Chapter 2200: Celebration of Success

Zhao Fusheng was an extremely intelligent person.

Or, to be more precise, his intelligence stemmed from decades of life experience in his previous life and his relentless self-improvement in this one.

Thus, Zhao Fusheng could often make correct judgments.

But in the eyes of others, his decisions seemed infallible, adding a layer of mystery.

Since "Let the Bullets Fly" had finished its run, a celebration banquet was naturally in order.

Various media outlets, the main cast, and even supporting actors and crew members were invited to the celebration. At the reception, Jiang Wen personally toasted and poured drinks for every key member of the production team, bowing in gratitude.

Moreover, Ye Jing, as the general manager of Future Films, personally handed out red envelopes to everyone.

This was what a film company ought to do.

If a movie or TV series sells well, the production company reaps substantial profits, so it should naturally show some appreciation to the key creative team.

And red envelopes were undoubtedly the most appropriate gesture.

After all, a gentleman loves wealth but obtains it in a proper way; no one would refuse a red envelope earned through their own skills.

Especially under such circumstances.

Zhao Fusheng did not attend, instead asking Ye Jing and Jiang Wen to convey his congratulations on his behalf.

On one hand, he genuinely disliked such lively occasions and was unwilling to deal with media reporters.

On the other hand, Zhao Fusheng felt that this was Old Jiang's moment to shine, and his own presence might easily steal the spotlight.

He had no intention of doing such a thing.

Most of the time, Zhao Fusheng had a personality that prioritized others' feelings. He did this often, so much so that it became second nature.

However, after the celebration banquet, the group still gathered for a small get-together.

Of course, that was the next day.

After all, on the first day, Jiang Wen, Ye Jing, and the others all got dead drunk.

Especially Old Jiang; according to Zhou Yun, she never intended to let him come home and simply had her assistant throw Jiang Wen into a hotel.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng could understand Jiang Wen's situation, given the immense pressure he had been under this time.

In the past, he could make films casually, without caring about box office or reviews, because he had no attachments.

But this time, he was a senior executive at Future Films, and Zhao Fusheng was his close friend, investing over a hundred million yuan for him to make a movie. If the film flopped, it would not only damage Jiang Wen's personal reputation but also potentially affect the company's still-unstable stock price after its recent IPO.

Under such circumstances, it was impossible for Jiang Wen to feel no pressure at all.

That was why he accepted the promotional plans from Zheng Yao and others, cooperated with the company to build his public image, and worked tirelessly to promote the film, even traveling across the country for roadshows, becoming a frequent flyer for two or three months.

The purpose of all this was to prove that he, Jiang Wen, was not an incompetent failure, that he could make films that were both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

Fortunately, he succeeded!

…

…

Zhao Fusheng was genuinely happy for his friend, because Jiang Wen's success meant not only his personal success but also that Future Film, and by extension himself, would make a lot of money.

Of course, this money had not yet reached Future Film's accounts; it still had to go through theater revenue sharing.

This was a long and complicated process that required some time.

But this was normal; the return of funds from theaters was always a lengthy process.

Zhao Fusheng had known this all along.

Future Film had a fairly good relationship with the major theater chains, so they had never encountered a situation where a chain deliberately delayed payment.

If that had happened, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't have minded asking Xue Yuanfang to have a nice chat with them about life and ideals.

"By the way, what are your plans after this shoot?"

Zhao Fusheng asked Jiang Wen this question during a private gathering.

There weren't many people—only the core leadership of Future Group, and no outsiders.

Moreover, Jiang Wen was hosting the banquet to treat Dong Guoxiang, Zheng Yao, and the others; Zhao Fusheng was just a guest.

The reason was simple: during the previous promotion, these people from Future Group had truly put in effort and helped, so Jiang Wen naturally wanted to thank them properly.

Since it was a private gathering, the conversation was much more relaxed, so Zhao Fusheng straightforwardly voiced his doubts to Jiang Wen.

After all, Jiang Wen was now the number one director in the entire company.

Although Ning Hao and Xu Shanzheng had also performed excellently, the fact that "Let the Bullets Fly" had grossed one billion at the box office was a mountain they could not yet cross.

Not to mention Jiang Wen's status in the industry and within the company, which was beyond question.

"I'll take a break for a while."

Jiang Wen, however, was quite calm. He said to Zhao Fusheng, "There's still follow-up work to wrap up at the company. Besides, I've been filming for over a year without spending time with Zhou Yun and the kids. I plan to rest for a while."

That's how it is for directors—once work gets busy, they have no time for family, especially someone like Jiang Wen, who films at a particularly slow pace.

What others could finish in two or three months might take him half a year or more.

And during the filming period, naturally, he couldn't be with his family.

Under these circumstances, now that the movie was finally over, he naturally chose to return to his family and the company.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't surprised by this and nodded in agreement.

To be honest, he also hoped Old Jiang could rest. After all, this wasn't yet the peak of the Chinese film market. If Old Jiang's accumulated reputation and popularity could ferment for a few years, he would gain even more in the future.

Of course, the premise was that he didn't make those messy things, like *Hidden Man* and the like.

To be honest, Peng Yuyan's muscles and Xu Qing's butt were only enjoyed by those with dirty minds. The former could at least show a man's fitness, but the latter—ha, what kind of crap was that?

But Zhao Fusheng also understood that Jiang Wen's films had always been full of his own personality, and changing his mind was no easy task.

If he could be easily changed, he wouldn't be Jiang Wen, but Zhang Yimou.

Fortunately, he still had time now.

At least within the next ten years, Zhao Fusheng believed he could make Jiang Wen understand that his personal style and market demand were two different things.

Unless he didn't intend to make money, he would have to give up something.