Chapter 62: The First Board Meeting of the Supreme Tang Dynasty

Unexpectedly, hearing someone curse at him, Xiao Kaitian’s expression froze. With a grim face, he stepped into the conference room.

The conference room was enormous, spanning nearly three or four hundred square meters. At its center stood a grand conference table, over thirty meters long, made of Bahia wood and shining with a beautiful reddish glow under the lights. Flanking each side were about ten chairs, but only two were occupied.

At the head sat a man in his forties, his hair thinning at the crown. He was short, his teeth yellowed, and his suit wrinkled. He held a cigarette, nearly burned down to the filter, yet stubbornly refused to discard it. Upon seeing Xiao Kaitian enter, he abruptly stood up and cursed, “You brat, you finally decided to come back! I thought you’d crawled into your shell for good. Damn it, you’ve really screwed me over this time!”

Behind him, a woman slowly rose. She wore a honey-colored trench coat over a white turtleneck sweater. Her long hair was tied high, cascading behind her, and her features were strikingly beautiful. Yet she kept her gaze low, offering no greeting, her eyes cold and tinged with despair.

Xiao Kaitian stopped at the long table, glanced at the two, and turned to ask, “Didn’t you say there’d be a board meeting? Where is everyone?”

Lin Xiang, his eyes half-lidded, hadn’t replied before the man burst out again, even more furious. He threw his cigarette butt to the floor and stomped it with his travel shoes. “Board meeting? What board meeting! If you’re a fool, fine, but don’t drag us down with you! The whole company has just four people—what kind of conglomerate is that?”

Hearing this, the woman’s eyes reddened, and she nearly burst into tears.

Xiao Kaitian pulled out a chair and sat, ignoring the man’s vulgar tirade. His cold gaze swept across the room, causing the man to choke back his words, sensing something amiss.

“Let me do the introductions,” Lin Xiang said, gesturing as he cheerfully took his seat. “This is Director Chen Jingming, and the lady is the famous actress Ling Xuan. They’re both from the Tang Dynasty Media Department.”

“Media Department?” Xiao Kaitian was baffled. Where did this come from? “What does it do?”

Both Chen Jingming and Ling Xuan exchanged surprised glances and sat down without a word.

Thus, the first board meeting of Tang Dynasty Holdings was officially underway, with the following members:

Chairman: Xiao Kaitian, male
Special Skill: Dimensional Strike
Hobby: Disinterested in everything
Goal: Journey to the next dimensional world

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Chairman’s Special Assistant: Lin Xiang, male
Special Skill: Odd jobs

Hobby: Following Xiao Kaitian
Goal: For Xiao Kaitian to become a successful figure

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Media Department Director: Chen Jingming, male
Special Skill: Filmmaking
Hobby: Filmmaking
Goal: Filmmaking

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Media Department Actress: Ling Xuan, female
Special Skill: Making herself more beautiful
Hobby: Acting in films
Goal: To become Best Actress

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At the start of the meeting, Lin Xiang, as special assistant, explained Xiao Kaitian’s “memory loss” to Chen Jingming and Ling Xuan, leaving them dumbfounded. He then began to elaborate on their situations.

Chen Jingming was one of the great directors of Han Tang, whose early films had excellent reputations. In recent years, however, several big-budget productions he directed had been criticized for being “incomprehensible” or for “running out of inspiration,” leading to a steep decline in fame. He was reduced to seeking sponsorships and investments.

When Xiao Kaitian established Tang Dynasty Holdings, the initial funding was abundant, and the company aimed to cover a wide array of industries. As fate would have it, he and Chen Jingming connected, and Xiao casually agreed to invest two billion, founding the Media Department and venturing into the film industry.

As part of the deal, Chen Jingming signed a twenty-year contract with Tang Dynasty Holdings and was granted a one-percent stake.

This incident caused quite a stir in Haidu at the time—a fool and a fallen director, a perfect combination.

The other actress, Ling Xuan, had an even more impressive background.

She was a top student at the Beijing Film Academy, already gaining recognition in the Han Tang film industry while still in university. Her pay was nearly seven figures. Unfortunately, after graduation, she reportedly offended a powerful figure from a prominent family, leading to a difficult career in entertainment. Drifting, she boarded Xiao Kaitian’s ship, signing an eight-year contract as an actress under the company.

Eight years—for a female star, it represented the most glorious and beautiful period of her life. Ling Xuan, in effect, gambled her entire future.

Both Chen Jingming and Ling Xuan had arrived with ambition and dreams, but the Xiao family changed hands, Xiao Kaitian’s capital dried up, and Tang Dynasty Holdings ceased all operations and dispersed its staff.

Others could leave, but they couldn’t. Bound by contracts, the penalty for leaving was an astronomical sum. With no choice but to stay, they were left frustrated and indignant.

This was why Chen Jingming was so furious at first; he felt he and Ling Xuan had been set up.

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t wrong.

As Xiao Kaitian listened, he pulled out a red pack of Marlboros and offered one to Chen Jingming. After a moment’s hesitation, Chen accepted. In the vast conference room, the sound of their inhaling and exhaling echoed.

Completely ignoring the presence of national-level beauty Ling Xuan, the two smoked in perfect rhythm.

“So, let’s talk. What are your plans?” Xiao Kaitian, having grasped the situation, exhaled a puff of smoke, wanting to hear their opinions first.

“Mr. Xiao,” Chen Jingming, holding his cigarette, was noticeably calmer after smoking. He apologized, “Honestly, I know it’s not your fault. I just couldn’t control my temper. Sigh, at this point, you’re back, so you haven’t abandoned us. If we’re going down, so be it—it can’t get worse than this.”

Ling Xuan glanced at Chen Jingming, who had quickly compromised for a cigarette, feeling a trace of contempt. She pursed her lips; Chen was right, blaming anyone now wouldn’t help. “I just hope the film can start shooting smoothly.”

“You have a script? How much funding will you need?” Xiao Kaitian frowned—there were no other staff, so starting here wasn’t a bad idea.

“Yes, the basic framework is set. It’s a science fiction project, though there may be some revisions,” Chen Jingming’s eyes gleamed at the mention of film. “Estimated funding is about two hundred million, not including post-production costs. The actual amount will depend on what we can scrape together.”

“Two hundred million?” Xiao Kaitian shook his head. “For science fiction, that won’t be enough. Look, I can’t solve everything right now. I’ll commit to an initial two hundred million, and at most, five hundred million! That’s the cap!”

“Five hundred million,” Chen Jingming’s eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed. Who knew if Xiao Kaitian was bluffing? Tang Dynasty Holdings’ capital chain had snapped. “Are you planning to raise more funds?”

“Not exactly,” Xiao Kaitian shook his head. Tang Dynasty Holdings’ reputation was gone; it would be difficult to secure new financing. “I plan to start with a new subsidiary model and operate from there!”