Chapter 1596: A Profusion of Beauty

What is the essence of cinema?

Many would say it is entertainment, because those people watch movies to find rest and relaxation.

But from the perspective of those working in the industry, the essence of cinema is to express an idea.

In its infancy, film was a medium. Some early film theorists advocated for a cinema “uncontaminated” by other arts, like Epstein’s concept of “pure cinema.” But other theorists and creators firmly insisted that cinema is inextricably linked to other arts.

Overall, cinema is simply a vehicle for creators to express their thoughts and disseminate them to audiences.

For Zhao Fusheng, he didn’t care much about that—that was the kind of issue Old Jiang would worry about.

He only cared whether the movies he invested in could make money, and whether the directors and actors, by sneaking in their own agendas, would affect his returns.

Cold, even somewhat heartless, but that is the mindset of a true investor.

Capital is ruthless.

If an investor gets used to acting on emotion, in the end, they will surely be dragged down by it.

"Sir, what are you thinking about?"

At that moment, a somewhat stiff English voice sounded in Zhao Fusheng’s ear.

Looking up, Zhao Fusheng saw Son Ye-jin, her face blooming like a flower.

"Miss Son speaks English quite well."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Son Ye-jin.

As for her, what left the deepest impression on him was her beauty.

Of course, that was all—just beauty.

As for acting skills, Zhao Fusheng felt that whether it was Ha Ji-won, known as the chameleon of Korean actresses, or Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Hye-soo, who were ranked among the top actresses, all were stronger than the Son Ye-jin before him.

"You flatter me."

Son Ye-jin smiled, her eyes quite lovely.

Although her acting was average and she was often criticized as a花瓶, you had to admit she was truly beautiful.

"Miss Son, are you interested in developing your career in China?"

Before Son Ye-jin could speak, Zhao Fusheng took the initiative to ask.

He had no ulterior motives; he simply thought that if this woman came to China to develop, she would definitely have a market and at least become popular.

"Me?"

Son Ye-jin was stunned, completely dumbfounded.

She had originally planned to flirt with Zhao Fusheng. After all, as an actress, even if the outside world said she was kept for fifty billion Korean won a year, she knew very well that she had only become famous by playing the pure and innocent role.

To put it bluntly, she relied on her looks. Once her looks faded, she would face a situation where no one cared about her.

This was no joke; that's how it was for a pretty face.

Why did those actresses once hailed as goddesses in Hong Kong later lose their glory? To a large extent, it was because they were purely vase roles in movies.

Once they got married, they lost their appeal. That was also why they desperately tried to marry into wealthy families. Because these people knew clearly that if they didn't find a backer or sugar daddy soon, they wouldn't be able to survive later.

Saying this might make many people feel that their childhood was insulted.

But the facts prove that it is indeed the case.

Search through all those so-called goddesses from Hong Kong in those years—every single one of them was bent on clinging to a rich man. Even if they only got two million Hong Kong dollars a month as living expenses after marriage, they still wanted to marry. Not to mention having children out of wedlock or giving birth to several in a row.

The richest man Wang once said that stars are just commodities.

That statement is probably correct.

"What, Miss Son is unwilling?"

Zhao Fusheng raised an eyebrow when he saw Son Ye-jin didn't speak, and smiled as he asked, "Believe me, the film and television industry in China has great potential in the future. It won't be worse than your development in South Korea."

He paused, then said, "And do you think there's still room for you to grow in South Korea?"

That hit home!

Son Ye-jin really wanted to say that to Zhao Fusheng.

But she had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was right. Her development in South Korea had indeed hit a bottleneck.

Why did the Hong Kong goddess Man, after collaborating with Wong Kar-wai, greatly improve her acting skills and transform from a vase to an acting queen? The reason was that she met a good director.

Although Zhao Fusheng admitted to himself that he wasn't a great director, he had money.

With money, he could collaborate with good directors, and eventually he'd have the chance to help Son Ye-jin break through her current bottleneck.

"Alright, if there's an opportunity, I'll come to China." Son Ye-jin was also a very shrewd woman—no fool survives in the entertainment industry—and she quickly grasped Zhao Fusheng's meaning.

As for her original purpose in coming, it no longer mattered.

She knew what was urgent and what could wait.

Watching Son Ye-jin leave, Jiang Wen sauntered over with a grin.

"Ooh, a real beauty!"

Jiang Wen said with a smile.

He didn't know Son Ye-jin personally; he only knew from introductions that she was a Korean actress known for her pure image.

To be honest, Jiang Wen had seen far too many beauties—even more than Zhao Fusheng—so he was naturally more immune to them.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes helplessly. "Beauty my ass. Believe me, when I get back, I'll tell your wife Zhou Yun that you introduced an actress to me?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't do that! I was just joking—why are you throwing sand?"

Jiang Wen's face instantly changed.

An old husband with a young wife was naturally a bit henpecked, and Zhou Yun's personality was gentle on the outside but firm inside. If she ever found out he'd done something like this, he'd never be able to clear his name, even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

To be honest, Jiang Wen was a bit afraid of the usually gentle Zhou Yun.

Of course, he wouldn't admit he was scared of his wife—this was clearly because of love, yes, love!

"I chatted with her a bit. She's been having some problems lately, and I suggested she develop her career in China," Zhao Fusheng said calmly. "There are some good actors here in Korea, and they're cheap. If we bring them out, they'll be useful."

This was true. Although Korean actors often boasted titles like Best Actor, Best Actress, or Hallyu stars, in reality, their fees for filming abroad or shooting commercials were much cheaper compared to the traffic stars in mainland China.

For example, at the peak of the later hit drama "You Who Came from the Stars," the person who shot a commercial with Professor Do was actually that fish-lipped little diva.

The difference in tier was immediately apparent.

So Zhao Fusheng was happy to use these cost-effective people as tools to make money.

As for whether his conscience would ache—well, they were being exploited by capitalists in Korea anyway. Coming to China, they could gain fame and earn a bit more—mutual benefit, right?

"Really..."

Jiang Wen looked helpless when he heard Zhao Fusheng's words.

But he understood that there was nothing wrong with what Zhao Fusheng said; as a businessman, if he couldn't even think of that, he would be a complete failure.

"Alright, go and mingle with your peers."

Zhao Fusheng patted Jiang Wen on the shoulder and said to him.

Their mindsets were destined to be out of sync, simply because one was a businessman and the other a filmmaker.

Looking around, Zhao Fusheng saw that everyone he laid eyes on—men and women alike—offered him a smile.

For some reason, Zhao Fusheng suddenly felt a sense of profound boredom.

Shaking his head, he knew this was probably the feeling of seeing through everything; after all, compared to these people, his level had truly surpassed theirs.

Just then, a slender figure walked toward Zhao Fusheng.

"Mr. Zhao, hello."

Also in English, but upon seeing who it was, Zhao Fusheng frowned. Instead of smiling as he had with Son Ye-jin, he wore a polite but distant expression and said flatly, "Ms. Jeon Do-yeon, hello."

Indeed, the newcomer was Jeon Do-yeon, the Korean actress who had won the Best Actress award at Cannes, hailed as the most skilled actress in Korea.

But Zhao Fusheng knew that she was desperate to curry favor with the powerful and had a poor reputation.

What was her purpose in approaching him now?

"I wonder if you have time for a private chat?" Jeon Do-yeon blinked, giving Zhao Fusheng a seductive smile, then suddenly stuck out her tongue and licked her lips.

Holy shit!

She was hitting on me!

For a moment, Zhao Fusheng was stunned.

Everyone talks about propriety, but even though they both knew the score, she was so blatantly coming on to him—this was something Zhao Fusheng had never expected.

What to do?

Zhao Fusheng was now feeling a bit frustrated.