Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 738 Qi Wan and Lu Gao! Hao Lei Shishi
More than two thousand years ago, Guanzi's strategy of "Qi silk and Lu white silk" was quite brilliant.

That can be seen as the earliest form of economic warfare.

Simply put, it means buying a large amount of a certain product from a country, which then prompts that country to produce it on a large scale.

If, at some point, the country suddenly stops buying these products produced in that country, it will cause the country's economy to collapse!
Later, soybeans, and what else...

And now, this so-called Korean wave is actually one of them.

Ma Xun had witnessed it firsthand. Ten years later, when Koreans started promoting their own culture, they had almost nothing to offer but the so-called Korean Wave 'K-POP'.

It's like applying to host some kind of competition or summit.

That's like shooting a K-pop music video.

Therefore, the elder's plan was quite brilliant!

Let's talk about South Korea.

This is truly a very strange country.

Generally speaking, if a country can profit from cooperation, then it should have basic courtesy.

This South Korean country is different!
Not only were they impolite, but while the Korean wave was making huge profits in China, they actually displayed that kind of 'discrimination'.

Yes, these guys are actually discriminating against us Chinese. Korean fans shouldn't try to defend them, because the true colors of Koreans are impossible to hide.

In fact, the rise of the so-called Korean wave is closely related to the Chinese market.

South Korea's entertainment industry started very late, and it's mostly plagiarism. Their first decent movie wasn't made until 1985.

Moreover, since it tells the story of a fallen woman, the specific details are difficult to describe.

After that, they basically copied all of Japan's and the United States' entertainment industry. The strict hierarchical system in the K-pop industry came from Japan, and idols were also directly copied. The content of the entertainment products was almost entirely learned from the United States.

However, their efforts were largely ineffective because their market was too small.

It's fair to say that if Japan hadn't broken its promise back then, those South Korean films and TV dramas would have only been popular in that small place.

Back then, they formulated a strategy to go global, but any so-called strategy requires money, and how much did they have prepared at that time?

It's only a few billion Korean won.

Even though the Korean won wasn't like toilet paper from Cheonji Bank back then, these billions were still a small amount of money.

Actually, we helped them, but...

What I'm saying is, if we're talking about a normal person, could they do what they did?

That said, Ma Xun's conversation with his elder brother Long this time covered both the past and the future.

Moreover, it all depends on the persona of the young master of the capital that he created for himself. If it weren't for this, Brother Long probably wouldn't have cooperated with him.

To be honest, Ma Xun hadn't expected that his elder brother Long would be so shrewd. He did have a kind smile and seemed like a simple-minded good-natured person, but in reality, he was very clever.

Yes, that makes sense. If it weren't for this shrewdness, would Brother Long be where he is today?

However, the fact that Toho was chosen as the partner for "Chinese Zodiac" to expand its reach can be seen as a strategic move in advance.

Ma Xun knew very well that the most frenzied period for South Korea's entertainment industry was 2016. Once that time was over, they would truly be in a downturn.

Of course, there is actually no such thing as a ban on cold weather; there are no relevant documents.

But there's no need for them, because what need is there for such a tiny country, so insignificant?

Now, Ma Xun and his elder brother Long have a head start in dealing with the Japanese.

Even after we cut ties with South Korea, we still need an Asian partner.

Actually, we haven't completely severed ties with Japan; we've just reduced them.

In this way, Ma Xun and his elder brother Long can be said to have made arrangements in advance.

This is in conjunction with the above-mentioned criticism of South Korea.

In this instance, President Yamaya directly proposed to acquire the copyright of "Guanyin Mountain" at a high price.

To show off his status as a big boss, this guy directly offered $250 million.

250?

You're being stingy!

Looking at this money now, Ma Xun thinks it's really just a small amount.

So, without saying a word, just a disdainful look from him was enough to make the president of the valley waver.

It eventually rose to 300 million.

This copyright fee is really not low; it's roughly equivalent to the cost of the film "Chinese Zodiac".

However, considering that "Buddha Mountain" is now an award-winning film at the Tokyo International Film Festival, it's worth it for you to have invested so much.

In any case, Ma Xun gained a lot from this trip to the Tokyo International Film Festival.

……

In the capital, the Beginning of Winter has passed.

"Congratulations, Ms. Bingbing, on winning the Best Actress award!"

"Ms. Bingbing, are you really going to join the cast of 'Chinese Zodiac' next?"

"Teacher Bingbing..."

After winning the Best Actress award in Tokyo, Bingbing was surrounded by fans as soon as she arrived at the airport, along with many media reporters.

Actually, there is a VIP channel at the airport, but I wanted to show off a bit, so I didn't use the VIP channel.

Fortunately, Ma Xun told her that this matter needed to be handled properly, so she notified the airport security in advance, and the fans also made some arrangements, with leaders and people maintaining order.

Therefore, Bingbing's triumphant return to China was quite successful.

She was truly glamorous; even Zhang Ziyi returned with her, though the smile on her face seemed forced.

No matter how good her acting skills are, it's really hard to hide it.

It was indeed quite awkward, and the key point was that she had no way to escape.

Ma Xun did not actually return with Bingbing and the others; he returned ahead of time.

He saw everything that happened at the airport on the monitor.

Just for now...

"You are too cruel!"

"How have I been cruel?" "I've never seen Zhang Ziyi suffer like this before."

"What? Are you heartbroken?"

"Hmph! How could that be!"

"So... you feel the same way? You've always wanted to be a Best Actress but couldn't have it, right?"

"Ma Xun! I advise you not to make me angry! I was in a perfectly good mood!"

There aren't many people in the entertainment industry who dare to speak to Ma Xun like that.

Hao Lei is definitely one of them.

After all, her relationship with Ma Xun was quite special; they seemed to be connected, yet also seemed to be unconnected.

Of course, Hao Lei wasn't actually angry; she couldn't help but laugh after saying that.

Ma Xun wasn't angry at all; he was in a great mood. "To be honest, I wasn't actually targeting Zhang Ziyi. I was just following my plan."

This time, I've produced Best Actor and Best Actress winners, and going forward, "Buddha Mountain," "The Piano in a Factory," and "Lost in Thailand" will be my main lineup for the upcoming Lunar New Year and Spring Festival film seasons.

Hao Lei was actually quite pleased with the way Ma Xun was speaking, but she just didn't want to see Ma Xun so smug, or rather, she still wanted to compete.

"Hehehe... Then I congratulate you in advance."

Despite his sarcastic tone, Ma Xun wasn't angry. Instead, he cast a provocative glance at Hao Lei...

Hao Lei is indeed remarkable; he has maintained his condition very well over the years, achieving remarkable results.

Ma Xun's eyes were like a knife, leaving Hao Lei nowhere to hide, yet they also held a very special quality.

"Let me be frank, my novel 'The Silver Empire' is finally going to be released. It was originally scheduled to be released last year, but it was delayed until this year."

Hao Lei finally revealed his purpose.

Ma Xun understood immediately. "You want me to help you?"

In its original timeline, "Empire of Silver" should have been released last year, but there were many good movies last year, especially "Inception" which was released earlier than expected by Ma Xun.

Then please make way.

That's how it is with movies. Many films are finished filming, but it takes a long time before they can be released. Some are released quickly, some are slow, and there are various reasons for this.

Hao Lei laughed after hearing Ma Xun's words, "As long as you don't cause me any trouble, that's considered helping me."

Ma Xun smiled after hearing this, "This movie should be handled by that guy Jia the Accountant. The investor is Guo, the richest man in Taiwan. His hometown is Jincheng, and he's from the same hometown as Jia the Accountant. It wouldn't be appropriate not to give it to him."

Hao Lei raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "So you're here to cause trouble again?"

Ma Xun nodded readily. "We're competitors. What do you think I should do?"

"You won't even give me face?"

Hao Lei got up and stormed over.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Then what do you have to offer..."

Just then, Hao Lei, being quite formidable, delivered a 'silent kill'!
"You like it, don't you! Humph! I'll let you... um~"

One was having trouble breathing, and the other's heart was racing.

They really know how to have fun.

It's funny, actually. Their bickering is much better than anything else. If it were like before, with Hao Lei as Ma Xun's subordinate, she would...

"Are you trying to suffocate me?!"

"I'm not... Humph!"

As they were talking, the two kissed, which was really strange.

Is it both opposing and integrated?
Just then, the internal phone rang.

"Mr. Ma, Miss Liu Shishi has come to visit."

"Tell her to wait downstairs, I'll be right down."

Ma Xun considered it for a moment before giving this answer.

So, this waiting...

Hao Lei instantly understood Ma Xun's meaning: he wanted to play with him and then go find that young Liu Shishi.

"Pah!" Hao Lei didn't give Ma Xun a friendly look and simply left.

However, she did pay attention to detail; she waited until Ma Xun hung up the phone before uttering that spitting remark.

Ma Xun knew Hao Lei's temperament, so he didn't care.

Since they've all left, let's go and meet Shishi.

"coming."

“Oh, Mr. Ma…”

"Stop talking, let's go for a drive."

"what?"

Ma Xun walked ahead, with Liu Shishi following behind.

Ma Xun was striding forward, and Liu Shishi's legs weren't short either, but she couldn't keep up with the man, so she had to frantically move her legs.

Soon after, they arrived at the underground parking lot and got into the car.

……

"Even if you're still unwilling to give up, it's no use now."

"Mr. Ma, I don't understand what you mean."

"What I mean is, 'Palace' is already a great success, and your 'Scarlet Heart' has been waiting for a long time. Even if you can persuade me, what can you do?"

"W-what do you mean?"

Liu Shishi shrank back more and more in the car, while Ma Xun's words became increasingly aggressive.

Until Ma Xun glanced at Shi Shi and said with a smile:

"Your goal right now probably isn't this movie, but me as a person, right?"

Upon hearing this, Shishi visibly panicked!
(End of this chapter)