Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

When Chen Jingming heard that Tengxun had achieved a monthly profit, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He then looked at Lin Dan and said:

"Now that the investment company has given you the reins, go for it boldly. Just give me a return on investment by the end of the year. Let's focus on long-term investments. You can handle short-term projects yourself. Keep an eye on internet companies; the industry downturn should be over soon."

"Okay, Mr. Chen. If there's nothing else, I won't be coming here anymore. By the way, there will be a finance person permanently stationed here. If you need funds later, just contact them directly."

Lin Dan responded with a smile. As the actual manager of the investment company, Chen Jingming granted him ample authority, never deliberately interfering in his affairs, and generally not inquiring about personnel and finances.

However, delegating authority does not mean abandoning control; constraints remain. Major decisions must be made personally by Chen Jingming. Every year-end, in addition to the company's routine internal audits, he also randomly selects global auditing firms to conduct on-site audits of every single fund transaction. While it may seem like complete deregulation, in reality, rigorous oversight has already been in place.

After watching Lin Dan leave, the office finally quieted down. Chen Jingming smiled faintly, took out his phone, and made a call.

"Director Zhang, hello, I'm about to pick you up from school. You can wait for me at the school gate in fifteen minutes."

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Jiandong responded with a laugh:

"Okay, Mr. Chen, see you at the school gate in fifteen minutes."

After hanging up the call, Chen Jingming picked up the luggage he had prepared earlier, got up and walked out of the office.

After going downstairs, they got into the car that Xu Hu had been waiting for. A dozen minutes later, they successfully picked up Zhang Jiandong, and the car then headed towards the Capital Airport.

About an hour later, the two boarded a customized shuttle bus via a private entrance. Looking at the interior, which resembled a business van, Zhang Jiandong, filled with curiosity, couldn't help but ask:

"Mr. Chen, don't tell me you chartered a plane? This is too much! This is the first time I've ever used a private channel."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming nodded slightly and slowly explained:

"Director Zhang, my grandfather left me a private plane, which is always parked at the Capital Airport for my daily travel."

Zhang Jiandong's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief:

"Mr. Chen, your grandfather is too extravagant."

By 2002, private jets were already common overseas, but they were still an extremely rare and scarce commodity in China.

"Director Zhang, if you're willing to sign your directing contract with my company, you'll have access to private jets whenever you travel, so there's no need to be envious."

Taking advantage of Zhang Jiandong's sentiments, Chen Jingming smoothly changed the subject.

Zhang Jiandong turned to look at him, and seeing the other's serious expression, could only give a helpless bitter smile:

"President Chen, please don't joke with me. Although I work at the Beijing Film Academy, my personnel file is affiliated with the Academy. Positions within the system are too special, so we can only discuss this matter later."

Chen Jingming nodded silently, without continuing to persuade him. He knew in his heart that not everyone was willing to give up a stable government job easily.

After quickly tidying up, the two got off the shuttle bus together and boarded the private plane.

Zhang Jiandong looked around curiously until the plane took off smoothly before slowly settling down, his heart still pounding. In the past, when filming, he mostly relied on buses for transportation, and when going to remote locations, he even had to take tractors or donkey carts—simple means of transport.

This top-of-the-line travel style, combining a private car with a private jet, gave him a tremendous visual and psychological impact.

The plane flew smoothly all the way and landed safely at Lukou Airport a few hours later. Chen Jingming and Zhang Jiandong, along with their entourage, disembarked. Outside the airport, waiting vehicles had been waiting for them for a long time.

As the vehicle moved slowly forward, gazing at the passing scenery outside the window, Zhang Jiandong felt a sense of unease and asked:

"Mr. Chen, why did you choose to build a film and television city in a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province?"

Chen Jingming was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and answered in a calm tone:

"This place is located at the junction of three provinces, with a superior geographical location and convenient access to all parts of the country. Most importantly, my grandfather grew up here, and his lifelong wish was to return to his roots. Now that I'm developing my career in China, I naturally want to find a stable way out for my fellow villagers back home."

After hearing these words, Zhang Jiandong nodded in agreement and sighed with emotion. A person who has achieved great success yet always keeps his heart with his hometown and cares about his neighbors must have excellent character and vision.

The journey was long and arduous, involving both vehicles and planes. The two were still exhausted, so they closed their eyes and leaned back in their seats for a short rest.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, Xu Hu quietly walked to Chen Jingming's side and carefully woke him. Chen Jingming slowly opened his eyes and asked in a drowsy voice:

"Have we arrived?"

Xu Hu nodded slightly, turned around and picked up a damp towel from the tray in front of him, handing it over. Chen Jingming casually took it and wiped his face, then turned to look at Zhang Jiandong, who was fast asleep by the window, and subtly gave Xu Hu a look, signaling him not to disturb him.

A moment later, the vehicle arrived at its destination. Fifteen minutes later, the two tidied themselves up and got out of the car together.

Zhang Jiandong looked up at the continuous, thick black wall in front of him and was instantly shocked, his mouth agape.

"Mr. Chen, this is truly spectacular!"

"It's not exactly large in scale, and it's far inferior to Hengdian. This Hongyuan Film and Television City is only three kilometers long and wide, with uniform walls that are twenty meters high, all built using antique techniques. Come on, outside vehicles are not allowed to enter the park, but there are sightseeing shuttle buses inside."

This was also the first time Chen Jingming had seen the actual film studio in person. In the past, he could only understand it through photos and drawings. He was also slightly shocked, but he deliberately kept his expression to himself and did not show it at all.

Looking at the seemingly endless replica of the ancient city wall, Zhang Jiandong felt even more admiration for Chen Jingming's vision and capabilities.

"Mr. Chen, welcome to Hongyuan Film City."

A capable-looking middle-aged woman in her forties quickly stepped forward and greeted him respectfully.

"President Sha, thank you for your hard work these past two years. You've stayed here to oversee and manage everything, which has enabled the film and television city to be completed smoothly."

Chen Jingming spoke gently and then introduced the two to each other:

"Mr. Sha, this is Director Zhang Jiandong. We have a war drama coming up, and we plan to film it here."

Director Zhang, this is Sha Jing, the general manager of Hongyuan Film City.

The two smiled at each other and shook hands amicably. Sha Jing calmly spoke:

"Mr. Chen, Director Zhang, the shuttle bus is ready. Please get on the bus, and I will give you a detailed introduction to the park along the way."

Chen Jingming and Zhang Jiandong nodded in agreement and followed Sha Jing into the city. As they passed through the tall, imitation ancient city walls, Zhang Jiandong couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Mr. Sha, approximately how thick is this city wall?"

"The walls around the entire park are all the same thickness, a full six meters, enough for two cars to pass side by side," Sha Jing explained with a smile.

Zhang Jiandong looked puzzled and turned to Chen Jingming:

"Mr. Chen, is it really necessary to build it so thick? It seems a bit wasteful."

"Director Zhang, this place is not just positioned as a film and television shooting base; in the future, it will also be developed into a cultural tourism scenic area."

Chen Jingming paused for a moment, then continued, "If the top of the city wall is too narrow, it won't be able to accommodate the surge in tourists when the era of mass tourism arrives. Think about the capital city now; it's always crowded during holidays. In a few years, this scene will only become more and more common."

After careful consideration, Zhang Jiandong suddenly realized the truth and secretly admired the other party's foresight, which had already set its sights on ten years ahead.

The group boarded the shuttle bus, and Sha Jing began to give a detailed introduction to the planning and layout of the entire film and television city.

Hongyuan Film and Television City has twelve large-scale themed scenic areas with comprehensive scene coverage, which can meet the shooting needs of various film and television dramas such as those set in the Republic of China, modern times, and contemporary eras.

The group toured the area by car, listening to explanations as they went, and soon arrived at a closed-off construction area. Sha Jing pointed to the busy construction site ahead and reported to Chen Jingming:

"Mr. Chen, this area is a futuristic city built entirely according to your vision, and it will be fully completed in about ten months. Do you think the city of the future can really be as futuristic as this soon-to-be-finished set?"

Chen Jingming smiled faintly, understanding dawning on his mind. This miniature version of the future city before him incorporated a large number of urban amenities that had only gradually become widespread after 2015, including transportation and dining options. By today's standards, it was a completely ahead-of-its-time conceptual plan.

"Mr. Sha, the times are always moving forward, and these wonderful ideas will one day be realized one by one."