Chapter 0726 Stubbornness

A sharp tongue but a soft heart—that's the kind of person Fan Baobao is. No matter how much she complained about Zhao Fusheng's inexplicable investment decisions, after all, he was still her man. Since Zhao Fusheng had no money left, she naturally had to give him her savings.

Zhao Fusheng didn't stand on ceremony either. Fan Baobao's bank card was right there in his wallet at that moment.

"So, you put all your money into it?"

Yu Feihong stared at Zhao Fusheng, dumbfounded, her expression exactly the same as Fan Baobao's earlier.

She had just returned from Sichuan today. The local authorities there had shown great enthusiasm for a celebrity like her willing to take the lead in donating to education.

After all, such things were political achievements for officials and hope for children in impoverished areas; no one would object.

Following Zhao Fusheng's request, Yu Feihong chose the area around Wenchuan County as the donation site. In his words, he couldn't quite remember the exact location of that teaching senior, but it was roughly in that area.

Yu Feihong naturally had no objections. She was doing it for a good cause anyway, and giving Zhao Fusheng face was harmless.

She was the kind of person with her own pursuits. Since she felt she should do more charity work while she was young, she threw herself into it wholeheartedly. All her actions served this purpose, including her acting now.

It wasn't that she was naive; it was just that everyone chose different paths. Zhao Fusheng could choose making money as his life goal, while Yu Feihong could equally choose charity as hers.

But even so, when Yu Feihong heard that Zhao Fusheng had poured all his liquid capital into an online game, she was utterly shocked.

That was no small sum—a full four million.

And this kid had just directly invested it in an online game company.

Thinking about it, Yu Feihong felt helpless. She didn't know if Zhao Fusheng was too bold or she was too timid. In any case, she realized she really couldn't keep up with this young man's thinking.

"Sis, don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Zhao Fusheng smiled when he saw Yu Feihong's worried expression.

He knew, of course, that Yu Feihong meant well. Otherwise, given her nature, she wouldn't have specifically sought him out to ask about this. Needless to say, it must have been Fan Baobao who told her.

"As long as you know what you're doing. Baobao was just worried about you, so she called me." Yu Feihong didn't hide it from Zhao Fusheng and directly stated the reason.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. His relationship with Fan Baobao was clear, so he naturally didn't mind.

To put it bluntly, if someone didn't care about you, they wouldn't bother worrying. It was precisely because they cared that they acted this way.

"By the way, did Old Jiang look for you?"

Yu Feihong thought for a moment and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then laughed. That guy Jiang Wen really never gave up.

"He did, but I turned him down." Zhao Fusheng said flatly, then added directly: "His ideas are too idealistic. Not now, not even in ten or twenty years, unless things change. Art films will still be niche. The way he shoots, there's no other outcome but losing money."

Zhao Fusheng knew that Yu Feihong would surely tell Jiang Wen what he said, and that was exactly what he wanted. Some things couldn't be ignored by hiding one's illness for fear of treatment. The reality was right in front of them; only by recognizing it could they truly succeed.

Yu Feihong remained silent. In fact, she wasn't stupid. She understood every word Zhao Fusheng said and clearly knew his purpose.

But deep down, Yu Feihong also harbored the heart of a literary young woman. The reason she came to see Zhao Fusheng instead of Ye Jing was largely because Ye Jing disagreed with investing in Jiang Wen's new film, while she agreed.

"Fusheng, this isn't as exaggerated as you think. Think about it: if we can sell the overseas distribution rights, the investment can still be recouped. Like 'Devils on the Doorstep,' wasn't that successful?"

Yu Feihong hesitated but still said to Zhao Fusheng, unwilling to give up.

Zhao Fusheng gently shook his head. He didn't agree with Yu Feihong's view.

In fact, foreign interest in domestic film copyrights was waning. Although the sixth-generation directors tried hard to create something of their own, Western society wanted to see the backward, poor, and dark side of China. Whenever a script showed a positive and sunny side, it would never win the favor of those foreigners.

In other words, what foreigners were willing to buy were things that reflected China's poverty and backwardness. But Jiang Wen never considered catering to the market when making films; he only shot what he wanted. That was the biggest problem.

"Sis, have you ever thought about what the ultimate goal of a film is?" Zhao Fusheng looked at Yu Feihong, sighed, and slowly spoke.

Yu Feihong was startled. She hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to ask her such a serious question.

"I remember you said it was to make money." Yu Feihong recalled a joke Zhao Fusheng had once told her and answered hesitantly.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Right. The investor's goal is to make money. The audience's goal is to gain spiritual satisfaction. Whether it's a comedy, a tragedy, or even a documentary, as long as it resonates with the audience, they'll be willing to buy tickets. Am I right?"

"That's natural." Yu Feihong agreed. Zhao Fusheng's words made a lot of sense. As a teacher at the Film Academy herself, she knew that while this seemed straightforward, it revealed the essence of film.

"So here's the question: what is film?" Zhao Fusheng continued: "Film is a medium through which directors, actors, and screenwriters present what they want to show the audience, allowing them to resonate and find satisfaction. Now, including the so-called sixth-generation directors, what are Old Jiang and the others making? They're making films for themselves. If others don't understand, it's because their taste isn't refined enough, right?"

Yu Feihong was silent. She had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was right.

Nowadays, many directors, including Jiang Wen, define their works as art. Others can only praise them, not criticize. If anyone says they don't understand, it only proves that person's level is insufficient.

"Well, you know, artists all have that kind of flaw..." After a long while, Yu Feihong said awkwardly to Zhao Fusheng.

Even she couldn't defend Jiang Wen on this issue.

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "Sis, we're not outsiders. I'll be straightforward. What Old Jiang makes is good and has depth, but the problem is, the general public doesn't like it. Setting aside our friendship, if I were an ordinary film company CEO, I'd have to be crazy to throw money away on him."

Yu Feihong could no longer speak. She finally understood Zhao Fusheng's point.

In the end, it wasn't that Jiang Wen's work was bad, but that the market didn't accept it.

If it were purely about making films to express his own ideas, Jiang Wen could fund himself and shoot whatever he wanted. No one would stop him. Zhao Fusheng would even applaud and watch his work with reverence.

But the problem was, since they were running a film investment company, the goal was to make money. No matter how confident Jiang Wen was, what he produced now was too obscure, even too gray. Unless the audience had a masochistic mentality, no one would willingly go to the cinema to watch his stuff.

In early spring, the weather was warming up. Zhao Fusheng and Yu Feihong walked side by side on the street. His earlier words made Yu Feihong realize one thing: although he usually kept a low profile, Zhao Fusheng actually had a deep understanding of many things in the film industry.

"Fusheng, tell me honestly, are you planning to enter the film industry?"

Yu Feihong suddenly asked Zhao Fusheng as they walked.

She couldn't figure out why else he would have such deep insights if he wasn't planning to get involved in film production.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback by her question, then shook his head: "Sis, to be honest, if Baobao hadn't enrolled in the Central Academy of Drama, I probably wouldn't have had much to do with the film industry. The reason I'm involved now is partly because of Baobao and partly because I don't have many friends. You and Old Jiang happen to be my friends. Since we plan to make money with Phoenix Film, I naturally need to learn some relevant knowledge."

His words were half true, half false. The reason he knew so much was mostly from things he'd seen online in his previous life. In the internet age, information exploded. As long as you could go online, you could always see many things that had nothing to do with your own life.

What Zhao Fusheng had just told Yu Feihong came from an article he'd read.

It was said to have been written by a film producer from Hengdian. The content was long, mainly some complaints about film and TV production.

But there were some things Zhao Fusheng couldn't tell Yu Feihong, so he had to say it this way.

Yu Feihong didn't think too much about it. She gently nodded, accepting Zhao Fusheng's explanation.

Having known Zhao Fusheng for so long, she had some understanding of his character. He was the type with a tough exterior but a soft heart. Although he usually didn't show it, when a friend was in trouble, he was more anxious than anyone.

"You're right. Since we're doing film investment, profitability should be the primary goal. I was wrong before." After a long while, Yu Feihong looked up at Zhao Fusheng and said.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. He knew he had convinced Yu Feihong.