Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 363 Golden Harvest in Hand, Chatting with Jin Yong about Wuxia! Is the Mainland Film Market Reopening?

Breaking news! Lin Jianyue is out, and Jiahe has changed hands again!

"According to reliable sources, mainland businessman Ma Xun has become the newest owner of Jiahe!"

"What exactly is Ma Xun's background? Let me explain..."

"The impact of the pandemic has gradually become apparent, and there is no definite answer as to when it will end."

"The Hong Kong government certainly welcomes mainland investment to Hong Kong..."

After going around in circles, Jiahe finally became his.

Ma Xun was very satisfied with his trip to Hong Kong.

As for the entire acquisition process, there were indeed some twists and turns.

Lin Jianyue was still quite unwilling to give up, and he sighed deeply.

If it weren't for this SA-RS, he would never have made such a move against Golden Harvest.

Ma Xun understood his thoughts. Jiahe was also something that Lin Jianyue and those guys had worked together to take down, and they had used a lot of tricks.

And now, Ma Xun has the last laugh.

This is somewhat reminiscent of the proverb "when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

However, judging from the surface of this acquisition, it is clear that it was affected by force majeure.

Lin Jianyue and his colleagues never expected that such a huge epidemic would occur.

Of course, they all said that Ma Xun was incredibly lucky.

How did I manage to dodge it?

Ma Xun certainly couldn't give him an answer to this question.

As for the key figures in this acquisition of Golden Harvest... Mrs. Chung is certainly one of them.

Therefore, giving her the CEO position is not a big problem.

Mrs. Zhong did indeed follow along from beginning to end.

And that day in the restaurant's restroom, she really let loose.

It's certain that she wouldn't dare to do that if it weren't for the current situation in Hong Kong.

But since you've dared to do it, then go for it.

Even Ma Xun was quite surprised by how violently she was shaking.

Of course, she still had her pride and covered her mouth with her hand the whole time.

Oh, and there's another contributor, Jiang Zuping.

She provided some good information, making her a competent undercover agent.

However, she is still in mainland China, so Ma Xun cannot reward her for the time being.

To be honest, Ma Xun had originally planned to stay in Hong Kong for a while longer.

After all, this epidemic prevention and control also requires him to patiently fish out Lin Jianyue, this old man.

Unexpectedly, Lin Jianyue was even more anxious than him.

It must be the impact of the pandemic; he really couldn't hold on any longer.

That's fine, anyway, the price is still reasonable.

Golden Harvest's cinema chain is the largest cinema chain in Hong Kong.

Buying Ma Xunxing now is definitely a bargain.

Back in 1997, during the Asian financial crisis, many mainland business owners came to Hong Kong to buy up properties at bargain prices.

Most of them were copying real estate and the like.

At that time, Ma Xun didn't have much power, and he really couldn't copy anything.

Times have changed, and I, Ma Xun, am now a genuine big boss.

Acquiring Golden Harvest Cinemas is not just about acquiring Hong Kong's largest cinema chain; there are one or two other more important factors involved.

Firstly, this signifies that Ma Xun has officially entered the cinema industry.

This is not as simple as just having another business.

Back in the original timeline, during Ma Xun's period of confusion after graduation, he even worked at Orange Sky Entertainment, which was later the company Golden Harvest opened in mainland China.

In other words, Ma Xun could have waited until the time was right and then opened Golden Harvest Cinemas in mainland China.

The barriers to entry for cinemas have now virtually disappeared for him.

Of course, the reform of the cinema chain system has just begun, and the timing is obviously not yet ripe.

To put it simply, things are still a bit chaotic, so let's wait and see.

In addition, we should make good use of Hong Kong's advantages.

The true significance of Hong Kong lies in its role as an 'exit'.

With Golden Harvest, Ma Xun can more easily export his film and television works overseas.

You should know that he has completely fooled Ge Luming.

They did have a very good relationship, and they did make a lot of money together.

It's all Columbia Pictures' money... Following this line of reasoning, this company is a publicly traded company in the United States, which means that all the money Ma Xun spent on making blockbusters came from American shareholders.

Thinking about it this way makes me feel much better.

However, how long can this collaboration between Ma Xun and Ge Luming last?

In the original timeline, this guy died in an accident.

Even though Ma Xun's appearance affected the development of this timeline, Ge Luming didn't die.

However, he wasn't exactly a well-behaved guy either.

First of all, neither Ge Luming nor Columbia Company said that they absolutely had to cooperate with you, Ma Xun.

They were originally going to work with Huayi Brothers, but they were ripped off badly.

Secondly, the reason we're cooperating so well now is because we can make money together. Who knows what might happen if problems arise later?

Ma Xunde was ready to make a move.

Acquiring Golden Harvest at the lowest possible price was entirely beneficial for Ma Xun.

Hmm, thinking back to this trip with Anne Hathaway...

That's great, really great.

Logically speaking, Ma Xun should return to the mainland.

After all, there's still a stubborn fairy waiting for him.

But since we were originally planning to stay for quite a while, why not use this time to do something?

……

It just rained today, and the dampness brought by the cold wind gives people a chilly feeling.

Ma Xun is from the north, so he found this somewhat difficult to handle.

He shrank back slightly.

His movement was noticed by the person in the wheelchair.

"Little Ma, aren't you dressed too lightly?"

"so far so good."

"You may be young, but don't be stubborn just because you're healthy."

"Thank you for your concern, sir. Please rest assured."

"Haha...you..."

The person in the wheelchair smiled and didn't say anything more.

He is Jin Yong.

Today, Ma Xun came to visit him. During this pandemic, Mr. Jin Yong has nothing to do.

The two of them went out for a walk.

This is a tree-lined path.

Ma Xun pushed his wheelchair slowly, wanting to enjoy the beautiful scenery as much as possible.

"You came this time..."

"I did this to thank you."

"Ha... that's not really necessary."

"That won't do. Although I like to take advantage of others, I'm also a person who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. You helped me, so I will definitely repay you."

"Why are you, a young man, arguing with an old man like this?" "It's not arguing, it's about principles."

"Okay, it's good to have principles."

It was quite interesting to see the old man and the young man chatting like that.

Ma Xun was not lying; he came to express his gratitude.

This was naturally because of Jin Yong's previous connection with "Tell It Like It Is".

In fact, Ma Xun had a plan before coming to Hong Kong, one of which was how to persuade Jin Yong.

After all, this is an important step.

He devised several plans, but the ultimate solution was simple: to solve it with money.

It's obvious that money will definitely work.

However, Ma Xun felt that Mr. Jin Yong was a scholar, and that spending money like this was... a disgrace to his culture.

Well, this thought only lasted for a moment; he was convinced that Mr. Jin Yong also loved money.

But when Ma Xun discussed this matter with Mr. Jin Yong, the latter readily agreed.

This really surprised Ma Xun.

Mr. Jin Yong also gave him a very simple reason.

“You told me about bamboo slips before, which gave me an idea.”

"what idea?"

"I plan to revise my work again."

"what?"

Isn't this the idea he's always had?
It should be said that Jin Yong had indeed intended to revise the book a long time ago, but this is yet another revision.

I won't go into the details, but the key question is why?

Ma Xun didn't actually ask, but Jin Yong himself said it.

"I've discovered that I've made many mistakes in the past, both in writing books and in other things."

Upon hearing Jin Yong's words, Ma Xun immediately thought of that incident.

"Actually, that was many years ago. You and General Chen back then... it's all in the past."

I won't go into details about what Ma Xun mentioned.

Jin Yong smiled, but looked into the distance. "It's not just that. Look at Hong Kong now. Actually, this SARS outbreak has made me think a lot. If Hong Kong hadn't returned to China, do you think it could have withstood the storm?"

Ma Xun didn't expect that he would bring up this matter.

“I’m not from Hong Kong, but I’m certain I absolutely cannot withstand this.”

That's incredibly rude.

But Jin Yong burst into laughter.

"That's right! That's exactly it!"
So, I was wrong back then; my vision wasn't broad enough.

Most of my works were written during that period.

I have a new understanding now, so I'll make changes.

Ma Xun suddenly thought of a question, "So, what do you think of the TV series 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'...?"

"Yes, I do have some regrets. Perhaps I should have revised it properly."

Ma Xun added, "Or, we could just leave it as is."

"How to say?"

"You're thinking about unrequited love?"

"Little Ma, you're really amazing."

That's right, it's the novel "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

It seems to be the 05 version, which was revised by Mr. Jin Yong.

This change is logically sound from the perspective of the novel.

In other words, Wang Yuyan ultimately abandoned Duan Yu and instead took care of the insane Murong Fu.

The reason why the logic is not wrong is because the entire book of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" is about 'suffering'.

The book's title is a Buddhist term, and in the novel, it actually refers to the "Eightfold Suffering" (八苦).

Of the eight sufferings described in Buddhism, the most painful is "not getting what one wants".

The main characters in this book all end up with unfulfilled desires.

Xiao Feng goes without saying, and even A Zi is the same; she loves her brother-in-law, but he doesn't love her.

Even You Tanzhi was like that. He loved A Zi so much that he was willing to give his eyes to her without any complaints. But in the end, A Zi still dug out her eyes and returned them to him.

This may seem like a return, but it is actually a case of 'not being able to get what you want'.

It was more painful for him than killing You Tanzhi.

In previous novels, Duan Yu was always with Wang Yuyan.

That's not right.

It is also impossible to demand.

Ma Xun, however, felt...

"There's nothing wrong with letting him beg once."

"But this book is not perfect."

"But readers won't like it."

"But this is my book."

At this moment, Jin Yong, that old man, became stubborn.

Ma Xun was also at a loss; it was all about your book anyway.

"Alright, you can do whatever you want with it."

Mr. Jin Yong smiled and said, "Little Ma, let me ask you, this time let's not talk about Hong Kong, but about the whole of China, what do you think the future will be like?"

Without a second thought, Ma Xun said, "The future is wonderful! It is destined that the sun will rise in the east and set in the west, and the east wind will prevail over the west wind!"

"Good! Young people should be like you!"

Mr. Jin Yong's last sentence made Ma Xun blush a little.

There's no other reason than that this guy has slept with too many women.

……

Returned from Hong Kong.

Both "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" have finished airing.

The result is quite clear.

Although "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" has seen a significant drop in viewership, it still has a core fanbase.

It will not eventually fall to zero.

But a loss is a loss.

The drama "The Return of the Condor Heroes" won the ratings championship in its time slot with a nearly 4-point advantage over "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils"!

In other words, the winner of the opening act of the year!

But Ma Xun had just gotten off the plane and still had to go through quarantine and other procedures.

But then the phone rang.

"What are you planning to do with 'Infernal Affairs'? It definitely won't be released on the original date, right?"

The person speaking on the phone was Han Sanping.

You could tell that he, as the leader, was extremely anxious.

Unfortunately, the film market is currently in a very slump.

Okay, I must emphasize that not having to close the cinemas is already the biggest benefit.

But what to do about such a sluggish market?
The film "Infernal Affairs" achieved great success in Hong Kong, and even though it was affected by the pandemic, its box office was still very high.

So……

Ma Xun said with a smile, "The release date will definitely have to be changed, but boss, don't you think we can use this movie as an opportunity to revitalize the film market?"

"What? Reboot?"

Han Sanping was clearly taken aback...

(End of this chapter)