Chapter 0858 Heart Aflutter

As it turned out, Liu Dehua's thinking was correct.

Zhang Guorong quickly finished reading the story, and then he stood there frozen.

Brother was a sensitive person—well, to put it bluntly, narrow-minded.

That's not to say he was mean; rather, people like him tended to be obsessive. Especially when reading such stories, he would unconsciously project himself into the role and see himself as the protagonist.

For an actor, that meant he was prone to getting immersed in a role.

Take Zhang Guorong, for example—he was that kind of person, often losing himself in the characters he played, unable to extricate himself.

And now, as Zhang Guorong looked at the story in his hands, he began to get drawn into it.

He felt that this was the story of him and Tang Hede.

"Mrs. Chen, I need to call Huazai," Zhang Guorong looked up and said to Chen Shufen.

Seeing his reaction, Chen Shufen knew he was intrigued.

In fact, in recent years, Zhang Guorong had rarely shown such eagerness to star in a film. The last time he reacted this way was when he was filming Farewell My Concubine.

After that, Zhang Guorong's passion for acting had waned considerably.

Once a person has experienced much, many things become trivial.

As the saying goes, watch the flowers bloom and fall before the courtyard, the clouds roll and unfurl. Although Zhang Guorong could not yet remain unmoved by favor or disgrace, he had indeed seen too much worldly splendor.

"Alright, I'll contact him right away," Chen Shufen nodded.

She rarely questioned Zhang Guorong's decisions. After years of friendship, they had that tacit understanding.

Sometimes, even before Zhang Guorong spoke, Chen Shufen already knew what he was thinking. Perhaps that was what true confidants were like.

Zhang Guorong had said publicly more than once: "Behind me is a woman who has greatly helped my career—that woman is Chen Shufen." After he began his entertainment career by participating in a singing competition in 1977, he acted in a few films like The Drummer but didn't attract much attention. In 1982, by chance, Chen Shufen met him.

"When I met him, he was almost a greenhorn starting from scratch. I found him straightforward, warm, and lovely. While others stood still and sang, he danced and sang on stage, just like when he performed the English song 'Red Shoes' in the competition—very lively. Because of that, his image was seen as unconventional. Many people didn't think highly of him, but I felt his voice was unique and full of potential, so I signed him." That was what Chen Shufen said in a later interview. From that moment on, the two formed an indissoluble bond.

The relationship between Chen Shufen and Zhang Guorong was that of manager and artist, but also of friends who stood together through hardships. Out of trust and reliance, when Chen Shufen left Huaxing in 1986, Zhang Guorong followed her without a second thought.

In recent years, Zhang Guorong had first suffered from acid reflux affecting his voice, impacting his recordings. Then he was tormented by depression. Fortunately, last year he starred in Infernal Affairs, which lifted his spirits a bit. Recently, he planned to release an album with his apprentice. Now that he was interested in acting again, Chen Shufen was quite delighted.

As for whether the film's subject matter was sensitive, that was never a concern for Mrs. Chen.

Since we already shot "Happy Together" back then, one more film won't make a difference. Anyway, with Leslie Cheung's name attached, there'll be no shortage of theaters in Hong Kong.

Soon, Florence Chan got in touch with Andy Lau, but after a brief conversation, her expression turned serious.

"What's wrong, Mrs. Chan?" Leslie Cheung, who had been chatting quietly with Daffy Tong, couldn't help asking when he saw her troubled look.

"Well, it's a bit complicated."

Florence Chan looked at Leslie Cheung: "Ten, this manuscript was sent to Andy by a friend of his from the mainland. The person is in Beijing and really hopes you can go there to discuss it."

Leslie Cheung was the tenth child in his family, so those close to him called him Ten.

Hearing Florence Chan's words, Leslie Cheung frowned: "The mainland?"

"Yes. According to Andy, the manuscript was entrusted to him by the screenwriter who wrote 'Infernal Affairs,'" Mrs. Chan said slowly. In fact, if Andy hadn't specifically mentioned that it was from that screenwriter, she wouldn't have paid much attention. After all, last year Leslie Cheung played Chen Wing-yan in 'Infernal Affairs' and received rave reviews in Hong Kong. It was said that the screenwriter had specifically requested him for the role, so they owed him a favor.

"Ha, since it's Mr. Fusheng, I'll go to Beijing then." Leslie Cheung laughed and turned to Daffy Tong: "Daffy, want to come along?"

Daffy Tong tilted his head and looked at him adoringly: "I won't go. I have things to do here. Mrs. Chan can go with you."

Leslie Cheung was taken aback, then his expression dimmed slightly. He knew Daffy wasn't going because of work, but because he didn't want them to appear together and attract paparazzi, which might affect his career.

There was no way around it. No matter how low-key they tried to be, Leslie Cheung was a superstar beloved across Hong Kong and even Asia. Wherever he went, he drew attention.

Being a public figure and a star adored by millions certainly brought glory, but it also meant losing one's privacy.

Perhaps that was the price of fame.

…

…

Zhao Fusheng had no idea that because of him, Leslie, who had never visited the mainland before his death, would come. At the time, he had no choice—his Hong Kong and Macau travel permit couldn't be processed quickly, so he had to ask Andy Lau to deliver the manuscript to Leslie, hoping it would move him.

"Any reply yet?"

"Has Leslie seen the manuscript?"

At home, Zhao Fusheng received calls like this from Dong Chenxi and Bai Jie every day. Later, even Zheng Yao called to ask about it, clearly having heard from the other two.

"The manuscript has been delivered. I asked Andy Lau for help," Zhao Fusheng answered honestly. "As for how Leslie will react, come on, I'm not a fortune-teller. How would I know?"

"Ahem, is that so?" Zheng Yao on the other end of the line seemed to have forgotten how urgently she had been pressing him just moments ago, and put on a ladylike tone: "In that case, if Leslie gets back to you, let me know immediately. As the company's leader, since Future Film is launching such a big project, I need to stay on top of it."

Holding the phone, Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes, silently cursing.

Only a fool would believe such a lame excuse. Women are naturally duplicitous creatures. If Zhao Fusheng believed her, he'd be the fool.