Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 683 Three 'You said's shook the Imperial Preceptor! Nini admired him as she entered the elevator!

"This is clearly 'Miss Saigon'!"

"No, what exactly is this 'Miss Saigon' you're talking about?"

"Haven't you seen American movies? Almost every movie about the Vietnam War has this 'Miss Saigon' in it."

"What exactly is it?"

"Come on, let me give you a little background information. The plot of 'Miss Saigon' is actually quite similar to that of 'Madame Butterfly'."

In short, it's about a beautiful Vietnamese girl—well, actually a prostitute—who falls in love with a white American soldier and is later abandoned.

But it was adapted from "Madame Butterfly," and the play portrays Vietnamese people in a very negative light.

To put it simply, all Vietnamese people are bad, and while Americans are terrible, this Vietnamese woman should fall in love with an American.

"Hey! Don't make things up. The play 'Miss Saigon' was only performed after the Vietnam War."

"However, almost every American film about the Vietnam War contains similar elements, such as Vietnamese prostitutes..."

It's no longer enough to describe it as "a single stone stirring up a thousand waves".

The leaked plot of "The Flowers of War" has sparked a huge controversy online.

To be honest, most netizens these days aren't very familiar with works like "Miss Saigon" and "Madame Butterfly."

Moreover, judging from the current online trend, it is still mainly praising Europe and America. Many public intellectuals really have a lot of influence and they have a lot of online traffic.

This easily leads to a very simple logic: everything from Europe and America is good.

Based on this underlying logic, it is easy for many public intellectuals to distort the truth, and they may even praise works such as "Madame Butterfly" and "Miss Saigon".

Anyway, this is a classic.

They've been acting for so many years.

However, it's 2010 now, and we netizens aren't completely clueless anymore; we're not as easily fooled as we used to be.

In addition, there has been relevant research in the United States for a long time.

Yellow fever in white people.

This is a highly technical term, and many renowned scholars from prestigious universities in the United States have studied it.

What I'm saying is that white people in Europe and America have a special kind of liking for Asian women... I won't go into the details, everyone should understand.

Madame Butterfly and its derivative Miss Saigon are both important works about this white man with yellow fever.

It's important to understand that all of this research was conducted in the United States.

In reality, the two works can be considered as one, with little difference between them; the later Miss Saigon is an adaptation of the earlier one.

The content is truly shameless; its essence is to belittle Asian men and elevate white men.

Simply put, even if a white Western man is a jerk, he's still better than a prominent Asian man.

This is considered a mental illness in the United States, and Americans are very good at researching this, because they can find out with just a little investigation.

It turns out that many important figures, such as bosses of large companies or big stars, have wives who are of Asian descent!
So, some of our netizens brought these over.

Although there's a wall, this isn't difficult at all.

As a result, many people couldn't help but criticize the movie and Zhang Yimou!
Of course, there are also many people defending it, and even praising "Miss Saigon" and "Madame Butterfly," saying that they are classics and that you bunch of bumpkins don't know how to appreciate them at all!
But it's clear that it's really impossible to wash now.

The public opinion quickly escalated, with insults directed at Zhang Yimou's entire family and his ancestors becoming trending topics online.

Given this situation, New Picture certainly can't remain silent.

But how should we respond?

……

"Isn't that simple? Issue a statement saying that this plot is completely fabricated and that someone is spreading rumors."

When the movie was released, fans discovered that this plot point wasn't even in the movie, and then everything was fine.

Ma Xun sat on a sofa at New Picture Company, talking eloquently.

It's as if the company belongs to him.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou, the two in the new picture, had very complicated expressions on their faces.

They exchanged glances but didn't say anything.

At that moment, someone spoke.

"Oh dear, Mr. Ma, if we do it this way, wouldn't it be a bit too obvious?"

Jiang Zhiqiang, this guy has finally shown up.

As soon as he appeared, he questioned Ma Xun's method. Regardless of whether it made sense or not, this action alone was quite interesting.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun replied directly: "What's so obvious about it? Anyway, it's something that can't be proven by the dead. When the movie is released, the moviegoers will have seen it and that's it."

What he said makes sense.

But Jiang Zhiqiang insisted, "We are the victims now. Shouldn't we take up legal weapons? Logically speaking, we should investigate and find that guy."

What this guy said makes sense.

Ma Xun had already figured something out, and he laughed bluntly, "So what if you find out? Do you still plan to film according to the original script?"

He spoke with obvious smugness. This attitude carried a clear implication.

Moreover, what Ma Xun said makes a lot of sense; even if the truth is found out, it won't make a difference.

This scene definitely can't be filmed according to the original plan!
Zhang Er and Jiang Zhiqiang began exchanging glances.

What exactly do they mean?
Ma Xun continued with a laugh, "You're not doubting me, are you?"

That's practically a provocation!

Originally, the point of conflict between Ma Xun and Zhang Yimou was this scene, and now that this scene has been exposed, it has caused such a huge public opinion storm.

In short, this scene absolutely cannot be filmed!

So, is the exposure of this scene related to you, Ma Xun?

This is highly suspicious!

However, Zhang and Zhang were clearly in the right, while Jiang Zhiqiang was clearly there to help them.

Ma Xun's words were practically an admission that he was the one who did it.

But what can Zhang and Jiang Zhiqiang do?

They exchanged glances and realized they were in an even more awkward situation.

Because there's nothing they can do!
Moreover, this is what Ma Xun said next.

"I've taken another look at the script for this movie. In fact, removing this sex scene wouldn't affect the overall plot at all. If it's just to pad out the runtime, they could have filmed some other scenes in more detail."

For example, wouldn't it be better to film the scenes with Chinese soldiers even better? It's practically become on-site direction!
However, Ma Xun is absolutely right. Anyone who has seen "The Flowers of War" can easily draw the conclusion.

There's no need for the female lead and the male lead to have sex.

Yes, the female protagonist is going to sacrifice herself to save others.

However, including such a scene actually diminishes the perceived sacrifice of the female lead.

You, Zhang Yimou, are trying to create a female hero.

But the heroine you portrayed had to have a good time before she sacrificed herself?
Moreover, you should know that the female protagonist, Yu Mo, is a fallen woman from the Republican era. With such a background, Zhang Yimou still arranged it this way, which is equivalent to cursing Yu Mo as a "bitch" before she died.

Is this true?
Even if we assume that Yu Mo and the male protagonist are in love, does being in love necessarily mean they have to do something?
The theme of expressing love has been explored in countless classic films throughout history.

But you, Zhang Yimou, chose the lowest of the low!
Therefore, it is actually Ma who seeks the truth.

So, what can we do now?
Zhang Yimou and Jiang Zhiqiang exchanged glances for a while, and finally, Zhang Yimou's expression turned ugly.

At this moment, Zhang Weiping spoke.

"Brother, let bygones be bygones. The future is in America..."

Ma Xun understood what he meant and simply interrupted, saying, "Don't worry, if this movie is filmed as I suggested, I will definitely do a good job of marketing it in the United States."

It's already been made clear.

Zhang Weiping, being a businessman, laughed it off.

Jiang Zhiqiang also stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "We'll definitely have a pleasant collaboration."

Zhang Yimou was clearly angry.

It's ok.

Ma Xun simply said, "How about I have a private chat with Teacher Zhang?"

That's great! You brought it up yourself, saving us the trouble of bringing it up ourselves.

Zhang Weiping and Jiang Zhiqiang simply left happily, leaving only Zhang Yimou and Ma Xun in the conference room.

Zhang Yimou opened the discussion by frowning and saying, "Mr. Ma, why do you always find fault with my movies?"

His question is perfectly normal; after all, it's not the first time.

Ma Xun seemed to have anticipated this, and he smiled and patted Zhang Yimou on the shoulder.

"Director Zhang Yimou, I've actually wanted to say this for a long time."

If you're making a film without a specific historical context, are you just trying to explore human nature or tell a short story?

You can film however you want, I won't care.

However, this film has a very special historical background; to put it bluntly, it's not an ordinary movie.

With your current fame, Zhang Yimou, after the Olympics, you can be said to represent the face of Chinese cinema internationally!
Conversely, if you make a movie and make a huge embarrassment!
Tell me, does this have anything to do with me?

Do you think this is something that concerns all Chinese people?
Do you think I should intervene?

The three "you said"s left Zhang Yimou completely dumbfounded!
Yes, Ma Xun didn't act recklessly; he wasn't meddling in other people's business. This film has a stake in the interests of all Chinese filmmakers.

Moreover, Ma Xun remembers very clearly that after "The Flowers of War" in the original timeline, no Chinese domestic film has been nominated for an Oscar!

The logic behind this... Ma Xun wouldn't dare say that his thinking is correct, but is it possible that the Oscars are waiting for Chinese films to produce even more outrageous movies?

To put it bluntly, Zhang Yimou, you set the bar too low this time. No domestic filmmaker will have the face to make a film that breaks the bar even further.

Of course, this is just Ma Xun's opinion.

Now that Ma Xun has the opportunity and the ability to pull off such a move, of course he'll do it.

I am the boss, I am the capital, I am the big shot in the industry!

You, Zhang Yimou, are famous, but unfortunately, you're no match for me.

Even if you have a lot of grievances, you have to swallow them back now!
So, after saying those words, Ma Xun left the conference room directly.

It also left the new screen.

……

There is now another female passenger in Ma Xun's Audi A6.

"Is everything done?"

Nini's tone was a mix of excitement and anticipation, along with a hint of worry.

As Ma Xun drove, he said, "Don't worry, I've practically confessed that I did it."

The word "almost" is used very well, because Ma Xun did not directly admit it.

There's no way around it; if things go wrong, it could lead to legal trouble.

Therefore, Ma Xun has always maintained a very good sense of proportion; he has not directly revealed everything.

In any case, they won't be able to find any evidence against Ma Xun.

And that means taking all the responsibility upon yourself!
How could Nini not be happy after hearing that?

"you are great!"

As she spoke, Nini looked at Ma Xun with extreme admiration.

Ma Xun's response was even more interesting.

"Where do you want to go?"

What does that mean...?

Nini, her face slightly flushed, said, "How about we go to the Guangxian Building?"

That's incredibly daring!
After all, she is still an employee of New Pictures, but she was also rumored to be dating Ma Xun!

Ma Xun simply smiled.

Not long after, Ma Xun drove the car back to the Guangxian Building.

Moreover, as soon as the two entered the elevator, Ma Xun pinned Nini against the wall of the elevator car.

"Um...this, this..."

Nini indicated that there was surveillance footage.

Ma Xun was very straightforward: "Only I can ride this elevator."

The meaning is self-explanatory.

Without hesitation, the two kissed.

Ma Xun even lifted Nini's leg...

(End of this chapter)