Chapter 1462: Gains and Losses

Knowing when to quit was one of Zhao Fusheng's consistent principles.

He understood well what it meant to go too far; human greed knows no bounds. If one couldn't control their own avaricious thoughts, they would eventually become a puppet of money.

Being a slave to money wasn't terrifying—at worst, you'd just desperately try to earn more. But becoming a puppet of money meant completely losing yourself.

He comforted Tan Kaixuan, inviting him to return to China for a few months when he had time, to witness the birth of his child and become the child's godfather.

Tan Kaixuan gladly agreed; for him, this was more joyful than staying in America for business.

He had always been that kind of person—if something could make him happy, Tan Kaixuan would do it without hesitation, without considering other matters.

That was what Zhao Fusheng admired most about Tan Kaixuan: sometimes, living a purer life actually brought more happiness.

Time passed quickly; half a month went by in a flash, and soon it would be August.

One day, Zhao Fusheng received a call from Jiang Wen, inviting him to watch an art film together.

"You and me... watching a movie?"

Standing dumbfounded at the cinema entrance, Zhao Fusheng looked utterly bewildered.

Clearly, Jiang Wen's move was beyond his comprehension.

Damn it, a man and a woman watching a movie could be understood as a couple; two women could be friends; but two grown men—one already married with a child, the other about to become a father—going to the cinema in broad daylight? What the hell was that about?

If it weren't Jiang Wen who had invited him, Zhao Fusheng would have probably started cursing outright.

Did he really think he was a man of leisure?

Jiang Wen's "The Sun Also Rises" had long left theaters; after all, the cinemas weren't fools. A film with low box office and average attendance usually ran for only two or three weeks, unless the film had great word-of-mouth and explosive box office, like Wu Jing's "Wolf Warrior," which ran for a full two months.

Absolutely unbeatable!

"Come on, it's Old Jia's film," Jiang Wen said, seeing that Zhao Fusheng seemed reluctant to watch a movie, and smiled at him.

Old Jia?

Zhao Fusheng frowned but nodded anyway.

He wasn't very familiar with Jia Zhangke; their interactions had been few. After the "co-optation" incident, they had even less contact. Back when the Future Group hadn't yet been established, Zhao Fusheng had occasionally joined Jiang Wen and those directors for gatherings, but their relationship was merely a gentleman's friendship, as light as water.

Speaking of which, Director Jia was somewhat of a talent. It seemed he never had a sufficient budget for his films. As far as Zhao Fusheng could recall, "Ash Is Purest White" later became the most budgeted film in his directorial career.

Seventy million!

That was already an era when Chinese films often had investments in the hundreds of millions and box office revenues in the billions.

As they say, comparisons can be odious; sometimes that saying holds true.

But regardless, since Jiang Wen had asked, Zhao Fusheng had to go in and take a look.

He bought two tickets, and together with Jiang Wen, they entered the cinema.

…

…

Some art films are plain and unremarkable, drawing highlights from fresh dialogues and the rendering of lines.

Others are grand and sweeping, starting with a rhythm that shocks the audience.

Zhao Fusheng even wondered if this "Still Life" would differ from the version he knew.

But reality proved that reality is reality; nothing unexpected would come out of nowhere.

Many things need sedimentation, accumulation, and fermentation.

Old Jia was still Old Jia; the female lead was unwaveringly his own wife, and the male lead was as ugly as ever.

The plot of "Still Life" was not complicated. In Fengjie County, where the Three Gorges construction was underway, a man and a woman from Shanxi Province arrived.

The man, Han Sanming, from Fenyang, was a honest and simple coal miner. He came to Fengjie to find his wife, whom he hadn't seen for sixteen years. She had been bought with money back then and had run back to Fengjie after giving birth. The search was fraught with twists and turns; Han Sanming decided to stay and work as a laborer until his wife appeared.

The woman, Shen Hong, was a taciturn nurse. She came to Fengjie to find her husband, who hadn't contacted her for two years. Their marriage was already a hollow shell, which she knew well, yet she still wanted him to give her an explanation face to face. Shen Hong's search was also not smooth; her husband was deliberately or unintentionally avoiding her. Though Han Sanming and Shen Hong didn't know each other, they were mysteriously connected by the need to make choices about taking and letting go.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng really didn't like watching this kind of art film. The reason was simple: it was too obscure and required too much brainpower.

Different people seek different things from movies. Zhao Fusheng watched movies for relaxation; his daily life was already tense and exhausting enough. Watching such a heavy film was not a good choice.

The movie ended quickly, and Jiang Wen and Zhao Fusheng walked out of the cinema together.

"This film might be sent to the Venice Film Festival," Jiang Wen suddenly said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, frowned, and glanced at the cigarette in Jiang Wen's hand: "You're smoking quite a lot."

From the start of the movie to the end, the guy had been smoking almost continuously; in that short time, he'd already had four or five cigarettes.

"It's a habit..."

"Habits can be good or bad. You're smoking so much now; I'm afraid you won't live to see your daughter get married."

"Haha, that's too scary, isn't it?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"It's too hard. I've always thought that people who can quit smoking must be really tough on themselves!"

Hearing Jiang Wen's words, Zhao Fusheng felt helpless.

He was turning smoking into philosophy; the guy was so deeply steeped in literary sentiment that he was beyond cure.

"Do you think what I did back then was right or wrong?"

Jiang Wen suddenly asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng frowned and looked at him: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Wen shrugged: "It's just that in recent years, I feel that Old Jia's films don't have the same flavor as before. You know that feeling? It's as if they're gradually losing the things they once fought desperately to protect."

Zhao Fusheng gave Jiang Wen another deep look. He knew that Jiang Wen had finally realized the problem.

The "Seven Gentlemen" incident back then had changed the landscape of Chinese cinema, but at the same time, it had made those directors who had been making banned films and striving to express their own style lose what they originally had.

That's why that madman Lou Ye would rather hide in Hong Kong than stay in the mainland.

In this process, some compromised, while others chose to leave.

As one of the instigators, Jiang Wen had now realized that his actions back then seemed somewhat inappropriate, but Zhao Fusheng had to say that it was all too late.

He glanced at Old Jiang and decided to tell him the truth.

"Old Jiang, you know what? In officialdom, it's common to take an inch and then a mile. As soon as you loosen a little, those officials can tear a big hole. As long as it benefits their careers, they'll do anything. These people don't care about long-term things; they only care about what's in front of them. You need to know that the phrase 'go all out and speed ahead' is the secret to many people's promotions and wealth. We often say 'endure a moment and calm the wind and waves, take a step back and the sky is vast.' But that saying is wrong when applied to people in officialdom."

Zhao Fusheng looked at Jiang Wen and spoke word by word.

Jiang Wen was taken aback, then understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning: "Are you saying we've given in too much?"

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "It's not that you've given in too much, but because what you wanted was to come out from underground into the open. Since that's the case, you inevitably have to compromise with the authorities and pay a price!"

Jiang Wen fell silent. He had to admit that Zhao Fusheng's words were indeed correct.