Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 705 Ya Mei Loves Older Men? "Genius" and "Zodiac" Go to Japan? $500 Million!
"Of course, we must thank Mr. Ma."

"Oh, you've come all this way, yet you want to thank me first? That's really a bit strange."

"Thank goodness. My reason for thanking Mr. Ma is simple: he gave me this opportunity. The movie 'Bad Genius' is really great, and as the main person in charge of publicity and distribution, I will definitely do my best."

"It's a mutually beneficial thing. Our film also needs a foreign student, especially from Asia. However, I understand from you that you'll be staying in mainland China for a while."

"Well, that's true."

"How about this? Actually, you still have considerable influence in mainland China..."

"Really? I'm sorry, Mr. Ma, I didn't mean to interrupt you. Please forgive me."

"No need to be so polite. Your surprise is understandable. After all, in the Japanese media, we are a very closed-off place..."

"Mr. Ma, Smith Marseille!"

"What? Are you going to apologize for someone else again?"

"But we were wrong after all."

“What you said is true, but it’s not your fault. To continue from what I said before, since you have a certain level of popularity in China, why not take advantage of this time to take on some business opportunities?”

"Business?"

"It's just some events, meet-and-greets, or brand endorsements, or other things... As for resources, don't worry, we can sign a temporary agency contract first."

"Is this really possible?"

"Why not? We're just killing time anyway."

"But……"

"Does Ms. Nagasawa Masami not trust me?"

"Of course not! Okay! Let's sign the contract right now!"

Wow! That's really something!

Ma Xun easily fooled Nagasawa Masami. And rightly so, this Japanese beauty had no idea how capable Ma Xun was, and judging from Masami's behavior, she seemed to have a special feeling for him.

What's so special about it...?

"Mr. Ma, actually, the reason we came here this time is... cough cough, Mr. Ma, well..."

They originally came together, or rather, Dashan brought Yamei along, but now Dashan can't get a word in edgewise, which is quite amusing.

How embarrassing, Oyama! But this guy is good at reading people. In Japan, this skill is actually more important. Oyama figured out some things.

But it's not a good time to say much.

There was nothing I could do; I simply couldn't get a word in edgewise. It seemed that Yami had just thought of something.

“Mr. Ma, but I have another job.”

Yamei is currently in a state where she's been sold out and is even helping to count the money, and is even planning to help sell herself out again.

Ma Xun found it quite amusing. The woman in front of him, Ya Mei, was indeed very beautiful, and she didn't seem to be a foolish beauty. However, since she was being so enthusiastic, what could Ma Xun say?

"What is this other job?"

Let's continue the conversation.

Then Yamei said, "The movie 'Reign of Assassins' is also going to be released during the summer season. I'm also one of the publicity staff, and I will definitely do my best!"

He spoke very sincerely, and then gave a thank-you bow.

The wording and attitude on that note are quite different.

A smile appeared on Ma Xun's face: This Masami Nagasawa is indeed not an idiot.

Yes, Ma Xun understood Ya Mei's meaning, and it was, of course, well-intentioned.

That's good, but what's next...?

Ma Xun rubbed his chin and said, "Then you really should work hard. The key to breaking the deadlock in this film probably lies with you."

This sounds a bit profound. Masami Nagasawa is a Japanese girl, and although she has been working hard to learn Chinese, she still seems to have some difficulty understanding it.

So, he looked a little stunned.

Ma Xun laughed heartily, "Keep it up, fight!"

Okay, let this guy keep bluffing. That's just how the Japanese are; when you shout slogans like that, they'll definitely shout them along.

Just as expected!!
"Strive! Fight!"

Yamei joined in the shouting, which is understandable, but Dashan also joined in.

You're everywhere! You could have just brought the girl here, but you're still here...

Well, they should be here anyway.

However, since the matter had already come to this point, Dashan couldn't remain silent any longer. He decided to let Yamei rest first, and then talk directly with Ma Xun.

"Does Mr. Daishan have something important to discuss?"

Yeah, if you don't have anything important to do, get lost and don't waste my time trying to woo some girls.

Da Shan, of course, couldn't understand Ma Xun's hidden meaning; he was only interested in business.

"Mr. Ma, the reason I came here this time is because I heard about an important movie."

"Huh? What movie?"

To be honest, Ma Xun really didn't expect what movie it was.

But the mountains are different.

"Oh, Ma Sang, haha... don't keep things from your old friend." Da Shan thought Ma Xun was being wary of him.

This left Ma Xun speechless. He was practically begging me to fool him!

"Let me think... I don't think I have any movies that are related to Japan. This movie, 'Bad Genius,' is the one that is most closely related."

That's true, because the pacing of the movie "Bad Genius" actually has a bit of a monster-fighting, level-up feel to it.

In short, the female protagonist initially cheated on small tests, but later on more important ones, culminating in the SAT exam.

The difficulty of cheating increases accordingly, and this sense of rhythm is actually very important, which was also the key to the film's original success.

Now, Ma Xun is taking over, so of course he has to maintain this rhythm, which is also very popular in online novels.

Therefore, the SAT exam must be offered by other Asian countries, and Masami Nagasawa is a great choice.

Masami Nagasawa is an artist under Toho, which means that we only collaborated once because of this relationship. Is there anything else?
The example of Ma Xun was quite a challenge for Da Shan.

Fortunately, Da Shan is now in Dihua, so he can help Ma Xun think of things that he can't think of himself!
"Mr. Ma, you're still hiding this from me now? Really... It's that movie, 'Chinese Zodiac'."

Oh, so this is the movie!

Ma Xun suddenly remembered, but he immediately frowned and said, "This movie doesn't seem to have much to do with Japan."

His original intention was to say that we didn't plan to film in Japan or use Japanese actors, but... of course, there were other meanings as well!

With a bitter face, Dashan said, "Ma-san, this is Long-san's movie. His films are very popular in Japan. Doesn't that mean it has something to do with us?"

Okay, this guy really did come up with that other meaning.

Ma Xun was just waiting for Da Shan to say that, so he could continue his deception.

“What you said does make sense, but Japan’s live-action films have been really terrible in recent years.”

That sounds quite similar to what you'd say: you wouldn't want your husband to lose his job, would you?

Daiyama bowed again and said, "Mr. Ma, that's why we need better films to come to Japan. This is a way to save our Japanese film industry."

"Although my position is humble, I still want to make some effort, Mr. Ma, please help me!" This set of words was indeed quite impressive. Ma Xun knew that this Japanese man only knew small courtesies but lacked a sense of righteousness.

But at this moment, he was indeed slightly moved by the mountain's devout appearance.

Fortunately, Ma Xun has always been ruthless and cruel.

"But business is business. I can help Toho, but what about the copyright issue..."

"Five million dollars! Sell us the rights to 'Bad Genius' too, how about that?"

Da Shan was afraid that Ma Xun would reveal conditions he couldn't accept, so he simply told him the truth first.

Ma Xun smiled after hearing this, "That's a bit much..."

You should definitely look down on this price.

But honestly, the price is actually not bad.

Japanese cinema hasn't changed much in recent years. There are new talents, but overall, the live-action film market hasn't made any progress; in fact, it's been steadily losing ground to animated films.

The prices of some copyrights, however, are even more unsettling, remaining almost unchanged.

In other words, the price before was around $200 million, for example, for Big Brother Dragon's movies. Now it's about the same. Of course, they also understand that this is too little. Moreover, Big Brother Dragon's previous Hollywood movies were definitely negotiated in a different way, with Hollywood companies.

The key point is that there haven't been any major changes!

This is what is known as the lost thirty years, or as some say, the stagnant thirty years.

If we really have to say what these thirty years are, Ma Xun is more certain that they are thirty years of regression!

Because the world is changing, the US dollar is becoming less and less valuable, but your Japanese currency remains the same.

If we keep acting as America's lapdog, we'll get eaten by the Americans sooner or later.

Of course, Ma Xun wouldn't say these things.

"Masang!" Da Shan immediately knelt down in a deep bow. "Five million US dollars, plus a share of the profits from the imaging market!"

Goodness, this guy's concession is quite significant!

Previously, those were all one-off deals; when Long Wu and his group sold their rights, they offered the full copyright directly.

Now we can talk about profit sharing...

Ma Xun knew he couldn't push too hard, but he still said, "You know this film project is just getting started, and there are still many details to be worked out. I see your sincerity, but if things change in the future, don't blame me."

This is called putting the unpleasant truth upfront.

Da Shan immediately stood up, shouting, "Arigato! Masang!"

This guy was finally happy, and in Da Shan's opinion, the deal was pretty much done.

All you need right now is a memo, that's all.

So what about the others...?

“Mr. Ma, I have something to say. Miss Yamei is quite extraordinary.”

"Oh, what do you mean?" Ma Xun pretended not to understand.

Dashan had no choice but to continue, "Miss Yami is our Toho's princess, she's really different from ordinary celebrities. If it's Masan... at least for now, we can't go public with our relationship."

Does this mean... we can do it, but we can't talk about it?
Ma Xun's face hardened. "Dashan-san, what are you thinking! I've always considered you a friend! I'm an upright businessman!"

Serious, resolute, a true gentleman...

Da Shan could only chuckle awkwardly and dared not say anything more.

……

To be fair, Masami Nagasawa is indeed Toho's princess, an artist they value highly.

This matter is related to a beauty pageant.

Japan is indeed quite bizarre. Toho has a very special beauty pageant called Toho Cinderella.

This Cinderella story has an age limit, or to put it simply, it's for elementary school students.

Anyway, I can't get too old, at most 12.
Then, every five years... it's a bit perverse, a beauty pageant for young girls.

However, this beauty pageant is indeed very famous in Japan and has extremely high national recognition.

Masami Nagasawa won the Cinderella crown back then!
The key point is that she was 12 years old at the time, but she had an incredibly long pair of legs.

This is no exaggeration. Back then, countless photos were published in newspapers, and some were even kept on file. No subsequent Dongbao Cinderella films could surpass that; they all followed the cute style.

After winning the championship, things went very smoothly, and they received all the resources they needed, such as the iconic movie "Sailor Suit and Machine Gun".

This movie basically only gave opportunities to extremely promising newcomers. The first sailor uniform was worn by Hiroko Yakushimaru, who is Koji Tamaki's ex-wife.

Understanding the above will show that Daiyama was not lying, and that Masami Nagasawa is indeed Princess Toho.

but……

Under the dim streetlights of the capital city.

Ma Xun, however, strolled with Masami Nagasawa.

"Yami, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Mr. Ma, may I ask you something?"

"That, it's... um..."

"How could Mr. Ma possibly have any unspeakable secrets?"

"No, it's just that saying it out loud might be embarrassing."

"Haha... I definitely won't tell anyone else after I hear that."

Interesting, this girl is quite interesting.

Ma Xun was actually still deceiving her, and this so-called unspeakable secret was just a prelude.

Now you can ask directly, "Do you like me?"

Ma Xun has never spoken about this issue in his life, because it would be embarrassing to say it.

The key point is that he doesn't need to talk about liking or disliking anything; he just goes straight for the sex... cough cough, actually it's a continuation of interests and power.

Ma Xun is a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry, flitting from one woman to another without ever getting attached, and he's even ridden the coattails of foreign beauties.

He really doesn't need to ask such questions; he's just acting.

Ma Xun thought that if he teased Nagasawa Masami like this, the girl would lower her guard, give him a smile, and then...

Ok?
Strangely, Yami did laugh, but there was something wrong with her laughter.

"Mr. Ma, my feelings... Si Guoyi! As expected of Mr. Ma, you guessed it right away!"

Huh? What kind of development is this?
Does Masami Nagasawa like older men?

Ma Xun suddenly thought of some gossip, it seems that Ya Mei is comparing to the uncle... I guess I just stumbled upon something unexpected?

"Ahem, wait a minute..."

Yami practically pounced on him...

Ma Xun felt something was off. He actually wanted to get more information about "Reign of Assassins".

It seems like what we need to get in now is...

(End of this chapter)