Chapter 0462: Soap Opera

Fate is always hard to fathom.

Zhao Fusheng was curious about how the girl surnamed Song would choose, because that would determine his next move.

"Sorry, Director Zhang, I still need to go back to the dorm."

With those words from the girl, a smile appeared on Zhao Fusheng's face, while the expressions of Zhang Li and the man turned sour.

After saying that, the girl turned and walked back to where they had been sitting.

"This..." The man looked embarrassed, completely taken aback by how things had turned out.

"Hmph, how did you handle this?" Zhang Li glared at him with a dark face.

"Don't worry, Director Zhang, I have a backup plan," the man said in a low voice.

Then he leaned in and whispered something in Zhang Li's ear. After a moment, Zhang Li nodded with satisfaction: "Handle it yourself."

With that, the man swaggered back to where the group had been sitting.

Zhao Fusheng watched them return, then stepped out, sneering coldly at their backs.

He walked back to his seat. Jiang Wen and Yu Feihong had finished chatting and were drinking.

"So, done talking?" Zhao Fusheng asked Jiang Wen with a smile.

Jiang Wen nodded: "Why were you gone so long?"

"I was just giving you a chance to vent," Zhao Fusheng teased Jiang Wen, then said to Yu Feihong, "Sis, what do you think are the chances of Old Jiang's film passing censorship?"

Yu Feihong hesitated, then shook her head: "Honestly, I don't think it's likely to pass unless you add the plot you wrote in your script. Then there might be a chance."

Zhao Fusheng had added some storylines about the underground party in the script to highlight the main theme, but he wasn't sure if Jiang Wen had actually filmed them.

Knowing Jiang Wen, Zhao Fusheng figured he probably wouldn't film them, and even if he did, he'd likely cut them during editing.

That was just his habit.

"I'll give it a try," Jiang Wen said slowly after a moment of silence.

He knew Zhao Fusheng had added that scene specifically to emphasize the main theme and help the film pass censorship.

But the problem was, Jiang Wen felt that if he filmed it that way, it would be like a castrated eunuch—no longer a complete film.

Zhao Fusheng and Yu Feihong exchanged a glance, and neither spoke again.

Just then, a commotion broke out behind them. Turning to look, they saw the young woman surnamed Song standing up as if to leave, while several people around her were pulling at her, saying something.

Zhao Fusheng slowly stood up. To the astonishment of Yu Feihong and Jiang Wen, he grabbed a bottle of beer Jiang Wen had just ordered, poured it out as he walked, and headed straight for Zhang Li's group.

"Xiao Song, just come with us."

"Yeah, it's not like you have anything to do."

"Come on, join us."

Several people were coaxing the Song girl, who struggled to break free but found her head dizzy and her body weak.

No one noticed the assistant director quietly putting away a bottle.

Zhang Li nodded with satisfaction, feeling a warmth in his lower abdomen. The girl reminded him of his first love, and thinking of that woman who married a high-ranking official, he felt he had to relive his youth.

But the next moment, he froze.

Bang!

With a sharp crack, Zhao Fusheng smashed a beer bottle over the assistant director's head. The man staggered, and Zhao Fusheng kicked him, sending him crashing into Zhang Li. Both tumbled to the ground.

"Ah!"

Someone screamed.

They were all completely startled, never expecting such a thing to happen.

But Zhao Fusheng didn't stop. He grabbed the Song girl and headed for the exit.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Yu Feihong, Jiang Wen, Zhang Li who had just gotten up, and even the other patrons in the bar—none of them expected someone to make an entrance like that.

"Jiang Wen!" Zhang Li glared at Jiang Wen, remembering clearly that the young man had come in with Jiang Wen and Yu Feihong.

Though he didn't know why Jiang Wen was causing trouble, Zhang Li saw it as a blatant slap in the face. If he let it slide, how could he survive in this circle?

"What are you yelling about?" Jiang Wen said irritably.

Maybe because he'd been drinking and was in a bad mood, or because of Zhao Fusheng, Jiang Wen didn't take Zhang Li seriously at all, even though he didn't know what had happened.

He had been in this circle since graduation, and if it came to a showdown with Zhang Li, Jiang Wen wasn't afraid.

The reason was simple: Zhang Li's arrogance came largely from his wealthy wife and his background at a film studio, where his former classmates were now famous directors.

As for himself, he had no notable works to show.

But rumor had it that he was preparing a big TV series and was probably casting.

"What do you mean?" Zhang Li fumed at Jiang Wen.

"It's not what I mean, it's what you mean," Jiang Wen said coldly, staring at Zhang Li. "Don't think I don't know what's going on. Aren't you ashamed? Can't you live without women? Going after a girl in her twenties?"

Zhang Li's face turned red. Before he could respond, Duan Yihong and the others walked over from behind Jiang Wen.

"Teacher Jiang?"

"Is it really Teacher Jiang?"

Yin Xiaotian and the others quickly greeted Jiang Wen. As a senior from the Central Academy of Drama and one of its most outstanding male actors, Jiang Wen was a respected figure. Seeing him confronting someone, they naturally came over.

The young people weren't stupid. Since they had witnessed this, they couldn't pretend not to see. If Jiang Wen later remembered that his juniors had ignored him during a fight, they'd have no place in the Central Academy circle.

Of course, the key point was that Zhang Li was a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, which had no ties with the Central Academy crowd.

The rivalry between the Central Academy and the Beijing Film Academy had lasted decades. Since the founding of the nation, the conflict between the two schools had never ceased. Now, seeing a Central Academy senior clashing with a Beijing Film Academy person, the young people naturally knew what to do.