Chapter 2209: Success

Communicating with smart people is simple, especially with someone as clever as Xu Shanzheng.

You just give a signal, and he immediately knows what to do.

For anyone, this is a very comfortable thing.

The same goes for Zhao Fusheng.

At the very least, even knowing what kind of person Xu Shanzheng was, his approach still satisfied Zhao Fusheng.

No one dislikes obedient and sensible subordinates.

Even if you know that this guy has a rebellious streak.

But for many big shots, a rebellious subordinate is not really scary, as long as they can keep him in check.

Especially someone like Xu Shanzheng, in Zhao Fusheng's view, was even less of a problem.

"Alright, I'll tell Ning Hao right away."

Jiang Wen spoke up at just the right moment.

"No problem."

Xu Shanzheng smiled and nodded: "I'd also like to work with Ning Hao again."

Xu Shanzheng had made cameo appearances in several of Ning Hao's earlier films, but at that time he was still an actor striving for transformation; now, like Ning Hao, he had become a director.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Sure, ask Ning Hao if he's free. If so, come over and discuss the script together."

Regardless, since Xu Shanzheng was so cooperative and respectful, he had to give him due face as well.

It had nothing to do with their respective statuses; Zhao Fusheng simply felt that one should act this way.

If someone respects me an inch, I respect them a foot.

That was Zhao Fusheng's principle in life.

If others spoke harshly to him, Zhao Fusheng naturally wouldn't save face for them and would just push back directly.

Conversely, if others treated him with respect, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't act like a madman and target them.

Neither the education he received from childhood nor his character after growing up allowed Zhao Fusheng to do that.

Hearing Zhao Fusheng's words, Jiang Wen naturally had no objections and soon called Ning Hao.

Ning Hao was also surprised to receive the call.

Although he didn't know how Zhao Fusheng had convinced Xu Shanzheng, for him, this was definitely a very gratifying thing.

In a sense, the saying 'a leaf before the eye blocks Mount Tai' is quite representative in the film industry, especially in movies.

Take Xu Shanzheng, for example; he had never been within Ning Hao's consideration before.

From start to finish, from the very beginning of writing the script, Ning Hao had never considered having Xu Shanzheng act in it.

He had always described the male lead in his mind as Jiang Wen.

But after being reminded by Zhao Fusheng earlier,

when he replaced the male lead image with Xu Shanzheng, Ning Hao unexpectedly found that the effect was actually not bad.

As Zhao Fusheng said, if Xu Shanzheng played the lawyer role, he would be more suitable than Jiang Wen; at least, Xu Shanzheng could portray the 'gentleman scoundrel' more vividly than Jiang Wen.

After all, Jiang Wen had too much wildness about him, making it hard to associate him with such an image.

A rough, masculine, testosterone-filled image suited Jiang Wen better.

Soon, Ning Hao also arrived by car.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zhao Fusheng suddenly laughed.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Wen looked at him somewhat puzzled, not understanding what he was laughing at.

"It's nothing."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head.

Then, looking at Jiang Wen and the others, he said, "I just think this feels a bit like a crew meet-and-greet."

"What?"

They all froze, staring at Zhao Fusheng in confusion.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged. "Look at yourselves: the director and screenwriter, the lead actor, and you, Old Jiang, as the producer—isn't this just a crew meet-and-greet?"

Jiang Wen and the others exchanged glances, then all burst out laughing.

Come to think of it, when you really considered it, what Zhao Fusheng said actually made some sense.

The four of them gathered together—wasn't that the embryo of a film crew?

Things went much more smoothly after that. Ning Hao briefed Xu Zheng on the film's preparations.

Jiang Wen stated that the company would fully support the production, and as the producer, he would not interfere with the filming.

"I'm just a figurehead. The company will send someone to handle the specifics."

Jiang Wen said to Ning Hao with a smile, "But let me make this clear first: going over budget is out of the question. Unless you can find a way to increase advertising revenue."

Ning Hao laughed and agreed.

In truth, he had been a bit worried, afraid that Jiang Wen might suddenly decide to join the crew as a supervisor.

After all, the guy had a track record.

Back when they were filming *The Missing Gun*, Lu Chuan was a pitiful example—Jiang Wen had literally driven him to tears. That showed just how terrifying it was to work with Jiang Wen.

That was old news; only insiders knew about it.

Even Zhao Fusheng wasn't fully aware of the details, but he knew one thing: even now, when Future Film was at its peak, Lu Chuan had never considered joining his company.

Whether Old Jiang had anything to do with that was anyone's guess.

…

…

Discussing business over a meal is a Chinese tradition.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone sat together, in a good mood, and settled the necessary matters. That was probably the favorite way for Chinese people to negotiate deals.

The same went for film and television projects.

By the time the meal was over, the lead actor and investment for *No Man's Land* were basically set.

Jiang Wen would be the nominal producer, Ning Hao the director responsible for assembling the crew, and Xu Zheng would not only be the lead actor but also the assistant director.

In Zhao Fusheng's words, the film might not do well at the box office, but it would surely have a good reputation. "Old Xu, don't miss this opportunity. At the very least, you can build up your credentials."

Zhao Fusheng said this bluntly, right in front of Ning Hao.

Ning Hao didn't mind. He interpreted Zhao Fusheng's words this way:

The film's box office prospects weren't promising, but the chairman was still willing to invest. In other words, he was helping him realize a dream.

It must be said that the most terrifying thing for a person isn't facing difficulties—it's overthinking.

Ning Hao, for instance, was prone to that.

But Zhao Fusheng didn't know, or rather, even if he did, he wouldn't have minded.

For him, he had never had any expectations for this film's box office.

He just hoped that after Ning Hao finished filming, he would understand one thing: some films are made without considering the box office, because if you do, you'll have to bow to commercialism.

For a director, that meant deciding which path to take in the future.

Zhao Fusheng didn't want to make that choice for Ning Hao; he wanted Ning Hao to decide for himself.

Because deep down, Zhao Fusheng truly admired Ning Hao.