Chapter 0221 Surface Brothers

Regarding Zhou Feifei's habits, Wang Jinghua couldn't say much more and turned his gaze to Zhao Fusheng in the distance. To be fair, they had met and chatted quite a few times. Wang Jinghua prided himself on being able to see through most young people.

But this Zhao Fusheng was remarkably smooth in speech and manner, not at all like a college student still in school. Yet he was exceptionally low-key, nothing like those producers who made a splash with a single creative plan. Thinking this, she frowned slightly. After all, the entertainment industry was a restless circle. Being humble wasn't bad, but sometimes one needed the right aura. This young man had something eye-catching about him, but his presence always fell a bit short.

Little did she know that although Zhao Fusheng was well aware of the benefits his plans could bring and understood why others flattered and respected him, in his previous life he had been at most a department manager at a third-rate advertising agency—a complete nobody. Where would he get so-called presence?

At that moment, Zhao Fusheng stood with Liu Dehua, chatting casually.

“Director Zhao carries a lot of weight,” Liu Dehua said with a smile, holding a glass of wine.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head with a wry smile: “Brother Hua, don't tease me. I'm completely disoriented right now.”

As he spoke, he blinked: “What do you think Huayi means? This direct show of goodwill makes me a bit uneasy.” Zhao Fusheng narrowed his eyes, giving the impression that he was scheming something.

Liu Dehua rolled his eyes at him in exasperation and said helplessly: “You really know how to play the innocent after getting the benefits.”

“Don't say that. Anyone in my shoes would react the same way. After all, we both know that a pie falling from the sky is never safe. I just casually wrote an ad script, and now not only have you, a superstar, come knocking, but even investment companies are showing up. How can I not be afraid?” Zhao Fusheng appeared calm, but inside he was a little pleased.

“That's not how you put it. Everyone is interested in your story because it's truly captivating.” Liu Dehua shook his head and said to Zhao Fusheng with a smile: “Can't you be a bit more optimistic? Don't think so darkly.”

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng gently shook his head and smiled, a bit embarrassed, but still said lightly: “It's not that I'm not optimistic; it's that the world is too dark. It's like chicken soup—to us it's inspirational, but to the chicken, it might be a horror story...”

“Pfft...” Liu Dehua spat out a mouthful of wine and looked up at Zhao Fusheng in anger.

Zhao Fusheng looked completely calm, as if nothing had happened, innocent as a little white flower.

Sighing, Liu Dehua shook his head speechlessly and muttered: “How did I never see that you're this kind of person?”

Zhao Fusheng blinked and said nothing.

To him, Liu Dehua was merely a collaborator, not even an ordinary friend. They were brought together by the ad, each getting what they needed: Liu Dehua needed exposure in the mainland, and Zhao Fusheng needed to expand his influence by making this happen.

As for this script, King Liu needed it to save his Tianmu Film Company from imminent collapse, while Zhao Fusheng needed it to earn his true first pot of gold.

Life is so realistic—if you can be used by others, it proves you at least have some value of being needed. The most disgusting thing is when someone despises you yet still wants to use you to get something from you. Sometimes I wonder: is it that I, Fatty Hu, can no longer wield my knife, or have you, Jingxiang, gotten too cocky?

Seeing Zhao Fusheng silent, Liu Dehua shook his head: “Actually, I understand your thoughts. Sometimes people really should be more cautious. At least, it’s been a long time since I trusted anyone casually.”

Zhao Fusheng was startled, looking at Liu Dehua in surprise, vaguely recalling a legend he had once heard.

In some entertainment industry gossip, Hong Kong’s TVB in the 1980s once cultivated five leading young actors, having them perform together in a show, thus earning the name the Five Tigers.

These five men thrived during the golden age of Hong Kong TV dramas. Once people succeed, they get new ideas, so they planned to collectively jump ship and break into the film industry.

At that time, besides TVB, there were two other major film companies in Hong Kong, but they only had eyes for Liu Dehua and Liang Chaowei, showing no interest in the other three Tigers. However, Huazai was very loyal; he even gambled his own future, insisting that if others wanted to sign him, they had to sign the other Tigers too. But his ideal ultimately failed to materialize.

At the time, TVB’s top management learned that the Five Tigers planned to collectively defect, so they adopted a strategy of divide and conquer in contract negotiations, secretly splitting the Five Tigers. Since Liang Chaowei, who needed to work to support his family, was conservative and low-key, the management decided to start with him, constantly urging him to renew his contract first and even offering extra salary as a temptation. In the end, under coercion and bribery, Liang Chaowei renewed his contract with TVB first.

In such matters, once one person gives in, the others naturally become useless. However, Liu Dehua paid a heavy price for this—he was forcibly shelved for a whole year, and even his record plans were suspended.

According to official accounts, the other three harbored considerable resentment toward Liang Chaowei, but Liu Dehua never did. Years later, he even said that Liang Chaowei’s decision was not wrong—no one knew what the outside world was like, and everyone had their own choices.

But in Zhao Fusheng’s view, this was nothing but polite, high-sounding rhetoric.

Not to mention anything else, in Zhao Fusheng’s memory, in the future, Liu Dehua and Liang Chaowei never acted together again except for the film *Infernal Affairs*.

A star is itself a commodity; a star must know what path they are taking.

In Zhao Fusheng’s opinion, the two made *Infernal Affairs* partly because the pay was high enough, and partly because even if their relationship was bad, as long as it hadn’t reached the point of a falling-out, and with the director’s earnest invitation, they still had to cooperate.

And now, Liu Dehua mentioning that he couldn’t trust anyone was probably referring to that Film Emperor Liang.

The two had a grudge lasting decades. When Liang Chaowei got married and hosted a grand banquet, he alone did not invite Liu Dehua, who was also a celestial king superstar, and Liu Dehua didn’t even send a gift.

With such a relationship, still calling each other friends—only those fans would believe it. Surface brothers, that’s probably what it is.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Zhao Fusheng. Seeing the Heavenly King immersed in reminiscing, Zhao Fusheng shrugged, said nothing, and silently stood there drinking his beverage.