Chapter 0814: Walking in the White Night (Part 2)

Zhao Fusheng never denied the fact that he liked making money.

Claiming not to love money while ruthlessly screwing others over was something Zhao Fusheng could never do. His principle had always been: if he said he'd screw you out of five million, not a single cent less would do.

In the treacherous business world, the best way to respect any opponent was to do your utmost to defeat them.

Emotions like pity could only be felt by the victor toward the vanquished.

And if you pitied your opponent from the very beginning, you were already on the path to failure.

The reason was simple: no matter how merchants packaged themselves—as Confucian merchants, righteous merchants, or whatever—in the end, they were still merchants.

Since they were merchants, the purpose of doing business was to chase profits. Without profits, which merchant would work tirelessly without expecting anything in return?

Small people had their own wisdom for living. For most people, they were used to going with the flow, because only then could they ensure that they and their families could live a stable life.

Being a hero wasn't easy.

If you wanted to be someone's hero, you had to bear all their dreams.

Just like Zhao Fusheng now: he was willing to be Fan Baobao's hero, so he had to help her realize her dreams.

When Fan Baobao came back in the evening, she looked exhausted. Zhao Fusheng asked about her audition, but the answer he got was unexpected.

“Don't even mention it. The role was already cast long ago; they just called us over to go through the motions.” Fan Baobao lay on the sofa, speaking weakly. “I only found out after I got there. If I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have gone.”

Zhao Fusheng frowned. To be honest, he didn't agree with this answer.

Wang Jinghua wasn't stupid. For an audition that clearly had no result, she still let Fan Baobao go for a screen test. Had Wang Jinghua gotten too cocky, or did she think Zhao Fusheng couldn't wield his knife anymore?

When they signed the contract, she had sworn to take good care of Fan Baobao.

But since joining Huayi, as his own power increased and his status rose, Zhao Fusheng felt that Wang Jinghua seemed to have forgotten her promise to him.

This kind of thing didn't need guessing; you could feel it just by intuition.

According to what Zhao Fusheng knew, Wang Jinghua now had dozens of well-known artists under her. For top-tier stars like Chen Dao, besides assistants, Wang Jinghua personally handled all the work. For those who had been in the industry for a while but weren't very famous, there were dedicated agents to help arrange work.

Only newcomers with little fame, like Fan Baobao, would be casually assigned an assistant and told to find work on their own based on the company's schedule.

Originally, Zhao Fusheng thought Wang Jinghua was training Fan Baobao, but now it seemed she simply didn't care about the girl.

To be precise, she felt that, backed by the big tree of Huayi, she no longer needed to show Zhao Fusheng any face.

“I'm telling you, don't go to the company to cause trouble, got it?” Fan Baobao glared at Zhao Fusheng when she saw he wasn't speaking.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then heard Fan Baobao continue: “I know you know President Wang and Sister Hua. Your face as a gold-medal planner definitely carries weight in the company. But the problem is, if you help me get a role, what do you think that means for me?”

“People will think you're too childish, using this way to promote your girlfriend. They'll laugh at you.” Fan Baobao leaned on Zhao Fusheng's shoulder and said.

He reached out and tapped her on the head, saying helplessly, “You, stop overthinking all the time. You're my girlfriend; isn't it only natural for me to promote you?”

“But I don't want you to go begging for help,” Fan Baobao whispered. “I can just take it slow myself. Don't worry, I'm not stupid. Even though Sister Hua doesn't pay much attention to me now, every time I see her, I'm all smiles. I won't let her see I'm unhappy.”

Zhao Fusheng blinked, as if discovering a new continent. It was the first time he had seen Fan Baobao like this.

“Why are you staring at me like that? I'm not a child. I know very well who to treat sincerely and who to fake it with. Besides, if faking it can help me achieve my goals, I don't mind smiling at Sister Hua a few more times. It doesn't cost me anything anyway.” Fan Baobao said matter-of-factly.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback. “You... doing this, what about your self-respect and pride?”

“Can self-respect and pride be eaten? Can they get me roles?” Fan Baobao rolled her eyes at Zhao Fusheng. “Besides, my self-respect is my own. As long as I'm alive, my pride is there, and no one can take it away. As for face? Hah, when our family was poor, I was mocked plenty of times. I don't care about that.”

Zhao Fusheng felt his worldview refreshed. He had always thought Fan Baobao should live under his wing, protected by him. But now he realized that, without him noticing, she had grown up.

Gently pulling Fan Baobao's head closer, Zhao Fusheng said softly, “It's best that you can distinguish this. There will be too many things we have to face in the future. I was worried you might be hindered by face issues, but now it seems you're smarter than I thought.”

“In the entertainment industry, things will only become more confusing for you. You like being an actress, so go ahead. No matter what happens, don't panic, don't be afraid, because I'm behind you.”

Fan Baobao looked up at him. “Why are you so good to me?”

Zhao Fusheng smiled. “Because you're Fan Baobao. How's that for a reason?”

“Not bad. Acceptable.”

The girl's smile was beautiful, just like her face.

The crescent moon hung like a hook, and their two figures gradually merged...

...

...

Early the next morning, after getting up and having breakfast, Fan Baobao was picked up by her assistant. She had an advertising photo shoot today.

Usually, Zhao Fusheng would have Zhang Qian escort her, but this time he didn't.

“What, worried?”

Seeing Zhao Fusheng standing there watching the car drive away, Zhang Qian said, “How about I follow her for a few days? Don't worry, I'll make sure I'm not spotted.”

Zhao Fusheng shook his head. “She craves independence. If you follow, it might not be good.”

He paused, then smiled. “Besides, you're a man. Can you follow into a place full of actresses?”

Zhao Fusheng didn't notice that when he said that, Zhang Qian's eyes lit up.