Chapter 1597: Troublesome Matters

Reputation still has a significant impact on a person.

Take Jeon Do-yeon, for example. Although she is as highly regarded as a top actress as Son Ye-jin, and even surpasses the latter in acting skills and social status,

her reputation for enjoying mingling with wealthy men makes her seem less threatening to Zhao Fusheng compared to Son Ye-jin, who maintains a pure and innocent image.

After all, a female star with a pure image would surely not dare to be as bold as Jeon Do-yeon, flirting with him in such a setting.

More importantly, she really wasn't Zhao Fusheng's type!

Indeed, as far as Zhao Fusheng was concerned, he truly couldn't understand what was commendable about this woman aside from her title as a Cannes Best Actress.

Short, flat-chested, with a poor figure—and yet people still liked her?

The taste of Koreans was truly speechless.

"I'm sorry, Miss Jeon, but I prefer to chat in crowded places."

Zhao Fusheng smiled politely at Jeon Do-yeon and gracefully declined the invitation from the Cannes Best Actress.

Whatever her intentions, he didn't want to get involved with her.

"Heh heh..."

The great Best Actress laughed awkwardly, but she already understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning.

He didn't fancy her!

Cursing the blind Chinese man in her heart, Jeon Do-yeon still exchanged a few polite, meaningless pleasantries with Zhao Fusheng before taking her leave.

After Jeon Do-yeon, several others also came over to greet Zhao Fusheng, their messages more or less the same: either hoping he would contact them, offering to be his tour guide, or simply expressing a desire to receive his guidance. Zhao Fusheng turned them all down one by one.

Those who were rejected showed no reaction; after all, they were all smart people who understood the situation, and a falling-out was certainly not something they would let happen.

Song Kang-ho and Bong Joon-ho watched all this from the sidelines. Though they said nothing, their opinion of this super-rich man from China rose a notch.

After all, not everyone could resist such temptation.

Being in the entertainment industry, they, as men, had also encountered such situations. Some could resist, while others naturally went with the flow, having a brief fling, and later compensating the other party with some resources.

But clearly, Chairman Zhao was not that kind of person.

"Interesting."

Bong Joon-ho looked at Zhao Fusheng, a faint, indescribable smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Just then, a person walked in through the banquet hall entrance, approached Song Kang-ho with an anxious expression, and spoke in a low voice.

Song Kang-ho's pancake-like face immediately changed color, and he looked utterly distressed.

"What's wrong?"

Bong Joon-ho asked curiously.

He rarely saw his old friend make such an expression.

Song Kang-ho smiled bitterly and said to Bong Joon-ho, "Something's happened."

"What..."

Bong Joon-ho was startled and asked in surprise.

"It's like this: today, Seol Kyung-gu and Song Yoon-ah were also dining here. Just now, Song Yoon-ah ran into the young master of the Lotte family. He seemed to be drunk and insisted on dragging Song Yoon-ah over to drink with him. You know what that means. Now things are getting unpleasant outside..." Song Kang-ho said helplessly.

"These rich second-generation..."

Bong Joon-ho's face turned extremely grim.

As a member of the entertainment industry, he naturally knew that certain sordid things happened in the Korean entertainment world, but he deeply detested such behavior by the chaebols.

Even if the victim was Song Yoon-ah, who was, in a way, the enemy of his good friend Ahn Nae-sang.

Although Song Yoon-ah and Seol Kyung-gu had essentially gotten together behind Ahn Nae-sang's sister's back—immoral infidelity, to put it bluntly—that was their personal issue. Now, Song Yoon-ah being humiliated proved, in a sense, that these celebrities in the Korean entertainment industry were merely playthings in the eyes of the big shots.

To save or not to save?

Bong Joon-ho was in a dilemma!

If he helped, relying solely on the strength of people like himself would be a joke in the eyes of the Lotte family.

But if he chose to stand by and do nothing, what would others think of him if word got out?

Just then, Bong Joon-ho suddenly saw Zhao Fusheng chatting with Ahn Sung-ki not far away. His eyes lit up—perhaps the key to solving this problem lay with this man.

With that thought, he quickly walked over to Zhao Fusheng.

"Chairman Zhao, may I have a word?"

Bong Joon-ho didn't know English or Chinese, so he asked Ahn Sung-ki, who knew English, to help translate.

Ahn Sung-ki's status in the Korean film industry was, of course, unquestionable. If the three top actors in Korea were considered kings among film actors, then Ahn Sung-ki was an existence above kings.

That was beyond doubt!

The Korean film industry, compared to the circles of idols and TV actors, is a relatively closed circle.

Observant people can notice that almost every actor who has made a name in the Korean film industry has their own connections, and their relationships are complex.

But regardless, someone like Ahn Sung-ki had a transcendent status, so he often preferred to focus his energy on human rights.

That's right, this guy wanted to become a member of the National Assembly!

But unfortunately, some of his ideas were too idealistic, and in Korea, without the support of a major chaebol, entering politics was undoubtedly a very difficult thing.

"Alright, please go ahead."

Although somewhat surprised, Zhao Fusheng still followed Bong Joon-ho and Ahn Sung-ki to a corner.

"It's like this..."

Bong Joon-ho didn't beat around the bush and explained the situation, finally saying to Zhao Fusheng, "We hope you can help us with this matter."

Ah?

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, staring dumbfounded at Bong Joon-ho and the others. He really hadn't expected that these Korean second-generation heirs were playing so wildly?

Seeing a female celebrity and dragging her over to drink?

Was it that they were too high-end, or was he too ignorant?

"What bastards!"

Ahn Sung-ki couldn't help cursing. Clearly, he too detested such behavior.

Zhao Fusheng didn't immediately answer them; he was weighing the situation.

After all, this matter wasn't simple. If he stepped in, it would be fine for him personally, but it would mean offending Lotte, a major chaebol in Korea. On the other hand, there were benefits: at the very least, the Korean film industry would owe him a huge favor.

With that in mind, Zhao Fusheng looked at Ahn Sung-ki and Bong Joon-ho, smiled slightly, and said, "Director Bong, Mr. Ahn, I think I might be willing to help you."

"Really?"

Bong Joon-ho didn't understand Zhao Fusheng's English, but Ahn Sung-ki was startled and looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise. Honestly, he really hadn't expected this wealthy man from China to be willing to step in.

Zhao Fusheng nodded and said calmly, "My wife grew up with me. She is also an actress. She has just given birth to my heir, a beautiful daughter. I think she would want me to make the right choice."

This was the best excuse and reason; no one could criticize him for it.

Ahn Sung-ki and Bong Joon-ho exchanged glances. They really hadn't known about this. In that case, Zhao Fusheng indeed had a reason to step in.

"Alright, there's no time to lose. Let's go over now."

Ahn Sung-ki quickly said to Zhao Fusheng.

He wasn't worried that Song Yoon-ah would come to harm immediately, since the other party only wanted her to drink with them. But if they all pretended not to know about this, what would happen afterward was anyone's guess.

Seeing them talking with strange expressions, Jiang Wen walked over.

"What's up?"

Jiang Wen asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled, explained the situation, and finally said, "I'll go check it out and try to help."

Jiang Wen was startled, then nodded, and quietly said to Zhao Fusheng in Chinese, "Won't this cause trouble for Hanxing Investment?"

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "It's fine. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks."

This was the truth. For Zhao Fusheng, considering his layout in Korea, doing so was indeed more beneficial than harmful.