Chapter 1499: Troublesome Matters

After the news that Zhao Fusheng would serve as the producer of "Crazy Racer" came out, Ning Hao was so happy he almost cried.

The chairman himself acting as producer?

Even Ning Hao's wife, Xing Na, was shocked. She knew Zhao Fusheng's status, but she never imagined that the chairman would value her husband's work to such an extent.

"Yeah, President Ye called me personally," Ning Hao said to Xing Na. "I really didn't expect the chairman to take this film so seriously."

This news was truly astonishing.

It was like an ordinary person opening a restaurant, only to find that among those sending plaques of honor was a big name.

Anyone would be taken aback.

Of course, after the shock, pressure also surged into his heart.

After all, Zhao Fusheng was the chairman of Future Group.

In other words, the boss of a major group company had come to serve as the producer for Ning Hao's film. If something went wrong with the film in the end, whose responsibility would it be?

Clearly, the boss couldn't take the blame.

Naturally, it would be most appropriate for Ning Hao, as the director, to take the fall.

So now, Ning Hao truly felt the pressure.

"Why don't you give the chairman a call?" Xing Na, seeing her husband seemed a bit nervous, couldn't help but whisper.

Ning Hao hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head: "No! I will definitely make the film well and live up to the chairman's expectations."

He was a man with a ruthless streak deep down, otherwise he wouldn't have achieved success. Though the pressure was immense now, Ning Hao felt this might be an opportunity.

After all, with the boss Zhao Fusheng personally overseeing things, at the very least, no one would dare to cause trouble for his crew.

Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and blessing may be a curse.

The old saying still holds some truth.

…

…

Naturally, Zhao Fusheng had no idea how nervous Ning Hao was because of his decision. He had more important matters to deal with.

"This is how things stand now."

Zheng Yao sat before Zhao Fusheng, speaking earnestly: "Overall, although we acquired a few plots of land, our company's progress in the real estate market hasn't been good."

She paused, then said meaningfully: "I have a feeling there's more to this than meets the eye."

More than meets the eye?

Zhao Fusheng raised an eyebrow, looking at Zheng Yao with surprise: "You mean someone is pulling strings behind the scenes?"

Zheng Yao's implication was clear: Future Real Estate Development Company was struggling in the capital, and there must be unknown forces manipulating everything behind the scenes. Otherwise, how could they have money but be unable to spend it, unable even to buy land?

You see, real estate development has a process.

The first step is establishing a real estate development company; the second is project approval and feasibility study; then comes land acquisition, along with supporting municipal development.

Yet Future Real Estate Development Company, despite acquiring a few plots initially, subsequently fell into difficulty. Across the entire capital, they suddenly couldn't buy any land.

"That can't be," Zhao Fusheng said after a moment of silence to Zheng Yao. "Didn't you already buy the headquarters building and such?"

Zheng Yao smiled bitterly. "That's exactly why I suspect there's something wrong."

"What's going on?" Zhao Fusheng asked curiously.

"We can buy developed office buildings and commercial properties, but we can't buy undeveloped land. Don't you find that strange?" Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng.

Although Zhao Fusheng didn't understand real estate development, he wasn't stupid.

One sentence from Zheng Yao made Zhao Fusheng instantly realize that she might be right.

Sometimes, looking at the essence through the surface can reveal the truth.

Just like now, according to Zheng Yao, the Future Group could even buy fully developed office buildings, but couldn't buy a single piece of undeveloped land. This in itself seemed eerie.

Could it be that someone really didn't want to see the Future Group enter the real estate industry?

Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng took a deep breath. "Who do you think it is?"

He was asking about the people causing trouble behind the scenes.

But Zheng Yao shook her head. "It might not be just one party. It's very likely similar to the problem Future Film faced back then."

When Future Film was first established, it encountered a similar situation. The industry had a strong defensive mentality toward new competitors, and almost unanimously chose to boycott Future Film.

During that period, Future Film was just like Future Real Estate now—holding funds but unable to invest in any film or television projects. In the end, Zhao Fusheng, as chairman, had to personally write scripts and choose to cooperate with Hong Kong to get through the crisis.

Now, it seemed it was Future Real Estate's turn to solve this problem.

"What should we do?"

Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng laughed. "You're the CEO of the Future Group, and you're asking me?"

"Hmph, now you remember I'm the CEO," Zheng Yao said irritably. "When you make decisions over my head, Chairman, do you remember you have a CEO like me?"

Zhao Fusheng was momentarily speechless.

That was the downside of close friends—there were no secrets.

Not only was there no mystery, but no matter what he did, she always had a way to rebut him.

"Ahem, let's not discuss this topic," Zhao Fusheng said awkwardly, changing the subject. Then he said to Zheng Yao, "Two options: either we give up the market in the capital, or we go head-to-head with them."

Zheng Yao was silent.

The two answers Zhao Fusheng gave were not unexpected to her.

Or rather, this was essentially a multiple-choice question.

And the one to make the choice could only be Zhao Fusheng, because he was the true owner of the Future Group.

"What do you think our chances are if we choose to go head-to-head with them?" Zhao Fusheng asked with a smile, seeing Zheng Yao silent.

Zheng Yao looked up at Zhao Fusheng and said seriously, "To be honest, there's no chance at all."

Zhao Fusheng was startled, somewhat surprised. "It can't be that bad. We have funds now, and our network isn't much worse. It shouldn't be that bleak, right?"

Zheng Yao shook her head. "I thought so too, but after actually operating, I realized the film and television circle and the real estate industry are ultimately different."

Hearing her say this, Zhao Fusheng's expression finally turned serious.

His earlier somewhat flippant thoughts had now vanished without a trace.

He knew that if Zheng Yao hadn't already made a decision, she wouldn't have said this.