Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 360 The Indulgent Anne! "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" are evenly matched!
Before we knew it, 2003 had arrived.

When Ma Xun opened his eyes, he saw Anne Hathaway.

She lay lazily beside him, her legs dangling behind her, swinging casually like a kitten's tail.

The cat...it's actually being associated with Catwoman?
It must be said that her Catwoman look was indeed sexy enough.

Just like now...

These past two days, the two of them have either been fooling around or replenishing their energy for fooling around.

That's true. They're still in the observation phase and can't leave the house, so they have no other choice but to fool around.

The good news is that the verification was successful.

This girl is such a brat.

But it is quite unique.

"He's awake, hehe..."

What are you laughing at?

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered, weren't you dating a TV host?"

"Oh, you've done a lot of research."

Is it true or not?

"What does this have to do with you? Why do you care about this?"

"So you two really are boyfriend and girlfriend."

Are you jealous?

"No, but it just feels rather strange."

"What's so strange about that?"

"You Chinese are not very reserved, are you? You always seem very shy about these kinds of things."

"There are over a billion Chinese people on this planet. The biggest mistake you Americans make is exaggerating the characteristics of a small group onto a large group of over a billion Chinese people."

To be honest, the things these two are talking about right now make it hard to believe they've actually entered a period of deep reflection, waiting for their time to cool down.

It's more like a chat between two scholars.

Anne Hathaway wasn't angry after hearing this. "It seems like you've always harbored some kind of hostility towards me?"

"Did I do something too rough with you?"

"Hey! You rascal!"

Annie was amused, and Ma Xun hooked her chin.

"If I had any hostility towards you, why would I let you stay here?"

This makes sense.

Anne thought for a moment and nodded, then steered the conversation back to the movie.

"What exactly is this horror movie you mentioned?"

"The intermediate state is a very small concept in Chinese mythology, or rather, it is a ghost."

"Ghostly encounters? Is that a ghost?"

"There are differences, but they can also be similar."

"What a strange answer."

"Simply put, it's a kind of soul state, and then it can possess a body."

"Possession? Isn't that a demon?"

"It's different. Your Western mythology is simply no match for our Eastern mythology."

"You're saying that again."

The two of them were having a rather interesting conversation.

In fact, Ma Xun's understanding of concepts such as the intermediate state (bardo) is just that.

But fooling a foreigner like Annie is no problem at all.

Fortunately, Annie is indeed a diligent and studious girl.

They quickly exhausted Ma Xun's already limited knowledge of mythology.

Do you think this movie will be popular with Americans?

"At least what we're producing now is something new. American horror movies, in the eyes of us Chinese, are mostly just visually impactful. As for horror, they mainly rely on blood and gore, or all kinds of blood and gore. You know what I mean."

"Hmm, I understand, so you mean..."

"The success of the Japanese film 'Ring' is actually because it focuses more on psychological horror."

"This……"

"Chinese horror films have been researching this for a long time; Japan is actually not as good as us."

"Really?"

Anne was overjoyed because she knew that if "The Dark Room" was as Ma Xun had said, it would be a huge hit!

And then she will become even more famous.

Actually, Anne Hathaway's current position is rather awkward, but "The Princess Diaries" is indeed quite good.

However, Disney did not further promote her afterward, although they did mention the possibility of "The Princess Diaries 2".

But there's no trace of it at all.

Anne thought she should be able to study and act at the same time, but it was obviously difficult to do both, and she was worried that it would affect her career.

Since "The Princess Diaries," she hasn't taken on any acting roles.

On the contrary, a company invited her to film a movie with a relatively explicit content, and she was almost ready to agree.

As a result, Columbia Pictures cast her in "50 First Dates".

This is definitely much better than that movie that involves nudity.

Later, she found out that it was Ma Xun who had specifically asked for her name.

Driven by curiosity, well... that's how it is.

However, regarding their current relationship...

Of course, it has nothing to do with each other.

In the US, fucking is like exercising and sweating—it's no big deal.

Especially now that they are both single, and there's also a movie to watch.

Ma Xun wasn't lying; American horror movies really do rely mainly on visual impact. Their understanding of the audience's emotions is still at a very basic level.

He also admitted that "The Ring" was indeed a very well-made film, but that China has been making movies that focus on psychological scares for many years.

Leaving aside Hong Kong, there was a film we made in mainland China back then called "The Black Building Ghost," which supposedly scared people to death.

From this perspective, when it comes to horror films, we Chinese are actually far ahead of the Americans.

It's not just Ma Xun talking nonsense; just look at James Wan later on. He's practically become the Antarctic Man of the American horror film industry.

They all use him as a brand, putting his name on everything and riding on his fame.

Although James Wan rarely comes to China, some of the things he uses still have elements of Chinese mythology, such as the concept of the intermediate state in "Infernal Affairs".

This movie is also called "Lurking," and the translation of this name is actually a direct translation of the American movie title, which means "lurking."

However, considering the movie's plot, translating it as 'possession' would actually be better.

Or it could be 'possessed by a ghost'.

Ah, it's starting to feel like a Hong Kong movie.

Actually, isn't the movie "Insidious Room" just a story about possession by a ghost?

It seems these foreigners aren't very good at horror movies.

If I keep fooling around with Annie like this...

"By the way, it seems you've encountered a formidable opponent."

Anne brought up another topic.

Although this was supposed to be a friendly match, it seems that the girl really cares about Ma Xun.

"I didn't realize you'd spent so much time researching online."

Ma Xun's words seemed to be a sarcastic remark directed at Annie, but the girl didn't care at all.

"Then can you win?"

"You little foreigner, you still don't quite understand my strength."

Annie was also infected by Ma Xun's confident demeanor.

The little foreigner couldn't resist grabbing Ma Xun's hand, then sticking out his little tongue and gently...

CDs are that fast?
……

On the first day of the new year, the epic battle between two Jin Yong dramas, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," is about to begin!

Yu Feihong was the main person in charge of the production of "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

I've been in Changsha for a long time.

She had to lead the main creative team and do a lot of promotional work for the drama.

The current situation is that everyone simply focuses on their work and tries to think as little as possible about other things.

Anyway, many film crews have stopped working.

Just like with "Kung Fu Hustle," Wan Qian shouldn't go either. They're not filming it anymore, so there's no point in you going.

So he focused all his energy on appearing on various programs on Hunan TV.

Now that the publicity has reached this point, it's time to see the results.

Everyone in the production team knows about the collaboration with "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

Even Bai Zhi, who usually seems carefree, was quite nervous this time.

"I heard that Teacher Zhang is quite impressive."

She was from Hong Kong after all, so she didn't know much about Cheung Da-hu-zi. However, she had spent a long time in mainland China and was studying at the Beijing Film Academy, so she also called him Teacher Cheung.

"They are quite impressive, but we are not bad either."

Yu Feihong was certainly confident. This wasn't just a statement to Baizhi, but to everyone.

Let's cheer on everyone in our team.

But this... it's useless against Hu Yi anyway.

His palms were sweating profusely; there was no way around it, as "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was about to premiere.

Just now, they completed their final promotional event for the drama and appeared on Hunan TV's Happy Camp.

This is a special episode of Happy Camp; it's practically tailor-made for this show.

That makes the pressure even greater.

Hu Yi had never played such an important role before, and he really didn't have much confidence.

Fortunately, there are other methods, like makeup.

It made his face look much more handsome.

In addition, he still has an advantage when filming.

That's youthful spirit.

In fact, Yang Guo encountered many beautiful women on his journey from entering the Ancient Tomb to leaving, and at this time, Yang Guo was just a young man.

As a young boy, he already had grievances in his heart, and then he was stuck with a master named Xiaolongnu who didn't understand human relationships and didn't teach him any more about human relationships.

Therefore, Yang Guo at this stage can no longer be described as an ignorant youth.

He's basically a reckless and unruly teenager.

Given Hu Yi's age and personal circumstances, he is quite suitable.

He was fearless... he was really going all out.

As for the results... today is the big test!

Not only them, but also General Manager Cai came, along with Huang Rihua, Guan Zhilin, Li Jiaxin, Chen Hao, Qin Lan, Jiang Zuping, Sang Ni, and others...

In any case, it can be said that a host of new and old stars gathered together.

Everyone's waiting for the results!
"here we go!"

A staff member from the TV station reminded them.

Everyone's nerves were on edge.

This great battle is finally about to come to a conclusion!

At this stage, it's inevitable that everyone will feel nervous.

What exactly were the viewership ratings?

Will the first episode be able to determine a winner?
Ma Xun's version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is actually quite respectful of the original work.

In other words, the main content of the first episode is still Li Mochou's revenge.

Our version of Li Mochou is played by Li Jiaxin, and her appearance is quite a surprise.

Hey~ Regardless of acting skills, her face is truly stunning!

Moreover, her beautiful face, combined with this female demon, is quite striking.

Beautiful witch?
Well, in short, it's incredibly tempting.

Regardless, the opening was at least quite captivating.

Then they met Yang Guo and Guo Jing's family.

Two beauties have met!

It feels so good!
Of course, we can't forget our Guo Jing either.

Huang Rihua, who stepped directly out of the 83 version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and entered "The Return of the Condor Heroes" as the middle-aged version of Guo Jing!
Don't even mention it, the ratings jumped soared the moment he appeared!

This was absolutely a great performance!

So, how did we do?
"Great! Excellent! It's 12%!"

what?
The show achieved a 12% viewership rating upon its premiere?

That's awesome!

That's really impressive. Although some TV series might achieve their highest ratings upon release due to good pre-release promotion.

However, such ratings in 2003 are still something to celebrate!

This at least shows that our initial publicity was very effective!

Or perhaps our casting was very effective!
In fact, many TV series are like this; the key lies in casting.

You've chosen the right role, and the show is already halfway to success!

No joke, this is even the golden rule of the film and television industry.

So, what about the opponents?

"Any news?"

Yu Feihong is asking President Cai a question.

Although "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was broadcast on Zhejiang TV this time, Cai Yinong's Tangren Media headquarters is located in the Yangtze River Delta region, so she has some connections.

"hold on."

Clearly, Cai Yinong was also waiting for a call.

This immediately drew everyone's attention, putting considerable pressure on President Cai.

After waiting and waiting, the second episode of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" has already started.

Finally, the phone rang.

"Oh, I see... Thank you."

The results are in?!
Cai Yinong hung up the phone and said with a serious expression, "It seems to be about the same as ours, around 11%."

what? !

Almost the same?!

Two adaptations of Jin Yong's novels, two major productions to kick off the year, have surprisingly ended up in a tie.
Well, judging from the data, it seems we've won by a small margin.

However, at present, Hunan TV is still more dominant than Zhejiang TV.

It's because of the TV station's own promotional efforts.

So, it's really hard to say whether they'll win.

This is how to do?
"Don't worry, everyone. The current situation is still very good. The ratings are a great success! So, let's stop here for today."

what?
Yu Feihong meant that everyone should go back and rest, this...

That's not bad. Actually, many people are quite tired, so going back to rest is definitely something to be happy about.

But everyone also wondered if Yu Feihong and Cai Yinong were up to something.
Forget it, let them do it.

And so, the creative team behind "The Return of the Condor Heroes" completed their campaign for today.

We've reached a draw with "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," let's fight again tomorrow.

But when only Yu Feihong and Cai Yinong remained at the TV station.

“You should contact him, right?” Cai Yinong seemed to have seen through Yu Feihong.

He is, of course, Ma Xun!

Yu Feihong nodded simply, and then made a phone call.

"Hey."

"The results are out?"

Why didn't you call?

Yu Feihong's words seemed to carry a hint of anger.

Why didn't Ma Xun call...? Of course he's busy.

Anne, this short, hairy foreign woman, is simply irresistible.

And Ma Xun's answer was this...

"I have full confidence, especially in you."

Wow, he even managed to flatter Yu Feihong.

"Don't give me that." Yu Feihong indicated that she wasn't buying it, but her expression had actually softened considerably, and she even had a slight smile on her face.

Next, naturally, the result of the battle was told to Ma Xun.

"Huh? A tie?"

Although we can't see Ma Xun's expression, he's definitely frowning.

Yu Feihong and Cai Yinong were more interested in knowing whether Ma Xun still had any winning strategies.

Ma Xun understood this, of course.

So……

"Don't worry, and tell everyone on our team not to worry either. Things will change in a few days."

Not in a hurry?
That's it?

Yu Feihong was about to say something more, but the other end of the phone had already hung up.

"That guy!" I'm furious!
Seeing her like this, Cai Yinong could only comfort her, "Don't be angry. Anyway, we haven't lost. Besides, this TV series is his money. We just need to do our best. And I believe he definitely has some tricks up his sleeve."

This last sentence is the key.

Yu Feihong also believed this, so she had no choice but to give up.

They could never have imagined this.

At this moment, Ma Xun was indeed busy, and he was indeed operating the computer. However, he was sitting in the computer chair, while Annie was sitting on his lap.

However, a message did appear on the computer.

"I should be able to win 'Tell It Like It Is'!"

This is clearly Dong Qing's QQ account.

Now, let's see what Jin Yong has in store...

(End of this chapter)