Chapter 814: Changes

He Yushui felt a bit indignant, her eyes turning red: "Brother, according to what you're saying, we don't have any options at all?"

He Yuzhu smiled: "Do you think your brother can influence film censorship? Looking at it professionally, do the issues they raised have any basis?"

He Yushui shook her head helplessly: "But the first two passed! How come it doesn't work for the third one?"

He Yuzhu said sternly: "I told you long ago that the film script itself had some problems. But since others had filmed similar themes before, it was fine for you to follow the trend. However, your box office was too high, and too many people watched it. The problem started to be magnified. If you really want to film it, just do as that person said and change the script."

"But if we do that, the movie won't be interesting anymore," He Yushui argued.

"Then I can't help you," He Yuzhu said.

He Yushui was furious: "If the censorship doesn't pass and I film it anyway, what will happen?"

"Yours is a commercial film, don't compare it to those art films. Some of those so-called art films are meant to be watched by foreigners in the first place," He Yuzhu said.

He Yushui cursed angrily: "Damn it, this Cheng Shao is like a ghost that won't go away!"

He Yuzhu laughed: "You've still been influenced by me. He Zheng's company was saved, but Cheng Shao has to pay the penalty for defaulting on three months of reserved train cars; can he not have complaints? You just happened to walk into the line of fire and became someone's punching bag. I'll compensate for your losses... If you ask me, you should transition to filming comedies; this trade might have a big market in the future."

"But our director doesn't know how to film that!"

"Which director only films one type of movie?" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

After seeing He Yushui off, Chen Xueru walked over and asked: "Zhuzi, you come back to help this person and that person, why don't you help me?"

"Go ahead, I'll help you right now."

"A new shoe mall called 'Te Bie Te' opened next to our clothing store. The shopping guides they hired are all beautiful young women who are 1.7 meters tall, and they pay them five thousand yuan a month... A lot of our business has been snatched away by them."

He Yuzhu smiled: "Isn't that their only store? You have dozens of them, what are you afraid of?"

Chen Xueru sighed: "But if this store of ours collapses, the others won't be any better. They might even open chains nationwide!"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said: "I always feel that for a shoe store, the key is the quality and style of the product. Beautiful shopping guides are just a gimmick. If your products are newer and better than theirs, they might not be able to hold on after three months. But if they really do a good job, you might also go under."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru immediately became alert: "If you put it that way, have we really encountered a survival crisis? Then how should I respond?"

He Yuzhu said: "Right now, the only way is to offer discounts—fifty percent off storewide, selling at a loss. Also, you need to put more effort into women's shoe design and make more beautiful high heels. Although that stuff isn't comfortable, fashionable women all like to buy them. Even if they don't wear them, they want to keep a couple of pairs at home."

"How do you even know about this? Did you run into some confidante again?" Chen Xueru asked.

He Yuzhu shook his head: "You've wronged me there. I heard it from He Yulu."

"If we offer such discounts, won't the store next door get anxious with us?" Chen Xueru was a bit worried.

"Competition is about relying on one's own abilities. If you're afraid of this and that, you won't be able to accomplish anything," He Yuzhu said.

"Help me design a few styles of high heels! That Te Bie Te has brought in a lot of those shoes."

"Alright!" He Yuzhu picked up a pen and, recalling the high heel styles he had seen in the future, drew them one by one.

After he finished drawing, Chen Xueru was quite surprised: "These styles of yours will definitely sell well once they hit the market!"

He Yuzhu smiled: "Actually, Boss Li isn't having an easy time either. Wait until your business stabilizes, then you don't need to offer such big discounts, otherwise, no one will make any money."

Chen Xueru looked at him in surprise: "How do you know his surname is Li?"

"Isn't it published in the newspaper every day? It even says Boss Li graduated from the Film Academy," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"I suppose you're not bad, still paying attention to me at all times," Chen Xueru said.

He Yuzhu felt a bit guilty inside—he really hadn't paid attention to Chen Xueru's business for a long time; he was just relying on memories from his previous life to get by.

Shen City, Wang Pangzi's villa.

Lingzi's expression was ugly, and she didn't say a word to Wang Pangzi.

Tonight, Lingzi took Wang Pangzi to eat with her friends, which counted as a make-up wedding banquet. At the gathering, several of Lingzi's friends kept asking Pangzi what stocks to buy, but Wang Pangzi refused to say no matter what. Lingzi felt that Wang Pangzi had become arrogant and looked down on her friends, so she got angry with him on the spot. After returning, she hadn't spoken to him since.

Wang Pangzi had no choice but to wrap his arms around Lingzi's waist and say subserviently: "It's not that I don't want to tell your friends what stocks we are working on, but the few of us have set a rule that no one is allowed to talk about it outside. There aren't many local stocks in Shen City to begin with; if everyone rushes to buy the same one and ends up causing people to lose money, that's hard to say!"

"Is that really what you think?" Lingzi's expression softened slightly. "But they were just asking casually, why were you so serious? Couldn't you have just brushed them off with a couple of words?"

Wang Pangzi held her and said earnestly: "Lingzi, what I just said about us needing to keep it secret is one aspect. Also, I'll tell you the truth: we don't even know how to operate these stocks specifically ourselves; we all listen to He Yuzhu."

Lingzi became anxious as soon as she heard this: "You guys stare at stocks all day but don't make decisions, and instead let someone who wanders around the world all day make the decisions? What are you thinking?"

Wang Pangzi smiled: "But He Yuzhu has already directed us twice. The first time, we multiplied our money tenfold in three or four years; this time, it's multiplied eightfold in one year. If he's not a stock god, what is he? And to put our minds at ease, he personally invested six million into it."

"Where did he get so much money? I see him dressed quite plainly."

Pangzi shook his head: "Haven't you read the newspaper? He Yuzhu's son brought back ten Tu-154s from the Soviet Union; that business deal alone earned four or five hundred million."

Lingzi was stunned when she heard this: "Really?"

"Could I lie to you?" Wang Pangzi said. "Do you think the business his son does isn't being controlled by his father behind the scenes?"

"Looking at it this way, He Yuzhu really isn't a simple character. But why is he so good to you guys?" Lingzi asked.

Wang Pangzi smiled: "Because he sees that I'm loyal! Actually, he's even better to Hu. He took six million and let Hu help him trade stocks, and also gave Hu two million to help him buy a house in Shen City."

"How does this He Yuzhu maintain himself? Ask him when you have time."

"You women are really funny. Talking about stocks and then veering off to beauty," Pangzi shook his head helplessly. "I'll ask him for you next time I call him."

"Who makes women age so fast? Look at that He Yuzhu, a man of fifty-five or fifty-six, yet he looks like he's thirty," Lingzi said.

"He Yuzhu is indeed a bit of a reverse-ager. I heard from Xu Damao that he looked very old when he was young, and he hasn't changed much in decades."

"Then what stock are you guys going to buy?" Lingzi suddenly circled back.

"Are you trying to trick me?" Wang Pangzi laughed, but he just wouldn't say.

Lingzi turned her head away and went straight to sleep.