Hollywood, I became a legend with special effects.

August 5, Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport.

The air conditioning in the terminal was blasting. To Jiang Yu's left stood Zhou Mu, the tech genius who had been forced to wear a striped shirt by Yang Siwei.

Jiang Yu was looking down at his phone, a smile playing on his lips.

The screen displays the latest box office data for "The Witch": in its second week of release, the daily box office in China remains above 1500 million yuan, and the cumulative box office in North America has exceeded 2000 million US dollars.

Lu Yang and Wang Zhi's names have been all over the news in major media outlets these past few days, and the number of visits to Light Chaser Pictures' official website has surged by 300%.

Yang Si adjusted his Bluetooth earpiece, and the voice of a colleague from the public relations department came through: "...Yes, the interview with Director Lu Yang is scheduled for 3 PM tomorrow. We need you to confirm the interview outline. Also, Wang Zhi's endorsement fee with Chanel has increased to five million a year. Should we accept it?"

"Let's hold off for now," Yang Siwei said in a low voice. "Let's wait until 'The Witch' grosses over $1 million worldwide before making any decisions. It would be too much of a loss to accept endorsements now."

The domestic arrivals hall in Terminal 2 was much busier than Terminal 3, with parents holding signs to pick up passengers, tour groups dragging suitcases, and company staff in matching T-shirts everywhere.

With summer vacation and the Olympics approaching, the entire airport was like a boiling cauldron.

As soon as Jiang Yu and his two companions entered the hall, they heard a familiar voice.

"Auntie! Grandma! Over here!"

Jiang Yu looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liu Yifei waving towards the exit on tiptoe.

She was dressed very simply today, wearing a white T-shirt and light blue jeans, with her long hair tied in a high ponytail, a baseball cap, and large sunglasses. Her face and demeanor still drew frequent glances from those around her.

Beside her was her mother, Liu Xiaoli, who was also wearing sunglasses and a simple beige dress, exuding elegance and poise.

Liu Yifei turned her head and saw Jiang Yu.

She was visibly taken aback for a moment, then took off her sunglasses and smiled, "President Jiang? What a coincidence?"

"Yes, what a coincidence." Jiang Yu walked over, with Zhou Mu and Yang Siwei following behind. "Here to pick someone up?"

"Yes, my grandma and my aunt's family came from Wuhan to watch the Olympics." Liu Yifei said, nodding to Yang Siwei and Zhou Mu in greeting, "President Yang, Dr. Zhou, it's been a long time."

Yang Si smiled and replied, "Yifei, Aunt Liu."

Zhou Mu then looked up from the computer screen, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Oh, Ms. Liu. I've created a dynamic simulation of your Black Swan dance moves. I'll send it to you later."

Liu Yifei's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great! I was just wondering how to combine some of the spinning movements with special effects."

"Simple," Zhou Mu said, then looked down at the keyboard again. "Use fluid dynamics to simulate the movement of the skirt, plus particle trajectories..."

"Zhou Mu," Jiang Yu interrupted helplessly, "we'll talk about this later. Aunt Liu, Yi Fei, which flight are you picking up?"

"CA1367 from Wuhan should be arriving soon." Liu Xiaoli glanced at her watch, then looked at Jiang Yu. "Mr. Jiang, are you here to pick someone up?"

"I'm picking up my parents, also on a flight from Wuhan," Jiang Yu said. "And there are colleagues from North America with me."

As they were talking, a surge of people began to appear at the exit.

"Son! Over here!"

Jiang Yu turned his head and saw his mother, Zhou Huiwen, waving at him.

My mother is forty-nine years old this year. She is very well-maintained and is wearing a light blue Chinese-style modified top with white trousers. Her long hair is tied into an elegant bun at the back of her head. She has a gentle temperament and looks like an intellectual.

Father Jiang Jianguo followed behind, pushing two large suitcases.

He was fifty-two years old, in good shape, wearing a polo shirt and casual pants, his hair neatly combed, and a hearty smile on his face.

What's most eye-catching is the SLR camera hanging around his neck; the old man has become fascinated with photography in the last two years.

"Dad, Mom," Jiang Yu greeted them.

"Oh dear, let me see," Zhou Huiwen said, pulling her son's hand and looking him up and down. "You've lost weight. You must not have been eating properly again, Miss Yang."

She turned to Yang Siwei, "You'd better make sure he eats on time."

Yang Si smiled gently: "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm keeping an eye on things."

Jiang Jianguo patted his son on the shoulder: "You look great. I saw your company's movie in Wuhan; the special effects were amazing! Your mother kept saying it was too noisy, but I told her, 'What do you know? This is art!'"

"Hello, Uncle." Zhou Mu then greeted him formally, still holding his laptop.

"This is Zhou Mu, our company's Chief Technology Officer," Jiang Yu introduced. "A mathematical genius, a PhD from USC."

"Young and promising!" Jiang Jianguo gave a thumbs up.

At this moment, Liu Yifei also received her family; an elderly woman with white hair sitting in a wheelchair was being pushed by a woman in her forties, followed by a middle-aged couple and a teenage boy.

"Grandma!" Liu Yifei knelt down in front of the wheelchair and took the old lady's hand. "Were you tired from the journey?"

"Not tired at all," the old lady said with a smile, patting her granddaughter's hand. "I took a nap on the plane."

The two families reunited and naturally stood together.

Jiang Yu, acting as the middleman, politely introduced: "Dad, Mom, this is Ms. Liu Yifei, the female lead in our company's next film, 'Black Swan.' This is her mother, Aunt Liu."

Zhou Huiwen's eyes lit up: "Wow, this girl is really beautiful. I've seen your TV series, you played Zhao Ling'er in 'Chinese Paladin,' right? You acted so well!"

Liu Yifei bowed politely: "Hello, Auntie. Hello, Uncle."

Liu Xiaoli also exchanged a few pleasantries with Jiang Yu's parents. Although they didn't know each other before, the atmosphere was very harmonious.

At this moment, Yang Siwei glanced at her watch and whispered a reminder: "President Jiang, the flight from Los Angeles will land in twenty minutes."

Jiang Yu nodded and said to his parents, "Dad, Mom, I still need to go to Terminal 3 to pick up my colleagues from North America. Perhaps you could go ahead first..."

"Go ahead and do your thing," Zhou Huiwen waved her hand. "We'll take a taxi to the hotel first. Your dad booked a hotel near the Olympic Village, saying he's going to film something about 'Olympic atmosphere'."

"That won't do," Liu Xiaoli interjected. "Our car is in the parking lot; we can give Uncle and Aunt a ride. It's on our way anyway."

"I'm so sorry..." Zhou Huiwen said.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Liu Xiaoli said with a smile. "Since Yifei and President Jiang are working together, we're practically family. Come on, the car is on B2."

Then a magical scene unfolded: the two families joined together and walked towards the parking lot.

Liu Yifei pushed her grandmother's wheelchair, Jiang Jianguo took pictures everywhere, Zhou Huiwen and Liu Xiaoli chatted about the climate and food in Beijing, and the teenage boy kept pestering Zhou Mu with computer questions.

Looking at this scene, Jiang Yu suddenly had a strange feeling.

He never imagined he would have such a chance encounter at the airport, neither in his past life nor this one.

"Mr. Jiang," Liu Yifei pushed his wheelchair to his side and said softly, "Your parents are such kind people."

"Your family too," Jiang Yu said. "How is your grandmother's health?"

"It's fine, it's just that my legs are a bit weak." Liu Yifei paused for a moment, then added, "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"The opportunity with 'Black Swan'," Liu Yifei said earnestly, "and... on the day of the Hollywood press conference, you got David to help me out. I know that reporter's question was very difficult, and if you hadn't been so well prepared, I might have said the wrong thing."

Jiang Yu laughed: "That's because you handled it well. Darren later told me that you were very composed and had the demeanor of a great general."

A faint blush rose on Liu Yifei's face, making her look especially beautiful under the airport lights.

.........

After saying goodbye at the parking lot, Jiang Yu led Zhou Mu and Yang Siwei back to Terminal 3 quickly.

Upon arriving at the international arrivals hall, I saw the flight information screen display "UA888 Los Angeles-BJ has arrived".

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, people started coming out of the exit.

David was the first one to come out, and his physique was too conspicuous in the crowd.

He was pushing a suitcase and carrying a bulging backpack, looking like he was going to climb Mount Everest.

"Boss!" David waved from afar, his loud voice drawing the attention of everyone around him. "BJ! I'm here!"

He rushed over and gave Jiang Yu a firm hug, so strong that Jiang Yu took a step back.

"Welcome, David." Jiang Yu smiled and patted him on the back. "Was your journey smooth?"

"It went so smoothly! There was Chinese breakfast on the plane, and I ate three servings of dumplings!" David let go of his hands, looked around, and exclaimed, "My God, this airport! It's ten years more advanced than LAX!"

Next up was Wu Na.

She was dressed in a smart black pantsuit, with short, neat hair, thin-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, and only dragging a carry-on suitcase in her hand.

Upon seeing Jiang Yu, she nodded: "President Jiang."

Then his gaze fixed directly on Zhou Mu: "Zhou Mu, I've verified the code on line 37 that you mentioned in your email, and there's a problem with it."

Zhou Mu immediately turned on his computer: "Impossible, I simulated it thirty times..."

"Your initial parameters are set incorrectly," Wu Na said, pulling out her tablet. The two immediately squatted down and began arguing in front of the screen.

Jiang Yu and David exchanged a glance and shrugged simultaneously.

Chen Jingming was the last one to come out.

He was in his early forties, wearing a well-fitting dark gray suit, with a calm and sharp gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses—a typical investment banking elite.

Two young assistants, a man and a woman, followed behind him, both dressed in formal attire and walking in unison.

"President Jiang." Chen Jingming shook hands with Jiang Yu with a moderate firmness. "Everything is proceeding according to plan."

"You've worked hard," Jiang Yu said. "The hotel is all arranged. Shall we rest and adjust to the time difference?"

"No need," Chen Jingming glanced at his watch. "I slept for seven hours on the plane. I want to go straight to the company and start setting up the structure of the domestic investment company. Time is money."

"Jingming, you don't need to push yourself so hard..."

"The funds from the liquidation of US stocks are incurring opportunity costs every day," Chen Jingming said, adjusting his glasses. "The sooner we complete the framework, the sooner we can start operating. In addition, I've looked at recent domestic policies, and the tax incentives for cultural and technological companies are substantial. We need to implement them as soon as possible."

Jiang Yu knew he couldn't persuade them otherwise, so he could only nod: "Then let Siwei accompany you to the company. David, Wu Na, why don't you go back to the hotel and rest first?"

"I'm going to the company too!" Wu Na said without looking up. "I want to see BJ's render farm. Zhou Mu said you bought the latest NVIDIA graphics card array, and I need to see it for myself."

"I'll go too!" David raised his hand, leaving Jiang Yu both amused and exasperated.

......

On the way to the parking lot, David acted like a child visiting the city for the first time, taking pictures everywhere with his phone.

"Jiang, this moving walkway is twice as wide as the one in Los Angeles! And the signs have Chinese, English, Korean, and Japanese!"

Chen Jingming calmly analyzed from the side: "China's investment in infrastructure construction as a percentage of GDP is much higher than that of the United States. This late-mover advantage is indeed obvious in certain areas. However, there are still gaps in intellectual property protection and the maturity of the capital market, which also presents opportunities for us."

Wu Na and Zhou Mu paid no attention to any of this, and argued about the algorithm as they walked.

Upon arriving at the parking lot, Jiang Yu arranged for two cars.

Yang Siwei, along with Chen Jingming and his assistant, rode in one car to the company first.

Jiang Yu drove himself, with David, Wu Na, and Zhou Mu as passengers.

After getting in the car, David leaned against the window, looking at the airport expressway rushing past and the towering buildings in the distance, marveling, "When were all these buildings built? The last time I came to China was in 2002, and there weren't so many tall buildings in Beijing then."

"In the past six years, China has built half the skyscrapers of the United States," Jiang Yu said, driving his car. "That's 'China Speed'."

In the back seat, Wu Na and Zhou Mu's argument finally came to an end, because Wu Na used the simulation results on the tablet to prove that Zhou Mu had indeed set one of his parameters incorrectly.

"You're convinced?" Wu Na raised an eyebrow.

"I give up," Zhou Mu scratched his head, "but the overall algorithm framework is still valid, and we can optimize it..."

"Of course we need to optimize it," Wu Na said with a rare smile. "That's why I came to Beijing; with your algorithm, my optimization, and the Beijing team's implementation capabilities, we can create those scenes in Inception that even surprised Nolan."

Jiang Yu looked at this scene in the rearview mirror and a smile appeared on his lips.

This is the core team he wanted—top-notch, dedicated, and inspiring to each other.

As the car reached the East Fourth Ring Road, David suddenly remembered something: "Jiang, the girl you were talking to at the airport earlier, wasn't that Liu Yifei? The one from 'The Forbidden Kingdom'?"

"You've actually seen 'The Forbidden Kingdom'?" Jiang Yu was somewhat surprised.

"Of course! I saw the premiere at the Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles!" David said excitedly. "She's very famous in the North American Chinese community. You two had a great time working together?"

"Very professional, very hardworking," Jiang Yu simply commented.

"That's all?" David winked. "Jiang, in Hollywood, producers and leading ladies often have some... special chemistry."

"David," Wu Na interrupted coldly, "if you have time to gossip, you should think about how to cut the production budget for Inception. Nolan wants to film the rotating corridor on location, and the cost has already exceeded the limit."

"Exceeded again?" Jiang Yu frowned.

"He wanted a corridor set with a 12-meter diameter that could rotate 360 ​​degrees," David said with a pained expression. "I suggested using green screen and CGI, but he said it wouldn't be realistic enough. Artists are all crazy!"

"I'll build it for him," Jiang Yu said without hesitation. "I'll cover the difference if he needs more money. The realism Nolan wanted is key to the film's success."

David's eyes widened: "Jiang, that'll cost at least another two and a half million US dollars!"

Jiang Yu calmly said, "If Inception succeeds, the returns will be tenfold."

It was almost 5 p.m. when I parked the car downstairs at the China World Trade Center.

Jiang Yu had just gotten out of the car when his phone rang.

It was my mother calling.

"Xiaoyu, have you picked up your colleague?"

"I got it, Mom. Have you arrived at the hotel?"

"We've arrived! Aunt Liu is so kind; she insisted on taking us all the way to the hotel entrance."

Zhou Huiwen's voice was filled with joy, "Your dad went out to take pictures as soon as he put down his luggage. By the way, Aunt Liu said we should have dinner together tonight. She booked a Hubei restaurant, which isn't far from the hotel."

Jiang Yu glanced at the group of people around him. David was looking up at the three towers of the China World Trade Center, his mouth agape. Wu Na and Zhou Mu had already eagerly walked into the office building. Chen Jingming and his assistant were nowhere to be seen, presumably already upstairs working.

"Mom, I still need to arrange the team..."

"Bring them all!" Zhou Huiwen said readily. "Aunt Liu booked a large private room that can seat fifteen people. Let your foreign colleagues also try authentic Hubei cuisine."

Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment.

David, with his sharp ears, heard the words "Hubei cuisine" and immediately leaned over: "Hubei cuisine? Is it spicy? I want to go! I love Hunan food the most in California!"

Jiang Yu looked at the group of people and suddenly smiled.

"Okay, Mom. Send me the address, we'll be there at six."