I'm really good at this.

"Sir, we have large and small apartments, all with plenty of sunshine, facing south, and perfectly well-ventilated."

"I'll just state my requirements, and then they can find a supplier according to them."

"Okay, sir!"

Almost a month has passed since Zhang Hong quietly returned.

For the past month, he has been wandering the streets and alleys of Los Angeles.

As is well known, Los Angeles has nine counties and six districts, and his trail is found in three of them.

Not for any other reason than to find a suitable place to live.

Of course, no suitable property was found.

However, there was also good news: he had been in contact with the production team and learned that everything was normal, with those who needed to leave leaving and those who needed to take leave taking leave.

The bandit leaders were mostly given paid leave, Lin Chuan went back to see his father, while Lin Muqing stayed with the film crew as the producer to oversee the post-production progress.

Also in the later stages were Grandpa Liang, Wang Ye, Li Shanqi, and Huang Xicheng.

Today, under the bright sunshine, Zhang Hong, wearing a mask, went to the largest real estate agency in Los Angeles to ask a professional for help in finding a house.

There's no way around it; the hype surrounding "Bloody Youth" and "The Fall of the Red Dust" has only just died down, so he's somewhat of a celebrity now.

The good thing is that it's winter now, and no one is looking at him strangely because he's wearing a mask and a hat.

But none of that matters!

The important thing is that he's going to buy a house soon!

Looking at the female real estate agent in front of him, dressed in a professional office lady outfit, Zhang Hong began to state his requirements:

"Looking for apartments between 140 and 180 square meters, not duplexes, just single-level units. The floor should be between the 8th and 11th floors, preferably not facing the street, facing south for good ventilation, and getting sunlight all day long. Two elevators serving three units per floor or one elevator serving two units per floor is preferred; anything more is not considered. I want existing apartments, not off-plan, preferably within the last five years. Sufficient green space within the community is necessary, and I only accept communities with separate pedestrian and vehicle access. Most importantly, it should be close to a commercial area and a top-tier hospital, ideally within the school district of a few key municipal elementary schools and provincial key middle schools."

After a pause, Zhang Hong smiled and said, "My requirements aren't high; that's all for now."

The real estate agent was indeed a professional; her pen and paper remained perfectly steady as she took notes. She even asked, "These kinds of properties are actually not easy to sell. In a city like Los Angeles, the best-selling apartments are small units between 60 and 90 square meters. But I'll help you find one. I'll let you know when I find one. Please leave your contact information."

By the way, are you planning to use a commercial loan or a housing provident fund loan?

Zhang Hong said calmly, "Full payment."

It feels so good to show off!

The main thing is that they have money!

The real estate agent paused slightly before explaining, "If it's the type of apartment you requested, the price range for furnished units is between 1.8 million and 2.3 million. Including a parking space will increase the price by another 120,000. Because your request exceeds one million, we will charge a commission of 0.5%."

"It's okay, I'll pay in full." Zhang Hong said calmly. "I don't care about the amount of money, as long as I can have a house that I'm satisfied with, these are all minor matters."

"Yes, sir." The young woman stopped using the "sir" and started writing something in her notebook. "May I ask if you plan to register the house under your parents' name or your own?"

Zhang Hong's eyes sharpened; this was a master!

Actually, that's not the literal meaning of the question. The real question is... "Handsome guy, are you buying it yourself or are your parents paying for it?"

Professional! Truly professional!

Even when asking this question, they're being so tactful.

Zhang Hong smiled slightly: "Under my name."

Seeing the young woman's expression shift from calm to surprise, Zhang Hong felt it wasn't enough.

"By the way, I want two of the same kind of house. One is for my parents; the old house is too old, and they deserve to enjoy their retirement."

This statement should not be taken literally.

What Zhang Hong actually meant by that was... "I bought these houses with my own money, and not only did I pay in full, but I bought two at once!"

Zhang Hong also showed off to himself... no, no, it should be called "showing off in front of others".

He was also very satisfied with the effect of his public display of divine power.

Sure enough, he saw the real estate agent's eyes start to sparkle.

"I'll keep an eye out for you. Would it be convenient for you to add me on WeChat? We can communicate anytime." The young woman took out her phone. "By the way, would you mind if it were a villa? If it were a villa, it would be easier to live with your elderly relatives and take care of them, right?"

"A master! This is a master..." Zhang Hong's eyes sharpened, but he still said calmly, "No need. I'll need personal space when I look for a partner in the future, so two houses would be better."

Zhang Hong countered each move with a strategy, determined not to let himself fail and make a fool of himself in front of others.

The young woman's eyes lit up even more: "You're still single? By the way, my younger sister is obedient, sensible, and beautiful. She's also been worrying about finding a boyfriend lately. Would you mind adding her on WeChat and getting to know her?"

Zhang Hong raised an eyebrow: "I'll only be twenty-five at the end of the month, is your sister really in such a hurry?"

This is a double-layered cake.

The first meaning is to politely decline, implying that one is still young and not yet thinking about finding a partner.

The second layer is still about showing off. It means that he is not even 25 years old and has saved at least five million yuan on his own.

But the next moment, Zhang Hong lost his composure.

The young woman said warmly, "It's okay, my sister is only sixteen years old."

Zhang Hong: "Ah, this..."

............

While Zhang Hong was enjoying the exhilarating feeling of being a "young, rich, and eligible bachelor," post-production was proceeding smoothly and efficiently in Shenzhen.

The post-production team that went to shoot on location all over the world has returned, and everyone is currently staring blankly at the screen.

The screen displays a pre-modeled and even rendered Sydney scene.

The visuals are incredibly realistic, with perfect color reproduction; it's practically flawless.

But it is precisely this "basic" thing that has started to give everyone a headache.

Because Grandpa Liang was not satisfied.

"If you don't look closely, this does look incredibly realistic, but... is there anything even more realistic? Like, the kind of special effects that you can't tell the difference even when magnified a hundred times?"

Huang Xicheng glanced at his former colleagues, asking them a question.

An older man with a thick beard and blond hair hesitated for a moment, then said in fluent Mandarin, "Actually, we do have it. It's the latest software and technology we developed just four months ago, but..."

Master Liang exclaimed with delight, "Then use it! What's there to hesitate about?"

The foreigner explained, "It's not that we don't want to use it, but this was originally our company's latest achievement. However, since our technology and software are already number one in the industry, and there's a significant gap between us and the second-place company, this new technology is a reserve for future upgrades in five years."

"For Huang's sake, we can indeed let you use it, but the price... will be three to four times the current price, or even higher."

He wasn't lying.

How big is the technological difference? To put it another way, it's probably like the difference between Unreal Engine 3 and Unreal Engine 5.

They even skipped Unreal Engine 4.

Grandpa Liang looked at Lin Muqing for help.

Lin Muqing said calmly, "Name your price."

The other party reported a long string of zeros.

Lin Muqing closed her eyes, mentally calculated the price in about ten seconds, then opened her eyes and said calmly, "Then use it."

According to calculations, if all the post-production special effects for all 25 episodes were done using this new technology, approximately 5.88 million yuan would still be saved.

There's nothing we can do about it; even three times the price wouldn't have been this high to begin with.

However, Zhang Hong had very high standards for the series; not a single one of the 25 episodes could be produced without special effects.

And it's not just a little bit; more than half of each episode requires special effects.

Moreover, special effects are needed in every aspect and every location.

The price they quoted was indeed a friendly price.

"Great!" The blond guy laughed too. "To be honest, we've only used this new technology to render test footage; we've never actually used it in a film. We didn't expect our first use to be outside of a movie, but seeing its effects is worth it!"

Ten days later, the most expensive TV series in history, with a cost of nearly 40 million per episode, was completed!

The next day, Zhang Hong was summoned back by a phone call from Lin Muqing.

"What's up? Is the TV series finished?" Zhang Hong rubbed his hands together and asked with a grin, "How much money is left? Do you have a hundred million yet?"

"no."

"Huh? That's amazing?" Zhang Hong was taken aback for a moment, but didn't seem to care. "Do you have fifty million?"

"no."

Zhang Hong: "...There must be at least ten million, right?"

"no."

Zhang Hong: "So how much exactly?! Don't tell me there's not a single cent left!"

I'm going to pay the deposit!

Five million eight hundred and eighty thousand.

Zhang Hong: "..."

He stared blankly at the nonchalant Lin Muqing, and asked suspiciously, "Are you following me?"

Otherwise, how would you know that I, Zhang, need five million to buy two houses?

The remaining 880,000 is just enough to cover the studio's operating expenses for a few months, right?

Thank you so much!

In that case, wouldn't I not even have enough money for my renovation?

You've been following me, haven't you? Otherwise, how could you have timed it so accurately?

Lin Muqing was baffled: "Why would I follow you?"

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Hong decided to skip the topic for now: "Speaking of which, where's Grandpa Liang? He didn't even come to brag to me about finishing the TV series?"

Lin Muqing's path is blocked. Let's see if the old man gets excited and gives me another tens of millions in red envelopes.

That is the right path!

Lin Muqing gestured behind her with her chin, "He's on the phone talking to someone about finishing the TV series, probably showing off to his family."

Zhang Hong nodded and was about to go inside when Wang Ye staggered out.

Upon seeing Zhang Hong, he rushed over as if he'd seen a savior, his voice trembling with tears: "Brother Hong! Something terrible has happened! Grandpa Liang collapsed right after making the phone call!"

Zhang Hong: "Huh?!"

PS: 2/2

Buying a house is a real experience, but it wasn't this big, and I didn't buy it myself; I accompanied a classmate to buy one.

I envy him.

By the way, he's the one getting married today.

o (╥﹏╥) o