Chapter 1908: The Long Road Ahead

For Ye Jing, since he had proposed this plan, in his mind, traffic stars like the young idols were basically defined as money-making tools.

That was why Zhao Fusheng worried whether he might adopt some unconventional hype tactics.

This was no joke, but the truth.

Why were later generations of traffic stars reviled by the public, even to the point that any film or TV drama featuring a traffic artist was automatically categorized as a bad film? It was because there was too much hype around traffic.

Good and bad, all swarmed before the public's eyes.

Coupled with the fact that the quality of the works was indeed subpar, it naturally made audiences反感.

No one except Zhao Fusheng knew what the word 'traffic' would mean in the future.

Some films, even if of good quality, would be seen as bad films as long as they were associated with traffic.

Of course, it had to be admitted that the acting skills of traffic stars were indeed 'questionable'; they could only act by pouting, glaring, roaring, and shouting, with no depth. Over time, a stereotype formed: traffic star equals bad film.

Moreover, traffic stars were not highly cooperative. A normal film required at least three to six months of shooting, but many traffic stars would only stay for about a week before leaving, their schedules too full.

To be honest, this was a double-edged sword.

The benefit was naturally making a lot of money, but the drawback was also obvious: reputation could easily be ruined.

After all, if a company was labeled as traffic, the hard-earned reputation would truly be easily destroyed.

For example, wasn't that the case with Da Mimi's company?

They would constantly produce a bunch of self-made dramas, stuff their own artists into them, and then churn out all kinds of news, to the point that many people, upon seeing the company's name, didn't want to watch that work.

This was not a good thing for a film and television company.

Zhao Fusheng hoped that Future Film and Television would become the next 'Noon Sunshine,' and absolutely not turn into a company like Da Mimi's.

'Know when to stop.'

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Ye Jing, 'You can hype up the heat, you can promote young people, but you must tell them that they cannot become artists who rely solely on heat for survival. Only artists who truly have their own works can survive in this circle for a long time.'

'I know.'

Ye Jing nodded.

At this point, it was clear that Zhao Fusheng had already agreed with his idea.

Both of them understood that whether it was Ye Jing's or Zhao Fusheng's proposal, they were all for the good of the company; they just had different starting points, which led to some disagreements.

"By the way, what did you come to see me about?"

After finishing his remarks on the company's next steps, Ye Jing asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to him, "Two things. First, when I visited the set today, I thought..."

With that, he explained his idea about building a film studio there to Ye Jing, and told him that he planned to have Wu Sijie take charge.

"You want to test him?"

Ye Jing was sharp; he quickly grasped Zhao Fusheng's intention. It seemed he wanted to use this opportunity to give Wu Sijie a stage to prove his abilities.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Yes, we don't have many people we can rely on. Wu Sijie is capable and smart. If he handles this well, I think he can move into the group's operations next."

"I have no objections."

Ye Jing nodded: "I agree with this idea myself. We've been too cautious before. Seeing how the domestic film and TV production industry is booming, if we don't act quickly, I'm afraid we'll be overtaken."

He knew better than anyone the pace of development in the film and TV industry. If things continued like this, within a few years, the industry would inevitably face a flood of competitors.

Moreover, the resources behind these people would be no less than Zhao Fusheng's.

This was unavoidable.

It was a result no one could change.

"I think so too."

Zhao Fusheng nodded, fully agreeing with Ye Jing: "So, I have another idea."

"Go ahead."

"What do you think about us producing TV series and short films and airing them on video platforms?"

Zhao Fusheng's words left Ye Jing stunned.

"What did you say?"

Ye Jing looked at Zhao Fusheng with some surprise: "A short film?"

"Mm, not just a short film, but also a TV series." Zhao Fusheng said seriously: "For example, with Youku and Tudou as they are now, we could completely..."

As he spoke, he explained the concept of web series to Ye Jing.

Ye Jing was silent for a long time, sitting there quietly, carefully digesting what Zhao Fusheng had just told him. He suddenly felt as if a door to a new world had opened before his eyes.

It was like the feeling when he first learned that the combination of letters and numbers didn't just mean "Tokyo is a bit hot."

"What do you think?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled as he looked at Ye Jing, knowing that Ye Jing would surely understand his meaning.

"Let's give it a try."

After a long while, Ye Jing slowly said: "I think we can give this a shot. The cost isn't high anyway, and even if we lose money, we won't suffer much loss."

That was true. Compared to investment in film and TV production, investment in web series was far smaller—the risk of a few million versus tens of millions was naturally incomparable.

"You handle the specifics. No rush, just test the waters slowly."

Zhao Fusheng concluded.

Ye Jing nodded. Now that Zhao Fusheng had given the direction, the rest was naturally for him to lead the team and handle it.

...

...

On the way out of Future Film and Television, Zhao Fusheng sat in the car, silently looking out the window.

Wu Sijie cautiously glanced at Zhao Fusheng's expression but said nothing.

"What, something on your mind?"

Zhao Fusheng raised an eyebrow, glanced at Wu Sijie, and asked indifferently.

Wu Sijie was a bit embarrassed but remained silent.

"Alright, I know what you're thinking."

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly and said to him: "I've already talked to General Ye. You'll be in charge of that matter. For the time being, you don't need to follow me. Get ready for 'Yixiao' and start immediately."

"So soon?"

Wu Sijie was startled and asked in surprise: "Aren't we waiting until 'Wulin' officially airs before starting?"

His thinking was clear: 'Wulin' was about to air on CCTV. It might be more appropriate to start this after the drama aired.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "If you wait until after the drama airs and the buzz picks up, you'll have competitors by then."

Hearing this, Wu Sijie quickly nodded and said no more.

He wasn't stupid. Zhao Fusheng was clearly giving him a hint. When the boss put it that way, what more could he say?

Zhao Fusheng didn't mind. Having capable and skilled subordinates was his good fortune. As long as they remained loyal, he didn't mind giving Wu Sijie a chance.

In a sense, he wasn't afraid of Wu Sijie having ambition or craving success; what he feared was a man without ambition who only knew how to coast through life.

Of course, if he were that kind of person, he wouldn't have become Zhao Fusheng's assistant.

"Make the most of this opportunity."

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Wu Sijie and said slowly: "If you do well, I plan to set up a subsidiary in the U.S."

"Ah?"

Wu Sijie was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Don't worry, I'll do a good job."

He wasn't foolish; he naturally understood what Zhao Fusheng meant. Clearly, the boss intended to send him to the U.S.

Thinking that he was about to become a branch manager in charge of his own territory, Wu Sijie felt a surge of excitement.

He knew he had finally gotten his chance.

The opportunity for success he had always longed for.

"It doesn't matter if you do well or not. The most important thing is to give it your all."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said in a relaxed tone.

For him, this project was really just a project. Whether Wu Sijie succeeded or failed, it wouldn't affect him much.

Even if it failed, it wouldn't have any impact on Zhao Fusheng's total assets.

So what he wanted to see was Wu Sijie's effort in this matter.