Chapter 1119 Can't Help It

Zhao Fusheng was quite willing to accept good advice.

Since Jiang Wen was acting for the company's benefit, he naturally had no objections. He even indicated that if needed, he would cooperate with Ye Jing and Jiang Wen.

Old Jiang was quite satisfied with his attitude and said he would contact the Beijing circle people, telling Zhao Fusheng to wait for news.

Zhao Fusheng welcomed this with open arms. After setting a time, the two went their separate ways.

From start to finish, neither of them made any attempt to conceal themselves. Zhao Fusheng didn't need to, and Jiang Wen simply didn't care.

Actually, sometimes the entertainment industry is really demonized. Many people think celebrities eat, drink, and have fun only in certain high-end clubs, doing so cautiously.

But it's not that mysterious. In private, celebrities are no different from ordinary people; eating, drinking, and having fun are only human. Even so, in the later era of WeChat and Weibo, few were exposed.

After all, there are so many cities across the country. Although transportation is well-developed and the media are keen on tracking celebrities, the companies and teams behind them are not pushovers. How could they be caught on camera so easily?

Unless they happen to run into a passerby—there's no helping that.

Moreover, in this era, before smartphones became widespread, a meeting between two men like Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen wouldn't cause any stir.

But thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng quickly called Ye Jing.

"What, you need something?" Ye Jing asked Zhao Fusheng, somewhat puzzled.

"Pay attention to the artists at the company. If any are in relationships, make sure they report it to the company. We'll see how to keep it under wraps or choose to go public. Try not to let the media get any leverage," Zhao Fusheng said seriously.

He paused, then said solemnly, "Especially those with families. Tell them if anyone gets caught messing around outside, don't blame me for not showing face!"

In this era, the public's tolerance for artists was not so high. Sometimes, overwhelming news and comments could truly destroy an actor or even a company. Few could withstand such criticism and pressure, unlike later times when, even after solid evidence, they could still give PowerPoint explanations, appear on variety shows pretending to be good men, and openly show off their love.

It just goes to show that a sense of shame is something some people have and others don't.

Of course, Zhao Fusheng knew that speaking from an outsider's perspective might be going too far, but he had no choice. He was a businessman. If some artist ruined the movies or TV shows he had painstakingly invested in, he would never allow it.

As for those idiots who clamor that actors should only be judged by their work and not their personal lives, Zhao Fusheng had no feelings for Guo Degang, the father of Xiao Bao. But he felt one of his sayings was good: "Stay away from those who urge forgiveness and tolerance without experiencing it themselves. I'm afraid when lightning strikes them, it'll implicate me."

Speaking of which, Guo Degang probably only became popular in the last couple of years. Before that, he was hanging around small theaters in the capital. Zhao Fusheng had been to listen to his cross-talk a few times with Fan Baobao.

Overall, the routines were still the same, and they were amusing enough. But at this moment, Zhao Fusheng no longer had the mood for laughter and banter; it was more about accompanying his girlfriend.

"Don't worry, I understand." Ye Jing nodded, finding Zhao Fusheng's words perfectly reasonable.

People in different positions think about things differently. If before he was just playing around, now, after Zhao Fusheng gave him shares in Future Films, Ye Jing had completely taken the perspective of an investor.

"Also, when signing actors for the company, try to sign those with acting skills. Don't sign just anyone," Zhao Fusheng said to Ye Jing after thinking it over.

Being beautiful isn't a mistake, but the problem is that although Maggie Cheung and Wang Zuxian both started as花瓶 (flower vases) and completed their transformations, the later little flowers only had good looks but couldn't portray interesting souls. They weren't even successful as flower vases. Zhao Fusheng really didn't know how to praise them.

So sometimes, it's not that the road is uneven, but that the person is inadequate.

"That's good. I have things to do here, so I'll hang up now." Zhao Fusheng said no more and ended the call.

Putting down the phone, he rubbed his chin and suddenly felt he should consider whether to bring out the script for "A World Without Thieves" for Old Jiang.

"Wait a little longer."

After thinking it over, Zhao Fusheng gave up the idea. Old Jiang had his own thoughts. According to news Fan Baobao got from Zhou Yun, he seemed to be working on a script recently. Zhao Fusheng figured that if nothing unexpected happened, it should be the film "The Sun Also Rises."

Thinking of this, a smile appeared at the corner of Zhao Fusheng's mouth. He was curious about what kind of film Jiang Wen would make in this life.

It's often said that environment changes a person, and that's true. In the past, Jiang Wen had a pent-up frustration, wanting to make a film truly his own. Now, he also had a drive, but it was the idea Zhao Fusheng had instilled in him: to create something that would leave a mark in Chinese film history.

...

...

People always need something to hold onto in their hearts. If even the most basic hope is gone, then living loses its meaning.

Jiang Wen's hope was to make a great film; Zhao Fusheng's hope was to have a happy future; and Chen Shijie's hope was to bring Tong Zhenbang and his ilk to justice as soon as possible.

For this, he willingly went undercover, hiding his identity beside Tong Zhenbang, even watching former comrades sacrifice themselves, enduring grief to persist.

Now, he finally saw the dawn.

"Miss Dong, I wonder when Chairman Zhao will be free?" Tong Zhenbang sat in the car and dialed Dong Chenxi's number.

Dong Chenxi was a bit surprised to receive this call. She waved at her assistant who was talking to her, stood up, and walked out of the meeting room.

"Mr. Tong, I can't be sure about that. The boss's whereabouts are not something I, as a subordinate, can dictate," Dong Chenxi said with a smile. "But I can call and ask for you. Our group's General Manager Zheng called me earlier. The boss is planning to meet with Mr. Ono Masao of SoftBank Group. As for the specific time, I'm not sure either."

Ono Masao?

Tong Zhenbang naturally didn't know this name, but he was very familiar with the word SoftBank.

Frowning, he knew he needed to speed up his pace.