Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 567 "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3": Winning Without Doing Anything! Ma Xun Creates "Inception"

Sunshine, desert, palm trees, azure swimming pool.

Palm Springs is not the only place on this planet where all of these things can be presented together.

But finding other places is quite difficult.

Yan Danchen was quite surprised when she first saw such a strange combination.

But considering Brother Ma's strength, it's not surprising.

However, there is still something strange.

"Why not buy this place?"

Yes, with Ma's financial strength, buying a luxury mansion is nothing to him.

Ma Xun laughed, "The timing isn't right now. Haven't you seen how house prices in America are skyrocketing, and yet they're practically unsellable?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Danchen seemed to understand, but also seemed to have more questions, "Brother Ma, could it be that about this house..."

"Anyway, the future is very dangerous."

Ma Xun's reason was rather perfunctory. There was nothing he could do; he couldn't very well say it. I knew it wouldn't be long before the houses in America would collapse into a complete mess.

After all, even if you predicted this, it's best not to say it now, especially not to a pretty girl who doesn't know much about real estate and finance.

Yan Danchen seemed to understand, but she originally just liked the place, or rather, she felt that it would be a loss for Brother Ma to only rent it.

So, let's change the subject.

"These houses all seem to be new and nice."

Has the topic been changed?

It didn't sound like it, but Ma Xun burst out laughing as soon as he heard it.

"What? You're afraid of newcomers too?"

Oh, I see. I must say you're a seasoned driver, Ma Xun, you understood right away.

Yan Danchen blushed and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Well, anyone who pays attention will notice that you've been getting very close to young actresses lately."

She's right.

Ma Xun nodded, but he said, "You're good. You know how to take responsibility on your own and not drag others down with you."

These words were even more powerful, hitting Yan Danchen's most vulnerable spot in one fell swoop.

"Brother Ma~ I'm begging for mercy, okay?"

When she gets cute, she's absolutely amazing.

Ma Xun didn't actually blame her; instead, he even made Yan Danchen a simple cocktail.

After it was handed over, the beauty drank it and became even more intoxicated by Ma Xun's embrace.

"People just don't quite understand it, especially the situation with these two recent dramas."

Ma Xun certainly understood what Yan Danchen was talking about and which two dramas she was referring to.

"It's actually very simple, do you believe it? I didn't actually do anything."

"Huh?" Yan Danchen was completely confused.

In her view, her powerful brother Ma easily defeated the CCTV drama "Wang Zhaojun" with just one "Chinese Paladin 3".

Of course, Yan Danchen didn't stand idly by regarding these two dramas either; she made a cameo appearance as the Holy Maiden in "Chinese Paladin 3".

After all, she's a big star now, so even if it's just a cameo, she still needs to have some screen time.

Putting aside these details, the key question is, how did Brother Ma manage to do that?

This question is even more pressing than the affair between Brother Ma and his mistress.

But now, Yan Danchen's answer was that Ma Xun hadn't done anything.

This... is so shocking that I can't believe it's real.

Ma Xun naturally noticed, and he couldn't help but cover Yan Danchen's open mouth with his finger.

"Oh my~ Brother Ma~"

Clearly, she hasn't gotten the answer she wants yet.

Ma Xun continued, "If I did anything, it was that I defeated old ideas with new ones."

"Huh? New? Old?" Yan Danchen knew she was about to hear what she wanted to hear.

Ma Xun said with a smile, "Actually, it's very simple. Take the play 'Wang Zhaojun' for example. Have you ever thought that this project probably had problems from the very beginning?"

"At the beginning?"

"Yes, because this film clearly had considerations beyond economics. To put it simply, it wasn't originally intended to make money, so there's no problem with that."

Yan Danchen naturally nodded when this was mentioned.

She knows this stuff all too well; that's basically how most films and TV dramas produced within the Chinese system are.

Economic benefits are often not the primary concern.

However, there is a huge problem here: the higher-ups don't care about economic benefits; a film or television work is fine as long as it can express the content they want to convey.

Even if we lose money, what's a little bit of money?

However, this is very disadvantageous for actors like Yan Danchen.

Yes, they can earn money from the film, but who doesn't know that the pay for such films is low?
In the past, low pay was one thing, but if a film or television series like this wasn't successful, meaning it didn't gain wider recognition, it essentially meant a loss.

So, for actors in the entertainment industry, this means they've wasted several months of filming time.

To put it bluntly, many young actors in the industry don't film these kinds of movies for the money; they film them for fame, to spread their message to more people, or simply to increase their fan base.

But if the latter cannot be achieved, that would be a huge blow.

Currently, many of these productions fail to generate economic benefits, resulting in the actors working for nothing.

That pay was really too little.

Therefore, from this perspective, "Wang Zhaojun" is a failure, even though various press releases are saying how good the TV series is and how good its ratings are.

But in reality, everyone knows what's going on.

With ratings like this, how dare they call it a CCTV drama?

She's only 2.4.

This is CCTV, and nowadays the minimum guarantee is 2.

So, was the reason for its failure simply old ideas?

Ma Xun then laughed and said, "Anyone who isn't ignorant of history knows that marriage alliances are not a good thing. Yet, they want to use this to talk about unity... It's understandable that we Han people don't want to see this."

Hit the nail on the head!

Yan Danchen couldn't help but nod. "So, what about new ideas?"

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Xiao Mi is quite a talented girl. Just look at her performance in 'Chinese Paladin 3', it was pretty good."

Upon hearing this, Yan Danchen completely understood.

They even picked up a line from Xiao Mi's song, "I, Tang Tang Tang, the young lady..." The two of them couldn't help but burst out laughing.

That's right, that's the situation.

From the very beginning of the project, the production of "Wang Zhaojun" did not take into account whether the audience would accept it.

The TV series "Chinese Paladin 3" was adapted from a classic game IP from the very beginning, and it already had many fans.

In addition, there was the success of the previous film.

Another issue is how to 'use' these actors.

Xiao Mi is actually quite good; she's really talented now, and she portrayed Tang Xuejian very well.

Moreover, she's young, a modern young person who likes to surf the internet and play games, and even has some of the "Shamate" style... The picture of her surfing the internet that circulated online shows her wearing a ring that is a signature "Shamate" ring.

She's just a little girl; she could play Wang Zhaojun, but she'd need to be more lively. But that version of "Wang Zhaojun" was more... well, let's not talk about it.

In contrast, "Chinese Paladin 3" clearly knows how to use actors better.

Almost everyone performed very well.

Just like Liu Shishi, her acting skills are actually not very good, but in this drama she played two characters with completely different personalities, and suddenly she received a lot of attention.

And Tang Yan, her face is perfect for playing a bad woman.

In this way, comparing the two, the winner has already been decided.

But there's another crucial point here!
Not just anyone can get "Chinese Paladin 3" to air at this time.

Only Ma Xun could do it.

Or rather, Ma Xun did do something, and he did it very cleverly.

He utilized the play "Wang Zhaojun" at almost zero cost.

Because this drama will give Xiao Mi a lot of attention, which will benefit "Chinese Paladin 3".

Moreover, this level of attention is extremely new; those who know, know.

So, from this perspective...

Ma Xunying's actions were swift and subtle, his methods as gentle as a raindrop.

He has already reached that level.

And look at Xiao Mi, look at Yan Danchen...

Ma Xun truly had everything under control.

Yan Danchen understood many things, so... how could she be satisfied with just her fingers...?

Just as the two were about to kiss, a loud shout suddenly came from the other side of the pool.

"Horse! How could you do this! Oh! Shit!"

Scarlett Johansson swore as soon as she appeared.

This startled Yan Danchen. She had always had threesomes before, but she had never been caught like this, especially since the other party was a foreign woman.

But upon realizing who the other person was, Yan Danchen was momentarily at a loss.

Ma Xun, however, was not flustered at all, because he knew all too well why Scarlett Johansson had come.

"My little cow, why are you so angry?"

Of course, this is English, but the way this word is used...

Scarlett Johansson's anger flared even more. "How could you... Humph!"

But what can be done?
Even if Ma Xun were with another woman right in front of her... cough cough.

Scarlett Johansson didn't really have any other options, but she did have some other 'methods'.

"At least outsiders think we're having an affair!"

That reason is indeed a valid one.

But Ma Xun simply exposed her, "Then just say we're breaking up, um, be direct, because of this woman."

This woman?

This form of address displeased both Scarlett Johansson and Yan Danchen.

"Brother Ma..." But, after all, Yan Danchen had a good temper.

Scarlett Johansson was initially furious, but upon seeing the Asian beauty's expression, she immediately understood.

You need to give me a reason!

It's been forwarded?

Where is the momentum just now?

Of course she had to turn around, of course she had to calm down, because she was just acting.

They can perform anywhere, big or small.

So, the reason?
Ma Xun laughed and said, "You just want to ask me why I don't make Cloverfield 3."

That's right, that's actually why Ma Xun came to America.

Scarlett Johansson had urged her about this before, and she was clearly very anxious.

However, this problem...

Why not take a picture?

Even Yan Danchen was very curious.

Scarlett Johansson simply crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

Without further ado, Ma Xun then told a simple story.

"I just don't want to make Cloverfield 3. Don't ask me why, at least not now."

However, I'm planning to start a new project, a project... related to dreams.

Imagine if human technology had advanced to the point where we could infiltrate other people's dreams, what would happen then?

I think there will be a profession where people can enter other people's dreams and steal the secrets hidden deep in their hearts.

And that must be incredibly fantastical.

“…” Scarlett Johansson and Yan Danchen were both stunned.

Ma Xun continued, "Actually, my inspiration came from director Minamoto Kim's animated film, Paprika, and now I plan to make it into a live-action film. Of course, our story will undergo significant changes."

Ultimately, this should be a story about love.

Science fiction, perhaps, love.

Let's call it "Inception."

Good heavens! This is truly good heavens!

(End of this chapter)