Chapter 0876: Fortune Favors the Bold

Ignoring Dong Chenxi's stunned expression, Zhao Fusheng tossed the script to her, said the task was done, and left the company on his own.

He was also very busy and had no time to waste on this matter.

As for whether Dong Chenxi had the guts to invest in filming this play, that was her business.

Anyway, Zhao Fusheng had given her a good script; whether to shoot it or not was no longer his concern.

Hegel murmured in his dream: Whatever anyone tells you is what they want you to know, not necessarily the truth. Only by observing with a silent heart can you distinguish the reality of black and white.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered to find out the truth of the matter. For him, Ma Dajun was a stranger, and Jiang Wen had said that Ma Dajun had indeed committed adultery.

Since he did it, he shouldn't be afraid of being talked about.

In his previous life, Zhao Fusheng might have hesitated and carefully considered whether he should do this, but now he didn't hesitate at all.

The process of maturing is actually the process of learning to get along with oneself. This process inevitably goes from bustle to quiet, from panic to calm, from confusion to self-awareness, from being accompanied to being at ease alone.

Sure enough, within a couple of days, Zhao Fusheng received a call from Dong Chenxi.

“What are you up to?”

Dong Chenxi exploded over the phone: “Is this play based on Ma Dajun?”

Zhao Fusheng smiled: “What, you figured it out?”

Dong Chenxi was instantly exasperated, gripping the receiver and almost gritting her teeth: “I just heard some rumors in the circle, and with your script, if I still couldn't tell, I'd be an idiot.”

Zhao Fusheng laughed silently. Clearly, he was pleased that Dong Chenxi had such sharp insight. After all, running a company wasn't easy. He had worried before that she lacked ability, but now it seemed he had underestimated this woman.

“Senior, let's be fair. What do you think of Ma Dajun as a person?” Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment and asked Dong Chenxi.

Dong Chenxi was taken aback, then replied: “I know he's a scumbag. But the problem is, he's now a famous director backed by Huayi and the Beijing circle. To put it bluntly, even though he did that kind of thing, the media barely reported it. That shows his influence is beyond our imagination.”

“So what?” Zhao Fusheng retorted.

“It's not a matter of 'so what.' Why do you have to offend him for no reason?” Dong Chenxi's tone was full of frustration.

“I didn't offend him,” Zhao Fusheng said innocently.

“You haven't offended him? You wrote his story into a script. If Ma Dajun sees it, won't he be furious?” Dong Chenxi said irritably.

Although Zhao Fusheng had adapted the script, anyone with sharp eyes in the circle could tell it was clearly based on Ma Dajun.

For example, it's like calling a bald man a monk to his face. You say you're not insulting him, but he's the only bald one there—no one would believe you.

In Dong Chenxi's view, if this script of Zhao Fusheng's were actually put into production, Ma Dajun would definitely hate Future Films to death.

“I don't know if he'll be furious, but I think you're overthinking it,” Zhao Fusheng said helplessly.

“Overthinking? What do you mean?” Dong Chenxi asked, puzzled.

“First, this is just a script. You can register it with the Copyright Bureau later; we don't necessarily have to shoot it. Second, you and I both know what kind of person Ma Dajun is. Do you think there's any chance of cooperation between us and him?” Zhao Fusheng asked calmly.

Dong Chenxi fell silent. Although the first point Zhao Fusheng made wasn't an issue, the second point had already been discussed internally within the company.

Ma Dajun was now a commercial film director heavily promoted by Huayi, and he was also very arrogant. Moreover, Future Films had just entered the film and television production industry. Most of their works were follow-up investments, and even the films and TV series they independently invested in were mostly art films. For commercial films and TV series, they cooperated with other companies. So it was impossible for Ma Dajun to cooperate with them.

In other words, Future Films was like a sailboat that had just set sail. Although the seas were calm and it was moving steadily, without its own distribution channels and theater connections, it often followed behind those big companies.

Even Dong Chenxi herself had to admit this.

“I understand what you mean, but that doesn't mean we have to go against Ma Dajun,” Dong Chenxi said bitterly. “It's better to resolve conflicts than to keep them. There's no need to make an enemy for no reason.”

Zhao Fusheng almost laughed out loud: “No, you don't get it. We're just registering the copyright for this script and leaving it at that. I promised you a script, but I never said we'd invest in shooting it immediately.”

Dong Chenxi was stunned, unable to speak for a long time. When she tried to say something, Zhao Fusheng had already hung up.

“That bastard, that bastard, he tricked me!”

After a while, Dong Chenxi's angry voice rang out from the office. Clearly, she was furious with Zhao Fusheng.

The reason Zhao Fusheng hung up quickly was that he didn't want to be scolded by Dong Chenxi, even though he knew that after she blew up, she would still do as he suggested.

But being scolded for no reason was still unpleasant.

Zhao Fusheng hadn't thought much about the Ma Dajun affair. He had simply come up with the script based on the gossip Jiang Wen had told him.

As a public figure, since Ma Dajun dared to do it, he should naturally be prepared to be ridiculed.

Unless the whole thing was a rumor. If that were the case, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't mind publicly apologizing.

He wasn't like Feng Kuzi or Liu X Yun, who dared to do things but not take responsibility, clearly alluding to a famous host while pretending it was for the sake of art and film.

This kind of behavior, to put it nicely, is glossing over faults; to put it bluntly, it's being a whore and wanting a monument.

You know, from an outsider's perspective, rumors are actually very interesting. Various disciplines like communication, anthropology, sociology, and psychology can find research points to support them, such as malice, deliberate trolling, echoing others, joining in the fun, etc.

More often, it's about attaching to and following knowledge and theories—not being unable to express oneself, but using others' words to express one's true thoughts, which is safer.

Everyone wants to stay in the safe zone. For example, Zhao Fusheng sometimes writes certain things based on his memories, but in the end, he silently deletes them because expressing thoughts and opinions is dangerous and must be attached to something.

Even as a time traveler, if he publicly expressed certain things, he would be silenced.

Because those in power would not allow thoughts and opinions that affect the ruling class to emerge.

Shaking his head to dispel these messy thoughts, Zhao Fusheng relaxed his expression. He was just a small fry, quietly making money and living well—that was his life. As for national affairs, he'd leave them to the elites.

They say a man's knees are worth gold, and a real man stands tall. But since childhood, his father and grandfather had told him that the Zhao family's knees didn't need gold. As long as it kept the family safe and happy, he should kneel when needed and back down when needed.

In this world, nothing is more worth protecting than oneself and one's family. If he had to sacrifice his family for dignity and pride, sorry, Zhao Fusheng couldn't do it.

“Ring, ring, ring!”

The phone rang. Zhao Fusheng glanced at the number and a warm smile appeared on his face.

“Hello, I just left the company.”

“Ah, I just left the filming location. Sister Panpan is back. I want to pick her up. Will you come with me?” Fan Baobao's voice came over the phone.

“Yang Panpan is back?” Zhao Fusheng was a bit surprised but still happy: “Okay, wait for me at the company. I'll come pick you up.”

“Mm, okay.”

Hanging up, Zhao Fusheng smiled, lightly pressed the brake, and the car roared as it headed straight for Huayi Brothers' headquarters.