Chapter 1852 Night Talk

In fact, both Ye Jing and Zhao Fusheng were well aware that China's film and television industry was about to undergo a major transformation.

This could be felt from the current influx of hot money into the entire industry.

In the past, investing in the film and television industry was seen as a crazy act, and everyone thought that those who did so were just burning money.

Now, however, everyone has set their sights on the entertainment industry, trying to enter this market.

From the earliest nouveau riche to the later coal bosses, and now to the capital circles.

The composition of China's film and television entertainment market has become increasingly complex, and this platform has increasingly resembled a business arena.

Of course, this is a good thing.

Whether it was Zhao Fusheng, Ye Jing, or even others in the industry, they all knew it was a good thing.

"To be honest, sometimes I think, if I hadn't started my own business back then but waited until now..." Ye Jing said, chuckling, "Maybe it would have been a different scene."

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes and glanced sideways at the guy: "Wake up, do you think now is the time when investing a few million or even ten million can get you into film and television?"

Ye Jing fell silent.

He had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was absolutely right; the current film and television circle was no longer something that could be handled with small-scale efforts.

Judging by the growth rate of investment in recent years, to break into the film and television circle, the first requirement was substantial capital; otherwise, you simply couldn't make it work.

"But it's not certain either."

Seeing Ye Jing a bit disappointed, Zhao Fusheng then smiled: "Maybe when online video technology develops, we can shoot movies or TV series specifically for the internet. Then low-budget films might have a fighting chance."

Ye Jing was taken aback, then smiled and shook his head: "Don't talk nonsense. How could such a time come?"

Zhao Fusheng shrugged and said nothing more.

The concepts of web movies and web series hadn't even occurred to anyone at this point. He hoped Ye Jing wouldn't be too surprised when the time came.

After chatting a bit longer, Ye Jing took his leave, and Zhao Fusheng saw him off without further ado.

Sitting in the car, looking at the scenery outside the window, he silently pondered that the future of China's entertainment industry indeed held great potential. Even if he planned to retire, he needed to make proper arrangements.

After all, Fan Baobao loved acting, and Zhao Fusheng had to consider her interests.

When you truly love someone, you understand that you don't just think about yourself; you think even more about your loved one.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, since Fan Baobao loved acting, as her husband, he needed to plan more thoroughly for her. By the same token, Fan Baobao would consider Zhao Fusheng's interests, so when he suggested she join the company, she refused.

Of course, Fan Baobao was different from most actors. Those actors and celebrities needed to rely on personal charm to attract fans, but Fan Baobao didn't need to.

Under the current circumstances, with Zhao Fusheng supporting her from behind, Fan Baobao didn't have to do anything she disliked; she only needed to rely on her acting skills and works to gain the status and awards she desired.

In today's浮躁 society, this was an unparalleled stroke of luck.

It must be noted that in the entertainment industry, the pace was very fast. If artists in the past still had the opportunity to develop and accumulate slowly—remaining unknown for three years and then making a stunning debut—then for today's artists, surviving in the entertainment circle was no easy task.

It was like sailing against the current: if you didn't advance, you would be swept back.

Moreover, this situation would only worsen over time.

What Zhao Fusheng could do was to pave the way as best he could for those around him, hoping everything would go smoothly for them.

...

...

When Zhao Fusheng was away, his daughter was naturally taken care of by his parents. Fan Baobao was now pregnant, and Li Yuan took care of Fan Beibei while accompanying her.

Due to business matters, Zhao's father had to return to Ninghai after the Lantern Festival. Zhao's mother simply took her granddaughter along to go shopping with him and buy some gifts for relatives back home.

Sitting at home, Fan Baobao watched TV dramas out of boredom. That girl Fan Beibei had stayed up half the night watching cartoons and was still sleeping.

Li Yuan peeled an orange for her daughter and said to Fan Baobao, "Baobao, I heard Fusheng say the other day that you plan to go out and act after giving birth?"

"Yes."

Fan Baobao nodded: "It's not exactly acting; I mainly want to perform in stage plays."

"Nonsense!"

Li Yuan glared at her daughter and said crossly, "You're already a mother of two. What acting? Instead of staying home to take care of your husband and children, you're always thinking about going out and fooling around!"

"Mom..." Fan Baobao was completely taken aback, never expecting her mother to bring this up privately.

But Li Yuan said sternly, "You and Fusheng grew up together. Your in-laws treat you like their own daughter, so naturally they won't say anything. But if I, as your mother, don't speak up, people will think our family lacks upbringing. No matter how much money Fusheng has, as long as you're happy, that's fine. But some division of roles must be clear: he earns money to support the family, and you must take care of household matters."

"Heh..." Fan Baobao smiled wryly at her mother: "What era is this?"

Li Yuan shook her head. “This has nothing to do with the times. If you had the ability, like Fusheng, to build a fortune with your bare hands, I wouldn’t say a word. Nowadays, even though women don’t necessarily have to stay home doing housework and raising kids, you have to understand that there should still be a hierarchy in the family, right? Fusheng’s business is so big. If you go out all day being an entertainer, do you think that would look good for him?”

Fan Baobao furrowed her delicate brows, pouted, and said defiantly, “But that’s my interest…”

“Interests can change.”

Li Yuan said earnestly, “Think about it. If you perform, acting as someone’s lover or getting involved in some scandal, wouldn’t Fusheng become a laughingstock?”

Fan Baobao was stunned, but upon careful thought, what her mother said really did make sense.

At Zhao Fusheng’s level, face was sometimes very important.

“You, don’t always think about yourself. Sometimes you have to consider Fusheng. He spoils you and never says anything, but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want.”

Li Yuan looked at her daughter and said seriously.

Fan Baobao found it both funny and frustrating, and looked helplessly at her mother. “Really, why are you like this too?”

“Who else?” Li Yuan was a bit surprised.

Fan Baobao said helplessly, “Zhou Yun, Sister Feihong… all the people around me usually say that to me.”

Li Yuan smiled faintly. “What do you know? That’s called ‘the bystander sees clearly.’ Mom tells you, the most important thing in choosing a man is your judgment. The person you chose—everyone around thinks he’s great—that means your judgment matches most people’s. Don’t believe that truth is only in the hands of a few. For a woman, marriage is more important than anything else. No matter how independent you are, at this point it’s still in the man’s hands. Finding a man like this, one you can entrust your life to and who dotes on you completely—do you know how many women envy that?”

As she spoke, she tapped Fan Baobao’s head. “You silly girl, you’re about to have your second child and you still haven’t figured it out. A husband like Fusheng—where else can you find another? If you keep messing around, believe me, I’ll straighten you out!”

“Alright, alright.”

Fan Baobao looked resigned. “I know, I’ll listen to you, okay?”

Li Yuan nodded in satisfaction, patted her daughter’s shoulder, and smiled, but said nothing more.

……

……

“So, you called me just to complain?”

Zhao Fusheng, who had arrived in Xichuan, answered Fan Baobao’s call and was speechless. What did this have to do with him?

“It’s all your fault. If it weren’t for you, would my mom have said all that to me?”

Fan Baobao snorted.

Zhao Fusheng laughed. “I’m really being wronged here.”

“Anyway, I don’t care. If I’m unhappy in the future, I’ll take it out on you,” Fan Baobao said through gritted teeth.

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily and quickly agreed, “Alright, alright. Whatever you want, do as you please.”

“That’s more like it.”

Fan Baobao nodded in satisfaction. For her, Zhao Fusheng’s attitude was the most important thing.

They chatted for a while longer before Fan Baobao hung up.

“Your wife?”

Jiang Wen pushed the door open and happened to hear Zhao Fusheng saying goodbye to Fan Baobao. He asked with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. “Yeah, she’s pregnant, so she likes talking to me more now.”

“Women are all like that.”

Old Jiang smiled.

“What’s up? Something on your mind?” Zhao Fusheng asked casually after he sat down.

“Yeah.”

Jiang Wen didn’t beat around the bush and said directly to Zhao Fusheng, “Ye Jing mentioned the film base project to me. I think, maybe we should be more cautious?”

According to Jiang Wen’s original plan, an investment of a few million would have been enough. But according to the plan Ye Jing and Zhao Fusheng had discussed, the investment would need to be at least a hundred million.

That was no small sum!

Although Jiang Wen was usually easygoing, when it came to film-related matters, he was quite meticulous. He knew better than anyone that if a film base were actually built, it would involve far too many things.

Zhao Fusheng hadn’t originally intended to invest in a film base; it was purely Jiang Wen’s idea. If the investment failed, Jiang Wen felt he would have let down his friend.

He didn’t want Zhao Fusheng to make a wrong decision because of their friendship.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. Even if he didn’t know exactly what Jiang Wen was thinking, he could guess most of it.

Old Jiang was like that—always overthinking things. Or rather, his on-screen persona and real life were two extremes.

On screen, Jiang Wen was bold and generous. In real life, although Old Jiang was also somewhat careless, when it came to people close to him, he could be as delicate as a woman.