Chapter 1998: Make a Good Movie

At certain moments, people can experience extreme physical fatigue coupled with mental exhilaration.

That was exactly the state Ning Hao was in at this moment.

He truly hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to agree to let him shoot *No Man's Land*.

"Let me make this clear first. Although I've agreed to let you shoot it, there are a few requirements you need to remember." Zhao Fusheng looked at Ning Hao and said solemnly.

Ning Hao quickly nodded: "Go ahead."

He knew that Zhao Fusheng would have instructions for him.

"First, the script needs to be carefully polished."

Zhao Fusheng said to Ning Hao: "I don't want the reputation you've painstakingly built up to be worn away in the end."

"I know that, rest assured."

Ning Hao naturally agreed. He wasn't stupid; after the training from these two films, he now understood the importance of a good script for a movie.

Without exaggeration, if the script quality of a film can't be guaranteed, it's basically crippled halfway.

For a good film, a successful film, the most important thing is to have a good script.

That's a fundamental premise.

"Polish the script well. Don't worry about the investment, and don't go scamming outsiders. The company isn't short of your investment." Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Ning Hao.

"Ah?"

Ning Hao was a bit surprised at first, then quickly nodded: "Okay, rest assured, I understand."

He naturally knew Zhao Fusheng's wealth, and he also knew that, as Zhao Fusheng said, this investment in film and television was nothing more than a drop in the bucket for his boss.

After all, Zhao Fusheng was too rich.

"That's about it."

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment, originally intending to discuss the issue of censorship with Ning Hao, but then decided against it.

If this guy were willing to change, he wouldn't be Ning Hao.

In his memory, *No Man's Land* took a full four years from shooting to release.

In between, this guy even wrote the script for *Breakup Buddies*.

Based on that alone, Zhao Fusheng had to admit that Ning Hao was born to make comedies.

No matter what kind of comedy, he could make it interesting.

In comparison, that guy Wang Qiang was only fit to act in comedies, not to direct.

Talent, sometimes, really determines a person's ceiling.

Many people always say that hard work can change everything and lead to success.

That statement isn't quite right.

Hard work is one of the basic factors for success, but it's not the decisive factor.

Talent is!

Because in many cases, no one doesn't work hard; everyone works very hard to achieve success. Whether it's a world champion in Go or a Victoria's Secret supermodel, everyone in their respective fields works hard.

A world champion in Go works hard and wins the championship, proving they are the best in the world.

A Victoria's Secret supermodel, after careful hype, marries into a wealthy family, gives birth to the eldest son and grandson, and lives without worries.

These are the results of individual effort.

As for the nuances in between, that depends on public understanding.

The former is the success of an athlete, while the latter is the success of marketing.

This isn't Zhao Fusheng talking nonsense; it's a fact.

You see, although the supermodel seems to have married into a wealthy family and given birth to a grandson.

In reality, the status of the Fourth Wife's family within the clan is negligible.

How many true wealthy families would let their most elite子弟 roll around in the entertainment industry and become famous through a bunch of messy news?

That old and immortal casino king had only two wives who were formally married.

The first wife had passed away, and then there was the concubine taken under Qing dynasty law, the second wife.

She was the one who truly held power.

Not to mention anything else, her daughter, the chubby He, was known as the queen of gambling.

Back then, the beauty Li stole her husband and married that Mr. Xu. The chubby He decisively divorced, and now she's doing much better than her ex-husband.

With assets worth billions of dollars, she calls the shots.

Meanwhile, the couple Li and Xu receive a monthly allowance of two million, and Li even has to appear as a mentor on acting shows.

What a contrast, huh.

Getting off track, back to the main topic.

Zhao Fusheng had absolute faith in Ning Hao's directorial talent and naturally would fully support him.

"Alright, I'll go back now and start preparing the script."

Ning Hao was in a very good mood and said directly to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng nodded and asked Liu Yiming to see Ning Hao out.

...

...

"Let Ning Hao shoot his new film as he pleases."

Zhao Fusheng called Ye Jing.

"New film?"

Ye Jing was a bit surprised.

Obviously, he didn't know about *No Man's Land*.

Zhao Fusheng nodded and roughly described the plot of *No Man's Land* as he knew it to Ye Jing.

"This plot..."

Ye Jing hesitated for a moment, then said with some uncertainty: "I feel it will be very difficult to pass censorship."

That was the truth. As the company's leader and an industry insider, he could see that the script was good and had depth, but the problem was that content of this scale would likely be hard for the censors to accept.

"Shoot it first, we'll talk later."

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "We'll deal with the censorship issue later; we can slowly revise it."

He paused and laughed: "As for investment, you decide. Ning Hao isn't the type to waste money. But one thing: this film must not be secretly submitted to festivals. I don't want a second Old Jiang, understand?"

Back then, Old Jiang's *Devils on the Doorstep* was banned precisely because he secretly took it abroad for festivals. Zhao Fusheng thought highly of Ning Hao and didn't want him to become another Jiang Wen.

Ye Jing nodded: "Don't worry, I'll personally oversee this matter."

Ning Hao was currently the most commercially successful director under the company, and Ye Jing would never allow Ning Hao to have problems.

The importance of a good director to a film and television company is self-evident.

Whether it was Jiang Wen in the past or Ma Dajun, their significance to their respective companies was at the nuclear weapon level.

"By the way, Xu Zheng has wrapped up. Do you want to see the rough cut?"

Ye Jing suddenly asked Zhao Fusheng.

Wrapped up?

Zhao Fusheng was somewhat surprised; Brother Shanzheng's filming speed was unexpectedly fast. But thinking about it, the timing was about right. The Spring Festival release was approaching, and it was already August 9th. If he didn't wrap up soon, there wouldn't be time for editing and promotion.

Others might not know, but Zhao Fusheng knew how much hope Xu Zheng had for this film.

He really intended to transition.

After all, Brother Shanzheng used to be a genuine young heartthrob actor in China.

But after starring in *The Legend of the Pig Warrior*, he became famous but lost his hair.

Brother Shanzheng, who had gone down the path of baldness without return, had developed different ideas about acting.

From acting to directing—that was his plan.

Why did Zhao Fusheng value him? Not only because Brother Shanzheng had achieved success in comedy directing, but also because this person was very smart and good at grasping what the audience needed.

Maybe he was a bit womanizing, but in terms of directing and acting skills, Brother Shanzheng's strength was undeniable.

"Let's take a look."

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and said to Ye Jing with a smile: "You set the time, sometime in the next few days."

"Okay."

Ye Jing nodded.

He had only mentioned it casually. Zhao Fusheng could go or not; although the film had been shot, editing still required some time.

Most importantly, Zhao Fusheng's presence often served more as encouragement than practical significance.

Apart from himself and Wang Qiang, Brother Shanzheng's film had no big-name stars; it relied entirely on the plot and the fact that it fit the Chinese New Year tradition.

In such a situation, Zhao Fusheng, as the chairman, though knowledgeable, didn't really matter much.

His appearance was more to show that the company valued the film and hoped Xu Zheng would continue to work hard.

That was about it.

Ye Jing was better at this trick than anyone.

Just like he had Ning Hao talk to Zhao Fusheng about the new film.

Sometimes, it wasn't because Zhao Fusheng understood film so well, but because of his status.

The chairman of Future Group, a genuine super-rich man, personally meeting with a director and an actor—what kind of face was that?

With that alone, Ye Jing knew that many things only required him to present a plan, and the other party would readily accept.

The reason was simple: they felt that Future Film valued them.

Proof?

Even the boss Zhao Fusheng had personally shown up—wasn't that proof enough?

Zhao Fusheng knew this too, but he never pointed it out.

It was also a way Ye Jing worked.

Moreover, if it were him, he would probably make the same choice.

After chatting for a few more sentences, they hung up. Zhao Fusheng informed Liu Yiming to set aside some time in the next few days to watch the rough cut of *Lost on Journey*.

Liu Yiming naturally didn't dare to slack off and immediately noted it in his little notebook.

Seeing him writing so earnestly, Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Hey, how much stuff are you planning to write in that notebook?"

"Hehe, your schedule and the things you instruct, I'll write them all down."

Liu Yiming looked up and said honestly: "A good memory is worse than a bad pen. I'm slow-witted."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly and gave up correcting him.

People are different. Among his secretaries, Zhang Qian was smart but had no ambition to advance, only wanting to follow him.

Wu Sijie was smart, ambitious, and eager for success, with outstanding abilities.

As for Liu Yiming, although he also had ideas about moving up, it had to be said that both his ability and personality were problematic.

But this guy had good self-awareness, which left Zhao Fusheng somewhat conflicted.