"Luke, what do you want to talk about?"
In an empty room, Yuffie asked.
"I was hoping to find a good time to talk this over slowly, but I'm leaving tomorrow, and it might be a while before I'm back. So, I figured we'd have a quick chat today," Luke replied.
"No need for all the polite stuff. We're close—just say what's on your mind," Yuffie said, her big, sparkling eyes fixed on Luke.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're in talks with the Tian Long Ba Bu crew, aiming to audition for the role of Wang Yuyan, right?" Luke asked.
"Huh? How'd you know Mom's been arranging that for me? Director Zhang Jizhong's new wuxia drama is a great opportunity," she said.
Of course Luke knew. That version of Tian Long Ba Bu was famous for its cast of beauties, and Yuffie's Wang Yuyan was the most dazzling flower of them all.
Years later, when people talked about her, her standout roles were just a handful:
Wang Yuyan in Tian Long Ba Bu.
Zhao Linger in Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan.
Little Dragon Girl in Shen Diao Xia Lü.
These roles were so iconic that they became childhood classics for a generation of mainland youth, cementing Yuffie's enduring popularity.
Even though she never surpassed those roles on screen, she remained the "white moonlight" in the hearts of many.
But Luke's plan now was to tweak that path a bit.
The reason was practical: he didn't want to see Yuffie playing a romantic lead opposite someone else in a TV drama.
And with his status, there was no way he'd come back to China to star as the male lead in these low-budget TV shows just to act alongside her.
A top-tier Hollywood actor returning to shoot a low-budget TV drama?
That'd be career suicide, plain and simple.
But letting Yuffie act all lovey-dovey with some other actor, holding hands and playing a couple?
Forget the "it's just acting" excuse—Luke knew he could make better arrangements.
With the resources he had today, he could easily nudge Yuffie onto a different path.
His idea? Turn those three TV dramas into big-budget movies. He wanted to take Yuffie, at the peak of her beauty, and dazzle the world with better films.
He wanted her to reach greater heights in this lifetime, with an influence that wouldn't be limited to just China.
He was confident he could help Yuffie shine on the global stage with an even more stunning screen presence.
Of course, getting makeup artist Mao Geping on board was a must.
The conditions were all in place now—it was time to set Yuffie on a better path in this lifetime.
"I heard it from a friend," Luke said with a chuckle, dodging Yuffie's question.
"Is there a problem?" This time, it was Yuffie mom who asked.
"Pass on this opportunity. I've got something better for you," Luke said.
"Something better?" Yuffie mom asked.
Luke pulled two sets of documents from his backpack and handed one to each of them.
"My studio's prepping a new movie, and I've reserved a role for Sisi. She'll need to do some prep work and specialized acting training for it."
It was like giving her an open-book exam—time to start studying.
"A $150 million budget? That's top-tier blockbuster territory, isn't it?" Yuffie mom gasped when she saw the investment figure.
"Won't this cause trouble for you? I don't want to hold you back," Yuffie said, her focus clearly different from her mom's.
Luke smiled and ruffled her hair. "It won't. I need your help. You've got to help me create a box office miracle."
He wasn't just saying this to make her feel better. He'd tailored a role specifically for her, one where her natural, authentic performance would shine the brightest.
Overacting would actually ruin the final effect—this role was perfect for her at this stage.
Luke wasn't about to gamble with his own film. If the role didn't suit her, he wouldn't have offered it, no matter how close they were.
Seeing his confidence, Yuffie relaxed. She nodded and said, "Alright, I trust you."
"If Sisi can star in your Hollywood blockbuster, then yeah, we can skip this TV drama. I'll call Director Zhang later to apologize," Yuffie mom said.
"No need to apologize. He'll be thanking you instead," Luke said with a grin.
"Why's that? We're the ones backing out," Yuffie mom asked.
"His production's still short on funding for Tian Long Ba Bu, right? Tell him I'm investing. Think he won't be grateful?" Luke said.
Director Zhang Jizhong's Tian Long Ba Bu had a total budget of about 34 million RMB, and Luke figured the funding gap was around 20 million RMB.
That's just $2.5 million USD to him—pocket change, really. He could cover it without blinking.
"No way! Don't waste money just for me. A simple apology would've been fine," Yuffie said, sounding a bit anxious.
"It's not a waste. I genuinely believe in this show. I've set up a company in China to invest in a batch of TV dramas. It'll tie in perfectly with the film city project I'm building," Luke explained.
While he wasn't suited to star in Chinese TV dramas himself, investing in a bunch of childhood classic shows and boosting his in China was well worth it.
Think Yi Tian Tu Long Ji, the Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan series, Wu Lin Wai Zhuan, and more.
Once his film city was built, having his invested TV dramas shoot there as some of the first clients would be a natural fit.
Tian Long Ba Bu wouldn't be able to film at the Fanyu film city in time, but it was a solid starting point to kick off his TV drama investments in China.
"You're not just investing in movies but also TV dramas and a film city?" Yuffie mom asked, barely believing her ears.
"Yup. That's why I came back to China this time. I've already sealed the deal with Nanyue City. Next step is getting the funds in place as soon as possible," Luke replied.
"Can I ask how much you're planning to invest?" Yuffie mom asked.
"No secret there—it'll probably hit the papers soon. The current plan is $10 billion," Luke said.
"Ten billion? That's no small number," Yuffie mom said, stunned.
"Wait—you said ten billion dollars?" Realizing what he meant, Yuffie mom was floored.
At the time, the net worth of China's richest person was around $800 million.
And Luke was about to drop $10 billion on a single project?
Yuffie mom felt like her entire worldview was crumbling. Just what kind of prodigy was this young man?
At such a young age, he already had so much.
And he was still pushing forward. In the future, maybe he'd own the whole world.