He wants to adopt a younger sister, but his aloof wife disagrees.

Two months later.

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the Little New Year.

Jianghai City, Qingche Entertainment Headquarters (formerly the 66th floor of the Global Financial Center, now expanded to the 65th and 66th floors).

Inside the conference room, a champagne tower stood tall.

Filming wrapped!!!

With Director Feng's excited roar, the entire audience cheered. Su Xiaoruan held a confetti cannon in her hand, pulled the pin with a bang, and confetti rained down.

After two months of grueling filming, "Green Snake" finally wrapped up production on this snowy day.

At this moment, Su Xiaoruan had lost a lot of weight. Her once round face now had a defined jawline, and her eyes held a captivating blend of allure and aloofness from her acting roles. She was no longer the little girl who would only hide behind her brother; she was a true actress.

"President Jiang! President Shen!"

Director Feng walked over, holding a wine glass and beaming.

"If I could make this film in my lifetime, I, Feng Dagang, would die without regrets! I guarantee that once this film is released, it will win awards left and right!"

Jiang Che smiled and clinked glasses with him:

"Winning awards is secondary. Director Feng, our goal is to be the box office champion during the Spring Festival."

"The Spring Festival film season?"

Director Feng's smile froze for a moment, and he hesitated slightly.

"President Jiang, the Spring Festival film season is a battle of titans. Especially this year..."

He pointed to the large screen in the conference room.

An entertainment news report is playing on the screen:

[Tianyu Media Group's S-level blockbuster "The Great Song of the Ages" is set to premiere on Chinese New Year's Day! Beijing entertainment circle heir Lu Ziye spends a whopping 10 billion yuan on promotion!]

[Lu Ziye declares: This year's Spring Festival film season will only have one film; the rest are just there to make up the numbers.]

Although Lu Ziye wasn't physically present in the video (he was abroad avoiding the limelight), his arrogant demeanor was still clearly visible through the video call.

"Some small workshops that make snake and demon movies should just release them online; they're just embarrassing themselves in theaters."

This is clearly a direct reference to "Green Snake".

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned cold. Everyone knew that Tianyu Group's dominance in the industry was terrifying; they practically monopolized the film scheduling in theaters.

"What are you afraid of?"

Shen Qingge, who had been sitting silently in the main seat, suddenly put down her wine glass.

She wore a red velvet suit today, which was festive yet powerful.

"He has Tianyu Media, we have Shen's Group."

Shen Qingge's gaze swept across the entire room, her tone firm:

"I have contacted all the cinema chains in the south. As long as the film is of high quality, I will guarantee its screenings."

"But Mr. Shen..." The head of the publicity department wiped away cold sweat, "Their publicity is too aggressive. Right now, the entire internet is flooded with press releases for 'The Great Song of Prosperity,' and our buzz is being completely suppressed. Moreover, rumors are circulating in the industry that Lu Ziye signed a 'betting agreement' with several major distributors, guaranteeing a minimum box office of 30 billion yuan. If we go head-to-head..."

"Then let's gamble too."

Jiang Che spoke calmly.

He walked to the French windows, looked at the heavy snow falling outside, and fiddled with the Zippo lighter in his hand.

"Issue an announcement."

"Qingche Entertainment has officially launched a 'box office bet' against Tianyu Group."

"What's the stake?" Director Feng asked, his heart pounding.

Jiang Che turned around and held up one finger:

"If the box office of 'Green Snake' is lower than that of 'The Great Song,' I, Jiang Che, will retire from the entertainment industry, Qingche Entertainment will be dissolved, and I will compensate Tianyu Group with 100 million yuan."

"What?!" The entire audience was shocked.

This is way too much!

"but."

Jiang Che's eyes sharpened, revealing a chilling glint:

"If I win."

"I want Lu Ziye to apologize to Su Xiaoruan live on the entire internet, and—"

"Admit he's a brainless good-for-nothing with all the money in the world."

"Jiang Che..." Shen Qingge looked at him, feeling a surge of excitement despite her apparent madness. "Are you confident?"

Jiang Che walked to her side, lowered his head and whispered in her ear:

"Honey, have you ever seen me lose?"

"I'm going to be in seclusion for the next two weeks editing."

"I will show you what a true... masterpiece is."

……

The next two weeks.

Jiang Che locked himself in the editing room, where he ate, drank, and relieved himself.

The system reward of **[God-level Post-production Ability]** is now fully unlocked.

This is not just editing, but a secondary creation of the film.

Color grading. He transformed the originally gray and dark image into a sophisticated turquoise tone, reminiscent of ink wash painting; every frame could be used as wallpaper.

The soundtrack. He personally crafted the music, combining electronic music with traditional folk music. The enchanting, eerie, yet melancholic background music is enough to send chills down your spine the moment it starts playing.

Special effects. He used the system's optimized algorithm to make the large green snake's scales, eyes, and even the mist when it breathed incredibly realistic.

Shen Qingge would bring meals every day.

She watched the story gradually taking shape on the screen, watched Su Xiaoruan's every smile and gesture, and watched the artistic tension that overflowed from the screen.

Her initial worry turned into final shock.

……

New Year's Eve, the day before.

"The Great Song of the Prosperous Age" has already begun its extensive preview screenings. Although the reviews are polarized (good special effects but bad plot), thanks to popular stars and capital investment, the pre-sale box office has already exceeded 5 million yuan.

As for "Green Snake," because Jiang Che kept it from being shown, the pre-sales were dismal, only reaching tens of millions.

The entire internet is mocking Jiang Che's "betting agreement" as a joke.

Lu Ziye even posted a sarcastic comment on Weibo: "[Waiting for someone to retire from the entertainment industry, see you on the first day of the Lunar New Year.]"

8 PM.

Jiang Che finally walked out of the editing room.

He had a stubble beard and bloodshot eyes, but his energy was frighteningly high.

"hair."

Jiang Che handed the hard drive containing the final cut of the film to the publicity department, saying only one word:

"Final trailer, now released."

Five minutes later.

Qingche Entertainment's official Weibo account posted a video that is only two minutes long.

Caption: [Humans have feelings, and demons have tears. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Green Snake emerges from its cave.]

The video begins.

There wasn't a single line of dialogue.

There was only a faint, eerie chanting sound.

The scene depicts a misty, rain-drenched West Lake.

Suddenly, a huge blue snake tail burst out of the water, stirring up huge waves.

The camera zooms in.

Su Xiaoruan plays Xiaoqing, a half-human, half-snake creature, who lies on the rooftop, soaking wet, with a dazed look at the vast world below.

That bewitching aura, that ultimate beauty and desire, instantly pierced through the screen.

Immediately afterwards, the background music suddenly became more rousing.

The waters flooded Jinshan Temple!

Towering waves, the collapsing Leifeng Pagoda, and Xiaoqing's desperate and heart-wrenching screams in the floodwaters—

"Sister! What's so good about being a human?!"

"This world... isn't worth it!"

The scene abruptly ended.

Only the phrase "This world is not worth living" echoed in everyone's minds like a curse.

……

Blasted.

It completely exploded.

Within ten minutes of its release, the trailer was shared over a million times. Half an hour later, it topped the trending searches.

#GreenSnakeTrailer# Explosive

#Su Xiaoruan's acting skills# are amazing

#ThisIsEasternAesthetics# Explosive

Netizens have gone crazy:

"Holy crap! This is a domestic film?! The special effects?! The quality?!"

"Su Xiaoruan's gaze was absolutely priceless! It gave me goosebumps!"

"This isn't a trailer, it's a work of art!"

"Compared to this, Lu Ziye's 'The Song of Prosperity' is practically a browser game in terms of graphics!"

"Buy tickets! Buy tickets now! Let's see who dares to say this is a bad movie!"

The pre-sale box office for "Green Snake" has begun to surge exponentially!

One hour, over 100 million!

Three hours later, it broke 300 million!

Overnight, it directly surpassed "The Long Song of Prosperity"!

……

Tomson Riviera.

Jiang Che took a shower, shaved his beard, and regained his clean and handsome appearance.

He sat on the sofa, holding Su Xiaoruan, who was crying with excitement after watching the trailer, in his arms. Next to him sat Shen Qingge, who was equally shocked and speechless for a long time.

"We won."

Jiang Che looked at the constantly changing box office figures on his phone, a faint smile playing on his lips:

"This gamble began the moment the trailer was released."

"It's already over."

He turned to look at the fireworks exploding outside the window.

Lunar New Year's Eve has arrived.

The new year marks the official arrival of an era of pure entertainment.

【Ding! 】

[Congratulations, host, on completing the interim task: Movie Godhood.]

[Reward: God-tier Business Territory Expansion Card (It's time for Clear Capital to expand beyond the Yangtze River Delta and into the national market.)]

[Reward: 10 billion RMB in cash (advance payment of box office revenue).]

Jiang Che gripped Shen Qingge's hand tightly.

"Happy Chinese New Year, my wife."

"Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow."