Start by Spending One Billion [Entertainment Industry]

When the news first reached the country, no one paid much attention to it.

A famous estate? A historical symbol in the eyes of A-country? Massive grounds? What did that have to do with them?

They were too busy celebrating "The Cultivator" winning four awards.

It wasn’t until A-country’s media reported that the new owner of the estate was of Asian descent that people started to take interest.

[Asian descent? Could it be that so-and-so from H-country?]

[There are only a handful of wealthy Asians in A-country, right?]

[Jones Estate is pretty famous in A-country—it’s actually up for sale?]

[Of course it is. Their land can be privately owned, so estates like this get passed down through generations. I saw Jones Estate listed as one of the world’s most luxurious estates last year—maybe the buyer saw that ranking and decided to go for it.]

[Wasn’t it originally a castle? Built by some king or duke, then renovated later? I’ve seen reports—just the exterior alone is ridiculously opulent.]

When the media began speculating that the new owner might be of Chinese descent, the domestic netizens got a little excited.

[Chinese descent? Nice, nice.]

[Who could it be? Someone this impressive?]

[I’m dying to know—is it a big shot from overseas or someone from back home?]

[No need to get too excited. It’s just "Chinese descent"—technically, they’re not even one of us anymore if they hold foreign citizenship. What does it have to do with us?]

Finally, a clearly paparazzi-style photo was released by A-country’s media.

From the blurry side profile, it was a woman—and a relatively young one at that.

She was followed by a large entourage, with a man in a suit beside her gesturing forward as if giving a tour.

The young woman wore casual clothes, while a tall man held an umbrella over her. Behind her, seven or eight men and women in black suits, all long-legged and wearing tactical earpieces—clearly bodyguards—followed closely.

The photo was taken at sunset, and whether intentionally or not, the lighting was slightly dimmed, casting the group against the backdrop of the towering castle.

In front of them, staff in uniforms stood waiting respectfully, smiling as they welcomed the estate’s new owner.

In modern internet slang, the scene was: aesthetic overload.

Once the photo surfaced, those already interested grew even more excited, while even those who hadn’t cared before were drawn in by the cinematic quality of the image.

[Damn, is this some kind of mafia princess?]

[Good lord, everyone in this photo has legs for days.]

[The young woman under the umbrella is the mystery billionaire who bought Jones Estate? She looks way too young!]

[Maybe she’s just representing an older family member? But I swear she looks familiar.]

[Same, I’ve definitely seen her somewhere.]

Before long, someone cracked the case: [Isn’t that Sheng Quan?!]

Sheng Quan wasn’t a celebrity, but her fame was no less than that of a star—especially after "The Cultivator" swept awards at Golden Woods. Every member of the production team had been scrutinized at least three times over.

Not to mention, the filming locations for "Ten Great Immortal Palaces" belonged to her. She was the project’s biggest investor, a close friend of Xu Man, and even Jiang Zhen—who had skyrocketed to fame overnight—was an artist under Starlight Entertainment.

Xu Man had mentioned in interviews more than once that the project was initially considered a gamble—the xianxia genre was practically frozen at the time. It was only because of Sheng Quan’s unwavering support that "The Cultivator" became what it was today.

Sheng Quan had fans—a lot of them. Even before "The Cultivator" premiered, they had been making compilation videos about her. After the film’s release, the praise reached new heights.

One particularly popular clip featured Xu Man praising Sheng Quan on a show:

"The pressure was insane—'The Cultivator' was bleeding money. When Sheng Quan saw how stressed I was, she just said, 'Keep filming. Wherever you go, I’ll fund it.'"

"Yeah, she loves xianxia. She believes it’s something uniquely ours—a kind of romance only China can offer."

"Of course we worried about recouping costs. The budget was insane. But Sheng Quan was always calm. She never said, 'It’s fine if we lose money.'

She’d just say, 'If this doesn’t make bank, the world must be blind.' Hahaha—yeah, she’s actually really funny in person."

With ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‍Sheng Quan’s fans churning out content, even though she rarely appeared on camera, many had grown familiar with her face.

And let’s be honest—she was easy on the eyes, so people didn’t mind looking.

Given her public recognition, more and more people were convinced it was her in the photo.

[It’s her. No doubt about it.]

[Is that my CEO Sheng?! Did she really buy Jones Estate?!]

[I’m not sure about Sheng Quan, but look at the guy holding the umbrella—isn’t he her bodyguard or assistant? He’s been in all her past photos too.]

Jiang Lu had always made an effort to stay low-key, but he was ex-military, not a superhero. If a camera caught him, it caught him.

Previously, no one had noticed him. But this time, with the photo too blurry to confirm Sheng Quan’s identity, people smartly started cross-referencing her usual companions.

Soon, past photos of Jiang Lu surfaced.

To everyone’s surprise, this tall, intimidating man had appeared in every single picture of Sheng Quan.

[He was sitting behind CEO Sheng during "Voices Have You"! How did I miss him? He’s actually really handsome!]

[He was tailing them when Sheng Quan and my fave went out for skewers! I thought it was just the two of them!]

[This bodyguard’s in all the BTS footage too—every shot of Sheng Quan, he’s within a meter of her, sometimes left, sometimes right, but always there.]

[Even in her photos with foreign celebrities, he’s there.]

[Now this is a real bodyguard. His bone structure is insane, yet even a thirsty mess like me never noticed him. Did this guy train in invisibility or what?]

After some discussion, the conversation quickly zeroed in on the key point.

Fact: The young woman in the photo is the new owner of Jones Estate.

Also fact: The woman resembles Sheng Quan, and the umbrella-holding bodyguard is the same one always by her side.

Conclusion: Sheng Quan bought Jones Estate.

The previously slow-moving netizens suddenly got a shot of adrenaline, exploding with excitement.

[OMG IS IT TRUE?! I’m pretty sure Sheng Quan’s nationality is still Chinese, right?!]

【Upstairs, Sheng Quan is a pure-blooded Chinese, and she’s super patriotic! Just look at her previous interviews and you’ll see! And this time with "The Cultivator," she invested because she believes xianxia is uniquely Chinese!】

【Ahhhhhhh friends, don’t miss the point! That 1.13 billion isn’t in RMB! Converted to RMB, it’s nine billion! Nine billion, friends!!!!】

【Who is Sheng Quan? Is she really that rich?】

【Sheng Quan is the kind of powerhouse who can donate 100 million, and my Queen Quan is dedicated to entertaining everyone—and herself. Both "The Path of Life" and "The Cultivator" were funded by her. To film "The Cultivator," she even bought a plot of land in Shanghai to build the Ten Immortal Palaces!】

【LOL, so many media outlets in Country A are criticizing the Jones family, saying they shouldn’t have sold the historic Jones Manor to a foreigner. I find this absolutely delightful.】

And it wasn’t just this netizen who felt delighted. In fact, most people found it downright exhilarating to see those critical headlines.

If Sheng Quan had spent nine billion domestically on something, there might have been a few sour comments.

If she’d bought a historically significant estate in China, the backlash would’ve been massive.

But the key point here? She bought a historic landmark in Country A.

And not just any landmark—a famous one, known to every citizen of Country A. The more Country A’s media criticized and lamented this extravagant cross-border transaction, the more the Chinese public reveled in it.

Netizens happily chimed in:

【Why so upset? Jones Manor was sold at auction—it’s not like Country A’s citizens were barred from bidding. Highest bidder wins, what’s there to complain about?】

【Exactly, if Country A didn’t want to sell its cultural heritage, its own wealthy could’ve bought Jones Manor】

【HAHAHAHAHA everyone, let’s not be too harsh. We’re all part of the global village—let’s keep things friendly. Country A’s collectors have taken plenty of Chinese artifacts over the years. It’s only fair we return the favor by spending nine billion on one of their historic estates.】

【LOL, did you notice the guy introducing Sheng Quan in the photo? That’s the eldest son of the Jones family. His attitude is practically fawning.】

A few voices remained level-headed:

【Let’s not jump to conclusions. That was just a candid photo—we don’t know for sure if Sheng Quan bought Jones Manor. Even if it’s really her in the picture, maybe she was just invited for a tour.】

But before this comment could gain traction, Sheng Quan updated her Weibo:

Sheng Quan: 【Housewarming party—finally, a place big enough for the whole crew to stay!】

The post was accompanied by photos of Jones Manor’s interiors:

A swimming pool, golf course, castle complex, basketball court, tennis court, massive gym, grand library, even an entire forest, a flower conservatory, and a helipad—among countless other luxuries.

The entire crew attending the Golden Woods Awards was gathered for the party, all smiles and laughter.

Netizens’ reactions?

【So our Queen Sheng really just went to an awards show and impulsively bought a manor this huge?! AHHHHHHH!!!!】

【You bought Jones Manor just to house the crew?! The extravagance!!!】

【AHHHHHH I’ve turned into a screaming chicken AHHHHHH】

Sheng Quan lounged on a luxurious poolside recliner, sipping from her glass of… ice-cold cola, as she scrolled through the flood of shocked comments from domestic netizens.

Why had she bought Jones Manor?

What was she going to do with it?

Honestly, she’d love to know too.

Sheng Quan had resisted the urge to use her lottery draws for months, patiently waiting until both Xu Man and Jiang Zhen’s career progress exceeded 55% before finally cashing in.

And what did she win?

Jones Manor—mid-auction.

Valued at over nine billion RMB, ranked among the world’s top ten most luxurious estates.

To be fair, saving up those lottery credits wasn’t a loss—in fact, it was a steal.

Maintenance costs, miscellaneous expenses—all covered under the lottery’s terms. Not a single penny out of pocket, and she walked away with a estate most could only dream of.

But here was the problem: How many days a year would Sheng Quan actually spend here?

She had little interest in living abroad. Even with every imaginable luxury at her fingertips, CEO Sheng preferred life back home—popping into her company, indulging in shopping sprees, or dropping by her funded film sets for some entertainment.

Selling it for cash wasn’t an option. Opening it to the public? Even if others didn’t think she’d lost her mind, she’d feel it was a colossal waste herself.

So, in the end, this sprawling estate’s greatest purpose?

Flexing.

Months of saved lottery credits, all for one epic flex.

Sheng Quan set her glass down with a thud.

But that was fine.

The upside of flexing? Everyone would bend over backward to please her.

She turned to her secretary, whose phone hadn’t stopped buzzing with calls:

“Another party invitation?”

The secretary hastily muted her phone:

“Yes, the chairman of Winston wants to invite you to a banquet next Monday.”

Sheng Quan: “How many invitations does that make now?”

“The seventh for formal banquets, but there are also cocktail parties, beach bashes—I’ve logged them all.”

“Oh, and several directors are seeking your investment.”

Sheng Quan’s purchase of Jones Manor wasn’t just jaw-dropping to the average person—even among Country A’s elite, it was an obscene display of wealth.

Whether she’d be welcomed back home remained to be seen, but in money-worshipping Country A, Ms. Sheng Quan from China had instantly become the most sought-after guest at every high-society event.

But why should she attend their parties?

Sheng Quan stood, tossing her robe onto the recliner:

“Draft a guest list. I’m hosting a banquet at the manor. Aside from Golden Woods nominees, curate a selection of high-quality international films that didn’t make the cut.”

Having just flaunted her power, Sheng Quan knew invitations from her would be hard to refuse.

And these “elite socialites” would attract more of their kind.

Gradually, Jones Manor—no, Starlight Manor—would become the next glittering mecca for the global elite.

After giving her orders, she stretched and dove gracefully into the pool.

If she was going to flex, she might as well go all out.

After all, who’s to say she couldn’t create a second Golden Woods?