Deceiving Chinese Entertainment Industry for Thirty Years 12

Chapter 12: I’ll help you solve the problem with “Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry,” and you’ll help me sell “A Chinese Odyssey”!

January 21, 2025

Chapter 12: I’ll help you solve the problem with “Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry,” and you’ll help me sell “A Chinese Odyssey”!

CCTV (China Central Television), wasn’t the iconic skyscraper yet.

The building was located on Fuxing Road.

Next to the Military Museum.

Ma Xun came to discuss business and naturally wouldn’t enter the main building of CCTV.

In fact, there were not only security guards at the entrance of CCTV but also armed police standing guard.

How dare a Hong Kong bigwig come here?

If he got glared at, his heart would definitely pound.

The agreed-upon meeting place with Sun Donghai was to the south.

Just past the intersection, he saw the guy.

“Brother, you’re finally here! It’s urgent, let’s talk while having lunch.”

“Okay, I haven’t eaten yet.”

Sun Donghai led the way.

The two quickly entered a small restaurant.

The restaurant wasn’t big, but business was booming.

It was noon, and the place was packed.

Sun Donghai pulled Ma Xun to a table.

A woman in her forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and dressed neatly, was already waiting.

“Let me introduce you, this is my second aunt… Second Aunt, this is Ma Xun, the resourceful guy I told you about.”

He only said “second aunt,” without mentioning her name.

Ma Xun understood; this “second aunt” was no ordinary person.

He didn’t mind; it was easier to fool such people.

“Nice to meet you, Second Aunt…” he said, extending his hand.

A handshake, a common social courtesy.

But she interrupted him before he finished, “Hold it there, I’m not your second aunt.”

Clearly, this woman was quite arrogant and spoke with a sharp tone.

Sun Donghai immediately laughed to smooth things over, “Second Aunt~ my dear Second Aunt~. Ma Xun and I are good buddies.”

Give me some face, please.

The “second aunt” rolled her eyes, “You’re unreliable, the friends you make…”

“Bad company” almost slipped out.

“Just call me that,” she said, surprisingly.

“Brother, this…” Sun Donghai scratched his head, clearly embarrassed.

Ma Xun smiled, unconcerned, saying, “It’s your fault. You must have a colorful past, and I’m just unlucky. I’m clearly not familiar with your Second Aunt, yet I’m getting the cold shoulder. Where’s the justice in that?”

These words worked well. Ma Xun not only maintained his image but also subtly criticized Sun Donghai.

“Yes, yes, it’s all my fault,” Sun Donghai quickly admitted.

The minor unpleasantness at the beginning passed.

The meal could finally begin.

Technically, it was a business lunch.

However, the restaurant wasn’t high-end.

Sun Donghai didn’t hesitate to order, and the “second aunt” didn’t say anything.

Ma Xun could tell that she had some beauty in her youth.

He was even surer she was a former artsy young woman.

But now, her skin was sallow with age spots.

Although she tried to maintain her appearance, her figure was quite plump.

Haughty and unwilling to give others any leeway… such women were the easiest to deal with.

Soon, the food arrived, and they chatted while eating.

They quickly got to the point.

“Ma Xun, Hai Zi told me you want to bring Hong Kong films to the movie channel?”

This opening was excellent.

Earlier, Sun Donghai had told Ma Xun that his second aunt’s project was facing problems.

But now, she didn’t mention her problem; instead, she was concerned about their business.

Ma Xun smiled, “Second Aunt, let’s not rush that. I’m here to act as a consultant. I’ve heard of the ‘Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry’ project.”

A tit for tat.

You care about our business, I care about your problems.

Sure enough, the second aunt’s gaze was less sharp.

She pushed her glasses up, saying, “You know about this project?”

“A little,” Ma Xun’s smile remained, “It was written by a girl named Li Fangfang, right? She has a good writing style, and the story is pretty good. It captures many problems faced by high school students today, very relatable.”

His words surprised not only Sun Donghai, whose eyebrows were dancing with excitement,

but even the second aunt; her black-rimmed glasses couldn’t hide her surprised expression.

“You really…”

“Second Aunt, I like reading in my free time… well, pretending to be a literary youth, you know?”

“Haha… Young man, don’t be humble; you’re very talented!”

With this conversation, trust grew between them.

However, mentioning “Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry” inevitably brought up Li Fangfang.

Ma Xun’s literary youth persona was an act.

But he genuinely knew about this play and Li Fangfang.

“Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry” was written by Li Fangfang when she just started high school. It was called a collection of essays, but it could also be considered a diary.

Of course, Li Fangfang was undoubtedly a talented woman, and she definitely had connections.

Fortunately, she didn’t write “My District Chief Father.”

Ma Xun knew her because Li Fangfang later became a well-known female director in the industry.

In “Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry,” the author played a cameo role as an award-winning academic overachiever.

After that drama, Li Fangfang went to study abroad.

She returned ten years later.

She made a film called “80s Generation.”

It lost a lot of money.

But it didn’t affect Li Fangfang.

She later made “Unasked Questions.”

This film was much more successful.

Later, Ma Xun knew she would make “Sword Comes.”

Regarding Li Dao’s career, if you asked Ma Xun if he was envious…

Of course, he was!

Li Fangfang wasn’t alone; she represented a type of person.

Like Jin Yimeng and others.

Their life trajectories were very similar.

They had connections, studied abroad, returned to China to make films.

Upon their return, they collaborated with top-tier stars.

Jin Yimeng’s “Very Perfect,” with Zhang Ziyi, Fan Bingbing, Yao Chen…

In the Chinese entertainment industry, they were classified as “goddesses.”

Ma Xun was just an ordinary person; he could only look up to them before.

But now…

“Little Ma, unexpectedly, you know quite a bit about literature.”

“Second Aunt, you’re flattering me; I just read casually in my spare time.”

“It’s all Hai Zi’s fault!”

“Hey? Why are you blaming me again?”

The three of them were getting along better and better.

Next, it was time to discuss the crucial matter.

“Let me be direct. The station wants to make this drama, but as you know, the cost of filmmaking is increasing rapidly these days.

Without two or three million, it’s impossible to start filming.

For ‘Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry,’ there’s a funding gap of around 1.5 million.”

These words needed to be “heard” carefully.

The translation was: The station only provided 1.5 million; another 1.5 million is needed, but we don’t want to ask the station for more; you two figure something out.

When she said two or three million, it definitely meant the upper limit.

Ma Xun knew this very well.

Outsiders might think CCTV is powerful.

Yes, very powerful; everyone agrees.

But they are also notoriously stingy.

How much money was given for “Journey to the West,” and how many years did it take to film?

The Tang Monk ran off with a rich woman after filming!

What Daughter Kingdom Queen?

Nothing beats RMB (Renminbi)!

When “Three Kingdoms” was being filmed, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Cao Cao were so hungry they went to a villager’s field to steal corn cobs to eat.

Cao Cao, who played the role of Lu Su, later said that the pay for the show was 6,000 yuan a year.

And 2,000 yuan was deducted for taxes.

Lu Su was one of the main characters.

CCTV’s labor practices would make even capitalists cry.

Now, how could Ma Xun solve the funding problem?

He smiled, “Second Aunt, why don’t we round it up?”

“Huh?”

“How about 2 million?”

“This…” The second aunt was stunned.

Sun Donghai was also dumbfounded, “Where’s the money coming from?”

Ma Xun presented his “solution.”

“We’re planning to give our ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ to the movie channel, so let’s make it two million.”

Huh?

Sun Donghai and his second aunt were shocked.

Oh, so you’re solving the funding problem for “Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry” on the condition that you first secure the deal for “A Chinese Odyssey”?

Wait a minute… Sun Donghai sensed an advantage; he remained silent.

The second aunt couldn’t stay quiet, “2 million? Do you think I have that much power? That’s 2 million! If I could get 2 million, I wouldn’t need your advice for the previous 1.5 million!”

The woman was angry again.

But Ma Xun remained calm and smiled, “Second Aunt, this 2 million isn’t your money; it’s the movie channel’s money.

And it’s not for one year, it’s for five years.”

With that, the second aunt’s expression improved.

“But, it’s still 2 million!”

“My dear Second Aunt, ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ had an investment of 60 million Hong Kong dollars!

The cast was incredibly luxurious.

Stephen Chow (Hong Kong star), has a huge fan base in both mainland China and Hong Kong!

It also raked in tens of millions at the box office.

Using 2 million to buy the five-year broadcasting rights for such a film.

How is that expensive?”

This last sentence imitated Li Jiaqi’s (a famous Chinese livestreamer) sales pitch.

Sun Donghai listened beside him, incredibly surprised.

Brother, your mouth is really amazing!

You turned a film that caused the production company to go bankrupt into a classic blockbuster.

At this moment, Sun Donghai didn’t know that it would indeed become a classic blockbuster.

But Ma Xun’s mouth could even fool a lame person into walking!

And the second aunt was almost convinced.

“You mean, sell ‘A Chinese Odyssey’ to the movie channel, and then use the money to invest in ‘Seventeen Years Old, Don’t Cry’, this…”

Ma Xun saw that he needed to further influence this director-second aunt.

“The movie channel, as far as I know, although it’s under the CCTV banner, it’s still affiliated with China Film Group.

China Film Group is currently undergoing crucial reforms; I believe the leaders of China Film Group want to achieve results.

‘A Chinese Odyssey’ is just the beginning; we can introduce many more Hong Kong films in the future; we have the resources.”

This meant: I know the movie channel has just been established and must have money!

Those who have worked in the workplace for a long time will understand: At the beginning of a project, funding is most abundant.

The second aunt couldn’t help but nod, but then she asked, “You also know that television is all about ratings…”

Ma Xun interrupted her, “Second Aunt, you are the most honest and dedicated leader I’ve ever met.

Regarding the television broadcast of ‘A Chinese Odyssey.’

I can guarantee that the ratings will be excellent.

You’ll definitely be a hero of the movie channel!

As for any unforeseen circumstances that might lead to poor ratings, well, that’s just an accident, right?”

Translation: If it’s a success, the credit is yours! If it’s a failure, you stay far away! Do I need to teach you that?

The second aunt nodded in satisfaction, “Little Ma, you really have a lot of ideas, very good.”

Done!

Ma Xun thought, this woman is so wordy!

But when doing business with government officials, you have to be like this.

Sun Donghai was also overjoyed, repeatedly giving his good brother a thumbs-up.

Another success!

Next was the discussion of details.

The second aunt was quite reasonable; she had previously mentioned 1.5 million, so it would be 1.5 million.

The extra 500,000, you take it… Actually, she understood.

This was necessary.

Since 1.5 million was invested, there should be a return on investment.

The second aunt said that they could enjoy 30% of the future broadcast revenue.

That is, the advertising revenue calculated based on the ratings achieved on CCTV.

There are formulas for these details.

Ma Xun was confident; this drama would be quite successful.

The 1.5 million would definitely be recouped.

But some people might be confused; since we invested 1.5 million, shouldn’t we get 50%?

Don’t forget, this is on the CCTV platform.

Getting 30% is already quite good.

Additionally, Ma Xun emphasized something else.

“Second Aunt, regarding casting and other specific work, can Hai Ge and I…”

“No problem; you invested the money after all.”

This meant they had obtained casting rights and other “special” privileges.

Sun Donghai had never worked in the film industry before; he really didn’t understand.

“Brother, why do you want this?”

“Believe me, we can earn back this 1.5 million without even broadcasting the drama.”

Believe! Of course, he believed!

It’s just that Sun Donghai still didn’t understand how…

Seeking votes, seeking collections, seeking follow-up reading.

Thank you everyone, thank you very much.

(End of Chapter)

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