Chapter 0838: Using Public Office for Private Gain

That's right, Zhao Fusheng was using public office for private gain.

After all, although he had promised Fan Baobao that he wouldn't secretly pull any strings to help her, in Zhao Fusheng's view, that didn't mean he would just wash his hands of it entirely.

She was his girlfriend, after all. There was no way Zhao Fusheng would stand by and watch Wang Xiaoshuai, the director, tear into her over her acting skills.

Human nature is inherently selfish. This selfishness can be divided into narrow and broad senses. Narrow selfishness naturally means protecting only one's own interests.

Broad selfishness, in plain terms, means siding with family over reason.

Although Zhao Fusheng wasn't the type to be unreasonable, when it came to Fan Baobao, he couldn't truly be selfless and impartial.

So, taking a little advantage of others didn't seem wrong in Zhao Fusheng's eyes.

He had originally planned to call Brother Zhou and ask for his help. If Director Wang Xiaoshuai also made the request, it would naturally make things even easier.

Wang Xiaoshuai didn't think much of it. Since Zhao Fusheng's suggestion was helpful to him, he naturally adopted it.

Jiang Wen, on the other hand, saw through it, but he wasn't stupid enough to expose Zhao Fusheng's intentions.

Comparatively, his relationship with Wang Xiaoshuai wasn't as good as his relationship with Zhao Fusheng. Not to mention the personal bond between Zhou Yun and Fan Baobao.

So, although Jiang Wen glanced at Zhao Fusheng, he didn't call him out.

The two sat for a while longer, chatting, and then Zhao Fusheng took the initiative to take his leave.

He had come today with Jiang Wen just to see Fan Baobao. Now that he had seen her, discussed the play, and arranged the follow-up, it was time to leave.

On the way back, sitting in the car, Jiang Wen said to Zhao Fusheng, "What's the matter, feeling sorry for her?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled, knowing he hadn't fooled Jiang Wen. He nodded: "Yeah, to be honest, I really do feel sorry for her."

"The heart is made of flesh, and she's your girlfriend—it's impossible not to feel sorry." Jiang Wen nodded and said to Zhao Fusheng, "To be honest, even though this might not be something I should say, I still have to advise you: since Baobao chose the path of an actress, this is a necessary process. If an actor wants to stand out, being a hothouse flower won't cut it."

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then broke into a smile.

There are many kinds of friends. Some are fair-weather friends, good for eating and drinking, but when trouble comes, they run faster than anyone.

Others are quiet usually, but when something really happens, they give their all.

The relationship between Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen leaned toward the latter. Neither was the type to express emotions easily, but they valued their bond deeply.

That was why they could become friends.

And for Jiang Wen, as Zhao Fusheng's friend, to say such things, he had indeed thought it over for a long time.

"Don't worry, I know what to do." Zhao Fusheng was silent for a moment, then smiled at Jiang Wen. "Am I the kind of unreasonable person? Since she chose this path herself, no matter how she walks it, I'll support her. All I can do is ensure that when she walks this path, she won't be disturbed by all those messy things."

Jiang Wen laughed heartily: "Don't worry about that. With me around, no one with eyes wide shut would dare to cause trouble for our sister-in-law."

After all, Old Jiang still had his standing in this circle. In Jiang Wen's view, those messy, dirty things naturally wouldn't land on Fan Baobao's head.

Zhao Fusheng nodded and said nothing more.

Jiang Wen's words were well-intentioned, but he didn't know what this circle would become as time went on.

Some things aren't about whether you have status or position—others might still dare to provoke you.

For example, in later years, a certain person known as the country's top paparazzo had filmed countless scandals of celebrities and would expose them online at will.

People like that are like dog shit—once you get it on you, you stink.

But if you don't deal with him, he just sits there smugly.

Zhao Fusheng certainly didn't want a day to come when his relationship with Fan Baobao was exposed by such a person, or when Fan Baobao was caught up in some messy rumor.

Zhao Fusheng didn't have a great temper, but in a law-abiding society, he couldn't just hit people. So he had to prepare in advance—when the time came, he'd bury them with money.

…

…

"By the way, what did you talk about with Liu Xiaoyao?" Jiang Wen suddenly remembered something and asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was startled: "What's up?"

He found it strange. Since their last meeting, he hadn't contacted Liu Xiaoyao again. How could this still have repercussions?

Jiang Wen laughed: "I don't know how it happened, but since that dinner, Liu Xiaoyao has spoken highly of you, praising you to everyone. Ye Jing and the others are all very curious about what you two talked about."

Zhao Fusheng was speechless. He hadn't expected that guy to be such a chatterbox.

Seeing Jiang Wen's curiosity, Zhao Fusheng grinned: "Want to know?"

Jiang Wen gave a cold laugh and then shook his head: "No."

No way—he knew Zhao Fusheng too well. This guy was the type who, the more curious you acted, the more he'd string you along. If he acted indifferent, Zhao Fusheng might spill it on his own.

There was no helping it. After spending so much time with Zhao Fusheng, Jiang Wen had been trained to handle his quirks.

Seeing Jiang Wen's reaction, Zhao Fusheng knew he was doing it on purpose.

He simply smiled and recounted his conversation with Liu Xiaoyao to Jiang Wen, though naturally leaving out parts that didn't need to be known.

After a long silence, Jiang Wen frowned: "Is it really necessary? I think you're worrying too much."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "It's not that I'm worrying too much; this could really happen. Think about it—if one day online platforms become a way for people to express themselves, what kind of situation would that be?"

Jiang Wen was taken aback, and his face turned a little pale.

As a director and a filmmaker, he knew too well that if such a situation really occurred, it would have a huge impact on social norms.

"I hope Liu Xiaoyao can influence the elders in his family." Zhao Fusheng sighed and muttered to himself.

Zhao Fusheng was tired of those marketing accounts using sentimentality and other tricks to fool people. He hoped that one day in the future, people would go to the cinema to watch a movie simply because they liked it, not because they were tricked into it.