Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

That celebratory feast, which his mother Meng Xiaoyan said was "more important than the New Year," ended in a comical fashion due to his father Gu Yuanshan's nagging about "this food is free" and his mother's disdainful look.

Gu Ming didn't stay home for long.

His mother even wanted to move his small cot from home to the company so he could sleep there when he was tired at night, but Gu Ming refused. He made up an excuse that he had a meeting at the company and quickly slipped away.

He couldn't stand the smell of "money power aftereffects" coming from this house.

For him, the atmosphere at home had changed, but that was just a minor thing caused by money.

What he really wanted to do was use this money to create a huge wave called "The Era" in the stagnant waters of Hegang.

At night, the offices of Star Media were brightly lit.

There was an unusual seriousness in the air.

Wang Min, Liu Liu, and Zhang Hong, three long-time employees of the company, along with Xiao Tong and her agent Wang Min, plus Xu Jing, the special effects supervisor who was recently poached from Beijing with a high salary, all the core members sat upright.

This is the first time the company has held a full core meeting since its inception.

Everyone had a mix of nervousness and anticipation on their faces.

They all knew perfectly well that once the large sum of money from Longquan Winery arrived, the boss was definitely about to make a big move.

Gu Ming walked into the conference room and gently placed a document at the front of the conference table.

He didn't sit down, but walked straight to the whiteboard in front.

"I called everyone here today for just one thing."

He picked up a black pen and wrote a few words on the whiteboard.

S-level project: Steel Flower.

S-class.

This level of hierarchy had never been used within the company before, and Wang Min and the others instinctively held their breath.

They knew this meant the company was going to go all out, regardless of how much it would cost.

"This person is the only artist signed to this project."

Gu Ming pressed the remote control, and a picture of a girl appeared on the projector.

The girl in the photo is wearing faded work clothes, her face is dirty, and her eyes are particularly wary, preventing anyone from getting close.

It's Chen Mo.

Xiao Tong looked at the photo, a little surprised. She recognized the girl; they used to be in the same dance class, but she had to drop out because her family was too poor to afford it.

Wang Min and the others looked completely bewildered.

They couldn't understand why the boss would choose such a girl who didn't look like a star at all, and even looked a bit fierce, to work on the company's first S-level project.

Gu Ming didn't rush to explain, but instead asked a question.

"What do you think is most needed in our time, or rather, by people living in this city—no, by all people in the city?"

Is it a funny joke? A pretty face? Or a bizarre story?

"No."

He answered himself, his voice falling silent.

"It's a way of venting."

"The city nowadays is like a giant pressure cooker. Everyone is weighed down by work, life, and interpersonal relationships. Everyone is holding back their anger."

"They've seen too much injustice, heard too many lies, and endured too much grievance. They want to protest, but reality won't allow it; they want to shout, but the rules silence them."

"Therefore, they need a representative, an idol, someone who can take action for them, break the rules for them, and do good deeds for them... a pillar of support."

Gu Ming turned around and, next to "Steel Flower," wrote three characters heavily, stroke by stroke.

Hegang Heroine.

"A knight-errant?"

Wang Min couldn't help but mutter it aloud, her eyes filled with confusion and shock.

This term only exists in martial arts novels and has absolutely nothing to do with the short videos they're making.

"That's right, it's 'chivalry'."

Gu Ming's voice was very firm.

"But not the heroes of ancient times, but heroes of our time, only online."

He began to explain his ideas in detail, his eyes gleaming with a kind of almost frenzied light called "creation."

"First, there's the character design. We need to portray Chen Mo as a silent, mysterious, and incredibly powerful guardian."

"She can't speak. In all our videos, she doesn't utter a single word. All her expression comes from her eyes and gestures. Her silence gives her a sense of power and mystery."

"Secondly, is the content."

He held up two fingers.

There are only two types of video content.

"The first type is a scene that purely showcases her 'ability.' It's about bringing out the best in her superhuman strength, resilience, and coordination."

"Living on walls, doing urban parkour, high-altitude flips... basically, she pushes the limits however she can to make it exciting to watch. She wants every viewer to remember her as an 'abnormal person' from the very first glance."

Special effects supervisor Xu Jing's eyes lit up.

She could already imagine how terrifying these images would be if they were exposed with special effects.

"The second type is to add the concept of 'chivalry' to the foundation of 'ability'."

Gu Ming's tone became even more excited.

He began to draw specific images on the whiteboard.

"For example, a woman was robbed of her purse in an alleyway late at night after get off work. Just as she screamed in fright, Chen Mo jumped out of the window on the third floor next door and landed without making a sound."

"Then, with a few punches and kicks, he took down the robber."

"She took the bag back from the robber, returned it to the terrified woman, then turned around and disappeared in a few leaps."

"He didn't say a word the whole time, and his expression was blank. He just kept doing it."

"For example, a food delivery driver was bullied by someone driving a luxury car, who pushed him down and spilled the food all over the ground. Just as the car owner was being arrogant, Chen Mo rode by on a beat-up motorcycle and sped past him in a flash."

"She'll do an incredibly cool drift, without hurting anyone, and then 'accidentally' chip off the luxury car's rearview mirror with the back of her car."

"Then, the car owner yelled at her, but she was long gone."

"Isn't this more satisfying and cathartic than shouting 'Down with capitalists' ten thousand times?"

No one spoke in the meeting room.

Everyone was speechless with astonishment at the two scenes Gu Ming described.

Wang Min and Liu Liu even unconsciously clenched their fists, as if they were viewers watching a video on a screen, their hearts pounding—it was so exhilarating!

My blood is boiling.

"Do you understand?"

Gu Ming put down his pen and looked at his subordinates, who were already excited by what he had said.

"What we want to achieve is not just to become a simple internet celebrity."

"What we want to do is to be a city guardian that belongs to our era, existing only online, and capable of doing everything."

"Whoever feels listless in reality, she is the fastest knife in their hand. She cuts down those injustices for them."

"While others are still struggling and getting themselves into the muddled world of cheesy comedy and looks, what we need to do is to forge a unique path that no one has ever taken before."

Gu Ming walked to the window and opened it.

Night views are no longer just lifeless steel and concrete.

It has become a huge, dedicated photography studio, just waiting to be lit up.

And he was the only one in this shed who created a god.