Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 294 500 Million! Qin Hong and the Wang Brothers Bow Their Heads and Admit Their Mistakes!

"Oh, Mr. Ma, hahaha... I never expected to see you here."

"Boss Ma, it's been a long time since we last met. Now... hehe, is this a show of force to fill in the gaps? Alright, let's bring all the famous beauties in the capital, how about it?"

The Wang brothers' behavior at this moment was clearly just empty talk.

Of course, they didn't forget to brag.

This bar is currently empty, right? Great, let's find some girls and fill it up.

It might not be just bragging; these two might actually be able to find a whole bunch of women for Ma.

Unfortunately, Ma Xun doesn't have that in mind right now.

He could, of course, see that the two Wang brothers were pretending to be stupid.

"Gentlemen, let's not waste any more time here. Why don't you tell me what's going on with this Fatty Zang?"

Give them a chance to confess.

This is a standard procedure.

However, the Wang brothers became quite cunning at this time.

"Fatty Zang? Who's that?"

“Never heard of him, Mr. Ma. You’re a civilized person, and so are we. The name Fatty Zang doesn’t sound like a good person. We can’t possibly be on his side.”

These two brothers are really something, stubbornly refusing to admit it.

Ma Xun laughed, but didn't bother with the two guys. He glanced at Qin Hong behind him.

"Brother Qin, aren't you going to say anything? Your brother and I used to be chatting and laughing all the time."

That "Brother Qin" was a bit much, because Ma Xunzhen wasn't older than Qin Hong.

But what can you do when Qin Hong is just a younger brother?

Qin Hong was furious, but he didn't dare to vent his anger. He wasn't stupid; seeing the Wang brothers' condition... those two bastards were just too much!
So Qin Hong followed suit.

"This Fatty Zang... Oh, Mr. Ma, are you talking about the singer of 'Friends'? Oh right, or the owner of this place? I don't know anything else about him."

This guy originally wanted to deny everything, but then he realized he couldn't do it.

Besides, how did the three of them end up in this place?
It's impossible to completely pretend it's none of my business, but what I said was... a jumbled mess.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun couldn't help but touch his forehead with his hand, as if he were laughing. Oh, he must have been laughing.

"Hey you guys, how can you be so irresponsible? Do I have to drag this person out?"

After saying that, he snapped his fingers.

Fatty Zang came out, looking extremely displeased.

Yes, Bai Xiaohang was right behind him.

But just appearing like this is enough. There's no need to say anything; just a glance at these three guys is enough.

"Oh dear, haha..." The eldest son of the Wang family was the first to surrender, "Boss Ma, oh, Master Ma! It's all a misunderstanding!"

As soon as he said that, the second son quickly followed suit.

"It's a misunderstanding. We're really not familiar with this Fatty Zang. We've only had some minor business dealings. After all, he's a singer, and we're planning to get involved in some music-related businesses."

As for anything else, he did all of that himself.

The eldest brother chimed in again, "His reputation has never been good. We only know him because he's successful in Beijing, so..."

These two brothers are really good at cooperating and talking. What they're saying now is actually nothing substantial, and it's all just shifting blame.

Such behavior... made Fatty Zang furious.

"You surnamed Qin! Give me an answer!"

Yes, Qin Hong, don't play dumb now.

In this situation, the Wang brothers have shifted the blame, and Fatty Zang has definitely confessed to everything.

Qin Hong knew he couldn't escape, so he gritted his teeth.

"I did it all!"

He took the blame!
He couldn't refuse to carry it, since Fatty Zang was the one who came looking for him.

Moreover, now that he's taken the blame, the Wang brothers might be able to offer him some benefits in the future.

But these benefits...

Upon hearing this, Fatty Zang knew he was out of danger, so he went back with Bai Xiaohang.

But the Wang brothers put on an act.

"Brother! What are you doing? Fatty Zang is no good!"

"Yes, Brother Qin, you're confused!"

Good heavens, those two Wang brothers have completely betrayed Qin Hong!
Qin Hong's younger brother felt as if a thousand horses were galloping through his heart at that moment.

The breed is naturally alpaca.

But he still had to keep a straight face.

The Wang brothers' abandonment of their humanity amused Ma Xun greatly.

He'd been laughing the whole time; the current situation with these guys was somewhat expected.

Qin Hong, Qin Hong, do you think they'll remember your kindness just because you took the blame?
If it weren't for Hao needing your brother's money, they probably would have done something even more wicked.

But Ma Xun doesn't need to talk about these things. Let's get to the point now.

"Alright, now that things have come to this point, we've settled things. None of you three can escape. But as for us, you'd better tell us how you want compensation."

compensation?

"Of course!" the eldest son of the Wang family said first.

The second son of the Wang family chimed in, "Whoever did it has to pay for it!"

Goodness, they've completely sold out their teammates.

Ma Xun remained noncommittal, then looked at Qin Hong, "Do you admit it or not?"

Qin Hong gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I'll take responsibility for my own actions!"

We have to take the blame for this.

Ma Xun nodded. Although Qin Hong was just a younger brother, a bit simple-minded and clueless, at least he had a sense of responsibility.

But we men do what we're supposed to do.

“Zang Pangzi’s men came to cause trouble on my film set. Those people have already been sent to the public security bureau. As for how they will be sentenced, that’s not my concern.”

However, his men were stubborn and tried to deny it, but it was no use.

As you just saw, right?

Fatty Zang admitted it himself, so I advise you all to recognize the situation clearly as well.

Our crew was relatively okay in terms of personnel due to this incident, but we were still quite frightened.

Another issue is the equipment problem; oh dear, the losses are quite substantial.

Camera, film, and many other things...

Okay then, 500 million.

"what?!"

As soon as Ma Xun finished speaking, Qin Hong couldn't hold back any longer.

500 million? Why don't you just rob someone?!
His expression conveyed that very line.

Ma Xun gave him a look that contained three parts contempt, four parts disdain, and two parts pity.

Yeah, this guy really doesn't know how to pick his opponents. He just stepped out to take on a major role and ran into me, Ma Xun.

Then you deserve your bad luck.

"Why do you think Fatty Zang would admit it?"

Ma Xun's question left Qin Hong and the Wang brothers momentarily stunned.

Then, he took out a photograph and placed it in front of the three of them.

From the moment they entered the bar until the three of them walked over, and now...

These three people had actually been standing the whole time, but looking at them now...

All three of them shut up.

The photos show Qin Hong visiting Fatty Zang, and the two of them chatting and laughing!
Needless to say, Ma Xun definitely has a lot more evidence on his hands!

This is why, although Fatty Zang's men kept their mouths shut and didn't expose him, it was only enough to fool the police.

The evidence in Ma Xun's hands was enough for Fatty Zang to confess.

So, the three of them...

"Mr. Ma, haha... 500 million is really too much, it's almost like winning the lottery. Shall we discuss it again?"

The eldest son of the Wang family has now done Qin Hong a favor.

However, the amount of help provided was not substantial.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "That's right, it's about the money for a lottery jackpot! Because our movie, hehe... it all started with a winning lottery ticket."

So there was another reason!
Qin Hong was furious, but he was completely outmaneuvered and there was nothing he could do.

"This, this..."

Unfortunately, due to lack of experience, he stammered for a moment.

The second son of the Wang family was actually quite eloquent. "In that case, we'll accept the 5 million! But it's not a small sum, Mr. Ma, how about we take it slow? How about we give you 2 million first?"

This proposal can be considered a genuine concession.

Moreover, Ma Xun, Boss Ma, Mr. Ma, have now truly been upgraded to Master Ma!
Ma Xun was well aware that he couldn't push him too hard. He glanced at Qin Hong and said, "Brother Qin, it's up to you now. Will you admit it or not?"

Qin Hong was forced into a corner, but he really had no other choice. He knew very well that Ma Xun had many tricks up his sleeve and might be able to get him arrested.

He gritted his teeth again.

“Master Ma! It was my fault! I’ll send the check for two million tomorrow! As for the rest of the money, please…” Before he could finish speaking, Ma Xun interrupted him, “Alright! It’s settled then. I’m only doing this for your brother’s sake. Let’s leave it at that.”

We'll be seeing each other all the time from now on.

Upon hearing this, the Wang brothers and Qin Hong both breathed a sigh of relief.

Their original tactics were good; in fact, there was precedent for it.

It's set in Hong Kong in 1992, where a group of thugs try to steal the master tapes of Wong Pak-ming's Lunar New Year film.

Of course, we on the mainland can't play that big.

Moreover, those bandits held back that time; they didn't hurt anyone, they just stole the master tape, but they went with an AK.

In mainland China, we only have steel pipes.

If successful, destroying Ma Xun's film reels and film set would definitely be a decisive victory.

Ma Xun's new film will definitely not be released during the Lunar New Year season!

Unfortunately, just like in 1992.

None were successful.

That time I was tricked; they didn't take the master tape, they took the waste film instead.

This time, it was entirely because Ma Xun's side was well prepared!
In this incident, if it weren't for Ma Xun, anyone else would probably have been in trouble.

At this moment, Ma Xun forced these guys to admit to five million, which seemed impressive, but he was actually walking on thin ice.

But a win is a win!

The victor is king, the loser is villain; that's just how it is.

"That's all there is to it?"

Ma Xun's words were quite clear.

Qin Hong immediately stopped struggling and wrote down an IOU.

He wrote down how he would repay the loan, but that handprint... This guy has a temper, so he simply bit his finger and left a bloody handprint!

Ma Xun nodded, "Alright! Let's leave it at that. I won't pursue this any further."

Qin Hong nodded, accepting his defeat.

But then Ma Xun turned to the Wang brothers.

"Gentlemen, I originally wanted to have a fair competition with you two during this Lunar New Year film season, but I didn't expect you to be so ruthless, trying to have a physical showdown with me."

These words put the Wang brothers in a very awkward position, so they had to say something nicer.

"There's no such thing as a duel or not a duel."

“We’re all in the film industry, so it’s perfectly normal for films to be released at the same time.”

That sounds nice, but Ma Xun smiled and shook his head.

"Are you going to cause trouble for me again during the Lunar New Year film season?"

"will not."

"Absolutely not."

Unfortunately, the Wang brothers had no credibility with Ma Xun.

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you still going to hire some online promoters to smear my film in all sorts of ways?"

The Wang brothers shook their heads repeatedly.

Ma Xun bluntly stated, "I seem to remember that the movie 'Happy Times' was criticized quite harshly."

The Wang brothers looked extremely embarrassed, but still shook their heads and denied it.

"It has nothing to do with us."

"Some media outlets have reported on this."

Sure enough, it was the two of them.

Look how clearly they remember it.

At the time of "Happy Times", the main attack came from some media outlets, who claimed that Zhang Yimou was a box office poison.

And these media outlets... The Wang brothers are in advertising, which is their forte, so naturally they have good relationships with many newspapers and other media outlets.

Especially newspapers. These days, print media are having a tough time. These two control a lot of advertising resources, so how you write is up to them.

Ma Xun was also taking precautions against this move.

"What about this year's Lunar New Year film season..."

As soon as he said that, the Wang brothers made a guarantee.

"Those media outlets probably wouldn't write something like that."

"Yeah, yeah, those guys are really ruthless!"

Seeing the two of them patting their chests and making such promises, Ma Xun's smile deepened.

……

That's how things have come to this.

Fatty Zang was dealt with, and he said he would never dare to touch Master Ma's territory again.

That's a very江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) way of speaking.

In reality, Ma Xun had made preparations in advance this time.

Wang Changtian provided intelligence that Qin Hong was behaving strangely.

Then Ma Xun instructed Wang Changdian to send people to further gather intelligence.

It's just about finding a paparazzi and having a drink with Fatty Zang's henchmen.

After a few cups of wine, he told her everything.

That's how they learned about Fatty Zang's plans.

These petty thugs are naturally representatives of disorganization and lack of discipline.

But they're trying to interfere with our filming.

Smash the equipment...

That's quite a skill.

If you hit someone, it's likely to make the news and cause a big fuss.

If things escalate, it will be difficult to handle.

As for smashing equipment and film sets, that's mostly a matter of money.

The key point is that the effect was exactly what they wanted.

Our film was already on a tight schedule. If they had succeeded, there wouldn't have been a film called "Nightclub" in the Lunar New Year season.

Therefore, Qin Hong and the Wang brothers are not fools.

Now that we know, let's prepare in advance that there's no film in the film magazine.

As for the camera... it was actually a useless old machine.

Hence, the current result.

After resolving the entire incident, Ma Xun and Bai Xiaohang talked about some things on their way back to Beijing.

"Brother Ma, these guys are really shameless!"

"Indeed, but the bottom line of this world has been constantly declining."

Bai Xiaohang couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"This entertainment industry seems quite interesting. Will there be even more despicable things to come?"

"That's for sure."

Ma Xun was right; he had seen far too many shameless incidents!
The entertainment industry is a place of fame and fortune; what wouldn't people do for fame and fortune?
It's like more than 20 years later, a relatively unknown actor was tricked into going to Myanmar.

This incident went viral online at the time, and he was later rescued.

But in the end... he got on a variety show, and the show required him to act out a scene where he was kidnapped and then called his girlfriend.

Is this something a human being should do?
But it still appeared on TV, it still aired, and it still garnered a lot of viewership.

Thinking of this, Ma Xun could only smile.

"Bai, do you think these things are interesting?"

"That's interesting!"

Bai Xiaohang was telling the truth: you can make money and encounter all sorts of bizarre things.

That's why it's called the entertainment industry.

……

"Nightclub" was almost finished filming, but this incident happened, so we had to take a two-day break.

Ma Xun went back to his own courtyard first.

He was supposed to be handling some company business, but when he opened the door, he saw a stunningly beautiful woman.

How did you get here?

"What? You're not happy that I'm here?"

It was Li Jiaxin, who looked resentful.

Obviously, a pager can't compare to a real person...

Ma Xun originally wanted to say that he was filming a movie and wouldn't cause any trouble on set.

However, this is not a film set, and Li Jiaxin is not one of the crew members.

So, Ma Xun simply picked up the beautiful Li Jiaxin and carried her in his arms.

That slut's smile is so alluring...

(End of this chapter)