Start by Spending One Billion [Entertainment Industry]

Whether in her past life or this one, Sheng Quan had learned one recurring lesson through experience: better safe than sorry.

Ning Zhou's holographic project wasn’t exactly top-secret, nor was her research institute particularly hidden—some professors from C University even occasionally used its labs.

But dismissing caution with phrases like "there's no need to be so careful" was out of the question.

If Sheng Quan were still a student yet to enter the workforce, experiencing the incredibly lifelike holographic world might have first made her think, "This would make such an amazing game!"

But Sheng Quan wasn’t a student.

She knew all too well just how significant relatively mature holographic technology could be.

Holography wasn’t just for gaming.

Even after investing massive funds and recognizing Ning Zhou as a genius, President Sheng hadn’t expected such a staggering breakthrough—this was supposed to be just the preliminary phase.

Though her assets were now counted in the billions, the scale of this development was too vast for her to handle alone.

She now completely understood why the original novel described Ning Zhou as "carefully guarded by the state." If a genius like him so much as scraped his knee in her institute, she’d be beside herself with worry.

Sheng Quan didn’t deliberate for long before deciding to call for backup.

The person she called, Elder Qin, was left speechless after hearing her out.

He hadn’t known much about holographic technology before, but the hype around Interstellar War hadn’t fully faded yet. Every trainee in their base had gone to see it during leave to show support—Elder Qin included.

"You mean the kind of holographic tech from Interstellar War? The kind that’s almost indistinguishable from reality, creating an entirely separate world?"

His voice trembled as he spoke.

Still on the phone, Sheng Quan kept her gaze fixed on Ning Zhou. "It’s not as advanced as the movie’s version, but the foundation is there."

"You understand how crucial this technology is."

Elder Qin certainly did.

After hanging up, he immediately contacted his former superior.

Going through the usual bureaucratic channels would have taken ages, but with Elder Qin’s involvement, things moved swiftly—one of the reasons Sheng Quan had reached out to him in the first place.

She knew the importance of holographic tech, as did the retired superior he contacted, and so would the higher-ups the superior reported to.

An hour and a half after the call, two military trucks pulled up outside the institute.

Soldiers armed with live ammunition efficiently secured every entrance, lab, and especially the room housing the prototype holographic pods. Those stationed near the pods were equipped with visibly more advanced gear.

By the time they arrived, Sheng Quan—who had already briefed the authorities in a concise yet thorough exchange—was holding a meeting with the entire research team in the main conference room.

The agenda? Everyone would likely need to sign confidentiality agreements.

As mentioned before, this institute was exclusively for Ning Zhou and his team. Other projects received separate funding, but this was the only one Sheng Quan had been directly overseeing.

Back when she made that decision, part of her reasoning had been "easier to keep it under wraps." She just hadn’t expected it to become relevant so soon.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‍students, who had been happily eating earlier, first witnessed President Sheng’s dramatic entrance, then were called into the meeting. Just as they were buzzing with excitement over the confidentiality agreements, the conference room door swung open.

Assistant He stepped in, followed by a sharp-looking woman, and behind them, the hallway was lined with armed soldiers.

The students: "…"

Fully armed soldiers?!

Their earlier excitement—"Wow, confidentiality agreements, this is so cool!"—gave way to the dawning realization that their research project had just escalated.

Frankly, every student there knew how groundbreaking their work was. Ning Zhou was a genius, but they were no slouches either—without their contributions, Ning Zhou would’ve been driven to exhaustion.

Still, their expectations had been modest: monetary rewards from President Sheng, maybe some credentials for those hoping to join state research institutions.

But now, the state had come to them.

This wasn’t how their seniors had described the process!

Once Sheng Quan left, the previously well-behaved students immediately broke into hushed discussions.

"What’s going on? Weren’t we already in a confidential phase? Why are the military here? How did they even find out?"

"I’m so pumped! Holy crap, this feels like we’re in a movie!"

"I wanna brag online so bad—ugh, no wonder they confiscated our phones earlier!"

"Did we just catch the government’s attention? Damn, this is epic! No wonder President Sheng suddenly brought up confidentiality agreements. I thought we’d already signed one."

"This is next-level. Does this mean I can skip grad school admissions?"

One Senior Sister, more experienced with projects, said firmly, "Even if holographic tech is important, the state wouldn’t swoop in the moment we hit Phase One success. It’s not like we’re developing something that threatens society."

"This has to be President Sheng’s doing."

A classmate gasped. "President Sheng reached out herself? Doesn’t she want to keep control of the tech?"

Voluntarily involving the state meant sharing the fruits of their labor—and the massive investment behind it.

They didn’t get it. In fact, the government team sent to assess the situation asked Sheng Quan the same question.

Yes, a team.

For something this significant, even a rushed response wouldn’t involve just two or three people. The delegation included specialists from every relevant field.

Sheng Quan was candid. "The success of this technology exceeded my expectations. Trying to manage it alone would only lead to chaos."

She could have commercialized the holographic tech herself. Maybe no one would’ve cared at first—until she started raking in profits. Then, the world’s attention would lock onto her.

This wasn’t like producing a blockbuster film. Every industry disrupted by holography would fight back—suppressing, stealing, poaching her researchers.

And there was the bigger issue.

"This technology won’t just attract corporate interest. It will draw the attention of other nations. The applications in science and tech are too vast. I don’t need an analyst to tell me what’ll happen—no person or country can resist that kind of temptation."

Sheng Quan could handle corporate rivals. She could battle across industries.

But going up against entire nations?

She wasn’t that reckless.

Moreover, she felt that someone like Ning Zhou should be left to the nation for protection.

At such a young age, he had already developed holographic technology. Sheng Quan had heard countless stories of young scientific geniuses in both her past and present life, but this was the first time she had actually encountered one in person.

If anything were to happen to him under her watch, it would be an irreparable and colossal loss.

During their phone call, Sheng Quan repeatedly emphasized that among all the researchers, Ning Zhou was the most crucial—even more so than the holographic pods themselves.

The national team assured her: "Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered. We’ve already secured him, ensuring not even a mosquito can get within a ten-mile radius."

Ning Zhou, the person in question, was the calmest of them all, as it was already nighttime, and he had gone to bed right on schedule.

—Outside his room stood rows of armed soldiers, weapons at the ready.

Though their expressions gave nothing away, the national team actually held a favorable impression of Sheng Quan. Some had skimmed her profile beforehand, while others appreciated her proactive outreach to the government.

Regardless, the fact remained that holographic technology promised enormous profits. The fact that Sheng Quan was willing to share the breakthrough with the nation as soon as it was achieved was enough to move anyone.

Of course, they couldn’t just take it without offering something in return.

The team had come not only to verify the authenticity of the holographic pod technology but also to discuss compensation terms with Sheng Quan.

This was something she had anticipated—the nation wouldn’t let her suffer a loss.

When she took the draft compensation agreement handed to her and read through it, her reaction was: …This wasn’t just avoiding a loss; it was practically handing her a windfall.

"Isn’t the compensation amount a bit too generous?"

The generosity was almost on par with 006.

"The compensation is a rough estimate based on preliminary calculations. This is just a general figure. You’re welcome to propose additional terms for further discussion."

"Of course, considering your involvement in the entertainment industry, if you require any administrative benefits in that regard, feel free to make requests. We’ll do our best to accommodate them."

—In other words, everything was negotiable.

Sheng Quan took a sip from her water glass and realized from the team’s increasingly warm demeanor that, beyond substantial compensation, this deal would also grant her the nation’s overt backing.

Thrilled, she was about to agree immediately… but she didn’t.

After setting down her glass, President Sheng asked, "Regarding the compensation terms… could I have my company’s negotiation team handle it?"

Professional matters were best left to professionals.

She didn’t expect herself to cover every aspect of the company’s operations. If not for confidentiality concerns, she would’ve hired an evaluation team to maximize her gains.

The leading official across from her smiled, clearly approving of Sheng Quan’s approach.

If Sheng Quan had agreed without a second thought, she wouldn’t be the successful chairwoman overseeing so many thriving companies.

"Of course, as long as a non-disclosure agreement is signed."

"There’s no rush either. We’ll be staying here for at least three more days."

As they spoke, a knock came at the door. A team member entered and whispered something to the official.

Sheng Quan guessed it was about the experts testing the holographic pods—they must have finished.

They were probably stunned.

Having been shocked herself earlier, President Sheng thought with experience: Told you it was impressive.

No wonder the official, after listening, turned to Sheng Quan with a look of admiration, no longer masking her feelings behind a composed smile.

The holographic technology truly exceeded all expectations, just as Sheng Quan had claimed.

Naturally, this only highlighted Sheng Quan’s contribution to the nation.

The official decided to report truthfully to higher-ups—this patriotic entrepreneur deserved even better treatment.

Meanwhile, the patriotic entrepreneur President Sheng was busy calling in reinforcements.

Starlight Entertainment’s negotiation team was highly professional. For instance, when she had negotiated the DE Club deal, they were the ones sent in, securing a satisfying outcome.

Now, it was time for them to shine again.

Upon receiving the notification, the negotiation team rolled up their sleeves in anticipation.

Every time President Sheng summoned them for talks, they received hefty bonuses, with additional rewards based on the results. It had to be said—having President Sheng as their backer gave them unparalleled confidence at the bargaining table.

With each victory, the team’s morale soared higher. Their last triumph, negotiating a 30-billion acquisition of DE Club, was a career-defining achievement they could boast about for life!

Although, as the chairwoman of an entertainment company, President Sheng's ventures were surprisingly diverse—one moment they were negotiating for a fermented glutinous rice flour snack company, the next for an esports club. But hey, they were professionals.

And President Sheng’s bonuses were undeniably generous.

Now, faced with a new mission, the team buzzed with excitement. "President Sheng, who are we negotiating with this time?"

Standing by the window, she replied, "The nation."

The negotiation team: "…"

"The nation??!!"