Went Abroad to Be a Director, Shook Hollywood’s Box Office - Chapter 8

The airplane cruised steadily through the night sky. Scarlett leaned back in her seat, lost in thought, unable to fall asleep.

She had been acting since a young age. With her beauty, admirers were never in short supply. But Scarlett was the type who loved boldly and hated cleanly—she only followed her heart. Spending so much time on set, it wasn’t surprising that she’d had two or three brief romances with her co-stars. All of them had ended in breakups.

What she hadn’t expected was for Qin Feng to appear before her today—not as a director, not as a celebrity, but as a fan. Somehow, that made him all the more intriguing.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng sat quietly behind her, staring at her back.

In his old life, someone like Scarlett Johansson would have been impossibly far removed from his world. But ever since the appearance of the Golden Finger, the light had returned to his eyes—confidence, certainty, and depth.

He truly admired Scarlett—not only for her beauty, but for her dedication to her craft. He had seen all her films in his previous life. Perhaps, even back then, she had already claimed a quiet corner of his heart.

He didn’t ask to change seats; he didn’t want to disturb her. Watching from a distance felt just right.

Both of them sat with their own thoughts.

At 11 p.m., the plane touched down at Los Angeles International Airport. Passengers began filing out.

“Did you sleep well?” Qin Feng asked.

“Very well,” Scarlett replied.

She didn’t have much luggage. As they exited the terminal, Qin Feng hailed a taxi.

“Where are you staying? I’ll take you first.”

“Thirty-nine Sunset Boulevard,” she said.

Inside the cab, the two exchanged phone numbers and chatted about films. Qin Feng’s humor kept her laughing the whole ride.

“Oh, stop it, Mr. Qin! My stomach hurts from laughing!”

“It wasn’t that funny. Just a cold joke.”

“…”

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at her building. Scarlett stepped out gracefully and waved.

“It’s been a lovely day, Mr. Qin.”

“Please, go on upstairs, Miss Scarlett. Let’s keep in touch.”

“Of course. Bye~”

Watching her disappear into the building, Qin Feng finally rolled up the window.

The taxi driver, an elderly man, glanced at him in the mirror. “Your girlfriend’s very beautiful, sir.”

Qin Feng just smiled and looked out at the passing lights.

The next morning, at Universal Pictures headquarters, the entire building buzzed with activity.

In the conference room, Qin Feng sat among the production leads. Kathleen Kennedy was studying the filming schedule, her brow furrowed tight.

“Four months for pre-production? Three for shooting, and another three for post?” She pressed the papers flat on the table and looked around the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this won’t do. Yes, it’s a visual effects movie, but time is money.”

“Our total budget is capped at sixty million. Every extra day adds cost. We have to trim it down!”

“This dinosaur-monster sci-fi film will be the first of its kind—we have to move fast!”

“Our partnerships with the VFX companies need to be locked in immediately. No delays. By the end of next month, the cameras must be rolling!”

The room fell silent. The proposed timeline was already the fastest possible, yet the actual production would likely prove even more challenging.

Kennedy turned to Spielberg. “Director, what do you think?”

Spielberg frowned as well. “Kathleen, this is already cutting it close.”

After a pause, he added, “We can outsource mechanical models and CGI work to more studios, though smaller ones than our main two.”

“Good. And the cast?” Kennedy asked.

“Still negotiating.”

“Location scouting?”

“The team’s already in Hawaii conducting field research.”

Someone chimed in, “The domestic soundstages we partner with have also prioritized this project.”

Kennedy nodded slightly. “And the paleontologist consultant—when will he arrive?”

“Tomorrow,” Qin Feng replied.

“Excellent.” She rose from her seat. “Everyone, this project has to be fast and flawless. I want people to be blown away when it hits theaters!”

“I look forward to that day.”

“When we start filming, I’ll organize a big press event. Major outlets, lots of coverage. Let’s make some noise online, and be ready for the pressure.”

She swept out of the room, leaving her words hanging in the air.

Spielberg gave a small smile. “Looks like we’ll all be working overtime.”

“But she’s right. We haven’t done a large-scale VFX film in years—our production pipeline still isn’t mature.”

“If we want to save time, we need standardization. Structure. From today, every department must define precise timelines and coordinated workflows.”

He looked at Qin Feng. “Before shooting begins, would you rather join pre-production or post-production?”

Qin Feng thought for a moment. “This film is loaded with effects shots. We’ll need highly detailed concept art, storyboards, and previsualization. Before shooting, everyone must clearly understand what the final picture should look like—and how much work it’ll take.”

Spielberg grinned. “Excellent! We’ve mostly used that method for animation—this will be perfect.”

“Os,” he turned to a bearded veteran across the table, “you’re heading the art department. Work closely with Director Qin and get all the designs out as soon as possible.”

“Understood,” Os replied crisply.

Back at his desk, Qin Feng sat in thought. He had already seen the finished version of Jurassic Park. Every detail was etched in his mind. The problem was—no one here had seen it yet.

They didn’t know how to shoot it, or what obstacles awaited them.

If they wanted to compress the schedule, he’d have to recreate every shot from memory—relay every scene as he’d once seen it. Only then could they reach the goal.

With that in mind, he booked a large conference room and called Os.

“Mr. Os, this is Qin Feng. Please bring your department to room B06.”

Ten minutes later, over thirty artists filed in—concept artists, storyboarders, animators—all from Universal’s art division.

Os looked around. “Aside from the ones already assigned to other projects, this is everyone available.”

Qin Feng nodded and stepped forward.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“I’m Qin Feng, co-writer and assistant director of Jurassic Park.”

“What I’m about to say needs to be recorded in full—bring a camera, and take notes.”

“I’m going to describe every single storyboard shot—from start to finish.”

The room froze in stunned silence.