Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 737 Bingbing clings tightly to Ma Xun's thigh! Big Brother Long asks about matters; the young master of the capital is sure to succeed!
"Haha... I really can't wait!"

As soon as the eldest brother, Long, arrived, he expressed his eagerness.

"I'm also very anxious and eager to see this movie as soon as possible!"

Ma Xun naturally echoed this sentiment, after all, he had to give face to his elder brother, Long.

In addition, it wasn't just Brother Lung who came alone; several members of his stunt team came, including his bodyguards and the well-known actor Lu Huiguang.

As for the others, Qi Jianhong, an important partner of Brother Long, also came.

Qi Jianhong is the boss of Yaolai, and it's clear he intends to get involved in this movie as well.

This is nothing; it was all within Ma Xun's expectations.

Moreover, there's good news: no one from Eagle Empire has been seen here, which means there's no involvement from Eagle Empire.

Of course, Ma Xun also knew that Qi Jianhong probably had a close relationship with Yinghuang. To put it bluntly, as long as he showed up, Yinghuang should be able to get a share of the pie.

These are their own business, and Ma Xun doesn't care.

Just as Ma Xun was chatting with his older brother Long, people from Dongbao arrived.

"Oh, Long-san... it's been a long time!"

Today's business is important, and before that, that guy Dashan had already sent word that an important figure from Toho was coming.

Important person?

A short, thin old man walked by. Of course, he might not be an old man, but he certainly looked older.

Upon seeing Ma Xun and his elder brother Long, he went straight to the elder brother Long and shook hands with him very warmly.

That's true. After all, Lung is the most influential Chinese actor, and he has many fans in Japan as well.

And this...

"Haha, Mr. Valley, it really has been a long time since we last met."

Valley... Oh, Ma Xun also knows who this is. He is the current president of Toho.

That guy Dashan is something else, he even managed to get the club president here. But looking at how the club president is interacting with Big Brother Long, it seems like they're old acquaintances.

Moreover, this president of the valley seems to be quite fan-oriented.

That's right. Big Brother Long is really influential. He has fans in every country he goes to, and many of his fans are very prominent figures. For example, when he went to Dubai to film a movie, they directly provided him with a lot of luxury cars for the filming.

There are definitely a lot of these kinds of legends and stories.

If you say it's fake... well, it might not be fake. Movie celebrities do sometimes get preferential treatment. For example, when Akira Kurosawa needed horses for his movies, horses were donated from all over Japan, including many wealthy people. Keeping horses in Japan is really expensive. There's a movie called "Yamato Nadeshiko" where the female lead immediately assumes the male lead is a tycoon just because he has a horse club brooch on his finger.

Of course, those horses later suffered greatly in Kurosawa's films; many were injured and had to be killed, which made many wealthy people very dissatisfied with Kurosawa.

As for Brother Long... at most he damaged some supercars, which shouldn't be worth as much as those horses.

Thinking about these things is quite interesting.

However, these were just fleeting thoughts in Ma Xun's mind; what followed was something more important.

Soon, all the copyright-related matters and contract details were settled quickly and easily.

Judging from the attitude of this president of the company, it's clear that he's overjoyed to have gotten his hands on Big Brother Long's movie.

So, what happens next...?

"Regarding what Mr. Ma needs..."

Yes, Ma Xun wants some adaptation rights, and Da Shan has to talk to him about that first.

However, Ma Xun changed the subject.

"Although the lead actor in the movie is definitely the older brother, I think we should pay more attention to the female lead this time."

That's right, that's how it should be.

But who will come?
As Ma Xun said, the main character in Big Brother Long's movies is himself, and as for the female stars, they are basically just embellishments, or to put it bluntly, just pretty faces.

Even big-name actresses like Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Joanne Peh couldn't steal the spotlight from the eldest brother, Lung.

As for those who are somewhat special... Yang Ziqiong is one of them. Her action scenes are indeed excellent. However, she also has many conflicts with her older brother, Long.

Later, Yang Ziqiong won an Oscar, finally achieving her goal and seemingly becoming awesome. Then, she cursed her older brother, Long, in front of reporters.

However, regarding this matter... Big Brother Long's views on relationships between men and women are indeed quite insightful.

The main reason is that he has actually seen it. For example, the one he mentioned who came back from filming outside and found his house completely emptied out was the Evil Sword Immortal, Liu Jiahui.

This former kung fu star had a very tragic later life.

Let's leave that aside.

"Isn't what I mean very clear? Bingbing just won the Best Actress award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, so it's only natural that she would act in Big Brother's movie now."

That's right! Isn't this great?
Moreover, Bingbing is also with Ma Xun, but she has just become shy.

Since it was the first time he had met such a big star, he could only act like a lackey, greeting the big brother Long before shrinking behind Ma Xun.

Actually, Bingbing's performance was quite normal, considering she had just won the Best Actress award and had just outshone Zhang Ziyi, which was quite impressive.

In the original timeline, Bingbing and her older brother Long had also collaborated, but that was a few years later. Moreover, during that collaboration, they went to Cannes for promotion and there was an accident where her skirt was blown up by the wind.

Of course, none of this will happen in this timeline. Bingbing isn't stupid; she has Ma Xun as a powerful ally to rely on now.

No matter how you look at it, even if you collaborate with the big brother Lung on a movie, it's definitely not as good as clinging to Ma Xun.

And now... Ma Xun directly mentioned Bingbing, the newly crowned Best Actress at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and his heart was pounding like a deer's.

"Oh! This is wonderful!"

The eldest brother, Long, immediately agreed, his face beaming with smiles.

Needless to say, the others also burst into laughter.

Qi Jianhong then said to Bingbing, "With Miss Bingbing joining the cast, this movie is sure to be a huge hit!"

This thing can actually talk.

Of course, Bingbing also had to know how to handle things. "Thank you, Brother Ma, thank you, Big Brother, thank you..."

Thanks are certainly due, but the order must be strict: Ma Xunde should be first, followed by Brother Long. Her way of speaking was impeccable.

Okay, now the female lead has been cast. Although she won't have many scenes, what's next...?

Daisan perked up, "How about we let Masami Nagasawa play a supporting role?"

He spoke very carefully, but as soon as he finished speaking, he was met with criticism.

"Dashan! How could you make such a request in a place like this!"

It's President Yamaya.

Upon hearing his rebuke, the mountain retreated as if it were a hook.

But in reality, Ma Xun understood that this was all an act between them.

Bingbing couldn't help but tug at Ma Xun's hand, meaning something like: It seems like Masami Nagasawa is coming again.

Ma Xun didn't say much, only observing what his elder brother Long meant.

"No problem! Masami Nagasawa is a great actress, very popular in Japan. Excellent, that's great!"

This role assignment... isn't actually difficult; you could play a villain.

Masami Nagasawa probably doesn't know that she's about to play her first villainous role in her acting career.

Of course, this is a movie starring the big brother Long, and the villains are often interesting and may become popular, such as Zhang Ziyi.

Leaving her aside, our deal for "The Twelve Zodiacs" has been finalized.

All parties are satisfied.

Especially Bingbing.

……

"Ms. Bingbing, what are your thoughts on winning the Best Actress award at the Tokyo International Film Festival?"

“That’s a lot… Our team is great…”

"Miss Bingbing, are there any plans for new films or TV series in the future?"

"Next, I will be joining the cast and crew of 'Chinese Zodiac'."

"Huh? This movie is..."

Bingbing just won the Best Actress award, and she's been incredibly busy. She hasn't returned to China yet, but many Chinese media outlets have already come to interview her in Japan.

Under the flash of the lights, Bingbing was even more stunningly beautiful.

This woman is definitely suited for the world of fame and fortune.

However, Ma Xun wasn't idle either; he was chatting with his older brother Long next door.

"Mr. Ma is truly amazing for managing to sell the film to Japan this time." Big Brother Long spoke with genuine humility.

Ma Xun naturally showed full respect, saying, "Brother, I was able to close this deal thanks to your reputation."

Excellent, a great example of mutual flattery in business.

Big Brother Long laughed and mentioned another 'key'.

"There's something I've never quite understood: why is there so little collaboration between mainland China's film and television market and Japan?"

That's a good question!
Moreover, this question carries a particular kind of probing.

Ma Xun also has another title, right? He's the young master of Beijing!
Just like in recent years, the number of Japanese products in our mainland film and television market, or rather the cultural market, has been decreasing. Not to mention movies, even anime is also declining.

Of course, there are still some; it can't be said that they've been completely stopped, but the reduction is clearly visible.

So, why is this happening?

You should know that although Brother Long is very humble, he is actually very smart and good at reading the wind.

That's right! At this moment, Brother Long is asking Ma Xun what the wind direction is 'above'.

If Ma Xun can't answer this well, then you, a young master from the capital, are really unqualified.
In other words, given your character, Ma Xun, you must explain this issue very clearly!

Moreover, our cooperation talks went so smoothly before, but now... this is the real test!

Ma Xun smiled slightly and asked a question in return, "Brother, have you also noticed that there are more and more Korean films and television dramas from mainland China and South Korea lately?"

Hey! That's a really great question!

Although the eldest brother Long did not understand Ma Xun's meaning, he still nodded.

Anyone with eyes can see these things.

Ma Xun then revealed the 'answer'!

“Japan is a fickle and untrustworthy country. There was an elder who came to Japan with the intention of cooperating well. Many agreements had already been reached, but they turned their backs on us!”
Given this situation... what else is there to say?

Back then, it was quite difficult for Korean films and TV dramas to enter our country. No problem, let the Japanese watch them.

We're not trying to provoke the Japanese; it's a more sophisticated strategy.

Furthermore, I can reveal something to you, brother: Koreans are even worse. They are not only utterly untrustworthy, but also lack any self-awareness.

"It will probably be five or six years before the Korean Wave disappears in our country!"

Wow!

"To say that is too much... But after hearing it, Brother Long laughed heartily."

"Mr. Ma! We're sure to have a pleasant collaboration!"

It's obvious that the eldest brother, Long Xin, has believed it!
Ma Xun's persona as a wealthy young master from the capital is now even more secure!

Moreover, everything he said was... accurate! 2016 was the most profitable year for the Korean Wave, earning hundreds of billions of RMB from us, but the following year it was all gone!

Those Koreans deserve it!

They couldn't distinguish between the king and the prince; they deserve to die!
In fact, this is Guan Zhong's method...

(End of this chapter)