Chapter 2204: One Does Not Visit a Temple Without a Reason

Regarding the script for No Man's Land, Zhao Fusheng naturally knew about it.

Ning Hao had high hopes for that script, but in truth, Zhao Fusheng wasn't optimistic about the film at all.

Not that the script was bad, but because at this time, even if the film were made, getting it past censorship wouldn't be easy.

Dark, negative works face great difficulty during review.

Both Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing were well aware of this.

In fact, Ning Hao himself knew it too.

But the problem was,

Knowing and doing are two different concepts for many things.

It's like how we know sometimes we shouldn't go out, yet we can't help but take a stroll anyway.

Humans are just that kind of animal.

For Zhao Fusheng, Ning Hao was a young director he valued highly and was willing to support.

Since he had chosen this difficult path,

All Zhao Fusheng could do was support him.

"Agree to him."

Zhao Fusheng gave Ye Jing his answer.

It wasn't a difficult choice.

Perhaps the film was destined never to be released, but it could be taken to film festivals and such; recouping costs might be tough, but fortunately it was a small investment and production, so it wasn't a big problem.

In short, compared to the profits Ning Hao could generate for the company in the future, Zhao Fusheng felt he could afford to lose this money.

Since the boss himself said so, Ye Jing naturally had no objections.

In fact, he also had high hopes for Ning Hao.

The reason was simple: Ning Hao was simply too talented.

Few people could impress Ye Jing with their talent alone like Ning Hao did, but Ning Hao really had a way; Ye Jing took an immediate liking to his script, which was why he specifically brought it up to Zhao Fusheng.

Did anyone really think President Ye was the type to gossip idly?

Every word he said had a purpose.

Zhao Fusheng naturally understood this, but since Ye Jing had brought it up, he was willing to do Ning Hao a favor.

...

...

Sure enough, when Ning Hao learned from Ye Jing that the company had agreed to invest in his new film, he was so overjoyed he didn't know what to say.

After all, he knew very well that this film was purely his ideal work, the movie he wanted to make.

But as for its box office prospects, to be honest, even Ning Hao wasn't optimistic.

He knew that crime films of this kind had no market domestically, and on top of that, he had written the script to be quite dark; to be honest, Ning Hao even felt that if he hadn't been valued by Zhao Fusheng and signed as a director with Future Films, no one would have invested in this script.

But fortunately, neither Zhao Fusheng nor Ye Jing let Ning Hao down.

These two big shots were truly worthy of his admiration and willingness to follow.

Soon, the No Man's Land crew began formal preparations.

Project approval, casting, lead actors and actresses.

Even as the Spring Festival approached, Ning Hao didn't rest.

In his own words, he couldn't let the boss's expectations down.

When Zhao Fusheng heard the news, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he simply let Ning Hao do as he pleased.

Regardless, enthusiasm is a good thing, and to be honest, Zhao Fusheng really liked director Ning Hao's work—after all, the guy was definitely one of the best storytellers among young Chinese directors.

But he hadn't expected Ning Hao to come to him.

"Chairman, you have to help me."

Before the Spring Festival, Ning Hao came to Zhao Fusheng's home under the pretext of paying New Year's respects.

His sudden visit

caught Zhao Fusheng somewhat by surprise.

Because Ning Hao wasn't usually one to act this way.

Although the guy was loyal to the company and boasted of being Zhao Fusheng's disciple, in truth, aside from holidays or official business, Ning Hao rarely visited Zhao Fusheng's home.

Deep down, he still had the pride of a literatus.

And today, he had shown up with a bag of fruit and wine—something must be up.

Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, he spoke up.

Frowning slightly, Zhao Fusheng asked, "What's going on? Is someone in the company giving you trouble? Or is someone outside poaching you?"

As he saw it, only such issues could make Ning Hao so worried that he'd come to his home.

"Neither."

Ning Hao shook his head and said frankly to Zhao Fusheng, "Don't worry, the company treats me well, and President Ye fully supports my filming plans. The movie has already been greenlit. As for outside offers, no matter how good the terms, I won't leave the company."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

Since it wasn't what he had guessed, why did Ning Hao need his help?

"Are you short on money?"

A random thought crossed his mind, and Zhao Fusheng asked with a smile.

"No, no, don't misunderstand."

Ning Hao quickly waved his hands. To stop Zhao Fusheng from speculating further, he said directly, "Well, could you persuade Teacher Jiang Wen to star in my movie?"

"Huh?"

Zhao Fusheng was stunned.

He never expected Ning Hao to come to him over Jiang Wen.

But on second thought, that was just like Ning Hao.

"If you want him to act, just talk to him. Why come to me?"

Zhao Fusheng then noticed the key point and asked Ning Hao in confusion.

That was true—if Ning Hao wanted to invite Jiang Wen to star in *No Man's Land*, he could just talk to him directly. They were in the same company, and Old Jiang, aside from spending time with his family, was mostly at the company handling business. Ning Hao had plenty of opportunities to see Jiang Wen.

Why come to him?

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Ning Hao gave a bitter smile, looking helpless.

"Chairman, if I could persuade Teacher Jiang Wen, I wouldn't be coming to you."

With that, he recounted the whole story.

From the very beginning of writing the script, Ning Hao had envisioned Jiang Wen as the ideal candidate for his male lead.

That was probably a common habit of every screenwriter.

When writing a script, they would use a certain image as the blueprint for their character.

And Ning Hao had clearly chosen Jiang Wen.

From start to finish, his male lead had always been Old Jiang.

But at the time, Old Jiang was still filming *Let the Bullets Fly*, so Ning Hao didn't bring it up.

After the script was finished and the project was approved, Ning Hao went to see Jiang Wen with great joy, hoping he would star in his new movie.

But instead, he got a rude shock.