Chapter 0244: Average Looks

In this world, most skills ultimately depend on talent to determine superiority; hard work and diligent practice can only turn one into a machine, much like a McDonald's assembly line.

Sometimes Zhao Fusheng would wonder whether his rebirth was arranged by heaven or if fate, seeing his life too twisted, had given him a chance to rebuild his dreams.

He thought about it for a long time but couldn't find an answer, because no one could answer this question, not even himself.

Some people noticed that a new website had suddenly appeared on the wo123 navigation page, with very interesting advertising slogans.

"Bro, come play MyHome..."

"Andy Lau and Tony Leung turn against each other over a house..."

Beneath such slogans was a web link.

Many people clicked out of pure curiosity, only to find after logging in that it was a graphical virtual community.

You could register as a member of the community. The community not only had day and night cycles, but every user had to work for a living; if hungry, you had to farm, then turn the harvest into food to sell for money, and only with money could you survive in the community.

For Chinese netizens, who had never encountered anything like this virtual life, MyHome quickly became a novelty in many people's eyes.

"The first day's registrations were three hundred," Wang Zhen said to Zhao Fusheng.

"Today it's already reached a thousand." Wang Zhen's eyes were bloodshot, his face full of excitement.

"Soon it'll be ten thousand."

By the seventh day, Wang Zhen grabbed Zhao Fusheng: "Tell me, have we already succeeded?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said, "True love fundamentally stems from physiological needs, but because humans are very different from animals, it rises above mere physiological demands. There is emotional satisfaction. Do you know what that means?"

Wang Zhen was stunned, a little confused, not understanding why Zhao Fusheng suddenly brought this up.

Zhao Fusheng looked at him calmly: "In a business plan, the most attractive parts are the selling points and profit points. Selling points are what draw people in; for the advertising industry, finding selling points in a plan is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Profit points, as the name implies, are where the money is made."

"Our community is just a start now. When its registered users break a hundred thousand, people will notice us. As users increase, these users become our commercial value."

Zhao Fusheng smiled at Wang Zhen: "If I were you, I'd go get a good sleep right now, not worry about how many people register or all those messy things, because if you don't have a healthy body, you probably won't last until the site's registrations hit a hundred thousand."

For the sake of this website, Wang Zhen hadn't rested properly in a long time. Although Zhao Fusheng was also worried about whether the site would succeed, he knew better that if they kept pushing like this, Wang Zhen would collapse before the site achieved anything.

It didn't matter if a website failed; Zhao Fusheng felt that with his foreknowledge, he might succeed again sometime. But if he lost this friend, he truly couldn't forgive himself.

A person must have a few trustworthy people in life, otherwise it would be too lonely.

"Alright, I'll rest, I'll rest." Wang Zhen glanced at Zhao Fusheng, and seeing him nod, he walked back to his bed and fell asleep.

Watching his back, Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly, quietly withdrew, and closed the dormitory door.

Wen Yu and Tan Kaixuan should be at the website now. Earlier, Wang Zhen had recruited four senior students from the Computer Science College, paying them six hundred yuan a month to maintain MyHome's servers. But no matter what, they needed their own people there to keep an eye on things.

Today, Zhao Fusheng had sent the two of them over, leaving the dormitory for Wang Zhen to rest well.

Zhao Fusheng walked across the campus, stepping on leaves that were no longer green. Students passed by him from time to time. The city was in the transition between autumn and winter. The November sun was as fragile as the title page of a book, its signature yellowed by time; opening it was autumn, falling from the sky to become the last chapter of the entire book.

"Ring ring ring!"

A phone rang. Glancing at the number, Zhao Fusheng revealed a strange smile and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Brother Hua." Zhao Fusheng's voice was warm, as if the person on the other end was his best friend.

"Fusheng, I have something I want to ask you." On the other end of the line, Heavenly King Liu was no less enthusiastic than Zhao Fusheng. The two chatted like old friends; an outsider would never guess they had only met a few times.

"Brother Hua, I told you last time: the best person for the role of Chan Wing-yan is Tony Leung. But I think the movie you've worked so hard to put together doesn't need to ride on his coattails. Why not let Brother Leslie try? At the very least, if he plays it, it will be nothing but beneficial to you."

Zhao Fusheng walked to a bench with the phone and sat down. It was a bit cold, so he stood up and headed toward a nearby teaching building, where there should be a study room at this hour.

Sure enough, the study room was empty. It was still early, and since everyone was in class, naturally no one was there to study.

Finding a seat in the back, Zhao Fusheng listened to Andy Lau's complaints.

In fact, things had gone smoothly for Andy Lau. After taking the script for "Infernal Affairs" that Zhao Fusheng had given him back to Hong Kong, he quickly gained support from the shareholders of Teamwork Motion Pictures. After all, he was waving the banner of reviving Hong Kong cinema, and moreover, he had investment from Huayi Brothers in the mainland, meaning the film had already entered the mainland market before even being shot.

As for the film's budget, it was estimated at around twenty-five million, which was undoubtedly a large sum in the current Hong Kong market.

"Right now, I can raise some money on my end. President Wang of Huayi is willing to contribute a portion. For the rest, I know people at Media Asia and plan to talk to President Lin." Andy Lau told Zhao Fusheng about the investors, clearly having thought it through.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Then I congratulate Brother Hua on his imminent success."

This matter had nothing to do with him. He had already given the script to Andy Lau; whether he could make a good film was his business. Besides, in Zhao Fusheng's view, if he couldn't even make this film well, then the person he met might be a fake Heavenly King Lau.

"But seriously, Fusheng, do you really think Brother Leslie is suitable for the role of Chan Wing-yan?" Andy Lau hesitated but still asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "To be honest, this role requires a particularly restrained emotional performance. In Hong Kong, I think no one besides Brother Leslie can play it better than Tony Leung."

Then he smiled and said, "You've worked with both of them; you have more say than I do."

Andy Lau gave an awkward laugh but didn't say anything.

Zhao Fusheng knew very well that his relationship with both men was average. If Tony Leung could be considered an enemy, then Leslie Cheung was at most a nodding acquaintance.

Don't be fooled by these celebrities calling each other brothers and acting like they're the best of friends. In private, many never speak to each other again.

At the very least, from the many revelations exposed in later years, Zhao Fusheng clearly knew that in so-called idol boy bands, many members had fought internally.

The reason everyone pretended to be good brothers on the surface was ultimately to satisfy the fans' inner desire for perfection.

To put it bluntly, if not for making money, who would want to live every day wearing a mask?

Seeing Andy Lau silent, Zhao Fusheng knew he had probably already made a decision.

"By the way, Brother Hua, for the role of the police superintendent, I think we could find Francis Ng or Tony Leung Ka-fai. You should be familiar with both, right?" Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Andy Lau.

"Hmm, that's easy. I'm close with Ka-fai; I'll just give him a call." Andy Lau didn't mention Anthony Wong, not because they didn't know each other, but because in this timeline, Zhao Fusheng was the screenwriter. Since he proactively suggested these two, Andy Lau naturally chose between them.

Moreover, both Francis Ng and Tony Leung Ka-fai were famous acting powerhouses in Hong Kong. The latter was a senior who had been famous for years. Even Andy Lau had to admit that his own acting might not be as good.

"I have no further opinions on the rest." Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.

"Oh, for the role of the fool, I'm planning to cast a newcomer in Hong Kong named Louis Koo. What do you think?" Andy Lau suddenly asked Zhao Fusheng before hanging up.

"Louis Koo?" Zhao Fusheng was stunned, then barely suppressed a smile and asked, "Is he handsome?"

"Handsome?"

Andy Lau looked puzzled, then smiled and said, "Ah Lok is okay, average looks, but he seems very likable. He knows how to handle people; Mr. Lam and many bosses have heard of him..."

He rambled on, basically saying that although Louis Koo was currently a hot rising star in Hong Kong, he had no representative works. Joining the cast of "Infernal Affairs" was to gain some credentials.

Zhao Fusheng listened and nodded: "It doesn't matter. If you think he's suitable, go ahead and use him. I'm fine with it."

That was the case. Andy Lau had paid for the script and was willing to discuss it with him because he, as the screenwriter, understood the characters best, but that didn't mean he could interfere with casting.

Sometimes, face is given by others, but also earned by oneself.