Chapter 0930: A Man Must Face Things Head-On

"I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it."

Looking at Zhao Fusheng, Yang Panpan was silent for a long time before speaking helplessly.

"Since you're not sure, then don't say it." Zhao Fusheng didn't give her a chance to speak, shrugging. "Either go be Zhang Qian's assistant, or stay home as a housekeeper. Those are your only two options."

Inwardly, Zhao Fusheng was laughing to himself.

Zhang Qian, I can only help you this far.

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's expression, Yang Panpan didn't know what he was up to, but as a woman, she had a strange intuition that told her he was definitely up to no good.

Zhao Fusheng wanted to laugh at Yang Panpan's expression, but fortunately, he had strong self-control. He deliberately put on a serious face, so even though Yang Panpan was suspicious, she couldn't say anything and left with a belly full of doubts.

Less than half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Zhao Fusheng opened the door to find Zhang Qian standing there.

"Oh, that was fast?"

Zhao Fusheng chuckled, looking at Zhang Qian. "What's up?"

Zhang Qian looked at Zhao Fusheng helplessly as he walked in. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Zhao Fusheng looked innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I..."

Zhang Qian opened his mouth but couldn't say a word. He knew Zhao Fusheng meant well. Between him and Yang Panpan, there was just a thin barrier, but he was introverted and taciturn, while Yang Panpan was outwardly carefree but inwardly conservative. Neither would make the first move.

Zhao Fusheng was clearly creating opportunities for them to spend time together. He was doing this for their own good.

Still, Zhang Qian felt that Zhao Fusheng's half-smile was just waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

"Alright, don't overthink it. I asked her to be your assistant because I want you to have an easier time. You're both my driver and my errand boy—you can't handle everything alone."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Zhang Qian, "Look at the situation now. If Future Advertising and Future Investment both get busy at the same time, do you think you can manage alone?"

Zhang Qian fell silent. Zhao Fusheng was right.

Watching Zhang Qian leave, Zhao Fusheng let out a long breath. "Well, I managed to fool him."

Actually, he hadn't thought that far ahead. His arrangement for Yang Panpan was partly because Zhang Qian needed help, and partly because he didn't know what else to do with her for now. This was the best outcome—it let Yang Panpan and Zhang Qian spend time together while giving her something to do. When Fan Baobao needed her, she could go help her then.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was National Day. News came that "The Missing Gun" and "Cell Phone" had both wrapped up around the same time.

"So, we're going head-to-head with Ma Dajun?"

Sitting in Jiang Wen's house, Zhao Fusheng looked at the calm Jiang Wen, then at Ye Jing, and asked.

Yu Feihong wasn't in the capital lately. She was organizing a charity gala, planning to invite some celebrities to raise funds for building Hope Schools in impoverished counties in western Sichuan.

So, the film company's affairs were mainly handled by Ye Jing and Jiang Wen.

Zhao Fusheng?

He had never really cared about this stuff. Jiang Wen and Ye Jing had long stopped counting on him.

"Yeah, I didn't expect them to wrap up at the same time." Ye Jing spoke, glancing at the silent Jiang Wen with a half-smile.

Zhao Fusheng blinked. "No kidding. I'm starting to wonder if someone had a crush on his senior back in the day."

"Get lost!"

Jiang Wen glared at Zhao Fusheng, then admitted to Ye Jing, "That's right, I deliberately timed the wrap to coincide with theirs."

Clearly, Jiang Wen didn't care about Zhao Fusheng's comment and told him to get lost, but he felt he owed Ye Jing an explanation, both as a friend and a partner.

No one was stupid. Given Jiang Wen's status and the history between "Cell Phone" and "The Missing Gun," the fact that they wrapped within a week of each other was suspicious to anyone.

Moreover, as both producer and lead actor, Jiang Wen had the final say on set. Everyone knew the director was just a figurehead; Jiang Wen was the one in charge.

Unless Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing were fools, they would definitely suspect something was up.

"So, you really want to take them down?" Ye Jing frowned at Jiang Wen.

Clearly, he was still dissatisfied with Jiang Wen's insistence on going head-to-head with Ma Dajun. After all, business was about making money, not personal grudges.

They had invested millions; losing money over this would be a waste.

Merchants have always valued profit, throughout history.

"It's not about taking him down. It's about letting him know that I just didn't want to make commercial films before. If I wanted to, his movies would have to make way for mine." Jiang Wen said this with overwhelming confidence, his eyes shining.

Looking at him, Zhao Fusheng sighed inwardly.

To be honest, this spirited Jiang Wen had a personal charm that could infect those around him.

But Zhao Fusheng knew that now he was still an idealist, wanting to make films he loved. But as times changed, when Jiang Wen tried to combine his film ideals with commerce, he would find that the market had lost faith in him.

Or rather, audience demands had changed. His style, though not outdated, had become too highbrow for the masses.

"I hope you won't be that unlucky in this life," Zhao Fusheng thought to himself, but said to Jiang Wen with a smile, "I never knew you could be so domineering, Old Jiang."

"It's not domineering. It's your script that's really interesting." Jiang Wen looked at Zhao Fusheng. "I now think that for a film to stand out, it needs a good director and good actors, but more importantly, a good script. What was that phrase you mentioned before, 'content is...'?"

"Content is king." Zhao Fusheng added.

"Right, content is king." Jiang Wen nodded emphatically. "As long as the script is good, paired with good actors and directors, even a low-budget film can achieve high box office returns."

Zhao Fusheng smiled, surprised that Jiang Wen had noticed this so early.

Ye Jing had been quiet while they discussed professional matters. Finally, after Jiang Wen finished, he asked, "Between 'The Missing Gun' and 'Cell Phone,' which one do you think is better?"

He hadn't read the script for "The Missing Gun," but Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen had, so they were more qualified to speak.

Zhao Fusheng and Jiang Wen exchanged glances. Jiang Wen smiled. "You go first?"

Zhao Fusheng shook his head. "I'd better not. After all, 'Cell Phone' was written by me."

"Damn, now you're trying to avoid suspicion." Jiang Wen rolled his eyes and gave Zhao Fusheng a contemptuous look, but then said, "I think 'Cell Phone' might be a sleeper hit."

"A sleeper hit?"

Ye Jing frowned. "Elaborate."

"The outline of 'The Missing Gun' is just a story about a cop losing his gun and investigating. And it's set in the northwest. You know Ma Dajun and Lu Chuan went to the northwest to shoot it." Jiang Wen spoke slowly, lighting a cigarette, taking a drag, and exhaling a smoke ring.

"I heard that during filming, Lu Chuan was driven crazy by Ma Dajun. They argued several times on set over the plot." Ye Jing grinned mischievously. "I think Lu Chuan is actually pitiful. Whether it's you or Ma Dajun, neither of you are easy to deal with. Whoever he got to direct this film, it was never going to be his call."

Then he turned to Zhao Fusheng. "Right, Fusheng?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he's a guy with ideas, but he ran into people with even stronger ideas. Tsk, did he cry?"

"Uh, how did you know he cried?" Ye Jing was surprised and blurted out.

"No way..."

Zhao Fusheng was speechless. He had only recalled an anecdote from his past life about Lu Chuan being sidelined by Jiang Wen on the set of "The Missing Gun" and crying in frustration. He had said it casually, never expecting it to be true.

Only this time, the one who made Lu Chuan cry was Ma Dajun instead of Jiang Wen.

"He really cried. I heard it from a friend." Ye Jing shrugged. "Ma Dajun went too far."

After all, Lu Chuan was one of the co-directors and the screenwriter, and a younger one at that. Making him cry was indeed excessive.

"Just based on that, they can't make anything good." Jiang Wen snorted coldly.

Ye Jing nodded. "True. With that kind of atmosphere on set, the film won't be any good."

"But the most important thing is the script's subject matter." Jiang Wen wouldn't conclude that "The Missing Gun" was inferior to "Cell Phone" just because of a minor issue.

"Subject matter?" Ye Jing was curious and eager to hear more.

Jiang Wen chuckled, making a strange expression. He looked at Zhao Fusheng, then at Ye Jing, and finally said, "What do you think audiences would rather watch: a confusing story about a lost gun in the northwest, or a story set in a big city about mobile phones, which modern people use more and more?"

At that moment, both Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing laughed.

Especially Zhao Fusheng. He felt that Jiang Wen had finally grown up.