Chapter 0642: Letting Go

The National Day holiday had just begun, and Zhao Fusheng's mood had improved considerably.

He had been away from Ninghai for nearly a month now. A month—not too long, not too short—at least enough time for him to view many things with a calmer mindset.

The fire at Hongqi Middle School never did break out. Whether Wang Xiaorong had been awakened by his words or had other thoughts in mind, the wheel of history had quietly turned at some fork in the road, and certain things had simply slipped away.

Sitting in the car on the way back, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help recalling the trajectory of his past life. Back then, he had struggled desperately for success, only to end up bowing his head a few years later.

In his youth, he could still say he was striving for a dream. Now, thinking back, it seemed a bit foolish.

As he got out of the car, a cool breeze blew past. Zhao Fusheng pinched his nose, shrugged, and muttered to himself, “Winter is here.”

Indeed, once the National Day holiday passed, winter would arrive.

In the northern countryside, the autumn harvest should have begun by now. As for Ninghai, the schools would probably be bustling with activity—new students on the playground finally starting all kinds of events.

For no particular reason, Zhao Fusheng felt a pang of nostalgia for his university campus.

Though he was now worth a fortune, Zhao Fusheng truly didn't enjoy this kind of life. A wife, children, and a warm bed—that was probably his highest aspiration.

Of course, the prerequisite was having more money than he could spend, so he wouldn't have to worry about food, clothing, shelter, or transportation.

Life was always so vulgar. Even after being reborn, he wasn't some elite. Zhao Fusheng had a clear understanding of himself.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Fusheng took out his phone and dialed a number he hadn't called in a long time.

“I forgive your aunt,” Zhao Fusheng said with a smile, then hung up before the other party could respond.

On the other end of the line, Mu Qingqing looked puzzled. Someone beside her asked curiously, “Qingqing, who was that?”

“No one, just a friend.”

Mu Qingqing shook her head, revealing a captivating smile, then walked aside and dialed her aunt's number.

“Aunt, Zhao Fusheng just called me,” Mu Qingqing said directly.

“Oh? What did he say?” Mu Qingwan was a bit surprised. Last time, even Wang Zhonglei's intervention hadn't made Zhao Fusheng relent. She had already planned to shut down the record company.

After all, if Zhao Fusheng didn't nod, Wang Zhonglei wouldn't offend him for her sake.

She had heard from Wang Zhonglei that Huayi had recently started another collaboration with Zhao Fusheng.

“Nothing much. He just told me he forgives you,” Mu Qingqing said.

“Really?” Mu Qingwan shot up from her chair. “He really said that?”

“Mm. Aunt, did you see him in Beijing this time?” Mu Qingqing asked curiously.

Earlier, she had heard Mu Qingwan mention planning to ask someone to mediate, but there had been no follow-up. She thought her aunt had failed, but now it seemed there had been some effect.

Mu Qingwan gave a bitter smile. “I did see him, but I didn't expect him to be even harder to deal with than we imagined.”

She was telling the truth. She had originally thought Zhao Fusheng was just an ordinary college student with a bit of talent. Unexpectedly, he had connections with Huayi, and even Wang Zhonglei couldn't do anything about him.

But just when she thought all hope was lost, Zhao Fusheng had taken the initiative to say he forgave her.

Mu Qingqing and Mu Qingwan were utterly baffled. They couldn't understand Zhao Fusheng's mindset. What was he after?

What was Zhao Fusheng after?

Heh, he didn't know himself.

He just felt there was no need to keep dragging things out with Mu Qingwan. Or rather, Mu Qingwan wasn't worth him earning a reputation for being petty.

After hanging up, Zhao Fusheng sent Wang Zhonglei a text with just one sentence: “For the record company matter, let's let it go, out of respect for you, President Wang.”

He believed Wang Zhonglei would be very pleased to see that.

Sure enough, a moment later, Wang Zhonglei replied with a “thank you.” Zhao Fusheng knew he had accepted the favor.

People's goodwill knows no class. Even the goodwill of the humblest person should be cherished, for it is one of the greatest gifts heaven bestows upon us. We have few opportunities in life to receive others' goodwill, and when we do, we should treasure them.

Moreover, when such goodwill came from Zhao Fusheng, Wang Zhonglei had no reason to refuse.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng could imagine that Wang Zhonglei must have been very happy to receive his message, since this matter was a matter of face for him.

Men all want to save face in front of women, even to the point of drawing swords or shedding blood. The story of losing one's head for a beauty needs no elaboration.

For Zhao Fusheng, voluntarily letting the other party off and being forced to let them off were two different concepts. The former showed his magnanimity, while the latter seemed somewhat weak.

When he got home and saw the empty living room, Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly.

Wang Qiang had come back to stay for a few days, but as soon as the movie started shooting, he moved straight into the crew's accommodation.

That's right, out of respect for Zhao Fusheng, Jiang Wen had arranged a position as a set assistant for Wang Qiang.

What is a set assistant?

Literally, a set assistant, also called a production assistant or handyman, is equivalent to a stagehand in theater, also known as crew service. They are responsible for daily affairs during the filming process, mainly working under the production director to handle clothing, food, housing, transportation, and other tasks; assist the program assistant in maintaining the on-site environment; cooperate with on-site personnel management and venue support. Tasks include laying tracks for camera dollies, moving shooting platforms, erecting high platforms, placing reflectors and light-blocking screens, doing simple carpentry, and other labor-intensive work.

Under the production manager, several production assistants and set assistants have their own divisions. Some are responsible for vehicle dispatch, some for purchasing and supplying food and drinks, some for financial and accounting matters, and others for handling tickets and various documents for the entire crew.

Depending on the size of the crew, these divisions vary with the number of people. In small crews, one person may handle several tasks at once. Everything depends on the scale of the production.

“Good Dream One Day” was a film crew with a modest investment. The main actors all took friendly rates, the director was a complete newcomer, and the screenwriter, being blacklisted, simply changed his name.

So, Jiang Wen took charge of the set assistant duties and directly inserted Wang Qiang into the role. Though the pay wasn't high, it was still better than being an extra.

Wang Qiang was now obsessed with money. As long as he got paid, he'd do anything, and he happily went off to work as a handyman.

Zhao Fusheng had no objections. In his view, a personality like Wang Qiang's could only benefit from some hardship.

…

…

In the evening, Fan Baobao dragged her tired body home. As soon as she entered, she saw Zhao Fusheng had set several dishes on the table, complete with candles and red wine.

“What's going on?”

Fan Baobao looked at Zhao Fusheng curiously.

This guy rarely did anything so romantic. Though she never said it, what girl didn't want her boyfriend to be a bit romantic? Unfortunately, Zhao Fusheng always scoffed at such things.

“Nothing,” Zhao Fusheng said with a smile. “We're finally home alone together. Can't we have a little time for just the two of us?”

“Heh, did you do something to upset me?” Miss Fan glanced at Zhao Fusheng and said flatly.

Zhao Fusheng fell silent, suddenly feeling that all his efforts had been wasted.

“Come on, confess. Leniency for the honest, severity for the stubborn.” Fan Baobao walked over to the sofa and sat down, looking at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged. “Actually, it's nothing. Old Jiang came to me today and asked if Zhou Yun had a boyfriend.”

Since it had come to this, he might as well tell the truth and save Fan Baobao from being suspicious.

Huh?

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Fan Baobao was stunned, her expression frozen. After a long moment, she looked at Zhao Fusheng and blinked. “Say that again?”

Zhao Fusheng smiled. That was exactly the reaction he wanted.