Chapter 1872: A Dinner Party

Zhao Fusheng was never one to make things difficult for others.

If he could solve a problem himself, he always chose to do so.

Even to this day, that was still his temperament.

Moreover, Zhao Fusheng habitually distrusted financial institutions like banks, so most of the time, he kept enough cash flow on hand.

As it turned out, his approach was not wrong.

At the very least, at this moment, holding a large amount of cash was undoubtedly more valuable than holding a large amount of stock.

After sitting for a while at Future Investment and discussing the company's next moves with Dong Chenxi, Zhao Fusheng finally left.

He had a dinner party today—Zhao Baogang of Xinbaoyuan and the Wang brothers of Huayi, through Jiang Wen and Yu Feihong, wanted to treat Zhao Fusheng to a meal.

Old Jiang and Yu Feihong were near the capital but hadn't made it back yet.

Originally, they had planned to go to Hengdian, but Ye Jing waved his hand and decided to build a film studio near a national forest park near the capital.

Of course, it wasn't a large-scale base like Hengdian; they simply leased a piece of land from Future Real Estate Development and temporarily built a batch of sets.

Even so, such a bold move shook the industry, as no one expected Future Film to have such grand ambitions.

But on second thought, it made sense—after all, with a strong backing, they had money and could do as they pleased.

Nevertheless, this series of moves by Future Film drew attention from other companies.

Zhao Baogang and the others were naturally there to probe for information.

Or, to be more precise, they were there to test the waters.

After all, for these people, Zhao Fusheng's existence was a daunting matter.

…

…

“Chairman Zhao, long time no see.”

“Yes, you seem thinner, Chairman Zhao.”

“I really didn’t expect that.”

A group of people greeted Zhao Fusheng politely. Clearly, at this moment, they knew their place; no one dared to act like a big shot in front of Zhao Fusheng.

“You’re too kind. Please, have a seat.”

Zhao Fusheng didn’t waste words and gestured for them to sit.

Ye Jing accompanied him today. Everyone took their seats as host and guests, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

They were all smart people and knew the purpose of today’s meeting. No one was in a hurry, so they simply chatted about everyday matters.

Big shots were human too, even if everyone present was a top figure in the Chinese entertainment industry.

They gossiped and were curious just like anyone else.

“Have you heard? Yu Dong got involved with an actress in the circle.”

“Who?”

“The one who acted in Journey to the West. You don’t know?”

A few people chatted among themselves. Zhao Fusheng didn’t join in but instead talked in low tones with Zhao Baogang and Wang Zhongjun.

Even at the dinner table, circles existed.

Although many familiar faces were present, only a few were qualified to speak with Zhao Fusheng: Ye Jing, the Wang brothers, and Zhao Baogang. The rest were mostly actors and naturally had no standing to speak before Zhao Fusheng.

Even if they were Best Actor or Best Actor winners, it was the same.

Actors held little sway in front of capital.

Of course, this “capital” referred to investors like Zhao Fusheng, not ordinary film production companies.

“Is there anything we can help with for the martial arts series Old Jiang and Feihong are filming?”

After chatting for a while, Zhao Baogang took the initiative to ask Ye Jing.

Ye Jing shook his head. “It’s the company’s self-produced series. Nothing needs everyone’s help. It’s expected to air on CCTV around July or August. When the time comes, please do us a favor and help promote it.”

“Of course, of course.”

Zhao Baogang and the others smiled and nodded. Ye Jing’s words were clear—since it was a self-produced series, it was a polite refusal of their help.

“By the way, I heard Old Jiang’s new movie is recruiting actors?”

Zhao Baogang looked at Zhao Fusheng and said with a smile, “Chairman Zhao, could you give everyone here a chance?”

Here came the main topic!

Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing exchanged glances and smiled in unison.

However, Zhao Fusheng didn’t speak but looked at Ye Jing.

Ye Jing spoke up, “This matter has to be decided by Old Jiang.”

“If you two give the nod, we’ll convince Old Jiang,”

Wang Zhongjun said at this point.

Clearly, he and Zhao Baogang had discussed it beforehand. The people they brought today were all artists from their two companies.

This was significant—it meant they represented only Xinbaoyuan and Huayi Brothers, not other companies.

“No problem. As long as Old Jiang agrees, we have no objections.”

Ye Jing looked at Zhao Fusheng, and seeing him nod, he said, “Moreover, if your two companies are interested in investing, the actors can join the crew with investment.”

He paused and smiled, “But one thing: even if they join with investment, it has nothing to do with the role they play. Old Jiang will decide what they act in. There’s no chance for the lead roles. Everyone should know the lineup of three kings and one queen. If anyone thinks their acting skills and status surpass theirs, consider my words unsaid.”

His last remarks were directed at the artists from Huayi and Xinbaoyuan at the table.

“Brother Ye, you’re joking. We’ll definitely follow orders.”

“How could we miss such an opportunity?”

“Learning is the priority, learning is the priority.”

Everyone expressed their stance. No one was a fool. It was clear how much importance Future Film placed on this production: Chairman Zhao Fusheng personally wrote the script, Jiang Wen was both lead actor and director, and General Manager Ye Jing was the producer. They even invited top actors like Fat Brother and Ge You to play supporting roles.

To put it bluntly, just looking at the cast, the movie’s box office was worth at least a hundred million.

Moreover, it was said that Future Film had budgeted a hundred million for investment, and with Jiang Wen’s usual style, a hundred million budget would end up costing one hundred fifty million.

A blockbuster!

A genuine domestic blockbuster!

At this time, Chinese filmmakers’ concept of a blockbuster came from Hollywood.

What was a blockbuster?

Big production, big investment, big-name director, big-name actors—from production to distribution, everything exuded grandeur. But Chinese blockbusters had always lagged behind foreign ones.

Even this film, touted as the most expensive Chinese production ever, had a budget of only a hundred million, less than twenty million US dollars—a medium-budget film by Hollywood standards.

But for China, that was already a lot.

Thus, from the moment news of the film got out, it attracted widespread attention.

Especially in the acting circle, many hoped to join, even if only for an insignificant supporting role—it would still be a role acting alongside Best Actors.

As for newcomers, they were even more excited. Even knowing their chances were slim, they still sent resumes to Future Film, hoping for the favor of the goddess of fate.

Zhao Fusheng was unaware of this; he didn’t pay much attention to such matters, leaving them to Ye Jing.

“If Old Ye says it’s okay, then it’s okay.”

With a faint smile, Zhao Fusheng gave Ye Jing full face in front of everyone.

Zhao Baogang and Wang Zhongjun exchanged glances, both showing satisfied smiles.

The three companies had always maintained good relations and cooperated frequently. This time, they had contacted Zhao Fusheng with that in mind.

And clearly, Zhao Fusheng valued this cooperative relationship and had no intention of abandoning them.

The meal went very pleasantly. Later, Zhang Guoli also arrived, but he wasn’t seeking a role for himself—he hoped his son could get a part.

“My son, Zhang Mo, has acted in several plays over the years and has trained reasonably well. Could you give him a chance in this film?”

Zhang Guoli said sincerely to Zhao Fusheng.

To be honest, given his status and connections in the circle, he didn’t need to worry about Zhang Mo lacking resources.

But the opportunity in The Bullet was too good to pass up. No actor would let it slip.

So Zhang Guoli had to swallow his pride and make this request to Zhao Fusheng.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Fusheng refused.

“He has too hot a temper. I’m afraid he might beat up Old Jiang.”

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Zhang Guoli indifferently and said directly.

Zhang Guoli was very embarrassed. He naturally knew what Zhao Fusheng meant.

In 2003, Zhang Mo was still in college. After a quarrel with his girlfriend, he beat her so badly she was hospitalized. The incident was exposed, and he was expelled from the Central Academy of Drama.

There were many versions of the story. Some said Zhang Mo’s girlfriend had violated rules by taking acting jobs before graduation, was threatened by a teacher, and had to give in. When Zhang Mo found out, he flew into a rage, quarreled with her, and then hit her.

But in Zhao Fusheng’s view, this excuse seemed more like a press release Zhang Guoli bought to whitewash his son.

The reason was simple: after 2000, the Central Academy of Drama had relaxed restrictions on students taking acting jobs. More importantly, even if his girlfriend was coerced, Zhang Mo could have confronted the teacher or used his father’s connections to seek justice. Beating his girlfriend—what was that about?

A man hitting a woman was a joke in itself, especially when it was his own girlfriend.

What Zhao Fusheng disliked even more was that, a few years later, Zhang Mo was caught twice within three years, both times related to drugs. Although the court ruled it as harboring, Zhao Fusheng didn’t believe it.

If Zhang Guoli hadn’t played a role in that, Zhao Fusheng wouldn’t have believed it.

Zhao Fusheng had no interest in having such a person act in any role.

If Zhang Guoli had the ability, he could pave the way for his son to appear in other people’s films. But in Future Film’s movies, Zhao Fusheng would never give Zhang Mo a chance.

This was a matter of principle, and Zhao Fusheng absolutely could not agree.