The system only arrives when you're old? Then let's create a super-rich family!

"Cheng'an, you know my personality. In my life, I only bow to art and never compromise to capital. When it comes to casting actors, I only look at whether they are suitable for the role. No matter what their status or fame is, even if they are a top-tier actress, if they are not suitable, I will not show any leniency, let alone tailor-make a script for them."

Zhou Bin, a top-tier director in China, has directed countless classic films and won numerous awards. He is known in the entertainment industry for his strict standards for his work and his refusal to bow to capital. He naturally has the confidence to refuse such an unreasonable request.

Lu Cheng'an wasn't in a hurry. He smiled and said, "Director Zhou, of course I know your principles, but you might as well listen to the conditions my family has offered you before making a decision."

Zhou Bin initially wanted to hang up the phone, but then he thought that he and Lu Chengan had known each other for many years and had a good relationship. If he refused directly, it would be too disrespectful. So he patiently listened on.

"Alright, for your sake, I'll listen to what your master has to say. But let me make this clear first: I will absolutely not agree to such conditions."

Lu Cheng'an smiled but didn't reply. Instead, he turned the notebook over to face Qin Zihao and said softly, "This is the young master of my family. You two chat."

Qin Zihao looked at Zhou Bin on the screen, his tone calm but full of confidence, "Director Zhou, hello, my name is Qin Zihao, the eldest grandson of the Qin family, and currently the chairman of the Yunding Building."

Zhou Bin's previously perfunctory expression instantly turned serious. "The chairman of the Yunding Building?"

He knew about the Cloud Top Building in Jiangbei City.

He had filmed several movies at the Genting Building before, and knew that it was a landmark of Jiangnan Province and a well-known non-sale property belonging to a state-owned enterprise. But he had never heard that the Genting Building was owned by the Qin family.

Suppressing his shock, Zhou Bin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Young Master Qin, if I may be so bold, did your Qin family buy the Cloud Top Building?"

Qin Zihao was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Lu Chengan with a face full of doubt.

Qin told him at noon that the Cloud Top Building was a property of the Qin family, and he had always thought it was. What did it mean that it had been bought?

Lu Cheng'an explained, "Young Master, the Cloud Top Building was personally purchased by the Master this morning for 700 billion. The news hasn't spread yet, so the outside world doesn't know about it."

"700 billion?!" Zhou Bin on the screen instantly narrowed his eyes, his face filled with disbelief. "That landmark building that wasn't for sale, your Qin family actually managed to buy it?"

He then realized that the Qin family's background was far more terrifying than he had imagined! Spending 700 billion yuan so easily—no one in the entire Jiangnan Province could probably match such wealth! Only a few wealthy families in Beijing could come up with that much money.

Even knowing that Lu Cheng'an's family was powerful and wealthy, Zhou Bin still did not give in.

His lifelong dream was to become the number one director in China, and ideally, to create works that would be remembered for generations to come, so that future generations would remember his name.

He cannot compromise for the sake of money and allow his work to become mediocre.

Qin Zihao spoke up casually, "Director Zhou, how about I sign you for twice your team's annual revenue?"

Without a second thought, Zhou Bin shook his head and refused again, his tone firm, "Young Master Qin, I'm sorry, I can't agree. I don't lack money, nor do I need capital to bring funding to the production. I just want to make the works I like and don't want to be tied down by anyone."

Qin Zihao had expected this, and his face showed no surprise. He calmly raised the price again: "Three times."

Zhou Bin hesitated for a moment. A three-fold return would indeed show that the Qin family was sincere.

But then he thought about it again and realized he had his own artistic pursuits, so he shook his head and refused again: "Young Master Qin, I'm sorry, I still can't agree."

Feng Wei, Qin Zihao's assistant, was already wide-eyed with shock when she heard his offer.

Triple the profit!

Their team's average annual revenue is as high as 8000 million, so three times that would be 2.4 million! This young man just blurted it out without any hesitation.

To her even greater shock, the director actually refused!

Having followed Zhou Bin for so many years, she knew that the director had high standards for his work, but she never expected that he would refuse a project with an annual revenue of 2.4 million without batting an eye. This persistence made her both admire and anxious.

She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and stood silently to the side, listening quietly to their conversation.

Qin Zihao looked at Zhou Bin, who remained resolute on the screen, and instead of getting angry, he smiled, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of threat: "Four times the annual return. Also, Director Zhou, don't rush to refuse, let me finish."

"When you make a movie, you need stars, you need traffic, you need publicity, you need hype, and all of these require huge costs."

"I know you have some money, but that's okay. If you don't agree to my terms, I'll immediately hire another top-tier director, buy out all the A-list stars in the industry, and make several movies every year, throwing money at promoting my sister. At that point, we'll buy out all the viewership, and any movie released at the same time as us will basically have no chance of survival."

"This means that you will almost never be eligible to be nominated for the Best Director awards for the next ten years or so. In time, who will remember your name, Zhou Bin? Your dream of creating outstanding works will just remain a dream."

These words were like daggers to the heart. Zhou Bin's face instantly turned extremely ugly. His hands clenched tightly, and his eyes were filled with struggle and helplessness.

He had always thought that his refusal to bow to capital was a sign of his confidence, but only today did he realize that his persistence seemed so ridiculous and powerless in the face of capital like the Qin family, which disregarded costs and was even willing to lose money.

Which company enters the entertainment industry without aiming to create stars and make money?

But this young man in front of me is doing the opposite. He doesn't care about the box office or the losses. He just wants his sister to act in the movie. He's a madman!

Zhou Bin gritted his teeth, trying to use the threat of losing money to discourage Qin Zihao, his tone tinged with resentment: "Young Master Qin, you won't make any money doing this. You might even lose hundreds of millions or billions in just one screening. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Qin Zihao smiled indifferently, "Losing money? My grandfather prepared a dowry of 100 billion for my second uncle. Do you think the Qin family would care about a few hundred million or a billion dollars?"

"A...a hundred billion dowry?!" Zhou Bin was completely stunned, his whole body stiffened, and he could no longer find a reason to persuade him.

A dowry of 100 billion yuan is more than just a matter of having money.

If she were to contribute just one-tenth of that, which would be 10 billion, she could easily dominate the entire entertainment industry and make everyone fawn over the Qin family's daughter.

Zhou Bin was caught in a dilemma: agreeing meant bowing to capital and betraying his lifelong pursuit of art.

If they don't agree, they will be completely suppressed by the Qin family, their dreams will be shattered, and they will be disgraced.

Moreover, he could foresee that for the next ten years, no, even thirty or forty years, the entire entertainment industry would be firmly controlled by Qin, and he would have no chance to rise to prominence.

When Qin Zihao saw that Zhou Bin didn't reply for a long time, he knew that his bottom line had been broken.

He didn't urge him, but spoke calmly, his tone carrying a hint of temptation: "Director Zhou, I'll give you time to consider, but remember, the four times the annual return I promised you is still valid. Think carefully about whether you stick to your 'art' or keep your dream of becoming a director. The choice is yours."

Seeing this, assistant Feng Wei quickly stepped forward, leaned close to Zhou Bin's ear, and whispered, "Director Zhou, please agree! It's four times the profit! We don't need to turn down money, nor do we need to go head-to-head with the Qin family. Does that mean we'll stop making movies altogether?"

"At worst, we can just find more big stars to film in the future, as long as the production's performance doesn't decline. Besides, what if that young lady has acting talent? You can use the Qin family's resources to better pursue your dreams, can't you?"

As Zhou Bin listened to his assistant's words and looked at Qin Zihao's confident demeanor on the screen, he thought of his lifelong dream of becoming a director.

He sighed deeply, a bitter smile appearing on his face, and slowly nodded, "Alright, Young Master Qin, I agree."

Feng Wei is right; she can nurture the Qin family's daughter and maintain the success of her work.

Hopefully, as the assistant said, that the young lady really does have a strong talent for acting.

Qin Zihao smiled with satisfaction. "Director Zhou, it's a wise choice. I can guarantee that all the resources will be provided to you in the best possible way."

"I have only one requirement: the script you prepare must be the best, and my sister must be the most dazzling leading lady."