148: Chapter 148 Investment Banks Mock Blind Investments, Lina Calls and Sets Her Phone to Turn On

Lena clutched the signed agreement and, after repeatedly thanking them, quickly walked out of the office. Just as the door closed, Jack pushed it open and walked in, his phone screen lit up, his brow furrowed into a knot, and his face filled with a hint of helplessness.

Lin Chen handed another copy of the agreement to Ella and looked up at Jack. "Just finished coordinating Hollywood resources? Looking at your face, is something wrong?"

Jack walked to the desk and placed his phone on it. The screen showed a group chat interface for the Wall Street investment banking circle, with dense messages scrolling across the screen. He pointed at the screen and said helplessly, "Brother Chen, somehow the word got out about our investment in Lena's niche comedy. Now the investment banking circle is in an uproar, and they're all laughing at us for being fools."

Hearing this, Ella reached out to pick up the phone and scroll through it. The more she read, the darker her expression became, and her fingers clenched until they cracked. The mocking words on the screen were everywhere—either saying Lin Chen didn't understand the film industry and was throwing money away blindly, or saying Chenxing Investment was picking up trash that investment banks didn't want. Some even joked that the 500,000 dollars would likely go down the drain without even making a splash.

The office's floor-to-ceiling windows faced Wall Street. Outside, skyscrapers stood tall, their glass curtain walls reflecting the sunlight and casting the cold urban silhouette onto the floor. However, the words in the group chat were even more infuriating than these cold buildings.

"Are these people blind? The AI-projected box office is right there, and they still dare to mock us like this?" Ella slammed the phone onto the desk, her tone fiery. "Is it just because they see Lena as an independent producer with no background and the script as a niche comedy? Do they really think our Chenxing Investment is a pushover? I'm going to go into the group right now and argue back to show them what real vision looks like!"

As she spoke, Ella reached for her own phone. Lin Chen raised his hand to stop her, his fingertips lightly tapping the desk. His tone was flat, without a hint of emotion. "Ignore them. There's no need to get angry with a group of people who don't understand."

"But they're going too far!" Ella pulled her hand away from Lin Chen's, her brow furrowing even tighter. "They're mocking you and the company, both openly and secretly. I can't swallow this!"

"Even if you can't swallow it, you have to." Lin Chen leaned back in his office chair, his gaze sweeping across the Wall Street outside the window. "People in the investment banking circle have always only looked at immediate interests and only recognized big names and popular themes. It's perfectly normal for them to look down on this kind of niche, low-budget comedy. What's the point of winning a war of words with them now? Once the movie is made and the box office explodes, that will be the most powerful rebuttal."

Jack also stepped forward to advise, "Ella, Brother Chen is right. These people just love to watch the drama. If you argue back now, they'll only get more excited. It's better to stay focused and wait for the results. Slapping their faces then will be much more satisfying."

Ella bit her lip, looking at the mocking messages on the phone. She was still full of indignation, but she also knew Lin Chen and Jack were telling the truth. Finally, she snorted coldly. "Fine, I won't argue with them, but I'm keeping a record of this. When the movie becomes a hit, let's see how they have the face to talk!"

Lin Chen looked at Ella's huffy expression, a faint smile touching the corners of his mouth. He picked up Jack's phone and scrolled through the chat history. Most of the people following the trend and mocking were from small to medium-sized investment banks. The truly big players hadn't said much, just silently watching.

"Besides these investment banks, who else is making a move?" Lin Chen put down the phone and asked.

Jack remembered something, and his face darkened. "John knows about this too. I just got word from a friend. When he heard you were investing 500,000 to film a niche comedy, he scoffed on the spot. He said you were being impetuous and crazy about entering the film industry. He also said he's waiting to see Chenxing Investment become a laughingstock and even made a bet with those around him that this movie won't even make 500,000 in box office revenue."

"John?" A cold glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. This clown had been targeting him everywhere since the last incident. Now he had found an opportunity. "He certainly has a lot of free time. He hasn't even handled his own affairs yet, and he has time to focus on us."

"He just can't stand to see you doing well." Jack curled his lip. "There hasn't been any movement from Morgan's side. I don't know if they're not paying attention or if they're watching in the shadows."

"Whether it's Morgan or John, if they want to watch a joke, let them." Lin Chen's tone was firm. "We just need to do our own work and let Lena film the movie in peace."

He paused and then added, "Keep in touch with Lena on your end. If she encounters any trouble in Hollywood, like venues or equipment, do your best to help her resolve it. Don't let these outside voices affect her filming."

"Don't worry, Brother Chen, I already told Lena to contact me anytime if there's a problem." Jack nodded. "And I just had a phone call with Lena. Her efficiency is quite high. After signing the agreement and going back, she contacted the actors she had her eye on. When those actors heard there was investment, they all agreed immediately. The salaries are also based on what was previously discussed, without any price hikes. Now the cast is basically set, and she's just waiting for the funds to arrive to start preparing for location scouting and props."

"She's a real doer." A hint of satisfaction flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. Lena's execution was even stronger than he had expected. "The funds will be transferred to her account on time tomorrow morning. Tell her to go ahead and do it without any worries."

Ella had also calmed down by then. She walked to the desk and looked at Lin Chen. "Even though the investment bank people are mocking blindly, I'm still a bit worried. Lena is an independent producer, after all, and hasn't filmed a major production. Although 500,000 isn't much, it can't really go down the drain."

"If you're worried, then keep an eye on the progress and have Lena report her preparation status regularly," Lin Chen said. "But don't be too strict. We promised her that we wouldn't interfere with her filming. We must stick to that."

"I know." Ella nodded. "I'll have Chen Xi coordinate with Lena and have Lena report the preparation progress to Chen Xi every day. That way, we can stay informed without disturbing her work."

The atmosphere in the office gradually settled. Outside the window, Wall Street was still bustling with traffic. The mockery from those investment banks continued, and many people even treated the matter as a joke for after-dinner conversation. However, the few people at Chenxing Investment had already put those rumors behind them and were focused solely on the preparation work for the film investment.

Jack sat to the side and began contacting venue resources in Hollywood to help Lena coordinate affordable filming locations. Ella sent a message to Chen Xi, telling her to handle the coordination with Lena. Lin Chen opened the AI system and once again projected the trends of the Hollywood film market. After confirming that the popularity of the comedy genre was still rising, he felt even more certain about this investment decision.

Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, it was afternoon. Lin Chen was looking at the film market data pushed by the AI system when the phone on his desk suddenly rang. The name "Lena" was flashing on the screen.

Lin Chen picked up the phone and put it to his ear. "Hello, Lena."

Lena's light and somewhat excited voice came from the other end of the line, her tone full of energy. "Brother Chen, I have some good news for you. The actors are all finalized, the filming locations are found, and the props and equipment are almost all coordinated. Everything is ready. I've set the start date for next Monday at ten in the morning at the West District filming location in Hollywood. I wanted to let you know personally!"

Lena called to say the start date was set.