Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 733 Is the Best Actress Confirmed? On the surface, he's a great director, but actually a scoundrel?

"Mr. Ma, that film, 'The Twelve Zodiacs'..."

"Hey Dashan, you're in too much of a hurry."

"Hai! This is indeed my problem."

"Don't worry, I contacted Mr. Long before I came. We will have further discussions in Japan to confirm many details."

"That's wonderful! Masang, that's wonderful!"

"In short, don't be impatient."

"Hayi!"

This mountain isn't a fool. It's no wonder it's so attentive to Ma Xun. Although it has always been obedient to Ma Xun, it must still be thinking about this important movie.

Toho considers "Chinese Zodiac" to be a blockbuster, featuring the iconic dragon, a highly influential star worldwide with a massive fanbase in Japan.

Take Gintama, for example. Even the jokes it created have become classics. As for other Japanese anime, take Naruto for instance. Its fight scenes have been heavily plagiarized, haven't they?

People in this country admire strength; if you are strong enough, they will fawn over you.

Ma Xun reassured Da Shan. Of course, Ma Xun wasn't just making things up; he had indeed sent a message to his elder brother Long before coming here, saying, "Let's talk here in Japan."

Big Brother Long naturally said there was no problem, and there were still some roles that needed to be finalized.

Actually, the reason Ma Xun wanted to talk about this here was simply to rekindle this mountain's influence.

Events like the Tokyo International Film Festival are closely related to several major Japanese film companies. Well, to put it another way, most Japanese film and television awards are related to these major companies.

In particular, the Japan Academy Film Prize, although it is organized by NTV, is actually controlled by large companies such as Toho and Shochiku. There have been several instances where a single film has won all the awards.

The fact that one film swept all the awards suggests that the reason behind it is not hard to imagine: a deal was made between the big companies, deciding who gets the awards this year and who gets them next year.

That's just how the Japanese entertainment industry is, and the Tokyo International Film Festival is naturally under the control of these big companies.

Ma Xun has now used this film, "The Twelve Zodiacs," to turn Da Shan and his Dongbao franchise into darlings of the market, so...

"Mr. Ma, let's just be frank."

Meanwhile, Oyama invited Ma Xun to have drinks at an izakaya. Although the izakaya was noisy and there were many people around, it was precisely because of this that they were able to talk about various topics.

Anyway, since they're saying things that others can't understand, the safety factor is very high.

Ma Xun readily agreed, saying, "Okay, your straightforwardness has always been my favorite quality."

I casually gave Dashan a compliment. Dashan had already had a few drinks, and now his smile was tinged with a hint of drunkenness, which was quite amusing.

"Mr. Ma, regarding the film 'Buddha Mountain,' Toho has gone all out, but the final prize, the Golden Kirin... is indeed a bit difficult to handle, really..."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun's expression changed, and he frowned, saying, "Da Shan, this is not right. I have already gone to a different level, but you can't even guarantee an award like the Golden Kirin?"

Good grief, in Ma Xun's words, the Golden Kirin has become a rather insignificant little prize. But now, Da Shan can't refute this at all; he's clearly in the wrong.

"Hey! Masan, it's our fault, but this Golden Kirin is really a problem, after all, it's the highest award at the Tokyo International Film Festival!"

"Then tell me what to do. I think you must have some plan."

Ma Xun acted very magnanimously at this moment, which made Da Shan feel much more at ease, but in reality, Ma Xun had no interest in this golden unicorn at all.

As for the reason... who goes up to accept the film festival's top prize?
It's usually the movie director, and Ma Xun didn't like Li Yu at all, so why would he give Li Yu the opportunity to appear on screen?

That's right, it would be better if he didn't win the award! However, Ma Xun can't say that. If he did, the business situation would change, and he would be at a disadvantage. Now, Ma Xun needs to use his advantage to get what he wants.
“Mr. Ma, we can guarantee other awards, such as for the screenplay, and so on…”

script?

Of course, I can't accept this, because it's not for me.

Ma Xun immediately interrupted Da Shan, saying directly, "Da Shan, I don't mean to make things difficult for you, but you saw what happened at the airport just now, didn't you?"

What did you see?
Da Shan was a little stunned, because he couldn't say what he had seen.

Yes, there are also cases in Japan where company presidents have affairs with actresses or female idols, but you just have to keep quiet about it.

But Ma Xun said directly, "Bingbing is the female lead, and she has always been ostracized by some people in our country. With her acting skills, she has never won any awards, which is really infuriating. So, this time I invested in 'Buddha Mountain' and specifically chose the Tokyo International Film Festival. You should understand now."

That's so interesting!

Bingbing doesn't win awards because she's a good actress and is being ostracized by others.

But that's all Ma Xun can say now. It sounds grand and dignified, and it makes it even clearer to Da Shan.

really!

"Mr. Ma! I see! I understand now! Please rest assured, Mr. Ma, I will do my utmost to secure this Best Actress award, and I will also do my best to win Best Screenplay..."

Best screenplay?
"Big Mountain!" Ma Xun shouted decisively.

Da Shan was stunned, not knowing what he had done wrong, and looked at Ma Xun with a younger gaze... like a grandson.

Ma Xun said sternly, "I understand your intentions, but I would feel bad if you went to too much trouble. This time, the main thing is to protect the Best Actress. As for the others... well, let's try to do it from other angles."

What does this mean?
Da Shan understood and was deeply moved. "Ma Sang, Arigato!"

She even shed a few tears, then said, "I understand! We will do everything we can to guarantee the Best Actress award. As for other things, Dongbao has some film and television adaptations, this..."

Ma Xun smiled, "Not bad, you are indeed a smart person."

Da Shan laughed heartily after hearing this.

It was clear that the two men had reached a final agreement.

Actually, there's a detail here: Toho's film and television adaptation rights partly come from Fuji Television.

It's worth noting that Fuji Television has produced many classic dramas, but adapting these classics is very difficult, or you could call it a remake.

Fuji Television is still quite powerful, and its Monday night dramas are still very strong. However, because they are so powerful, they are extremely protective of their film and television adaptation rights. They treat them like treasures and keep them hidden away, not allowing anyone else to make any changes.

Ma Xun was well aware of this, because Fuji Television later declined. On one hand, it couldn't compete with online platforms like Netflix, which later became very successful in Japan. On the other hand, it was too conservative and was overtaken by other television stations. Originally, Fuji Television and NTV were neck and neck, and NTV even had many more variety shows.

After the conservative Fuji Television was no longer as powerful as it used to be, they began to think about selling their "treasures".

For example, the original timeline's Huang Bo and Zhi Ling starred in "101st Proposal".

Of course, the original lead actor, that short, ugly old man, was definitely not a good person.

However, this work itself is indeed a cherished memory for many Chinese people. It was incredibly popular back then, and had a significant impact both domestically and internationally.

Also, wasn't Tokyo Love Story remade many years later?

Ma Xun's demand for the adaptation rights to these films and television dramas is perfectly timed, especially since Toho is in the wrong... Da Shan has really been fooled by Ma Xun.

Putting aside the issue of deception, if Ma Xun can acquire these adaptation rights this time, even if it's not a large sum, he can still achieve something significant.

Even if they don't remake it themselves, but sell it, they can still make a lot of money.

In other words, Ma Xun not only helped Bingbing win the Best Actress award as promised, but he also made a fortune for free, all using "Chinese Zodiac" as bait.

This guy is really good at bluffing!

But look at Dashan's drunken face, hehe... who else would I fool if not him!

After several rounds of drinks, it was already late at night.

Ma Xun and Da Shan parted ways outside the izakaya. Da Shan took a taxi home, while Ma Xun decided to wander around Tokyo.

However, before leaving, Dashan uttered a drunken remark: "Masang, you're already like this with Miss Bingbing, but you're also with Miss Changze... hehehe... it's really enviable."

This high-level office worker has quite a gossip-loving heart.

Ma Xun just smiled and didn't say anything more. Let's just walk on.

With the crescent moon hanging high in the sky, Tokyo is quite bustling.

In many places, the night is almost the same as the day, with lights so bright that it's hard to tell the difference between day and night.

At that moment, a woman stood not far in front of Ma Xun.

The two stared at each other for a while before she finally spoke.

"That woman Bingbing is completely your slave now, isn't she?"

"That's a bit much. Bingbing spoke up for you back then."

"I admit that, but that's precisely why I feel that she and you... humph!"

"What did she do with me? If it weren't for me, how would she fare in the entertainment industry? Would she still be a maid?"

"You... Hmph! We don't see eye to eye, so much talk is unnecessary!"

This woman was Zhang Ziyi. She clearly couldn't win an argument with Ma Xun, so she simply chose to remain silent.

He turned and left.

Ma Xun didn't intend to mock the woman, but he still had to say something.

"Are you filming 'The Grandmaster' with Wong Kar-wai?"

Zhang Ziyi paused for a moment.

Ma Xun continued, "Hehe...a big-name art-house film director that everyone praises, but what kind of person is he really?"

"..." Zhang Ziyi was speechless for a long time, and finally had no choice but to leave.

But deep down she knew she had lost, and lost badly.

In particular, Ma Xun mentioned that sunglasses-wearing king.

Because this guy appears to be a great director of art films, but behind the scenes he's a disgusting bastard!

As for Ma Xun... at least he wasn't so hypocritical.

Just like Bingbing, she gave a lot but received a lot in return.

Wong Kar-wai is different. This guy loves to cut scenes that others have put a lot of effort into making. In that respect, he's utterly trash!
Zhang Ziyi was shocked that she would think this way, but she couldn't say anything more.

At least, she couldn't tell Ma Xun.

Of course, Zhang Ziyi was also very clear that she absolutely could not let Wong Kar-wai touch her.

Ma Xun had no interest in Zhang Ziyi's inner world; he had merely given that woman a shock. Just like now, almost no one knew that Sunglasses King was a scoundrel.

As for the rest...

Ma Xun returned to his post, and the moment he pushed open the shoji door, a beautiful Japanese woman came over.

"You're back!"

Oh, that doesn't seem to be a Japanese woman, it's clearly Bingbing.

However, Bingbing was wearing a yukata at that moment, which anyone who has watched Japanese adult films would understand.

Ma Xun understood even better.

"What? What new trick are you trying to pull?"

"Brother Ma~ You really can't hide anything from me..."

While throwing herself into his arms, Bingbing also pointed to the hemp rope not far away.

Damn, that takes a lot of skill, Ma Xun doesn't know how to do that...

(End of this chapter)