Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 317: Bought for three million Hong Kong dollars, then resold for two million US dollars!
"$200 million! Overseas copyrights!"

Harvey made an offer, and he was very confident, because he had never failed to get this offer in his previous negotiations with film producers in Hong Kong and mainland China!

That's right, "Big Shot's Funeral" sold for $200 million.

Well, actually it wasn't $200 million. This guy later used a series of price-cutting tactics and got it for less than a million.

One of the reasons given was that the film failed to win the Lunar New Year box office championship.

Looking at it this way, it really does have something to do with Ma Xun.

But now, this offer has come to Ma Xun...

After hearing this, Ma Xun burst into laughter a few times, then looked at the fat white man in front of him and said, "Brother Harvey, your trick won't work on me!"

To be honest, it's perfectly fine to make sarcastic remarks.

Harvey's expression changed; white people are naturally prone to showing their emotions.

But thankfully, since I had been drinking, I had an excuse.

"Two million dollars is a very fair price!"

Ma Xun looked at him with a "don't give me that act" look. "200 million is a fair price if it's just in America."

Point out this key point directly!
Harvey, that bastard, was talking about 'overseas,' meaning everything outside of China.

Such a large area, you just buy it out for $200 million? You can fool others, but you're fooling me, Ma Xun?
Hmm... what Ma Xun bought from Lin Jianyue before was the 'overseas copyright'!
You're using the same methods I used on others on me now?

impossible!
Ma Xun's resolute expression weakened Harvey's momentum considerably.

"Mr. Ma, let's have a drink first, haha..."

This guy used a trick to ease the tension.

It's alright, Ma Xun will drink with him.

When drinking, everyone puts on a smiling face, after all, it's just drinking.

However, this is clearly a delaying tactic.

Harvey's thinking of a line... and he's got it!
"But Chinese films rarely achieve high box office returns overseas." Right, isn't that a common excuse? Why have we forgotten it this time?

As if still under the influence of alcohol, Ma Xun said directly, "If that's the case, then why are you still talking to me, Brother Harvey?"

That was a pretty harsh rebuke!

Actually, if it weren't for the alcohol, the two of them might have really fallen out if they had just said it like that.

If Harvey were to say, "Then let's not talk about it... Alright, this deal is over."

But in the end, he didn't say those words.

"Oh, Mr. Ma, haha... We're all businessmen, isn't doing business the very reason we exist?"

Hey, they even made a big splash.

Ma Xun knew that this guy was already wavering, but he didn't want to put any more pressure on him, because this guy was also a fraud.

"How about this, $200 million, and I'll give you all the copyrights except for those in Asia, including those in Europe and America. That's quite a generous offer, isn't it?"

Look, I only want the Asian ones, you can have the rest.

In fact, Ma Xun has only shown Harvey the cast, screenwriter, director, and so on for "Infernal Affairs" so far.

The reason they were able to discuss this to this extent was because it involved the filming of another movie, "Kill Bill."

If this is Ma Xun's bottom line, then what about the other part?
Harvey also said directly, "You know, Quentin's standards have always been very high. He wants a very efficient team to work with him, and actually, he was the one who recommended you to me."

There's something to that statement.

Ma Xun immediately realized that it must be because of Jiang Wen.

These two met during the filming of "The Emperor's Shadow," when Jiang Wen taught Quentin the phrase "awesome."

Ma Xun's answer at that moment was absolutely brilliant!

"Let me be frank, I actually own a huge film studio!"

Upon hearing this, Harvey, that old liar, was stunned!

Indeed, Ma Xun's words were somewhat boastful, but not an exaggeration.

Is Hengdian a huge film and television city?
Is he now the true owner of the Qin Palace?
Does Hengdian have a significant shareholding?

So there's nothing wrong with saying that!
Especially according to the customs of Europe and America, Ma Xun can directly use the word 'owner' without needing to specify 'one of'.

But in Harvey's mind... in Hollywood, owning a film studio or a large film complex... that's what makes a capitalist! A big capitalist!

Ma Xun used the word 'huge' again!

The key point is that this person was endorsed by Jiang Wen and Quentin Tarantino, and Harvey also knew about Ma Xun before.

I never expected that this young man in front of me would actually be a big capitalist!
No wonder "Big Shot's Funeral" lost before.

It would be strange if he didn't lose; how could the Wang brothers possibly be his match?
Ma Xun noticed the changes in Harvey's expression.

From a con artist's perspective, this guy has already lost.

However, at this moment, Ma Xun was apologizing to Han Sanping: It looks like this "Kill Bill" movie will have to be filmed in Hengdian.

In the original timeline, Han Sanping built a Green Leaf House inside the Beijing Film Studio.

Quentin Tarantino was deeply impressed by the efficiency and professionalism displayed during the shoot.

Now that we've moved to Hengdian... of course there won't be any problems!
Moreover, if a Japanese-style building is erected in Hengdian, it won't need to be demolished later.

In the not-too-distant future, the number of Japanese soldiers who die in Hengdian each year could circle the Earth seven and a half times.

Of course, it was the Hong Kong director who started this anti-Japanese war drama series.

At this moment, the two people in Lan Kwai Fong, one an old swindler and the other a conman, have revealed all their 'weapons'.

You have Kill Bill, I have Infernal Affairs.

You have Quentin Tarantino, I have Jiang Wen.

You can resell movies to the American market, I have Hengdian Film Studio.

Come on, let's see who got fooled!

Harvey remained silent for a while, weighing the pros and cons.

Ma Xun is facing the greatest pressure of his career as a con artist; most people would never let him exert himself to this extent.

"If we were to set up a film set..."

I will give you a reasonable quote.

"This film set is a Japanese-style building..."

"Japan learned everything from China! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they stole it!"

"This building has very high requirements!"

"My film set is huge too!"

"This shoot requires a lot of action actors, including many extras..."

“There are about ten films and TV series running at the same time every day on my set. Most of them are action films and TV series. We have no problem with costumes and props, let alone extras.”

"However, we still need a lot of blood plasma!"

plasma?
Goodness, as soon as Harvey made this request, Ma Xun immediately looked troubled.

"Would it be better to use animal blood instead?"

Harvey laughed out loud, "Ha! I told you, Quentin is a very demanding director!"

Damn it, do they really really need human blood?

While Kill Bill is an action film, it's also a gore film, especially the battle at Aoba House. It's said that the exploding blood and gore were created using latex sleeves designed to block DNA transmission.

With so much human blood, Ma Xun really can't handle it.

Had to...

“We can import it from the United States, but you have to pay the bill.”

Harvey burst into laughter upon hearing this, as if he had won a round.

Wait a minute, are Ma Xun and Harvey having a contest to see who can lie better?

But in reality, is it comparing Chinese manufacturing with American manufacturing?
Even later, Chinese products were able to occupy an absolute dominant position in the world.

but!

The United States accounts for 70% of the international plasma market.

Damn, a developed country...

We can't win this blood plasma market... but not winning is our glory!

However, Harvey's attitude underwent a significant change at this point.

"Mr. Ma, that's fantastic! You're very professional, and we're sure to have a great working relationship!"

Huh? It worked?
Ma Xun smiled, "Brother Harvey, it's a pleasure doing business with you!"

Yes, a partnership has been reached!

The reasoning is simple: Harvey weighed the pros and cons and ultimately decided that the conditions offered by Ma Xun were the best.

Moreover, in Harvey's eyes, Ma Xun was clearly a professional.

This capitalist owns a film set, and he hasn't even boasted yet. China has performed exceptionally well in many aspects of infrastructure development.

But regarding blood plasma, yes, Harvey understood that this was an area where the Americans were sure to win.

But...

"Animal blood should be fine." Then this guy pulled another surprise.

Ma Xun understood, of course. "Don't worry, I'll make Quentin believe that this is human blood."

Harvey laughed heartily upon hearing this, and the two shook hands immediately.

But there's one more thing.

"You just said there weren't enough actors?"

"That's up to Quentin to decide."

"No problem, I'll arrange auditions for a few actors."

"OK!"

Being able to act in a Hollywood movie is a great opportunity.

Then a memorandum was initialed.

For $200 million, Harvey took away the copyright to "Infernal Affairs" outside of Asia.

Regarding the on-set issues for "Kill Bill," Ma Xun offered the following terms:

A deposit of $200 million has been paid in advance!
Harvey got a little angry when he heard that.

But Ma Xun added, "This $400 million must be paid on the day the contract is officially signed."

Harvey is about to change his tune again.

Ma Xun didn't give him a chance, "Quentin is a very demanding director."

Yes, you said that!
So where did the extra $200 million come from for such an important scene at Aoba-ya?
Ma Xun cosplayed as Jiaqi again.

For some inexplicable reason, Harvey had a thought: "Am I not trying hard enough?"

In fact, the movie "Kill Bill" had a budget of over $5000 million.

The battle at Aoba-ya is the most exciting part of the movie.

Ma Xun set this price to prevent the old man from only paying a deposit.

$200 million to build the set... that's really not much.

Harvey's change of expression was all an act.

Unfortunately, it might be useful to others, but not to Ma Xun...

You old liar, you're still too green!

That's it.

I bought "Infernal Affairs" for three million Hong Kong dollars and sold it for two million US dollars!

……

After the battle between the old swindler and the big conman ended.

Ma Xun then returned to his mansion.

Just as I was about to get a good night's sleep, I discovered that my super luxurious bed had already been taken.

Okay, this bed can easily sleep seven or eight people.

But at this moment...

Jiang Zuping came back early in the morning. Wasn't she supposed to be taking good care of Ma Xun?
But he didn't come, so she couldn't stay awake any longer and went to sleep.

But I'm a light sleeper, and for some reason my neck feels a little itchy... I scratch it.

No, it should be that he came back.

As soon as Jiang Zuping opened her eyes, she saw Ma Xun.

Moreover, he also understood Ma Xun's actions.

I'm covering her with a blanket.

"you……"

"You go to sleep, I'll go to another room."

Just as Ma Xun was about to leave, he was stopped by the girl's delicate little hand.

He turned around and smiled. "I'm not the kind of guy who needs to sleep with a woman every day, and besides, you should have already completed your mission."

These words left Jiang Zuping feeling empty inside. "Am I... just a tool?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun felt a pang of pity and said, "Yes."

Yeah, that's always been the case.

It's true that I'm a big conman, but most of what I, Ma Xunping, have said in my life is the truth!
That's right, the best way to deceive is to always tell the truth.

Just like how they dealt with Harvey... Ma Xun didn't utter a single lie.

Jiang Zuping's big eyes were watery, as if she was about to cry.

"Will you let me be your woman?"

Ma Xun lifted her chin and said, "You're not qualified."

Jiang Zuping burst into tears after hearing this.

Then, Ma Xun said, "We can make a toy first."

For a moment, Jiang Zuping was actually very happy, and then she took the initiative to ask for a kiss...

(End of this chapter)