Chapter 0719 Depth of Character

Sometimes, when you think about it, the poor really do live an uncomfortable life. It's not that they think those rich bastards stand too high, nor that they blame the pretty, spirited women for being too proud. It's just that no matter how hard they try, they can never climb to that position or get into those women's beds.

In the bustling city, neon lights flicker, gold and splendor abound, and people seem to live happily. Zhao Fusheng even wondered sometimes, with a city this big and so many people, how hard was it to climb up, higher than most?

At the very least, it should be harder than the listening test in the college entrance exam, shouldn't it?

In a private room at Tan Family Cuisine, there were not many people: Ye Jing, Yu Feihong, plus Jiang Wen and Zhao Fusheng.

To be precise, they were the four shareholders of Phoenix Film, one of the investors in *The Dream Factory*.

After arriving in Beijing, Zhao Fusheng hadn't gathered with them. Instead, he first busied himself with matters at Future Advertising and spent time with Fan Baobao. Besides, Jiang Wen and Yu Feihong were both busy, so they had only kept in touch by phone and text.

But no one expected that by mid-March, they would receive such a big surprise.

"Come, come, this toast is to Fusheng. Thank you for writing such a great script." Ye Jing raised his glass, his face slightly flushed; it was clear he was in a very good mood.

In the Beijing circle, he was more of a dilettante, not as invested in movies and TV dramas as people like Zheng Xiaolong or Zhao Baogang. But this time, he really hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to give him such a big surprise.

A low-budget film with a total investment of less than five million, spending little even on promotion and distribution, had actually earned nearly forty-three million at the box office. Not only that, but including DVD and other copyright revenues, Phoenix Film, as one of the three investors, would pocket at least five million.

And how much had they invested?

The four of them together had invested one million.

A five hundred percent profit!

For the first time, Ye Jing felt that making money could sometimes be too easy.

In fact, not only Ye Jing, but even Yu Feihong and Jiang Wen were somewhat surprised.

Before, as actors, they didn't know much about investment. Even Jiang Wen, when he first invested, thought he was helping Zhao Fusheng because he was worried the budget wasn't enough. As for Yu Feihong, she simply agreed because Zhao Fusheng asked her to, and she believed he wouldn't harm her.

But they never expected to earn so much.

Apart from Yu Feihong and Jiang Wen, Zhao Fusheng knew he had now initially gained Ye Jing's friendship.

This was very important.

Because whether it was Jiang Wen or Yu Feihong, Zhao Fusheng was sure their relationship with him was closer than with Ye Jing. But Ye Jing's circle involved people and matters of a higher level.

Zhao Fusheng even knew that no matter how good his relationship with Jiang Wen and Yu Feihong was, even after a hundred years, he would never enter Ye Jing's circle.

The reason was simple: they were all children of high-ranking officials.

In other words, different levels naturally meant they couldn't come together.

So Zhao Fusheng needed to use interests to gain Ye Jing's friendship. After all, no matter what kind of friendship, it was like a bottle of liquor: the longer it was sealed, the higher its value. Once uncorked, it might only be enough for one drunkard to binge once—it had to be cherished.

"Brother Ye is too kind. I didn't expect the box office to be so high either." Zhao Fusheng smiled lightly, clinked glasses with them, and took a sip.

Ye Jing laughed heartily: "Who did? You weren't in Beijing. Do you know how we felt every day hearing the box office numbers?"

"Like a roller coaster," Yu Feihong interjected.

"Exactly, like a roller coaster." Ye Jing slapped his thigh: "To be honest, I haven't been this anxious in years. The last time I felt this way was when my old man had an accident."

Zhao Fusheng could tell that Ye Jing was genuinely happy; otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn't have spoken like that.

Many times, what we see is not the truth. The truth is often known only to those involved.

For instance, before this, Ye Jing and Zhao Fusheng seemed to have a good relationship, but only the two of them knew that neither regarded the other as a friend. At best, they just knew each other.

People's psychological safety distance is real. If someone not close enough enters that distance, it will inevitably trigger subconscious resistance. In other words, if you randomly pick a woman on a bus and rest your head on her shoulder, without doing anything else, someone will teach you a lesson in no time, letting you know the consequences.

After this incident, although Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing hadn't reached the point of having no secrets, at least they now shared common interests, and their relationship had grown much closer.

No one is a fool. Although friends who are utterly devoted to each other are worth cherishing, unfortunately, there are too few such people in this world. So friends who can bring you benefits should also be cherished.

"Fusheng, can we continue with this company?"

Ye Jing blinked and said to Zhao Fusheng.

Not just him; in fact, Jiang Wen's mind was also stirring, but he didn't ask.

Zhao Fusheng smiled at this and looked at Yu Feihong: "Sister, what do you think?"

Yu Feihong was startled, seemingly surprised that Zhao Fusheng would ask her, but she thought for a moment and finally said: "I don't mind. You know, I won't have much time for acting in the future. The foundation is getting busier, and I'm afraid I won't have the time."

"It doesn't matter if you don't have time. We can hire someone to manage it. My point is, since the film market is so good now, it would be a shame to miss out." Ye Jing didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his thoughts.

"Yeah, we don't need to mess with all that complicated stuff. Just seize opportunities to invest." Jiang Wen rubbed his chin and said.

Although he was a well-known director and actor before, he hadn't actually made much money. To put it bluntly, the money he earned from this film investment almost equaled his total earnings from the previous decade or so.

Money moves people. With such a big cake in front of them, Jiang Wen couldn't help but be tempted.

Zhao Fusheng's expression was calm. Whether it was Ye Jing or Jiang Wen speaking, he seemed unfazed, sitting there silently.

Just as Jiang Wen and Ye Jing exchanged glances and were about to speak again, Zhao Fusheng suddenly said: "In that case, let's do it."

Hearing this, Ye Jing and Jiang Wen both let out a long breath unconsciously. Meanwhile, Yu Feihong's eyes flashed. The onlooker sees the game best; Jiang Wen and Ye Jing didn't notice, but she alone could perceive that, without realizing it, everyone was being led by the nose by Zhao Fusheng.

"Was everything within his calculations?"

The thought that flashed through Yu Feihong's mind at that moment struck her as absurd, yet she vaguely felt it was only natural.