Start by Spending One Billion [Entertainment Industry]

The timeline rewinds to earlier.

Sheng Quan was awakened from her sleep by a phone call.

Although she enjoyed visiting film sets, she usually didn’t follow the crew if they traveled too far. After Yu Xiangwan explained the situation over the phone, Sheng Quan, who had been slightly groggy, instantly snapped awake.

Yu Xiangwan had always been precise about Sheng Quan’s rest schedule, and this was the first time he had called her during her sleep—because he knew exactly what her response would be.

Sure enough, after confirming that the entire crew was safe, the reply from the other end of the line came almost immediately:

"Submit an emergency application to the authorities right away. Have our helicopters assist in disaster relief. Also, doesn’t the crew have a lot of drones? Apply to deploy those too. I’ll transfer the funds—use the crew’s vehicles to deliver supplies after purchasing them."

Interstellar War was undeniably well-equipped in every aspect. Helicopters and drones were just the basics. The crew had large transport vehicles approved and purchased specifically for moving bulky filming equipment and props, which sometimes even made appearances in the scenes.

Yu Xiangwan acknowledged the instructions and swiftly arranged everything.

Back in Shanghai, Sheng Quan couldn’t fall back asleep. She got up and checked the news about the flood in Lücheng. Sure enough, updates were flooding Weibo’s real-time feed almost every second.

The current filming location for Interstellar War wasn’t in Lücheng, but it wasn’t too far either. Otherwise, given the helicopters’ limited range, it would’ve been difficult to fly there.

But precisely because she knew about the helicopters’ limited endurance, Sheng Quan decisively ordered them to join the rescue efforts. In emergencies like this, only nearby resources could be mobilized quickly.

Yet even then, not much could be deployed.

In this world, China was militarily powerful, with advanced combat helicopters, but its rescue and transport capabilities weren’t as robust as in Sheng Quan’s previous life.

This might have been due to historical deviations in this world’s China compared to the one she remembered. For instance, in her past life, she had lived through a devastating earthquake while still in school—she had been rescued by soldiers who dug her out with their bare hands.

At the time, Sheng Quan had already lost her grandparents, and her parents, each with new families, had long acted as if she didn’t exist. Trapped under the rubble, she hadn’t even known who to call for help.

Then, a group of soldiers pulled her out.

She still remembered the hands that lifted her—bloodied from relentless digging.

Back then, Sheng Quan had only been seventeen, dazed and overwhelmed. She hadn’t even gotten the chance to say thank you before they rushed off to rescue others.

Her deep admiration for the military stemmed largely from that experience.

In this world, an earthquake had indeed occurred around the same time and place, but the magnitude had been lower, causing minimal damage. It had barely made the news.

When Sheng Quan stumbled upon this information, she had felt relieved. Though it was a different world, that place had still been her hometown. At least here, it had been spared immense suffering.

Having been trapped herself, even in her past life as an ordinary worker, Sheng Quan had always donated money and supplies whenever disasters struck.

She knew that feeling all too well—helplessness, fear, the uncertainty of where hope lay. If roads were cut off, hunger and medical shortages would follow.

Even with today’s technological advancements, Sheng Quan, well-versed in disaster relief donations, understood that these problems would persist if transportation routes were severed.

Floods could also destroy communication cables, leaving victims unable to even call for help.

She vaguely recalled a passage in the novel where a character donated during a major flood. The book hadn’t gone into detail, but it seemed like a prolonged disaster.

Could it be the Lücheng flood?

Unfortunately, the novel hadn’t specified exact dates, making it impossible to confirm with certainty.

After searching again and confirming that the flood’s scope was still expanding, Sheng Quan quickly changed clothes and opened her door. Hearing the commotion, Jiang Lu’s room downstairs lit up.

He glanced at his messages, dressed neatly, and headed upstairs—just in time to hear Sheng Quan on the phone:

"Notify the trainees. There’s a flood in Lücheng. I want to purchase a batch of relief supplies and send them over. Anyone willing to volunteer can come along—triple their daily pay."

Jiang Lu stood at the door and knocked on the already open frame. Sheng Quan nodded, signaling for him to enter, as she continued instructing: "I’ll send you a list. Get everything bought as quickly as possible. Good work—there’ll be bonuses when you return."

After making several more calls to finalize arrangements, Sheng Quan finally put her phone down. Jiang Lu then asked, "Are you going too?"

"Yes," she replied. "I’m going."

In her past life, when natural disasters struck, Sheng Quan had considered volunteering. Perhaps this is just human nature—because she had been helped before, she wanted to help others in return.

But as an overworked employee exploited by her company, she barely had enough time to sleep, let alone take days off to volunteer.

"Since ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‍I don’t have much to do right now, helping out sounds like a good idea."

Even though she had no medical training and couldn’t swim, she had money. She could buy whatever was needed—transport vehicles, rescue supplies—as long as merchants had them in stock, she could purchase everything.

Jiang Lu didn’t raise any objections to Sheng Quan’s decision. The tall, taciturn man simply nodded and said in a deep voice, "I’ll prepare the luggage."

For Sheng Quan at this moment, gathering rescue supplies in the shortest time possible wasn’t difficult. Alone, she might not have been able to accomplish much, but she had plenty of subordinates now.

Sheng Quan had always disliked asking her employees for personal favors outside work hours, but this time, she made an exception. She didn’t take it for granted just because it was for disaster relief—after all, her desire to help was her own business, and she couldn’t morally pressure her staff.

Having been on the receiving end of such pressure in her past life, Director Sheng knew exactly how unpleasant it felt. So she sincerely apologized to her employees and promised to compensate them with overtime pay and bonuses.

The employees who had been abruptly awakened were indeed annoyed—no one would be happy being suddenly dragged out of bed to work.

But when they heard it was for disaster relief, half of their frustration immediately dissipated.

And when the chairman personally apologized and promised compensation, the lingering resentment vanished entirely, replaced by an almost electric surge of motivation:

"Got it, I’ll handle it right away. Don’t worry, I’ll get it done as quickly as possible."

The same scenario played out with the owner of a kayak shop who was woken up by a call. His first reaction was: "Are you insane? It’s not even dawn yet, and the shop’s closed. Who cares what you want to buy?!"

But when the caller mentioned the specific items, quantities, and the staggering amount of money involved, the shop owner’s drowsiness and anger evaporated instantly:

"How many?! Seriously?! Yes, yes, we have stock! I’m getting up right now!"

After arriving at the location and handing over the goods, he finally thought to ask, "Why are you buying so many kayaks this early in the morning? These things aren’t cheap, you know."

When he learned they were for disaster relief in Lücheng, the shop owner—who had been reveling in his sudden windfall—fell silent. After checking online to see the situation in Lücheng, he added, "Then… I’ll throw in an extra case. Consider it my contribution."

Before dawn had fully broken, many sleeping merchants were roused by phone calls, their emotions cycling through "anger—shock—skepticism—euphoria—questioning—admiration."

Not everyone was willing to donate money, supplies, or volunteer for disaster relief, but that didn’t stop most people from respecting those who did.

Long before sunrise, countless individuals were already bustling about for this cause.

—At the Starlight Security Training Base, three advisors strode out the gates first, followed by a large group of trainees. Each carried a backpack stocked with small tools and basic medical supplies—this was originally part of their bodyguard training, but now it was being put to unexpected use.

They moved swiftly:

"Hurry, hurry! Teams split up and head to the rental car agencies, then proceed to the assigned supply pickup points."

"Advisor, shouldn’t we assign drivers? I can handle transport trucks."

"Director Sheng has hired professional drivers. Our job is to load the supplies, then rest on the road. We’ll have plenty to do once we arrive. You haven’t forgotten what you learned in the military, have you?"

The trainee immediately snapped to attention and saluted. "Reporting, Advisor! I remember!"

"Good, that’s obvious. Now get in the truck—move to the back. I’m with your group."

—In the Starlight Conference Room, several accountants tapped away at their calculators, quickly tallying the numbers:

"Director Sheng, we’ve calculated the budget for all supplies. It’s close to our initial estimate—you’ll need to allocate approximately twelve million more."

Sheng Quan reviewed the figures and signed off. "Proceed as planned."

—Outside a tent factory, crates were being carried to the entrance. Secretary Zhang stood nearby, counting the inventory. Only after everything was moved did she snap her notebook shut.

"That’s everything. Once the trucks arrive, we’ll need your help loading them."

"No trouble at all!" The factory staff grinned from ear to ear. With payment this generous, they’d have been willing to move twice the amount.

"Your boss must be a wealthy tycoon, buying so many tents for disaster relief. And insisting on high-quality ones too—cheaper ones would’ve saved a lot."

Secretary Zhang checked the time, relieved to see it was still early, then finally had a moment to reply:

"Our boss said most of these tents are actually for the disaster relief soldiers to sleep in. She wants them to rest as comfortably as possible, so shoddy tents won’t do."

"And also, she’s not just rich."

"She’s very, very, very rich—"

By the time the sky fully brightened, the busy rescue workers in Lücheng looked up at the deafening roar above.

"Helicopters!!! Helicopters!!!"

"So many of them—there must be over a dozen?!"

The leader of Squad 3, who had just returned from the flood relief frontlines, was stunned. "Where did Lücheng get so many helicopters?"

He knew the situation in Lücheng all too well—not just here, but the surrounding areas barely had any helicopter resources either. Unless they were urgently transferred from other cities, there was no way this many could appear.

But even if they were pulled from the nearest city with helicopters, they couldn’t have arrived this fast.

"It’s a film crew shooting nearby. These helicopters are for their production. When they heard about the floods in Lücheng, they came straight here," Squad 2’s leader explained.

Squad 3’s leader let out a relieved sigh, a tired smile breaking across his face.

"This is perfect. With these helicopters, the rescue operations will go much smoother."

He glanced upward, then suddenly remembered something crucial. "It’s hard for helicopters to land in these conditions—how experienced are their pilots?"

If the pilots weren’t skilled enough, it could still be a problem.

Squad 2’s leader laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Guess what? The crew hired all professional veteran pilots—highly paid experts. Their skills are top-notch, I hear. They can even hover steadily. Of course, we can’t just rely on them. The higher-ups have already dispatched over twenty pilots to take over soon."

"They’ve already located two groups of trapped civilians. Any later, and they might’ve been submerged. Now, with the helicopters, it’s manageable. Look, they’re finalizing the rescue plan inside."

As he listened, Squad 3’s leader relaxed even further.

What incredible luck—running into a film crew nearby with helicopters, and they were willing to lend them for disaster relief.

"That crew is really something."

He knew full well that in chaotic disaster zones like this, these helicopters would inevitably suffer some wear and tear—especially since he recognized them as J500 series models.

The J500 series was dual-purpose, suitable for both civilian and military use, making them ideal for rescue work. But they were also exorbitantly expensive.

For the crew to risk damaging these helicopters and voluntarily deploy them for rescue efforts was truly remarkable.

"And that’s not all. The crew’s manager said they’re also bringing supplies—some by helicopter, and a much larger batch is on the way."

Squad 3’s leader rarely watched movies, but now, moved and overjoyed, he could only express his emotions with one heartfelt declaration:

"What’s the name of their film? When it’s released, I’m buying tickets—and calling my family to watch it too."

"I think it’s called… Star Wars."

As the thirteen helicopters hovered over Lücheng, searching for survivors, a convoy of relief supplies was already on its way from Shanghai.

Thirty identical transport trucks rolled down the highway, their uniform size and color forming an imposing line that dwarfed other vehicles.

"Damn, what a sight."

Drivers gaped from a distance, while passengers snapped photos from their cars.

"Funny how these trucks look plain alone, but together? Badass."

"Let me count… twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty… Holy crap, thirty massive trucks moving at once. Wait, aren’t heavy vehicles banned at this hour?"

With so many transports on the road, photos of them flooded Shanghai’s group chats by morning.

Some praised the spectacle, others questioned the traffic violation, and a few wondered why the police hadn’t stopped them.

One person even called the traffic violation hotline to report them—only to return to the group chat with an update.

[Turns out those trucks are headed to Lücheng for disaster relief. Every single one is loaded with emergency supplies!]

[It’s not an official operation, but in cases like this, they can apply for special passage. That’s why the cops didn’t stop them.]

The group’s interest had waned, leaving only those with past traffic fines to argue bitterly—basically, "I suffered, so I’ll make sure others do too."

But now, with this revelation, the same people who’d been ranting about "Why aren’t they being stopped?!" and "Report them!" fell silent.

Some, embarrassed, went quiet. Others, who hadn’t joined the criticism, seized the moment:

[So that’s what’s happening.]

[Thirty trucks full of relief supplies—this scale isn’t even government-organized? Is it a private donation effort?]

【I searched around, and right now most channels are still in the donation phase. The fastest delivery of supplies won’t arrive until noon, and none of the major charity organizations have even set out yet.】

【Holy crap! Holy crap! I just heard from a friend—those thirty trucks of supplies were donated by an individual! One person!!!!】

As soon as this was posted, many lurking netizens immediately surfaced.

【An individual?? Thirty trucks of supplies? Who the hell is this legendary person??】

【My dad sells emergency water equipment, and he said someone called him before dawn today and bought a huge batch. When he asked why they needed so much, they said it was for the disaster zone—it must be them!!】

【No way! My coworker mentioned earlier that someone went to her dad’s factory at the crack of dawn and bought tons of life jackets. The boss was grinning ear to ear.】

【Oh my god, the earliest news about the disaster broke around midnight. It’s barely morning, and they’ve already gathered this much? That’s insane.】

【Me, me! My classmate’s family’s entire stock of disinfectant was bought out around 4 AM. His parents were pissed about being woken up, but when they saw how much was purchased, they even threw in a free box of iodine.】

As more and more comments like “our stock was cleared out,” “my friend’s relative too,” and “same thing happened at my workplace” poured in, the discussion grew more and more awestruck. Even netizens who usually brushed off wealthy donors as just doing what was expected were moved.

Natural disasters happen, and it’s common to see the rich or celebrities donating supplies.

But this was the first time anyone had seen someone react so swiftly—throwing money at the problem before dawn, assembling thirty trucks of relief supplies by sunrise, and rushing them straight to the disaster zone without a second’s delay.

Even the most cynical netizens had to admit: this person genuinely wanted to help.

【And they didn’t even put up banners. No one knows who donated all this.】

【It’s obvious they’ve been scrambling to gather supplies since the disaster hit. Who has time to promote their name?】

【This is what real action looks like.】

【I have this quirk—the less someone boasts about doing good, the more I want to know who they are.】

【Same.】

【Update: There’s a film crew shooting near Lücheng, and they have over a dozen helicopters. After hearing about the disaster, they immediately deployed them for rescue.】

【???】

【First off, that’s amazing. Second… a film crew with over a dozen helicopters??? What kind of movie are they even making??】

“We’re shooting a sci-fi film.”

Sheng Quan didn’t travel by truck, so she arrived quickly.

With her came a fleet of newly purchased equipment.

They stood on high ground, overlooking the floodwaters in the distance. Beside Sheng Quan was the official who had come to receive her. From their vantage point, they watched as hundreds of people operated drones across the large square ahead—many of them crew members mixed in.

With a collective hum, the drones took to the skies.

Soon, the entire sky was filled with them.

Compared to the thirteen helicopters, the sight of over five hundred drones hovering was far more staggering.

At the very least, the official beside Sheng Quan was wide-eyed with shock.

She explained, “It’s a sci-fi film. Of course we need drones.”

Above them, the drones darted swiftly toward the horizon.

From a distance,

they seemed to blanket the sky—an overwhelming drone army.

A sea of machines—

Sheng Quan’s justification grew less convincing as the spectacle expanded.

“So… our drone count is…”

She cleared her throat.

“A little excessive.”