No one quite understood Shen Fang's idea, but Brother Ma expressed his full support, since Shen Fang had never failed in any industry he was optimistic about.

The atmosphere was lively with everyone pushing and shoving each other.

Back home, Director Chen was furious. So many wealthy people had come today, and he hadn't managed to swindle a single one. The project couldn't drag on any longer!

"Old Chen, why don't you go talk to President Han?" Chen Hong suggested. This is the best investor so far. First, he brought honor to China Film Group during Farewell My Concubine. Second, Han Sanping and Chen Kaige have some connections. Third, there aren't any particularly good investors right now, since The Promise requires at least 200 million in investment.

"Looking for Han Sanping?" Chen Kaige stroked his chin, considering for a long time. To be honest, he really didn't want to go to Han Sanping. Was China Film Group's money so easy to take? If something went wrong, he would be the one to suffer the consequences. Moreover, he might very well offend this man who was about to ascend to that position.

"This risk is a bit too high."

Chen Hong put on a face mask: "Anyway, you see, let me tell you, we don't have much money left at home. I've used up all my money. If you don't come up with a solution, our whole family will starve."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the bathroom.

Director Chen clutched his head, starting to worry. Marrying Chen Hong was indeed a source of pride; otherwise, he wouldn't have picked her up from work for several years in a row. Why were they so affectionate? It was all because Chen Hong was beautiful. It made him look good.

But marrying a female celebrity is expensive, especially since he was originally a kept man who rose to fame. Hong Huang was wealthy; in the early 1980s, she earned $8,000 a month. Living with her meant he didn't have to spend any money and even received a considerable amount from her. He lived a comfortable life. Later, after becoming famous, he married Ni Ping, who also lived off him, and he didn't have to worry about money.

Marrying Chen Hong now is a different story. There's a child now, and there are clothes, shoes, bags, skincare products, and cosmetics. How many things does a female celebrity need to spend money on in a year? She can't not buy them, or she'll lose face. It's just that Chen Hong saved some money in the past two years, otherwise she would have been poor long ago. She herself is not the kind of artist with particularly fast creative output, and she doesn't have projects that can be successfully developed every year.

He's living off his savings. If he can't get any more roles, he'll have to rely on Chen Hong to go out and act to support him, which is quite different from what they agreed on when they got married.

This isn't a joke; it's the truth. Why did Chen Hong, after so many years without acting, suddenly return to the screen for the third installment of "Spring Bright Pigsy"? Was it really because the director repeatedly begged her? Nonsense! There are plenty of actresses. Chen Hong hasn't acted in ages, and by 2004, beauties like Gao Yuanyuan, Yan Danchen, and Zeng Li were already established. Couldn't they find suitable actresses?

That's nonsense. Domestic actresses were at their peak in the year 2000. They had everything they could want. Chen Hong was already a mother at that time. No matter how beautiful she was, she was still a middle-aged woman. Although she had some looks, she was far inferior to young girls.

Making TV dramas isn't like making movies; the acting requirements aren't that high. Why does Chen Hong take on roles? It's because her family needs her to earn money. If she doesn't, her whole family will starve. Don't think that marrying a famous director means you can live the life of a rich wife. Not everyone is like Feng Xiaogang. Director Chen has her own style; she's an art director, making one film every three years. At that time, the director's fee isn't much. In the domestic film and television industry, the money you can earn is limited.

Aside from his reputation, the only way Director Chen can make money is by earning public intellectual fees, interview fees, and his old reputation as a "Bai Jie" (a famous Taiwanese comedian). There's not much else he can earn.

He can't have the same energy as Zhang Yimou. What does he want to do? Enjoy life, emphasize the petit bourgeoisie, and create an aristocratic family.

That's the path they take. If you want to follow that path and live that kind of life, you need to have the money to support it.

Where does the money come from? Find ways to get projects, get the money, then create various pretexts to embezzle the money and bring it home, while also laundering money for others and making a profit.

Besides his desire to protect his own reputation and defeat Zhang Yimou, another important reason for creating "The Promise" was that his family was short of money and he needed to raise funds. That was his true objective.

I was hoping to fool Chen Fang, but I failed and ended up badmouthing his work.

"I was still thinking about it. I've already washed up. Shouldn't you be paying your dues now?"

Chen Kaige looked at his beautiful wife, who was looking at him with exceptional grace, and felt a headache coming on.

"You go to sleep first, I'll think about it some more..."

Chen Hong looked at Director Chen, who seemed to be suffering from some kind of illness, with a hint of mockery in her eyes. "Useless thing. Why did I ever choose you in the first place?"

The reasons kept coming up, one after another. You can't even do the things a man should do. Chen Hong's heart was filled with ripples.

Director Chen has a congenital condition that makes him prone to premature ejaculation. Despite his young age, he's been impotent for a long time. He was too promiscuous in his youth, even engaging in homosexual acts in America (this is not a joke; there are photos online as proof, incredibly shocking!!!). This has damaged his health at a young age. Why couldn't he conceive with Ni Ping after seven years? It's because of his congenital asthenospermia. (This is not a joke; look it up yourself, it's true.)

"Sigh..." Director Chen looked down at his second brother, who showed no reaction whatsoever. Why was he so unresponsive? His wife was still young, but he was already failing. Sigh...

Director Chen hasn't had any marital relations for over half a year. Thirty is like a wolf, forty is like a tiger; he can keep Chen Hong for a while, but not forever.

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