Chapter 1743: Tricking Old Jiang

Yu Feihong was sent home by Ye Jing in his car; he had been quite attentive lately, after all, he had made a mistake.

Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen exchanged a smile.

"What a mess this has turned into," Jiang Wen said, shaking his head helplessly.

"Actually, it's not so bad."

Zhao Fusheng said, "After all, for Sister Feihong, it's also a form of training."

Jiang Wen nodded: "That's true. There are many actresses in the circle, but becoming a top-tier one is no easy task."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, looking at Jiang Wen with some surprise.

Seeing his confusion, Jiang Wen explained: "Think about it, the top-tier actresses in the circle either get involved in under-the-table deals, have sugar daddies, marry big directors or producers, or marry wealthy film company bosses. Otherwise, ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent of the time, they can't become top-tier, right?"

Zhao Fusheng was stunned, opened his mouth to refute him, but upon careful thought, it seemed to be true.

They say China is a society of personal connections, and that's absolutely right.

This intricate web of relationships pervades every corner of society, and the entertainment industry is no exception.

Just like years later, in the era of sharing, ride-hailing services like Didi Chuxing emerged. Others might not know, but Zhao Fusheng clearly remembered that Didi's executive president was the biological daughter of Liu Chuanzhi, the big shot from Lenovo.

Heh...

"Surprised?"

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's expression, Jiang Wen couldn't help but laugh and say to him.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with this guy; clearly, he was deliberately provoking him.

"Let me tell you, this kind of thing is very common in the film and television circle. Do you think Zhou Yun and Fan Baobao, if they hadn't married you and me, what kind of people and things would newcomers like them encounter in this circle?"

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's unconvinced look, Jiang Wen simply pulled him aside to chat a bit more.

Zhao Fusheng frowned. Although he was reluctant to believe Jiang Wen's words, he had to admit that there was some truth to them.

In other words, it was an indisputable fact.

New actors, especially new actresses, even if they encounter harassment during auditions, are helpless. Those unspoken rules exist, leaving them with no choice.

Even if exposed, it doesn't matter, because people can't maintain attention and vigilance on this issue forever. Once the heat of the exposure fades, things develop no differently than before.

This is a sad story!

But even Zhao Fusheng himself was powerless to change the harshness of the overall environment.

"Alright, stop overthinking."

Jiang Wen smiled and patted Zhao Fusheng on the shoulder: "I was just speaking casually. At least in Future Films, this kind of thing doesn't exist. You, the protective chairman, have a reputation that keeps no one daring to risk offending you by challenging your bottom line."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then laughed.

He felt a great sense of achievement about this news, as it meant he had changed some people's destinies and helped some through his own efforts.

For him, this feeling was very comfortable, from top to bottom, inside and out.

"By the way, I heard from Ye Jing that you met a male group member from SM Entertainment in Korea?" Jiang Wen and Zhao Fusheng got into the car, and he casually asked Zhao Fusheng.

This was a piece of gossip Jiang Wen had heard from Ye Jing during a casual chat, and he just asked Zhao Fusheng about it now.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, recalling that Han Shi, and said to Jiang Wen: "A very hardworking kid, but he suffered a lot in Korea. I think he should be able to develop back in China, which would better serve our interests."

"Really?"

Jiang Wen looked at Zhao Fusheng with some surprise; it was rare for him to rate a young person so highly.

Zhao Fusheng smiled noncommittally, but in his mind, he recalled his conversation with Han Shi.

It was before Zhao Fusheng was about to return to China; he had specially arranged a private meeting with Han Shi.

...

"Do you plan to return to China?"

Zhao Fusheng asked Han Shi.

Han Shi was startled, then a strange expression crossed his face. He sighed, slowly sat down in front of Zhao Fusheng, his face dark, lost in thought.

"You should know my power. If you want to return to China, just tell me."

Looking at Han Shi, Zhao Fusheng said calmly, "But I have conditions too. After you go back, you must sign with my company."

Han Shi lowered his head, silent for a long time.

After a long while, his voice rang out: "Before debut, it was very tiring, but others were just as tired and hardworking as me. So no matter how hard or exhausting, I could endure it, because what those Koreans could do, I could do too."

Zhao Fusheng looked at Han Shi, his expression turning serious as well.

Han Shi seemed somewhat lost in thought, as if reminiscing, and slowly said, "After debuting, it was still very hard, even more tiring than being a trainee. But others were the same as me, and I kept persisting because they could do it. I didn't want to be looked down upon, to the point of letting down my motherland."

Lifting his head to look at Zhao Fusheng, Han Shi suddenly smiled: "What Koreans can endure, I must endure. What Koreans cannot endure, I must also endure. Because I am Chinese. If I can't endure it, if I can't hold on, those Koreans won't say that Han Shi is incapable; they'll say that we Chinese are incapable. That, I absolutely cannot accept!"

Zhao Fusheng never expected him to say this; he looked at Han Shi in surprise.

"Surprised?" Han Shi looked at Zhao Fusheng. "That I have such awareness."

Zhao Fusheng laughed, looked at Han Shi, and said word by word: "With this awareness of yours, whenever you want to leave SM Entertainment and return to China to develop, you can contact me."

He meant it. For Zhao Fusheng, a market like SM Entertainment was nothing.

Even if Han Shi left Korea, they would still continue their business.

But conversely, if Han Shi returned to China and signed with Future Films, he would certainly bring more profit to Zhao Fusheng.

This kind of choice, Zhao Fusheng knew how to make with his eyes closed.

...

"He really said that?"

Jiang Wen, after listening to Zhao Fusheng's account, asked him with some surprise.

"Yes."

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Later I told Ye Jing that if Han Shi contacts him, he must help. I think this young man is not bad; although he's somewhat mercenary, at least he knows what he wants."

Jiang Wen remained silent.

Zhao Fusheng's words were correct. For a young person, the most important thing is to know what they need.

If they don't even know what they want, then there's basically nothing to look forward to in that person's future.

Some people love fame and fortune, others prefer highbrow art.

Like a certain famous Korean diva, known for being sexy and beautiful, but ended up marrying an extremely ugly husband.

Yet she just liked that person.

"My brother is like a saint untouched by worldly affairs, while all I have left is money. And I'm not just ordinarily rich; I'm super rich."

The female singer got married just like that.

Do what you like, make the choice you want in your heart.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, if a person could live like that, it would undoubtedly be a wonderful thing.

"Interesting."

Jiang Wen rubbed his chin, sitting in the car, and said, "If that's the case, maybe we can groom him when he comes back."

"He doesn't need your grooming." Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes and said, "You don't know Korea. The trainees they produce are all standard idols. Their singing might not be the best, but it's passable. Their dancing might not be top-notch, but it's pleasing to the eye. As for acting skills, there's no helping it."

Pausing, Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly: "They're idol song companies, not idol acting schools. For acting, we'll have to rely on a great director like you to coach him."

"Ah?"

Jiang Wen was taken aback, a look of bewilderment spreading across his face.

He never expected that Zhao Fusheng had been setting him up. Could it be that this guy had planned this from the start?

Seeing Jiang Wen's expression, Zhao Fusheng revealed a motherly smile.

Did this guy really think he told Ye Jing about Han Shi out of the goodness of his heart? He had intended all along to have Jiang Wen handle Han Shi's acting.

Exactly!

Zhao Fusheng was well aware that unless Han Shi was an idiot, he would definitely return to China to develop. After all, how could Korea's tiny territory compare to China's vast market in terms of income and opportunities?

But the problem was, Zhao Fusheng felt that although Han Shi's singing and dancing were passable, his acting was terrible.

To be precise, that guy didn't know how to act.

At times like this, our great Mr. Jiang Wen needed to step in.

As a renowned domestic director and Best Actor, wasn't Jiang Wen's existence precisely to make those fresh-faced newcomers in the film industry realize what a reliable company Future Films was?

Sexy Best Actor, online teaching.

Tsk tsk, thinking of that scene, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but reveal a smug smile.

"What are you smiling at?"

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's expression, Jiang Wen's intuition told him that this guy was brewing some conspiracy.

This was a bit of experience he had summed up after being tricked many times over years of association.

Every time Zhao Fusheng showed that kind of smile, someone was bound to suffer.

Especially when he smiled at him like that, he would definitely get badly tricked.

Thinking of this, Jiang Wen's mood turned gloomy.