Chapter 0992: Empathy

When Zhao Fusheng left Jiang Wen's house, his mood was not as light as his expression suggested.

He didn't really care much about Ye Jing's matter. Although the two had a good relationship, it was only that—good. Zhao Fusheng wouldn't offend the entertainment industry people for Ye Jing, after all, he wasn't Jiang Wen, and their relationship was still one layer short.

But that didn't prevent Zhao Fusheng from feeling empathy, a sense of shared sorrow.

The reason was simple: Future Film and Television.

Barring any surprises, the problem Ye Jing faced would likely confront Future Film and Television before long. Even though he had opened a path using the charity gala, Zhao Fusheng couldn't guarantee how many would grant that favor.

What if someone secretly tripped him up?

After thinking it over, Zhao Fusheng felt that perhaps he should further support the development of Future Film and Television.

At the very least, he needed to help Future Film and Television gain a firm foothold in the entertainment industry.

Of course, this would take time; achieving it overnight was indeed difficult, given Zhao Fusheng's own limited influence in the industry.

Independently running a film and television company—simple to say, but far from easy.

Even in Zhao Fusheng's memory, in his past life, only the duo of Little Steel Cannon and Uncle Ge had that ability. Before Huayi became the top domestic film and television company, they relied on so-called festive New Year films to carve a path through the sluggish box office market, single-handedly lifting Huayi Brothers.

Now, with some deviations in history, Uncle Ge existed but Little Steel Cannon did not. Zhao Fusheng was truly curious how Huayi would recreate the glory he remembered.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed fine. The Wang brothers were quite skilled, and even Zhao Fusheng had to admit they had the bearing of great leaders.

Although Huayi seemed a bit unstable now, its rise was almost inevitable.

The problem now was whether Future Film and Television could establish itself in the film and television circle.

Back then, when Huayi moved from advertising into film and television, they didn't dare venture into movies immediately. Instead, they first invested in a series of TV dramas, accumulating enough experience before formally entering the film industry.

The kind of operation Future Film and Television had pulled off before was, without exaggeration, unprecedented.

That was why Zhao Fusheng was so worried now.

Because today's Future Film and Television, though seemingly flourishing and thriving, was essentially eating from others' bowls and would eventually face the same situation as Ye Jing.

Now, solving this problem would require considerable effort.

When Zhao Fusheng returned home, his face still showed worry, so much so that even Zhang Qian noticed his mood.

“Something wrong?” Zhang Qian asked Zhao Fusheng.

“Not really.” Zhao Fusheng shook his head, then thought for a moment and said to Zhang Qian, “Tell me, when you're on a mission and need to go undercover inside enemy lines, how do you integrate as quickly as possible?”

Zhang Qian was taken aback, frowned, but didn't answer immediately.

“Metaphor, metaphor.” Zhao Fusheng quickly explained, thinking Zhang Qian was bothered by confidentiality rules.

“I know.” Zhang Qian nodded. He understood what Zhao Fusheng meant; he was just organizing his words to explain in a way Zhao Fusheng could understand.

After a long pause, Zhang Qian said seriously, “The hardest part of being an undercover is blending in. The best way to win them over is to make them feel that being with you brings benefits.”

Then he fell silent.

Zhao Fusheng frowned. He knew who Zhang Qian meant by “them.”

After all, the team Zhang Qian and Qian Dongliu had been in was a unit specializing in infiltrating certain regions. The so-called enemies they referred to were all ruthless criminals.

Infiltrating such people was no simple task.

Sometimes, even a slight slip could expose you.

But Zhang Qian's words gave Zhao Fusheng some insight. He suddenly realized that he had been overcomplicating things.

As Zhang Qian said, to infiltrate criminals, the best way was to make them see you as one of their own.

In other words, blend in.

And the best way to blend in was through shared interests.

Once both sides had common interests, they were in the same boat and couldn't escape.

So the problem he needed to solve was how to integrate Future Film and Television into the circle.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, this issue actually had room for maneuver; at the very least, it was not an insurmountable problem.

"Is it about the company?" Zhang Qian asked, seeing Zhao Fusheng lost in thought.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "It seems I need to pay more attention to Future Film and Television lately."

Zhang Qian remained silent. He was never the one to solve problems and knew his role beside Zhao Fusheng—whenever Zhao Fusheng asked him to solve a problem, it usually meant action was imminent.

Fortunately, that situation had not yet arisen.

Zhao Fusheng didn't ask Zhang Qian further but sat there pondering company matters.

He already had a rough direction in mind; if handled properly, it could solve a significant problem.

The current film and television production circle only looked beautiful on the surface. Even giants like Huayi or Bona were often just making a loss for the sake of publicity.

Out of twenty projects invested in a year, at most four or five turned a profit. Overall, breaking even counted as making money.

Under such circumstances, winning these people over seemed difficult but was actually simple.

All Zhao Fusheng had to do was make them money.

So the key to this matter still lay in investment.

The next day, Zhao Fusheng didn't immediately bring this up with Bai Jie. Instead, he first met with Zheng Yao. After discussing the company's recent situation, he finally mentioned Future Film and Television.

"What, do you think there's a problem with Future Film and Television's development now?" Zheng Yao frowned deeply after listening to Zhao Fusheng.

Knowing Zhao Fusheng as she did, he wouldn't have called her out for no reason unless something was really wrong.

Over the years, Zhao Fusheng had rarely intervened even in Future Advertising's development, let alone Future Film and Television.

"It's not a problem, but we didn't consider before that the barriers in the film and television industry might be more serious than you or I thought." Zhao Fusheng sighed, recounted what he'd heard from Jiang Wen about Ye Jing, and finally said with a bitter smile, "Do you think you, I, or Future Advertising's connections in the entertainment circle can compare with Ye Jing's?"

Zheng Yao fell silent. She wasn't crazy—Ye Jing was a major figure in the Beijing circle, and even he was being deliberately suppressed, let alone herself.

Even if Future Advertising had risen to fame in the past two years, it relied on Zhao Fusheng's personal ability, not a truly formidable network.

To put it bluntly, without Zhao Fusheng, Future Advertising's attempt to enter the film and television circle would be nothing but a pipe dream, with a long road ahead.

That was why Zheng Yao had always been cautious about Future Film and Television's business.

Because she knew very well that Future Film and Television had been moving too fast.

"You mean we'll be suppressed too?" Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng after a moment of silence.

This question was crucial. If so, Zheng Yao wouldn't just take it lying down.

Even a clay figurine has a temper, and Future Film and Television was no longer the weakling it once was. Backed by Future Advertising, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to touch it.

That was the confidence, and also the reason Zheng Yao wasn't too panicked.

But Zhao Fusheng didn't see it that way. He considered things more comprehensively than Zheng Yao.

"It's not just suppression—they won't let us play, understand?" Zhao Fusheng patiently explained to Zheng Yao.

"Think about it: if we invest in a film but can't find actors or crew members, what do you think will happen?" Zhao Fusheng said to Zheng Yao.

"How is that possible? I've never heard of..." Zheng Yao instinctively shook her head, but before she could finish, she froze.

A moment later, Zheng Yao's expression turned serious and grave.

She wasn't stupid. In fact, whether due to a woman's innate shrewdness or years of business experience, Zheng Yao was more perceptive than most. Zhao Fusheng had only said half, but she already understood his meaning.

As Zhao Fusheng said, if they didn't openly suppress Future Film and Television but instead excluded it from the film and television circle, that would be a terrifying scenario.

Whether a film or a TV series, relying solely on investment was useless. You needed a script, a director, actors, an entire crew, and even post-production promotion and distribution.

In short, under the current circumstances, if what Zhao Fusheng described really happened, Future Film and Television would indeed face considerable difficulties.

The reason was simple: having been in the industry for too short a time, Future Film and Television couldn't have dedicated signed directors, screenwriters, or actors like other companies. Often, they had to wait for people to come seeking investment.

It was like a wealthy tycoon waving cash, hoping some beggar would come along so he could show his generosity, only to find that the Beggar's Sect elder had put up a sign saying that any beggar who accepted the tycoon's charity could no longer call themselves a disciple of the Beggar's Sect.

Under such circumstances, no matter how rich the tycoon was, he would be shunned by the Beggar's Sect disciples.