Chapter 0936: Bona

Fan Baobao's thoughts were actually unknown to Zhao Fusheng. He possessed the experience and life lessons of two lifetimes, but that did not mean he could see into people's hearts.

Moreover, women have been the most elusive beings in the world since ancient times. Even if Zhao Fusheng were a reborn man, or even had the power of mind-reading, he still wouldn't understand women.

A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

These six words have brought down countless heroes and heroes; history has given us clear proof.

"By the way, the promotions for 'Cell Phone' and 'The Missing Gun' seem to be quite lively lately," Yu Feihong said, picking some food for Fan Baobao.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded: "Yeah, both sides are putting in a lot of effort. Now I know that Ma Dajun and Yu Dong have actually hooked up."

"Isn't that only natural? Don't be fooled by Huayi's current glamour; Bona is actually the first private film and television company in China," Yu Feihong said with a dismissive smile.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "I really didn't know that before."

He was telling the truth. In Zhao Fusheng's memory, Bona was indeed less famous than Huayi, and the Wang brothers' reputation far exceeded that of Bona's boss, Yu Dong.

Of course, looking at it now, on one hand, it was because Zhao Fusheng didn't know much about the entertainment industry in his previous life; on the other hand, it was because at that time, Huayi's external publicity was indeed better than Bona's.

That was also why Zhao Fusheng was so surprised when he learned that Ma Dajun had secretly established a relationship with Yu Dong.

Yu Dong, born in 1971, is a native of the capital. He graduated from the Management Department of the Beijing Film Academy in 1994 and was assigned to work at the Beijing Film Studio. With hard work and excellent interpersonal communication skills, Yu Dong stood out early on and soon gained the appreciation and promotion of Han Sanping, then director of the Beijing Film Studio, becoming the youngest section-level cadre in the studio's history.

Years of experience on the front lines of distribution gave him a deeper understanding of China's film industry. In 1999, carrying his persistence and dreams for cinema, Yu Dong founded Bona Cultural Exchange Co., Ltd. This was the first private film distribution company in China and obtained the first "film distribution license" issued by the Ministry of Culture.

In the early days of Bona's founding, Yu Dong led a small team of just a few people to release a series of low-cost films such as My Brothers and Sisters, Together with You, and The Legend of the Heavenly Vein, repeatedly achieving remarkable successes in the field of film distribution and attracting industry attention. At the same time, Yu Dong's outstanding performance also drew overseas attention, and he was hailed by the renowned Western industry media The Hollywood Reporter as "the most influential filmmaker in Asia," while Bona was called the Chinese Miramax.

Speaking of which, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but sigh—sometimes people's fates are truly different.

Yu Dong and he were both born in the 1970s, though one was born in the early seventies and the other in the late seventies, their circumstances were completely different.

If he hadn't been reborn with a golden finger, he would have ended up just an ordinary person, while the other man managed to enter the China Film Group and gain the appreciation of a big shot.

The China Film Group was established in 1999, composed of eight institutions. Among these, the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Company held the most power, controlling nationwide cinemas and handling foreign film imports. There was also the China Film Co-Production Corporation, specializing in co-productions with overseas film companies; the famous films The Burning of the Imperial Palace and Reign Behind a Curtain were produced by this company.

The rest were professional film production studios, which were directly subordinate state-owned institutions under the Radio, Film and Television Department, sibling units with no hierarchy among them.

And their leader was the so-called "Eagle on the Mountain," Master Han the Third.

Needless to say, this boss's character was well-known; being given the nickname "Eagle on the Mountain" was enough to show his domineering nature. But one had to admit, his status in the film circle was so high that no one could bypass him.

Otherwise, when they first learned that Ma Dajun had the backing of the China Film Group, Future Film wouldn't have been so wary.

But fortunately, the opponent was Bona, which was still better than facing Master Han the Third.

"Yu Dong is quite low-key," Yu Feihong said, glancing at Zhao Fusheng. She didn't know much about this man with the same surname, mostly hearing about him from friends: "It's said that when he started out, besides Master Han the Third, he also had help from his father-in-law's side."

Zhao Fusheng blinked. In his memory, Yu Dong's wife seemed to be an actress, but he heard she was a mistress who climbed up. He didn't recall the specifics, since he wasn't really part of the entertainment circle and didn't know much about such gossip.

But that was his private life; such things were too common in the entertainment circle, and Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered to comment or pay attention.

What he cared about was whether Yu Dong was targeting him and Jiang Wen this time, or if he was simply dragged onto the war chariot by Ma Dajun.

After all, neither Yu Dong nor Bona Pictures was a real threat at present. Having only obtained their film distribution license last year, they were indeed the first film distribution company in China, but the fact that Huayi Brothers later overtook them showed that Bona had problems in its operations.

You see, a film distribution company is not just a few words on paper. After obtaining a sample reel, tasks like duplication, promotion, marketing, and distribution all fall under the distributor's responsibility. That's why distribution fees are so high.

For no reason, why would investors give twenty percent or more of the total box office to a distribution company? Ultimately, it's because investors need the distributor's channels.

The game among film producers, distributors, and theater chains involves too many interests. That's why many investors want to handle distribution themselves, and many film companies hope to own their own theater chains.

Because it's all real money, cold hard cash!

Life isn't a movie. People who treat money like dirt do exist, but they're a minority. Especially among businessmen—those who don't care about profits or making money surely have other ambitions.

"Say something, will you?" Seeing Zhao Fusheng silent, Yu Feihong glared at him. "What are you thinking?"

"What I think doesn't matter." Hearing Yu Feihong's words, Zhao Fusheng laughed. "Sis, don't forget, I'm just the screenwriter for this film. Huayi helped find the distributor. Even if the two sides are at each other's throats, it has nothing to do with me."

Yu Feihong was stunned, never expecting Zhao Fusheng to have such an attitude.

Seeing her expression, Zhao Fusheng chuckled and explained, "Sis, since Ma Dajun chose to side with Bona, what does that mean?"

"Hmm?"

Yu Feihong raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhao Fusheng in surprise.

Clearly, Zhao Fusheng was implying something.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. Yu Dong is one of Han Sanping's people—he has connections and manpower. In short, since he founded a film distribution company, his goal is naturally to make a mark in the film industry. Since Ma Dajun has sided with him, I believe Bona is planning to enter the film circle."

Others might not know, but Zhao Fusheng was well aware that although Bona kept a low profile and didn't secure its first financing until 2007, Yu Dong was no pushover. If he remembered correctly, around the beginning of next year, Yu Dong would formally restructure Poly Bona, no longer content with pure film distribution, and begin expanding into upstream investment and production in the film industry, successfully joining the ranks of leading domestic film investment and production companies.

Obviously, Ma Dajun was precisely the talent Yu Dong was deliberately trying to win over.

Yu Feihong wasn't stupid. As soon as Zhao Fusheng spoke, she understood what was going on. After thinking it over, she found it quite reasonable. After all, Ma Dajun was now considered a top-tier commercial film director in China. Not to mention anything else, his military blockbuster "The Flag Flies" two years ago, which grossed over a hundred million at the box office, had already successfully caught the attention of many domestic investors.

In the end, no matter how much noise the outside world made, investors cared about the rate of return. As long as the director could bring profits to their investments, who cared about his character?

"Doesn't that mean Ma Dajun will fall out with Wang Zhonglei and the others?" Yu Feihong pondered for a moment and said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head: "Falling out is unlikely. It's not the era of class struggle anymore. Everyone seeks harmony and wealth, all for making money. Besides, Yu Dong and the Wang brothers are all smart people. They know when to greet with a smile and when to slam the table and curse."

This was his honest opinion. It was often said that those who achieve great things are not bound by trivialities. In Zhao Fusheng's view, if the Wang brothers lacked even this breadth of mind, Huayi would never have developed to where it later stood.

Since Ma Dajun had already fallen out with Jiang Wen and himself, he naturally wouldn't care about the Wang brothers' reaction. After all, ever since Zhao Fusheng started meddling in the film and television circle, Huayi had cooperated with him too many times. Ma Dajun wasn't stupid; he knew how to choose.

"Forget it, since you have a plan, I won't say more." Yu Feihong shot Zhao Fusheng a glare. She had been a bit worried at first, but seeing how calm and composed he was, she realized she might have been borrowing trouble.

After all, if this guy, as the screenwriter, wasn't anxious, why should she, an outsider, worry?

Although Phoenix Films had invested money, Yu Feihong had never cared about that investment from the start. She had only joined initially to support Zhao Fusheng.

"By the way, sis, don't go to the south for a while." Zhao Fusheng suddenly remembered something and said to Yu Feihong.

Yu Feihong frowned slightly, looking at Zhao Fusheng: "Why?"

"Yeah, why?" Fan Baobao, who had been silent all along, also asked with a strange expression.

Right, from start to finish, while Zhao Fusheng and Yu Feihong were talking, this girl had been constantly eating and burying her head in the sand like an ostrich, since she couldn't understand what they were saying.

But hearing Zhao Fusheng's last remark, even Fan Baobao thought he was being inexplicable.