Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 730 Luo Qingchuan Attacks, Shishi Loses a Move!
"Honey, I heard you're going to be in a TV series called 'Palace' this time?"

"Yes, I've heard about it too. It seems you filmed a drama called 'Scarlet Heart'."

"I didn't expect that Sister Honey had heard about it too."

"Well, I do have some information channels."

"That's great, Sister Honey is really concerned about me."

"Well... of course."

Since they ran into an acquaintance, they had to chat. The interaction between Xiao Mi and Liu Shishi seemed to be normal.

Even Ma Xun, who was watching from the sidelines, noticed something was wrong. It was obvious that Yang Mi was now somewhat passive, while Liu Shishi was the one taking the initiative.

To say that one is fawning over the other would be a bit much, but Liu Shishi's proactive attitude at this moment seems somewhat inconsistent with her personality.

Not only Ma Xun, but Yang Mi also noticed it. Moreover, compared to Ma Xun, Yang Mi probably understood Shi Shi better, since they were friends.

Whether they've actually developed into best friends is probably still uncertain.

So, Xiaomi also felt a little strange, but she didn't know how to deal with it, so she just said something to Shishi and then she would respond.

The two chatted for a while, but Ma Xun couldn't just stand by and watch; this was his territory, Boss Ma's territory.

"Alright, you two girls, that's enough. We need to talk about serious business."

Serious business? That mistress's legs have been showing off for a while now.

Ma Xun naturally saw it, but after all, he was still the boss. As soon as he said that, Xiaomi and Shishi immediately ended their chat and then stood by as if they were ready to be called upon at any time.

"Regardless of what you say, the plan has been set. 'Palace' will be released first, followed by 'Scarlet Heart.' Moreover, we still need to handle some details in the marketing of 'Scarlet Heart.' If we are too hasty, we can only broadcast it on some non-satellite TV stations first. But if we are patient and wait, the possibility of it being broadcast on satellite TV will greatly increase."

Ma Xun's statement was essentially an order, but since Xiaomi and Shishi were both beautiful women, his tone wasn't as forceful.

But as soon as he said that, Xiaomi's clever little brain roughly guessed why Shishi would be here.

Sure enough, before Xiao Mi could say anything, Shi Shi couldn't help but say with a pitiful look, "Boss, President Cai wants 'Scarlet Heart' to be released as soon as possible. If I can't get that, then I..."

His pitiful appearance didn't seem like acting at all.

If it was acting, then Shishi's acting skills are really good... But Ma Xun immediately dismissed that possibility. Liu Shishi's acting skills were really... well, not terrible, but hard to say they were good either. Besides, there was an unpleasant joke about it.

She later played the female lead in "Brotherhood of Blades," a famous courtesan from a brothel. As a result, many netizens thought she was playing a blind woman, but when they saw the movie, they found out she wasn't blind at all! That's when that unpleasant nickname came about.

However, Ma Xun does know a little about this matter.

The so-called misconception that she played a blind girl is nothing more than the fact that Shishi's eyes were criticized by netizens for not being focused. However, she wasn't the only one to receive such criticism. There was another actress in "The Great Tang Poet Immortal" who was also criticized for having wooden eyes, right?

Actually, this is a problem that only professional actors would have, because they have undergone professional training. In class, the teacher will emphasize one point: you must never look directly at the camera lens.

Because if you look directly into the camera, you break the fourth wall. Sometimes breaking the fourth wall is necessary or intentional, but most films and TV shows don't need to do so.

But how do we look at the camera? Simply put, we need to look a little bit above the lens.

That's right, if you do it like that, you won't look directly at the camera, but you can still look towards the camera without breaking the fourth wall, and you can still make the audience feel that the actor is facing the camera.

Don't underestimate this detail; how much should be shown on the camera? That's where the finer things get done.

Some people are just good at it, while others are just lacking in certain skills, and that's how this result came about.

Well, to be honest, Shishi's acting skills are indeed lacking, but her face and figure, coupled with her quiet temperament, make her more suitable for playing aloof roles.

Putting all that aside, given the current situation, with Shishi so pitiful, Ma Xun's heart is...

"I've already made up my mind. Go back and tell President Cai to calm down. If she messes things up on her own and there are any bad consequences, don't worry about me turning against her!"

Sure enough, his heart was as hard as iron!
Shishi had never been scolded like this before... Of course, she considered this a scolding.

My eyes suddenly turned a little red.

The mistress was watching from the sidelines... and she was thoroughly enjoying it!

Hehe, you little hussy, you have no idea what kind of person this uncle is, do you? If he changed his plans just because you acted pitiful and begged a few times, would he really be Ma Xun?

In the entertainment industry, Mr. Ma Xun is a man of his word, and Liu Shishi is nothing in front of him!

Liu Shishi, you're still too naive. President Cai probably didn't send you here to play the victim, but rather to... hehehe...

That's what Xiao Mi thought, but at that moment she grabbed Liu Shishi's hand and patted it gently twice as a way of comforting and encouraging her.

Sure enough, Liu Shishi sensed it and smiled at her sister Mi.

Ma Xun noticed this detail and couldn't help but chuckle to himself, thinking that his mistress was quite something.

But what happens next...?

"Alright, that's all for now. If you have nothing else to do, you can go back now. I have a lot of things to do."

"Yes, Mr. Ma."

Liu Shishi had no choice but to lower her head and obediently retreat, but Xiao Mi didn't leave. Doesn't this mean that Mr. Ma's business is my business?

To put it another way, Xiaomi has won this round.

Even if Shishi had some feelings in her heart, she couldn't say anything, after all, Sister Mi had just comforted her.

So, she could only watch as Sister Mi smiled and saw her off.

But as soon as she entered the elevator, Shishi heard faint laughter coming from the office.

Oh... what is Sister Honey doing?
The key is to do it, you silly goose!

Okay, Xiao Mi couldn't wait and jumped right into Ma Xun's arms.

Ma Xun, who was still sitting in his boss's chair, was naturally unaffected by the impact, but what followed was the crucial moment.

"Uncle, have you missed me?"

As she spoke, Xiao Mi, while sitting in Ma Xun's lap, crossed one of her beautiful legs. Oh right, this was called product demonstration—the stockings she was endorsing.

Ma Xun chuckled, but pressed her legs down and said, "The reason I treated her like that just now wasn't because of you."

These words convey a sense of fairness, impartiality, and pragmatism, but saying them at this moment does seem somewhat out of place.

The mistress, however, was quite clever and didn't seem to mind at all, saying, "Of course I know! A plan is a plan, it was already decided, and I firmly believe that Uncle's plan is absolutely the best! That President Cai is anxious because she's stupid, but this Shishi is even more stupid for coming over so clumsily!" To be fair, although the mistress was just complaining, her comments were quite accurate.

In fact, there is a very special detail here: the domestic TV drama market is booming and has always been more popular than the film market. The film market has already attracted so much investment, so the TV drama market naturally has even more investment.

There's just more and more of them!

As more and more capital enters this industry, a situation will naturally arise.

The supply of products exceeds demand!
Anyone who has studied political economy in high school can basically understand these things; it's really not difficult at all.

The supply and demand of our TV drama market is quite strange. In terms of demand, from a broader perspective, the ultimate consumers of these TV dramas should be the audience, because they are the ones watching them.

However, the current model is that viewers spend almost no money. They just buy a TV and install cable TV, and the cable TV cost is not expensive. A TV can be used for a long time.

Most importantly, the money for the TV set and the cable fees don't go to the TV station!

Actually, it's the TV stations that sell TV dramas!

The strange thing is that viewers need to watch TV dramas, but TV stations have to pay money to "beg" them to watch them. In the end, it's not the TV stations that pay the bill, but the advertisers.

This model is really interesting, but never mind that, the key point is... once a show is filmed, whether it will actually be broadcast is uncertain!

In China, the annual production of TV dramas is approximately 100,000 episodes or more, but only a few episodes are actually broadcast each year.

Indeed, some TV dramas are filmed not for the purpose of airing, but purely for the purpose of cashing in on viewers.

But "Scarlet Heart" is different!

Although Tangren Media is now under Ma Xun's control, CEO Cai still wants to achieve something. She made this drama specifically for its broadcast. In the current situation, if you are familiar with "Palace" and "Scarlet Heart", you can easily understand that the two dramas are quite similar.

How could that woman not fight back?
But this dispute...

“Honey, tell me honestly, did that Yu guy secretly read the script for ‘Scarlet Heart’?”

As soon as Ma Xun said this, Xiaomi's face immediately tensed up.

"Uncle, no, that's not true. Well... I heard it's somewhat similar, but you can't call it plagiarism."

That's absolutely sophistry.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Yes, that Yu guy didn't plagiarize this one." This made Xiao Mi feel a little better, but Ma Xun then added, "He plagiarized several films!"

Good heavens! Xiaomi's heart immediately started pounding.

"Uncle~" It seemed she couldn't fool him anymore, so she decided to use a sexy approach. The girl sat down with the uncle, their bodies crossed. This knowledge... XY? How do you solve this equation?
Then he kissed me.

Ma Xun looked at Xiao Mi in his arms, who resembled a kitten in heat, and he liked her very much too, but there were some things...

"You need to control this freak, understand?"

Uncle, you even know this?
Xiao Mi nodded emphatically; she was now in the zone.

Actually, Xiao Mi had other thoughts in mind, namely, she had already heard about the show.

This is fantastic to compare with the new "Dream of the Red Chamber"!
Back when I was at Rongxin, I was very obsequious to my two godmothers, hoping they would give me the best resources. But this "Dream of the Red Chamber"... ugh!

Not to mention the many ups and downs, such as the replacement of the female lead, most of the actresses chosen were replaced, and various other arrangements.

Look! What does it look like now?
Ruined!
How badly did netizens criticize this show?!
And that one... I think her name is Xiaoying, she inherited her resources.

snort!
Oh, and that little girl Li Xin, you're going to replace me? Hmph! Just you wait!
Indeed, news has also emerged from Rongxin that the team behind "Dream of the Red Chamber" will be the main figures they promote in the future.

Among them, Miss Jiang, Lin Daiyu, was a girl with a strong personality.

And then there's Xue Baochai Li Xin, I heard she's even giving up her opera studies to become Rongxin's future leading lady?
You guys are dreaming!
With all this in mind... Xiao Mi is full of energy!

……

"Palace" was still broadcast ahead of schedule. Of course, the fact that the show was broadcast first does not mean that Shishi's mission has failed.

I was definitely told off by President Cai.

Overall, however, Mr. Cai treated her quite well, and Shishi could sense that.

But how can we complete the task of this play?

"Shishi, you can act opposite Wu Qilong and play lovers so well. So, Ma Xun isn't that old, is he?"

Huh? I see...

Shishi understood in her heart, but this age issue... wasn't really a problem.

It's quite interesting that Mr. Ma and Wu Qilong are about the same age.

Wait, is Wu Qilong actually a few years older than Mr. Ma?

Wow, I can't tell at all!

No, no, it's not that Mr. Ma looks old, but... Shishi is actually apologizing in name only, it seems this girl has something on her mind.

But that's not the main point right now.

Liu Shishi thought she might as well watch "Palace" first.

A grand spectacle awaits in Beijing!
This Beijing TV station really knows how to do things; their promotional slogan is quite good.

Liu Shishi couldn't wait any longer and waited in front of the TV. The drama "Palace" had finally started.

Luo Qingchuan?
The name itself has a poetic and picturesque feel to it, and Shishi really likes it.

It's quite obvious that this is the name of the female protagonist in a female-oriented novel. Male-oriented novels usually don't use this name. But the author, Yu, well, this guy is probably a fan of the genre.

Putting that aside, this point is well-captured; it grabs the female audience.

But then, Shishi felt that this play...

That's really interesting!

Indeed, the beginning of the drama "Palace" was actually quite good. In terms of pacing, it had the feel of the old "Princess Pearl".

Yeah, this guy Yu really did plagiarize Aunt Qiong Yao's work...

(End of this chapter)