Chapter 1741: Warning!

Pan Rong was dumbfounded!

Only then did she realize that the real big boss was not Jiang Wen, but this brother-in-law surnamed Zhao.

Watching Wang Qiang bow and scrape before Zhao Fusheng, she finally realized that she had been paying homage to the wrong shrine. She had originally thought Jiang Wen was the most influential among this group, after all, he was a well-known director and actor in the film industry.

But now it seemed that was just her illusion.

The man before her was the one who truly held the power.

"Bro, I didn't mean to," Wang Qiang quickly bowed his head and admitted his mistake upon hearing Zhao Fusheng's serious tone.

Having known him for so long, he was already used to it; Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao treated him like a real younger brother.

Wang Qiang would hit reporters for Fan Baobao, and Zhao Fusheng would bring a crowd to the police station to demand his release.

Feelings are mutual.

If you treat others well and give sincerely, they will treat you the same way.

Of course, that's provided you don't run into ungrateful bastards.

"When young people are together, they need to exercise restraint."

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Pan Rong, then looked at Wang Qiang, and said coldly, "Have you forgotten the days at the Beijing Film Academy gate? Now you're spending money so lavishly. Who do you think you are? Have you bought a house in the capital? Have you built a house for your parents back home and called it success?"

He rarely spoke harshly, but precisely because of that, Wang Qiang held him in even greater awe.

"Bro, I was wrong."

Wang Qiang honestly admitted his mistake and apologized before Zhao Fusheng.

Pan Rong, standing by, was stunned. What exactly did this man do?

With just a few words, Wang Qiang acted like a mouse seeing a cat—wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?

Little did she know, this was due to the image Zhao Fusheng had built up over a long time.

In Wang Qiang's impression, this brother-in-law of his could accomplish anything; no matter how big the trouble, he could turn danger into safety.

That was impressive!

Wang Qiang, from a rural background, had never seen any big shots. In his mind, being worth over a hundred million already made someone a big shot.

Even though he had gained some experience from acting over the years, someone worth billions was already a super-rich tycoon in his eyes.

And Zhao Fusheng, worth tens of billions, yet willing to treat him like a younger brother, was not just a big shot in Wang Qiang's eyes, but also his benefactor.

Wang Qiang knew very well that with his poor image, narrow acting range, and lack of background, it was impossible to make it in the entertainment industry without a patron.

And Zhao Fusheng was that patron.

"Alright, do as your brother-in-law says for your matters," Fan Baobao stepped in to mediate, saying to Wang Qiang, "You kid, I used to say you were honest, and now you still are. Money is meant to be spent, but you need to exercise some restraint."

Then she looked at Pan Rong: "Xiao Pan, you need to keep an eye on him too. You can't just spend recklessly once you have money; you two have a future together."

Pan Rong smiled awkwardly and quickly nodded.

She wasn't stupid; although the words were nicely put, she understood the underlying meaning.

Wang Qiang wasn't like this before; he only became this way after meeting Pan Rong—that was the subtext of Fan Baobao and Zhao Fusheng.

Of course, they wouldn't say it outright, but as long as Pan Rong wasn't an idiot, she should know what was going on.

"Alright, let's eat."

Jiang Wen, seeing that the moment had passed, stood up with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Okay, let's eat."

The group got up and went to eat.

During the meal, Wang Qiang was fine; carefree, he ate happily, occasionally teasing Jiang Wen's child and Zhao Xue, telling them to grow up quickly so their uncle could take them on trips and buy them big toys.

But Pan Rong ate as if chewing wax.

Clearly, today's meal was meant for her to see.

In Wang Qiang's view, being scolded by his sister and brother-in-law was normal; back home, his mother and sister also scolded him, but after scolding, they still saved the best food for him.

It was the same here.

Although Zhao Fusheng scolded him harshly, Wang Qiang knew that everyone at Future Film and even the top brass at Future Group knew he was Zhao Fusheng's "brother-in-law." At Future Advertising, they would secure ads for him whenever possible, all out of respect for Zhao Fusheng.

Otherwise, in terms of image, pretty boys like Zhu Yuchen were far more handsome than him.

While eating, Zhao Fusheng casually asked Jiang Wen, "How's the script coming along?"

"Basically no problems."

Jiang Wen replied, "I plan to start shooting early next year."

"Early next year, huh."

Zhao Fusheng tilted his head, thought for a moment, and finally nodded: "Alright, I'll give you a year. Should be enough to finish filming, right?"

He was already giving Jiang Wen plenty of time, after all, "Let the Bullets Fly" had taken a lot of effort from both Jiang Wen and himself. A year should allow for a polished film.

But to Zhao Fusheng's surprise, Jiang Wen shook his head: "A year isn't enough; at least a year and a half."

"..."

Zhao Fusheng was speechless, staring at Jiang Wen, wanting to curse him out.

Jiang Wen, oblivious to Zhao Fusheng's resentment, said matter-of-factly, "I've calculated it. Just setting up the sets will take three to four months, plus post-production and all, it'll take at least a year and a half."

"Fine, fine, you're the boss."

Zhao Fusheng was already at a loss, waving his hand: "You decide. I'll have Ye Jing keep an eye on you. Let me tell you, the budget is limited. If you go over, you pay for it yourself!"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Jiang Wen immediately got agitated and quickly said, "You can't do that! Whose film budget is fixed? A budget is an estimate of expected costs; you have to allow some flexibility."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Don't give me that. If I give you a hundred million, you'll spend a hundred and fifty million. Don't think I don't know your little scheme."

This was true. As China's notorious budget-buster, Jiang Wen's style was always to spend every penny of the budget. Expecting him to save money was simply impossible.

So Zhao Fusheng had already instructed Ye Jing that for "Let the Bullets Fly," the budget would be fixed, not a cent more. If the money ran out, Jiang Wen would have to pay out of his own pocket.

There was no other choice; the guy had a track record.

He was the terrifying presence who had nearly driven a film studio into bankruptcy.

Listening to Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen chat, Pan Rong's expression was quite vivid.

She never imagined that this Zhao Fusheng was such a big shot. She knew who Ye Jing was—the general manager of Future Film—but now it seemed that this man's status was clearly above Ye Jing's.

Who exactly was he?

Could he be a top executive from Future Film's parent company?

At that thought, Pan Rong's heart grew eager. She studied media and was half in the entertainment industry, so she naturally hoped to make a living in this circle.

But lacking connections and background, she had finally latched onto Wang Qiang, hoping to rise through him. Unfortunately, the guy was dull. In Pan Rong's view, she could only rely on squeezing benefits from this golden catch.

But she never expected that he had such connections—knowing Jiang Wen and possibly even top brass at Future Group.

This made Pan Rong's mind start to stir.

People are like that; they often think highly of themselves, believing they can achieve their goals, while ignoring objective conditions.

Take Pan Rong, for example. She thought being with Wang Qiang was doing him a favor, but she didn't realize that aside from this fool Wang Qiang, who would fancy an ordinary college student like her?

In the entertainment industry, the one thing never in short supply is newcomers.

No matter the major, even at Beijing Film Academy or Shanghai Theatre Academy, it's the same.

Soon the meal was over. Pan Rong opened her mouth, about to chat with the group a bit more, but Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "I have things to do, I'll head out. You all stay a while longer."

Jiang Wen also nodded: "I'll go with you. Feihong is back; let's go see him."

"Okay."

Zhao Fusheng agreed, and the two left the house one after the other.

Pan Rong opened her mouth, looking helpless. She hadn't expected to have no chance to speak.

"How long do you think they'll last?"

Walking side by side outside, Jiang Wen asked Zhao Fusheng with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged: "Hard to say. It depends on that kid Wang Qiang himself."

"Him?"

Jiang Wen laughed: "You think your sworn brother is an idiot?"

"Huh?"

This time it was Zhao Fusheng's turn to be surprised.

He hadn't expected Jiang Wen to have a different view.

Jiang Wen smiled and shook his head: "That kid Wang Qiang is honest, but definitely not stupid. He can tell who genuinely cares for him and who's just playing along. Look at how he's treated you and Fan Baobao, and Zhou Yun over the years, whether you had money or not—that should tell you."

Zhao Fusheng nodded; that was true.

Back when his identity wasn't revealed, Wang Qiang was still sincere to him and Fan Baobao. That's why Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao always regarded him as a younger brother.

In this era, what's most lacking isn't praise that adds to the glory, but sincerity that remains constant.

Of course, that's not to say praise that adds to the glory is bad; after all, siding with the successful is a common mentality. You can't expect others to deliberately support the underdog—that's not easy.

But the point is, a young man like Wang Qiang, who can consistently maintain his simple and honest nature, possesses a rare quality.

And precisely because of that, Zhao Fusheng didn't want him to be deceived.