Chapter 0510: A Pain in the Balls

Zhao Fusheng never dreamed that the idea of Jiang Wen going to Cannes was actually his own damn suggestion.

And the crux of the problem was that, aside from Zhao Fusheng himself, everyone else thought the suggestion was very reliable. Especially Old Jiang himself, who now practically regarded Zhao Fusheng as a confidant.

After all, this guy had given him a script, offered advice, and stayed by his side during his toughest times, suggesting he go out and see the world—he was practically a kindred little brother.

As for He Bing and Zhang Hanyu, they were even more impressed with Zhao Fusheng. To come up with such an idea at such a young age—no wonder he was Old Jiang's valued friend across generations.

It was Uncle Ge who, noticing Zhao Fusheng's less-than-pleasant expression, asked curiously, "Fusheng, is there something else you want to say?"

Zhao Fusheng gave a wry smile and looked helplessly at Jiang Wen. "Old Jiang, do you know why I didn't say this before and only brought it up after getting drunk?"

Jiang Wen and the others were taken aback, their gazes all fixed on Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng didn't beat around the bush either. At this point, he had to make the stakes clear to Jiang Wen; otherwise, if something really went wrong, he would have truly offended Jiang Wen to the core.

"You have to understand, this film itself touches a nerve for some people, which is why it can't pass domestic censorship. If you send it to Cannes now, it's basically equivalent to completely offending them. Not to mention anything else, I can guarantee that you, Jiang Wen, will face fierce retaliation, and you might even be banned from making films."

Zhao Fusheng looked sincerely at Jiang Wen and said seriously, "That's why I never told you before I got drunk."

At this moment, Zhao Fusheng was practically a little guardian of the entertainment circle, speaking with fervor and passion.

Jiang Wen laughed. He looked at Zhao Fusheng and said, word by word, “I understand what you mean, but don’t underestimate me, Jiang Wen. There’s nothing in this world I don’t dare to do!”

Well, since he had put it that way, Zhao Fusheng knew there was no stopping him now.

In fact, he also understood that despite Jiang Wen’s impassioned and defiant words, he knew what he was doing. Jiang Wen came from a大院 (military compound) background and had close ties with Ye Jing and his crowd. Plus, he had transitioned from actor to director; if he couldn’t direct, he could always go back to his old trade. There was nothing to worry about.

In the entertainment circle, there were plenty of sanitary pads, but hardly any little guardians.

Everyone who managed to survive in this circle was no pushover. They laughed and joked, pretending to be loyal and righteous, but it was all just to protect themselves.

Take Jiang Wen, for example. Huayi had invested a full twenty-five million in him. If they didn’t even hear a peep out of him, let alone the Wang brothers, wouldn’t the major shareholders of Huayi eat him alive?

So, rather than losing face and being despised, Jiang Wen might as well take a gamble.

No matter how the Cannes trip turned out, as long as he didn’t let the investors lose money, he could continue to coast along in this circle without worry.

Only, he hadn’t thought of that before. He thought that if the film didn’t pass censorship, it was completely over. But Zhao Fusheng reminded him: so what if it didn’t pass censorship? At worst, he could submit it separately. With his connections, he’d just be blacklisted for a few years.

Since things had come to this, Zhao Fusheng naturally said no more. Everyone went upstairs to sleep. After drinking so much, even immortals would feel terrible, let alone these busy people.

Well, to be precise, Zhang Hanyu wasn't busy—the guy was still a voice actor. Even He Bing was better off than him, at least he had plays to perform at the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Jiang Wen drove refreshed to Huayi Brothers, while Zhao Fusheng and Ge You hitched a ride and went home separately.

Before leaving, Ge You gave Zhao Fusheng a thumbs-up: "Kid, you're something. Next time you're in Beijing, remember to look me up for a drink."

For him to say that showed he truly recognized Zhao Fusheng. After all, he was known for avoiding social engagements, even rarely attending gatherings in the Beijing circle.

The old man was a veteran in the film industry, a traditional filmmaker who valued status.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Sure, take care. Let's catch up later."

Making friends with top actors like Ge You couldn't hurt. At least, Zhao Fusheng hadn't heard any negative news about him in his past life. Besides, if he ever wanted to invest in a film to promote his girlfriend, having Ge You on board would be a good thing.

This wasn't a joke. In the entertainment industry back then, such things were rare. But a few years later, you could easily rope in a few stars and trick investors into funding a project—like Wong Kar-wai did when he made Ashes of Time.

You see, when the star cast of Ashes of Time was announced, investors went crazy throwing money at Wong Kar-wai. But that brilliant guy ended up cutting most of the scenes featuring the stars he'd hired for millions, and worst of all, the box office bombed, leaving investors in tears.

If it weren't for Liu Zhenwei's quick idea to make The Eagle Shooting Heroes, those investors would probably have chased Wong Kar-wai with knives.

Zhao Fusheng didn't think he'd go that far, but his idea was simpler: he could do what later generations did.

He'd pick a hit movie from his memory, gather a bunch of big stars, and slot his girlfriend in as the lead actress—maybe that would make her famous.

Of course, the prerequisite was that Fan Baobao had to work hard and hone her acting skills over the next few years.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't as generous as some celebrity's sugar daddy, who could keep funding films and hiring Best Actor winners to co-star. It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, but he couldn't bear the shame.

Instead, it would be better to let his queen learn business from him. At least it would be his own venture, and he'd have the final say on profits and losses.

Lost in thought, Zhao Fusheng pushed open the door and saw a sight that left him speechless.

Fan Baobao and Zhou Yun were staring at each other, eyes wide.

No, to be precise, they were gazing deeply at each other, each holding a sheet of paper.

"You're heartless, you're cold, you're unreasonable."

"Where am I heartless, where am I cold, where am I unreasonable?"

"It's clearly you who's heartless, you who's cold, you who's unreasonable..."

Listening to their cringe-worthy, tooth-aching lines, Zhao Fusheng suddenly felt that letting Fan Baobao and Zhou Yun play extras was absolutely right.