Chapter 1593: The Banquet

No matter where you are, the strong deserve respect.

Or, to be more precise, if a strong person is not respected, it can only mean that some people need to be taught a lesson.

In Zhao Fusheng's eyes, Koreans are a people who worship the strong at their core; otherwise, Americans treat them almost like grandchildren, yet this country still regards Americans as ancestors.

Speaking of this, even Zhao Fusheng himself couldn't help but sigh.

The Japanese and Korean peoples seem to have completely lost their backbone after World War II.

“To be honest, meeting these Korean filmmakers these past few days, I always feel that the gap between them and us at home will only grow wider.”

Jiang Wen looked at Zhao Fusheng and said slowly.

Clearly, this guy had a lot to say.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then smiled: “What, worried? Didn’t Zhou Yun and Baobao say last time that we don’t need to think too much?”

“It’s not that I’m worried about that.” Jiang Wen smiled bitterly: “I’m worried that in a few years, our film production level might fall to third-rate in Asia.”

Zhao Fusheng remained silent.

He naturally understood what Jiang Wen meant, but the problem was that even he was powerless to change this outcome.

Many times, the power of money can influence an industry, but the issue is that you can’t force others to make what you want just by throwing money at them.

“Do your best and let fate take its course.”

After a long silence, Zhao Fusheng finally said a sentence to Jiang Wen.

Jiang Wen was startled, then smiled.

What Zhao Fusheng said was true: do your best and let fate decide. As filmmakers, they should contribute their share to the development of Chinese cinema.

“By the way, I think you should take the time to get to know these people.”

Jiang Wen suddenly suggested to Zhao Fusheng.

“Me?”

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng was a bit surprised and looked at Jiang Wen in confusion: “What would I get to know them for?”

“These past few days, Song Kang-ho has introduced me to many people, all pillars of Korean cinema, mostly actors of great skill. Since your company here is involved in film and television production, I think it wouldn’t hurt to interact with them more.”

Old Jiang spoke with authority. As a shareholder of Future Films and a close friend of Zhao Fusheng, he naturally considered things from Zhao Fusheng’s perspective.

As for those newly made Korean friends, well, Old Jiang wasn’t a fool; he could tell how sincere they really were.

“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded at Jiang Wen.

Actually, he did know some good Korean film actors.

Leaving aside actresses, among male actors, the so-called three pillars of Korean cinema refer to the three top actors: Choi Min-sik, Sol Kyung-gu, and Song Kang-ho. Above them is the national treasure-level actor Ahn Sung-ki.

Ahn Sung-ki’s status in the industry needs no elaboration; he is known as Korea’s Liang Chaowei, an actor who can act with his eyes alone.

The remaining three have won eighty percent of the Best Actor awards at Korea’s three major film festivals.

In Zhao Fusheng’s memory, actors like Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Jung-min, and Yoo Seung-ryong had not yet risen and were still in a dormant period.

Among these, Zhao Fusheng had a deeper impression of Lee Jung-jae and Hwang Jung-min. The former later got together with Samsung’s crown princess, while the latter starred in a film called “Veteran,” which was adapted by Chinese filmmakers into the movie “Big Shot,” and the line “Today, everything is on Mr. Zhao” was quite popular for a while.

Of course, now Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae were just actors with some experience, far from being called top actors.

As for Korean actresses, to be honest, Zhao Fusheng didn’t have a deep impression. He remembered watching a so-called masterpiece called “Signal,” where the lead actress Kim Hye-soo had good acting skills, but that was about it.

There was no helping it; in his previous life, he hadn’t paid much attention to the entertainment industry, so remembering this much was already quite an achievement.

…

…

Old Jiang was very efficient; he talked to Zhao Fusheng on the first day and arranged everything by the next.

The dinner was set at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.

“There won’t be many people today, mainly Song Kang-ho and a few of his friends, plus some local directors.” Sitting in the car, Jiang Wen introduced to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: “Is Bong Joon-ho coming?”

“Bong Joon-ho?”

Jiang Wen was slightly surprised at the name and looked at Zhao Fusheng curiously: “Do you know him?”

Bong Joon-ho had just won the Best Director award at the Grand Bell Awards last year for “The Host” and was a very well-known commercial film director in Korea. Jiang Wen thought Zhao Fusheng had seen his work before.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: “No, I’ve seen his ‘Memories of Murder’ before, and I heard ‘The Host’ is also good.”

Jiang Wen glanced at Zhao Fusheng suspiciously; in his memory, this guy wasn’t much of a moviegoer.

Zhao Fusheng remained calm; he wouldn’t tell Jiang Wen that he knew about Bong Joon-ho because of an anecdote involving him and Sol Kyung-gu.

Bong Joon-ho had a good friend named Ahn Nae-sang; they were so close they could share a pair of pants. When Bong Joon-ho first graduated and started directing, he couldn’t find actors, and in the end, Ahn Nae-sang, his senior from university, acted in his first film.

Speaking of Bong Joon-ho, this director, who likes to write and direct his own films, holds the record for the highest-grossing Korean film, “The Host,” and will later make “Mother,” the highest-rated Korean film. His storytelling ability, commercial vision, and the calm and restraint ingrained in his bones all qualify him as one of Korea’s best directors.

Of course, some might surpass him in certain aspects, but any director who wants to bypass him in the Korean film industry is impossible. This forty-year-old director’s status in Korean directing circles is a bit like Ahn Sung-ki’s status among Korean actors a decade ago—like a regent king with immense power.

In short, he was awesome, very awesome!

With such a friend, although Ahn Nae-sang wasn’t handsome, he had a reputation as a skilled actor and could get many roles.

And Sol Kyung-gu was Ahn Nae-sang’s brother-in-law, or more precisely, a brother-in-law on the verge of divorce.

If it were just that, it would be fine; marriages come and go, after all. But Sol Kyung-gu, while still married and separated from his wife, got together with another actress, Song Yoon-ah, which was very awkward.

It was said that because of this, Ahn Nae-sang and Sol Kyung-gu completely fell out, and Sol Kyung-gu didn’t appear in any films for three years. Zhao Fusheng would bet that Bong Joon-ho had a hand in it.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Zhao Fusheng; he was just curious.

For people whose acting skills and character were polar opposites, Zhao Fusheng had no contempt; it was just that different paths led to different goals, and there was no need for deep friendship.

“Indeed, that man is very talented.”

Jiang Wen, unaware of what Zhao Fusheng was thinking, smiled and said: “I chatted with him for a while; he’s impressive!”

If even Old Jiang said someone was impressive, his skill was beyond doubt.

But considering Bong Joon-ho’s status, Zhao Fusheng wasn’t surprised.

That guy later won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, a formidable beast, and his film “Parasite” was truly profound, a classic.

…

…

While they were chatting in the car, unbeknownst to them, at the Shilla Hotel, the Korean directors and actors were also talking about them.

“I heard that man only has one wife.”

“Yeah, they say she’s also an actress. Tsk, who would have thought someone like him would be like that.”

“You don’t understand; the hobbies of the rich are different from most people’s.”

“Look at how Son Ye-jin and the others are dressed, hah… really…”

“Forget it, which female artist here today isn’t like that?”

Whispers occasionally arose at the banquet, and the glances among the women, especially the actresses, seemed to sparkle.

Today was definitely going to be a fierce battle!

When people know each other well enough, surprises are hard to come by. Conversely, if you truly do something unexpected, even a small surprise can be magnified into a big one.

Jiang Wen planned to surprise Zhao Fusheng.

Of course, this surprise wasn’t anything sordid; he deliberately didn’t tell Zhao Fusheng that this time he had asked Song Kang-ho to invite many people. The dinner wasn’t the small gathering Zhao Fusheng imagined but rather a banquet.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng’s identity wasn’t just Jiang Wen’s friend as he thought; it was the owner of Hanxing Investment, a Chinese tycoon.

And so, the entire Korean film industry was shaken!

It wasn’t that these people were snobbish, but that reality was like this.

In economics, there is a famous Pareto principle, which says that twenty percent of people hold eighty percent of the wealth. Conversely, eighty percent of people only hold twenty percent of the wealth.

And if you look closer, even within that twenty percent, wealth distribution follows a pyramid pattern according to this ratio.

Zhao Fusheng understood this principle; in fact, he had a deep understanding of it. That’s why he worked hard to make money and become stronger, because he knew clearly that only then would he have enough power to protect those he wanted to protect.

But he didn’t know that reality is often crueler than theory.