The Host is Clearly A Scumbag (Quick Travel)

They have never seen such an arrogant person!

For a moment, the entire set fell dead silent.

In the original timeline, Chen Geng's movie had indeed flopped, and there were multiple reasons for it.

The costumes were mocked for looking like cheap street-market knockoffs, and the special effects made with huge amounts of money were ridiculed as gaudy and overdone. Chen Geng himself was derided as a 'talent running dry'.

Now, wearing these costumes firsthand, Mingting finally understood why audiences were so sharp-eyed.

Clothes make the man. If the visual design wasn't even passable, how could viewers immerse themselves in a xianxia world?

Mingting had once glimpsed a real cultivation world through the Spiritual Mirror, and he had to say, the production team's costumes were worlds apart from the real world of immortal cultivation.

Since this was a story about immortals and cultivation, if neither the form nor the essence matched, failing to transport the audience into that world, it was no surprise it would flop.

To everyone's shock, Chen Geng didn't scold Mingting. Instead, he smiled and invited him into the director's lounge for a private discussion.

"Who is this guy? What's his background? How can Director Chen be so polite to him?" Everyone buzzed with speculation.

They tossed theories back and forth, but it wasn't until evening that the truth came out.

It turned out that... he is the sponsor!

Mingting added an additional investment of 100 million yuan, specifically for costumes and special effects.

Not only that, he took on multiple roles. He was not only an investor, but also as the costume designer, art director, and creative consultant. Oh, and he'd also casually play the Eldest Senior Brother as a guest role.

'A hundred million?!'

Hearing that number, both actors and crew members were stunned.

Last year, The Rebel Immortal TV series had taken the internet by storm, and many had considered adapting it into a movie.

But according to past practice, when a TV series was a hit, its movie adaptation would flop.

So when Chen Geng announced his xianxia film, few in the industry were optimistic. Relying on his years of reputation, Chen Geng had only managed to scrape together 200 million in investment.

That might sound like a lot, but there are more places to spend money, especially for special effects, which burned through money like kindling. Chen Geng had been pinching every penny.

Now, with Mingting, a big fat sheep... cough, an investor, Chen Geng's confidence skyrocketed at once.

What's more, Mingting used his extraordinary artistic skills to unveil a breathtaking new world Chen Geng had never imagined.

From the smoke-wreathed mundanity of the mortal realm to the dreamlike beauty of the cultivation world, from the opulent extravagance of imperial palaces to the serene elegance of the 'One Sect, Two Pavilions, Three Schools'...

Mingting shattered the limits of Chen Geng's creative vision.

Before meeting Mingting, Chen Geng had only known him as the second son of the Mingyue Group and the son-in-law of Zhengheng Group.

Now, in Chen Geng's eyes, Mingting was a design prodigy.

He could do everything and he even had unique insights into the script. The man was practically a polymath.

Chen Geng formally hired Mingting at the fastest speed and the two parties signed the contracts.

For costumes and accessories, Mingting would collaborate with Zhengheng Group, with him designing them and Zhengheng Group manufacturing them.

Chen Geng felt that meeting Mingting was the best decision he'd ever made.

Inside Mingting's mind was a fully realized cultivation world, and that was what Chen Geng coveted, and anticipated, the most.

"Second Young Master, to a happy partnership!"

Chen Geng shook Mingting's hand and smiled like a Maitreya Buddha.

"Pleasure! Let's make money together."

Without even needing to think, Mingting could guess exactly what Chen Geng was imagining.

However, it is still unclear who is the 'big fat sheep' here!

By throwing out 100 million here… If he didn't multiply that several times over, what was the point?!

Originally, some in the crew had been unhappy about Mingting, a complete amateur, parachuting in to play the highly popular Eldest Senior Brother. A few had even planned to stir up trouble behind the scenes.

Unexpectedly, in just half a day, the other party's identity had changed and he became the largest investor in this movie. He was a sponsor who could not be provoked, and those who'd wanted to make trouble quickly backed off.

Especially after learning Mingting's true identity, any thoughts of ​​causing trouble quietly disappeared.

'Just casually tossing out 100 million like it was nothing, was this Second Young Master Gu just here to play around?'

'Were rich people really this reckless?!'

With money paving the way, Mingting settled into the crew like a fish in water. After all, no one wanted to offend the sponsor.

What's more, when the new sets were built and the new costumes and accessories arrived, they finally understood why the director valued Mingting so much.

"Cut! Perfect take…"

With ample funding and Mingting's golden touch, Chen Geng had been in high spirits for filming lately, and the speed of filming was very fast. The actors were happy, the crew was happy, and the director was satisfied.

Chen Geng had initially assumed that a pampered young master like Mingting wouldn't be able to handle hardship, and the production might even have to pause for his designs.

To his surprise, Mingting moved into the crew quarters, working with relentless enthusiasm and terrifying efficiency.

The only thing Chen Geng had to complain about was how shamelessly this young man flaunted his love life.

Mingting would take time to video call with Shen Tinglan every day, and even when he wasn't around, the flowers he ordered arrived daily. Moreover, there's never the same arrangement twice.

This workaholic, who usually operated like a tentacle monster and wishes he could work 48 hours a day, transformed completely in front of Miss Shen:

"The director is so mean to me and forces me to work overtime. Look, I even have dark circles under my eyes now."

"I spent 10 hours drawing today and only had one roast goose rice bowl. I'm so hungry."

"I haven't slept well, my skin's dehydrated, I feel like I've aged so much lately… Tinglan, you won't dislike me, right?"

After witnessing Mingting's full-on drama queen act, Chen Geng was no longer worried about him freezing up when playing the Eldest Senior Brother.

After all, even the professional talents who graduated from film academies are not so good at acting!

What was worse, after Mingting's theatrics, Chen Geng received calls from both Father Gu and Father Shen. The two industry bosses were very polite, but their words carried an unmistakable subtext, "My son (son-in-law) is young and can't handle hardship. Don't be too hard on him..."

Compared to them, Young Master Gu Mingxuan was far more direct, "Was 100 million not enough? Why is my little brother not even getting proper meals?" He promptly sent a professional chef to join the crew, dedicated solely to cooking for Mingting.

Director Chen felt deeply wronged.

How dare he mistreat Mingting?

Now, this man was the crew's absolute VIP, and Chen Geng was practically worshipping him!

The sheer brilliance of Mingting's creative vision had Chen Geng utterly enchanted. He'd gladly cradle Mingting in his palms, terrified that this lord might throw a tantrum and walk off… because then they'd all be screwed.

When Shen Tinglan came to visit the set, she casually mentioned to Chen Geng that Mingting's working environment seemed poor and the work pressure was high. Was it because the crew didn't have enough investment?

Then, with heart aching for her husband, Miss Shen loosened her grip and tossed in another 50 million.

This kind of rich-people logic left Chen Geng's worldview thoroughly expanded.

Chen Geng was of course happy that someone invested in his film. With a wave of his hand, he upgraded everyone's hotel accommodations.