Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 718 "The Twelve Zodiac Animals": The eldest brother, the dragon, acts as a peacemaker! "The Orphan of Zhao" is coming!
"You guys are at the peak of your career right now, don't do this kind of thing again."

"So, did you enjoy it?"

"Hmm...who told you to ask such questions? You should be punished!"

"Hehe...then please punish us, Ma!"

Good guy, really good guy.

Ma Xun felt young again, as if he had returned to his youth.

There was no other way but to listen to how these girls addressed him.
Ma... isn't he young yet?

Ma Xun, of course, unleashed the fierce energy he had in his youth, going all out to show these beauties what he was capable of.

However, my back is really... cough cough, a man should be able to hold on.

At worst, I can just walk out leaning against the wall.

Look at these four beauties: Xiaoran, Jingwen, Xiaomi, and Reba.

Why think so much? Let's do it!

……

After a night of madness, Ma Xun returned to reality from his student days.

He has to get back to work.

The success of "Bad Genius" has far exceeded expectations.

The box office success of this film is indeed very satisfying, but it is, after all, a summer blockbuster.

Creating such a miraculous comeback is already no easy feat; to go any further, such as breaking 200 million, is simply impossible.

Fortunately, there are still overseas markets to look forward to. Ma Xun is very optimistic about the film's performance in Japan and Southeast Asia.

Now, let's work on the "Twelve Zodiac Animals" project.

First, we need to confirm one thing: the film "Chinese Zodiac" was the bargaining chip Ma Xun used in his deal with the Weinstein brothers.

Yes, this movie can essentially be seen as a side project, but it still performed very well at the box office.

Moreover, when Ma Xun handed over the script he had written to his elder brother Long, the elder brother Long showed a very strong desire to cooperate.

It's obvious that Big Brother Long is knowledgeable, and Ma Xun also has an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

From any perspective, the collaboration between Ma Xun and his elder brother Long is very suitable, and their cooperation is equal, with no possibility of one side suppressing the other.

After all, in terms of status, although your brother Long is indeed extremely influential, I, Ma Xun, have an Oscar statuette, while you don't yet. Moreover, Ma Xun is also a big boss in the entertainment industry.

The two sides could be considered to have barely managed a draw.

Well, Ma Xun was actually overestimating himself a bit, but his older brother Long was very kind, so let's just leave it at that.

In this way, "The Twelve Zodiac Animals" has reached a pretty good state.

Next, we should confirm some details.

But something unexpected happened to Ma Xun.

……

Peace Hotel.

This restaurant is very famous; it was even used in a movie starring Chow Yun-fat. Back then, that movie was quite high-class.

Now, this restaurant is all about being expensive.

It's a hotel with a long history, and all the facilities are quite old, but the room prices are really high, and that's where the high price comes from.

Some might call this "old money style".

Ma Xun certainly didn't care about old or new money; he was here to discuss business and make money.

"Hey, Mr. Ma, haha..."

"Big brother, haha..."

Big Brother Long loved to laugh, and his smile was very friendly. Ma Xun, of course, didn't say anything and laughed along with him.

Anyway, we're already so familiar with each other, and the two sides have already discussed the business to this point.

"Mr. Ma, about the director..."

"Big brother, I'm all ready, let's not rush."

"Oh, could it be that..."

"The person I recommended is on his way."

Ma Xun kept a secret, meaning he didn't directly tell his elder brother Long who the director was, giving him a surprise.

However, since Chen Hong called earlier, she would probably be a few minutes late because of traffic.

In a bustling metropolis like Shanghai, traffic jams are commonplace, so Ma Xun didn't think much of it.

It's fine if it's a little later.

But at that moment, a person appeared in the Peace Hotel.

"Oh my! Ah Long! It's been so long!"

"Haha...long time no see, boss."

"Stop calling yourself a big shot, you're a superstar that everyone admires now."

"Oh, no, no, the real big shot is the boss, haha..."

The eldest brother Long immediately struck up a very familiar conversation with this person, while Ma Xun, standing to the side, seemed rather awkward.

Moreover, this person is none other than Wu Yusen!
It would be a lie to say it wasn't awkward. Ma Xun and Wu Yusen have always been enemies, and the two of them had practically been publicly hurling insults at each other before... Well, thankfully, they haven't really torn off that last layer of skin yet.

Given the current situation, the way Wu Yusen and his elder brother Long were being so affectionate left Ma Xun feeling helpless, because the two of them were indeed very close.

Ma Xun didn't need Brother Long to explain anything; he knew very well that back then, Brother Long was just a nobody, and Wu Yusen provided him with the opportunity to be a martial arts choreographer.

To put it bluntly, the favor they showed in helping Brother Long before he became successful was truly remarkable.

At least, Ma Xun is truly incomparable.

Given this relationship, Ma Xun's side can certainly...

"Boss, you must know this Mr. Ma, right?"

"Of course we know each other. We even worked together on 'Red Cliff' before." Well, finally, they mentioned Ma Xun.

"Haha... Hello, Director Wu." Ma Xun still had to give Wu Yusen face, otherwise, how would his elder brother Long's expression be?
Fortunately, Wu Yusen just laughed it off and gave Ma Xun face, at least he didn't turn hostile on the spot.

Let's talk about it then.

In his conversation, Brother Long naturally brought up the topic of movies, specifically the movie he was currently planning to make.

The Twelve Zodiac Animals!
Upon hearing what his elder brother Long meant, Ma Xun immediately became alert.

really!

"Hey bro, if you've got a lot of free time lately, why not make this movie?"

"Is this okay?"

Brother Long extended a sincere invitation, but Wu Yusen looked at Ma Xun instead.

Ma Xun knew that this matter was over!

He couldn't refute it; if he directly said no, his elder brother Long probably wouldn't agree to cooperate.

The key point is that the film's copyright has already been sold.

They made $500 million from Toho as a side job.

This is no small amount of money!

Ma Xun could only laugh and say, "Of course there's no problem, but the person I prepared... never mind, I've already told her not to come."

In Chinese characters, the third person pronoun is pronounced the same.

It's all because of them.

However, Wu Yusen cleverly discerned the truth, "Oh dear, could it be a female director? That's right, I worked with Director Chen Hong before, and our collaboration was quite successful."

It's called "Red Cliff".

It should be noted that Wu Yusen's statement effectively eliminated Chen Hong as a potential candidate.

Wu Yusen most likely guessed the 'surprise' that Ma Xun had prepared, which makes sense, since Chen Hong is the big director under Ma Xun's management.

The others are still a bit lacking, especially Ning Hao. Although he has achieved good results, Ning Hao has not directed any big-budget films so far, and he has no experience in action scenes.

It's important to understand that some movies aren't suitable for just anyone to make.

Ma Xun knew that his scheme was probably doomed this time, but just then, Chen Hong appeared.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, there was a traffic jam..."

Her arrival confirmed Wu Yusen's statement, and Brother Long immediately understood and proposed compensation.

"I didn't expect that. Mr. Ma was planning to recommend Ms. Chen Hong to direct this film. Well... how about this? Ms. Chen Hong can still direct, and as for her salary..."

His attitude was very good, and Ma Xun probably understood.

Clearly, Brother Long wanted to act as a peacemaker, and the conflict between Ma Xun and Wu Yusen would be resolved just like that.

It should be said that Brother Long's idea is not bad, but the conflict between Ma Xun and Wu Yusen is absolutely irreconcilable!

This wasn't a matter of personal feelings between them; it was a matter of fundamentally different values ​​that made them incompatible.

Therefore, there is no way to reconcile them.

Brother Long meant well, and Ma Xun could only appreciate it.

As for this time...

"If Director Wu is involved, then I'd much rather not participate."

Chen Hong gave a good answer.

Ma Xun immediately nodded in agreement.

Upon seeing this, Brother Long immediately offered, "How about this, I'll take two less percent of the film's pay!"

That’s a lot!
Big Brother Long's salary is a combination of revenue sharing and a guaranteed minimum. He gets paid a certain amount, but he also has to share the box office revenue after the movie is released.

This is quite reasonable, after all, asking for a salary of 100 million is a bit too much.

In China, such high actor salaries would cause investors to simply run away.

"Okay! It's settled."

Ma Xun made a concession and extended his hand again.

Big Brother Long laughed heartily and shook hands with Ma Xun.

Not bad, they reached a cooperation agreement.

As for his relationship with Wu Yusen... well, we'll see!
Ma Xun didn't lose, and Wu Yusen can't be said to have won either. Now, the project "Chinese Zodiac" is settled.

Chen Hong made a mistake this time, but it wasn't the main responsibility. However, another major enemy immediately appeared.

"That guy is here."

"what?"

"The Orphan of Zhao".

"Oh, it's him."

That's right, Chen Kaige plans to release his new film "Sacrifice" during the National Day or Lunar New Year holiday!

Next, another fierce battle is about to erupt in our small corner of the Chinese entertainment industry!

So, how should Ma Xunke respond?

"You think I don't have any films?"

"Do you have one?"

"There is a very interesting film, though."

"What is it?"

"It's called 'Lost in Thailand'."

That's right, Ma Xun did have a trick up his sleeve.

(End of this chapter)