Chapter 1595: A Women's War?

As Zhao Fusheng appeared in the banquet hall, he quickly became the center of attention.

It was easy to imagine that in a moment, those female stars and actresses would swarm around him. And clearly, Jiang Wen knew that Zhao Fusheng disliked such occasions.

That's why he told Kwak Jae-yong that they wanted to discuss the script.

That's how things unfold: a mistake, an event, or a random thought can change many people's lives.

For those actresses, they never dreamed of marrying into true high society, since those families valued so-called matching social status and marriage of convenience.

But even becoming a mistress of a big shot was acceptable to them.

After all, status was illusory; only money truly in hand was real.

Like the casino king in Macau—his four wives were equally glamorous, and each was quite proud.

In the end, when a person's wealth reaches a certain level, many things are deliberately overlooked.

The same went for those present today.

Not only that, but they even harbored deep wariness toward one another.

Beware of fire, theft, and girlfriends—the ancients were not wrong.

After all, this is a world of the strong preying on the weak. Males are often the more powerful side, and a man who can give a woman more security naturally attracts most women—it's a racial instinct embedded in genes.

Humans, as the top intelligent beings in this world, naturally understand this principle.

It's just that, living in society, many must follow certain rules.

Of course, women are an exception.

For love, they would throw themselves into the fire; for their own future happiness, they wouldn't hesitate to tear apart sisterhood.

Rules?

Besties?

Ha, what are those?

When it comes to hooking up with a super-rich man, plastic sisterhood is nothing.

In the entertainment industry, this is a common scene.

Not to mention Korea—the sisters from Taiwan and their good friend had a falling out because the elder sister snatched her bestie's rich second-generation boyfriend.

But it seems that Miss Shancai miscalculated: the company went bankrupt, her mother-in-law went to prison, and the rich second-generation turned into a poor second-generation—really tough on her.

Getting off track, back to the main story.

"Chairman Zhao, this is Miss Son Ye-jin."

"This is Miss Kim Ha-neul."

"This is Miss Choi Ji-woo."

"This is Miss Kim Hye-soo."

A string of Korean beauties appeared before Zhao Fusheng, all wearing smiles and respectful expressions.

"Hello."

No matter who came, Zhao Fusheng greeted them politely, even if they brushed their fingers across his palm while shaking hands, he acted as if nothing happened.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng didn't look down on anyone, because this was a way for people to live.

You can choose to work hard, and others can choose to take shortcuts.

The saddest thing in the world is when you earn just enough for pickled vegetables but worry about people eating abalone.

In the Korean entertainment circle, it's undoubtedly very difficult for actresses to survive.

"This is Miss Jun Ji-hyun..."

At that moment, Kwak Jae-yong smiled and introduced a round-faced beauty to Zhao Fusheng.

"I know Miss Jun."

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly: "I've seen her movies before; they're very interesting."

"My Sassy Girlfriend" was quite popular in China back then, so it wasn't surprising that Zhao Fusheng recognized Jun Ji-hyun—after all, it was Kwak Jae-yong's masterpiece.

Clearly, Zhao Fusheng's words made Kwak Jae-yong quite proud.

That's how Koreans are—they always get incredibly proud over such trivial things, like later when Bong Joon-ho won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for "Parasite," the whole country celebrated, and even the president issued a statement of congratulations.

That would be unimaginable in China!

Though he knew Jun Ji-hyun, Zhao Fusheng didn't say much to her, only exchanging polite pleasantries like "I've long heard of you," then turned to chat with Song Kang-ho and Bong Joon-ho.

No help for it—he was a straight man, simple and direct.

Even so, the women weren't discouraged. In their eyes, perhaps this big shot was just being reserved.

Big shots always like that—playing hard to get.

If Zhao Fusheng knew what they were thinking, he'd surely curse: I'm not that kind of person at all.

...

...

Compared to private gatherings, the biggest problem with this kind of banquet was that you had no personal space and had to face endless socializing and pleasantries.

After all, when someone comes to greet you, you can't put on a sour face; you still need to greet them with a smile.

That's basic politeness, unrelated to status.

Only those without breeding would say things like, "We're not in the same circle, don't come near me."

A true superior, even when facing a beggar, would smile and shake hands. Even if he later took ten showers and threw away all his designer clothes.

Of course, too much socializing can also become tiresome.

But fortunately, Bong Joon-ho and the others were top figures in the film industry, and many of their ideas about film surprised Zhao Fusheng, so he found chatting with them quite interesting.

"China is a huge market. I think it won't be long before the Chinese film market becomes an important box office territory."

Kwak Jae-yong said seriously to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was a bit surprised; he didn't expect this guy to be so optimistic about the Chinese market. No wonder he later collaborated repeatedly with Chinese film production companies.

Previously, Zhao Fusheng thought he was just trying to expand overseas because he couldn't make it at home, but now it seemed he had planned it all along.

After all, in China, directors earn much more than in Korea.

The world hustles, all for profit.

Even those engaged in cultural and artistic creation are the same.

Either seeking fame or seeking profit.

If someone sought nothing, that would be truly strange.

At least, Zhao Fusheng had never heard of or met such a person.

This is an era of lost faith. There once were people who supported themselves with faith in their hearts, seeking neither fame nor profit, even at the cost of their lives and families, to carve out a bright future for later generations.

But now, there are no such people left in the world.

This is not alarmism, but fact!

Zhao Fusheng was certainly not that kind of person. He was just an ordinary man, unbearably vulgar, even somewhat petty. Wife, children, and a warm bed were his highest goals.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, he was far from an idealized existence.

Sometimes he even wondered if someone threatened him with his parents, wife, and children, would he give in?

The answer was simple: definitely yes.

So Zhao Fusheng thought, if he were in a war and captured by the enemy, he would end his own life early to avoid being threatened.

...

...

"A bit boring?"

Taking advantage of Song Kang-ho and others chatting with someone else, Jiang Wen quietly asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "To be honest, it feels about the same as back home."

"Not quite."

Jiang Wen shook his head: "In Korea, directors and screenwriters have a lot of power. Investors only put up the money; you can squeeze in a few actors, but if you try to influence the filming, those directors and screenwriters will tear you apart!"

"Holy crap!"

Zhao Fusheng was stunned; he hadn't known that. He was a bit surprised.

He had heard that directors and screenwriters in Korea had a lot of power, but he hadn't expected it to be this exaggerated.

They could even go against investors—that was too fierce!

"What, didn't expect that?"

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's expression, Jiang Wen knew he hadn't.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Honestly, that has both pros and cons."

That was true. The advantage was that giving directors and screenwriters more power could ensure the quality and content of the film. But the downside was that it was easy to sneak in personal agendas.

At that moment, Zhao Fusheng finally understood why Korean movies were always full of all kinds of satire, even targeting presidents and chaebols.

The reason was simple: those directors and actors didn't need to worry so much; they didn't have to care about investors' opinions. As long as the film they made could make money, there would always be investors funding them.

This was even more incredible than fiction!