Chapter 1139: The Art of Choice

It is often said that life is like climbing mountains; once you cross one, perhaps someone will hear your story. For Zhao Fusheng, he didn't need to climb mountains—he only needed to do what he was good at.

If Yu Feihong played the female lead, the male lead would naturally be Jiang Wen, who insisted he had great chemistry with Yu Feihong.

But Zhao Fusheng had to admit that, thanks to his own involvement, the two had acted together many times, and whether in terms of chemistry or other aspects, they were more suitable than most.

For example, when Yu Feihong and Jiang Wen acted together, she was undoubtedly more relaxed, and her performance often reached a higher level.

Acting sometimes really depends on the level of your opponent to bring out the best in you.

As the saying goes, when rivals meet, or a general meets his match, or a scoundrel finds his counterpart, or a talented scholar encounters a beauty.

In his previous life, Zhao Fusheng watched *Infernal Affairs* and greatly admired Tony Leung's performance. But now, looking back, Andy Lau's performance was also commendable. Although it still fell far short of an actor who could act with his eyes, in fact, if you looked closely, you could see that when he acted opposite Tony Leung, his performance was often better.

After all, it was because his opponent was Tony Leung. No joke—the two had been in open and secret rivalry for years, and back then, both had declared: 'I'd rather die than work with that guy.'

Ha, how times change!

Zhao Fusheng knew a bit about the old story of the 'Five Tigers of TVB.' Sir Run Run Shaw's greatest contribution to Hong Kong in terms of promoting talent was founding the TVB艺人培训班, which produced too many big stars, occupying the memories of most of the post-70s and post-80s generations. Among them, the 'Five Tigers' were naturally included.

Miu Kiu-wai, Tong Chun-yip, Wong Yat-wah, plus Andy Lau and Tony Leung—these five were called the 'Five Tigers' after participating in a TVB show. With Sir Run Run Shaw's support, they quickly became famous as the leading young actors of the time.

If compared to today, these people were equivalent to traffic idols like Li Yifeng—they had their own aura and could cause screams wherever they went.

Of course, compared to superstars like Alan Tam and Leslie Cheung, they were still far behind, as the status of those two was dominant.

But even so, the 'Five Tigers' were indeed very popular in Hong Kong at the time, truly the hottest stars.

Well, once people become famous, they naturally want more. Simply put, they feel they give a lot but get little.

The 'Five Tigers' were no exception. They debuted at TVB and naturally signed harsh rookie contracts. Moreover, although Sir Run Run Shaw was generous to mainland students, donating many Yifu buildings every year, he was stingy with his own stars and ordinary staff, so conflicts naturally arose.

Simply put, it was about money.

One side didn't want to give too much, the other felt they got too little. When the conflict erupted, neither side would give in.

Originally, the five agreed to stand together against the TV station's pressure, but Tony Leung turned traitor. In the end, the others had to submit, and Andy Lau was shelved for several years.

No matter how much people try to whitewash it or explain it away with excuses like 'he had to support his family,' Tony Leung did betray his friends. And with the constant comparisons, it's impossible that Andy Lau didn't harbor resentment.

So in the scenes they shared in *Infernal Affairs*, both of their performances were classic.

Although Yu Feihong and Jiang Wen were not enemies, their situation was somewhat similar in effect.

At least in Zhao Fusheng's eyes, that was the case. So he was full of confidence in this film.

'What are you pondering over there, kid?' Jiang Wen asked curiously when he saw Zhao Fusheng silent, head down, lost in thought.

Zhao Fusheng snapped out of it, looked up, and chuckled. 'Nothing, just thinking about what kind of death to arrange for you.'

'Huh?!' Jiang Wen was stunned, then felt terrible.

'Damn it!' Jiang Wen stared at Zhao Fusheng with a resentful look. 'I'm the male lead, and you're going to kill me off? What kind of crazy plot is this? Didn't you say it was a comedy? This is clearly a tragedy!'

As he spoke, he grabbed Zhao Fusheng and shook him vigorously.

Zhao Fusheng felt dizzy from the shaking and said helplessly, 'Don't rush. Let me explain.'

'I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it,' Jiang Wen shook his head repeatedly. Having finally found a satisfying script, only to be killed off as the male lead—he felt like he'd been screwed over.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, then explained, 'Don't you think the plot would have more tension if the male lead dies?'

Jiang Wen fell silent. After a long while, he sighed helplessly but didn't refute Zhao Fusheng's words.

Both were smart people. Jiang Wen himself was a screenwriter and understood film, so he knew Zhao Fusheng was absolutely right.

What makes a film most appealing isn't necessarily a happy, family-friendly ending. Sometimes, an unexpected twist can be even more surprising.

Just like the final shot of Mark in *A Better Tomorrow*—no one saw it coming, but everyone thought it was classic, because that was Mark's fate.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, the same logic applied now.

And Jiang Wen naturally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

After all, he himself liked to disappoint audiences in his films.

Sometimes, satisfying all the audience's desires doesn't necessarily make a good film. If a filmmaker loses their judgment, they can easily go astray.

'When do you plan to release it?' Jiang Wen thought for a moment and asked Zhao Fusheng.

With such a big investment and multiple companies involved, choosing the release date was crucial. One misstep could lead to nothing.

You see, shooting is just one step in the filmmaking process. After a film is completed, it's only the beginning. The subsequent promotion and distribution are the real battles, where you have to fight tooth and nail.

Take Da Peng's *City of Rock*, for example. The quality was decent, but on one hand, *Jian Bing Man* had overdrawn his reputation, and on the other, the release date was poorly chosen. As a result, it was completely crushed under the shadow of *Never Say Die*.

So sometimes, choice is truly an art.