Chapter 2184: Worry

A public persona has both advantages and disadvantages.

In the entertainment industry, having a persona is normal and unsurprising.

After all, it can attract fans and draw more attention.

But at the same time, a persona carries risks, because once it collapses, the losses can be incalculable, and one might never recover.

Zhao Fusheng understood this better than anyone.

Having witnessed many celebrities' personas crumble, he knew the intricacies involved were profound.

So when he learned that Zheng Yao planned to craft a persona for Jiang Wen, he specifically advised her not to mold Old Jiang into a perfect image.

In short, Old Jiang's persona should be down-to-earth.

He should have many strengths but also plenty of flaws, giving the impression not of an aloof, flawless paragon, but of an ordinary person with joys and sorrows, who gets angry and loses his temper, gets divorced, and even curses when drunk.

Authenticity!

That was the persona Zhao Fusheng wanted Jiang Wen to have.

From any perspective, this approach yielded the best results.

Take Uncle Yu, who for generations smoked, drank, and permed his hair for the Guo family; his persona was exactly that—smoking, drinking, and perming—and everyone accepted it.

The term 'down-to-earth' didn't exist yet.

But that's what Zhao Fusheng wanted Zheng Yao and the others to achieve.

A lofty, perfect persona might gain high popularity temporarily, but the problem is that such attention comes from the requirement that you must conform to that perfection.

No one can guarantee that their on-screen image matches their private self.

Once a persona collapses, so does your reputation, and recovering it is no easy task.

At the very least, Zhao Fusheng had never seen a celebrity whose persona crumbled easily bounce back.

That's why he gave such specific instructions.

…

…

"You bastard, you knew President Zheng was going to do that, didn't you?"

Jiang Wen called Zhao Fusheng specially.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "You're wronging me. She only informed me after making that decision; I just polished it a bit."

"Fine."

Jiang Wen nodded helplessly.

He knew that Zheng Yao's approach was perfectly fine—after all, he was the vice president of Future Film and Television and also a shareholder.

Making some sacrifices for the company's cause was only right.

"Don't worry, it'll definitely benefit you."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Jiang Wen.

To be honest, Jiang Wen was too proud, always flaunting his individuality. Otherwise, given his status and talent, Zhao Fusheng didn't think those so-called 'uncles' in his past life were any better than Jiang Wen.

Old Jiang was a true model of masculinity.

Walking hormone.

Those words described Jiang Wen perfectly.

But his personality really didn't like dealing with the media; except when filming, he mostly immersed himself in his own world.

This had both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage was that he could focus more on his film career, while the disadvantage was that he came across as too mysterious.

These days, mystery wasn't a good thing for a celebrity.

The more mysterious you are, the less attention you get.

If no one pays attention to you, no one watches your work.

Zhao Fusheng didn't want that to happen to Jiang Wen.

After hanging up, Zhao Fusheng shook his head and continued reading documents.

He still had a lot to do. Before, he didn't understand why bosses worth tens of billions always complained about being busy; now he knew that even if you're worth a trillion, you still have to read documents.

Unless you're willing to hand over your business to others.

To be honest, even with his relationship with Zheng Yao and the others, Zhao Fusheng dared not take that risk.

People's hearts are separated by skin.

Those five words meant more than their literal meaning.

Often, human nature is most susceptible to temptation and testing. Since that's the case, he had to work hard himself.

…

…

Time passed quickly, and soon it was August.

During this period, Zhao Fusheng stayed in the capital and went nowhere.

Not that he didn't want to go out, but he was too busy and had no time.

The Future Group had grown too large.

So large that even just reviewing the group's current overview took Zhao Fusheng nearly a month.

He hadn't even expected that Future Real Estate had already stockpiled land across the country.

Even Future Security's business had expanded into the entertainment industry; many celebrities' bodyguards and drivers were from Future Security.

This was crucial—the core team around a celebrity includes bodyguards and drivers, and for Future Security to break into this market was no small feat.

Although Zhao Fusheng had repeatedly instructed the company not to develop too quickly.

In reality, some things simply couldn't be stopped.

The Future Group had become a behemoth; even if Zhao Fusheng, as its head, wanted it to slow down, it couldn't stop.

"Be careful, must be careful."

In mid-August, Zhao Fusheng finally couldn't hold back and called Zheng Yao to his office.

"What's wrong?"

Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng, puzzled.

"The company's diversified development is good, but we must ensure a solid foundation. Don't be impatient for quick success—that could easily lead to problems."

Zhao Fusheng said seriously to Zheng Yao.

Hearing this, Zheng Yao frowned slightly.

She had always been somewhat puzzled by Zhao Fusheng's excessive caution. After all, the Future Group was no longer the weakling it once was; even if someone coveted the company, they'd have to consider the consequences.

So why was Zhao Fusheng still so cautious?

"Aren't you being too cautious?"

Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng: "Our development is already good now. Even if external conditions change, it won't affect us much."

Zhao Fusheng smiled bitterly and waved his hand helplessly: "That's not what I mean. I mean our operations are too spread out. If a problem arises in one link, it could easily become a social issue."

He couldn't tell Zheng Yao his real thoughts.

After all, some things were secrets that couldn't be spoken.