Chapter 2199: Know When to Stop

Zhao Fusheng had never relaxed his vigilance against capital, even though he himself was part of capital, and indeed the biggest part.

But Zhao Fusheng understood even more that sometimes, having money alone was useless.

After all, you couldn't stop the behavior of the entire industry.

For example, bad movies, god-awful dramas, and inexplicable rules.

Therefore, in the film and television industry, Zhao Fusheng had always been very cautious, afraid that one wrong step would turn him into someone else's stepping stone.

As for his thoughts, Ye Jing and Yu Feihong and others, though not entirely clear, each had their own guesses.

But they found it quite normal.

Let alone Zhao Fusheng, even they themselves couldn't quite understand the development of China's film and television industry nowadays.

Money seemed less and less like money.

In the past, spending a few million or ten million on a film felt like a huge investment.

But now, investing tens of millions was no big deal.

Yet even so, in many people's eyes, that was just a small budget.

Now there was a saying in China's film and television circles: a truly big production had to cost at least fifty million.

Fifty million!

That was fifty million RMB!

Not fifty million rubles, nor fifty million yen or won!

How could these investors treat money as if it weren't money?

The more this happened, the more Yu Feihong and others felt that in this industry, it was better to be cautious.

…

…

Time quickly passed a month, and in the blink of an eye, *Let the Bullets Fly* was finally facing its release end.

Ye Jing suggested to Zhao Fusheng whether they could pull some strings to extend the film's run for another month, so the box office could be even higher.

After much consideration, Zhao Fusheng rejected the proposal.

Not because he couldn't, but because it was unnecessary.

For Future Film and Television, the first shot had already been fired.

Having achieved the desired effect and reached the goal, there was no need to keep blocking others.

To be honest, Zhao Fusheng had always felt that there was a reason why a certain martial arts actor from later times was criticized and hated by so many online.

A film runs for a month, box office explodes.

Having already made a fortune, they stubbornly dragged it out another month. If it were anyone else, faced with such a competitor, wouldn't they curse him instead of praising his film?

This wasn't blackening; it was fact.

Release schedules were fixed; unless for specific reasons, few films changed their schedules.

When a film runs too long, the biggest losers are undoubtedly other films in the same period, because you take up their screen share.

The film was good, the actors were good, but the producer's approach undoubtedly put him in the spotlight.

But the actor probably welcomed such a scene, after all, he was one of the film's investors, and he gained reputation from it.

Though he offended his peers, as Guo the Little Fatty said, peers are rivals. These days, everyone hopes for their rivals' misfortune.

Being able to make money while annoying rival peers—both the producer and the actor must have been secretly delighted.

Of course, in the entertainment industry, there are gains and losses.

If you choose to make money, you naturally have to bear the corresponding criticism.

Innocence is not innocence, not as netizens imagine.

Often, what netizens know is deliberately shaped by the media, or jointly presented by celebrities and the media.

As for the truth behind it, perhaps someone will discover it years later, but for now, basically no one will know.

…

…

*Let the Bullets Fly* ran for a month and ended on schedule.

This news relieved all domestic film companies.

It must be said that Zhao Fusheng's approach was very popular.

Everyone knew that *Let the Bullets Fly* was of high quality, and its high box office was proof.

In other words, in the past month, other films in the same period were simply unlucky to be crushed.

But that was normal.

Film companies actually had a consensus: blockbuster films were inevitable.

No one could guarantee that a film they invested in would perform poorly or well.

Who knows, a film with a ten million investment might earn tens of millions or even hundreds of millions at the box office.

The domestic market might be just starting, but in Hong Kong and Hollywood, such things were common.

Everyone could accept that.

But if Future Film and Television kept hogging the release schedule, that would be a bit unfair.

Finding good meat and eating it all—that was really bad form.

Fortunately, Zhao Fusheng wasn't that kind of person, so he directly had Future Film and Television take *Let the Bullets Fly* off the schedule according to normal rules.

For other film companies, this was undoubtedly great news.

“You actually guessed right.”

Ye Jing came to Future Film and Television's headquarters to report to Zhao Fusheng.

“What's up?”

Zhao Fusheng asked casually upon hearing his words.

“After we announced the end of *Let the Bullets Fly*'s run, several film companies sent messages hoping to co-invest with us.”

Ye Jing said to Zhao Fusheng, “Before, these people never paid us any attention.”

“Heh.”

Zhao Fusheng laughed. There were some things he couldn't say, but that didn't mean Ye Jing didn't understand what these moves meant.

Obviously, they understood that Future Film and Television had no intention of being the first to stand out and wanted everyone to make money together.

Since that was the case, they were naturally willing to cooperate with Future Film and Television.

No one wanted to stand against a powerful company like Future Film and Television.

But similarly, if pushed too far, these people might unite and stand against Future Film and Television.

Whether to fight or make peace, to develop together or fight to the death, sometimes it was just a matter of a single decision.

“Make some choices.”

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Ye Jing, “Invest in what should be invested, reject what should be rejected. Just like we discussed before, our company will only invest in the best TV series and films.”

Ye Jing nodded, indicating he understood what Zhao Fusheng meant.

After all, the two had already carefully discussed the company's future direction.

It was a plan to ensure that the works the company invested in and produced would achieve a win-win in both ratings or box office and reputation.

In short, Future Film and Television's investments were meant to see returns and profits.