Chapter 1955: Sadness

"Of course Ten is the handsome one."

Cherie Chung shrugged and gave her answer under everyone's gaze.

Everyone was stunned, looking at her in surprise.

"Wait, don't you want to reconsider?" Jiang Wen asked curiously.

"Why would I need to reconsider?"

Cherie Chung said with some surprise: "Any woman would choose Ah Zhan, wouldn't they?"

Huh?

The group of men looked at each other in bewilderment.

"There really is no need to think about it."

Sister Fa, sitting beside her, said seriously: "If I were Hong Dou in the movie, I would also choose Ten."

"Hey, wife, I'm right here," Chow Yun-fat said with a wry smile.

Although he couldn't compete with Leslie Cheung on this, having his own wife say she would choose someone else right in front of him was a bit embarrassing.

"Brother Fa, you don't understand women."

Cherie Chung and Sister Fa exchanged a glance, and both laughed.

Zhao Fusheng seemed to half-understand, then also smiled.

Jiang Wen, Ge You, and Chow Yun-fat were completely baffled; clearly, they were the ones who knew nothing.

"It's actually simple. In the movie, Ah Zhan can give a woman a stable life and love, and for women, that is undoubtedly the most attractive thing," Cherie Chung explained.

"Yes, although Bo Zai Gao is very romantic and funny, he isn't steady. Women may like this kind of romantic love, but in the end, they have to return to reality."

Sister Fa added.

Hearing their words, Chow Yun-fat was speechless and suddenly felt like having a good chat with the screenwriter.

Zhao Fusheng blinked, thinking of something to say, but ultimately didn't speak.

They laughed and joked, steering the topic away, and after chatting for a while longer, everyone left.

On the way back, Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen shared a car.

"Just now, what else did you want to say?" Jiang Wen casually asked Zhao Fusheng.

He knew Zhao Fusheng well; the guy clearly had something to say just now, but for some reason, he didn't speak up.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Nothing much, just a bit of reflection. According to Hong Gu and Sister Fa, Ah Zhan represents the honest man, while Bo Zai Gao is the type they actually like the most."

"Huh?"

Jiang Wen was taken aback, furrowed his brow, thought it over, and his expression turned grim.

Truth is something you can't dwell on, because the more you ponder it, the more speechless it leaves you.

Clearly, Old Jiang was feeling that way now.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled, patted Jiang Wen on the shoulder, and said nothing more.

What he had just said was essentially about the 'bag holders' of later generations.

Those girls who claim to have had their fun and want to marry a reliable man—aren't they, in essence, looking for a bag holder?

Zhao Fusheng was no moralist; he just sighed with a wry smile, feeling that reliable men had it tough.

He had his own life. Since the issues with the film crew were resolved, Zhao Fusheng naturally had to leave.

"Aren't you going to watch the filming?"

Jiang Wen, hearing that Zhao Fusheng was leaving, asked in surprise.

"No."

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "I'll wait to see the final cut."

The implication was clear: he would no longer concern himself with the crew's affairs.

At this point, if Jiang Wen still couldn't shoot well, he might as well say goodbye to his career as a director.

Jiang Wen naturally understood Zhao Fusheng's meaning and nodded firmly. "Don't worry."

...

...

The next day, just as Zhao Fusheng was about to leave, he received an unexpected phone call.

"Chairman, what's wrong?"

Liu Yiming, seeing Zhao Fusheng's grim expression, asked quietly.

The train was about to depart, but Zhao Fusheng stopped in his tracks.

"Let's go back."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head and said to Liu Yiming.

"Huh?"

Liu Yiming was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. Seeing Zhao Fusheng's serious expression, he dared not ask further.

Zhao Fusheng turned and walked back outside, his expression extremely grim.

He had just received news: Chen Shijie's remains had been found.

Before this, although Chen Shijie's disappearance and presumed death had been confirmed, Zhao Fusheng had still been praying for a miracle—what if he was only injured and unconscious, what if he had been taken by another rescue team...

But clearly, miracles rarely happen.

In the end, Chen Shijie's remains were discovered.

"To Suying."

Zhao Fusheng said to Liu Yiming, "Tell the capital to postpone all my appointments for three days."

No matter what, he had to go see Chen Shijie.

Liu Yiming was startled, then his expression turned serious. He realized that this matter must still be related to the disaster area.

And it was only after arriving in Suying that Liu Yiming learned what had happened.

Over the next three days, Zhao Fusheng attended the memorial service and met with Chen Shijie's superiors and colleagues like a robot.

"Chairman, where are we going next?"

Liu Yiming asked Zhao Fusheng.

"Let's go back."

Zhao Fusheng looked up, his face somewhat pale, and said to Liu Yiming, "Leave his ashes here. He didn't have many relatives; maybe this is where he'd want to be."

Liu Yiming nodded and went back to communicate with Chen Shijie's superiors.

They naturally agreed, knowing that Zhao Fusheng and Chen Shijie were close, and that Chen Shijie indeed had no family left.

Zhao Fusheng didn't take part in what followed; he just stayed in the hotel, staring blankly every day.

Fortunately, Liu Yiming handled everything.

"Chairman, let's go back."

Liu Yiming came to Zhao Fusheng's room and said to him.

"Mm."

Zhao Fusheng nodded woodenly, not arguing.

To be honest, at that moment, Zhao Fusheng really couldn't speak.

Because his mind was filled with self-blame and guilt; he always felt that if he hadn't changed Chen Shijie's fate, Chen Shijie might not have died.

Even if he had become a corrupt official like in his previous life, he could have lived a few more decades, not died young like this.

This was a pain others couldn't understand, because only Zhao Fusheng knew what Chen Shijie had lost.

…

…

Jincheng Railway Station.

Liu Yiming looked at Zhao Fusheng with concern; he knew the chairman was grieving too much, which was why he was so unusual.

He had spoken with the capital earlier; President Zheng and Miss Fan both hoped he could return to the capital as soon as possible, so Liu Yiming had quickly handled Chen Shijie's funeral affairs and brought Zhao Fusheng away.

According to their thinking, leaving Xichuan and returning to the capital might help Zhao Fusheng break out of his current state.

The train slowly started moving, gradually entering the mountains.

Zhao Fusheng sat in the soft sleeper compartment, looking at the scenery outside the window, and suddenly recalled a poem.

Why must one be buried in one's hometown? There are green hills everywhere in life.

"Yiming, do you think people who die get a chance to be reborn?"

Zhao Fusheng asked Liu Yiming.

Liu Yiming was startled, then laughed: "Maybe; perhaps we'll meet again in another world."

"Yes."

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "There will always be a chance to meet again."

This was the only thing he could use to comfort himself.

Though he didn't know if Chen Shijie would have the same chance to start over like him, at that moment, Zhao Fusheng truly prayed that he could begin a new life.

"Chairman, you really shouldn't be so sad. I believe this is not what Mr. Chen would want to see." Liu Yiming mustered his courage and said to Zhao Fusheng.

"Yeah."

Zhao Fusheng nodded, thinking of Chen Shijie's personality, but then shook his head.

Just as Liu Yiming said, Chen Shijie hated sentimental displays the most.

In later terms, he was a textbook straight man.

Probably many girls would complain about him while crazily liking him.

After all, handsome guys always have a market.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh: "You don't know, that guy was actually quite secretly romantic. Back in school, he…"

Then he chatted with Liu Yiming about Chen Shijie's school days.

Liu Yiming just listened, because he knew that doing so would help Zhao Fusheng feel better.

…

…

Back in the capital, Zhao Fusheng rested at home for a full week.

Others wouldn't understand the blow Chen Shijie's death dealt him—it was a feeling that you thought you had changed everything, only to find the gears of fate kept turning, eventually returning to the original track, all roads leading to the same end.

It's no exaggeration to say that without his family's company, Zhao Fusheng might have even become depressed.

Fortunately, there was Fan Baobao, his family, and his daughter.

Soon, Zhao Fusheng recovered from his grief.

"Thank you."

Zhao Fusheng said to Fan Baobao.

"Cut it out."

Fan Baobao glared at him: "Zheng Yao keeps calling, asking how you're doing. There are a lot of things at the company waiting for your decision."

Zhao Fusheng laughed and nodded: "Got it."

He naturally knew that over the past few days, there had been issues at the company, but Zheng Yao had suppressed them all.

Everyone knew he was in a bad mood and needed time to adjust; they all tried not to disturb him. Even Fan Beibei, that girl, knew to make a little craft to cheer him up.

"By the way, Chen Shijie has been posthumously recognized as a martyr."

Fan Baobao hesitated but still told Zhao Fusheng: "What are your plans?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Set aside some money to build a welfare home and a school where he died."

In his view, that was all he could do. Maybe in ten or twenty years, that would be the only way to keep Chen Shijie remembered.

"Okay, I'll have Liu Yiming handle it."

Fan Baobao nodded, quite approving of Zhao Fusheng's arrangement.