Chapter 1997: The Successful Man

Sometimes, one has to admit that the bond between people is truly wondrous.

Take Ning Hao and Zhao Fusheng, for instance—no one would have guessed that their relationship would be quite good.

But things in this world are just that magical.

Zhao Fusheng and Ning Hao really did have a good relationship.

After leaving Ye Jing's office, Zhao Fusheng immediately called Ning Hao.

"Great director, where are you enjoying yourself?"

Zhao Fusheng asked with a smile.

"Chairman?"

Ning Hao was quite surprised to receive the call: "How do you have time to call me?"

Ning Hao could more or less guess how busy Zhao Fusheng was, after all, he was responsible for the entire Future Group.

Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen a pig run.

"Something's come up. If you're not busy, let's meet."

Zhao Fusheng didn't waste words and got straight to the point with Ning Hao.

"No problem, no problem."

Ning Hao nodded hurriedly.

"Alright, at the group headquarters, let me know when you arrive, and I'll have my secretary pick you up." Zhao Fusheng nodded and hung up.

Ning Hao put down the phone, looked up, and smiled at the person in front of him: "Sorry, Boss Cheng, I have something to attend to. I'll take my leave now."

"You!"

Sitting across from Ning Hao were three middle-aged men.

When he finished speaking, a younger man opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by the person beside him.

That person smiled: "Alright, Director Ning, go ahead. We'll catch up another time."

"Alright, sorry about that."

Ning Hao didn't waste words, stood up, and left.

Watching Ning Hao's retreating figure, the young man's face darkened: "Brother-in-law, are you just letting him go like that?"

"Huh, what else?"

The man he called brother-in-law, about forty years old, wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and looked quite refined.

"Didn't you hear who Ning Hao's call was from?"

The middle-aged man glanced at his brother-in-law and said flatly: "Chairman! How many people do you think Ning Hao would address that way?"

"Who else could it be, just..."

The young man paused but didn't continue.

Clearly, he had figured out who it was.

"Yes, Zhao Fusheng."

The middle-aged man said coldly: "I, Cheng Wanli, am considered someone in the real estate industry. After all these years, do you know the most important truth I've summed up?"

"Please enlighten me, Brother-in-law."

The young man quickly asked.

"Those who must not be provoked must never be touched."

Cheng Wanli looked at his brother-in-law seriously: "Li Wei, I brought you to the capital to make money, not to cause trouble. If you think that with a few hundred million, you can ride roughshod over the film industry, then you might as well go back. Understand?"

Li Wei remained silent. He really hadn't expected that his brother-in-law, who usually feared nothing and had a commanding presence, would be so afraid of the chairman of Future Group.

Thinking about it, it made sense—the other party's assets were at least dozens of times greater than his brother-in-law's, if not more.

This is a realistic society; in the circle of billionaires, millionaires have no place. And Cheng Wanli couldn't enter Zhao Fusheng's circle either.

In other words, he didn't even qualify to enter.

So, when it came to the hot film director Ning Hao, they could only cautiously invite him to meet, chat, and ask if he had any interest in making a film.

They dared not actually threaten him.

Because if they did, it would be tantamount to challenging Future Film.

They couldn't bear that responsibility.

…

…

Naturally, Zhao Fusheng didn't know that he had unwittingly become a tool for Ning Hao to bluff.

But even if he did, he would probably just smile slightly and let it go.

Soon, Ning Hao arrived at Future Group's headquarters. Zhao Fusheng had Liu Yiming go downstairs to pick him up.

"Chairman."

Ning Hao addressed Zhao Fusheng respectfully.

"Have a seat."

Zhao Fusheng pointed to the sofa in the office and said to Ning Hao.

The two sat down. Liu Yiming poured them water and then left Zhao Fusheng's office.

"The box office results for the film are good."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Ning Hao: "Well done. I've already told General Ye that the crew, including you, will get bonuses."

"Thank you."

Ning Hao quickly expressed his gratitude.

Although it was something he deserved, since the boss was being generous, he naturally had to show appreciation.

"What are your plans next?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled and asked Ning Hao.

"Well..."

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's question, Ning Hao hesitated but didn't speak.

Clearly, he was somewhat hesitant.

Seeing Ning Hao's expression, Zhao Fusheng knew that he had something on his mind but found it hard to speak up due to their positions.

With that in mind, Zhao Fusheng smiled at him: "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush."

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Ning Hao gritted his teeth and said solemnly: "Chairman, I want to make a road movie."

A road movie?

Zhao Fusheng frowned but didn't immediately nod.

What is a road movie?

A road movie is a film genre that primarily reflects life through a journey, originating in the United States in the late 1960s. It is a type of film where the story's theme or background is set on the road, and the protagonist often embarks on a journey for some reason, with the plot delving into the protagonist's inner world as the journey progresses.

The genre's origins can be traced back to travel literature or epics like The Odyssey and The Aeneid.

In modern road movies, the narrative structure often echoes medieval tales of knightly adventures.

In the years after World War II, the automobile industry began to develop rapidly in the United States, and cars became symbols of prosperity and youth culture, making their way onto the big screen.

The standard narrative pattern of a road movie often involves the protagonist, after experiencing setbacks in life, choosing a self-exiled lifestyle, and then, after a series of events, gradually learning to grow and change.

Traditionally, road movies have five possible endings:

The protagonist achieves the desired victory, returns to where they started, and becomes wiser.

The protagonist finds a new home at the end of the journey.

The protagonist continues on an endless journey.

The protagonist cannot return home because of the journey, either choosing death or being killed.

The protagonist embarks on a meaningless short trip after the film ends.

If Zhao Fusheng remembered correctly, the film Ning Hao intended to make was No Man's Land.

It was a good film, but the problem was that it was untimely.

At that moment, that was the only thought in Zhao Fusheng's mind.

But if he didn't let Ning Hao make it and suppressed this idea again, Zhao Fusheng knew it would be a huge blow to his motivation.

Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng smiled and looked at Ning Hao: "Do you know what your status is now?"

"Huh?"

Ning Hao was taken aback, looking at Zhao Fusheng in surprise, completely unsure what he meant.

Zhao Fusheng looked at Ning Hao, withdrew his smile, and said seriously: "You are one of the few directors in the country whose films have grossed over a hundred million at the box office. And at your age, your film achievements are the best!"

"Well..."

Ning Hao was quite surprised, never expecting this.

If Zhao Fusheng hadn't mentioned it, Ning Hao himself knew it, but he hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to know.

"Ning Hao, do you know what kind of results you could achieve if you continued making commercial films?"

Looking at Ning Hao, Zhao Fusheng said earnestly: "I can guarantee that the investment for your next film won't be less than what Old Jiang is getting for his current one."

Ning Hao nodded. He knew Zhao Fusheng wasn't deceiving him but stating a fact.

Both films in the Crazy series had been successful.

If the first was a trial run, the second, Crazy Racer, had proven his ability.

The entertainment industry is extremely realistic.

Ning Hao naturally remembered the embarrassment of carrying his script around looking for investors, only to be ignored. Back then, he was facing the same people, whose numbers were still in his phone.

Some of them didn't even remember that they had once met him.

"But, Chairman, I still want to give it a try."

Ning Hao was silent for a moment, then said to Zhao Fusheng.

He had mentioned the concept of No Man's Land to Zhao Fusheng before, but at that time, Zhao Fusheng had advised him that, aside from whether the film would pass censorship, even if it was made, the box office would likely be mediocre.

In other words, the reputation Ning Hao had painstakingly built with Crazy Stone might be squandered among investors because of this film.

No one wants to support a director who likes making banned films.

Not everyone has the luck of Lou Ye, who had a wealthy confidante to support him.

At that time, persuaded by Zhao Fusheng, Ning Hao had yielded, which led to Crazy Racer.

And now, Ning Hao had brought it up again.

Zhao Fusheng remained silent for a long time.

"How about this: since many people are asking me to make films, I'll hand the script to them. They'll likely agree to invest. Then our company won't put up any money. What do you think?"

Ning Hao's eyes darted, and he said to Zhao Fusheng.

Clearly, this guy was planning to take advantage of those outsiders.

In his view, those people were just rich and foolish, charging into the film industry with money, thinking it was paved with gold.

If he didn't take them for a ride, wouldn't that be letting them off easy?

Zhao Fusheng frowned and gave Ning Hao a deep look: "What, someone's come knocking?"

He wasn't stupid. Ning Hao was clearly hinting at something—it seemed someone had approached him, hoping he would make a film for them.