Huayu: This top star doesn't play by the rules.

Standing in the underground city set, Chen Chao was wearing a dirty surface protective suit, his face covered in gray and black, and he looked like he had just crawled out of a disaster site.

"Cut! That take is good!" Guo Fan peeked out from behind the monitor and gave Chen Chao a thumbs-up with satisfaction. "Take a half-hour break, then we'll move on to the next take."

"Phew~" Chen Chao let out a soft breath and returned to his usual self. He had just walked back to the rest area and sat down when his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Lin Gengxin: "We've arrived at the door."

After greeting Guo Fan, who was communicating with the crew, Chen Chao quickly walked out of the studio. As soon as he turned out of the corridor, he saw two familiar figures standing at the door.

Wearing a flashy Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, looking quite ostentatious, it was none other than Lin Gengxin.

Standing next to him, wearing a white T-shirt and gray athletic shorts, and looking somewhat chubby, is Wang Sicong, jokingly referred to as the "Disciplinary Committee of the Entertainment Industry."

"Chao!" As soon as Lin Gengxin saw Chen Chao, he immediately opened his arms and walked over to give him a big hug. "You look so thin! Is filming a sci-fi movie this hard?"

"Yeah, it's much harder than wearing period costumes." After patting him on the back, Chen Chao turned to Wang Sicong, smiled, and extended his hand, "Old Wang, it's an honor to meet you."

"Hmm." Seeing Chen Chao use the same term of endearment he used when playing games, Wang Sicong's expression softened slightly. He reached out and shook hands with him, his gaze sweeping over the obviously heavy protective suit he was wearing and the makeup on his face. "Is your film crew playing this realistically?"

"After all, it's a blockbuster, so we definitely have to strive for perfection." Chen Chao waved with a smile and beckoned the two of them to walk into the studio. "Come on, I'll show you around. Director Guo is in there too."

Inside the studio, Guo Fan was standing in front of a makeshift worktable set up by the props team, discussing something with several young prop masters, while holding a model of a transport vehicle in his hand.

"Director Guo, these two are my friends who came to visit the set today." After they finished their discussion, Chen Chao led the two over and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.

After sending a few prop masters off to do their work, Guo Fan turned around and looked up. The moment he saw Wang Sicong, he recognized him, as this face was quite well-known in the industry.

"Mr. Wang, what a rare guest!" Guo Fan put down the model in his hand, wiped the dust off his hands on his pants, and smiled as he extended his hand. But for some reason, Chen Chao felt that his smile was a little strange.

"Director Guo, sorry to bother you." Wang Sicong shook hands with him, his gaze sweeping across the entire studio, lingering for a few seconds on the huge underground city set. "This set is... quite interesting."

After introducing themselves and chatting for a bit, Guo Fan and Chen Chao led the two of them around the set construction area, special effects studio, and prop warehouse, explaining in detail the preparation and filming progress of each location.

The realistic model of the planetary engine, the somewhat bulky exoskeleton protective suit, and the one-to-one replica of the transport vehicle—these truly impressive heavy-duty sets presented themselves to Lin Gengxin and Wang Sicong, giving them quite a shock.

Lin Gengxin, who has been in the film and television industry for many years and has seen many film crews, couldn't help but marvel. Wang Sicong, who originally just wanted to take a casual look, became much more serious and attentive after visiting the site.

When they returned to the lounge, Chen Chao, Lin Gengxin, and Wang Sicong were already drinking the milk tea their assistants had bought for them. Only Guo Fan was still pacing back and forth, looking preoccupied.

"Director Guo, if you have something to say, just say it." After noticing Guo Fan's actions, the three exchanged glances, and Lin Gengxin said with a smile.

"Wanda is withdrawing its investment, so we might not have enough money to finish filming this movie." Upon hearing Lin Gengxin's words, Guo Fan rubbed his hands together and delivered the best performance of his life.

Guo Fan had already been considering whether to go out and beg for alms, but since the young master of Wanda had come right up to him, how could he let him go?

"Huh?" Wang Si Cong, the young master of Wanda Group and a sucker, couldn't help but ask a question mark.

"Mr. Wang, as you know, after all, domestic science fiction films..." Guo Fan spread his hands with a helpless expression and sighed again. Although he didn't finish his sentence, his meaning was already very clear.

However, Wang Sicong did not respond immediately. Instead, he gestured to the crowd, took out his phone, and left the lounge, seemingly to make a phone call.

After a while, Wang Sicong returned with a sour face. He looked Chen Chao and Guo Fan up and down, and then thought about the scenery he had seen earlier.

"Since Wanda won't invest, then I'll invest myself." Wang Sicong's voice was crisp and decisive. "My Banana Pictures will independently invest 40 million, all of which will be injected into the film crew's production funds."

Upon hearing that Wang Sicong had invested 40 million yuan in one go, Guo Fan's eyes lit up, and his previously anxious heart was relieved. With this 40 million yuan, the production team's funding gap would be alleviated by more than half.

Seeing this, Lin Gengxin pondered for a moment and then spoke up, "I'll invest eight million as a way to support our domestic sci-fi blockbuster."

"I can also invest 15 million in the film." After Lin Gengxin finished speaking, Chen Chao also raised his phone and waved it gently.

He had just spoken with Ji Ran, and after Ji Ran's calculations, his studio could come up with 15 million without affecting its normal operation.

After all, his studio has a steady stream of income from endorsements, records, and film fees, so setting aside a portion of working capital won't hinder its overall operation.

"Thank you so much! I promise you, I will definitely make a good film of 'The Wandering Earth'!" With the funding from Chen Chao and the other two, Guo Fan's tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little.

For the "Wandering Earth" production team, 63 million yuan might not be enough, since the subsequent special effects will cost a lot more, but it's enough to solve their immediate problem.

"I should be able to come up with some more funds, Director Guo, please wait a moment." Seeing that Guo Fan's brows were still furrowed, Chen Chao thought for a moment and guessed the reason.

After hesitating for a moment, he decided to use his accumulated network of contacts to help Guo Fan attract some more investment.