Chapter 0137: The Request

Beijing, this city, carries the dreams of countless people, along with the tears after those dreams shatter.

Having spent many years in the entertainment industry, Wang Jinghua had seen many young people with dreams, driven by passion, wanting to make a name for themselves in the capital. But in the end, either their dreams were shattered and they left in despair, or they simply gave up and chose to sink into the depths of this circle.

Even she herself had gone through low points to get where she is today.

Even now, as a fairly well-known agent in the circle, Wang Jinghua's income wasn't actually that high. After deducting expenses for greasing the wheels in various relationships, she couldn't even afford a car.

But she always firmly believed that as long as she treated her artists well and paved the way for them, then one day, the returns she would get would be beyond imagination.

Even so, Wang Jinghua never expected that Zhao Fusheng would give her such a surprise.

"Creative director of Future Advertising?" Wang Jinghua stared at Zhao Fusheng in disbelief, completely unable to believe it—or, to be more precise, she simply couldn't connect this young man, who was clearly still in college, with the creative director of an advertising company.

The reason was simple: Zhao Fusheng was too young.

So young that it was hard to believe what he said was true.

Letting out a soft sigh, Zhao Fusheng felt helpless. He especially admired the male protagonists in certain time-travel novels—barely in their teens or twenties, they could effortlessly sit before a group of adults in their thirties or forties and speak with ease. Unlike himself, who had to hide the money he earned for his family, afraid his parents wouldn't believe him and would give him a double-team beating.

The protagonists in those novels, whether selling lobster or opening a factory, seemed to open their mouths and others would believe them. The most amazing part was that readers actually believed it too—he had no idea what they were thinking.

As for himself, the Wang Jinghua in front of him clearly didn't believe his words, and her suspicious gaze had already betrayed her thoughts—she was doubting his identity.

Sighing, Zhao Fusheng looked seriously at Wang Jinghua: "Sister Hua, do you think I'm lying?"

"No, no, I didn't mean that." Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Wang Jinghua waved her hand repeatedly: "Don't misunderstand, Xiao Zhao, I'm just a bit incredulous."

Zhao Fusheng shrugged: "I understand what you mean. You think that many people might not become the creative director of an advertising company even after ten years of hard work, and I haven't even graduated from college yet—it's a bit hard to believe, isn't it?"

Wang Jinghua was taken aback, then laughed: "Exactly. Although I'm not sure about the scale of Future Advertising, the fact that you can mention it so confidently makes me curious."

"Sister Hua, if hard work were really enough, what would be the use of genius?" Zhao Fusheng said calmly. "If I remember correctly, you thought our Baobao had potential to become popular because of the ad for Rungshengyuan Qingzui Lozenges, right?"

"That's right." Wang Jinghua nodded, then thought of a possibility and looked at Zhao Fusheng in surprise: "Don't tell me that ad..."

"Well, if you look closely at that ad, you'll see that the producer is Future Advertising." Zhao Fusheng said calmly. "And you can ask around—we just secured the production rights for the Brain Gold ad. Barring any surprises, it will air on eight CCTV channels during the New Year period."

Then, pointing to himself, he added: "By the way, I was the planner for both ads."

People don't strive for knowledge without making mistakes; they don't care about health without getting sick. Humiliation and pain are always the truest driving forces against our inertia. Compared to others' encouragement and the temptation of desire, they are deeper, more lasting, and like a fishbone stuck in the throat.

In his previous life, Zhao Fusheng had failed many times, so he wouldn't miss any opportunity for success. Others might not know who Wang Jinghua was, but Zhao Fusheng knew very well. If he could help Fan Baobao board Wang Jinghua's big ship, her path in the entertainment industry would be much smoother in the future. After all, Wang Jinghua was famously protective of her artists, treating them exceptionally well. When fighting for their benefits, she had a fierce, mother-hen-like drive. It was said she would be meticulous down to hotel standards, the number of assistants, and even the temperature of bathwater. In an era when other parts of the industry were still underdeveloped and stars were the only competitive resource, serving the stars well and keeping them satisfied was the top priority. She also had a good eye when choosing roles.

That was why she later earned the title of the country's top agent.

After all, any star actor wants an agent who considers their interests and stands by their side.

That was why Zhao Fusheng was willing to meet Wang Jinghua. It was no exaggeration to say that if it had been someone else, he might have had to think twice. Without him by her side, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't easily let Fan Baobao venture into Beijing alone.

To him, Fan Baobao was his childhood sweetheart, someone he had grown up with. In his previous life, he had been powerless regarding the Fan family's affairs. Now that he had the ability, Zhao Fusheng truly didn't want Fan Baobao to repeat the same mistakes.

"You're not joking, are you?" Wang Jinghua looked at Zhao Fusheng. After he said that last sentence, she felt that either she had encountered a super con artist today, or she was incredibly lucky and had struck gold.

Originally, she had thought about signing a new actor as a backup, but she hadn't expected to land a big fish.

Outsiders might not understand the relationship between stars and ads, but Wang Jinghua knew it well. Compared to filming, which could take months or even most of a year of hard work, shooting an ad only took a few days but brought in a large endorsement fee, plus frequent TV exposure. Which was more beneficial to a star was obvious.

"I don't think there's any need to joke about this, is there?" Zhao Fusheng smiled at Wang Jinghua.

Wang Jinghua also laughed: "Right, right, that's true."

Then, looking at Zhao Fusheng, she said: "From now on, please take good care of me."

Standing up, Zhao Fusheng extended his hand to Wang Jinghua: "Let's have a pleasant cooperation."

People say that once someone becomes famous overnight, everything goes smoothly as if they've activated a cheat code. But in Zhao Fusheng's view, the so-called life cheat code is, in essence, the result of accumulated effort.

In Zhao Fusheng's memory, actors like Zhang Hanyu, Zhang Jiayi, and Wu Xiubo, who achieved success later in life, all experienced a long period of obscurity before becoming famous. During that time, they learned a great deal. Although life was hard, once they got an opportunity, they seized it decisively and never looked back.

Zhao Fusheng himself was the same. In his view, the experience and insight from his previous life were his capital.

"By the way, when should we call Baobao over to sign the contract?" Wang Jinghua said to Zhao Fusheng with a smile. To avoid any delays, she thought it better to finalize things.

Fan Baobao was already in college, so she was an adult. Since her parents agreed to let Zhao Fusheng make the decisions, she naturally had no objections.

Zhao Fusheng thought about it and agreed with Wang Jinghua. He dialed the phone in Fan Baobao's dormitory.

"Come out, sign the contract. I've already settled it." Zhao Fusheng said this into the receiver and then hung up.

He knew Fan Baobao too well. If he didn't hang up, she would definitely chatter on and on.

"You two have a really good relationship." Wang Jinghua said with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then shook his head: "Sister Hua, while she hasn't arrived yet, there are a few things I need to discuss with you."

"Go ahead." Seeing Zhao Fusheng's serious expression, Wang Jinghua also became attentive.

"Baobao's family situation is a bit special..." Zhao Fusheng then introduced the Fan family's circumstances, and finally said: "So, her mother and sister are currently living with my family. My parents and her mother all hope that the two of us will end up together. Um, for now, I'm considered her fiancé."

"Ah?"

Wang Jinghua was dumbfounded, feeling as if she had just heard a TV drama script.

Seeing her reaction, Zhao Fusheng knew Wang Jinghua hadn't processed it yet. After a moment's thought, he continued: "Also, Baobao doesn't know about my identity as an ad designer, nor does she know that I specifically chose her for the Qingzui Lozenges ad. So I hope you can keep it a secret for me, okay?"

Wang Jinghua was silent for a long time. After a while, she took a deep look at Zhao Fusheng and slowly nodded: "Alright, I agree."

Pausing, she added: "But you have to agree to one condition too."

Zhao Fusheng narrowed his eyes and looked at Wang Jinghua: "Please go ahead, Sister Hua."