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 we have the chance." He left the group staring silently at his flashy retreating figure.

"Chenchen, did he stare at my back?" Fu Hengzhou asked his little assistant beside him after getting into the car.

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

"He really is interested in me." Fu Hengzhou's lips curled into a smile.

A-Cheng said, "Yeah, that's possible." He really wanted to tell his boss that the others had stared at him like that too, except most of their looks had been filled with the urge to kill him. But since he was taking his boss's money, he had to make him happy.

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

Together with the outstanding performances of the two leads and supporting cast, the story had been perfectly presented as a tragic romance.

In the story, the scholar had a very steady personality. Even after learning that the female lead was a ghost, he continued to believe in her from beginning to end.

The female ghost, meanwhile, was lively and kind-hearted. After the two of them endured countless hardships and twists before finally coming together, the ending was fortunately not too bad: the male lead met the female lead after she had returned to life in another body.

Once the director brought the male and female leads, along with the rest of the cast, onto the stage, everyone applauded and cheered excitedly.

The film's screenwriter was Li Jiawen, a prominent and formidable woman in Hong Kong's film industry back in the day. When Hong Kong cinema had first begun to flourish, she had swept the awards for Best Director and Best Screenwriter with her talent, during the height of the industry's popularity.

Xue Chen remembered Li Jiawen because of this film. Back then, the male and female leads had become famous throughout the country because of their roles in it. Later, due to the movie's immense popularity, a second and third installment had followed.

"Don't let the fact that Director Li is a woman fool you. She holds considerable prestige on Hong Kong Island. Not only has she thrived in Hong Kong's film industry, she also has a place internationally," Qi Si said, briefly explaining Director Li's background while introducing the film to Xue Chen.

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

"When this movie had just started filming, lots of people looked down on it. So your brother managed to 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, are you stupid? The investment isn't low!"

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

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

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

Xue Chen wore the same expression. Although he had not worked in the entertainment industry in his previous life, he had spent many years struggling through the business world. Every time, he needed that same drive to support him and keep moving forward.

After the grand premiere ended, Li Jiawen came over with the production crew to greet Qi Si and the others. When she saw Xue Chen in particular, the smile on her face would not fade. "So this is Mr. Xue. Thank you for doing an old friend a favor."

"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 had later fallen out. Even until the moment of his death, Xue Chen had never seen them reconcile.

"Li Ke is my cousin. The movie he made with Old Li was actually very good. I wanted to invest in it too, but he always thought I was laughing at him. So I planned to wait a while longer. If no one really invested in him, I might have used someone else's name to invest in him." Li Jiawen chuckled.

"Being fortunate enough to invest in his movie was actually my luck." Xue Chen smiled. His impression of Li Ke was ordinary, but Li Ke's work really was excellent. Moreover, according to his memories from his previous life, the two of them had indeed turned their fortunes around because of that film.

"No matter what, without your portion of the funding, he'd still be sitting around with a miserable face." After saying that, Li Jiawen spotted the actress onstage singing happily. "What do you think of that girl?"

Xue Chen looked up and immediately realized that the woman before him was Lan Ying, the famed beauty of Five Peaks Mountain. He then looked at Li Jiawen. "What do you mean?"

"Ah Ying is a good girl, but in this circle, it's hard to gain a foothold in the entertainment industry without some capital behind 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 when he saw her fall silent. "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 deals that lose money."

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

"Alright." At the mention of investing on the mainland, Xue Chen's heart stirred slightly. He really was short on land. Although current policies had relaxed somewhat, they had only just begun, and some places had not yet fully implemented them. Even if they returned to build a factory, they would still encounter unnecessary trouble.

Chapter 31

At the Fu Household's old residence, Fu Guosheng sat in the seat of honor with a cold expression. Beside him sat a beautiful, well-preserved noblewoman. At that moment, however, her gaze carried traces of malice and resentment, though her eyes quickly filled with tears.