Chapter 1886: In a Dilemma

"I object."

The next day, when Zhao Fusheng told Zheng Yao about his consideration of having Future Group enter the infant and toddler products industry, she directly expressed her opposition.

"Why?"

Zhao Fusheng looked puzzled. He had previously asked Wu Sijie to investigate, and this was indeed a blank market with potentially high profits.

Logically, Zheng Yao shouldn't have refused.

But she did refuse.

It was like someone who loves food, and you kindly present them with a feast, only for them to suddenly tell you they don't like it.

It was truly unexpected!

"You said before that we wouldn't venture into the food and pharmaceutical industries because they involve too many people's health and safety. I've always thought that was right."

Zheng Yao looked at Zhao Fusheng and said slowly, "Although infant and toddler products have high profit margins, they involve so many children. If something goes wrong, I don't think any of us can bear that responsibility."

Zhao Fusheng remained silent. Though he wanted to refute Zheng Yao, he had to admit that he had oversimplified the matter.

Zheng Yao's consideration was very reasonable.

"In that case, forget it."

In the end, Zhao Fusheng could only nod helplessly.

A forced melon isn't sweet. Since Zheng Yao, the CEO, disagreed, there was no point in insisting.

Following good advice was now a good habit of Zhao Fusheng's.

"What made you think of doing this?"

Zheng Yao was somewhat curious and asked Zhao Fusheng in confusion. She had thought it was a whim, but now it seemed he had been planning this for a long time, eyeing this market.

Otherwise, how could he speak so convincingly?

Zhao Fusheng chuckled but shook his head: "I just mentioned it casually, really."

"I don't believe you."

Zheng Yao didn't believe him at all. In her view, he was just making excuses.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said nothing more.

No matter how he explained, she wouldn't believe him, so why bother? Let her guess.

"By the way, did you know that Jingdong is planning to go public?"

Zheng Yao recalled something and asked Zhao Fusheng.

"Who told you that?"

Zhao Fusheng was somewhat surprised and looked at Zheng Yao in confusion.

"Dong Chenxi told me," Zheng Yao explained. "You didn't know?"

Zhao Fusheng really didn't know about this. He was slightly surprised and frowned. What was Liu Qiangdong up to?

Jingdong had developed rapidly in the past two years. Before Alibaba went public, Zhao Fusheng had a long talk with him. At that time, Liu Qiangdong had expressed the idea of listing Jingdong on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Zhao Fusheng had encouraged him then, but in his heart, he was still not inclined to let Jingdong list in Hong Kong.

Simply put, investors in Hong Kong were different from those on Wall Street. Hong Kong investors tended to be more rational and rarely took risks on companies like Jingdong.

This was normal. Hong Kong investors were interesting—they didn't like taking risks but loved to follow trends. Most of the stock market crashes in the past were caused by the public blindly following the crowd.

"This guy is really wishful thinking."

Zhao Fusheng frowned and said to Zheng Yao, "Does he think listing in Hong Kong will benefit Jingdong?"

"I'm not sure."

Zheng Yao smiled. Although she didn't know why Zhao Fusheng valued Jingdong so much, she thought listing in Hong Kong wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Given Jingdong's scale and its decent development in recent years, she was optimistic about Jingdong Mall's future prospects.

She had just mentioned it casually, thinking Zhao Fusheng knew about it, but it turned out he didn't.

Zheng Yao rarely interfered in investment matters. What came next was for Zhao Fusheng and Dong Chenxi to worry about.

After seeing Zheng Yao off, Zhao Fusheng directly called Dong Chenxi.

"What's going on? Jingdong is listing in Hong Kong?"

Zhao Fusheng asked bluntly.

"You know?" Dong Chenxi was startled, then laughed. "Did Zheng Yao tell you, or did Liu Qiangdong call you?"

Clearly, Zhao Fusheng only had these two sources of information.

Zhao Fusheng didn't hide it from her and said frankly, "Zheng Yao told me. If she hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have thought of it."

"Liu Qiangdong does have that intention."

Dong Chenxi explained, "But I don't think it's as optimistic as he thinks. This matter might not succeed."

"Why?"

Zhao Fusheng asked in confusion, "Do you mean there will be problems in Hong Kong?"

Clearly, that's what Dong Chenxi meant.

Sure enough, hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Dong Chenxi smiled and nodded: "Exactly. According to my information, Hong Kong investors and even the Hong Kong Stock Exchange have very low enthusiasm for Jingdong listing there."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then realized that Alibaba had just listed in Hong Kong. If Jingdong listed again now, the capital available in Hong Kong might not be sufficient.

"So, we don't need to worry about it?" Zhao Fusheng asked in surprise.

"Yes, otherwise I would have called you."

Dong Chenxi explained casually, "The company has discussed it. Although Jingdong is working hard, the probability of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange approving it is low. We estimate that it would be more appropriate for Jingdong to wait another two to three years before listing."

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "In that case, follow your plan."

Although professionals aren't necessarily elites, at least compared to his own half-baked knowledge, their analysis was certainly reasonable. As he recalled, in the original timeline, Jingdong also listed in the US. Though he couldn't remember the exact year, their analysis was quite accurate.

……

……

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the end of March, one week before the official start of filming for "Bullet."

"Is everything ready?"

Zhao Fusheng came to Future Films that day to hear the project progress report. After all, this was a major project with an investment of 100 million yuan, and with investments from Xinbaoyuan and Huayi Brothers, it had reached 130 million yuan.

This didn't even include the cost of Jiang Wen forgoing his salary in exchange for a share of the box office.

According to the planning team's estimate, the total cost of the film could reach 150 million yuan.

150 million yuan!

This was an unprecedented investment in the history of Chinese cinema.

Although the film had not yet officially started shooting, it had already attracted the attention of a large number of audiences and industry insiders. Media reporters were also covering the film's news.

"Bombshell! Chow Yun-fat and Ge You Willing to Be Supporting Roles! Setting Off Jiang Wen!"

"Carina Lau Withdraws from 'Bullet' Due to Too Much Pressure, Afraid to Co-star with Three Top Actors!"

"Stars Shine Bright: The Supporting Cast of 'Bullet' Revealed!"

A constant stream of news kept the film, which had only been established as a project and assembled a crew, trending higher and higher online.

Of course, some of the buzz came from media reports, while some was hype orchestrated by Future Films in collaboration with Xinbaoyuan and Huayi.

Zhao Fusheng approved of this. He wasn't so old-fashioned as to cling to the ancient adage that "good wine needs no bush" and refuse to promote.

Film quality was one thing, but promotion and distribution were also crucial. If a film couldn't maintain high exposure, it would be very difficult to achieve a box office hit.

In later years, all box office hits were the result of a combination of effective promotion and film quality.

Some might think that films like "The Wandering Earth," "Ne Zha," and "Dying to Survive" relied solely on word-of-mouth to explode at the box office. But don't forget, besides their high quality, once the films were released and word-of-mouth spread, the studios would aggressively promote the films through various channels, including social media and Weibo.

When everyone around you, your friends' circles and Weibo, are filled with reviews of a certain film, would you choose to go to the cinema and watch it?

The answer is obvious.

That's the advantage of a word-of-mouth promotion strategy.

Take Milk Tea's "The Sentimental Life That Came After" and Han Shi's "Ex"—were those films really good?

Not necessarily.

But their promotion was well done, so the box office naturally rose.

Of course, box office fraud is a secret that cannot be spoken.

But regardless, for a film to sell well, promotion must keep up. This was something Zhao Fusheng had always emphasized to Future Films.

Ye Jing, being an insider, naturally understood this. So when Huayi and Xinbaoyuan proposed using the film to hype up their own artists, Ye Jing decisively agreed.

After all, it didn't cost him anything, and the hype was about whether certain artists from the two companies could get roles. It didn't harm Future Films at all.

"Basically, there are no problems," Ye Jing reported to Zhao Fusheng. "The actors and crew are mostly in place, and the schedules that needed adjustment have been adjusted. Zhao Baogang and Wang Zhongjun from Huayi and Xinbaoyuan have both stated that they will fully cooperate with schedule adjustments for whichever artists are needed."

As the most expensive super blockbuster in domestic film history, no one would want to miss this opportunity just based on that gimmick.

The entertainment industry is a vanity fair. Everyone in it has something they need. In such a situation, no one wants to be a stepping stone for others.

As an investor, Zhao Fusheng was certainly willing to see this situation.

As long as it benefited Future Films, he found it acceptable.

As for those actors, they weren't fools. Since they chose the entertainment industry, they had to be mentally prepared for this.