55: Aura Clash!
In the following weeks, shooting amped up. Schedules began filling, and cast members, who used to venture into the city for promotional shoots found their entire calendars filled, from morning to evening.
Though on the young side if someone looked at the entire cast and crew, Feng Wei, the mastermind behind everyone, had earned himself a new nickname, “The Old Demon,” after he began implementing an older shooting style only directors over the age of fifty seemed to do.
The most notable, his habit of getting right up and personal with the camera. Instead of sitting off to the side, lounging in a chair by a high-resolution screen, he cozied up to the camera operators like they owed him money. His hands would twitch as he talked them through his vision for the shot.
One particular morning, a younger crew member with cheeks still marred with acne, leaned over and whispered to the balding man beside him. “Is Director Feng, okay? His hands are twitching like he needs another hit of some white powder.”
“He’s fine,” The older man chuckled, sipping from his coffee. “This scene is just an important one, you’ll see. His hands twitch because he used to be a cameraman; out of respect though, he’s not going to just yank the camera out of someone’s hands. Propriety, you know?”
Nodding, the younger man opened his mouth to reply as Feng Wei clapped his hands. “Alright, Li Feiling and Chu Changfeng, are you two ready? Let’s go! Lights! Camera! Action!”
---
Click. Click. Click.
Red heels walked down the hallway. Zeng Xiaojing. Dressed in a red suit with a black cropped under shirt, she led the way with two flanks of executives by her side.
On the opposite end of the hall, Jiang Jinlong led his own platoon of executives. Both parties came to a halt, meeting in front of a pair of double doors. Scowls tinged the faces of every person present as sparks began to fly.
“Little snake, you still poked your head out? Haven’t you heard ‘the early bird gets the worm’?” Zeng Xiaojing smirked. “Without your illegal business practices, you’ve lost your protection. Go slink back in your hidey-hole before I swallow you whole. Little bitch.”
Jiang Jinlong balled his fist. His eyes darkened. “As if, you’re the bitch here-“
---
“Cut! Cut!” Feng Wei swept his hands outward, bringing the whole set to a pause. “Come on, stay on script. Where in the script does it say ‘bitch,’ Movie Queen and Movie King? Come on you two, be more professional. Keep this up and you two will be Bitch Queen and Bitch King.”
Chu Changfeng grunted in recognition. His eyes, though, drilled into Li Feiling. The woman he so desperately wanted to crush in his hand, though, just stood with her arms crossed, looking at a separate corner of the set, rolling her eyes to acknowledge Feng Wei’s words.
Feng Wei sighed.
These two are like fire and water…
Two genius level actors are reduced to elementary schoolers the moment they have a scene together.
“Alright, let’s start once more, ready? Lights! Camera! Action!”
---
“Little snake, you still poked your head out? Haven’t you heard ‘the early bird gets the worm’?” Zeng Xiaojing smirked. “Without your illegal business practices, you’ve lost your protection. Go slink back in your hidey-hole before I swallow you whole.”
Jiang Jinlong’s face darkened. He clicked his tongue and turned to yank the door open. After waving his own company’s executives into the room, he turned back to Zeng Xiaojing. “Bask in your glory now, but when I turn you into fried chicken, don’t come crying for a bucket of fries to keep yourself company.”
He slammed the door shut behind him.
“Bad insult, he wishes he knew more than five words,” Zeng Xiaojing laughed to herself, stepping forward to pull the door forward. The moment her hand landed on the handle though, a secretary in the back of the group let out a quiet whisper.
“I thought that insult wasn’t bad…”
Zeng Xiaojing’s eyes narrowed. They flicked through the group and landed on a bald man in the back. “You’re fired. Leave. If you thought the insult was really that good, go work for Jiang Jinlong. His company is full of bald men anyway, you’ll be right at home.”
“Wha-?” The man protested, he pushed forward through the crowd. “This is unlawful termination! You pig of a woman! I’ll sue you!”
Zeng Xiaojing just snapped her fingers and shouted down the hall. “Security! There’s a man here trying to lay his hands on me! Help!”
A second later, security’s heavy boots surrounded the man, dragging him off, as they did, she smirked. “Not so unlawful now, is it? What a shame there aren’t security cameras here.”
“This is unlawful! UNHAND ME!” The man shouted; yet, security, unwilling to offend one of the top business moguls, just continued.
While they hauled him off, Zeng Xiaojing pulled the door open, waving her executives in with a wink. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”
Once in the meeting room with the business to be bought—an up-and-coming streaming site—Jiang Jinlong and Zeng Xiaojing took up their positions on opposite ends of the room. She stared at him. He stared at her. Jiang Jinlong made the first move.
A roar filled the room. Wind buffeted every executive as a weight seemed to land on their chest. A dragon unfurled itself behind Jiang Jinlong illusory as it commanded a majesty that could only be described as… imperial-level!
On the opposite side of the room, Zeng Xiaojing took a half-step back, fighting against the wind. Yet, before she could be pushed any further, she clenched her fist, unleashing an imperial-level aura of her own!
A phoenix cry filled the room as the temperature instantly seemed to rise by five degrees! Every executive felt a suffocating heat as a massive phoenix reared its head behind Zeng Xiaojing. Illusory flames seemed to flank Zeng Xiaojing as her hair lifted off her back. Jiang Jinlong, unable to resist, also took a half-step back under the newfound pressure.
“They’re evenly matched!” One of the streaming company’s business executives whispered. “These are the top two powerhouses in the country!”
“It’s our honor to have these two fighting over us,” A different executive rubbed his hands together, a gleeful grin on his face.
The president of the streaming company, pale-faced under the two majestic beasts cleared his throat. “Let’s… let’s start negotiations. What can each of your businesses bring if you invest?”
“The majesty of a dragon!” Jiang Jinlong clenched his fist, and a sonic boom filled the room. “I am the master of wealth, the king of man! What can I not bring? That’s a better question! I’ll invest 120% of your asking price! I’ll send over five of my most trusted consultants and we’ll restructure your entire company! Raise the price of the subscription, run a new set of adverts, and slash unnecessary middle management. We estimate we can more than double your company’s current revenue! All we ask for is 35% equity!”
The golden dragon curled behind him, rearing its head. A second later, it shot forward towards Zeng Xiaojing’s phoenix in a golden streak!
SCREECH!
Zeng Xiaojing’s phoenix cried out as the golden dragon bit into its neck, coiling around the rest of its body like a python.
“I bring life! I bring longevity!” Zeng Xiaojing stepped forward, sweeping her hand out. Her phoenix spread its wings, sending a burst of fire out from its body to send the golden dragon flying!
“If you go with Jiang Jinlong’s company! I guarantee your company will lose its entire subscriber base in five years! You might get profit now, but your money will soon dry up and you’ll be begging on the streets.” Zeng Xiaojing turned to face the streaming company’s group.
Her phoenix, meanwhile, soared into the air before beginning a beautiful dive. Flames coated its wings as it roared towards the golden dragon still stunned on the ground.
“I’ll invest 125% of your asking price! I’ll send over the team of consultants I used to make our company’s social media platform the largest in the world and I’ll leave most of your company untouched! I’ll lower the price of the subscription, run a new set of adverts, and slash unnecessary middle management! We estimate we can bring you stable 150% revenue for ten years minimum! All we ask for is 30% equity!”
Her phoenix, following those last words, slammed into the golden dragon, sending it recoiling towards Jiang Jinlong for shelter. Jiang Jinlong, not to be outdone, continued the fight.
And so, negotiations continued.
The dragon let out a beautiful laser beam.
“Follow them and you’ll never make it into profitability!”
The phoenix let out a cry as a chunk of its feathers got seared to ash. Zeng Xiaojing coughed up blood. The golden dragon continued its assault, clawing at the phoenix.
“I’ll lower my offer! From 35 to 25% equity! I’ll bring in sponsorships from the entire automotive industry, installing your streaming service into the backseats of every family car!”
Zeng Xiaojing coughed up another bit of blood. She wiped it off and snapped her fingers to launch a counterattack.
“I’ll also lower my offer to 25% equity! And raise our investment to 130% of what you’re asking for! I’ll develop a mobile app for your streaming service! Seamless integration with our line of Phoenix Phones!”
The phoenix sent a fire jet towards the dragon, bathing it in flames, and Jiang Jinlong coughed up blood.
“I’ll raise my own offer up to 140%! Don’t listen to that demoness! She’ll sell your company in a year! Mark my words!”
The dragon sent a tail swipe towards the phoenix. Zeng Xiaojing staggered.
“I’ll raise to 141%! I’d only sell the company to make it more profitable! Jiang Jinlong would hold onto it forever! Even if it meant letting it freeze over in hell!”
The phoenix used its claws to swipe three bloody lines across the dragon’s underbelly. Jiang Jinlong clutched his stomach, coughing up a fresh batch of blood.
The two giants of the investment world, with more money than than a peasant could imagine, kept raising, and in the end, Jiang Jinlong launched his trump card.
“I raise directly from 168% to 200% of what you’re asking! I’ll directly gift a supercar and mansion to every executive board member here too! Off the books, untaxable!” He grinned, mania in his eyes as his dragon sent the phoenix crashing to the ground. He spread his arms, basking under the light as Zeng Xiaojing fell to her knees.
Zeng Xiaojing’s hair had been messed up. Blood poured out of her nose and dribbled down her chin. Yet, her eyes gleamed with fire.
At the last second, she stomped her foot and pushed herself back upright. “210%! And I’ll connect the streaming service to every hotel room under my management so when people are having their private physical education sessions, they’ll associate your service with the joy that comes with it! And we already scoped out Jiang Jinlong’s company, so if you take those gifts we have evidence to say you were bribed. I’ll send you straight to jail!”
Her phoenix, ascending from a pile of flames, seemed rejuvenated and rammed into the chin of the dragon, sending it crashing into the ceiling. Shockwaves filled the room as the dragon came crashing down, letting out a final wave of pressure to send a few poor executives flying out of their chairs.
Jiang Jinlong, staggering like he’d been punched, fell backward. His eyes widened.
“No…”
“How did you know my trump card?”
Executives swarmed him as he began coughing up blood. His suit, now torn, revealed a bruised, yet chiseled frame.
“Because I’m better than you,” Zeng Xiaojing cackled, a brilliant smile on her face as she stepped through the crowd, over Jiang Jinlong, and towards the executives of the streaming company to sign the contract. “As long as the sun burns, I have the fuel to bring this world to its knees.”
---
“Cut! That was wonderful!” Feng Wei clapped his hands, bringing the scene to a close. “Only a few cuts, but wonderful! Wonderful! This will be one of the most pivotal moments in the entire show! I can already see their reactions! Amazing work you two! Get some water, we’ll continue in fifteen minutes!”
And he was right. When the episode finally aired, the internet exploded.