Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 511 What does it mean to start from strength? Yang Rong embraces her future!
Beijing.

"Hey, have you heard the news?"

"Teacher Feng, what news has made you so mysterious?"

"That's certainly some very surprising news."

"Teacher Feng, please don't keep it a secret."

"Okay, so Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping are fighting with that guy Ma Xun again."

"Huh? What's the reason this time? There doesn't seem to be any news from the outside world."

"Of course, if I didn't have many friends, I definitely wouldn't know about this incident."

"So secretive?"

"It's not about keeping it a secret, but rather that this matter itself isn't a big deal, but it's not insignificant either."

"What exactly is it?"

"That means, Zhang Yimou's latest blockbuster, as you know, he has been preparing for it for a very long time, and many roles have been confirmed, such as Gong Li, Chow Yun-fat, and that singer, Zhou something, you must know him."

But now, he probably can't continue filming.

"Impossible, right? Is Ma Xun really that amazing?"

"This matter needs further explanation..."

Surprisingly, Feng Xiaogang suddenly came to see Chen Guofu.

The two of them were already quite familiar with each other, so it was normal for them to come looking for each other, but don't forget that the situation is completely different now than before.

Chen Guofu has lost power at Huayi, or more precisely, he has no say in Jia's business.

Even if Feng Xiaogang had a life-or-death friendship with him, there was no need for him to be a snub, especially since they hadn't been friends for many years.

Therefore, it's strange that this little cannon keeps looking for Chen Guofu.

Chen Guofu had also thought of this. So, the first question that came to mind was, why did Feng Xiaogang come to find him?

This guy is really smart; he figured it out after a little thought.

"Teacher Feng, you don't just want to hear my opinion on this matter, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang laughed.

He neither admitted nor denied it, but continued, "I just think this is quite strange."

"Oh, what exactly is strange about him? In my opinion, Ma Xun is clearly the kind of domineering CEO from our Taiwanese idol dramas. Wouldn't his previous behavior have been like this?"
Whatever he does, it's always according to his own beliefs. If something doesn't align with his principles, he'll act this way.

Chen Guofu's statement can be described as extremely perfunctory.

Feng Xiaogang was not going to fall for it, but he said, "It's possible that this is the situation you described. However, as I see it now, I basically don't see where Ma Xun has a chance of winning."

The second half of "Little Steel Cannon" was quite serious.

Chen Guofu also suppressed his smile and said seriously, "That's right, this time the competition between good and bad scripts must be absolutely fair. Those script teachers can't tell whose script it is, can they?"

Hearing this, Feng Xiaogang smiled and shook his head, "Old Chen, you can't be that naive, can you?"

Huh? What does that mean?
Chen Guofu laughed, "Hehe, it seems that Teacher Feng has also realized this. This so-called absolute fairness simply does not exist! Even in the imperial examinations back then, where cheating could result in execution, there was the famous Hongwu North-South Examination Scandal."

"Good! Well said!"

Feng Xiaogang wholeheartedly agreed!
Chen Guofu's words just now really hit the nail on the head.

Moreover, his examples were quite clever.

The Hongwu Northern and Southern Examination Scandal is quite famous. We ordinary people think that the imperial examination was very strict, with various cheating methods, but there were also anti-cheating methods, such as carving a certain number of characters on a grain of rice.

But in reality, these cheating methods are all too low-level. True cheating is not cheating at all!
The North-South List was like this. Simply put, it was the imperial examination in the 30th year of Hongwu's reign. When you looked at the results, wow, all the students from the South passed the imperial examination.

Old Zhu understood what was going on at a glance.

Regardless of the differences between the North and South in their pursuit of knowledge and taking the imperial examinations at that time, the fact that there was no Northern student present was definitely problematic.

However, an investigation couldn't uncover any cheating, but in reality...

What kind of cheating is that? How could the teachers grading the papers not tell who wrote the paper? Some were their own students, some were students of colleagues at the time, or even the son of someone else.

Even if the names on the exam papers are sealed properly, and even if all kinds of anti-cheating measures are in place, it's still useless!
Zhu was well aware that he was already quite old at the time, and that the southern gentry and bureaucratic group wanted to challenge his authority and seize power from him, the emperor.

So, Old Zhu brandished his knife at them.

Although he was old, he was still as ruthless as Zhu Yuanzhang!

This example is very apt in the current context.

In other words, no matter what they do, the judges will definitely know whose script it is.

To put it bluntly, they will almost certainly support Zhang Yimou!
Those scriptwriters are definitely in cahoots with Zhang Yimou; they would never support Ma Xun.

Yes, Feng Xiaogang realized this, which is why he came to discuss this matter with Chen Guofu.

Because no matter how you look at it, Ma Xun is bound to lose!

but……

"Ma Xun accepted the challenge."

Chen Guofu said something that seemed innocuous, but it contained a lot of meaning.

Feng Xiaogang frowned and said, "How could someone like him not understand the issues here? Is he bad at history and doesn't know about the North-South Examination Case?"

This is probably the only reason Feng Xiaogang could come up with.

But Chen Guofu disagreed, saying, "That's not right. Ma Xun is definitely not such a simple guy."

Feng Xiaogang agreed with his thinking.

So……

Chen Guofu understood Feng Xiaogang's intentions. "Could it be that Teacher Feng plans to join Ma Xun after this competition?"

Good grief! They just made it clear?

Feng Xiaogang laughed and said half-jokingly, "If Ma Xun can even win a situation that is bound to be lost, then there's nothing wrong with joining him."

These words sounded like a joke, but Chen Guofu knew that they were definitely not.

"Yes, if he can win."

This sentence is just right.

The two exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's meaning.

Feng Xiaogang: Anyway, things have changed drastically at Huayi, so who knows what kind of guy Boss Jia really is?

Chen Guofu, on the other hand, figured he'd already been kicked out anyway, so what difference did it make which big shot he followed?

These two are really birds of a feather.

……

Palm Springs. In the distance lies a desert, while nearby stretches a pool of clear water.

It looks like there's a mermaid swimming in the pool.

She swam for a while, then, seemingly tired, slowly walked out of the water.

This is, of course, because the pool has steps.

And her emergence from the water involved these steps.

She truly deserves the description of a lotus emerging from water.

Every step is so unconventional.

"Boss, why don't you go for a swim?"

By the pool, someone was lounging on a deck chair, a mojito in hand.

"Never mind, I'm not a very good swimmer."

generally?
Who taught people how to swim in the park back then?

That's right, the person who said he's an average swimmer is Ma Xun.

And that beautiful woman, as lovely as a lotus emerging from clear water, was Yang Rong.

It's really different now. In just a few days, Yang Rong has transformed from a budding young girl into a beautiful, sexy woman with a stunning figure.

The one who single-handedly created this achievement is none other than Ma Xun, however, he is now...

Swimming really does require a lot of back strength, but Ma Xun has been using his back a bit too much lately... cough cough, it's not that doing too much is bad for your kidneys, absolutely not.

Let's be cautious.

Yang Rong approached Ma Xun with a smile and began massaging him, but she had something to ask.

"But then I thought, we're in the United States now, and they're in the country. Won't they cheat?"

If someone else were to hear this, they probably wouldn't understand.

"Some are fine, of course," he laughed. "They don't cheat."

"No cheating?" Yang Rong was momentarily stunned. "Could it be that they..."

So honest?
Ma Xun could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression, so he patted her conscience and said, "Of course they are not honest and kind people. I can tell you that those teachers who judge scripts will almost always support Zhang Yimou's script. In fact, they won't even look at the script in depth."

"What?" Yang Rong was genuinely taken aback.

If that's the case, then aren't we doomed to lose?
No, judging from the way the boss looks, it seems like he's already won.

"Then, then we..."

Ma Xun liked seeing her with her mouth slightly open like that; it made him want to cover it up.

But for now, it's time to nourish your kidneys.

"Don't worry, the results should be out soon."

The boss is so confident!

Yang Rong's heart raced. Putting everything else aside, few people could match her composure and confidence.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but give him a light kiss.

Well... cough cough, how are we supposed to raise Ma Xun?
Time never stops.

Three days later, at night.

The phone in Ma Xun's bedroom suddenly rang.

"Hello? Why are you calling at this hour? Is the result out?"

Of course I had to answer the phone; it was Gong Li calling.

Ma Xun's voice also startled Yang Rong awake.

She was very well-behaved and didn't make a sound.

Gong Li, on the other end of the phone, said in a very strange voice, "The results are out, and you... why aren't you worried?"

Ma Xun laughed, "Why should I worry?"

“Alright.” Gong Li seemed to sigh. “You win. New Pictures has decided to use your adapted script!”

ah? this……

Ma Xun didn't react in any particular way, but Yang Rong couldn't help but cover her mouth with both hands.

She simply couldn't understand how they could win.

But it actually happened!

There's no reason for international film star Gong Li to lie.

Ma Xun chatted with Gong Li for a while, but their conversation was rather unproductive, and the call ended.

It seems ordinary and uneventful.

But this is a rewrite of Zhang Yimou's script!

Yes, although Yang Rong remembered that her boss had scolded Zhang Yimou to his face.

But given the current situation...

Yang Rong looked at Ma Xun with wide eyes, knowing that the boss would understand what she meant.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Have you forgotten what you said before?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Strength, it all starts with strength..."

"What do you mean by this strength?"

"As you can see, Gong Li is one of my people. You may not know, but Jay Chou is also one of my people. As for Chow Yun-fat, I invited him to star in the blockbuster 'Red Cliff.' I also directed Liu Ye's debut film. Furthermore... Hengdian will listen to me. As for Jiang Zhiqiang, he's a peacemaker."

understand?
Even if the referee is one of Zhang's people, even if the referee makes a ruling, they still have to use their own methods.

But will they dare to release these results?

So that’s it!
Yang Rong finally understood and deeply realized the strength of her boss.

She was still very happy because she was certain that she hadn't followed the wrong person.

So……

Yang Rong hugged him tightly, as if embracing her own bright future.

Ma Xun then said with a smile, "Go back to China. You'll play the role in 'Curse of the Golden Flower,' which is Lu Sifeng in 'Thunderstorm.'"

(End of this chapter)