Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 278 The opponent is Big Brother Dragon? No! It's Hollywood! Winning at the box office and winning the role! A two-in-one story.
In fact, many people haven't even noticed the issue of film scheduling.

There's nothing we can do about it, because the reform of the cinema system in mainland China hasn't officially started yet.

As a pilot project for the nationwide cinema system reform, not many people know about the movie "50 First Dates".

Of course, people from the cinema chains and some important figures in the industry definitely know.

And the number of people who don't know this is definitely much larger, especially Zhang Ziyi.

That little incident at the airport left Zhang Ziyi feeling resentful!

Ma Xun completely ignored this rapidly rising star, a young Chinese actress who already had international popularity.

How could I swallow this insult!

Ma Xun, you better remember this! ...That's what she was thinking, but Zhang Ziyi didn't have any good opportunities to get back at the moment.

After all, her current work mainly involves publicity.

Rush Hour 2 is, after all, a Hollywood blockbuster, and its current promotional focus is still on the international stage.

Big Brother Long and Zun Long, among others, are extremely busy.

Actually, the promotion for this film started at the Cannes Film Festival.

Rush Hour 2 was first revealed at this film festival.

Originally, I wanted to compete for the opening film.

It's important to understand that being selected as the opening film is a great honor, especially at the world's premier film festival like the Cannes Film Festival.

Many films that don't participate in awards, especially the more commercial ones, often try to compete for the opening film award.

Unexpectedly, we lost.

It lost to "Moulin Rouge," and this movie... well, it's not entirely unfair that it lost, because although "Moulin Rouge" is a Hollywood movie and the female lead is Nicole Kidman, the story of this movie takes place in France.

The Moulin Rouge and the Crazy Horse Show are two great silver mines.

Seriously, this thing would definitely be a breeding ground for such things in China.

But foreigners call it art.

Damn it, these guys really know how to package things.

However, although Rush Hour 2 lost, it was still screened at Cannes and gained a lot of exposure.

Among them, Zhang Ziyi also had an 'interaction' with his elder brother Long and others.

It made the news.

It is global international news.

Zhang Ziyi is much more famous now than before. Although she is not the lead actress in this movie, she is definitely one of the most watched stars right now.

Since the mainland release is a bit rushed, let her come back to promote it.

She still enjoys a lot of popularity, which will definitely have a very good publicity effect.

Indeed, whenever she appears in a movie theater and meets with fans, it always elicits a lot of screams, which is really great.

Zhang Ziyi naturally enjoyed this feeling, but today, an unexpected incident occurred.

Skillful!

After the promotion for "Rush Hour 2" was over, I ran into another group of people as soon as I came out of the theater.

It's not the same cinema, but two cinemas that are relatively close to each other.

It's called Dream of the Red Chamber.

But this other group of people happens to be the creative team behind "50 First Dates".

Everyone was about to get on the bus, but they ended up seeing each other like this.

How to do?
"Miss Zhang! What a coincidence!"

Jingwen greeted everyone first.

But her way of addressing her was a bit strange, so Yuanyuan, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but ask her about it.

Why don't you just call me "teacher"?

Yes, Jingwen studied at our Beijing Film Academy and knows the rules of the mainland entertainment industry very well. Besides, she always addresses him as "teacher".

Actually, the so-called "teacher" in the entertainment industry is nothing special. It's just a title that won't make a mistake. There's nothing wrong with calling someone that. Besides, there are many people from the three major universities in our industry, including senior students and teachers.

This time, directly addressing Miss Zhang did indeed make Zhang Ziyi raise an eyebrow.

She's not some delicate queen; she's got plenty of strength and cunning!

"Miss Jia... Oh, isn't this Yuanyuan?"

She responded with "Miss," and then directly called him Yuanyuan?

It seems difficult to find fault with it.

However, given Zhang Ziyi's response, neither team could leave immediately, so they decided to have a discussion.

And so they got closer, but something seemed a little off about the situation.

Regardless, everyone had smiles on their faces, spoke politely, and even shook hands proactively.

But after this wave passes, the real work will have to be done!
"Professor Huang Bo? I've heard of you before."

"Really?"

"I heard it from Teacher Zhou."

"Brother Xun, we know each other."

Huang Bo was also there, and he had indeed known Zhou Gongzi for a long time, back when Zhou Gongzi was not yet famous.

But next...

"Is this a romance film? This... Miss Jia is so beautiful, but her scenes with Teacher Huang are really... This love story is a bit strange, isn't it?"

Zhang Ziyi's face remained kind and approachable as he spoke.

But the words she uttered were quite damaging.

Huang Bo was quite embarrassed, but he couldn't refute it, after all, that's just how he looks.

Originally, the purpose of our film "50 First Dates" was to create this contrast, to highlight his skill in picking up girls. Therefore, having an ugly face actually worked better.

“Actually, we…” Yuanyuan wanted to explain.

Jingwen quietly pulled her aside, and then she confronted Zhang Ziyi herself.

"Miss Zhang, this is a romance film after all. Mr. Huang is a very gentle and gentlemanly person. He would never carry someone horizontally."

Carrying someone horizontally?

Normally, this would seem strange to most people, but it's only now that it's been said.

Good guy!
Zhang Ziyi's face immediately turned red; she was clearly furious!
Fortunately, she was quite tolerant and didn't explode like a shrew.

Yuanyuan and Huang Bo, who were standing nearby, could hardly contain their laughter.

The reason is quite simple: Jingwen said it on purpose because of the previously viral news and the images that were widely circulated online.

Zhang Ziyi was being carried horizontally by her older brother, Long Da, and both of them had smiles on their faces...

This picture was originally uploaded by Hong Kong media, and we all know how malicious they are.

They're really something; with just one picture, they fabricated dozens of gossip stories about Zhang Ziyi and her brother Long.

It even involved Feng Jiao and others.

However, news stories featuring this image also become incredibly popular.

There are all sorts of rumors circulating here on the mainland, but there's relatively little vulgar language.

However, some media outlets have said that this move is not a good idea.

In short, given the situation, it's really hard for Zhang Ziyi to refute it!

There was no other way; she deliberately jumped onto the dragon's back.

Moreover, this move is actually similar to his previous appearance at the Berlin Film Festival where he went on stage with Zhang Yimou to accept an award.

It's all the same old trick!
Yes, it sparked considerable controversy.

But it also made Zhang Ziyi even more famous!

And right now...

"Hmph! It's just a low-budget production, don't even dream about it!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Jingwen is not someone to be trifled with.

"Low-budget productions can also achieve high box office returns!"

He turned and left.

The two teams were alright; they didn't really fight.

But that 'exchange' just now actually involved several moves.

have equal shares?

It seems Zhang Ziyi lost a move.

I don't know, nobody knows.

……

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

"What's wrong? Who made my sister so angry?"

Zhang Ziyi went home, but she still couldn't get over it.

As her manager, her brother naturally had to care about her.

So Zhang Ziyi told the story of today's promotional "chance encounter".

Upon hearing this, the eldest brother of the Zhang family slapped his forehead, "Oh dear, we weren't photographed by reporters, were we?"

"I...I don't know."

Zhang Ziyi wasn't lying; in that situation, she genuinely hadn't paid attention to those details.

Looking back now, if this had been reported...

"That's great news!" Zhang Ziyi was quite surprised when the eldest brother of the Zhang family suddenly said this.

"How can this be a good thing?"

"The reports are meant to increase your exposure, and they also prove that you've put in a lot of effort to promote Rush Hour 2. So when we see those foreigners again in the future, we'll definitely have to talk about it."

My sister got into a lot of arguments with people because of your movie.

Indeed, this eldest brother of the Zhang family has quite the air of a cunning strategist.

Zhang Ziyi thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

"How could this possibly benefit my future career in Hollywood?"

"Of course!"

Zhang's eldest brother has a lot of dirty tricks up his sleeve; it was his idea to accept the award with Zhang Yimou back then.

Now this matter... hey, I'm afraid it won't get reported!
Thinking about it that way, it's actually quite good.

Zhang Ziyi felt much better.

However, there is a key point here.

"As long as Rush Hour 2 can achieve high box office results."

Actually, this is a premise.

With Rush Hour 2 achieving high box office returns and Zhang Ziyi putting in so much effort for promotion, Hollywood companies will naturally be very happy.

Her path to Hollywood became much smoother.

Zhang Ziyi couldn't help but nod, "Then there shouldn't be any problem."

The eldest brother of the Zhang family nodded in agreement, “That’s right! You shouldn’t have bothered with them at all. Their little punks are nothing!”

Zhang Ziyi agreed wholeheartedly after hearing this.

But she really couldn't help it at the time.

Because at the airport, that Ma Xun... humph!

Then, the eldest brother of the Zhang family mentioned something else: "Zhang Yimou's new movie is about to start filming soon. You should prepare yourself. You should be in it."

""hero"?"

"Of course."

Zhang Ziyi was very happy to hear this.

The matter of starring in "Hero" was naturally left to her brother to handle.

The previous award ceremony was indeed unpleasant, and Zhang Yimou was genuinely very angry.

But this time, "Hero" is a super big production.

Given Zhang Yimou's personality, he definitely intends to use the best actors in China.

Rumors circulated recently that he personally went to negotiate his salary with Jet Li, and moved Jet Li with his sincerity, which led him to lower his salary significantly.

It seems to be $300 million.

That's over 2400 million RMB!
That's definitely an extremely high salary.

Then, I, Zhang Ziyi, will definitely be in this movie!

She was right, but she felt uneasy and couldn't help asking another question.

"Brother, our 'Rush Hour 2' should..."

Does she have doubts about the box office hit?
The eldest brother of the Zhang family waved his hand and said, "My dear little sister, just you wait and see!"

That's quite a powerful statement.

Then, the eldest brother of the Zhang family added a brief explanation, "You don't know, Sun Donghai did this on purpose. Otherwise, our film wouldn't have been able to get in for a while. That Sun Donghai is a real scoundrel, and this time he's fallen out with Ma Xun again, hehe..."

So don't worry, Sun Donghai will definitely use all sorts of methods to make our film crush Ma Xun's small production.

"It's just a romance film, what kind of waves can it make?"

His statement actually contains many flaws. For example, he looks down on romance films, but last year Renma Xun made a romance film, which was a huge hit.

Zhang Ziyi certainly couldn't refute her own brother, and besides, he was doing it for her own good.

But I felt increasingly uneasy.

The reason was rather strange; she saw Jingwen and Huang Bo... Indeed, it would be quite unexpected if the two of them were to act out a love story.

but!

Sometimes, the unexpected moments in movies are what make them so special!

To be frank, even Zhang Ziyi felt the urge to watch "50 First Dates." How can two people with such a huge difference in appearance play a couple?

Besides, how can someone have fifty first loves?

Yes, that's appealing in itself!
But for now, Zhang Ziyi is forcing herself not to think about it too much.

We're definitely going to win!
……

"Of course we're going to win!"

Sun Donghai is in a very good mood right now.

Originally, he did this by bringing "Rush Hour 2" in advance to cause trouble for Ma Xun.

Now it's been revealed that there's been friction between the two teams?

Yes, the news has indeed come out!
That's wonderful!

Sun Donghai wasn't stupid; he knew that this kind of thing had to be blown out of proportion.

The more they do this, the more buzz they generate, meaning more people will know about it.

If more people know about these two films, which one would they normally choose?
Of course, it's the older brother's movie.

He's the eldest brother!
The number one Chinese star, a superstar whose global influence ranks among the top!

As for Zhang Ziyi, she is currently the hottest young actress.

In terms of status, she is actually higher than Yanzi.

Yanzi's advantage lies in her popularity among the general public, because she acts in television dramas.

Zhang Ziyi is currently focusing on movies, which are inherently more sophisticated than TV series.

Therefore, in Sun Donghai's view...

We're going to win this time!
Zhang Xinming, the Wang brothers, and Zhou Zhengyi were all overjoyed.

Especially Zhou Zhengyi.

"If this goes well, then I'll be able to have a say in Shanghai's cultural affairs..."

Zhou Zhengyi did indeed have this purpose.

Actually, even though he was known as Shanghai's richest man before, not many people had anything good to say about him.

He rose to power by relying on Sister Mao, and he also engaged in shady dealings with some people, such as extortion and undermining public resources.

That Nongkai Group, you know.

But if the import of "Rush Hour 2" is a huge success, its influence will inevitably be much, much greater!
This film entered the market through the Shanghai entertainment circle.

As for the Wang brothers, Zhang Xinming, and others, they each had their own plans.

In short, they will all benefit as long as Rush Hour 2 is a huge hit.

To their surprise, someone sent them the box office data.

As a result, when they looked...

shocked!
……

Ma Xun returned to his small courtyard.

I just wanted some peace and quiet.

But I'm afraid it won't work tonight.

"Boss Ma."

"Brother Ma~"

Yuanyuan and Jingwen have arrived.

Yuanyuan is also in "50 First Dates" because she and Jingwen played Mu Nianci and Huang Rong respectively, so of course they had to act in this movie together.

Just appearing here now...

"You guys."

Ma Xun, of course, knew about that matter as well.

"We've been bullied!"

I must say, Jingwen knows how to be charming and coquettish.

Yuanyuan isn't very good at this.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "It's good enough that you guys don't bully others."

His words made both women burst into laughter.

But then, Ma Xun reassured them, "Don't worry, we will definitely win this time."

"Really?" Yuanyuan was very surprised.

"Actually, we did this to help," Jingwen said, revealing her true intentions.

That's right, that's what Jingwen planned when she had that conflict with Zhang Ziyi.

Anyway, our "50 First Dates" is a high-risk, high-reward film.

We've made headlines, so we're truly worthy of the title!
Ma Xun laughed heartily, "Why bother doing that?"

These words made the two of them feel very comfortable.

Jingwen said, "The main problem is that our opponent this time is our eldest brother, and he really is..."

Yuanyuan added, "That's right, my brother is too famous, and we seem to be the villains."

That's very well said.

Because he has always played upright characters, he has given the audience the label of a righteous protagonist.

And now, we're going head-to-head with his movies.

Although we set the date first, and they set it later.

But the audience doesn't care about any of that. I believe most viewers would think that only Brother Long's movies are righteous.

That's why Jingwen did this.

Ma Xun nodded after hearing this, but that's what he said.

"Actually, there's no difference between good guys and bad guys. So what if we're the bad guys?"

If we win, then we are on the side of justice!
Furthermore, think about it carefully: are we facing a big brother this time? Are we facing a legendary superstar from Hong Kong?

Isn't our opponent this time a Hollywood movie?
We are a genuine Chinese film!
We are competing against a foreign film on our own soil.

Who is righteous?

Upon hearing this, Jingwen and Yuanyuan were greatly shocked.

Yes! That's exactly right!
Ma Xun is still the one who makes the right judgment on important matters.

So and so...

Jingwen and Yuanyuan exchanged a glance, and both of them blushed.

"Brother Ma~"

They kissed each other.

Ma Xun originally felt that the risk was too high at this time.

But since they're all here, there's no point in overthinking it.

Yuanyuan is shy and innocent, while Jingwen is exquisite and charming.

It's so irresistible.

……

Beijing.

New Picture Company.

Zhang Ziyi came here with her brother.

Naturally, it was for the sake of the mega-production "Hero".

I was naturally very cordial to Zhang Yimou.

Our Director Zhang doesn't seem to hold a grudge; that matter is all in the past.

Then, several more big bosses arrived.

Zhang Weiping, the host, was very magnanimous.

Other bosses, such as Jiang Zhiqiang, and so on.

They were all acquaintances of Zhang Ziyi.

But after chatting for a while, Zhang Ziyi became a little curious.

"Are we waiting for anyone else?"

Yes, if there's a meeting or something, it should have started by now.

Or rather, it's time to get down to business.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Weiping laughed and said, "We still have to wait for one more person."

Who is this person?

As Zhang Ziyi was pondering this, someone outside announced that someone had come to report.

"Mr. Ma Xun has arrived."

This left Zhang Ziyi completely stunned.

Not long after, Ma Xun arrived at the small conference room.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire conference room changed.

"Brother Ma, you must be very busy."

"Brother Zhang, I'm just busy doing nothing... Hello, Teacher Zhang."

"Mr. Ma, you're too kind."

Ma Xun instantly became the focus of attention here.

This change made Zhang Ziyi very uncomfortable, and the eldest brother of the Zhang family also found it strange.

Fortunately, the eldest brother of the Zhang family was able to greet Ma Xun.

But when it came to Zhang Ziyi...

“Mr. Ma.”

"Oh, Miss Zhang, we meet again."

Clearly, they haven't forgotten what happened before.

But it's nothing!

Hmph, he ignored me!

Just as I was thinking this, we immediately got to the main topic.

What exactly is the deal with the movie "Hero"?

Zhang Weiping was very straightforward: "The preliminary work has been done exceptionally well; now it's just a matter of funding..."

Ma Xun gestured directly, and Zhang Weiping's face was full of smiles.

Let's temporarily give the center position to our brother Ma.

Ma Xun didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "The funds from Columbia Company have arrived, so I won't waste any more time. Here is 5000 million."

He took a check out of his pocket.

Wow, they paid me on the spot!
Moreover, there's nothing wrong with the 5000 million.

Ma Xun continued, "The remaining 5000 million will, of course, be paid according to the rules."

One hundred million? !
At that moment, many bosses immediately applauded!

In 2001, being able to raise 100 million yuan, regardless of how the money came about, was incredibly impressive!

Zhang Ziyi and her eldest brother were both dumbfounded.

They never expected that Ma Xun would be so awesome.

But there are still things to do next.

"As for the actors, our teacher Zhang has also put in a lot of effort." Zhang Weiping's words were essentially asking Zhang Yimou to speak out.

Everyone knows that you persuaded Jet Li.

Okay!

Zhang Yimou, of course, came out to speak. His old face was full of wrinkles, and he kept smiling.

But speaking of one character...

"I plan to use the best domestic actors: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, and Teacher Daoming, and also..."

Ma Xun waved his hand again at this moment, and Zhang Yimou understood the situation very well.

We need to let the big spenders speak.

“I’m the kind of person who recommends talented people regardless of personal relationships. I recommend Gao Yuanyuan. She just won the Best Newcomer Award at the Berlin Film Festival, right?”

It's practically like saying, "Yuanyuan is my woman. Who supports me? Who opposes me?"
Anyone dare to object?

"Great! Great! This recommendation is excellent!"

"No problem! Yuanyuan is a great girl."

"I support Mr. Ma's proposal."

It was decided right away!
But... something's not right!

Zhang Ziyi was dumbfounded. What about me?
Obviously, the remaining role is Broken Sword's maid, but if Gao Yuanyuan plays the role, what role can Zhang Ziyi play?
But at that moment, no one paid any attention to her.

Ignored again?
Zhang Ziyi was deeply affected by the film "Hero"!
However, this blow is not over yet.

After the siblings left the New Picture Company, the eldest brother of the Zhang family received a text message.

Upon seeing this, his brows furrowed.

"what happened?"

"This……"

"Go ahead and say it."

"We're temporarily behind that in Rush Hour 2..."

It actually lost at the box office to "50 First Dates"?
Zhang Ziyi's expression at this moment was absolutely priceless...

(End of this chapter)