Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 748 Released! Ma Xun Snatched the Spotlight Again? Yuanyuan Understands "The Silver Empire"!
"Damn it! This guy surnamed Zhu has the nerve to talk about us? Bah!"

"Boss, that guy surnamed Zhu is just talking big. He's a coward. We don't need to pay attention to him."

"Of course I know that. Also, about that sum of money..."

"Don't worry, their film didn't lose money overall, and even made a small profit. We've already received most of the marketing budget."

"Very well, so what's next... Hmph! That bastard Ma Xun!"

Jia Yueting couldn't help but curse Ma Xun a few times. After all, although Director Zhu publicly criticized someone without naming names, a lot of rumors circulated online.

This put Jia Yueting in a very awkward position. It must be said that Jia Yueting's public image is still very good.

So far, although there are some who criticize him, there are still more who praise him. As for his many unsavory pasts, he has fooled a lot of people, and ordinary people know very little about these things.

Even if people knew that he had gotten his position through deception and fraud, they couldn't spread the word.

As a result, Jia Yueting's image on the internet remains positive, even quite positive.

This guy is one of the few IT company owners, and he had previously stated that his company, Leshi, would be listed on the A-share market.

I have to say, Chinese stock market investors really have it tough.

Although many rules in the domestic market are said to be for the protection of stock investors, they have actually caused them a lot of harm over the years.

Those who can make money in our A-share market either have insider information or insider tips...right? Those who know, know.

Very few people can rise to prominence solely through technical skills. Some so-called "technical experts" are actually just using unusual methods, like Xu.

I won't go into details about those, but the most crucial point is that our domestic stock market lacks truly good companies.

This is good. I'm not talking about those super-powerful big companies, like PetroChina, Sinopec, or other banks.

We have to admit that these companies are indeed impressive, but after such companies go public, they lack the power to generate hype. If they want to promote such a large company, they would have to do it themselves, which would require a huge amount of capital.

To put it bluntly, right now, the companies that are really attracting investors are mostly IT companies, which are called unicorn companies in the United States.

Unicorns are creatures that appear in dreams, so this term is used to imply that such companies can create dreams for investors.

Regardless of whether this dream will come true, companies like this are easy to hype up and can generate a lot of buzz, so everyone can follow them.

IT companies are primarily focused on the future, and the stock market is also based on the future.

However, many of the good IT companies in China are listed on NASDAQ!

Ordinary Chinese stock investors are very envious right now, but most people find it difficult to trade US stocks through normal channels at this time.

It's worth noting that just a few years ago, ordinary people weren't even allowed to trade Hong Kong stocks.

Excellent domestic IT companies, such as Starwave and 163, are listed overseas, leaving domestic stock investors only able to look on with envy.

They have plenty of reasons for not listing in China. They simply couldn't list in the first place because of the protection for shareholders. Your company has to meet certain conditions.

So, you really can't blame those IT companies listed overseas.

They initially sought funding to further their own development.

Therefore, Jia Yueting announced that Leshi would be listed on the A-share market.

Putting aside everything else, domestic stock market investors will directly become his fans!
That's right, we're just waiting for Leshi to go public. When it goes public, we ordinary investors will definitely go and subscribe to the new shares, depending on our luck.

Everyone can see that Leshi is a company with great potential.

This is truly a unicorn company that's perfect for investment!

Now, people are criticizing Jia Yueting, which is not a good thing.

However, Zhang Zhao will still focus on the key points.

"Boss, I can't help but mention this."

"Okay, you say."

"If our company can go public soon, then the boss's image will be absolutely fine."

Yes, once our company goes public, all those investors will definitely support you.

No one cares about what Zhu Yanping said!
Jia Yueting couldn't help but nod, but then couldn't resist joking with Zhang, "You're also eager to get the stocks, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao chuckled.

Jia Yueting was indeed joking, but the joke was also a great truth, because after Leshi went public, Zhang Zhao would also gain a lot of benefits, including in terms of stocks.

It's about incentivizing management.

So, if that's the case...

"Old Zhang, how about this: I'll focus all my efforts on the IPO, while you'll be mainly responsible for dealing with that Ma Xun."

This is a good arrangement; Jia Yueting should have done it this way.

However, while nodding, Zhang Zhao said, "Boss, actually, the IPO is also a battle with Ma Xun."

"Huh? Why?" Jia Yueting asked, puzzled.

Zhang Zhao smiled and said, "I've been seeing Wang Changtian from Enlight Media a lot lately. He's always with that woman who's in charge of pre-IPO reviews."

"This..." Jia Yueting didn't expect that Ma Xun would beat her to the punch again!
Regarding the IPO, Jia Yueting thought that with her powerful backers, things would proceed much faster. However, she never expected that Ma Xun would be...

"Boss, um..." Zhang Zhao wanted to talk about the woman's situation.

The matter of being in charge of the investigation is not actually a big deal, and the official in charge is not very high-ranking. However, if someone gets their hands on this part, it could lead to a situation where a low-ranking official wields great power.

She's now a woman who returned from overseas. She has a husband, but it's said that this woman is extremely promiscuous and that she and her husband each have their own affairs. She really enjoys hiring male prostitutes.

Moreover, she also likes successful men...

Jia Yueting understood this as well. "Old Zhang, I get what you mean. How about this, you find me a few people who are outstanding in appearance, and preferably also have great potential..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Zhao nodded, "Don't worry, boss, I've already scouted a few in the industry."

It turns out this guy was prepared all along.

After hearing this, Jia Yueting was full of confidence, "In China, we can't let that guy Ma Xun beat us to it. By the way, what's the current situation with the Lunar New Year film season..."

"Don't worry, boss, we've now reached the clash stage between 'The Great Earthquake' and 'The Silver Empire'!"

"Okay! I trust you with my business!"

After they finished speaking, they burst into laughter again.

Indeed, the Lunar New Year film season is now in its middle stage.

Two blockbusters were released at the same time, with the highly anticipated "Warring States" being released just before Christmas.

The Lunar New Year film season got off to a good start this year, with "Just Another Pandora's Box" winning at the box office and "The Piano in a Factory" winning critical acclaim.

It can be said that each has its own strengths and advantages.

So, what kind of visual impact will the next two films bring us?
Ma Xun and Yuan Yuan were in a completely dark environment.

Yes, they were in the screening room.

And the big screen in front of us is about to show "Empire of Silver".

"that……"

"What do you want to say?"

"I just feel like, aren't we helping the enemy by doing this?"

"Aiding the enemy?... Haha..."

Yuanyuan's idea really amused Ma Xun.

However, there is some truth to it.

It's a private screening, since all the tickets for the entire show were sold out. The movie "Empire of Silver" is also considered a rival of Ma Xun. Although "The Great Earthquake" was directed by Feng Xiaogang, it was originally signed with Ma Xun.

Yes, it does feel like aiding the enemy, but Ma Xun still smiled.

"What are you laughing at?"

Ma Xun had no choice but to explain, "If the film 'Aftershock' fails just because we booked the entire theater, then it just means that 'Aftershock' is still not good enough, and Feng Xiaogang still needs to work on his skills!"

This still requires practice, which made Yuanyuan laugh.

"You always have such a funny way of talking."

Clearly, Yuanyuan was unaware of the "still need to practice" meme.

Ma Xun didn't offer much explanation; isn't being interesting a good thing?

Anyway, Ma Xun is full of confidence now, but this movie...

Let's take a look first.

"it is good."

Popcorn, cola, and other snacks were all prepared, and Ma Xun was also holding a condom in his hand... just in case.

Next up is "The Silver Empire".

To be fair, "Empire of Silver" is indeed a blockbuster, as can be seen from its production quality.

The visuals clearly show that a lot of money was spent on this!
However, Ma Xun knew all too well where this movie came from.

The opening did indeed feature the names of China Film Group and Bona Film Group, and they were indeed the producers, but the majority of the investment in this film definitely came from that guy Terry Gou.

This is common knowledge within the industry.

The reason why Guo Taiming invested in this movie is very simple: the movie is about Shanxi merchants.

As a descendant of Shanxi merchants, Guo Taiming naturally invests more in stories about his family.

However, a problem arises.

The Shanxi merchants in history, were they anything special?
How did the Ming Dynasty fall?

While it's not fair to blame everything on the Shanxi merchants, they certainly bear some responsibility!

Also, this movie is set in the late Qing Dynasty...

"Oh……"

At first, Yuanyuan was very worried because the movie was indeed quite 'ruthless'.

There are so many underhanded tricks and dirty tactics in business, and many of them are simply...

"Is it really that bad?"

Yuanyuan couldn't resist watching it halfway through.

Ma Xun smiled and pulled Yuanyuan into his arms. "You still don't understand. This movie is actually speaking for those rich people."

"what?"

Yuanyuan was very puzzled, and later on, the male protagonist, Fu Cheng, and his family were really too wicked.

They hoarded and monopolized salt, refusing to release any salt even if countless people starved to death at their doorsteps.

The scene was truly horrific!
Even Yuanyuan couldn't hold back anymore, "Is this still taking sides?"

Ma Xun laughed and said, "You're still too green."

That one word, "tender," made Yuanyuan blush.

But, given the current state of the movie, I'm not really in the mood for it, at least not here.

Ma Xun knew what Yuan Yuan was thinking and said with a smile, "In the end, he's not the male lead. This businessman, who was portrayed as a positive character, is the one who ultimately inherits the family business."

Yuanyuan seemed to understand.

“His father was so bad, but in the end, it was his father who accepted him, so…”

"Yes, although the male protagonist in the movie is very kind, or rather, very positive, think about it, did his father only approve of him because he had no other choice?"

Yuanyuan asked, "Could it be that reality is different from the movies?"

Ma Xun laughed and said, "There are plenty of movies like that. It's like asking you, is Ip Man really that powerful and good at fighting?"

Ah this...

Yuanyuan is so confused.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "The champions in the official records of the Republic of China were basically all Northern boxers. Huo Yuanjia was particularly famous. Look at the photos he left behind. He was a super strong man in the Republic of China era, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. He could fight foreign strongmen. It wasn't because he could use four ounces to break a thousand pounds, but because he himself had the strength of a thousand pounds!"

Now... Yuanyuan finally understands!

(End of this chapter)