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

Lunar New Year's Eve, Jianghai City.

Outside the window, heavy snowflakes fluttered down, enveloping the bustling metropolis in a silver-white blanket. Neon lights along the Huangpu River cast hazy halos in the snowy mist, while inside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the top floor of Tomson Riviera, a warm and inviting atmosphere prevailed.

The air was filled with the aroma of dumplings and the noisy, festive background music of the Spring Festival Gala on TV.

"They're done! They're done! These are the coin dumplings I made! Whoever finds one will be rich this year!"

Wearing a bright red plush loungewear outfit, looking like a cheerful little bunny, Su Xiaoruan rushed out of the kitchen carrying a steaming plate. Having spent several months on the film set, her skin was much fairer than before, and her once timid eyes now sparkled with confidence.

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

Jiang Che followed behind, holding a dish of vinegar and minced garlic. He wore a simple white cashmere sweater with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his well-defined forearms, exuding a gentle, domestic charm. Who would have thought that just a few hours ago, this man, who was mixing dipping sauce, had overturned the entire entertainment industry with a trailer?

Shen Qingge sat at the head of the dining table, replying to several New Year's greetings via WeChat. She wasn't wearing her usual business attire today, but rather a burgundy silk dress, her long hair casually pulled back, revealing her slender swan neck. Hearing the noise, she put down her phone, her gaze falling on the two people, one big and one small, the coldness in her eyes melting into a pool of spring water.

"Xiao Ruan, let's toast your brother-in-law first."

Shen Qingge picked up her wine glass, her tone casual but her words carrying great weight: "Without the two weeks he spent working in the editing room, we probably wouldn't have had a peaceful New Year."

"Yes, ma'am!" Su Xiaoruan raised her juice glass with a serious expression, looking at Jiang Che with admiration. "Brother-in-law! You're my god! I wish 'Green Snake' a huge box office success! Cheers!"

Jiang Che smiled and clinked glasses: "Thanks for your kind words. But more than the box office, I hope you can win that coin tonight."

The three sat around a table, the air thick with the aroma of steam.

However, beyond this warmth, the entire internet world is already fiercely competing for the upcoming midnight screening on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

……

At the same time, in the presidential suite of a super five-star hotel in Jianghai City.

The atmosphere here is completely different from the cozy atmosphere of Tomson Riviera; it is filled with extravagance and restlessness.

Lu Ziye sat on a leather sofa, a cigar between his fingers, with real-time pre-sale data displayed on a huge projection screen in front of him.

The pre-sale box office for "The Great Song of the Prosperous Age" is 5.8 million yuan.

Green Snake's pre-sale box office: 3.2 million yuan.

Although "The Great Song" was still leading, its growth curve made Lu Ziye's heart pound. "Green Snake" was rising vertically, while his film began to stagnate, and even experienced a wave of ticket refunds.

"Young Master Lu, don't worry!"

The marketing director, wiping away cold sweat, forced a smile and said, "After all, we're number one in screenings during the Spring Festival! We occupy 45% of the screenings! So what if his 'Green Snake' trailer is well-edited? It only gets 15% of the screenings, and the first day of the Lunar New Year is all family-friendly. Who watches this kind of supernatural film? The core audience is in our hands!"

"Yes, Young Master Lu, we also have 'ghost screenings' as a guarantee..." another vice president said in a low voice, "For those screenings from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., we've paid for the seats ourselves, and the box office numbers will definitely look good."

Lu Ziye took a puff of his cigar, exhaled a smoke ring with annoyance, and said with a sinister look in his eyes, "That bastard Jiang Che actually dared to gamble with me. One hundred million... Hmph, money is a small matter, face is a big matter."

He remembered the contents of the bet—to apologize live online and admit that he was a loser.

This is worse than killing him.

"Keep an eye on it!" Lu Ziye stubbed out his cigarette in the crystal ashtray. "Find online trolls, find film critics! After the midnight screening, smear it relentlessly! Say that 'Green Snake' has warped values, is unsuitable for children, and... say the special effects are plagiarized from Hollywood!"

"Understood! The press release is all written!"

Lu Ziye looked at the wind and snow outside the window and sneered, "Jiang Che, you want to turn the tables? Dream on. The power of capital is something a nouveau riche like you wouldn't understand."

……

Lunar New Year's Day, midnight.

Jianghai Wanda Cinema, IMAX theater.

Although it was the middle of the night, the theater was packed. There were fans drawn by Su Xiaoruan's looks, passersby attracted by the trailer, film critics with notebooks ready to nitpick, and of course, a "family of three" disguised and sitting in the corner of the last row.

The lights went out.

The dragon emblem flashed by.

There was no lengthy list of production companies; the screen simply plunged into a chaotic darkness.

Immediately afterwards, a clear, ethereal sound of dripping water rang out.

"Tick-tock"

The sound seemed to drip directly into the hearts of the audience.

On the giant screen, a painting appeared, resembling a watercolor wash. It wasn't traditional black and white ink painting, but rather a sophisticated shade of green, moist and hazy, as if one could smell the damp earth of the rainy season in Jiangnan.

In the bamboo forest, two enormous snake tails intertwined and coiled.

It's not the kind of terrifying monster feeling, but a kind of beauty full of primal wildness.

When Xiaoqing, played by Su Xiaoruan, first transformed into human form and peeked out from the grass, a collective gasp filled the entire theater.

So beautiful.

She wasn't the typical cookie-cutter beauty of internet celebrities, but rather a captivating, innocent, yet deadly pure desire. Her eyes were crystal clear, yet seemed to hold an endless abyss.

The plot progresses.

Jiang Che's editing skills are on full display at this moment. He did not use traditional linear narrative, but instead used a lot of imagery splicing and emotional flow.

The rain on West Lake, the umbrella on Broken Bridge, the wine of the mortal world.

Every frame is as beautiful as a wallpaper, and every piece of background music perfectly captures the audience's emotions.

What's most stunning is the "water scene".

When Su Xiaoruan, entwined in the water, gazed at the camera (that is, at Xu Xian/the audience) with a longing look, the powerful tension on the big screen made the male audience members' throats dry and the female audience members blush and their hearts race.

"This...this is really the little girl who sang 'A Diao'?"

"My God, her acting... she's bewitching me!"

Film critic Lao Zhang sat in the third row. He had originally been paid by Tianyu Media to come and smear the film. He already had his pen in hand, ready to write "empty plot and gratuitous sexuality".

However, as the story unfolded, he simply couldn't bring himself to write.

He saw Xiaoqing's attachment to her sister, her curiosity about Xu Xian, and her imitation and mockery of the "human" species.

He saw the fight scene of "stealing the immortal herb," ​​which wasn't some cheap special effects with random flying light waves. Instead, it was a real display of powerful and flexible movements, accompanied by exciting and unpredictable drumbeats, making the audience's blood boil.

Finally, the climax of the film arrived.

The waters flooded Jinshan Temple.

This is not a massive flood in the traditional sense.

In the later stages, Jiang Che transformed this water into a "materialization of emotion." It was the tears of the Green and White Snakes, their anger, and their most desperate accusation against this hypocritical human world.

The towering waves submerged Jinshan Temple and also submerged Fahai's so-called "Tao".

In the murky floodwaters, Su Xiaoruan, clutching her sister's corpse, her face streaked with blood and tears, roared to the heavens:

"Sister! Is this what you call being a human being?! I don't understand the rules of this world! And I don't want to understand them!"

At that moment, a heart-wrenching suona horn sounded from the speakers.

That was a lament, but also an awakening.

The scene freezes on Xiaoqing's desperate yet resolute gaze, then slowly pulls back, transforming into a single blue tear that falls into West Lake, creating ripples.

End.

The subtitles appeared.

The theater was deathly silent.

No one spoke, no one stood up.

A full half minute passed.

Someone clapped softly.

"Smack."

Then, like a domino effect, the applause went from sparse to thunderous!

"Whoosh—!!!"

Some people were wiping away tears, some were shouting excitedly, and some even stood up and bowed to the screen.

"A masterpiece! An absolute masterpiece!"

"Waaaaah... I'm crying so hard! Poor Xiaoqing!"

"This is true Chinese style! This is true Eastern aesthetics! That other show next door, 'The Song of Prosperity,' is nothing compared to this!"

Sitting in the corner, Shen Qingge took off her 3D glasses and wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes.

She turned her head and looked at the calm man beside her, who seemed to have expected all of this.

Jiang Che.

"Um?"

"You won." Shen Qingge's voice trembled slightly, a mixture of excitement and pride. "You didn't just beat Lu Ziye, you beat everyone."

Jiang Che held her hand, their fingers intertwined, and whispered in the darkness:

"It's not that I won, it's that we won."

Beside her, Su Xiaoruan was already sobbing uncontrollably. It was the first time she had seen herself completely on the big screen, and the shock was so profound that she couldn't believe it herself.

"Was...was that really me?" Su Xiaoruan asked, sobbing. "I feel so sorry for her..."

"That's Xiaoqing." Jiang Che patted her head. "And you are Su Xiaoruan, who is about to become a movie queen."

……

It was 10 a.m. on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The first wave of positive reviews is out.

Initial rating on Douban: 9.2.

Maoyan rating: 9.8.

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated "The Long Song of a Prosperous Age" is playing next door.

Douban initial rating: 5.6 (and it continues to drop).

Maoyan rating: 7.5.

The difference is so great that it's as if they are products of two different dimensions.

On social media, "Green Snake" completely dominated the charts.

They are not paid trolls, but genuine "self-motivated" supporters.

Netizen A: "Don't watch 'The Long Ballad of Prosperity'! I went to see it because Lu Ziye was hyping up the special effects, but all I got was light pollution, and the plot was so bad it was like a dissertation defense! I fell asleep after watching for twenty minutes!"

Netizen B: "Please, please go see 'Green Snake'! Seriously! Trust me! Su Xiaoruan's acting is phenomenal! And the soundtrack is amazing! I've already watched it twice!"

Netizen C: "I cried my eyes out in the theater! The 'Flood of Jinshan Temple' special effects were absolutely Hollywood-level! And the tragic core was so sophisticated! This is what a Spring Festival movie should be like!"

Even film critics who had initially accepted payment began to turn against their critics.

Renowned film critic "Poison Tongue Movie" published an article:

Even if I have to refund your money, I still have to say: *Green Snake* is the best fantasy film of the last decade. As for *The Long Ballad*? That's an insult to the film industry. Young Master Lu, you should go back to inheriting the family fortune; you're not cut out for making movies.

……

As word-of-mouth collapsed, the attendance of "The Long Ballad of Prosperity" began to plummet.

On the first afternoon, the occupancy rate dropped below 20%.

Even in late-night screenings, "Green Snake" maintained an attendance rate of over 95%! There was even a situation where tickets were hard to come by.

Movie theaters are not charities.

Theater managers are the most pragmatic. Seeing how well "Green Snake" performed while "The Great Song" was completely sold out, they couldn't sit still.

"Quick! Pull 'The Long Ballad of Prosperity' out of the theaters! Replace it with 'Green Snake'!"

"What? Breach of contract penalty? Fine, I'll pay! With the box office success of 'Green Snake,' the money earned is enough to pay ten breach of contract penalties!"

"Call Mr. Shen! We want to add more screenings! Give the biggest IMAX theater to 'Green Snake'!"

The winds of capital have shifted.

In just one day.

The screening share of "Green Snake" surged from 15% to 40%.

"The Song of Prosperity" was cut from 45% to 10%.

Box office revenue reversed its trend!

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the box office for "Green Snake" was 4.5 million yuan (a comeback victory).

"The Long Song of Prosperity": 1.2 million (including inflated figures).

The outcome is decided.

……

Big Year.

Tianyu Group, Jianghai Branch.

The office was a complete mess. Lu Ziye smashed everything in sight like a madman. Antique vases, computer monitors, even the coffee table were overturned.

"How is this possible?! How is this possible?!"

Lu Ziye's eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was disheveled, making him look like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.

"I invested a billion yuan in marketing! I hired the top celebrities! How could I lose to a piece of trashy film?!"

"Young Master Lu..." The publicity director huddled in a corner, trembling. "The public opinion is getting out of control. The whole internet is calling us a terrible movie, and... and the theaters have turned against us. Tomorrow we'll only have 5% of the screenings..."

"Then go buy it! Spend money to buy screenings! I have plenty of money!" Lu Ziye roared.

"it's useless……"

At that moment, the office door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man dressed in a Tang suit, exuding an air of authority, walked in. He was Lu Tianba, the chairman of Tianyu Group and Lu Ziye's father.

"Dad? What brings you here?" Lu Ziye was taken aback.

"Snapped!"

A resounding slap landed hard on Lu Ziye's face.

Lu Ziye staggered a few steps after being hit, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He covered his face and looked at his father in disbelief.

"waste!"

Lu Tianba pointed at his nose, trembling with rage:

"You still have the nerve to talk about buying screen time? Do you know how badly Tianyu Media's stock price has plummeted?!"

"Because of your bullshit bet! Because of your lousy movie! Tianyu Media's market value evaporated by 10 billion in just two days!"

"The board of directors has just resolved to suspend you from all your duties!"

"Dad! I did it for the company! It was Jiang Che who framed me..." Lu Ziye still tried to argue.

"Shut up!"

Lu Tianba took a deep breath, his eyes turning icy cold:

"Jiang Che has already sent a lawyer's letter, demanding that the bet be honored."

"Fulfill my promise? No way! You want me to apologize to him? Absolutely not!" Lu Ziye screamed.

"It's not up to you."

Lu Tianba looked coldly at his good-for-nothing son:

"The Shen Group, together with Qingche Capital, is buying up our shares in large quantities on the secondary market. If you don't apologize, they will continue to short the stock until they have completely wiped out Tianyu."

"To save the company, you have to kneel."

"Start the live stream now, immediately."

Lu Ziye collapsed to the ground, the light in his eyes completely extinguished.

He knew he was finished.

His pride in Jianghai City, his status as a princeling in Beijing's elite circles, was shattered at this moment by the man named Jiang Che.

……

At 8 p.m. that evening.

Weibo is down.

Because Lu Ziye's live stream has started.

There was no glamorous background, no beauty filters. Lu Ziye sat in front of the camera, wearing a wrinkled shirt and looking haggard.

The screen was filled with comments, all from netizens who came to see the joke.

"Oh, isn't this Young Master Lu, the one who's trying to blacklist Su Xiaoruan?"

"Why aren't you being arrogant anymore? Keep being arrogant!"

"Apologize! Apologize!"

Tomson Riviera.

Jiang Che, Shen Qingge, and Su Xiaoruan were sitting on the sofa, watching the live stream on a projected screen.

Su Xiaoruan was holding a bucket of popcorn. Although she said "I don't want to look," her eyes were wide open.

On the screen, Lu Ziye gritted his teeth, as if using all his strength, and lowered his noble head:

"I am Lu Ziye..."

"I apologize to Qingche Entertainment, to the Green Snake production team, and... to Ms. Su Xiaoruan."

"I was blind, or I was simply less skilled than others."

He paused for a long time at this point, tears and snot mingling together, making him look utterly disheveled.

"besides……"

"I admit it."

"I am a..."

"A piece of trash who only has money and no brains."

After saying that, Lu Ziye immediately ended the live stream. But those few dozen seconds of footage had already been screenshotted by tens of millions of people, becoming a pillar of shame he could never wash away for the rest of his life.

"yeah!!!"

Su Xiaoruan jumped up and bounced around on the sofa:

"That was awesome! My brother is so cool! He really made him apologize!"

Shen Qingge leaned on Jiang Che's shoulder, staring at the blacked-out live stream on the screen, swirling her wine glass.

"To kill someone, you must first destroy their spirit, Mr. Jiang."

"Now, Lu Ziye can forget about ever making a name for himself in the entertainment industry again."

Jiang Che smiled faintly, peeled a grape, and fed it to her:

"This is just the beginning."

"Since he dared to harm my family, he should be prepared to be disgraced."

"and……"

Jiang Che glanced at Su Xiaoruan, who was still excited:

"Little Softie, are you ready?"

"Huh? What are you preparing?" Su Xiaoruan was taken aback.

"Ready..."

Jiang Che pointed to the invitation messages that kept popping up on his phone:

"Embrace your era."

"From today onwards, you are no longer that little girl who needs my protection, but a real... top female star."

……

[Epilogue: Tenderness in the Snowy Night]

late at night.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Su Xiaoruan had already gone back to her room to sleep, clutching her "movie queen dream."

Only a dim floor lamp remained in the living room.

The snow was still falling outside the window, making the whole world seem exceptionally quiet.

Shen Qingge was slightly tipsy. She curled up in Jiang Che's arms like a lazy cat, her fingers twirling on the buttons of his shirt.

Jiang Che.

"Um?"

"Thank you."

Shen Qingge raised her head, her eyes hazy and full of affection:

"Thank you for giving Xiaoruan a future, and thank you... for helping me protect the Shen family business."

This victory in the bet not only made Qingche Entertainment famous overnight, but also caused the stock price of Shen's Group to soar. The mess left by Gu Yanzhi had long been cleaned up.

"Why say thank you between husband and wife?"

Jiang Che lowered his head and kissed her forehead:

"As long as you don't look down on me for being a kept man."

"Who dares to say you're a kept man?"

Shen Qingge raised an eyebrow domineeringly, reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, pulling him towards her:

"Now you are a big director and a big capitalist worth billions."

"but……"

She leaned close to his ear, her breath sweet and fragrant, her voice becoming incredibly seductive:

"Outside, you're General Manager Jiang."

"At home, in bed..."

"You'll always be my...exclusive gigolo."

"Now that we're full, shouldn't we... get back to work?"

Jiang Che's Adam's apple bobbed, and he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the master bedroom.

"It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty."

It was a very cold snowy night on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

But inside the bedroom at Tomson Riviera, springtime warmth prevailed.