Chapter 0861 I'm Willing for You

After his rebirth, Zhao Fusheng naturally lived a life a thousand times better than before, but he never considered himself invincible. Just like a sentence from a book he had read that remained fresh in his memory.

Not everyone who is reborn can become a Steve Jobs or a Bill Gates.

Zhao Fusheng never thought that being reborn meant he could be invincible and smooth sailing.

Like making a movie, no matter how talented Zhao Fusheng was, he couldn't change everyone's viewing preferences. He wasn't a Long Aotian who could casually whip up a film and have it skyrocket to box office success.

That's bullshit!

Rebirth is rebirth, games are games.

For example, Zhao Fusheng could make "The Dream Factory" or "Infernal Affairs" to earn money, but if he produced something like "Youth" now, even if he piled up a bunch of stars and invited the famous literary youth Jiang Wen as director, under the current market conditions, he would still lose his shirt.

Any filmmaker who treats the audience as idiots will eventually become an idiot themselves.

Therefore, the script of a film is important, and the actors are equally important.

In the eyes of investors and cinema chains, the difference between a good film and a bad one lies in whether it can make money for them. "City of Rock" is a good film, isn't it? Yes, but it can't make money, so its reputation is average.

Conversely, "Jian Bing Man" is a bad film, isn't it? Strictly speaking, yes, but its box office is high. Therefore, in the eyes of investors, the former is a bad film, while the latter is a good film.

This is capital, this is the law of cinema.

In simple terms, as long as what you produce can make money, capital will unhesitatingly elevate anyone to the altar. Gimmicks like "we owe someone a movie ticket" are, in the end, just promotional tricks.

Nostalgia, at certain times, is ultimately meant to be sold.

And now, Zhao Fusheng felt that for him, Leslie Cheung's existence was a reason to brazenly go to those investors and ask for money.

At the very least, given Leslie Cheung's fame and status, Zhao Fusheng felt that if he didn't swindle at least eight or ten million in investment, he would be doing a disservice to Leslie Cheung's identity.

Of course, this had to be done skillfully, not too obviously. And to be fair, Zhao Fusheng didn't think that "A City Story" would turn out to be a bad film. As for the issue of it being unable to be released domestically due to sensitive subject matter, well, Zhao Fusheng felt that was an accident.

Besides, Future Advertising was also one of the investors. If they lost money, they would all lose together.

…

…

"So, this is how you got Leslie Cheung to agree to act?"

Zheng Yao stared at Zhao Fusheng in front of her, her expression uncontrollably filled with surprise.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "That's right, he was interested himself, I couldn't help it."

The people around looked at each other in bewilderment. Whether it was Dong Chenxi, Bai Jie, or Zheng Yao, they all looked confused because, in their view, Zhao Fusheng's approach was far too unreliable.

If it were them, inviting a big star like Leslie Cheung, they would never use such a casual method. What if he didn't agree? Wouldn't that backfire?

But Zhao Fusheng didn't have so many thoughts. In his opinion, Leslie Cheung was actually very smart. Despite being mired in emotional issues, having spent so many years in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, anyone who thought he was a fool would be the real lunatic.

And most importantly, the current Leslie Cheung was no longer the young man who was fooled by John Woo into making "A Better Tomorrow." It was simply impossible to talk him into coming to make a film with empty words.

So Zhao Fusheng simply told Leslie Cheung directly that he wanted him to act because he valued his identity.

Things like ideals were too hypocritical for this superstar; he wouldn't believe them.

"Do you think if I talked to him about ideals and the future of cinema, he would believe me?" Zhao Fusheng said irritably, glancing at Zheng Yao.

Zheng Yao blinked and didn't dare to refute Zhao Fusheng's words.

In fact, she herself knew that, as Zhao Fusheng said, there was always a gap between ideals and reality. The "Brother" they worshipped was ultimately different from the Leslie Cheung in real life.

Fans always confuse the stars on screen with their real-life selves, forgetting that the stars on screen sell a persona, while their real-life selves are the true ones.

"So what's the situation now?" Bai Jie asked at this point. Since Zhao Fusheng had stayed alone in the room with Leslie Cheung earlier, they didn't know what conditions Zhao Fusheng had promised to convince the superstar to act.

"No special situation. Leslie Cheung agreed to act. We need to secure the rights first, then find investors." Zhao Fusheng shrugged: "By the way, he will also help attract investment in Hong Kong, and after filming, we can release it there."

"That good?" Dong Chenxi and the others' eyes lit up. Clearly, the prospect Zhao Fusheng described excited them.

"What's so good? Don't you see the subject matter? It definitely won't pass censorship domestically. As for Hong Kong, how much box office do you think it can get? This is an art film, not a commercial one. Even with Leslie Cheung's name, it might sell to Taiwan and Southeast Asia, but the box office is limited, and the profit won't be much."

Zhao Fusheng glared at the excited women and said coldly.

"Then why do you suggest we invest in filming it?" Bai Jie asked, confused, clearly not understanding Zhao Fusheng's words.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled and rubbed his nose: "Didn't I say? We put up part of the money, and use Leslie Cheung's name to find investors for the rest. Besides, although the box office of this film is destined to be low, breaking even shouldn't be a problem. We can also participate in film festivals and sell the rights."

"Get to the point!" Zheng Yao suddenly interjected.

She didn't believe Zhao Fusheng's reasons at all. This guy had always been someone who wouldn't lift a finger without personal gain, ever since the Future Advertising days, and that hadn't changed. No matter how many high-sounding reasons he gave, upon closer inspection, none of them held up.

Future Film puts up part of the money, and the rest is invested by those who value Leslie Cheung. It seems fine, but don't forget, even if they invest, the money is used to make the film—what does that have to do with their own company? Moreover, the box office is destined to be low, only breaking even. How uncertain is it to rely on selling rights at international film festivals?

Based on Zheng Yao's understanding of Zhao Fusheng, he would never do something so futile.

So, in short, he must have other plans up his sleeve.

"Ahem, I just want to find a role for my baby. Hmm, I think the role of the male lead's ex-wife is pretty good. What do you think?"

Zhao Fusheng blinked, his face full of seriousness, making his expression look quite sincere.

The women were stunned after hearing his words.

After a long while, Zheng Yao said hoarsely: "So, you made such a big fuss, used Andy Lau's connections to bring Leslie Cheung from Hong Kong, and all that, just to find a relatively important role for your girlfriend?"

"Of course, my baby is destined to be a big star." Zhao Fusheng said with a look of utter righteousness.

At that moment, whether it was Zheng Yao, Dong Chenxi, or Bai Jie, they all wanted to punch him in the face.

Of course, they also envied the girl who knew nothing, because not every man would do such a thing for the one he loved, like Zhao Fusheng did.