Chapter 1891: Hype

“What did you say? Brother Fa and his wife, and Uncle Ge?”

When Zhao Fusheng returned home and told Fan Baobao who he had dinner with, she immediately lost her composure.

As a generation that grew up watching Hong Kong films, no one could dislike Brother Fa.

From the suave Xu Wenqiang to the righteous Brother Mark, to the dignified God of Gamblers Gao Jin, the classic characters he portrayed made him an indelible memory for many born in the 70s and 80s.

Fan Baobao was no exception.

Gu Tian was her favorite idol, but Brother Fa was the idol among idols.

In fact, many artists in Hong Kong were themselves admirers of Brother Fa.

So when Fan Baobao heard that Zhao Fusheng had dined with Brother Fa but she couldn't go, she naturally lost her composure.

“You! Why didn’t you get me an autograph!”

Fan Baobao glared at Zhao Fusheng and said crossly.

“Huh?”

Zhao Fusheng was speechless at that. Autograph...

“Here’s the thing: Brother Fa just arrived in the capital, and he and his wife are tired, so they went to rest first.” Zhao Fusheng patiently explained to Fan Baobao. “Jiang Wen and Uncle Ge plan to study the script over the next few days. I’ve invited Sister Fa to our home as a guest. When you’re free, you can accompany her shopping with Zhou Yun and show her around. What do you think?”

Although Fan Baobao was pregnant, she wasn’t so immobile that she couldn’t go anywhere, so she could certainly accompany Sister Fa on outings.

“Okay!”

Hearing Zhao Fusheng’s arrangement, Fan Baobao was naturally delighted and quickly nodded in agreement.

Seeing her pleased expression, Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly. She didn’t act like the wife of a super-rich man at all—she was just a star-struck girl.

He even felt lucky that Fan Baobao didn’t yet understand what a fan circle was; otherwise, if she brought that fan culture home, he would surely be driven crazy.

…

…

The next day, Jiang Wen indeed invited Uncle Ge and Brother Fa to his home to study the script, while Zhou Yun simply brought the child to Zhao Fusheng’s house.

“Those guys argue over the script like they’re fighting,”

Zhou Yun said helplessly to Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao. “I’m just amazed—they never seem to get tired.”

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily and waved his hand. “How about this: you could stay at our place for a while instead of going back to see Old Jiang every day.”

Zhou Yun thought it over and found Zhao Fusheng’s suggestion quite appealing.

After all, Jiang Wen was busy with the script these days, preparing for the official start of filming, and had no time for her. Besides, staying at home would only disrupt his thoughts and mood.

Without further ado, Zhao Fusheng directly called Jiang Wen.

But no one answered for a long time.

“What’s going on?”

Phone in hand, Zhao Fusheng asked in confusion.

“They all seem to have their phones on silent,” Zhou Yun said helplessly. “Old Jiang gave my number to Sister Fa and told her to contact me when needed.”

Damn!

Zhao Fusheng was instantly speechless. These guys were really something.

Weren’t they afraid of having to kneel on a washboard when they got home?

But he also understood that this was the professionalism of old-school actors. When they acted, they acted—they threw themselves into it wholeheartedly, unlike the later young idols who spent most of their time figuring out how to make money, showing no sincerity toward the audience.

Zhao Fusheng knew that those young idols didn’t necessarily want to be that way, but no matter how he thought about it, he believed that as an actor or an artist, one must at least have a sense of reverence for the audience.

“I’m convinced.”

After a long moment, Zhao Fusheng gave Zhou Yun a thumbs-up.

He then dialed Uncle Ge’s phone, but it was also on silent.

It seemed, just as Zhou Yun had said, the three of them had turned off their phones to discuss the film script.

Zhou Yun chuckled and said to Zhao Fusheng, “Do you want to go over and chat with them?”

“Me?”

After hesitating, Zhao Fusheng shook his head. “I’d better not. But I can help them with something.”

Fan Baobao and Zhou Yun were baffled, not knowing what Zhao Fusheng was up to.

Zhao Fusheng didn’t explain further. He smiled and immediately left the house.

With Zhou Yun around, the matter of Sister Fa’s visit was no problem.

As for himself, he had more important things to do.

Soon, Zhao Fusheng arrived at Future Films and pulled Ye Jing into the office.

“Wait, are you really going to do this?”

Ye Jing asked in surprise after hearing Zhao Fusheng’s plan.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled. “What’s the big deal? It’s perfectly normal, isn’t it?”

“Normal, yes, but having reporters secretly photograph the three of them—isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Ye Jing said with a wry smile.

Zhao Fusheng had just suggested that he arrange for reporters to tail Jiang Wen and the others. This would not only reveal Brother Fa’s whereabouts but also expose Jiang Wen’s residence.

“Simple. Call Old Jiang and ask if he’s willing to switch houses. I have other properties, and he has his own too, doesn’t he?”

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand. “Not only that, but have the film’s cast members visit them in turns. Then let the reporters expose everything—the stronger the star lineup exposure, the better. Understand?”

Ye Jing nodded, indicating he understood.

In short, Zhao Fusheng wanted to build hype for the film “The Bullet.”

Whether it was the movie or the artists, it was all the same.

Especially for stars—they all have one nose and two eyes. If you say they act well or sing well, isn’t it enough to spend a few hundred yuan on a disc and watch it hundreds of times at home?

Why do people idolize celebrities?

Ultimately, it’s because of the effect of hype.

Because once people become fans, they lose rationality.

Zhao Fusheng had seen too much of this. The fans of later internet celebrities, whether male or female, were all the same. Although many of their behaviors were incomprehensible, one had to admit that the momentum they displayed was indeed intimidating.

Otherwise, investors wouldn’t spend huge sums to hire them for movies and TV dramas.

That’s the power of internet traffic.

Of course, it turned out that there were indeed many fans, but most of them were unwilling to actually spend money to go to the cinema.

But regardless, attention brings heat, and Zhao Fusheng was well aware of that.

That was exactly why he wanted to do this.

“Alright, I’ll arrange it right away.”

Ye Jing finally nodded, indicating he understood.

For him, this was no big deal. Future Films had good relations with the media, so in Ye Jing’s view, Zhao Fusheng’s plan was just a matter of a few phone calls.

In fact, he didn’t even need to handle it personally.

He just had to give the order, and someone would take care of it.

“But aren’t you afraid Old Jiang will go berserk?”

Ye Jing looked at Zhao Fusheng with some surprise.

He knew Jiang Wen well—the guy hated it most when his films were hyped as commercial products. By doing this, Zhao Fusheng was touching a sore spot.

“Go berserk?”

Zhao Fusheng raised an eyebrow and sneered. “With an investment of 150 million yuan and all the reputation and connections Future Films has built over the years riding on this film, even if it means sending Old Jiang on a roadshow, I reckon he’d have to go.”

Hearing this, Ye Jing smiled silently.

Indeed, Zhao Fusheng’s words made absolute sense.

Jiang Wen was a man with a strong sense of responsibility. For such a big project, even if it meant a roadshow, he would cooperate with any kind of promotion.

Not to mention, Jiang Wen himself was a shareholder and part of management at Future Films.

“Alright, you go ahead and make your arrangements. I’ll go find him.”

Zhao Fusheng said to Ye Jing.

Even though he said that, he still had to inform Jiang Wen and the others.

Not because of Jiang Wen, but because of Brother Fa and Uncle Ge. After all, strictly speaking, they weren’t very familiar with him.

Although they were eager to gain his friendship, Zhao Fusheng knew well that his friendship wasn’t something just anyone could obtain.

The word “friend” doesn’t mean you can call someone your friend just because you know their name, have had a meal together, or shared a drink.

If that were the case, everyone in the world would have no shortage of friends.

But in reality, when you truly face trouble, how many people are willing to offer timely help or go to great lengths for you?

And when you might be on the verge of death, hoping someone will take care of your wife and children, how many are there?