Chapter 2190: Don't Worry Too Much!

Ye Jing wasn't joking with Zhao Fusheng; he genuinely regretted going public.

The listing of Future Films had indeed increased the company's market value and filled everyone's pockets.

But the ensuing consequences were also considerable.

The most obvious example was that with the abundant funds raised, many in the company were clamoring to enter other industries.

Some even suggested venturing into real estate, given its profitability at the time.

Others proposed diversified development, arguing that Future Films should gradually break free from Future Group's influence and build a large entertainment conglomerate.

China's top film stock!

That was the slogan shouted by the company's radical faction.

When Ye Jing heard that slogan, he was completely dumbfounded.

What a joke!

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down!

Having grown up in a compound and being something of a rogue, Ye Jing understood this principle well.

In the capital, there were countless people with power and skill.

Future Films was thriving, and Future Group was flush with cash.

But if those above wanted to make a move, it wouldn't be difficult.

The boss, Zhao Fusheng, might come out unscathed, but the subsidiaries might have to cut losses to survive.

Otherwise, they had plenty of ways to shut you down.

Now, faced with Zhao Fusheng's question, Ye Jing sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at Ye Jing with some surprise.

He was baffled as to why Ye Jing had suddenly become so dejected.

That wasn't like him.

Ye Jing shook his head helplessly: "I just feel a bit tired. If I'd known going public would be such a hassle, I'd rather not have done it."

That was his true feeling, without any pretense.

Before Future Films went public, he didn't have to worry about so many things.

As long as the film quality was good, Ye Jing dared to invest. Even if the box office was low, winning an award at an international film festival, like Wang Anquan and Yu Nan's "Tuya's Marriage," would have been enough.

After all, the company needed award-winning directors and films.

But now, that was no longer possible.

The stock market didn't care whether your film won a Cannes award; it looked at box office revenue and how much profit the film brought to the company.

In short, they looked at hard cash data.

And that was precisely the most uncertain thing.

After all, before a film was released, or before audiences entered the cinema, no one could guarantee its box office or ratings.

For example, there was a later film called "Take My Brother Away."

It was a film adapted from a comic, with an investment of twenty million yuan.

Yes, just twenty million!

Before its release, no one had high hopes for this fantasy comedy, as its two leads weren't particularly popular stars; they were more known as skilled actors.

Yet, this very film earned nearly 400 million yuan at the box office, with the distributor taking 130 million yuan.

For many, earning several times or even a dozen times their investment in a year seemed unbelievable, but in the film market, making several times, a dozen times, or even dozens of times on a single film was not impossible.

In fact, investors encountered all kinds of problems.

When it came to film investment, most people believed in it; when it came to making money from film investment, most were skeptical; when it came to investing in films themselves, most were anxious.

The most important reason was still that many didn't know how to judge the authenticity of the investment, whether the funds were safe, or whether the film could make money—ultimately, it all came down to money.

For film companies, it was the same.

If the box office was good, their return on investment was high; otherwise, they lost money.

But the problem was that no one could guarantee that every film they invested in would make money.

Even Zhao Fusheng couldn't make such a guarantee.

Under these circumstances, how could Ye Jing not worry?

For instance, if "Let the Bullets Fly" had been released before Future Films went public, Ye Jing would have felt pressure, but certainly not like now.

Back then, Future Films wasn't a listed company and didn't need to be accountable to shareholders.

Even if the box office flopped, the loss would have been just over a hundred million in investment.

Moreover, a large part of that investment had already been recouped through advertising sponsorships.

But the fact was that "Let the Bullets Fly" became the first film released after Future Films went public, and that changed everything.

If the box office soared, it would undoubtedly be good news, and Future Films' stock would surge.

Conversely, if the box office was low, it would be a bolt from the blue for Future Films. The market would quickly lose confidence and patience in the company, leading to a stock price plunge and heavy losses.

This was no joke!

It was a real possibility.

After all, Chinese stock investors, whether in Hong Kong or the mainland, were essentially the same—greedy and afraid of failure.

It wasn't that they didn't like making money; they just lacked patience.

For film professionals, the failure of one or two films was part of exploring different genres.

But for these stock traders, a single film failure by a film company meant the company was utterly doomed.

Zhao Fusheng clearly remembered that the Wang brothers later fell precisely because of this.

The entire Huayi Brothers film company, after a series of films ran into trouble, came under scrutiny from regulatory authorities and investigation by public security. In short, the most important reason for Huayi's downfall was that they completely abandoned the film market, and when they tried to return to the top, they found they could no longer reach the peak.

It was a sad story, one that Zhao Fusheng couldn't tell anyone.

He couldn't exactly tell Ye Jing that he was worried Future Films would repeat Huayi Brothers' mistakes and go down a path of no return, which was why he strictly controlled Future Films' direction and kept it within the film industry.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, persisting in investing in films and TV dramas was the foundation for Future Films to stand firm.

As long as they could produce one hit TV drama or film every year, within a few years, Future Films would grow strong and no longer have to live under anyone's thumb.

With that thought, Zhao Fusheng looked at Ye Jing and suddenly smiled: "How about making a bet with me?"

A bet?

Ye Jing looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise, wondering what he was up to.