Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 366 Tang Yan, Ma Xun's new girl? He made ten million just by throwing a tantrum!

"Are you alright? Should we go to the hospital?"

"It's nothing, it's just... ouch~"

"Girl, don't bear it anymore, you should go to the hospital."

"No, I'm not going."

Ma Xun didn't run away and even wanted to take the girl to the hospital, but the girl didn't want to go.

Although this scuffle wasn't at the level of a shrewish brawl, it still attracted a lot of onlookers.

"Wow, this girl is gorgeous!"

"Did you break your leg?"

"It would be such a waste to have such long legs if they became lame..."

Wow, these elderly folks watching are quite the talkers.

This put a lot of pressure on Ma Xun.

That's strange. If there's a problem, we can go to the hospital, or you can call the police.

But Tang Yan seems to have... a problem?

But she said, "I have something important to do today."

"What's so important?" Ma Xun replied casually, but only then did she realize that her voice wasn't as sharp as it had been later.

"There's an important audition."

"Audition?"

"This film, I, I..."

Oh no, the girl is going to cry.

Ma Xun had no choice but to say, "How about this, I'll take you there."

Tang Yan added, "It's not far."

She felt increasingly wronged.

Clearly, she felt incredibly unlucky; she was almost there when she got hit by a car.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun had a sudden realization, but he still needed to confirm it.

"Is this audition for Zhang Yimou's new film?"

Upon hearing his question, Tang Yan immediately replied in surprise, "How did you know?"

Ma Xun laughed, "Let's go, girl, I'll take you there. I'm going to see him too."

"Really?"

Tang Yan didn't believe it yet, but she had already stood up.

what?
"All right?"

"No, I... I just got excited... Do you know this gentleman...?"

"Now is not the time to talk. Let's go, you get in the car first."

Ma Xun didn't think there was anything wrong with the girl suddenly standing up; after all, people get excited when they're excited.

However, there is still a small problem.

"By the way, do you believe me?"

Ma Xun's question was a bit strange, but at this moment, Tang Yan hesitated for a moment before making a decision.

"Anyway, it's not far."

Ma Xun stopped arguing.

"boarding."

And so the onlookers dispersed, and Ma Xun drove the injured Tang Yan to New Picture Company.

On this car...

"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My surname is Tang, and my name is Tang Yan."

"Oh, my name is Ma Xun."

"Ma Xun?"

"what happened?"

"I think there's a boss named Ma Xun."

"That might be me."

"Haha...No way."

Tang Yan's smile seemed to have made her forget the pain.

Ma Xun chuckled a few times as well.

So, I guess we've gotten to know each other now.

Soon they arrived at their destination.

"Oh my! Mr. Ma... this one..."

"Mr. Ma, is this...new?"

Ma Xun brought Tang Yan in, but before they even met Zhang Weiping, they ran into two familiar bosses.

Clearly, they were also there to discuss investing in "House of Flying Daggers".

But they were all small fry, so Ma Xun just greeted them briefly.

However, this leads to...

"You, you really are Boss Ma Xun?"

Tang Yan seized an opportunity and asked with a surprised expression.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "I told you, it's not certain."

Well, it wasn't cheap after all.

This put Tang Yan in an awkward position.

And next...

"Mr. Ma's new girlfriend has pretty long legs."

"That's why I say Mr. Ma has a good eye for talent."

The voices were clearly not spoken to each other face to face, but when they reached Tang Yan's ears, they made her blush unconsciously.

"Um, I want to..." Ma Xun was about to say something, to help explain.

This girl isn't a new one I've been dating, so don't talk nonsense!

However, Tang Yan shook his head and said, "It's nothing. The innocent will clear themselves."

The logic is sound, but this matter...

"Brother Ma!"

Zhang Weiping appeared, and Ma Xun greeted him, "Brother."

Then, we definitely need to ask about this girl.

"this……"

"Oh, the girl I met by chance on the road is named Tang Yan."

"Nice name, and nice looks too, so who is she...?"

"She said she came to audition."

"That's great! I'll go tell that person over there."

Not bad, Tang Yan also enjoyed some benefits from his network of connections.

in this way……

"Thank you, Mr. Ma."

"Don't thank me, it's nothing."

"Thank you anyway."

"Your injury..."

"It can hold up."

The two were chatting for a while when Zhang Weiping returned.

"Let it go, there's nothing wrong with it."

"Thank you Mr. Zhang."

Tang Yanren went to audition.

Ma Xun naturally followed Zhang Weiping to his company's conference room.

But along the way...

"A new girl you picked up?"

"No, bro, why are you so gossipy?"

"Haha... A man who isn't a womanizer in his youth is wasting his life! You're so handsome, bro, you should go after more girls, don't end up like your older brother, who, even though he has everything, can't keep up with the ladies when he gets older."

"Brother, you look to be in pretty good shape."

"After all, I'm getting old."

"Running occasionally."

"Oh dear, I don't have time."

Alright, these two are now talking about health and wellness.

This scene actually caught Tang Yan's attention, who was there for the audition. She looked in their direction.

Naturally, she looked at Ma Xun more often.

Standing next to Zhang Weiping, you should definitely look at Ma Xun.

……

Wellness is something we can simply talk about.

Ma Xun and Zhang Weiping arrived at the conference room soon after.

Several bosses have already come here, like Jiang Zhiqiang, who will definitely be here, after all, he is an important figure.

But this time there was a special change: an old acquaintance came.

"Ah! Hello, Mr. Ma."

"Hello, Harvey."

Yes, Harvey Weinstein.

Ma Xun thought to himself, "This old swindler has learned his lesson; he arrived quite early this time."

In the original timeline, it was actually Harvey who orchestrated the film's arrival in America.

However, it's safe to say that this guy got a huge advantage, and it's very likely his old trick.

They bought out the overseas rights to the film for two million.

Of course, this is just Ma Xun's guess, and it's very likely not the case, after all, "Hero" was indeed too successful.

And then came the current film, "House of Flying Daggers"... It seems Harvey is determined to win it.

Ma Xun smiled inwardly, because he didn't have much ambition for this film, "House of Flying Daggers".

This movie is like... a chicken bone (meaning it's not very good).

That's right, it's the same sentiment that Cao Cao expressed about chicken frames back then.

It has no meat to eat, but it's a pity to throw it away.

Interestingly, according to the original timeline, the overseas distribution rights for this film were sold to Columbia Pictures.

Because of the film "Hero", Columbia Pictures missed out.

It seems the situation has been reversed now. So, let's try to find a solution by working on Harvey.

The meeting began shortly afterward.

Zhang Weiping will definitely chair the meeting, but Zhang Yimou will naturally be the one to present the content.

Wasn't he going to audition?

Of course, there are other people who do auditions.

Meeting a big-name director isn't easy; there's usually an open audition first.

Anyway, auditions are usually filmed with a small V8 camera, and then shown to the big director.

And right now...

"House of Flying Daggers, this time it's still a martial arts film, and a purer martial arts film at that..."

Zhang Yimou spoke fluently and eloquently; his communication skills are quite good.

In fact, Ma Xun knew very well that Zhang Yimou didn't need to talk about the movie at all.

Now, whenever he says he's making a new film, countless bosses come with checks.

I was afraid he wouldn't want it!

After all, Hero was such a success.

in this case……

Suddenly, Harvey, that old swindler, gave Ma Xun an interesting look.

What do you mean?
Ma Xun thought for a moment and figured he could probably fool this guy.

Zhang Yimou spoke for quite a while, and some of the bosses were about to fall asleep from exhaustion, but it finally came to an end.

And once it was over, everyone perked up.

"Great! I can invest ten million!"

"Ten million? Do you even have the nerve to offer that?"

"I'll pay 30 million!"

"You still need to say something about 30 million? Humph! I've prepared 50 million!"

Goodness, these bosses are ruthless.

Even Xiao Kalami, whom Ma Xun had previously looked down upon, was very assertive this time, shouting "I bet you will!" repeatedly.

It's important to know that, in fact, there isn't that high a barrier to entry for capital in the entertainment industry.

As things stand, if you have one million, you can start a small business.

Just go along with it. Although you can't take the lead, you still have some say. It's no problem to assign you a minor role.

Of course, whether you make money or lose money depends on the big boss's mood.

But there are actually many such small amounts of capital.

Later, there was the case of "Lost in Thailand," where a rich second-generation made a small investment and the return was amazing.

In fact, opportunities abound in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Back to the present, the reason these bosses are so enthusiastic is clearly because of the success of "Hero".

Seeing this situation, and Harvey's gaze...

"Excuse me, I'm suddenly feeling a bit stifled. I'm going out for a smoke."

He made an excuse and left the meeting room first.

Zhang Weiping naturally saw this action, but for a moment he couldn't figure out what Brother Ma meant.

But then, Harvey also got up.

"I'm going to make a phone call."

Ok?
Needless to say, these two guys definitely need to discuss something.

That is natural.

After Harvey came out, he quickly found Ma Xun, and the two found two secluded places to chat.

"Harvey, tell me, what are you really planning to do?"

"Haha...I heard that you were the one who facilitated the investment for 'Hero' with Colombian side?"

"Yes, that's it."

"That makes things easier. We're old acquaintances. You might as well ignore the Colombian side and join forces with them."

Harvey looks like a shrewd businessman.

Ma Xun frowned upon hearing this. "I'll ignore it? How could it be so simple? I've worked with Ge Luming many times before."

His subtext was: With your conditions, it's very difficult for me to do this.

Harvey clearly understood, and laughed, saying, "As long as Mr. Ma can get Columbia to withdraw from this investment, I will immediately transfer $100 million to Mr. Ma's Hong Kong account."

"Oh?"

Ma Xun's eyes clearly said: I don't believe you would be so generous.

Harvey laughed again, "Mr. Ma, it's not me who's interested in Zhang Yimou's new film, but the company behind me."

He said that, clearly, he still wanted to keep it a secret.

Ma Xun didn't expose him, but he understood in his heart: No wonder, it turns out Disney has its eye on it.

In fact, Disney has placed great importance on the Chinese market in recent years.

Since The Lion King, Disney has been making a series of moves, including creating a phenomenal animated masterpiece like Mulan.

In fact, American companies have made a lot of money from China.

Back to the present...

"It's a difficult situation, you know how it is this time..."

Before Ma Xun could finish speaking, Harvey added, "How about this, I know you Chinese like to have a 'perfect' outcome. One million US dollars is 800 million RMB. I'll add another 200 million RMB, which will naturally be given to Mr. Ma as a share of the investment in 'House of Flying Daggers'. How about that?"

A 200 million investment with profit sharing, does that mean a guaranteed minimum return?

"Good! I deeply appreciate Mr. Harvey's sincerity."

Harvey laughed heartily at Ma Xun's words.

Alright, we've covered the most important points.

The two of them returned to the conference room... but on the way, Ma Xun saw Tang Yan again.

Hmm... it seems I have a reason now.

Back in the conference room, after Ma Xun sat down, the bosses were still talking at once about how much to invest.

But then he suddenly asked, "Who does Teacher Zhang plan to cast as the female lead in this movie?"

Zhang Yimou didn't take it lightly, after all, Ma Xun was no ordinary investor.

The success of "Hero" would not have been possible without him.

So, he replied in a serious tone, "I plan to use Zhang Ziyi this time. She is very suitable for the requirements of this play in all aspects."

There's nothing wrong with that statement.

Zhang Ziyi is currently the best film actress in China.

She has only acted in movies so far; she hasn't ventured into anything else.

Moreover, it is quite obvious that they are expanding internationally.

but!

"What about the auditions over there today?"

Ma Xun's question is also valid.

Zhang Yimou's answer was: "Other roles, of course."

But to everyone's surprise, Ma Xun looked displeased after the great director's reply.

She even got up and left.

This……

Anyone can see that there's definitely something wrong here!

Is Ma Xun angry?
Zhang Yimou panicked; the big investor had just left like that.

what's the situation?
But Zhang Weiping seemed to have figured it out, and immediately smiled and whispered something in Zhang Yimou's ear.

"He's dating a new girl, and she came to audition today."

"Huh? Just because of this..."

"This is no small matter; you've essentially embarrassed them."

"That's right."

Zhang Yimou finally understood; it turned out to be because of a woman.

That girl... well, I'll make arrangements for her.

Clearly, Zhang Weiping thought things could be dealt with later.

Harvey saw all of this and was very pleased.

"Mr. Ma is really...unprofessional! How about this then? Our Miramax company is absolutely sincere!"

This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

……

The night is deep.

Ma Xun stared at his computer screen, watching as an extra million US dollars appeared in his Hong Kong account.

He naturally had a smile on his face.

But when I think of Tang Yan... I feel like I took advantage of her once.

Maybe this is a good thing for her.

Forget it, I don't want to think about those long legs anymore.

Ma Xun was only so-so about "House of Flying Daggers" to begin with, but now he just throws a tantrum and earns ten million.

Where can I go to reason with you!

However, this is certainly not your average way of giving someone the cold shoulder; most people wouldn't be able to do that.

The next step is to figure out how to fool Ge Luming...

Just as I was devising a plan to deceive them, the phone rang.

who?

Huh? How strange, it's her.

"Tong Liya? Why are you calling me?"

"Mr. Ma, um, um..."

This was the first time Tong Liya had called. Of course, it was normal for her to have Ma Xun's number, since they had acted together.

It was just strange that this beautiful girl from the Western Regions was stammering.

"What's wrong with you? Just tell me."

"Yeah, there's this girl, you know..."

"What do I know? Just tell me the name."

"It's a girl named Tang Yan."

"What's up with her?"

Ma Xun was very curious for a moment, but then he frowned.

But then Tong Liya said, "She, she's not a good person!"

This……

(End of this chapter)