Chapter 16
Gu Shi usually exercised two-three times a week, but sometimes he was so busy with work that he forgot to eat, let alone exercise. Generally speaking, he was young and strong, so he could handle it. A common cold usually gets better in a day or two.
After recovering, Gu Shi went back to work. Luo Zhengzheng studied economics in college, which was unrelated to the film and television industry. She searched online but couldn't find any meaningful information and was at a loss. She realized that wanting to do something and actually doing it were different. Even with funds, one can't do anything alone.
After thinking it over and deciding not to make things difficult for herself, she called Gu Shi, intending to go to Chen Ze's entertainment company to learn a thing or two.
Gu Shi hadn't been to the company for two days and had just finished a meeting. Seeing the caller ID, he was somewhat surprised. Luo Zhengzheng rarely called him while he was working. He answered, asking, "What made you think of calling me?"
Luo Zhengzheng: "Am I disturbing you?"
Gu Shi: "Just finished a meeting."
Luo Zhengzheng: "I was just looking online for information about investing in TV dramas, but it seems useless. If one doesn't understand anything and rush into investing in TV dramas, it's just a waste of time. I'm planning to go to Chen Ze's company to learn."
Gu Shi suggested: "Since you like that novel, you can buy the rights first. It's okay if you don't understand, you can hire some professionals to help you analyze it."
Even if Luo Zhengzheng was just messing around, it didn't matter. He didn't expect her to make money on her first TV drama investment. His seriousness about the matter was simply to tell his wife that she could do whatever she wanted, and that he would be there to support her. She didn't need to worry about anything.
However, Luo Zhengzheng insisted on studying first before investing.
Seeing her insistence, Gu Shi didn't try to persuade her further, but said, "Come to the company, and I'll have Chen Ze come over."
Since she was asking for a favor, she should have the proper attitude. Luo Zhengzheng said, "I'll just go to his company."
Gu Shi said, "No need, it’s fine to have him come. He called me a few days ago, saying he wanted to invest in a movie but lacked funds, and asked me to invest some. I initially refused, but it seems I can consider it."
He currently focused his energy on mobile phone R&D, production, and sales. He had entrusted his other established businesses, including real estate, to his mother. While studying, he invested in some companies with good returns, but he didn't want to get involved in too many industries. Compared to the entertainment industry and financial investments, he preferred the engineering industry.
Gu Shi was her husband, so Luo Zhengzheng naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony with him. She put on makeup, changed into a beige dress, and wore the white jade necklace and bracelet mother-in-law had given her. Elegant and sophisticated, yet exuding an air of wealth, she grabbed her bag and went downstairs.
She was going out on business today, so she couldn't bring her child. She rubbed her son's little face: "Play with Granny Wang at home. Mommy will be back soon."
Little Chengjia pouted, about to cry: "Mommy, don't go!"
Luo Zhengzheng's heart softened for a moment. This adorable, soft-spoken son, still wanting his mother to hold him, wouldn't be so easy to see once he was a little older. But she was preparing to go to work and couldn't be with him every moment. What’s more, son will be going to kindergarten once a bit older and he'll need to get used to being away from his mother. She turned to Nanny Wang, saying, "Nanny Wang, Eldest and Third sisters-in-law were home. You can take Jiajia to play with his older siblings so he won't be lonely."
Gu Shi was raised by Nanny Wang and this child’s personality was very similar to his father's. Nanny Wang, very experienced, said, "Don't worry, go ahead. Later, we'll take him out to watch the grandpa fishing. After his nap, he can play with his older siblings."
After hanging up, Gu Shi called Chen Ze: "Didn't you say the movie lacked investors? I'm free until noon now. You can come over."
Chen Ze was discussing with the producer and director whether they could reduce the investment. With hundreds of millions in funding and few investors already secured, the risk was still significant, and besides, he didn't have that much capital readily available.
Director Lu, a renowned director with two high-grossing films to his name, was somewhat dissatisfied upon hearing Chen Ze's suggestion and insisted, "This is already the minimum budget. You have to understand, this is a sci-fi film. Special effects are expensive. The budget can only be more, not less."
Even though he had previously directed two high-grossing films, neither of them were sci-fi. This time, with a sci-fi project, investors would have to be more cautious.
Chen Ze was extremely irritable and about to explode when the phone rang.
After hanging up, he smiled and patted Director Lu on the shoulder: "You're lucky. The investment is coming in soon."
Director Lu didn't care who the investors were, as long as it didn't interfere with his filming.
Chen Ze went straight to the Ye Group headquarters. Upon arriving at the Ye Group building, he went straight to the top floor. He casually glanced at Gu Shi, who was sitting in an office chair, wearing glasses and impeccably dressed, and clicked his tongue twice: "No magpies chirping this morning, huh? Why the sudden interest in investing in me?"
Guo Yao poured him a cup of tea. He sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, picked up the cup, and said disdainfully, "Who drinks this stuff? Give me a coffee."
Gu Shi glanced at him briefly: "That stuff you're complaining about is my collection of fine tea, for entertaining distinguished guests."
Chen Ze took the coffee from Guo Yao and said, "Only you like tea. I've never liked it."
After taking a few sips of coffee, he looked at Gu Shi and asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to invest in my movie?"
Gu Shi pushed up his glasses and said calmly, "Zhengzheng wants to invest in a TV series. I want her to gain some experience at your company. If possible, also let her go check on the set."
Chen Ze, holding his coffee cup, looked at him: "Your wife?"
Gu Shi glanced back at him: "Do you think I need to worry about anyone else?"
Chen Ze scoffed: "Why isn't she content being a wealthy wife? Why is she investing in a TV series? Do you think you're short of her money?"
Gu Shi slowly said: "She wants to work."
Chen Ze wasn't married, so naturally he didn't have a wife, but he'd dated several girlfriends. He still couldn't understand Gu Shi's feelings, only saying: "If she wants to work, you could invest in a beauty salon or something. Many wealthy wives like doing those things, don't they? Why does she have to invest in TV series? Even if you have a lot of money, you don't need to go through all this trouble."
As the owner of an entertainment company, he knew the entertainment industry all too well. TV series weren't easy investments. One wrong move and one could lose everything. Clearly, he didn't think Luo Zhengzheng could make a name for herself in the entertainment industry.
Gu Shi disliked others belittling his wife, only saying, "She's interested in filming TV dramas."
Chen Ze knew he couldn't persuade him, so he stopped, "If you were an emperor in ancient times, would you be a tyrant?"
Gu Shi found the topic boring and didn't want to engage.
Luo Zhengzheng bought some fresh fruit on the way. She rarely came to the Ye Group, but the employees all knew her. Seeing her enter the building and take the private elevator, they all gossiped in their group chat.
"The president's wife is here. She's wearing a beige dress, her waist is so slim, her skin is so fair, she looks like an ethereal beauty, like an eighteen or nineteen-year-old. Who would believe her son is over a year old?"
"The president's wife is followed by two people carrying a lot of fruit. Could we get some?"
"Don't flatter yourself, she's buying it for the president!"
"No wonder she married into a wealthy family. With that look and figure, who can compare?"
"If she entered the entertainment industry, would those celebrities even have a chance?"
"Our president’s wife is a natural beauty, she hasn't had any surgery. There are many beautiful women in the entertainment industry, and many have had surgery. They're not all the same."
"How do you know she hasn't had surgery? She's so beautiful, do you really believe she hasn't?"
"Believe!"
"I believe it too. There were the Four Beauties of ancient times, why can't we believe there are truly beautiful women in modern times? Just because you're not pretty yourself doesn't mean you can doubt the authenticity of someone else's appearance."
"..."
Luo Zhengzheng, of course, had no idea that her arrival had caused a stir at the group headquarters, making her the subject of gossip among employees from various departments. Upon reaching the top floor, Luo Zhengzheng instructed the driver and Xiao Zhang to give the fruit to Guo Yao: "There's not much fruit, so just share it with the employees on the top floor. How many people are in the company? I'll have Xiao Zhang order a batch of milk tea."
The commotion outside was naturally heard by Chen Ze and Gu Shi inside. Chen Ze came out and saw Luo Zhengzheng. He smiled and called out, "Younger Sister-in-law, are you here to bribe Gu Shi's subordinates?"
In his previous life, when Gu Shi was alive, Chen Ze often visited their home, and Luo Zhengzheng knew him quite well. She joked, "Of course, consume someone else's food, do as someone else says . If I bribe them, they'll definitely tell me secretly if Gu Shi does anything wrong."
Gu Shi came out and heard her words. He glanced at her helplessly: "Give me some face."
Luo Zhengzheng smiled at him: "Alright, alright."
Gu Shi then looked at Chen Ze: "I remember I'm two months older than you?"
Chen Ze waved his hand: "It doesn't matter. It's just that younger sister-in-law is too young, I can't bring myself to call her 'elder sister-in-law'."
Gu Shi said: "That's still a big deal, I don't want to acknowledge an older brother. If you want the investment, you should call her 'elder sister-in-law'."
This was quite a threat. Chen Ze wisely said: "Alright, alright, elder sister-in-law. Is it really necessary?"
Gu Shi glanced at him and chuckled twice. The two had argued about their age since childhood and even now, they were still arguing. It had clearly become a habit.
The group chatted and laughed as they went to Gu Shi's office. Gu Shi looked at Guo Yao: "Have someone make a glass of apple juice for Madam."
Guo Yao, upon hearing the order, went out and told his secretary not to just distribute fruit, but to quickly make juice for Madam.
Chen Ze clicked his tongue twice in the back. Seeing that neither of them paid him any attention, he sat down and asked Luo Zhengzheng, "Elder Sister-in-law, I heard you want to make TV dramas?"
Luo Zhengzheng smiled at him, "I don't know anything about this right now. I can invest in a TV drama first, without participating in the production, and learn from the experience."
Chen Ze was a little surprised. He thought Luo Zhengzheng was just relying on her status as a wealthy wife, thinking she had money and power, and seeing others making money from TV dramas, she was just following the trend and investing in them. He didn't expect her to be there with a learning attitude. He said, "That's easier. My company currently has two TV dramas and one movie in production. You can choose one and go with the crew to learn."
"Okay." Luo Zhengzheng then said, "I've got my eye on a novel and I'm planning to buy the rights. Can you find someone to help me analyze how it would be adapted into a TV series?"
Chen Ze glanced at Gu Shi, and seeing that he didn't speak, he decided to ask Luo Zhengzheng directly, "What novel?"
Luo Zhengzheng replied, "Home and Country."
Chen Ze didn't know the novel, but Gu Shi clearly supported his wife, so he could only say, "I'll have the producers and screenwriters at the company take a look when I get back."
Having finished explaining her business, Luo Zhengzheng felt she had achieved her goal and was about to leave when Gu Shi said, "Let's have lunch together."
Luo Zhengzheng thought that since he was so eager to help her and it was just having lunch with him, she agreed.
Seeing her nod, Gu Shi's lips curled into a smile. He looked at Chen Ze in a good mood and said, "How much investment do you need for your movie?"
Chen Ze gave a number.
Luo Zhengzheng asked curiously, "What movie?"
"A science fiction movie!" Finally getting to the point, Chen Ze sat up straight. "It's called *I Am a Robot*."
Luo Zhengzheng glanced at Chen Ze upon hearing the name. Noticing her movement, Chen Ze asked, "Has elder sister-in-law heard of this name too?"
Their movie was still in the pre-production stage, but news of it had already circulated online, so it wasn't surprising that Luo Zhengzheng knew the name.
Luo Zhengzheng knew the name all too well. In her previous life, this science fiction movie, upon its release, attracted widespread attention, and its box office reached 3 billion yuan, breaking the previous record for the highest-grossing domestic movie. It was this movie that gave people hope for domestic science fiction movies, and many directors began making science fiction movies, unsurprisingly, all of which flopped. It wasn't until many years later that a director made a domestic science fiction movie that grossed around 5 billion yuan.
She said, "Of course I've heard of it."
Hearing this, Chen Ze smiled, "This movie has an investment of several hundred million, a strong cast of talented actors, and a professional international special effects team. The director is Director Lu, who has directed two high-grossing films. With your family’s Gu Shi investing, it definitely won't lose money."
If Luo Zhengzheng didn't know the movie's later box office performance, she would have just listened to him. But knowing the final ticket sales, it wasn't just a matter of listening. She looked at Gu Shi: "Are you planning to invest in this movie?"
Gu Shi smiled and asked her, "Do you think it's worth investing in?"
Chen Ze's eyes widened. How could he ask Luo Zhengzheng about something like this? What did she know?
Luo Zhengzheng smiled and said, "I think it's worth investing in."
If Chen Ze hadn't come knocking on the door seeking investment, it wouldn't have mattered. But it was a money-making opportunity being served to the mouth, wouldn't it be foolish to turn it down?
Gu Shi nodded: "Then I'll invest some."
Chen Ze never expected that he would ultimately get Gu Shi's investment because of Luo Zhengzheng.
He stared at Gu Shi. Even with the investment, he wasn't entirely happy. Gu Shi wasn't motivated by a belief in the film's profitability, but rather by a woman. He secretly thought, "What a foolish ruler!"
Did Gu Shi really think this film couldn't make money?
Gu Shi, of course, didn't consider himself a foolish ruler. Before deciding to invest in Chen Ze's movie, he reviewed the information Chen Ze had previously sent about movie producers. Rather than trusting his wife's words, he trusted Chen Ze's eye for investing in films and television series. After all, their company's television films were a guarantee of quality, with a recognized reputation in the industry and many viewers willing to pay for them. Of course, he wouldn't tell Chen Ze this, lest he become arrogant.
Chen Ze didn't care why Gu Shi invested in his film. As long as he got the investment, he was happy. He said, "I'll treat you and your wife to lunch."
Gu Shi looked at him: "I can afford to treat my wife to a meal. And besides, those who come are guests."
Chen Ze: ......
What was with the showing off? So what if he had a wife? He also had a girlfriend. He'll call her over later.