486: Chapter 486 Lin Chuyan's Ambition

Chengdu.

The organizers had actually arranged a hotel for Lin Chuyan, but he didn't stay there; Xia Zhi had arranged a different one for him.

It wasn't about being a diva, but simply to avoid trouble. After all, he had too many fans, and with the addition of obsessive fans, it was easy to cause a negative impact if he wasn't careful.

There wasn't much to say about the award ceremony itself; it was a standard animation award, and he won "Best Animated Short Film," which was well-deserved for "summer of the little monsters."

Lin Chuyan's speech was very simple, consisting mainly of a few personal thoughts. In summary, he was full of confidence in the future of Chinese animation, believing that what is national is also global.

After the event concluded, he finally met Yang Xiaozhou, the director of "ne zha."

Director Yang was a director who was completely devoted to his craft. His appearance was quite ordinary, but he looked clean and neat, giving people a very good impression.

"Director Yang! We've finally met! My agent told me about this several days ago, but unfortunately, I was abroad at the time and couldn't come back to meet you right away. I'm really sorry about that."

Yang Xiaozhou was quite surprised by his attitude; he mainly hadn't expected him to be so enthusiastic.

"Director Lin, hello. Shall we find a place to talk?"

"Let's go! How about we go to my hotel? It's quiet and convenient."

"Sure."

The two were still at the venue, and onlookers were surprised that they actually knew each other. Originally, some people had wanted to come over and chat with Lin Chuyan, but seeing the situation, they backed off.

Xia Zhi hailed a taxi, and the group soon returned to the hotel.

"Director Lin, shall we look at the script?"

"Let's!"

Both of them were very straightforward and couldn't be bothered with small talk.

After all, if it works, it works; if not, it doesn't. This wasn't the kind of business deal that could be made over drinks.

Xia Zhi turned around to get them some water, then went back to her own room to rest, leaving only the sound of turning pages in the room.

Lin Chuyan read through it page by page.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth gave birth to a Hunyuan Pearl with immense energy, which was refined by the Primeval Lord of Heaven into a Spirit Pearl and a Demon Pill...

The Primeval Lord of Heaven ordered Taiyi Zhenren to have the Spirit Pearl reincarnated into the family of Li Jing in Chentang Pass, but Shen Gongbao secretly swapped the Spirit Pearl with the Demon Pill, causing ne zha to become the reincarnation of the Demon Pill, while the Spirit Pearl was reincarnated into Ao Bing...

The Demon Pill descends to the world... likes kicking shuttlecocks...

And that line of Lines: "My fate is up to me, not the heavens; whether I am a demon or an immortal, I decide for myself..."

It matched, everything matched.

Lin Chuyan closed the script, looked up, and met the other man's gaze.

"Director Lin, what do you think?"

"I have no problems with it!"

Yang Xiaozhou: "...What does 'no problems' mean?"

Lin Chuyan knew he should be clearer, so he gave the other man a look of affirmation: "I'm investing in this film. How much money are you short right now? Who else is planning to invest? We can talk openly."

"To tell you the truth, I'm very short on money, and no one is investing."

This wasn't a secret, and he didn't want to hide it—why hide it? He was waiting to get money from Lin Chuyan; what if he got too little?

Lin Chuyan nodded: "Then tell me straight, how much money does this film need?"

Yang Xiaozhou didn't hesitate; he had calculated this number many times since the script was finished: "At least 60 million."

"That's the production cost, right?"

"Yes, that's right. It's mainly the cost of special effects and the animators' salaries."

"Then the post-production promotion will definitely cost a lot more, and those expenses will likely be even higher than the production costs."

"I understand."

Lin Chuyan tapped his knuckles on the table: "I'll invest the full amount."

Happiness had arrived too suddenly, and Yang Xiaozhou was a bit dazed.

He certainly knew Lin Chuyan was rich, but he hadn't expected him to be so wealthy and generous.

The problem that had been bothering him for so long was solved just like that?

However, Yang Xiaozhou didn't expect the topic that followed even more.

"Director Yang, have you ever thought that we could actually do more?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that your script is very good, but it's not enough." Lin Chuyan began to delve deeper, "When I was filming 'summer of the little monsters' before, I had an idea: actually, there are too many mythological stories in our country that can be tapped into; they are simply inexhaustible. The only question is whether we can film them well... Since that's the case, why don't we organize them properly and then film them seriously? Just like the 'ne zha' you have in your hands. Director Yang, have you ever thought that this might just be the beginning?"

Lin Chuyan began to create space for his imagination: "Marvel has the Avengers, and we have the three great rebels: ne zha, Yang Jian, and Monkey King. Why can't we assemble our own Avengers?"

Yang Xiaozhou didn't know what to say anymore.

But it didn't matter; Lin Chuyan continued to output: "We can also absorb excellent foreign experience. Simply put, it means through individual hero movies—like the 'ne zha' you are about to film! And then have it advance in parallel with alliance movies to form a sustainable IP ecosystem!"

Director Yang was shouting in his heart: This is just a grand vision, this is just a grand vision.

But why does this vision smell so good?

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Chuyan continued: "Classic of Mountains and Seas, investiture of the gods, journey to the west, In Search of the Supernatural, Huainanzi... plus the Taoist immortal system, folk legends... Is it possible to conduct systematic research? Is it possible to reconstruct the logic of time and space and the framework of the worldview, and then integrate the scattered mythological elements into a unified 'mythology universe'? Foreign countries have a Marvel Universe, why can't we have our own mythology universe?"

Director Yang finally understood: "In other words, this is a 'main universe + parallel universe' narrative mode."

Lin Chuyan nodded: "Director Yu Jin's 'investiture of the gods' was filmed like dog shit; we shouldn't learn from him. Let's do it again, and do it right. Actually, 'lotus lantern' did integrate many mythological stories, but I don't think it's enough; we can do even better."

If Director Yu's words were a huge temptation for Lin Chuyan, then Lin Chuyan's next words were the same for Director Yang.

"Director Yang, 'ne zha' is just a beginning. Our goal can be an entire mythology universe. The world is vast, and there is much that can be achieved!"

At this point, Director Yang had actually already boarded Lin Chuyan's boat.

However, Lin Chuyan was clearly getting carried away: "I know it's a bit untimely to say this now, since production hasn't even started, but rest assured, since I, Lin Chuyan, have invested, then 'ne zha' is my own flesh and blood. I absolutely won't leave it to fend for itself, and I will definitely promote it with all my might. So, have you ever thought about what happens if 'ne zha' becomes a success?"

"This... I really haven't thought about it."

Lin Chuyan nodded: "Then let me think about it for you. You only need to be responsible for making a good movie, and I will be responsible for giving you a constant stream of support. Including the matter of sorting out the mythology universe mentioned earlier, I can assemble a secret team to do it. Furthermore, merchandise, derivatives, and various copyrights—you don't need to worry about any of that; I will handle it all for you."

Who wouldn't want a good creative environment? Director Yang began to nod frequently.

Lin Chuyan continued: "Director Yang, actually, besides the mythology universe, I have another idea, and this idea is not even inferior to the mythology universe."

"???" Director Yang was too curious: "There's more? What is it?"

Lin Chuyan didn't hide it: "A mega-theme park."

"We have many, many IPs in our country... I won't even mention the ones from long ago; when 'black myth: wukong' was popular, everyone went to check in at such-and-such places, but to be honest, it was a bit scattered, and it was just a temporary novelty. Once that trend passed, it died down again."

"Disney is making money, Universal Studios is making money, but can you think of any mega-theme park of our own?"

Lin Chuyan summarized: "Local theme parks don't have top-tier attractions; they are all fighting on their own."

Director Yang was convinced: "Indeed..."

"But if the mythology universe gets off the ground, the situation will be different." Lin Chuyan reminded him, "If 'ne zha' becomes a hit, can the Dragon Palace be turned into a deep-sea exploration ride? Can the Wind Fire Wheels be turned into a roller coaster? Can the Universe Ring be turned into a spinning flying chair?"

Director Yang's eyes lit up: "Actually, the worldview of ne zha is more than that, but that's a conversation for another time..."

Lin Chuyan clapped his hands: "You're right, that's a conversation for another time. A mega-theme park requires an investment of tens of billions, which we can't afford for now. But... people always need to have dreams, don't they?"

Lin Chuyan summarized again: "Don't we Chinese people deserve to have a mega-theme park of our own local culture?"

Director Yang was excited: From the mythology universe to the derivative mega-theme park, accomplishing either one of these things would be incredibly awesome—it would be an indelible achievement.

"Director Lin, tell me, what should we do?"

"It's very simple. I'll register an animation company, and you come join! Shares and such, everything is negotiable! I won't interfere with your creative process; I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Lin Chuyan revealed his true intention: "From now on, let's work together! Let's create a grand future!"