When Liu Xiaoli heard that Luo Zheng planned to secure Liu Xixi an audition for the production of The Story of a Noble Family, she nearly laughed out loud on the spot.
In her eyes, this kind of promise was nothing more than empty boasting—something that could only fool her naïve daughter.
As expected, when Liu Xixi excitedly shared the news with sparkling eyes and a proud expression, she was immediately met with a cold eye roll.
The contrast couldn't have been clearer.
Meanwhile, on the other side…
After fifteen days of intense, high-pressure filming, The Man from Earth finally reached its final scene.
Inside the wooden cabin set, the atmosphere was tense yet expectant.
"Cut!"
Luo Zheng's voice rang out clearly.
Jon Favreau turned his head slightly. "Do we need another take, Director?"
Luo Zheng stood up from behind the monitor, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"No need. Jon… that was perfect."
His words instantly drew everyone's attention.
Then, without hesitation, he raised his voice and announced—
"I declare… the film is officially wrapped!"
For a moment, there was silence.
And then—
"YES!"
"Oh my God, finally!"
"This is amazing!"
Cheers erupted across the set. Actors hugged each other, some even laughing out loud in relief.
Over the past two weeks, Luo Zheng had pushed them to their limits.
Although filming hours strictly followed Hollywood labor rules, his obsession with perfection was terrifying.
Every line.
Every pause.
Every tone.
He demanded absolute precision.
At the beginning, the endless retakes had nearly driven them to the brink of collapse. Several actors had even considered walking off set.
But as time went on, something changed.
They improved.
Their performances sharpened.
And by the end… they could feel it themselves.
This film was different.
One by one, the lead actors approached Luo Zheng.
Some shook his hand.
Others thanked him sincerely.
Not just for the opportunity—but for pushing them to become better.
After setting the wrap party for the evening, Luo Zheng left the set early.
Inside the returning car, Kevin Feige sat in the passenger seat, still holding back his curiosity.
Over the past few days, he had practically become Luo Zheng's shadow—following him everywhere, absorbing everything.
"Boss… are you planning to connect this movie with Marvel?"
Luo Zheng leaned back slightly, his expression calm.
"Don't you think it would be interesting," he said slowly, "if John the Immortal appeared later as a mysterious figure… inside the Marvel Universe?"
Kevin froze.
"Marvel… Universe?"
"You mean—putting all comic characters onto the big screen? Into one connected world?"
Luo Zheng turned his head slightly and smiled.
"Yes. A cinematic universe exclusive to Marvel."
"That… is the company's future."
Kevin's breathing quickened.
At that moment—
everything clicked.
Now he understood why Luo Zheng had chosen him.
Why he had been given this position.
"I understand," Kevin said, his voice firm. "I completely understand!"
But then, a thought crossed his mind, and his excitement dimmed slightly.
"Unfortunately… we've already sold many of our copyrights. Especially Spider-Man. Once Sony owns it, getting it back will be nearly impossible."
Luo Zheng's relaxed posture suddenly disappeared.
He sat upright instantly.
"Wait… what did you say?"
Kevin blinked. "We have repurchase agreements."
"…What?"
"Not just Spider-Man. All the copyrights we sold include repurchase clauses."
Luo Zheng stared at him, stunned.
This… was completely different from what he remembered.
In his past life, those rights were almost impossible to reclaim.
But now—
everything had changed.
Kevin continued explaining, "Some require paying heavy penalties. Others depend on box office performance or release conditions."
"But Spider-Man… has a clause tied to performance expectations."
Silence filled the car.
Then slowly—
a smile spread across Luo Zheng's face.
This was huge.
This meant Marvel hadn't truly lost its core characters.
This meant—
he could take everything back.
"Kevin," Luo Zheng said calmly, "when we return, bring me every contract related to sold copyrights."
"Yes, Boss."
Over the next few days, Luo Zheng completely immersed himself in the copyright repurchase contracts.
The more he read, the more excited he became.
This was far better than he had expected.
Marvel had not completely lost its core characters.
Many of the sold copyrights still contained repurchase clauses, box office conditions, and deadline restrictions. In other words, as long as he planned carefully, there was still a chance to bring all those iconic heroes back.
Spider-Man.
X-Men.
Blade.
Fantastic Four.
Hulk.
Ghost Rider.
Each one represented a future gold mine.
By the third day, even Julie could no longer keep up with his overflowing energy and enthusiasm. After spending three exhausting nights with him, she finally fled back to Los Angeles under the excuse that she "wasn't feeling well."
Luo Zheng could only laugh helplessly.
With no other distractions left, he threw all of his attention into post-production.
Five days later, the final cut of The Man from Earth was officially complete.
That same evening, Marvel's temporary screening room was prepared for an internal preview.
The room was dark, with only the glow of the large screen illuminating the faces of everyone present.
This was no ordinary screening.
Almost every major executive and key shareholder had arrived.
Franklin was there.
Avi Arad was there.
Even Old Karl himself had personally come.
No one openly said it, but everyone understood why they were here.
They wanted to see the result of the wager.
More importantly, they wanted to judge whether Luo Zheng truly had the ability to lead Marvel forward.
As the movie began, the atmosphere remained somewhat casual.
Several people even whispered quietly among themselves.
"What kind of science-fiction film is this? It's just people sitting in a room talking."
"Be patient. The chairman wouldn't make something meaningless."
Another shareholder rubbed his temple and muttered, "I'm almost falling asleep."
At first, the reactions were exactly what Luo Zheng had expected.
The film lacked explosions.
No grand visual effects.
No expensive action scenes.
Just a group of people in a room having a conversation.
But as the story slowly unfolded, the atmosphere inside the screening room began to change.
The whispers gradually disappeared.
The expressions on everyone's faces became more and more serious.
Then came the reveal.
An immortal man.
A person who had lived for fourteen thousand years.
A witness to the rise and fall of civilizations.
Someone who had walked through history itself.
The room instantly became dead silent.
One executive leaned forward unconsciously.
Another stared at the screen with widened eyes.
"So that's why he keeps moving…"
Another muttered in disbelief, "This… this is incredible."
The religious discussion scene made several people frown deeply.
Some looked shocked.
Others looked disturbed.
One shareholder even murmured under his breath, "My mind can barely keep up."
The movie continued to tighten its grip on everyone.
By the final scene, no one was whispering anymore.
No one was distracted.
Every single person in the room was completely drawn into the story.
When the ending finally arrived and the screen faded to black, the room remained silent for several long seconds.
Only the sound of breathing could be heard.
Then the lights came back on.
Old Karl was sitting on the sofa, his forehead covered in sweat.
His expression was complicated.
Shock.
Reluctance.
Disbelief.
And finally—
acceptance.
A moment later, applause suddenly erupted across the room.
It began with one person.
Then another.
And within seconds, the entire screening room was filled with thunderous clapping.
The applause was so loud that it almost shook the walls.
Everyone had stood up.
Even the usually reserved Franklin was applauding with genuine admiration.
This was no longer merely a successful low-budget film.
This was a masterpiece.
A story built with almost nothing—
a small cast, one primary set, minimal production costs—
yet it had managed to completely imprison its audience inside its ideas.
It forced people to think.
To question.
To imagine.
That was the true power of storytelling.
Luo Zheng stood calmly near the front, watching everyone's reactions with a faint smile.
He already knew the outcome.
Old Karl had lost.
Completely.
After a long moment, Karl slowly stood up.
The applause gradually faded as everyone turned to look at him.
His aged face looked unusually serious.
He looked directly at Luo Zheng and said in a low voice, "Immortality is not a blessing. It is the endless misunderstanding others have of you."
The entire room instantly quieted.
Luo Zheng frowned slightly.
He could already tell Karl wasn't simply admitting defeat.
There was something more.
"Mr. Karl," Luo Zheng said calmly, "if you have something to say, then say it directly."
Karl stared at him for several seconds before finally nodding.
"Chairman William, I admit that I underestimated you."
There was no anger in his voice anymore.
Only sincerity.
"I lost this wager."
A visible ripple spread through the room.
Hearing Karl personally admit defeat shocked many of the executives present.
But before anyone could react further, Karl continued.
"However, I wish to make one final bet with you."
This immediately caused everyone's expressions to change again.
Another wager?
Even Franklin frowned.
What was this old fox planning now?
Karl raised one finger and said clearly, "Within one year, if this film generates more than fifty million dollars in total revenue, I will personally inject fifty million dollars into Marvel as an investment."
He paused for a moment.
"But if it fails…"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"You pay me one dollar."
The room fell silent again.
Everyone stared at Karl in disbelief.
Was this even a wager?
This was practically handing money to Luo Zheng.
With the quality of this film, crossing fifty million was not difficult at all.
DVD sales alone could potentially reach tens of millions.
Once distribution rights and overseas copyrights were added, the number would only rise higher.
Franklin immediately understood.
This wasn't really about winning or losing.
This was Karl giving himself a dignified way to step down.
At the same time, he was showing goodwill toward Luo Zheng.
He was effectively saying—
I accept your leadership.
Luo Zheng understood it instantly as well.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
This old fox truly knew how to preserve his pride.
Still, having Karl's capital support in the future would be extremely valuable.
There was no reason to refuse.
"Alright," Luo Zheng said with a calm smile.
"I accept."
The moment those words fell, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Side Mission Completed.]
[Reward Distribution in Progress…]
Luo Zheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
The real payoff—
was finally about to begin.