?" Liu Yifei asked in surprise.

"Of course, this fabric is a special Dawn Yarn," Isabella said, carefully touching the hem of the skirt. "One was bought by the British Royal Family, one is archived in Gaultier's studio, and I never expected that the last one would be with you."

This dress can't be altered in any way; it's best left as it is.

The makeup was minimalist, with only a thin layer of foundation, inner eyeliner, and mascara. The lip color was a nude-colored dusty rose.

The hairstylist spent half an hour styling my hair and finally decided to leave it down, only braiding a thin braid on one side and securing it with a pearl hair clip.

"Today you're here as both a producer and an actress, not to walk the red carpet and compete for beauty." Isabella gave a final check. "So your look needs to be understated yet impactful, so people remember your face and your presence, not just your dress."

It was exactly 2 o'clock when everything was finished, and Jiang Yu came downstairs.

Today he wore a light gray three-piece suit, a white shirt with the collar open, and simple platinum square cufflinks.

This outfit is both formal and casual, perfectly suited to the atmosphere of a director's gathering.

"Let's go." Jiang Yu extended his hand. "Let's go meet those who truly create dreams."

Cameron's assistant had been waiting for some time at the private entrance to the side door of the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

The capable-looking woman with short hair visibly relaxed when she saw Jiang Yu: "Mr. Jiang, you've finally arrived. The director has been talking about your real-time rendering system for the past half hour, and Mr. Lucas and he have been arguing about the technical details for twenty minutes."

"Noisy?" Liu Yifei asked softly.

"It's a friendly exchange among technical personnel." Jiang Yu explained with a smile, "The higher up the hierarchy, the fiercer the arguments. Because everyone thinks they're right, and they often really are right, just from different perspectives."

Pushing open the heavy solid wood door of the VIP room, Liu Yifei almost burst out laughing at the scene inside; it was indeed "noisy".

Cameron and Lucas stood in front of a whiteboard in the center of the room, both holding markers. The whiteboard was covered with various complex charts and formulas.

Spielberg sat on the sofa, rubbing his forehead; Nolan stood by the window, lost in thought; and Peter Jackson—was actually eating a donut.

"Lucas, your algorithm is twenty years old!" Cameron tapped the whiteboard with his pen.

"But it's stable! Stable, you understand? If your real-time rendering crashes, the entire shoot will come to a standstill!" Lucas retorted without backing down.

"Therefore, we implemented three layers of redundancy backups."

'

"That's three times the cost!"

"But the time saved is more valuable than..."

97

"Stop!" Spielberg finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Gentlemen, we're not here to argue today. We're here to see new technology."

There was a moment of silence in the room, and everyone turned around.

Six pairs of eyes focused on Jiang Yu and Liu Yifei at the same time, as if they were being scanned by six high-precision scanners simultaneously.

"Jiang!" Cameron was the first to walk over, his posture initially suggesting a bear hug, but it turned into a firm handshake. "You've finally arrived. Miss Liu, we meet again. Lin Xin from 'Black Swan'..."

97

Liu Yifei was stunned by the long string of professional comments, and it took her several seconds to react: "Thank you, director, you are very observant."

"That's just my habit when I'm filming, I'm a stickler for details." Cameron waved his hand, then turned to Jiang Yu eagerly, "Did you bring your system? I want to show these old guys something."

Nolan walked over, his British accent elegant yet direct: "Mr. Jiang, we meet again. I've been thinking about your views on the seamless integration of live-action and CGI for a week, and I have some questions I'd like to ask."

Spielberg remained seated on the sofa, smiling and waving, "What are you all standing for? Sit down. Jiang, Cameron's been raving about your virtual production technology to me all morning, saying it can change the way movies are made. I'm a practical person; I want to see the results before listening to the theory."

Lucas pushed up his glasses, his gaze sharp: "Industrial Light & Magic's virtual production system costs 120% of traditional production."

Can you really achieve 60%? Show me the data.

Peter Jackson finally put down the donut and wiped his hands: "If it's true, then if The Lord of the Rings had been filmed ten years later, I could have saved at least eight months."

This is how top Hollywood directors communicate: efficient, direct, and without unnecessary words. Everyone is a master in their own field, respecting each other but not giving an inch.

Jiang Yu pulled Liu Yifei to sit on the empty single sofa, and Wang Wei immediately handed her a specially made tablet computer with a screen twice the size of a regular tablet and extremely high resolution.

"The data is all here." Jiang Yu opened the presentation file, and the first page was a cost comparison chart of "Avatar". "The traditional production process was estimated to require $3.5 million, but the actual cost was $2.6 million. Of the $9000 million saved, $4000 million came from Light & Shadow Digital's virtual production system."

He pulled up a comparison video: "On the left is traditional green screen filming, where actors perform against thin air; on the right is our system, where actors can see themselves on Pandora in real time through AR glasses. Notice this shot—the Na'vi running through the glowing forest. Traditional filming requires actors to imagine their surroundings, but our system allows them to actually see the forest."

In the scene, Zoe Saldana, who plays Neytiri, is wearing specially made glasses and running, jumping, and reaching out to touch "flowers" in the studio. What she sees through the glasses is the fully composited scene.

"This is not a post-production preview, it's real-time rendering," Jiang Yu emphasized. "The resolution reaches 2K, and the latency is less than 0.1 seconds."

The actors' performances can be adjusted in real time, and the director can see 80% of the final result immediately.

The room fell silent.

All five directors were staring intently at the screen, their eyes focused as if they were looking at a rare treasure.

"This scene of the actor touching the flower," Peter Jackson pointed to the screen, "if it were filmed live, we'd need to shoot against a green screen first, then do the special effects in post-production, and finally composite it—it would take at least three months. How long did it take you?"

"Three days," Jiang Yu said calmly. "One day for system setup, one day for filming, and one day for fine-tuning. And the actress's performance was more realistic because she actually touched something."

Lucas took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on: "What resolution of the final film can the real-time rendering achieve?"

"Currently it's 85%, the next-generation system aims for 95%." Jiang Yu pulled up the technical parameters. "The core is the self-developed Dawn rendering engine, which is 18 times faster than the traditional ArnoId and supports physically-level ray tracing."

Spielberg sat up straight: "If this system really comes to fruition—the film production process will need to be completely rewritten. The boundaries between pre-production and live-action shooting will disappear, and post-production time will be reduced by more than half."

"That's exactly what we're aiming for." Jiang Yu put away his tablet. "Light and Shadow Digital will open its technology platform next month, and any production company or director in Hollywood can apply to use it. The first three projects will be free, and thereafter you'll be charged based on the percentage of costs saved for each project."

Nolan astutely grasped the key point: "Why not charge based on usage time or number of shots?"

"Because what we hope to promote is industry progress, not making money," Jiang Yu said frankly. "If we charge in the traditional way, many small and medium-budget films and independent producers cannot afford it. If we charge based on cost savings, they have no risk. Using our system, the worst case scenario is that things will be the same as before, and the best case scenario is that they will save time, money, and effort."

Cameron slapped his thigh: "Brilliant! That's why I like doing business with the Chinese—they have a long-term vision!"

Lucas pondered for a few seconds, then slowly nodded: "If Industrial Light & Magic had this kind of business model when it was starting out, it might have developed twice as fast as it does now."

"So," Cameron concluded, "after today's premiere, I will formally recommend Light & Shadow Digital to the media."

This isn't about helping out; it's the truth. Without you guys on Avatar, I'd probably still be on set, going crazy in front of a green screen.

As Liu Yifei listened, a strong sense of pride welled up inside her; this was the company Jiang Yu had built, which was changing the rules of the game in the world film industry.

The party lasted for fifty minutes until the assistant came in for the third time to remind them that the premiere was about to begin.

As he left the VIP room, Spielberg deliberately walked over to Liu Yifei, took out a crumpled business card from his pocket—it was really crumpled, with frayed edges.

"Ms. Liu, I have a film coming out next year." The legendary director spoke with a gentle gaze. "The script is still being revised. If you're interested, we can talk about the characters first."

Liu Yifei's heart skipped a beat, and she accepted the business card with both hands: "It's my honor, I'll be waiting anytime."

"Don't rush to agree, read the script first." Spielberg winked. "Although I'm getting old, I still have high standards for acting. Cameron is right, your handling of details in 'Black Swan' was excellent, and I need to see more possibilities."

"I will try my best," Liu Yifei said solemnly.

As they left the VIP room, Jiang Yu chuckled softly in her ear, "Spipper's business cards are among the hardest things to get in Hollywood. He's given out no more than a hundred business cards in his entire life, and each one represents a role that could potentially go down in film history."

"I'm under so much pressure—" Liu Yifei clutched the crumpled business card, her palms sweating.

"Pressure is a motivator." Jiang Yu grasped her hand. "And I believe in you. Let's go, the show's about to begin."

.

At 3 p.m., the red carpet at the main entrance of the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles had turned into a sea of ​​people.

The premiere of "Avatar" was the largest in Hollywood that year. It was not only the premiere of a movie, but also a milestone in film technology, Cameron's return after thousands of years, and a symbol of the changing of the guard in Hollywood.

The red carpet was an astonishing 150 meters long, with five media zones set up on both sides: traditional media, entertainment media, technology media, international media, and fan media.

When Jiang Yu and Liu Yifei's car, a low-key but custom-made bulletproof Maybach, stopped at the starting point of the red carpet, all the media's cameras turned to look at it.

"It's Jiang Yu and Liu Yifei!"

"The boss of Light Chaser Animation Studios!"

"Quick! Aim the camera!"

The car door opened, and Jiang Yu got out first. Then he turned around and extended his hand in an extremely elegant manner.

Liu Yifei helped him out of the car. When her "dawn gauze" blue dress was fully revealed in the California sun, the media area was briefly speechless; it wasn't that they didn't want to take pictures, but that they were so amazed that they forgot to press the shutter.

Then, a burst of flashes erupted like a galaxy pouring down.

"My God—this dress lights up?"

"Liu! Look this way! Turn around!"

"Mr. Jiang! Please wait! Will Light Chaser Pictures go public?"

Problems came flooding in.

Liu Yifei maintained a composed smile, linked arms with Jiang Yu, and walked at a leisurely pace.

Every five steps, she would stop and turn around to give photographers from different angles a chance to take pictures.

Jiang Yu remained half a step to her side, sometimes whispering to her, sometimes nodding to the media, his aura of controlling the entire scene was natural.

As I walked to the interview area in the middle of the red carpet, Fox News' star host, Erin, had been waiting for me for a long time.

The host, known for his sharp wit, had an exceptionally bright smile today: "Mr. Jiang, Ms. Liu, welcome! First of all, I must say that Ms. Liu, your look tonight will be recorded in red carpet history. In my twenty years of reporting, I have never seen a dress of this quality."

"Thank you, Eileen, you flatter me," Liu Yifei replied politely. "This is one of the last few custom-made pieces by Mr. Jean-Paul Gaultier, and I am honored to wear it."

"Mr. Jiang, as a major partner in the special effects for 'Avatar,' how are you feeling right now?"

Facing the camera, Jiang Yu smiled politely but his eyes were sharp: "It's like watching your own child perform on stage for the first time. The difference is that this child may change the course of the world's film industry."

"So confident?"

"The data speaks for itself," Jiang Yu said calmly. "The production cost of Avatar was reduced by one-third compared to the estimate, the production cycle was shortened by 10%, and the final result, as you will see later, exceeded everyone's expectations. This is not confidence, it is a fact."

Eileen turned to Liu Yifei: "Ms. Liu, as an actress, do you think virtual production technology will change the way we perform?"

"Yes, but the change is positive," Liu Yifei answered earnestly. "The hardest thing for actors isn't crying or laughing, but performing in front of a green screen while trying to make the audience believe you're in a fantasy world. Virtual production technology allows us to 'see' that world, making the performance more realistic, more immersive, and more precise."

"I heard that you will also be using this technology in your upcoming work?"

"Yes." Liu Yifei looked at Jiang Yu, and the two smiled at each other. "The TV series and science fiction movie we are preparing will make extensive use of digital lighting technology. As an actress, I am looking forward to it; as a producer, I am very proud."

After the interview, the two continued on their way.

Acquaintances kept coming over to greet him, and Tom Cruise, with his signature bright smile, said, "Jiang! Congratulations! I'd like to use your system for Mission: Impossible 7, how about we talk next week?"

Will Smith and his family posed for a group photo: "Liu, my daughter is a fan of yours, can I get her an autograph?"

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made a rare appearance together, with Pitt directly asking, "Jiang, can your system be used for location shooting? My next movie is 80% location shooting."

What surprised Liu Yifei the most was that many faces she had only seen in movies came over to greet Jiang Yu.

Those top Hollywood stars, directors, and producers did not treat Jiang Yu as a "rich Chinese investor."

When he was three-quarters of the way down the red carpet, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige squeezed out of the crowd, holding a half-eaten hot dog. This bigwig is known for his unkempt appearance but sharp eye.

"Jiang! I finally caught you!" Feige finished his hot dog in three bites, wiped his hands, and said, "For the Titan battle scene we wanted to do in 'The Avengers,' Industrial Light & Magic quoted 1.2 million and eighteen months. Can your Light & Shadow Digital do it? How much? How long?"

Jiang Yu pondered for a moment: "It depends on the specific number of shots. I estimate it will be 20% cheaper than Industrial Light & Magic, and the time will be reduced by one-third."

""

"Be specific!"

"Tomorrow morning at 10 a.m., come to my office. Bring your storyboard, and I'll give you a detailed quote," Jiang Yu said with a smile.

"Deal!" Feige pulled out his phone and started writing down his schedule, muttering to himself, "Damn it, I was supposed to argue with Sony about the Spider-Man copyright tomorrow at ten o'clock—"

"Then 10:30 it is." Jiang Yu was very understanding.

"That's great!" Feige patted his shoulder hard, then noticed Liu Yifei. "Oh right, Ms. Liu, congratulations on your nomination! My wife watched 'Black Swan' three times and cried through three of my shirts. She said if you were to act in a superhero movie, she would definitely buy a ticket."

Liu Yifei was amused by the down-to-earth praise: "Thank you, I will work hard."

As the red carpet reached its end, Cameron personally came out of the theater to greet them.

"Jiang! Liu! Come in quickly, it's about to start!" Cameron grabbed one of them with each hand, as if afraid they'd run away. "I just made a bet with Lucas. He said Avatar's opening weekend box office couldn't exceed $1.5 million, I said at least $2 million."

"One hundred million. The stake is his treasured set of original storyboard panels from the 1977 Star Wars movie. Do you think I can win?"

Jiang Yu laughed: "Director, you're too conservative. I'll bet at least 2.5 million."

"So confident?"

"The quality of the film speaks for itself." Jiang Yu pointed to the theater entrance. "A good film will let its own words do the talking."

Stepping inside the Chinese Theatre, Liu Yifei was once again awestruck.

This historic theater, which can hold nearly a thousand people, was packed to capacity today.

She quickly scanned the front row. The Nolans were to her left, Spielberg and his wife to her right, Lucas and Peter Jackson were sitting together talking in hushed tones, and further away were Guillermo del Toro, Zack Snyder, and Tim Burton—almost the entire directorial circle was present.

The actors' section was dazzlingly star-studded: Tom Hanks and his wife, Meryl Streep and her best friend, Johnny Depp in his signature sunglasses, Julia Roberts grinning from ear to ear, Denzel Washington intently examining a brochure, and Keanu Reeves sitting alone in a corner—

If a bomb were to fall at this moment, Hollywood's film plans for the next thousand years would have to be rewritten.

Their seats were in the center of the first row, with Cameron and producer Jon Landau on their left, and Fox CEO Stacy Snyder and Warner CEO Kevin Tsujihara on their right.

This seating arrangement once again emphasizes Light Chaser Pictures' central role in this film, with the CEOs of the six major companies accompanying them, and the director personally accompanying them.

"Are you looking forward to it?" Jiang Yu asked in a low voice after taking his seat.

"I'm kind of looking forward to it—" Liu Yifei honestly admitted, "However, this lineup is terrifying. I feel like even breathing is a sin."

Jiang Yu chuckled at her words: "Relax. We're not here on a pilgrimage today, we're here to assess the results. The success of this film owes a debt to us. Stand tall and enjoy our moment."

The lights dimmed, and the IMAX screen lit up.

When the classic 20th Century Fox logo appeared, the first round of applause rang out in the theater—not for the movie, but for the beginning of a new era.

Then, the first shot: Jake Sully awakens in a cryogenic chamber, the colossal silhouette of Pandora suspended in the dark space, blue and green, unreal in its beauty, and a collective gasp fills the theater.

Liu Yifei has seen special effects blockbusters before.

She has acted in "Lucy", watched "Iron Man", and even seen some clips of "Avatar" in advance.

When the entire movie unfolded on the IMAX 3D screen, she was still completely, utterly, and without reservation awestruck.

When Jake first set foot on Pandora through his avatar body, his feet left glowing footprints on the luminous tundra; as night fell, the entire forest burst into a dreamlike display of countless bioluminescent creatures; as the dragons (Ikaran) traversed the floating mountains, their feathers trembled in the wind; as the Tree of Souls drooped its thousands of glowing branches at night, as gentle as a mother's touch—

Every frame is breathtakingly beautiful, and every detail is so realistic that you forget it's CGI.

Liu Yifei was completely immersed in the movie.

She forgot that this was a movie with special effects produced by Jiang Yu's company, forgot that a top Hollywood mogul was sitting next to her, and forgot her own identity.

She was just a spectator, drawn into a completely new and vibrant world.

The 150-minute movie kept me completely absorbed for a single moment.

The final battle ended, and Jake remained permanently inside the Avatar, opening his eyes and saying to Neytiri, "See..."

When she said "you," Liu Yifei found tears on her face. They were tears of emotion, moved by the beauty, the love, and the magnificence of life.

The moment the lights came on, there was an absolute silence in the theater for ten seconds.

Then, applause erupted like a tsunami, and everyone stood up in unison. The applause lasted for a full six minutes.

When Cameron took the stage, the director, known for his tough stance, had tears in his eyes and his voice choked with emotion: "This film—I've been working on it for fourteen years. Fourteen years ago, I told Fox I wanted to make a film about an alien world entirely created with CGI, and they thought I was crazy. Thank you to everyone who believed in this dream, thank you to Fox for their persistence, thank you to everyone who contributed to this film—"

He paused, his gaze shifting to Jiang Yu's direction: "Special thanks to Light Chaser Pictures and Light & Shadow Digital Effects. Two years ago, when production stalled and costs kept exceeding budgets, it was Jiang who joined the project with his team and technology. He said, 'Director, let's give it a try.' More than 40% of the visual effects shots of Pandora that you see today came from Light & Shadow Digital. Without their technological breakthroughs, this film might have had to wait another year, and the cost would have increased by another hundred million. Jiang, thank you for that risky decision back then."

The spotlight shone precisely on Jiang Yu and Liu Yifei.

Jiang Yu calmly stood up, bowed slightly to the stage and the surroundings, and then pulled Liu Yifei along.

This gesture drew even more enthusiastic applause, not for the film, but for the contributors to the technological breakthrough and the supporters of dreams.

The media interview session took place in the interview area next to the theater.

Jiang Yu and Liu Yifei were surrounded by more than 20 media outlets, with cameras practically shoved in their faces.

"Mr. Jiang, will the success of Avatar accelerate Light and Shadow Digital's IPO plans?"

"There are no plans to go public at the moment." Jiang Yu's answer was unexpected. "We don't lack money right now, what we lack is time and talent. Going public means being responsible to shareholders and to short-term financial reports. But technological research and development requires long-term investment and room for error. So, Guangying Digital will not go public for at least three years."

"Will the investors agree?"

Jiang Yu laughed: "I am the biggest investor. And Disney is also a shareholder of ours. They value long-term technological leadership more than short-term dividends."

The interview lasted for half an hour.

It was already dark when I left the theater, but the fans and media outside were still as enthusiastic as ever.

Once inside the car, Liu Yifei let out a long sigh of relief, slumping into the leather seat: "My God, it felt like I'd been through a battle."

"Too many people?" Jiang Yu handed her a bottle of water.

"Mm." Liu Yifei turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling in the warm car light. "Jiang Yu, you guys really changed the film industry. This isn't flattery, it's the truth. I've never seen a film like this before. It's not just entertaining, it's—it's the future."

Jiang Yu squeezed her hand: "You'll see even more when our sci-fi blockbuster comes out."

As the car entered Beverly Hills, Liu Yifei suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, the bet between director Cameron and Lucas."

"Lucas is doomed to lose." Jiang Yu chuckled. "I estimate Avatar's opening weekend box office will be between 2.8 million and 3.2 million. Lucas's 1977 storyboard will soon be his."

"You're that confident?"

"I've looked at the data." Jiang Yu rolled down the car window, letting the night wind blow in. "The pre-sale ticket situation, the level of discussion on social media, the proportion of screenings in theaters—all the indicators point to one result: a blockbuster among blockbusters."

For the next few days, Liu Yifei remained immersed in the awe-inspiring experience of Avatar.

She even went to the IMAX theater again, this time disguised as an ordinary audience member, wearing a hat and mask, and sitting in the last row.

Even after watching it a second time, the scenes still made her heart race.

However, after the film's global release on December 18, the box office figures for its opening weekend made many people nervous.

North America: $7700 million.

Other regions worldwide: $8900 million.

Total: US$1.66 million.

For a film with a total budget of $4.5 million for production and marketing, this start is certainly not impressive.

Some Hollywood media outlets began to predict a downturn, with Variety's headline being quite direct: "Avatar: A Technological Feast, a Commercial Flop?"

The Hollywood Reporter analyzed, "Cameron's ambitions are too great; ordinary viewers may need time to accept this completely new movie-watching experience."

When Liu Yifei saw these reports, she was having fried eggs with Jiang Yu in the breakfast room of the villa.

She paused, the knife in her hand pausing, a hint of worry in her voice: "Are you sure it's okay? I've put so much effort into it—"

Jiang Yu, engrossed in reading the online edition of the Wall Street Journal, didn't even look up: "What's the rush? Movies of this caliber are judged by long-term word-of-mouth, not just an opening weekend hit. Go ask Mary if she saw Avatar yesterday."

Mary came in carrying juice and immediately smiled when she heard this: "Yes, sir. My husband, my two kids, and I all went. We queued for forty minutes to buy tickets, and the IMAX theater was completely full. After watching it, my daughter said it was the best movie she'd ever seen, and she wants to see it again with her classmates next week."

"See?" Jiang Yu put down his tablet. "This is the trend. The number of people who can go to the cinema on the first weekend is limited. We need to wait for word-of-mouth to spread, for more people to see the reviews on social media, and for the number of screenings in IMAX theaters to increase—this is just the beginning."

His composure impressed Liu Yifei.

Sure enough, starting Monday, the situation began to change dramatically.

First came the social media explosion.

On Twitter, the hashtag #Avatar surged to the top of the global trending list on Monday morning.

Netizens flooded the screen with comments like, "I've never seen a movie like this in my life! You absolutely have to see it in IMAX 3D! Otherwise, it's like you haven't seen it at all!"

"Pandora must really exist, right?! I believe in aliens now!"

"Second visit planned! No, third visit! There are always new discoveries each time!"

"Can anyone tell me where the Tree of Souls is? I want to go on a pilgrimage there!"

"Light and Shadow Digital is amazing! Is this technology from a Chinese company?!"

Then comes a lengthy analysis by a professional film critic.

The New York Times' film review was titled: "Avatar: The Moonshot for the Film Industry," highlighting the rise of Chinese technology companies.

The Hollywood Reporter devoted eight full pages to a detailed breakdown of Light & Shadow Digital's technological breakthroughs, calling it "the most important visual effects company in the world after Industrial Light & Magic, bar none."

The most interesting thing was Lucas's reaction. The founder of Industrial Light & Magic was interviewed by Variety on Monday, and when asked for his opinion on the special effects of Avatar, he remained silent for a long time before finally saying something.

"I lost. Not to Cameron, but to a new possibility. The technical approach of Light & Shadow Digital is completely different from ours; they chose a more difficult but more correct path. I'll send that 1977 storyboard to James tomorrow."

This interview went viral, with the headline: "Lucas Admits: Industrial Light & Magic Lost!"

By the last day of the second weekend, the box office figures silenced all the doubters.

North America, second week, seven days: $1.74 million.

Other regions globally: $2.3 million.

Total: US$4.04 million.

The film grossed $5.6 million in ten days, and the attendance rate has increased rather than decreased. Tickets for IMAX theaters have been scalped for five times the original price and are still hard to come by.

Many cinemas temporarily adjusted their screening schedules, cutting screenings of other movies and replacing them all with "Avatar".

Professional institutions, as if injected with stimulants, frantically adjusted their predictions:

Goldman Sachs: "Avatar will ultimately gross at least $18 billion worldwide."

Morgan Stanley: "It is expected to surpass $20 billion, breaking the record held by the Titanic for two years."

Barclays: "Light Chaser Animation Studios could earn over $2 million in net profit from this project alone."

This has shocked the media worldwide.

Fox's stock price surged 30% in a week. Although Light Chaser Animation is not publicly listed, Goldman Sachs released a five-page analysis report valuing Light Chaser Animation and Light & Shadow Digital together at "no less than $120 billion".

On December 24, the day before Christmas, Jiang Yu held a small celebration party in his Chasing Light office in Beverly Hills.

The attendees were only the core team: David, Wang Wei, Wu Na from Light and Shadow Digital, and Ju Yifei.

The office's floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the Hollywood Hills, and the setting sun turns the "HOLLYWOOD" logo gold.

On the large screen in the conference room, real-time global box office data was displayed: $4.18 million, and still growing at a rate of tens of thousands of dollars per minute.

"The data is in." David's voice trembled with excitement. "As of 5 PM today, Avatar..."

The global box office has surpassed $5 million. At this rate, it could gross another $1 million by Christmas. Our preliminary estimate is that Light Chaser will receive between $1.8 million and $2.2 million in net profit from this project.

The meeting room erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Even Wu Na, a technical genius who is usually as calm as a robot, couldn't help but clench her fist at this moment.

Jiang Yu remained calm.

He waited until the noise subsided before speaking: "The money is there. The key is, Light and Shadow Digital has really made a splash this time. Wu Na, how's the feedback from the technical team?"

Wu Na adjusted her glasses and pulled up a data sheet: "This week we received 142 collaboration inquiries from the six major Hollywood studios, independent production companies, European film companies, Japanese animation studios, and even NASA. They want to use our virtual environment simulation technology for astronaut training. The testing applications for our virtual production platform are already booked until next August."

She paused, then continued, "In addition, the labs at Stanford, MIT, and Caltech have contacted us, hoping to jointly develop next-generation vision technology. Also—three chief engineers from Yanye Optoelectronics have submitted their resumes, wanting to work with us."

These words stunned everyone.

Yan Yeguang, a member of Guangmo, has jumped ship to Guangying Digital? This is absolutely earth-shattering news in Hollywood.

"Hire them," Jiang Yu said only two words, "but there must be a non-compete agreement to ensure that they bring not Yan Yeguang's technical secrets, but their talent and ideas."

"Understood." Wu Na nodded. "Also, Cameron's assistant called this morning and said that Avatar 2 and 3 want to sign an exclusive cooperation agreement with us. The terms are as you mentioned before: 8% off the market price, but the logos in the opening credits will be displayed side by side."

"Sign it." Jiang Yu said without hesitation. "Not just parts 2 and 3, but the entire series. Tell Cameron that if he's willing, we can establish an 'Avatar-dedicated technical team' to serve this IP exclusively for the next few years."

David couldn't help but interject, "If the door panels are discounted by 8%—we won't make much money."

"Who said that?" Jiang Yu laughed. "There are at least two more Avatar movies, and the production cost of each one won't be less than 300 million."

"Hundreds of millions. Even with a 8% discount, we can still make tens of millions per film. More importantly—'Avatar is digitally produced by Light and Shadow,' how much are those nine words worth? This is the best game in the world, more effective than spending hundreds of millions of dollars on marketing."

Ju Yifei, who was listening from the side, suddenly understood Jiang Yu's vision.

He wasn't doing business; he was playing chess, anticipating the next move of the Buddha, trading immediate gains for long-term status.

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