Chapter 0901: A Woman's Heart

Because she inherently disliked socializing, Yu Feihong often gave off a particularly quiet vibe most of the time. She would sit there motionless, like a painting of an ancient lady, appearing so dignified.

But in truth, only she knew that the reason she acted that way was either because she found the other person dreadfully boring, or she was afraid they would find her boring.

In short, people who think highly of themselves are often lonely.

Yu Feihong was someone who enjoyed self-admiration. When interacting with others, if she didn't like the person or the occasion, she would neither tolerate their dullness nor bother to make herself interesting. Thus, silence became her only choice, and she increasingly preferred solitude.

Because solitude was the easiest—no anxiety, no struggle—but she couldn't fool herself forever. Humans were ultimately social animals; the feeling of having no friends was unpleasant.

Having someone nearby, even if they said nothing and just sat quietly, would make her feel much better.

Countless evenings, she would light a cigarette and sit by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the skyline at the edge of the city slowly darken. Her heart felt empty, lonely, desolate, and helpless, as if life were being drained from her body. When the sky turned completely dark, the glass reflected nothing but her own shadow floating in the night, forcing her to face reality. Yu Feihong didn't want to grow old and lonely like this; to her, that was a hundred times more terrifying than death.

Zhao Fusheng's appearance gave her a different feeling. She wanted to escape, afraid of sinking into it and unable to extricate herself, yet she also wanted to stay, afraid of missing a good opportunity and regretting it for life. Cats love fish but can't swim; fish love bait but can't go ashore. Heaven gives many temptations but never lets people obtain them easily. So life is like a dandelion—seemingly free but actually helpless.

But fortunately, Yu Feihong was a person with strong self-control. After confirming that there was no possibility between her and Zhao Fusheng, she decisively chose the best solution for both of them.

And her choice, proven by time, was good for everyone.

Now, she had become like a sister to Zhao Fusheng, and Yu Feihong felt that was actually quite nice.

Because of this, she cared even more about Zhao Fusheng's affairs. So when she heard that Zhao Fusheng really intended to confront Ma Dajun head-on, Yu Feihong grew worried.

Zhao Fusheng had vaguely sensed something before, after all, given his psychological age. Even though Yu Feihong concealed it well, he still had an inkling unconsciously.

But later, Yu Feihong's self-regulation ability was strong, and she was good at hiding her emotions, so Zhao Fusheng was happy to pretend nothing had happened.

In fact, he also understood that the reason Yu Feihong had feelings for him was largely because he had appeared by her side during her depression. If someone else had shown up, she would have developed feelings for that person too.

It was human instinct to unconsciously develop dependence on someone who saves you.

For this reason, Zhao Fusheng truly regarded Yu Feihong as a sister.

So when Yu Feihong asked if he really intended to confront Ma Dajun head-on, Zhao Fusheng advised her not to get too close to the Beijing circle.

Where there are people, there are factions and circles—this is an indisputable fact.

The Beijing circle was the same. On the surface, it seemed harmonious, but in reality, everyone had their own interests. In short, those big shots were also human; they had things they wanted to do and goals they wanted to achieve. If they truly had no desires, why would they stay in this circle? They might as well quit the entertainment industry.

Not to mention others, Zhao Baogang was dedicated to making TV series, and Zheng Xiaolong was the same. These two seemed harmonious now, but who could guarantee they wouldn't have conflicts in the future?

Also, Ma Dajun's actions this time seemed unintentional, but who could guarantee it wasn't the result of someone instigating behind the scenes?

After all, among the big shots in the Beijing circle, Ye Jing had always been low-key, making films purely for fun. Jiang Wen's personality might easily offend people, but don't forget, his contract with Huayi was about to expire.

Zhao Fusheng never hesitated to judge others with the worst intentions, because he knew very well that placing hope in others was a very foolish thing.

Yu Feihong clearly understood Zhao Fusheng's words. In fact, she was very smart and had vaguely sensed some of the current situations within the Beijing circle, but no one had ever directly pointed them out to her.

"According to you, this circle will fall apart in the future?"

After a long while, Yu Feihong looked up at Zhao Fusheng and said hoarsely.

Zhao Fusheng smiled slightly: "Silly sister, do you think the film and television circle will stay lukewarm forever? Do you believe that in a few years, as the economy becomes more developed, more and more capital will flood into the circle? Then it won't be the so-called Beijing circle that makes someone popular, but the bosses."

He wasn't joking; he was stating a fact.

In his past life, Zhao Fusheng knew a senior screenwriter from the circle. After a drinking session one time, perhaps because he had drunk a bit, he spoke casually and told them, outsiders, some stories that everyone in the circle knew but kept silent about.

"You know, when I first entered the industry, investors would discuss scripts with screenwriters, usually in foot massage parlors—talking while getting a foot massage—or in nightclubs. Even today, I still miss the days when coal bosses were investors. They were really good."

That senior was surnamed Wang; Zhao Fusheng called him Brother Wang. When he mentioned this, everyone laughed, and someone asked playfully, "Brother Wang, didn't you call for a美女?"

Brother Wang smiled: "You don't understand. Although the boss didn't mind calling美女 for us, the problem was we had to maintain a certain posture—a posture of a literati."

"I've dealt with all kinds of investors: coal bosses, real estate developers, and now internet companies. But the best were still the coal bosses. Apart from asking to find actresses, they had no other demands. They never interfered with our creation. An important reason was that in a coal mine, blind interference could cost lives; they had a safety awareness. Seriously, they respected professionals because mining really couldn't be meddled with."

"Real estate developers were okay too; they didn't interfere with creation, but they liked to manage. The worst were internet companies. Once they came in, they had a lot of ideas—big data, various traffic metrics, big IPs—getting more and more absurd. Now the coal industry is also in decline, and we really hope they come back."

"Today's investors are of all kinds. The big problem is they don't know where to save money and waste a lot; while in certain areas, like scripts, they are particularly reluctant to spend. One boss told me, 'I don't believe there isn't a genius like Van Gogh out there waiting for me to discover.' I said, 'You just want to find a screenwriter who writes brilliantly and doesn't charge much.' He said, 'Actually, I just want to find one with better cost performance.' But what he didn't understand was that the most expensive thing is cost performance."

That was the power of capital. In the face of capital, all problems ceased to be problems. As for story quality or actors' acting skills, those weren't issues.

And Yu Feihong clearly wouldn't understand these things. She just felt that Zhao Fusheng's words made some sense, but she didn't know what was wrong.

But regardless, Zhao Fusheng would never harm her—Yu Feihong was sure of that. So she decided to follow her younger brother's advice.

"Alright then, I'll focus on charity from now on," Yu Feihong said after a moment of thought, smiling.

Compared to acting, she now preferred doing the charity work she wanted to do. Seeing the smiling faces of poor children and the elderly filled Yu Feihong's heart with satisfaction, even more than winning awards for her starring films or TV series.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "That's good. If possible, stay away from this circle. Honestly, sis, you don't fit in this circle."

He knew Yu Feihong well; she was indeed out of place in the entertainment industry. It was okay now, but in another ten years, she would truly become an outlier in the circle.

In his memory, because Yu Feihong had been single for many years and rarely appeared in works, she was criticized by many. Of course, there were also more people who liked her.

But Zhao Fusheng still didn't like this sister he admired becoming fodder for gossip, or having to endure boring questions from certain greasy middle-aged men during interviews.

"Alright, I know what I'm doing." Yu Feihong shot him a glance, always feeling that he habitually treated her like a child.

But she had to admit, that feeling was really nice.

"By the way, do you want to help me turn that story into a script?" Yu Feihong suddenly remembered something and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng blinked, a bit surprised, then recalled it should be "If There Is a Next Life." He quickly shook his head: "Forget it. I'm not good at that kind of story. You take your time figuring it out yourself. When you feel it's ready to shoot, let me know. We'll discuss how much money is needed or what actors to find."

Yu Feihong's expression immediately dimmed. She thought Zhao Fusheng didn't think the story was suitable for adaptation into a film.

Zhao Fusheng sighed at the sight: "Sis, it's not that I don't think the story is good, but this kind of art film might win awards, but the box office definitely won't be high. Honestly, I doubt you can even get investment."

Hearing this, Yu Feihong's expression changed instantly. She stared at Zhao Fusheng and said, "Do you dare to make a bet with me?"