Chapter 0859 Speaking Bluntly

"Why do you plan to shoot this story?"

That was the first sentence Zhao Fusheng heard from Zhang Guorong when they met.

The travel-worn elder brother, accompanied by Chen Tai, arrived in the capital and contacted Zhao Fusheng immediately.

Zhao Fusheng naturally dared not be negligent. After receiving the call, he phoned Dong Chenxi and Bai Jie, gathered the two of them, and hurried to the hotel where Zhang Guorong was staying.

Although the two women were excited, they managed to control their emotions and did not make the idiotic move of rushing over to ask for autographs upon meeting, but the admiration in their eyes was unmistakable.

Chen Tai sat there nonchalantly. Apart from greeting Zhao Fusheng and the others at the start, she showed no urgency, letting Zhang Guorong speak for himself while she remained as steady as a mountain.

When Zhao Fusheng heard that question, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhang Guorong, only to find him wearing a serious expression.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Fusheng said indifferently, "To make money."

"Huh?"

"Oh dear..." Dong Chenxi and Bai Jie quickly tugged at Zhao Fusheng, thinking that even if he didn't say it was for the art of cinema, he should at least say he was moved by the story—how could he directly say it was for money?

Even Chen Tai frowned, looking at Zhao Fusheng with some displeasure.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged, but had no intention of changing his words. Instead, he looked at Zhang Guorong with a half-smile.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Guorong did not fly into a rage, but continued to ask, "Then what do you think of me? Or rather, what do you think of this story?"

What he asked was naturally Zhao Fusheng's view on the content of "Capital Story," or rather, on Zhang Guorong's public coming out.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Everyone has the right to choose their own way of life. For example, Brother, you are a star. You chose the profession of actor and singer, so naturally you gave up your privacy, because public figures have no privacy. And I chose to be a businessman, so naturally I aim to maximize profit, isn't that so?"

"Life inherently has no debts. Others give to you because they like you; you give to others because you are willing. Affection comes from willingness; when things are done, there is no regret."

As he spoke, Zhao Fusheng took a deep look at Zhang Guorong and slowly said, "In this era where even cemeteries are graded, there is only one place where people can be equal, free, and pursue happiness."

"What place?" Zhang Guorong asked subconsciously.

Zhao Fusheng smiled calmly: "It's written in the book: a place without burial."

"Hahahaha..." Zhang Guorong suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears almost came out, leaving the three women who had been quietly listening to their conversation utterly bewildered, not knowing what was wrong with him.

But Zhao Fusheng silently sighed in his heart. He knew very well that at this time, Zhang Guorong had actually begun to slowly tire of the world.

Because of his relationship with Tang Hede, Zhang Guorong had been under tremendous psychological pressure. Every day he had to constantly evade the paparazzi, yet he could do nothing about them. So-called freedom of the press gave those paparazzi the capital to act recklessly, while as a star, he had no way to fight back.

Enduring such pressure for a long time, coupled with suffering from depression, Zhang Guorong finally couldn't bear the burden and, a year later, chose to leap from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

"Chen Tai, ladies, can I have a private word with Fusheng?"

At this moment, Zhang Guorong finally stopped his wild laughter, composed his expression, and said calmly to Chen Shufen, Dong Chenxi, and the others.

Although the women were puzzled, they nodded in agreement and got up to leave the room.

Before leaving, Dong Chenxi even winked at Zhao Fusheng, naturally signaling him not to speak carelessly, lest he provoke Zhang Guorong—if this big brother got angry and refused to act, it would be trouble.

But Zhao Fusheng smiled nonchalantly. In his view, Zhang Guorong probably wasn't here to discuss the script at all.

"You know, sometimes living is really a very difficult thing." Seeing that only he and Zhao Fusheng were left in the room, Zhang Guorong suddenly said to Zhao Fusheng.

"But if you weren't here, your family and friends would be very sad, I think." Zhao Fusheng's heart tightened. Recalling Zhang Guorong's actions a year later, he quickly spoke.

"Heh, without those family and friends, perhaps I would have long been unable to speak with you like this." Zhang Guorong said calmly to Zhao Fusheng: "You know, sometimes I think, is living like being a robot? Eating and drinking are all pre-set programs. The reason I'm still alive is that I'm actually a puppet controlled by others..."

Zhao Fusheng frowned deeply. He wasn't a psychologist, but he could tell that Zhang Guorong's current state was very bad.

"Some people are afraid of others not liking them, some might be afraid of heights, some might be afraid of death. But for me, a large part of my life is fear of myself. I fear the truth, I fear honesty, I fear vulnerability. This fear makes me feel like I'm being cornered with only one way out."

Zhang Guorong slowly spoke his innermost thoughts word by word, but this made Zhao Fusheng feel increasingly fearful.

Many depression patients appear normal on the surface, some even very outgoing. But this is not their true selves; it's just the facade they work hard to disguise.

Depression patients do not easily reveal their true inner selves to others, and they basically don't speak their minds to others.

This is also why they live so painfully.

Every depression patient is a contradictory individual. Zhao Fusheng had read this in an article in his previous life, and now, seeing it in Zhang Guorong, he felt it was absolutely correct.

The person before him was an individual woven with contradictions.

"Well, are you scared?"

At this moment, Zhang Guorong suddenly smiled at Zhao Fusheng, but this time, Zhao Fusheng could not detect even a hint of happiness in his smile.

It was no exaggeration to say that if Zhao Fusheng hadn't lived two lives, he might have gotten up and left at this moment.

The reason was simple: this Best Actor, this public idol, gave off a very bad feeling. The low state of mind was simply not something that could be faked.

In fact, even if Zhang Guorong jumped from the hotel right now, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't find it strange.

But fortunately, Zhao Fusheng was not a young man in the true sense. The soul within him, though not widely traveled, was certainly resilient enough. So even facing Zhang Guorong in such a state, Zhao Fusheng could still remain calm and composed.

But the problem was, Zhao Fusheng didn't know how to continue this conversation.