The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul-Chapter 1018: How about sending a travel gift for the 1017th event?

Xu Qianyun looked at her mother with a slightly peculiar expression, "So, how did you and my dad meet?"

It couldn’t be because of his looks, could it? Dad seems to only have his face going for him.

But Uncle Tang is quite the opposite—while he appears tall and mighty, he’s actually good-looking too. Based on my assessment, he’s definitely in the handsome category.

"Of course, it was a ’hero saving the beauty’ moment."

"...?"

My dad, Xu Chengfeng, a hero saving the beauty?

What kind of joke is this? Dad looks like a frail scholar who couldn’t lift a feather. How could he possibly wade into a fight?

The image is way too absurd for me to mentally process...

Lin Yunlan saw the expression on her son’s face and immediately knew what he was imagining, so she laughed without restraint.

"Don’t dismiss it just yet. Back in the day, your dad really did pull off a ’hero saving the beauty,’ but instead of using brute strength, he used his smarts. When I first arrived in the Imperial City, a few people looked down on me. Your dad, with just a few sharp words, managed to make one of the girls cry her eyes out. Utterly broken!"

Xu Qianyun nodded emotionally but remained expressionless. As expected, his mom really fell for this whole ’hero saving the beauty’ schtick—whether it’s through brawn or brains.

"So then, why did you and Uncle Tang split up?"

"Oh, it was just a clash in personalities. I’m from the South, where everything needs to be meticulous—even the towels at home need to number seven or eight. On the other hand, Uncle Tang is unrestrainedly carefree, the polar opposite of me. But I have to say, Old Tang is still a pretty decent guy."

Xu Qianyun couldn’t quite understand. Adult relationships sure seem complicated.

"You’re young now, but when you grow up... Oh, by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you—do you like any girls?"

"..."

Mom, goodbye. Today’s bonding time officially ends here.

***

A new year ushers in new beginnings. When Tang Shu finally handed in the remedies she had researched and officially transitioned into her holiday mode, Professor Yu at Imperial City became wholly swamped with work.

And it wasn’t just him—the entire research team of over a dozen people was pulled into the frenzy.

"Once these remedies are verified, our research here will finally reach its conclusion."

After several consecutive days of intense online discussions, Professor Yu finally finalized the submission-ready paper—a massive document exceeding a hundred pages.

The team members couldn’t hold back their cheers after seeing the final outcome.

"Wow, this was just too much! I feel like I’ve exhausted every ounce of brainpower on this research project!"

"Who knows how many batches of brain cells perished... I swear I need some real relaxation—no one stop me!"

"I just checked with some friends I know—our group still holds the fastest research progress record."

"Oh yeah~~~ Imperial Medical College really is the best, isn’t it!"

"Speaking of which, I have to admit, Tang Shu has been incredible. I totally bow down to her now."

"Having a genius on the team seems to make a world of difference—I feel privileged hhhhhhh~~~"

With the research nearing completion, many in the group had started loosening up, casually chatting and joking in the group chat. Even the usually reserved Du An and Meng Yunyun joined in with a few emojis.

"Hey? Where’s Xiujing Senior? I haven’t seen her say anything."

"She must be busy with something else, not online..."

"Could be."

The one everyone was talking about, Zeng Xiujing, was sitting on her sofa at home. The message she had drafted sat idly in the queue, her gaze lingering on the name "Tang Shu," unmoving, her face lacking the smiles shared by her teammates.

"Sis, what are you looking at?"

Zeng Xiumin walked over in high heels, affectionately leaning in close.

"Nothing, just some work-related stuff. Why are you back so late today?"

"Oh, there was a casting today—it was exhausting..."

Zeng Xiumin removed her high heels, chugged a glass of water to soothe her throat, and finally let out a relieved sigh.

"Our company is gearing up to shoot a big fantasy drama. They’ve been casting since before the New Year, and there are so many roles to fill that it’s likely to last a while."

"What? You still have more auditions to attend?"

"Yeah, totally! I’ve got my eye on a few roles. The company has given out tons of audition slots, so if I don’t land this one, I can always try for others."

Zeng Xiujing listened thoughtfully and said, "I remember you mentioning that Feng Yan Senior is the female lead?"

"Yup, yup! Sis, you’re finally taking an interest in what I say? Weren’t you completely disinterested in entertainment industry stuff before?"

"..."

Zeng Xiujing stayed silent, closed the group chat on WeChat, and redirected her focus to searching for information about this drama online. Sure enough, she found quite a bit of news about it.

"Is the investment really this big?"

The website listed a star-studded cast—arguably half of the entertainment industry—and even included some award-winning actors and actresses.

"Yeah, so this is quite an opportunity. Even if I only get a small role, it’ll still be worth it. With Feng Yan Senior onboard, it’s bound to be a hit drama!"

"Is Tang Shu involved?"

"Tang Shu? Hmm... not sure. I haven’t seen her around recently, but our company did send out casting invitations to Starshine Media."

Remembering what had happened before, Zeng Xiumin’s expression suddenly lost much of its enthusiasm.

"Who knew Tang Shu had that kind of background; no wonder she rose to fame so quickly."

Zeng Xiujing didn’t respond.

***

On the sixteenth day of the Lunar New Year, Tang Shu returned to the Imperial City with bags and luggage in tow.

The one who came to pick her up at the airport was Jing Yu, who took her belongings and loaded them into the trunk.

"Why’d you stay home for so long this time? Didn’t Sister Luo rush you?"

"She called me just yesterday. But she’s already given up on banking on me to make money for the company daily. She’s even vowed to promote another award-winning actor or actress next."

Tang Shu couldn’t help but laugh as she recalled Luo Lin’s exasperated remarks, guessing that she was probably already evaluating which Starshine Media talent had the most potential.

Jing Yu chuckled and started the car, driving toward Palm Pavilion.

But it seemed Luo Lin had perfectly timed her calculations; Tang Shu’s phone rang the moment they left the airport area.

"Just turned your phone back on?"

"Yeah, just landed. What’s up, Sister Luo?"

"Your fans have been causing a commotion for over twenty days now—aren’t you going to do something about it?"

"Are they still talking about the 80-million follower milestone celebration? What’s the PR department’s plan? Any suggestions?"

"..."

Luo Lin unexpectedly fell silent, not speaking for a long while.

What could she even say? The PR team had entirely given up trying to manage it.

"This is on you, Tang Shu. Your ideas are always off the wall anyway."

Fine...

Tang Shu thought for a moment. "What’s trending lately?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Tourism, does that count? Yi City is totally booming now. Open up any short video app and nine out of ten videos are of people showing off the scenic spots there. Tourists are retracing the routes you took when you visited the landmarks. The remaining one percent isn’t capturing snow scenes only because they couldn’t buy tickets to your province."

Tang Shu winced at the remark, finally remembering a thank-you call she’d received a few days prior.

An idea popped into her head, and it wasn’t half bad.

"Then let’s give away tourism packages."

"..... What? What did you just say? I didn’t catch that."

Luo Lin felt like her brain wasn’t quite keeping up.