Chapter 1953 Honggu

"Brother Fa, who exactly do you want to recommend?"

Zhao Fusheng looked at Fa Ge suspiciously and asked in confusion.

Fa Ge smiled: "Do you know Zhong Chuhong?"

"Honggu?"

Zhao Fusheng blurted out.

If there was one actress in the Hong Kong entertainment circle that Zhao Fusheng truly admired, it was undoubtedly Zhong Chuhong, nicknamed Honggu.

As one of the most beloved goddesses in Hong Kong, Zhong Chuhong was called Honggu. In those days, a single smile from her could captivate a city.

At nineteen, she participated in the Miss Hong Kong pageant, but unfortunately, due to her inability to walk in high heels, she made a mistake on stage, lost the crown, and ended up in fourth place.

Although she didn't win, no one could deny Honggu's beauty. Her beauty even overshadowed that year's champion. After entering the entertainment industry, it took her only three years to become a renowned film queen. With both looks and talent, she became the hottest goddess in Hong Kong at the time.

Back then, the rumor went: 'No one can surpass Chow Yun-fat in fame, and no one can outshine Zhong Chuhong in popularity.'

Once upon a time, Zhong Chuhong was the dream goddess of countless people. But at the peak of her career, Honggu chose to marry advertising genius Michael Chu, retired gracefully to become a full-time housewife, and never made a comeback after marriage.

Zhao Fusheng naturally knew this history, but he didn't expect that the person Fa Ge mentioned to him was her.

"Hasn't she been retired for many years?"

Zhao Fusheng frowned and asked Fa Ge.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng had no doubt about Honggu's acting skills. After all, actors who rose to fame in Hong Kong back then, especially actresses, had to have real talent to succeed.

The key issue was that she had already retired for years. Fa Ge's idea might be wishful thinking.

"It's like this: two years ago, Honggu's husband, Mr. Zhu, unfortunately passed away. She's been living alone ever since," Fa Ge explained to Zhao Fusheng. "We old friends have been encouraging her to start anew, and she's been considering it recently. Since our crew needs an actress now, I wonder if we could give her this opportunity."

So that was it.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, finally understanding why Fa Ge had said that.

But he was still curious: if that was the case, why hadn't Fa Ge brought it up when the crew was initially recruiting actors?

Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng didn't hold back and directly asked Fa Ge: "Fa Ge, if that's the case, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Don't even mention it."

Fa Ge looked helpless: "I wanted to say it earlier, but by the time I remembered, you had already finished the casting."

"Ah?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then burst into laughter.

He remembered too—that guy Jiang Wen had moved too fast.

"I have no objections to this matter."

Looking at Fa Ge, Zhao Fusheng said slowly: "I trust Honggu's character and acting skills. As long as Old Jiang has no problem, I agree."

Fa Ge nodded, naturally quite delighted.

In his heart, he knew that as long as Zhao Fusheng didn't oppose it, the matter was as good as settled.

After all, he was the big boss.

If the boss didn't object, it would be strange if the subordinates had any issues.

Although Zhao Fusheng usually appeared approachable, no one overlooked his true identity.

He was a bona fide wealthy man.

After chatting for a while, Fa Ge left; he still had to make a phone call.

Zhao Fusheng, on the other hand, opened his computer and searched online for information about Zhong Chuhong.

After reading the news, he learned that two years ago, Honggu's husband had died of cancer.

Due to a prenuptial agreement, she had no children and lived alone. Although she was certainly not lacking materially, she was probably very lonely.

No wonder Fa Ge personally stepped in to help her seek a comeback opportunity.

Thinking about the reason, it was actually simple: she had been extremely popular in her time and chose to retire at her peak. With her status, she certainly couldn't act in TV dramas. As for films, if the cast wasn't strong enough or the investment wasn't large enough, it would be meaningless.

It would be embarrassing if word got out!

And now, 'Let the Bullets Fly' was undoubtedly the most suitable choice.

Fa Ge acted as a matchmaker, and Zhao Fusheng, as the boss, extended a warm invitation—both face and substance were covered.

Looking at Zhong Chuhong's photo on the computer, Zhao Fusheng smiled.

For her, this was a good thing.

For Future Films, wasn't this also a good thing?

Just think about it: Zhong Chuhong's comeback film—this gimmick alone was a huge explosive point.

Zhao Fusheng even looked forward to seeing if the reporters would be stunned when they heard the news.

Sure enough, Fa Ge had no trouble convincing Jiang Wen. In fact, upon hearing the name Zhong Chuhong, Old Jiang imagined her image in his mind and decisively nodded.

Such was the gap between people.

Jiang Wenli tried hard to stay in the crew, but Jiang Wen just didn't fancy her, feeling that her vibe didn't suit the film.

But with Zhong Chuhong, even just imagining her, Jiang Wen felt she was the actress he was looking for.

An artist's thought process is sometimes really hard to figure out.

"Let me tell you, she's really suitable."

In the evening, Jiang Wen came to Zhao Fusheng's room and said to him.

Zhao Fusheng looked helpless: "If she's suitable, then use her."

"Alright."

Jiang Wen was quite happy.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered to praise him; sometimes this guy acted like an idiot, which was really speechless.

But Zhao Fusheng also knew that he was actually quite pure, without many tricks. Compared to those who spent all day scheming against others, Old Jiang now focused all his energy on making movies.

This was actually a good thing.

If a filmmaker put too much thought into things outside of film, he would become a second Little Cannon.

Losing his own inspiration, the things he made would no longer attract people.

"By the way, are you busy lately?"

As Jiang Wen was leaving, he asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback and shook his head: "Not much. The company hasn't arranged anything for now. Why?"

"If you're not busy, you can stay and watch how Honggu performs." Jiang Wen's words almost made Zhao Fusheng kick him to death.

He, the chairman of a group company, leaving a pile of important work to stay and watch someone film—was Jiang Wen crazy?

…

…

Three days later, Zhao Fusheng smiled as he looked at Zhong Chuhong in front of him.

"Hello, Honggu. I've always admired you."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Zhao, and thank you for giving me this opportunity." Zhong Chuhong was very cheerful in personality. Even after years of retirement, she was still elegant and charming.

Not only that, but she had obviously done her homework before coming. Knowing Zhao Fusheng's identity, she was quite warm when greeting him.

Thinking about it, anyone who could make a name in the Hong Kong entertainment circle of that era was no simple character.

If she were a naive little flower who knew nothing, she would have been devoured long ago.

But to be honest, Zhao Fusheng didn't dislike this level of warmth. He wasn't an old stick-in-the-mud and naturally understood that sometimes this was a way to quickly bring people closer.

After all, Zhong Chuhong wasn't familiar with him, nor with Jiang Wen and the others. The only people she knew well in the crew were Fa Ge and his wife.

If she didn't integrate into the crew quickly, it wouldn't be good for the film's production.

In a sense, Zhao Fusheng thought she was very smart.

She didn't put on airs or pretend; she was genuine, natural, and full of vitality.

Soon, she had integrated into the crew.

"Impressive."

Watching Honggu cheerfully clink glasses with Ge Ye at the dinner table, Zhao Fusheng sat to the side, picking up food and sighing with emotion.

"Yeah, she knows how to handle people."

Jiang Wen sat next to Zhao Fusheng and said in a low voice: "She brought a small gift for everyone in the crew—not expensive, but thoughtful."

"Smart."

Zhao Fusheng nodded and praised.

This was heartfelt. Joining a crew midway was something many films dreaded, because others had already been in the crew, and a newcomer cutting in would inevitably cause resentment.

But Zhong Chuhong's move of combining offense and defense was beautifully executed, making the entire crew very satisfied with her.

She was already a famous actress with high recognition in the mainland, and with such a graceful attitude, she quickly made everyone like her.

"Hope everything goes smoothly."

Jiang Wen said to Zhao Fusheng: "Thank you."

He also knew that what he had done put Zhao Fusheng in a difficult position. Changing actors midway, if word got out, would affect Future Films' reputation.

"No need to be polite."

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "I only have one request: the film must be made well."

"Don't worry, I guarantee it will be a masterpiece."

Jiang Wen said to Zhao Fusheng solemnly.

He knew very well that Zhao Fusheng's trust in him had caused some discussion within the company.

Even though Jiang Wen was a shareholder, with such a large investment and repeated problems, there were bound to be dissatisfied people. Look at Ning Hao—though a new director, he never caused trouble for the company.

Although Old Jiang never said it, he knew very well that even Ye Jing was dissatisfied with him.

Not targeting him personally, but the matter itself.

No film production company would allow its directors to behave like this.

But Zhao Fusheng happened to be his friend, and with his backing, even if others were dissatisfied, they could only keep their mouths shut.

After all, Zhao Fusheng was the boss.

But if, by any chance, 'Let the Bullets Fly' didn't perform well at the box office after its release,

then the pressure on Zhao Fusheng would be immense.

Jiang Wen knew that Zhao Fusheng didn't care about losing money; what he cared about was face.