Chapter 1342: Approachable Zhao Fusheng

With tacit understanding, no one brought up unpleasant topics at the dinner table; everyone cleverly chatted about various anecdotes from the entertainment circles in Hong Kong and the mainland.

Even Hong Sanmao, who wanted to pay his respects, did not act too eagerly but remained respectful without losing courtesy.

After all, he had his pride to maintain. With so many people at the table, all of whom were his juniors, it would have been very difficult for him to grovel before Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng had no intention of discussing anything with Hong Sanmao. Hong Kong filmmakers were notoriously mercenary, and during this period, they often treated mainland investors as easy marks. No matter how persuasive the other party was, Zhao Fusheng would not easily invest in Hong Kong films.

Besides, he was just here to join the fun today, not to discuss business.

Of course, Wu Jing was an unexpected bonus. Zhao Fusheng knew well that this guy would eventually return to the mainland to develop his career, and perhaps he could lend a hand then.

After all, Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior" series and other films were mostly profitable. Through this connection, he might be able to get a piece of the pie.

With such thoughts in mind, Zhao Fusheng sat at the table, chatting and laughing with Jiang Wen, Hong Sanmao, and the others, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

In fact, many people privately marveled: no wonder he became a billionaire at such a young age; even this approachable demeanor alone was enough to earn admiration.

"By the way, I heard Gu Changwei is preparing to start a new film," Jiang Wen said to Zhao Fusheng while eating.

Gu Changwei?

Zhao Fusheng frowned slightly, then recalled that this guy seemed to be a director from the Northwest circle. He started as a cinematographer, had a good relationship with Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, and his wife was the famous actress Jiang Wenli.

The Northwest circle was also a significant force in China's entertainment industry, mostly from the Xi'an Film Studio. Gu Changwei, Chen Kaige, and Zhang Yimou were all big shots in this circle, including the later bald director Wang Quan'an, who was also part of it.

Additionally, Wang Quan'an's ex-wife, Ms. Zhang, who had a peculiar taste—claiming to be an independent woman while being open to all kinds of men—was rumored to have had an affair with Gu Changwei. And Wang Quan'an and Ms. Jiang were college sweethearts.

In short, the film circle was pretty damn messy too.

"I don't know," Zhao Fusheng shook his head and said to Jiang Wen, "Ye Jing didn't mention it to me. Our company probably won't invest."

It wasn't that he didn't think highly of Gu Changwei, but in Zhao Fusheng's memory, this guy didn't have any representative works.

It was a sad thing to say, but that was the reality.

Jiang Wen opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak.

He was from the Beijing circle and had connections with the Northwest circle, but that didn't mean he would go out of his way to plead for Gu Changwei in front of Zhao Fusheng.

After all, Zhao Fusheng was in business, not about personal relationships.

When Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen spoke, they didn't lower their voices. Neither intended to hide their conversation from Hong Sanmao, who overheard them and felt a chill in his heart.

He had heard of Gu Changwei's reputation; rumor had it that he was definitely a top-tier director in the mainland. If such a person were in Hong Kong, he would be on the level of Wong Kar-wai.

But in the mouth of Chairman Zhao, Gu Changwei seemed no different from an extra.

Awesome!

At that moment, only this thought occupied Hong Sanmao's mind.

His gaze toward Zhao Fusheng grew even more reverent.

After all, this man truly had immense wealth and power.

If it had been an actor from the mainland, they wouldn't have thought much of it—it was normal for Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen to exchange opinions. But Hong Sanmao was from Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was a money-oriented society where everything was measured by wealth.

The most obvious example was Joseph Lau. No matter how wild his antics, he was still considered a tycoon in the eyes of Hong Kong people. As for the scandals with the sandwich sister, the thousand-mile journey, and the queen of the ball, they were just a drop in the bucket.

Actors are heartless, and prostitutes are faithless.

Although Hong Kong paparazzi were indeed detestable, one had to admit that their existence had stripped away the hypocritical masks of Hong Kong artists.

But times change, and people are forgetful, especially the Chinese. Moreover, the internet in the early 21st century wasn't as developed as it later became, so many people's histories were buried.

For example, that White Lady who juggled three men back in the day, or the beautiful Lin who played the two Qins around, later still happily became a goddess, married a businessman, and made money everywhere.

So, for women in Hong Kong's entertainment circle, the first choice was to marry into a wealthy family. Only after failing in their efforts to become a wealthy wife would they consider marrying someone within the circle.

Looking back at the many Hong Kong actresses later hailed as goddesses, in the 1980s and 1990s, which one hadn't played little games with wealthy businessmen?

When it comes to celebrity worship, just look at their looks. Don't be foolish enough to want to give yourself to them. Who knows, the money you spend on buying their albums might be used by them to buy cosmetics to please their little lovers.

……

……

Zhao Fusheng, of course, had no idea that his casual actions had given Hong Sanmao a big fright.

He truly had no interest in the films of that bunch from the northwest.

Aside from the national master, in fact, as far as Zhao Fusheng could recall, those few had no good works.

Of course, it was also possible that his own level of appreciation was insufficient to grasp the humanistic concerns expressed by the great directors in their works. After all, Zhao Fusheng considered himself a vulgar commoner through and through, and the elegance of high art was simply not suited to his style.

In a sense, Zhao Fusheng firmly believed that whether a film was good or not depended on whether it was liked by the public.

Gu Changwei might be a good director, but Zhao Fusheng could not use his own money to satisfy the director's pursuit of artistic ideas.

As he always said, Zhao Fusheng was a businessman; when he invested, he expected returns.

Of course, Zhao Fusheng didn't need to explain this reasoning to others, because those who understood would naturally get it, and those who didn't would pretend not to understand no matter how much he talked.

The hardest thing in the world is to wake someone who is pretending to sleep.

"Brother Sanmao, I've seen many of your works before. To be honest, back then I thought making films was a very easy thing," Zhao Fusheng said to Hong Sanmao with a smile. "Later, when I got to know this circle, I realized that being an actor is really not easy."

Hong Sanmao nodded, holding his wine glass, and said, "You're right. Being an actor is hard, and for us stuntmen, it's even harder..."

As he spoke, he began to tell Zhao Fusheng about his experiences over the years, occasionally pointing out the scars on his body for Zhao Fusheng to see.

It had to be said that being a stuntman was indeed very tough; even Zhao Fusheng, as an onlooker, felt a sense of sadness.

One of the best ways to bring people closer together is a drinking party.

It has always been this way since ancient times, both in China and abroad, and it remains so.

If Zhao Fusheng had sat at the table with a cold and aloof attitude, these people would certainly have feared him, but more than that, there would have been a sense of distance, after all, they belonged to different worlds.

But when Zhao Fusheng showed an approachable demeanor, the shock these people felt was beyond words.

The so-called 'condescending to be courteous to the wise' is praised precisely because the gap in status is there, creating a feeling of insurmountability. And if the person at the top takes the initiative to bend down at that moment, then for those below, the feeling of being valued is easily moving.

"This boss is really a good person."

"Yeah, no airs at all."

"He even nodded at me just now."

A group of people whispered among themselves. Wu Jing listened quietly on the side, feeling very puzzled because he didn't understand what this Boss Zhao wanted to do.

In Wu Jing's understanding, it seemed that apart from the Wang brothers of Huayi, no company boss would get so close to artists.

But the problem was that Huayi Brothers mainly focused on film and television business. This Chairman Zhao, if he hadn't misheard, his business covered venture capital, advertising, real estate, and a series of other industries.

A film and television company was just one of his subsidiaries.

Was it necessary to be so attentive?

After thinking it over, Wu Jing still felt he couldn't understand the thoughts of these big shots.

Maybe that's why he was a big boss while he himself was just an unsuccessful little actor.

It is ordinary people who sustain the existence of this world, but it can only be a small minority of elites who lead humanity forward. This has become a consensus, whether in film and television works or in literary works.

Even the general public has long accepted this.

Therefore, to people like Wu Jing and Hong Sanmao, an authority figure like Zhao Fusheng should be aloof and above them.

The world is what it is, not what you think it is.

Many people don't truly understand until they reach the age of forty that the world often doesn't change much because of oneself. The struggle along the way is not to change the world, but to strive not to be changed by this damn world.

Wu Jing was the kind of person who didn't want to be changed.

He didn't know if Zhao Fusheng was the same, but regardless, the other party was willing to show him goodwill, even giving him a business card and praising him. Wu Jing knew that Zhao Fusheng was helping him.

Although he came from a martial arts background, he was not stupid. Or rather, a truly stupid person couldn't achieve success in professional martial arts.

Wu Jing was smarter than most people; he knew what he needed, which was why he gave up opportunities to act in some random films and TV shows in the mainland and instead went to Hong Kong to seek development.

Life in Hong Kong was not easy for Wu Jing, but he knew that starting from this meal, his life would change.

And all of this was thanks to Zhao Fusheng.