Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 348 "Kung Fu" - No Regrets! And what about He Qing?
While Ma Xun is preparing for the upcoming Lunar New Year film season, the Wang brothers are also busy.

"We need to be careful with this year's Lunar New Year film season!"

"Brother, it can't be that bad, can it? What could that guy possibly be up to?"

"We can't be careless. Ma Xun may not seem like a man on the surface, but he's a ruthless guy who will hold a grudge and never let things go!"

“I know that, but the problem is, what can he do? Didn’t we already agree that the movie he got the rights to, ‘Infernal Affairs,’ will be released next year?”

"It was indeed agreed upon, but other things..."

"That's all. He doesn't have any films to show, what can he do?"

After last year's Lunar New Year film season, the Wang brothers will definitely have to be extra careful.

Last year, they were in a great position. Feng Xiaogang was the king of the Lunar New Year film season, and they even managed to get his Hollywood blockbuster, Long, into the summer season.

Since there were no rivals, they figured they could easily get a high box office.

I never expected that Ma Xun would actually make a movie.

The film "Nightclub" really caught the Wong brothers completely off guard.

Ma Xun made this film so fast, it was practically a surprise attack.

The Wang brothers eventually realized that this film was made for them!
Of course, they also came for Feng Xiaogang.

But this year... Ma Xun has no films!

At least there was "Nightclub" last year, but there really isn't this year.

Having learned their lesson, the Wang brothers were determined to gather more information this time. After confirming the information repeatedly, they concluded that Ma Xun had indeed not filmed any movies.

As for the others, "Hero" goes without saying; it's the most amazing movie of the year.

The current box office of over 3 million is simply unsurpassable.

I heard that Ma Xun has a new project called "Warriors of Heaven and Earth," but that's a blockbuster, and it's only just begun.

There are only a few days left until the Lunar New Year film season; he simply doesn't have enough time.

Moreover, it's quite clear from what they've said that "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" will be released no earlier than next year, and might even be delayed until next year's Lunar New Year season.

I also have to mention Chen Kai, who has announced that his latest blockbuster, "The Promise," will be released next year.

The specific time wasn't mentioned, but Chen Kai said next year.

However, most people in the industry know that Chen Kaige has never delivered goods on time.

He said that if he could finish filming the movie next year, or maybe the year after, that would be pretty good.

But this time is somewhat different, after all, Chen Kai is facing off against Ma Xun again.

I guess Chen Kaige needs to speed things up.

Looking back at Ma Xun... the Wang brothers really didn't let their guard down this time, but they really didn't discover that Ma Xun was secretly making some kind of movie again.

Without any films, how can he compete with our "Cellphone"?
Moreover, according to news from Hong Kong...

The film "Infernal Affairs" will be released at the end of this year, which is good news for the Wong brothers.

Piracy, you all know what I mean.

The fact that this movie was released late in mainland China will definitely affect its box office performance, which in turn will affect Ma Xun.

After such an analysis... the Lunar New Year film season really has no rivals!

But this isn't right!

The Wang brothers grew increasingly uneasy, because they knew Ma Xun very well.

He will definitely do something.

No matter how we analyze it, we can't figure out what Ma Xun will do.

The Wang brothers have both been suffering from internal heat lately.

At last……

"Only 'Zhou Yu's Train' is left."

"But this is an art film. Even if Gong Li is in it, so what?"

"That's right. At best, this film will only gross a little over ten million at the box office, so this can be considered a record-breaking achievement."

"Then... what if Ma Xun just doesn't do anything this time? Maybe he hasn't made any preparations?"

"This……"

The two brothers still didn't believe it, but they couldn't figure out Ma Xun's intentions.

How to do?
"How about we try TV dramas?"

"Huh? Could it be..."

"Use TV dramas to compete with him, that way at least makes it difficult for him to be in two places at once."

"Yes! That's a great idea!"

"Furthermore, we cannot allow 'Zhou Yu's Train' to pose any threat to us."

"Let's just keep an eye on that slut Gong Li."

"Haha... let's give her a good talking about all those messy things she did in the past."

"Okay! I'll get on it right away!"

"By the way, does Ma Xun have any new TV series coming out? What about that 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' we were talking about before?"

"I heard that filming has already finished and they're doing post-production now."

"Oh? Aren't there any others?"

"No, there are other shows, supposedly called something like 'Time Travel' or something."

"What...what could possibly be wrong with this!"

"That's it."

"Wait a minute, didn't he focus on TV dramas?"

"This, this..."

Clearly, the second son of the Wang family was not adequately prepared, and he was completely unaware of much information about his opponent.

However, it's not entirely fair to blame him, since even the boss wasn't entirely clear on the matter.

In fact, Ma Xun's focus this year is clearly on film, in addition to some other businesses.

For example, if the film festival is doing well, they might as well develop real estate along with it, or find opportunities to acquire land so they can build a skyscraper.

These things are all important. As for television dramas, he has mainly confirmed two shows: "Love Through Time" and "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

As for the rest, the main point is to let Tangren perform more.

Tangren was suppressed quite a bit before, so let them recover properly this year.

In any case, they've joined forces with Ma Xun.

So, on Hunan TV, Ma Xunfang actually provided quite a few TV series, but many of them were using Tangren's brand.

Another thing is that Wang Yu also produced two Taiwanese idol dramas. Although they weren't particularly popular, the ratings were still quite good.

The two TV series that Ma Xun mainly produced have not yet been broadcast.

This does make it seem like Ma Xun has been relatively low-key about television dramas this year.

Fortunately, the TV series "Love Through Time" will be released soon.

The Wang brothers looked at it this way...

"Let's play this one!"

The problem is, what kind of play should we use to fight?
You know what, there's a show that's perfect for it!
That's "Storm Riders 2"!
……

Ma Xun went to set up the stage and completed the layout of the "hidden storyline" for this Lunar New Year film season.

However, he didn't do anything with Dong Qing.

After all, they'll need their 'relationship' later.

Let's be patient for now and not go too far. If it gets exposed prematurely, there won't be any recourse later.

Therefore, Dong Qing's yearning gaze was truly alluring.

Ma Xun had no choice but to harden his heart.

Parting ways with the well-known host.

We should remain patient and wait for the opportune moment to unleash our full potential.

After that, he planned to do some other work, such as checking on the filming of the movie "Kung Fu Hustle".

According to the plan, filming for "Kung Fu Hustle" should have already begun.

However, some problems arose at Xinghui.

As a result, it just kept getting delayed.

As for what the problem is, they didn't say.

Ma Xun could roughly guess that it was because Stephen Chow was not satisfied with some 'details'.

The movie "Kung Fu" was actually 'adjusted' from the very beginning.

This "adjustment" was made in response to the failure of the previous "Shaolin Soccer" film to pass censorship.

Simply put, it's four big characters.

Blur the background!

According to Ma Xun's memory of the original "Kung Fu Hustle," there are some details here.

First, let me ask you this: what era is the story of "Kung Fu Hustle" set in?
I believe even the biggest fans of this movie wouldn't be able to answer that question.

It's not that moviegoers don't watch enough movies, or that they don't pay attention to details; rather, the more attention you pay to the details, the less likely you are to determine the historical context of the film.

Because Stephen Chow deliberately blurred the era in which the story in the movie takes place!

It's very simple. First of all, where is this place called Chengzhai?

Then we look at many details in the original "Kung Fu Hustle," such as the huge advertisements, the women or giant dolls on them, the Axe Gang, and many, many more...

These are all characteristics of Shanghai in the 1920s and 30s!
But the Walled City is in Hong Kong!

Therefore, this film is set in both Hong Kong and Shanghai, and its timeline is also very complex.

Because most of the dialogue scenes in the original film were adapted from the old Hong Kong film "The House of 72 Tenants".

In fact, this old Hong Kong film itself has many stories.

For example, the 1963 version was the beginning, but Shaw Brothers made another version in 1973. This 73 version was very powerful and directly defeated Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon", making Bruce Lee's posthumous work only rank second in the box office that year.

How can she be so charming!

This is related to some aspects of Hong Kong's history.

Just like the landlady at the beginning, who sprayed all the tenants with her words, and there was also the issue of water.

Because it wasn't until 1965 that Hong Kong received water from the Dongjiang River, and in 1963, Hong Kong was facing a severe water shortage.

That's why we have those storylines about the landlady and the conflicts between her and her tenants.

This detail can evoke memories of the past for Hong Kong people, and they will resonate with it.

When ordinary moviegoers watch "Kung Fu Hustle," they may find some scenes rather abrupt.

That landlady is so unreasonable! It's just water, why did you hit the sauce fry like that?
However, if you understand the original "72 Tenants of Prosperity", you'll realize that this is actually reasonable.

However, because of the previous failure of "Shaolin Soccer" to pass censorship, Stephen Chow learned his lesson this time.

Let's just make a big mix!
Anyway, the movie was filmed in Shanghai, and the Shanghai Film Studio showed great sincerity.

Then let's just combine Hong Kong and Shanghai.

So, this time it should pass the review.

But many things seem quite troublesome.

Having exhausted all other options, Ma Xun decided to go and supervise Xinghui's work progress.

After all, he knew that SA-RS would be coming soon, and by then, we might not be able to start work!

This will cause a delay of several months!

Moreover, there is another issue: Kung Fu Hustle should be the last collaboration between Stephen Chow and Ng Man-tat.

They have already signed all their contracts.

However, if this continues, we'll definitely miss it when the pandemic arrives.

Ma Xun felt he should take action.

Let's at least make it happen so that they can work together one last time and leave no regrets.

In the original timeline, this was truly a regret.

Stephen Chow is not good at expressing himself. After missing out on his chance with Uncle Da, he didn't say anything more.

Uncle Da himself was actually a little confused.

So, let's go to Shanghai.

Unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, a message arrived.

"The second season of 'Storm Riders' is coming out! It'll be right in time to coincide with our 'Love Through Time'!"

Ye Quanzhen sounded quite anxious on the phone.

Ma Xun didn't quite understand one detail after hearing this: "Does this mean that 'Storm Riders 2' is no longer on Hunan TV?" Yes, the first season aired on Hunan TV.

We've already booked a time slot on Hunan TV, which is practically our home turf.

Ye Quanzhen responded quickly, "They are indeed gone. They chose Beijing TV."

Ma Xun laughed after hearing this.

"Then there's no need to worry."

"what?"

Ye Quan was somewhat bewildered, while Ma Xun was quite decisive and did not change his original plan.

Let's go to Shanghai instead.

……

Breaking news! The second season of "Storm Riders" is about to air!

"The creative team behind 'Storm Riders' gave an interview, stating that they are not afraid of any opponents!"

"The Storm Riders 2 will definitely crush Love Through Time!"

"Isn't the time-travel genre a bit too daring?"

"According to insiders, 'Storm Riders 2' was released ahead of schedule precisely to counter 'Time Travel'!"

When Ma Xun arrived in Shanghai.

It's already early October.

At that time, news was flying everywhere in the entertainment industry.

The two shows that are currently generating the most buzz are "Storm Riders 2" and "Love Through Time".

Interestingly, "Storm Riders 2" was originally scheduled to be released next year, at least according to rumors.

But now, it's been brought forward by several months, which is truly unexpected.

Of course, there are various interpretations.

Some people say that this is not bad, since it is broadcast at the same time as the broadcast in Taiwan Province.

Many TV dramas were originally broadcast in Taiwan first, and then broadcast here.

This time, it's being broadcast simultaneously on both sides, isn't that great?

The original "Storm Riders" already had a large fan base, and many viewers in mainland China were eagerly anticipating the second installment.

However, some people say that apart from the main characters, the creative team for "Storm Riders 2" has been basically changed.

Especially after the change of investors.

Rumors circulated within the industry that the original investor was Ma Xun, but the second film was sold by Golden Harvest to a bigwig in Taiwan, resulting in a major overhaul of the production team.

At least, the post-production and special effects were all handled by a different team.

Interestingly, there are rumors that the drama "Love Through Time" was invested in by Ma Xun, and that it was basically made up of Ma Xun's people.

Post-production and special effects, etc.

This is so interesting!

Now that two shows are airing at the same time, let's take a look.

Hmm, is it possible that Ma Xun was the one who leaked the news about the team change?

Don't spread rumors.

Ma Xun's current focus is still on "Kung Fu Hustle".

As soon as he arrived in Shanghai, he went straight to the Shanghai Film Studio.

It's the place where they filmed "Romance in the Rain".

Starshine has already set up camp over there.

But construction has yet to begin, which is truly baffling.

As soon as Ma Xun arrived, needless to say, Tianji would definitely come out to greet him.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the frog couldn't hold back any longer.

"Stephen Chow is still worried about filming."

"What exactly happened?"

Tian Qiwen was already thin and withered, and now he had a fawning smile on his face, clearly indicating that he needed Ma Xun to take action.

"In other words, the high-ranking officials here hope that we can incorporate more elements."

"More elements? Isn't filming here enough?"

"Also, don't film the Axe Gang and such too darkly."

Ma Xun understood. Adding elements was a minor issue; the real issue was preventing the image from becoming too dark.

So and so...

"Let's wait until he arrives."

The frog understood and nodded.

Fortunately, Stephen Chow appeared before Ma Xun had to wait long.

Even though it's October, the weather in Shanghai is still incredibly hot.

Stephen Chow was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and you wouldn't recognize him as the famous Master Xing unless you looked closely.

Ma Xun got straight to the point, greeting everyone and getting right to the point.

"How about this, let's start filming first, at least get the dialogue scenes with Uncle Da filmed."

Actually, the character played by Uncle Da was Fatty Lin. Fatty Lin was actually the screenwriter of this show, and he was just there to fill a spot in the cast.

Stephen Chow glanced at Tianji first, and then said to Ma Xun, "But there are special requirements now."

Ma Xun nodded; he understood, of course. So he said, "Could I take a look at the script?"

To comply with the city's requirements, let's make some changes.

Obviously, Shanghai is an international metropolis, and it cares about its image.

The Axe Gang is a gang like that... wait a minute.

Ma Xun roughly understood that in Stephen Chow's original script, the Axe Gang was indeed extremely evil, committing all sorts of wicked deeds.

In this case……

Ma Xun smiled, an idea coming to him. "How about this, let them dance? What do you think?"

"Dance?"

"Yes, dancing while chopping people up gives off a silly vibe."

Don't say it, you really don't say it.

Stephen Chow thought about it for a while, and then he actually laughed.

"Okay! Let's film the scenes with Uncle Da first."

Actually, Uncle Da had already called before, saying that he had scheduling conflicts.

It's best to take the photos early, otherwise...

Ma Xun understood that he had resolved this regret!

A Kung Fu Hustle film without any regrets—that's something to look forward to!

Next, Ma Xun might as well stay at the Shanghai Film City and supervise the filming progress of "Kung Fu".

Actually, he was also learning from him, and also to see just how much of a tyrant Stephen Chow, the legendary tyrant on set, really was.

And at that very moment, those two TV series started fighting!

……

The two dramas are "Storm Riders 2" and "Love Through Time".

They aired almost simultaneously.

After its broadcast, "Storm Riders" already had a very good foundation.

They got off to a flying start!

The viewership ratings completely crushed those of "Love Through Time"!
The Wang brothers were overjoyed with this result!
Three days later.

Let's just summon all those bosses again.

"Everyone! Cheers to our success!"

Pop the champagne! Let's all have a good celebration!
Honestly, this wine is really great today.

The bosses all seemed to be having a good time.

Qin Hong even remarked, "This is definitely a good start! We've finally gotten the upper hand over Ma Xun!"

Everyone understood what he meant when he said that.

Zhang Xinming laughed and said, "Not bad, not bad, we will definitely win in the upcoming Lunar New Year film season!"

Yes, that really sets the tone!

The Wang brothers were overjoyed.

They now believe that "Cell Phone" is definitely the undisputed champion of the Lunar New Year film season!

Moreover, this movie might even break 100 million!
Just as I was thinking that nothing was wrong, someone came in.

It was Li Xue.

"Oh no, the ratings have changed."

"What? Explain yourself clearly."

"The ratings for 'Storm Riders 2' have dropped significantly!"

"No way?"

All the bosses were dumbfounded.

What happened?
What happened?

Actually, it's very simple. You can find it online. Many viewers have been complaining about this show for a long time.

"What kind of weird special effects are these?!"

"The quality of 'Storm Riders 2' is terrible! It feels like it was rushed out of production!"

"Isn't this just a mess? What kind of acting is this?!"

Netizens are really fed up now.

The poor quality of "Storm Riders 2" is not concealed at all.

The sharp drop in viewership is perfectly normal.

On the other hand, what about the opposite?

"Love Through Time is quite interesting!"

"I especially love watching Jingwen and Yuanyuan now!"

"This is really fun, this show has substance!"

That's right, "Love Through Time" is currently receiving rave reviews!

The ratings have surpassed them?!
Not yet, but it'll be soon!
The bosses were all ashen-faced; they hadn't expected "Storm Riders 2" to be so bad.

"Are they scamming people in Taiwan?"

"Yeah, the special effects are just unbearable to watch!"

"Holy crap! I want to curse too!"

"Fortunately, they didn't swindle us out of much money."

Listen to what they said; the Wang brothers must be incredibly embarrassed.

What they didn't know was that Ma Xun didn't care about what they had done at all.

It's like when Ye Quanzhen called, Ma Xun didn't take it seriously at all.

Because he already knew that the filming of "Storm Riders 2" was extremely perfunctory.

Just like the later 523 "Fengshen 1" and "Fengshen 2".

The second film definitely had a much larger budget, but it was definitely embezzled by many people!
Let's leave that aside for now.

What is Ma Xun doing now?

While he was at the Shanghai Film Studio, he happened to meet a beautiful woman wearing a cheongsam.

"You, why are you here?"

"Why can't I come?"

"But you..."

"What's wrong with me? I should be asking you, why haven't you contacted me lately?"

Ma Xun was somewhat assertive, while the other party seemed to be dodging.

This beauty is none other than He Qing, whom I haven't seen for many days...

(End of this chapter)