Chapter 0030: Good Wine Needs No Bush

Most of the time, what people express is not the content of what they say, but a longing to be understood and recognized. More precisely, it is a desire to escape a certain feeling close to loneliness.

You see, when people connect, what can be spoken is often only a fragment of time, a matter or two of human relationships. What can be said is never the deepest loneliness within.

Zhao Fusheng was such a person.

He was lonely, he was lost. Reincarnated into this world, he strove to prove that he had once been here, had once left a trace, and so he craved success.

And now, he had finally taken the first step toward success.

In fact, from the very beginning, Zhao Fusheng knew that what he could do was to live in the present and seize every opportunity before him.

Life always involves some failures—taking the wrong road, loving the wrong person, choosing the wrong direction in work, and so on. So when we are halfway through our journey, halfway through our lives, we realize that these are mistakes that cannot be undone or fixed.

At such times, one must summon the courage to cut off one's own arm and bid farewell to the past, so as not to drag the future into it as well.

Cherish every encounter, and respect every loss.

Walking back to school, Zhao Fusheng's steps were much lighter.

“You're in a good mood?” Zheng Yao smiled at Zhao Fusheng.

“Aren't you the same?” Zhao Fusheng shrugged and said lightly.

At that moment, a smile hung on his face—a smile belonging to a middle-aged man, its calmness exuding a warmth that only age could brew, fully deserving the phrase “like a spring breeze.”

Zheng Yao's heart felt a warmth for an instant. For some reason, she found Zhao Fusheng's smile very pleasing.

“Since this ad is a success, then as you said, from now on, we are partners,” Zheng Yao said to Zhao Fusheng after some thought.

A person must keep their word. In her view, since she and Zhao Fusheng had made an agreement, she had to abide by it.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. “Okay, I'll handle the planning, you handle the production. No problem?”

“Fine.”

After a moment's hesitation, Zheng Yao asked, “But what should we call our company?”

“Company?” Zhao Fusheng paused for a few seconds, then gently shook his head. “Let's not set up a company for now. It's just you and me, and you haven't even hired anyone yet. Let's just call it a studio.”

Haste makes waste. In Zhao Fusheng's view, there were already too many advertising agencies. At the starting stage, there was no need to spread things too thin—it would only waste money and serve no purpose.

Moreover, a new company that is too large is sometimes not a good thing for employees. After all, the daily work is limited and monotonous. At first, they might feel fresh and enthusiastic, eager to make a big splash, but over time, they would lose that passion and become bored.

In the end, it would still be the company's money wasted.

To be solid, step by step, and develop slowly—that was Zhao Fusheng's idea.

“Okay, I'll listen to you.” Zheng Yao laughed. “I never noticed before that you had such mature thoughts.”

Zhao Fusheng nodded, a warm smile tinged with a hint of loneliness. “It's nothing. Just that when you think about many things, you naturally become mature.”

In fact, he had another sentence left unsaid: When you've suffered enough losses, you naturally understand.

…

…

Everyone needs a process to mature, and it also requires a considerable price.

What Zhao Fusheng had once paid was beyond Zheng Yao's imagination. Even Zheng Yao herself, in some unknown time and space, had paid the price for her own immaturity.

What maturity gives each person is often not only growth but also pain.

“By the way, do you have any ideas about the specific shooting of the ad?” Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng. After all, he was the planner of the entire ad, and many ideas required his guidance.

“No particular ideas. As you saw, I wrote a storyboard-style ad. For shooting, you can just find anyone to film it.” Zhao Fusheng shrugged, then added, “But for the female lead, don't look for a celebrity.”

“Why?”

Zheng Yao didn't understand. Logically, advertising often relied on star power. In other words, the reason celebrity endorsements were valuable was that they could drive consumer groups. For example, if a celebrity endorsed a weight-loss pill, people would think, “Even so-and-so uses this pill, so it must be effective.”

But now, Zhao Fusheng wanted to go against the grain, which left Zheng Yao puzzled.

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly. “It's simple. This ad needs youth, beauty, and innocence. Among the female celebrities, which one do you think has that feel?”

“Well…” Zheng Yao hesitated. She had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was right.

“Also, using celebrities costs too much.” Zhao Fusheng's final remark immediately struck a chord with Zheng Yao. Although Liu Shaomei hadn't directly stated the ad budget, it was certain that it wouldn't be large.

Save where you can.

That was the idea Zheng Yao had settled on during the trip back.

If she hadn't been unfamiliar with filming, she would have even considered directing herself.

“So what do we do?” Zheng Yao frowned slightly. Clearly, while not using celebrities could save a lot on endorsement fees, ordinary people might not gain consumer recognition.

“Go to Ninghai Film Academy.” Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment, hesitated, then said, “Find a girl named Fan Baobao and make her the female lead for the ad. As for payment, give her ten thousand yuan.”

“Huh?”

Zheng Yao looked completely bewildered. Obviously, Zhao Fusheng's request left her clueless as to the reason.

Zhao Fusheng sighed. Although he couldn't reveal his relationship with Fan Baobao, in his view, good wine needs no bush—since the money had to be earned by someone, it might as well go to Fan Baobao.

In fact, in Zhao Fusheng's past life memories, the reason this ad left the deepest impression was that the slogan was very interesting and the female lead was very innocent.

So in Zhao Fusheng's view, the female lead didn't necessarily have to be a celebrity; as long as she was pretty and innocent enough, that would do.

Fan Baobao undoubtedly fit that description.

We are too superficial, so we are willing to use rainy days to set off tragedy. But we forget that there can be a “bolt from the blue.” This is not a blind spot, but rather that we are too fond of seeing the world with our eyes.

“Do you know… that Fan Baobao?” After a long silence, Zheng Yao cautiously asked Zhao Fusheng.

She didn't want to hear anything about things like casting couch.

Zhao Fusheng took one look and knew what the woman was thinking. “She's my neighbor. What are you thinking?”

“Ah, ah, ah.” Caught with her thoughts exposed, Zheng Yao blushed slightly and nodded sheepishly. “Okay, I'll contact her later.”

Even as she said this, in her heart, she became curious about the girl named Fan Baobao.

After all, even if they were childhood sweethearts, a girl that Zhao Fusheng directly named as the ad's female lead still struck her as odd.

Of course, Zheng Yao would never voice this thought.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Fusheng instructed Zheng Yao, “Oh, and don't tell her that I'm the ad's planner.”

“Why?” Zheng Yao was puzzled.

“If she knows, my parents will know. How do you think my parents would view our studio?” Zhao Fusheng said irritably.

Zheng Yao blinked and decided to follow Zhao Fusheng's advice and keep the secret.

Are you kidding? This was 1999. If Zhao Fusheng's parents found out that she, a respectable university teacher, was doing business with their son, a student, to make extra money, they would likely come knocking on her door.

The two discussed a few more specifics before parting ways—Zheng Yao went back to the office, and Zhao Fusheng returned to the dormitory.

But just as he arrived at the dormitory building, Zhao Fusheng encountered an unexpected person…