They surrounded me right after the breakup.

The next day.

Jingzhou City, Guomao Business District.

A modern-style private restaurant is hidden in the upper floors of an office building, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire city's CBD.

The restaurant's decor is minimalist, with gray marble floors and matte metal walls.

The private room features a rectangular stone slab dining table, with geometrically designed chandeliers hanging overhead.

Dumpling sat at the table, her lemonade already refilled three times.

"Director Dumpling, don't be nervous."

Producer Chen Xi sat next to him, and seeing his restless appearance, couldn't help but speak up.

"I'm not nervous, I'm not nervous." Dumpling picked up her cup.

"But... just where does Jiang Han come from?"

Dumpling was puzzled; very few people would willingly invest in animated films.

Chen Xi swiped his phone screen and brought up a page: "We can find more information about Jiang Han than we expected."

"He recently acquired Star Moon Media Company and released several songs as a producer. Just a few days ago, he was a guest performer on the 'Rising Star' program..."

Dumpling took the phone, and the screen showed the music platform's chart page. Two of the top three songs were produced by "Star Moon Media".

Chen Xi cleared his throat: "In terms of background, being able to acquire Xingyue Media in one fell swoop shows they're not short of money. In terms of personal ability, they can write, produce, and even sing. In any case, this is a rare opportunity for us."

Dumpling paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, we went to every investment company in Jingzhou, but as soon as they heard it was about animation, they wouldn't even let us into their meeting rooms..."

He has tried every possible method for making "Nezha".

The funding gap is widening, the post-production special effects team is waiting for money to start work, and he is even considering mortgaging his own house.

His recent experience made him deeply understand what it means to beg for help like swallowing a three-foot sword...

You can't just walk through the door of an investor's door whenever you want.

"The person has arrived."

Upon hearing the waitress's voice outside, Dumpling immediately stood up from her chair, almost knocking over her cup in her haste.

Chen Xi also stood up, and the two of them looked towards the door at the same time.

The frosted glass door was opened by the waiter, and a young woman appeared first.

She wore a white silk shirt with khaki wide-leg pants, her long hair was tied into a low ponytail with a simple hair tie, and she wore two small pearl earrings.

Behind him was a young man in his early twenties, wearing a simple black T-shirt with a casual jacket over it.

Without excessive embellishment or logos, the drape of the fabric and the clean lines of the cut immediately tell connoisseurs that it is expensive.

His facial features are well-defined, and his eyes and brows exude a composure beyond his years.

It was Jiang Han and Lin Yaoyao.

Dumpling's gaze first fell on Lin Yaoyao; he recognized this well-known voice actress in the industry.

She looks younger and prettier than I imagined.

Then his gaze shifted to Jianghan, and his mind raced.

Lin Yaoyao said she would bring her boss, so this young man must be him.

However, judging from his appearance, he looks a bit too young, doesn't he?

"Director Dumpling, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Lin Yaoyao spoke first.

"This is Mr. Jiang, General Manager Jiang of Xingyue Media."

Jiang Han extended his hand with a gentle smile: "Director Jiaozi, it's an honor to meet you! I've read a few pages of the script for 'Nezha,' and it's very interesting."

Lin Yaoyao glanced at him, thinking to herself that her husband was really good at talking nonsense, spouting off without having seen it.

Dumpling quickly grasped his hand: "Hello, Mr. Jiang! Have you read the script?"

"I've seen it, especially Nezha's line, 'My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens'—the idea is very fresh!"

Lin Yaoyao was visibly taken aback when she heard Jiang Han's words. How did he know the lines? Did Xingyue Media see the plot through some other means?

Dumpling and Chen Xi looked at each other, and the anxiety in their hearts lessened a little.

The fact that they could utter this line, which hasn't even been released yet, shows that they genuinely understand the project and weren't just giving a perfunctory answer.

"Sit down, please sit down," Dumpling gestured for the two to sit, then turned to the waiter at the door and said, "You can serve the dishes now."

Truffle and wild mushroom soup, pan-fried cod, slow-cooked Wagyu beef, black truffle pasta...

One after another, exquisite fusion dishes were served, with meticulous plating and delicate portions.

"President Jiang, what do you think of animated films..." Chen Xi tentatively began.

"Just call me Jiang Han." Jiang Han waved his hand and placed a piece of cod in Lin Yaoyao's bowl.

"I'm just here to have a chat, no need to be so polite. Yaoyao is cooperating with you, so from now on we're all on the same side."

Lin Yaoyao smoothly picked up the conversation: "Director Dumpling, President Jiang heard about your project and is very interested, so he asked me to make the connection and arrange a meeting."

Dumpling nodded repeatedly, but her curiosity only grew stronger.

He knew Lin Yaoyao's status in the voice acting industry, and the young CEO Jiang's attitude towards her was clearly not as simple as a boss treating an employee.

"President Jiang..." Dumpling put down her chopsticks, deciding to stop beating around the bush.

"To be honest, I'm curious. Your company has been focusing mainly on music lately, so why have you suddenly become interested in animated films?"

"Because you can reach the pinnacle of Chinese animated films."

The private room fell silent.

Chen Xi's chopsticks froze in mid-air, and Jiaozi looked utterly astonished.

peak?

The box office ceiling for domestic animated films is the nearly one billion yuan achieved by "Monkey King: Hero Is Back".

"President Jiang, you..." Chen Xi smiled awkwardly, carefully choosing his words.

"To be honest, we don't even dare to think about your expectations. Our team's goal is quite simple: just break even. Really."

"I'm not joking." Jiang Han's expression remained calm.

"The ceiling of the domestic animated film market has been seriously underestimated. It's not that audiences don't like watching domestic animation; it's that no one has ever made a truly worthwhile film for them before."

This sentence perfectly captured what was hidden deep in the dumpling's heart.

He recalled countless times telling investors that he wanted to make an animation truly for adults, and then being politely asked to leave the office countless times.

And now, this investor, who is even younger than him, has spoken the words that he has kept in his heart for so long on their first meeting.

"President Jiang!" Dumpling's voice was a little dry.

"Do you really think... there's a market for this type of film?"

"Yes," Jiang Han answered without the slightest hesitation.

"The premise is that you have to do it to the extreme—the script must be perfect, the visuals must be perfect, and the emotions must be perfect. Audiences aren't stupid; they can tell the difference between good and bad."

"In addition, I think your design for Nezha is very creative; the dark circles under his eyes are very memorable."

Dumplings suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, it was as if the floodgates had suddenly been opened, and her speech became faster and faster, and her gestures became larger and larger, completely different from her usual shyness.

He gave a detailed account of the scriptwriting process and the team's production philosophy.

Jiang Han nodded repeatedly: "Tell me, what kind of Nezha do you envision?"

The dumplings paused as she suddenly realized that the man in front of her had been controlling the pace of the meal from beginning to end.

He wanted the creators to speak their minds, and then judge whether it was worth investing based on their state of mind.

Dumpling put down the script and looked into Jiang Han's eyes.