Chapter 1112: No Thieves Under Heaven

The will to survive is an essential skill for every mature man. After all, being a man is not easy, especially for a family man.

At critical moments, one must know how to read the room—that is the key to a man's survival.

Otherwise, the phrase 'domestic unrest' can drive even a successful person to madness.

Fortunately, Fan Baobao was not the type to make unreasonable scenes. Since Zhao Fusheng had backed down, she naturally dropped the subject and turned her attention to his film.

"What's it all about?" Fan Baobao asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "It's a story about two thieves and a young man. Well, and a bunch of thieves..."

"Huh?"

Fan Baobao was taken aback, then listened as Zhao Fusheng began to recount the tale.

Wang Bo, a male thief, and Wang Li, a female thief, were a pickpocketing duo and also lovers on the run. They set a trap in a rich man's home, swindling and threatening him into handing over his BMW, then drove all the way to the west to sell it. Wang Li discovered she was pregnant and wanted to leave their precarious life, but ashamed of their identity as thieves, she doubted whether she and Wang Bo could be good parents. Her mood was complicated, while Wang Bo remained oblivious. They clashed several times along the way.

On the train back, they met a migrant worker named Sha Gen, who was carrying the money he had earned in the west to build a house and get married back home. Sha Gen refused to believe there were thieves under heaven and insisted on traveling with the money. Wang Li, having met Sha Gen once before, was deeply moved by his innocence and decided to protect him and the money in his bag, fulfilling his dream of a world without thieves.

However, there was another gang of thieves on the train aiming to steal Sha Gen's money. Thus, Wang Bo and Wang Li engaged in a series of open and covert struggles with the gang.

This story was actually quite interesting. In his previous life, Zhao Fusheng had little respect for Feng Xiaogang's character, but he had to admit that Feng's films were made with considerable skill.

Of course, despite his fondness for the film, Zhao Fusheng never considered directing a movie himself, nor did he often alter films made by others in the original timeline.

After all, without having pondered a script a thousand times, even if one used the most detailed methods to replicate every scene, the essence of the film could not be captured.

Even the length of a single shot could affect the flavor of the film—this was beyond doubt.

A good director does not succeed overnight with just one film; it takes years of honing.

Take Marvel's movies, for example. Their later massive fan base was built on earlier groundwork. Films like Thor and Iron Man were released in succession, acclimating audiences to the Marvel universe.

In this regard, among domestic filmmakers, Chen Sicheng—who never sexually harassed actresses and is devoted to his wife—and the Happy Mahua team have been very successful.

The worldviews of both Detective Chinatown and Hello Mr. Billionaire have been well received by audiences.

Of course, if you had the skills of Yu Zheng or Guo Jingming—charming male actors while having a competent executive director handle the filming—you might also produce good work.

In an era where actors are called 'performers' and can become 'artists' only if they pay enough taxes, directors are no different.

Box office determines everything; even a mediocre film will have its share of sycophants.

Of course, that had nothing to do with Zhao Fusheng. He positioned himself as a capitalist, making money with a clear conscience and living happily.

Clearly, No Thieves Under Heaven was a good story, and Fan Baobao was successfully moved.

"Are you planning to have me play Wang Li?" Fan Baobao blinked her big eyes at Zhao Fusheng, her face full of hope. "And have Old Jiang play Wang Bo?"

Zhao Fusheng was momentarily stunned. He stared at Fan Baobao for a long time, then suddenly said, "Baobao, you're already very beautiful."

"What do you mean?"

Fan Baobao clearly didn't understand Zhao Fusheng's words.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Since you're already beautiful, don't think too beautifully."

"Hey! You!"

Fan Baobao was instantly furious, grabbing Zhao Fusheng's arm and shaking it. "Then what do you want me to play? What?"

"That female thief," Zhao Fusheng replied as she shook him. "Wang Li doesn't suit your image. You're too pretty."

Hearing this, Fan Baobao's face flushed slightly. She slapped Zhao Fusheng and said, "You! What nonsense."

Clearly, Miss Fan was quite pleased with Zhao Fusheng's assessment.

"Who are you planning to cast?" Fan Baobao asked after a moment's thought.

She wasn't too concerned about the role. As Zhao Fusheng said, an actor and a role sometimes need a good fit. For instance, casting Ge You and Andy Lau in an idol drama would yield completely different results.

Everyone likes a handsome, dashing male lead. If you replaced him with a sleazy otaku, well, it would be a flop for sure!

Temperament is a vague, abstract concept. If it could be described, it might be a person's inner self.

A person's inner qualities—what kind of person they are deep down, their character—are mostly reflected in their temperament.

A person who is inherently insecure will often lack confidence in social interactions, be unreasonable at times, and care too much about others' opinions.

A person with a lecherous heart will naturally appear frivolous on the surface.

Similarly, a passionate heart will manifest as an outgoing, lively personality.

The greatest strength of good actors is their ability to portray countless personalities and characters, allowing audiences to experience various lives.

But the problem is, actors are human too; there are things beyond their reach.

For example, in this film No Thieves Under Heaven, Fan Baobao could tell that the role of Wang Li required rich inner drama and the ability to display complex emotions. Although she considered herself a skilled actress, she knew she was too young.

Sometimes, age could be masked by the four great arts of makeup, but the problem was that Fan Baobao lacked the complex life experiences of society.

So, despite her desire to play the role, she knew she couldn't handle it.

She had that much self-awareness.

As for the request she made to Zhao Fusheng, it was just a little whim of hers. After all, the crying child gets the milk—it was a small game between them.