Chapter 31

Fu Hengzhou nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Qi Si and the others beside him. "I'll be leaving first. Let's get together again when there's a chance." He left the group staring silently at his flashy retreating figure.

"Chencheng, did he keep staring at my back?" Fu Hengzhou asked his little assistant after getting into the car.

A-Cheng said, "He watched you for quite a while."

"He really is interested in me." A smile curled across Fu Hengzhou's lips.

A-Cheng said, "Yeah, maybe." He really wanted to tell his boss that everyone else had been staring at him too, except most of them looked like they wanted to butcher him. Still, since he was being paid by the boss, he ought to make him happy.

Enchantress of Lan You was the work of a highly renowned director from Hong Kong Island, written by a female screenwriter. The story told of the love, hatred, and entanglements between a scholar and a female ghost, and how they ultimately loved each other but could not remain together.

With the brilliant performances of the two leads and supporting cast, the story was perfectly brought to life as a tragically beautiful romance.

In the story, the scholar was extremely steady and composed. From beginning to end, even after learning that the female lead was a ghost, he continued to believe in her.

The female ghost, meanwhile, was lively and kind-hearted. After enduring countless hardships and twists together, the two finally found their way to each other. Fortunately, the ending was not too bad—the male lead met the female lead after she returned to life in another body.

Once the director stepped onto the stage with the male and female leads and the rest of the cast, everyone burst into excited applause and cheers.

The screenwriter of this production was Li Jiawen, a legendary powerhouse among Hong Kong's film industry back in the day. When Hong Kong cinema had first begun to flourish, she had swept the awards with her talent, winning both Best Director and Best Screenwriter during the peak of its popularity.

Xue Chen remembered Li Jiawen because of this film. The male and female leads had become famous throughout the country because of their roles in it. Later, due to the film's immense success, they went on to make a second and third installment.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that Director Li is a woman. She holds considerable influence on Hong Kong Island. Not only has she thrived in the Hong Kong film industry, she also has a place on the international stage." As Qi Si introduced the film to Xue Chen, he gave him a brief overview of Director Li's background.

"No wonder someone like you, who never invests in movies, invested in this one." Xie Tian laughed. "The investment for this film wasn't small. Tell your brother, how much did you put in?"

"When this film first started shooting, plenty of people looked down on it. That let your brother pick up a bargain, hehe." Qi Si looked like a cat that had stolen some cream.

"Don't tell me you funded all of this by yourself?" Xie Tian's eyes widened. "Brother, have you gone stupid? The investment wasn't low!"

"So what?" This time, Qi Si looked completely unconcerned. "The investment in this movie isn't actually that terrifying. Besides, judging by its production quality, I'm definitely going to make a profit."

"..." Xie Tian had no choice but to give him a thumbs-up. Having that kind of nerve was genuinely impressive.

"That's how the world works. Only if you dare to gamble and fight do you get a chance to win. Otherwise, if you keep cowering, you'll never get anywhere." Qi Si had always lived by that principle.

Xue Chen wore the same expression. Although he had not made his way through the entertainment industry in his previous life, he had spent many years battling through the business world. Every time, he had needed that same drive to keep pushing himself forward.

After the grand premiere ended, Li Jiawen came over with the crew to greet Qi Si and the others. When she saw Xue Chen in particular, the smile never left her face. "You must be Mr. Xue. Thank you for helping an old friend."

"You..." Xue Chen roughly guessed who she meant—Li Ke. The two had indeed been close in the early days, but for some unknown reason, they later fell out. Until the moment of his death, Xue Chen had never seen them reconcile.

"Li Ke is my cousin. That movie he made with Old Li was actually quite good. I wanted to invest too, but he always thought I was mocking him. So I planned to wait a while longer. If no one truly invested in him, I might have used someone else's name to invest in his film." Li Jiawen said with a laugh.

"Being lucky enough to invest in his film was actually my good fortune." Xue Chen smiled. His impression of Li Ke was ordinary, but Li Ke's work was indeed excellent. Moreover, according to his memories from his previous life, those two had truly turned their fortunes around because of that film.

"Either way, if not for your share of the funding, he'd still be sitting around with a long face." After Li Jiawen spoke, she noticed the actress onstage singing cheerfully. "What do you think of that girl?"

Xue Chen looked up and immediately realized that the woman before him was Lan Ying, famed as the most beautiful woman on Five Peaks Mountain. Then he looked at Li Jiawen. "What do you mean?"

"Ah Ying is a good girl, but in this industry, it's hard to gain a foothold in entertainment without some capital backing you. Before Old Li told me about you, I looked into you. You're very capable."

"But I don't like her, and I think you're capable of protecting her too." Xue Chen smiled. Seeing her fall silent, he added, "If there comes a day when you can't protect her, you can call me. I'll protect her. But I'm a businessman—I don't make losing deals."

"I heard Mr. Xue plans to open a factory in the mainland. I know a friend there, and I bought a plot of land there back then as well. My friend has been looking after it for me. I think it's spacious enough to be perfect for a factory." Li Jiawen said with a smile.

"Good." When Xue Chen heard that she intended to invest in the mainland, his heart stirred slightly. He truly lacked land. Although policies had relaxed somewhat, they had only just begun, and some areas had not fully implemented them yet. Even if they returned to open a factory, they would still run into unnecessary trouble.

Fu Household's old residence. Fu Guosheng sat in the seat of honor with a cold expression, while beside him sat a beautiful, well-preserved noblewoman. At that moment, however, her gaze carried traces of viciousness and resentment before quickly filling with tears.