Chapter 0378: Bait

Because it was early spring, the weather here was still quite cold. Zhao Fusheng only stayed for three days before carelessly catching a cold, so he simply stopped going to the filming location.

Originally planning to stay only three days, he ended up having to stay a whole week, and Zhao Fusheng could only look helpless.

Fortunately, it coincided with Jiang Wen's birthday, which livened things up a bit.

On the director's birthday, the whole crew naturally got half a day off. Of course, this was mainly because the continuous filming had been tough lately, and Jiang Wen used it as an excuse to give everyone a break.

Although his cold made him uncomfortable, Zhao Fusheng still accompanied them with a glass of wine and then stopped drinking.

As the birthday boy, Jiang Wen was inevitably plied with a lot of alcohol. When he walked out of the restaurant, his steps were unsteady, already swaying a bit.

"Had too much?" Zhao Fusheng looked up at Jiang Wen and said with a smile.

"Not bad. Don't you know my capacity?" Jiang Wen raised an eyebrow.

The two sat side by side. Jiang Wen lit a cigarette and gestured to Zhao Fusheng, who shook his head but didn't take it.

"You're good in every way, except you have no proper hobbies," Jiang Wen said with a pout.

Zhao Fusheng was speechless. In this guy's mouth, not smoking or drinking heavily had become a bad habit.

"Tell me, how do you think I'm doing with this film?" Jiang Wen suddenly said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was stunned and didn't speak for a long time. After hesitating, he said, "Actually, you could try making commercial films, like Ma Dajun."

Ma Dajun was the director Zhao Fusheng had seen in a news report shortly after his rebirth. His new film "Flag Flying" had grossed over a hundred million, making him one of the hottest commercial film directors in the country.

In fact, in Zhao Fusheng's view, whether in talent or ability, that Director Ma was far, far behind Jiang Wen—not just by a margin of a hundred thousand miles.

"Heh, I'm not as smooth as Dajun," Jiang Wen thought for a moment and shook his head. "I'm not really suited for commercial films." Clearly, Jiang Wen at this point hadn't yet reached the level he would later, or rather, he hadn't yet found a way to unify art and commerce.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said nothing. Even if he knew, he wouldn't say it.

"Dajun's war film did well at the box office. I reckon a lot of people will make that type of movie for a while," Jiang Wen said with a laugh after a long pause. "Ours is also a kind of war film, in a way."

Zhao Fusheng was impressed by the guy's almost carefree words. He shook his head and said, "Don't worry, the cultural industry will definitely pick up."

He was telling the truth. In his previous life, China's cultural and entertainment industry had been vibrant, spawning many brands and becoming the world's largest box office market. Even European and American films had to add Chinese elements to cater to the Chinese market.

"Heh, cultural industry?" Jiang Wen sneered at Zhao Fusheng's words. "Culture shouldn't be tied to industry. Entertainment can be industrialized. Culture can be entertainized. But culture can only be so-called industrialized. After all these years in this circle, do you know what you end up finding?"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback. "What?"

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. In layman's terms, it can only be sensed, not explained. It exists in every corner. Those who get it, get it. Those who don't can't be taught. So I'm not a cultured person. I'm just a hooligan making a living off culture." Jiang Wen laughed heartily, stood up, and brushed the dirt off his clothes.

"Let's go, back to the hotel. We have filming tomorrow," Jiang Wen said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with him. "You're getting up for filming tomorrow; I don't have to."

Jiang Wen was left speechless. Faced with such words from Zhao Fusheng, he could only silently hope that one day this guy would fall into his hands.

Zhao Fusheng watched Jiang Wen's back and suddenly remembered something. He smiled and said, "By the way, Old Jiang, don't you owe me a favor?"

Although Jiang Wen had paid fifty thousand for the script of "Devils on the Doorstep," he knew that Zhao Fusheng hadn't originally planned to write it. He had insisted, so he had promised to owe Zhao Fusheng a favor.

Now that Zhao Fusheng suddenly brought it up, Jiang Wen was startled. "What's up? You have something?"

Jiang Wen's name was now a big deal in China's entertainment circle. Many actors turned directors, but few were like him.

More importantly, Old Jiang had his own circle and friends. If Zhao Fusheng ever got into trouble with someone in the film and TV industry, Jiang Wen figured he could still call in some favors.

"No, no, nothing's wrong. I just thought of a good story. A few days ago, when I came here, I overheard someone on the train telling a story. It was quite interesting. In a couple of years, when I have time, I'll write a TV script. How about you direct it for me?"

"Huh?"

Jiang Wen was dumbfounded, almost thinking he was hallucinating. Here he was, a famous movie star and well-known film director, and Zhao Fusheng wanted him to direct a TV series—and had even booked him in advance.

Blinking, Jiang Wen looked at Zhao Fusheng and pointed at his own nose. "Xiao Zhao, look carefully. Who am I?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded. "I see clearly. Jiang Wen, Old Jiang, an actor, a director, um, a film director and actor currently making a banned film."

Then he lowered his head and muttered, "A guy whose film will be banned as soon as it's finished, and he's still picking and choosing..."

Jiang Wen burst out laughing at his antics. The guy was supposedly muttering, but his voice was just loud enough for both to hear—clearly meant for Jiang Wen.

"You little rascal, are you deliberately messing with me?" Jiang Wen said helplessly.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "People can change anything, but what mustn't change is the courage to adapt to change. You can give it a try, because I think movies and TV series are both ways of expressing our lives. And let me tell you, if I write this story, your name, Jiang Wen, will become a label in the history of Chinese television."

After these words, Jiang Wen was stunned. He could disregard other things, but fame and fortune were a mountain he couldn't overcome. If he could become a label in TV history, Jiang Wen would find it impossible to resist such temptation.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled softly and patted Jiang Wen on the shoulder. "Wait and see, Old Jiang. I'm not lying to you."

Jiang Wen shook his head. He really didn't understand where Zhao Fusheng got such confidence.