Chapter 1351: The Astute Tan Kaixuan

"You know me?"

An hour later, Tan Kaixuan stood before Zhao Fusheng, looking at him with surprise.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded: "That's right, the Wang brothers' goal was to get to know you."

He paused, then added: "Of course, through me."

No further explanation was needed; Tan Kaixuan already understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning. He chuckled: "What, are they after the money in my pocket?"

Though young, he had experienced much. Tan Kaixuan was not as harmless as he appeared; he saw many things clearly but simply kept silent.

In fact, from the moment Wang Zhonglei started cozying up to him, Tan Kaixuan had sensed something amiss.

Sudden flattery often hides ulterior motives.

Tan Kaixuan remembered this saying well and knew that in this world, being inexplicably kind to someone always had a purpose. Whether in love or family, could selfless devotion truly exist?

Did they think everyone was like the protagonist in "The Suspect"? That was fiction, not reality.

Though Tan Kaixuan didn't know what the Wang brothers were plotting, he was clear that in this situation, he was the one in a stable position.

"Probably," Zhao Fusheng didn't hide it from Tan Kaixuan. "Wang Zhongjun is an ambitious man. He wants to expand Huayi and make a mark in the film industry. You're the investor he's set his sights on."

"Haha..." Tan Kaixuan laughed heartily. "He's quite perceptive."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly and sighed. This guy was as narcissistic as ever.

"Forget it, I'll leave it to you. Think it over yourself," Zhao Fusheng said to Tan Kaixuan.

Tan Kaixuan wasn't a child; he had his own judgment and knew what to do. As for investment, he had his own plans, and Zhao Fusheng didn't need to meddle.

"Alright."

Tan Kaixuan nodded.

Then he glanced at the Wang brothers in the distance and suddenly asked, "Do you think Huayi can grow big in the future?"

Zhao Fusheng understood immediately that Tan Kaixuan was somewhat interested in Wang Zhongjun's proposal.

Recalling some memories from his past life, Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said, "Huayi can certainly succeed, but the problem is that their success might only be temporary. It won't last long."

"The next Shanda Technology?"

Tan Kaixuan blinked and said in a low voice.

He remembered Shanda Technology's moves well. Back then, he didn't understand why Zhao Fusheng sold off Shanda's shares, but now it was clear that Shanda hadn't performed as spectacularly as expected on the US stock market; it was merely average.

Outsiders might not see the trick, but Tan Kaixuan saw it clearly: Zhao Fusheng had cashed out at the peak profit right after the IPO.

And now, Huayi Brothers was seen by Zhao Fusheng in the same light, which made Tan Kaixuan take notice.

Hearing Tan Kaixuan's question, Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and finally nodded: "More or less. Extremes lead to decline—that's an inevitable truth. Especially in the film and TV circle, you can't guarantee every work will be market-approved. Take my Future Film, for example. People only see the successful investments, but forget that every year, twenty or thirty million in investments go down the drain."

Tan Kaixuan fell silent, clearly pondering Zhao Fusheng's words.

After a long while, he looked up and smiled: "Seems like it might be interesting."

Then he grinned: "If I become a major shareholder, can I get beauties like Li Bingbing to have dinner with me?"

Clearly, his intentions were impure.

Zhao Fusheng looked at Tan Kaixuan speechlessly and said irritably: "Don't say I didn't warn you. Be careful they don't latch onto you. You think you're picking up girls, but they see you as a sugar daddy."

He meant it. The mainland actresses were no different from those in Hong Kong—all scheming. Remember that beautiful actress who sang with Nicholas Tse at the Spring Festival Gala, known for her pure image? What happened?

She cheated with an ugly guy, and her PR team painted her ex-husband as a gambling, abusive man, turning a handsome young actor into a fat, bitter uncle.

Poor Pan Yueming, a talented actor, was ruined by that scumbag woman for years. If not for his comeback with "Day and Night," he might never have cleared his name.

And that talent-show girl, who cheated first, crafted an image of a strong single mother, while her innocent husband was vilified as a cheating, abusive man.

Tsk, the saying 'the most venomous is a woman's heart' has never been wrong.

"Huh, worse than Hollywood?" Tan Kaixuan was taken aback, then asked with a smile.

When he was in the US, he was no saint or gentleman.

As the saying goes, young and reckless. Especially for someone like Tan Kaixuan, young, rich, and not bad-looking, countless beautiful women threw themselves at him.

In a place like Beverly Hills, some steamy stories were all too common.

"Not worse, but more shameless," Zhao Fusheng said bluntly.

With that, he shrugged, said no more, and walked away into the distance.

Watching Zhao Fusheng's back, Tan Kaixuan shook his head helplessly.

He knew that Zhao Fusheng always looked down on messy relationships. In his view, one should be upright and loyal to their feelings.

But in Tan Kaixuan's eyes, life should be enjoyed. If he lived like Zhao Fusheng, going to work and coming home every day, wouldn't that be too boring?

...

...

Ignoring Tan Kaixuan, that playboy, Zhao Fusheng took a car back to his resting place.

Wang Zhonglei saw Zhao Fusheng return and quickly asked with a smile, "Fusheng, how did it go?"

"I passed on the message. He has no objections. You can talk it out yourselves," Zhao Fusheng waved his hand. "But let me be clear: whether you succeed or not, this has nothing to do with me."

A hint of joy appeared on Wang Zhonglei's face, and he nodded repeatedly: "Alright, alright, I understand, I understand."

Watching Wang Zhonglei disappear from sight, Zhao Fusheng frowned.

Were the Wang brothers so short of money?

That was his honest thought, because their behavior now truly puzzled him.

Yes, puzzling.

Logically, although Huayi Brothers hadn't developed as rapidly as in his previous life, it was still a leader among private film and TV enterprises.

Neither Gao Dajun's nor Wang Jinghua's defection had caused irreparable losses to Huayi; it still led the domestic industry.

Under such circumstances, the Wang brothers claimed to be short of money and sought investment from Tan Kaixuan. No matter how Zhao Fusheng thought about it, it seemed strange from every angle.

"What are you thinking?"

At that moment, a voice sounded beside Zhao Fusheng. He turned and saw Jiang Wen standing next to him.

"Why are you here?"

"They're discussing business. Why would I be a third wheel?"

Jiang Wen said casually, "Are you wondering why the Wang brothers asked for your help?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "You're sharp. You knew I was thinking about that."

Jiang Wen shrugged: "You're puzzled because you don't understand this circle. If you did, you wouldn't have so many doubts."

"Oh?" Zhao Fusheng was taken aback. He hadn't expected to be 'schooled' by Jiang Wen.

"Let me tell you, though the Wang brothers seem smug on the surface, their lives aren't easy. Huayi's shareholders are a mixed bag with all kinds of connections. They push the Wang brothers to the front to take the heat when trouble comes, but when it's time to share profits, everyone shows up. If you were Wang Zhongjun, what would you do?"

Jiang Wen grabbed a drink, sat down beside Zhao Fusheng, and after checking that no one was around, began to explain.

Zhao Fusheng said nothing, sitting there lost in thought.

Jiang Wen was right: though Zhao Fusheng seemed knowledgeable about the film circle and had many insiders around him, he only knew the surface. The deeper truths were beyond him.

Even though Future Film was doing well, it was different from most film companies.

The reason was simple: Zhao Fusheng had money, a lot of money.

This wasn't a joke. Any company, at its core, is a business, and the most important thing in business is capital.

Because Zhao Fusheng, the boss, wasn't short of money, Future Film was his wholly-owned company. Even though he gave some shares to Jiang Wen and others, it didn't affect his absolute control.

This was something the Wang brothers' Huayi lacked.

Or more precisely, something Wang Zhongjun envied but couldn't have.

Not everyone was as wealthy as Zhao Fusheng, who could throw hundreds of millions into a film subsidiary. Nowadays, every company operated cautiously, afraid of losing everything on a single project.

But for Zhao Fusheng, money was never an issue.

"You mean Wang Zhongjun wants to take full control?" Zhao Fusheng said after a long silence, suddenly addressing Jiang Wen.

Jiang Wen nodded: "Most likely. That guy is very calculating."

Zhao Fusheng smiled silently. He suddenly felt in a great mood.