Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 355 The Grand Opening Act of the Year! "The Return of the Condor Heroes" vs. "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils"! (Qingtao)
“Miss Hathaway, I know that your place is very open, but we are in China now.”

Ma Xun's response emphasized his upright character.

Anne Hathaway chuckled and said, "I was just joking, did you really take it seriously?"

Been tricked?

Ma Xun never expected that he had never played with this American girl before.

However, Anne Hathaway is a smart girl; she is a genuine academic achiever and has virtually no weaknesses.

It's like she can do everything—singing, dancing, and even daring to sing as well as the original singer.

But at the moment, she probably isn't that capable, after all, she's only twenty years old.

Ma Xun continued, "But we Chinese don't really like to joke about this kind of thing."

"Oh, I see."

Anne Hathaway's Mandarin still has a slight foreign accent.

Ma Xun seized on this point and changed the subject, saying, "You only recently started learning Mandarin, right?"

"Oh, you can tell from that?" Annie asked, quite curious.

“Of course.” Ma Xun smiled, it seemed this topic could resolve the previous awkwardness. “But I must admit, you learn quite quickly.”

"Thank you! I must say, Mr. Ma, you are quite a gentleman."

"Thank you for your compliment."

"this is nothing."

"Are we going to keep having this fake conversation?"

"Haha... Alright, I'll tell you the truth about why I came here."

You used the wrong word here.

"Oh, you understand what I mean, right?"

"clear."

"That's good."

"Alright, tell me the 'truth' now."

"In other words, I'm here to thank you."

The two had some difficulty communicating, after all, Annie hadn't been in China as long as Ge Luming.

But you know what, Ma Xun and Annie really do get along well.

And the 'truth' turned out to be 'gratitude'.

Ma Xun shook his head and said with a smile, "You probably don't know much about some of China's history."

"Huh? This, this is related to history?" Clearly, Annie was a little anxious, her foreigner tendencies were fully exposed.

Ma Xun then laughed and said, "There is a story in Chinese history where a woman would offer herself to a man in exchange for his kindness."

"Huh? Offering yourself in return?"

Anne Hathaway frowned upon hearing this.

Ma Xun was just joking, but when he saw her expression, he thought to himself: Could it be that the joke has gone too far?
But then, Annie said something.

What does it mean to repay someone with one's body?

It turns out she didn't understand!

Ma Xun almost burst out laughing. He had only meant to make a joke, but he hadn't expected that Anne Hathaway was speaking Mandarin in a colloquial way.

"Well, I heard before that you love learning."

Of course, we changed the subject.

Anne Hathaway's eyes widened in surprise. "You know me so well?"

It's obvious that this American sweetheart still has that traditional American mindset, thinking that China is relatively closed off.

The truth is, Americans are actually living in an information cocoon.

Ma Xun, of course, wouldn't reason with Annie about this. He laughed and said, "Your movie 'The Princess Diaries' was a huge hit in China, and many people are familiar with you."

This reason is perfect.

Anne Hathaway accepted, but she wasn't so easily fooled.

"But, it seems like I'm really stupid in the movie."

That's not wrong.

But Ma Xun said, "But I can see from your eyes that all your stupidity is an act."

The real you must be a very intelligent girl.

Goodness, those words made Anne Hathaway blush.

Love to hear it!

Which girl wouldn't love to hear that?

Not to mention, Anne Hathaway is the kind of girl who is both beautiful and intelligent.

She hadn't really shown her talent yet, but later on, she became one of the most annoying female celebrities in the United States.

The reason is that she is too smart, and she is good at everything she does; it seems like there is nothing she is not good at.

That's how American society is; it's truly an anti-intellectual society. They call good students "eggheads" and insult them from childhood to adulthood.

Anne Hathaway's later portrayal of herself as an elite was extremely unpopular.

Although Anne hasn't yet earned the title of "most hated person in America."

But there was one man who understood her so well.

Annie felt a warm feeling in her heart.

"It seems I should thank you even more, which means I should repay you with my body!"

Annie used those words, which made Ma Xun feel embarrassed.

"Well, you'd better not use this all the time..."

Before he could finish speaking, Annie said directly, "Yes, I'll only use it on you."

what?
Does she really not understand the meaning of 'offering oneself in return'?

Ma Xun was momentarily uncertain.

But that was about enough of a conversation, so Anne Hathaway went off to watch the filming.

Ma Xun felt inexplicably disoriented amidst the desert wind.

"Boss, there's a phone call."

The newly appointed secretary, He Qing, handed Ma Xun his cell phone.

You know what, having a secretary is actually pretty good.

In particular, this secretary knows how to dress warmly.

"Hey……"

The call ended after only a few words, but Ma Xun's expression changed.

He Qing frowned slightly and asked with concern, "Is something serious happening?"

"I have to go back to the capital."

Ma Xun's words indicate that he needs to change his plans.

Who is so amazing?
The answer is that Europe has a long balcony.

That doesn't make sense. If Ouyang is the head of the Yang family, shouldn't he go to Changsha?

He's currently attending a meeting in Beijing, given the current lockdown situation.

I can't go back for a while.

Something big is definitely happening.

Ma Xun had no choice but to return to the capital first.

……

Ge Luming and Anne Hathaway watched the filming of "Warriors of Heaven and Earth".

They then went to Xi'an for a few more days.

That's great; it's a very good tourist city to begin with.

Letting these two foreigners spend a little more money is also a contribution to our domestic economy.

Therefore, Ma Xun's return to the capital had little impact on them.

They were having so much fun that they completely forgot about home.

However, Anne Hathaway went back early, and it's unclear whether she truly understood the meaning of the phrase "to repay someone with one's body."

Ge Luming will stay in the west for a while longer.

It's said they also plan to invest in a film. Columbia Pictures is really going all out to make a splash in the Chinese film market.

That's not bad, it's about earning foreign exchange.

Before returning to Beijing, Ma Xun gave some instructions to the crew of "Heroes of Heaven and Earth".

Fortunately, Jiang Wen was quite obedient after being fooled by him.

Hong Jie's side reassured Ma Xun even more, as she was confident that she could control the overall situation.

However, Wan Qian and Tong Liya looked at him with some strange expressions.

Ma Xun couldn't figure out the specifics for the time being.

Forget it, let's go back to Beijing first.

The epidemic prevention and control measures in Beijing are still very strict, but the entry restrictions are relatively relaxed.

Ma Xun is quite healthy, and he also pays great attention to hygiene.

He was sure there was nothing wrong with him, so he soon met with Yang Tai.

"Brother Ouyang, what exactly happened?"

"Brother, I had no choice. Something really big has happened recently, and it was quite sudden."

"Just how big is it, and how did it happen so suddenly?"

"That means, you know Zhejiang and Taiwan, right? They launched a surprise attack with 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'."

"Oh, I know that."

"They moved up the schedule, planning to start the show at the beginning of 2003."

"This...this is nothing, is it?"

Ma Xun's response was normal.

After all, if Zhejiang and Taiwan launch such a surprise attack, then let them do it.

Unfortunately, Yang Changyang gave a wry smile, "But they insisted on picking us!"

This use of the 'dot' is very thorough.

Ma Xun immediately understood... In fact, he had understood before.

To put it simply, Zhejiang TV's production of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" is quite aggressive.

The announcement of the cast was high-profile, and the focus was also placed on Zhang Da Hu Zi (Zhang Da Hu Zi) and his team.

Yes, they came from CCTV.

Zhang Dahuzi has produced quite a few excellent TV series before.

The influence of the TV series "Water Margin" still lingers.

Unfortunately, when Zhejiang TV was promoting "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", they always liked to mention "The Return of the Condor Heroes" as well.

What we're saying is that this kind of promotion is a standard practice, after all, the real goal is to piggyback on others' success.

Everything was already OK with "The Return of the Condor Heroes". Although Ma Xun hadn't been keeping a close eye on it, he had a firm grasp on the progress and overall situation of the show.

Moreover, this is a major production for Yu Feihong, so she won't act recklessly.

In addition to other aspects, such as the production team, casting, etc.

Ma Xun is very confident.

However, the broadcast date has not yet been decided.

Now that something big has happened, should we wait until the pandemic is over?

These are all standard operating procedures.

Unexpectedly, the Zhejiang and Taiwan sides stirred up trouble, which was quite surprising.

However, after all, our "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is the martial arts drama that is generating more buzz before its release.

Zhejiang TV is pushing its own "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," so of course they have to piggyback on that.

So, they often mention us.

Some media outlets even went so far as to say it outright.

The new version of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" is directly competing with the new version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes"!
What should we do then?
Ma Xun understood what Director Ouyang meant, and immediately smiled confidently, "We can't back down!"

These words made Yang Taiyang feel very comfortable.

"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say!"

Yes, we can't back down.

Our opponents are acting so aggressively, how can we tolerate it?

but.

"Looking at this time, it seems like the opponent is very strong. I mean, it seems like they've invested a lot in marketing and promotion."

This was a hint given to Ma Xun by Yang Yang.

Ma Xun nodded. "I understand Zhang Da Hu Zi's methods, and it seems they've joined forces with some other people."

As for the Wang brothers, he had already obtained this information long ago.

The Ice and Snow Sisters are indeed very proactive.

"I estimate that soon they will release even more articles and a lot more marketing."

Despite saying that, Yang Changyang was pleased because he could tell that Ma Xun knew what was going on.

"I have faith in the production quality of our 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'!"

That's a good point; it's like giving Ma Xun a guarantee.

I trust you!

Ma Xun nodded, "Brother Ouyang, don't worry, we will definitely win!"

That's enough.

The two shook hands.

Let's get ready for this big opening battle of the year!

……

Ma Xun didn't just give himself confidence for no reason.

He has an advantage.

That is, if the TV series "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" were to be broadcast now, it would mean that Zhang Dahuzi and his team produced it in a very rushed manner.

The reason for choosing this time is probably because Zhejiang and Taiwan also realized this.

The current pandemic situation is favorable for the television market.

Many people stay at home, so of course they watch TV dramas.

To put it bluntly, Zhejiang TV has really no bottom line.

Years later, there were more than one case of people dying in variety shows.

We're saying that recording some shows is definitely risky, but why is it always your family that has problems?
Never mind, it's not good to say more.

Even with this advantage, Ma Xun still wasn't satisfied.

This time, our competitors will definitely put a lot of effort into our marketing and promotion.

Zhang Dahuzi was working with Pu Shulin, the Wang brothers, and several other bosses.

These guys have some pretty impressive advertising resources.

So……

Ma Xun came out from Ouyang Yang's place and was thinking of a solution when his phone suddenly rang.

He Qing was not there, of course; she had all returned to the capital. Let her go and rest first.

Ma Xun met with Yang Tai, the head of the department, and this time he checked his phone without his secretary's help... Oh, that's actually not bad.

It was Dong Qing calling.

"Boss, you've returned to Beijing, right?"

"Yes, what's wrong? Is it itchy?"

"You're so mean!"

"Don't worry, I'm coming right away."

Ma Xun laughed and hung up the phone, then drove to Dong Qing's place.

Unexpectedly, when he knocked on the door, he found that it wasn't just Dong Qing.

"Sister Tao? What's wrong with you..."

It was Zou Tao who opened the door.

So, Qingtao is still here?
(End of this chapter)