Chapter 34: Watching Them Build Their Towers, Watching Them Host Their Guests

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It was not as though no Chinese film had ever crossed the hundred-million mark.

Though The Emperor’s Shadow carried the banner of the Xi’an Film Studio, it was unequivocally a film financed by private capital.

There had never really been a picture like it before.

Zhou Xiaowen had gone straight out and declared that it would surpass one hundred million.

That alone showed the scale of his ambition.

And so, with that single sentence, he managed to intimidate Long Five.

Even the Chen brothers were visibly startled.

Who wouldn’t want to break the hundred-million mark?

But humility was the foundation of Chinese conduct. If a film had only just been released and its makers were already shouting such a slogan, what if word got out and they failed to achieve it?

They would be publicly humiliated.

But now the gauntlet had been thrown down.

Would Long Five pick it up?

And if so, how?

“We also—”

Long Five was not exactly known for his mild temper. He immediately prepared to shout, “We’re going to break one hundred million too!”

It was just like a scene from one of the many gambling films produced by his Yongsheng company.

“You’re going all in?”

“I’m going all in too!”

Whatever the final result, they could not afford to lose in sheer momentum.

But Ma Xun tugged at Long Five’s sleeve.

The Hong Kong Fifth Brother understood at once and immediately gave Ma Xun enough room to speak.

Everyone’s attention shifted to him.

They all wanted to hear what this Mr. Ma from the capital had to say.

With an easy smile, Ma Xun said, “I’ve long heard of the historical epic The Emperor’s Shadow. Bosses Chen, you’ve invested more than forty million, brought in Jiang Wen—the leading male star on the mainland—as well as the actor I personally admire, Ge You, and Miss Xu Qing. And those are only the names I happen to know. There are countless other talented actors besides.

“Then there’s Director Zhou and the renowned screenwriter Mr. Lu Wei.

“With such an extraordinary cast and such a magnificent subject, one hundred million at the box office…”

He waved a hand. “That’s practically pocket change.”

What was Ma Xun playing at?

Which side was he on?

The Chen brothers were delighted to hear that. Long Five, however, frowned.

The person whose expression changed the least was Sun Donghai.

He had complete faith in his brothers.

Then Ma Xun changed direction.

“But come to think of it, wouldn’t one hundred million at the box office merely cover your costs?”

Exactly!

That was the point!

They had initially been shocked because one hundred million sounded like such an impressive figure.

But now that they thought about it carefully…

Long Five laughed. “Boss Chen, Boss Chen, making money isn’t easy these days. Haste won’t get the bean curd cooked.”

It was not that the Hong Kong Fifth Brother lacked one hundred million.

But for a single film to earn one hundred million in the mainland—that really was astonishing.

He had merely been caught off guard just now. After Ma Xun’s reminder, his confidence returned.

He even adopted the air of someone asking, “Would you like me to teach you how to make money?”

The Chen brothers were furious.

“Who says The Emperor’s Shadow can only make one hundred million?”

“Exactly. Two hundred million isn’t impossible either!”

Now they were really boasting.

One hundred million was still something they could at least imagine.

But two hundred million?

“You two are getting ahead of yourselves. It isn’t time to start dreaming yet.”

“You’re the ones bragging!”

The Chen brothers and Long Five were about to start arguing when, fortunately, one of the officials stepped in to mediate.

“We all want the mainland film market to prosper.”

“Of course.”

“The mainland economy has been growing rapidly for years. Film is undoubtedly an industry with enormous potential. As Hong Kong investors, we will certainly invest heavily.”

“Well said! Very well said!”

The official really knew what he was doing.

He had managed to pull them back from the brink.

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These days, an investment of forty million might not have seemed like much from a macroeconomic perspective.

But this was both Hong Kong capital and private capital.

That made it something entirely different.

And forty million was hardly pocket change. It was enough to mount a major project.

If the Chen brothers were prepared to invest on such a grand scale, Long Five might well respond in kind.

So naturally, the officials wanted everyone to make money together in harmony.

Still, the Chen brothers had undeniably lost a little face.

Long Five’s side had originally been at a disadvantage, yet they had managed to turn the tables.

And the one who had orchestrated all of this was Ma Xun.

Sun Donghai felt proud of his brother and was just about to say something when he noticed someone approaching.

“Oh, look at that. All our big stars have arrived.”

At his words, everyone turned to look.

Sure enough, Jiang Wen, Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Ge You, Xu Qing, and Ning Jing—the stars who had dazzled on the red carpet just moments earlier—were coming over.

And they were not alone.

Ma Xun also spotted Sister Hong, along with Gao Yuanyuan, Hao Lei, and Chen Kun.

That was unexpected.

Jiang Wen spoke first.

“Good evening, bosses. Good evening, officials.”

One sentence neatly established everyone’s positions.

They were certainly major stars.

But the Chen brothers, Long Five, Ma Xun, and Sun Donghai were all bosses.

Their status was entirely different.

As for the officials, there was even less to say. No matter how famous a star might be, one still had to show them respect.

Jiang Wen looked like a rough, unsophisticated man, but in truth he was highly educated and extremely skilled with words.

After his greeting, the atmosphere immediately improved.

Everyone began chatting amicably.

Interestingly, Jiang Wen brought up something else.

“Talking with Mr. Cheung about the past reminded me that I still can’t let go of the role of Cheng Dieyi.”

What?

Quite a few people there did not know that Jiang Wen had also auditioned for the role of Cheng Dieyi.

When he mentioned it, some could not help laughing.

After all, Jiang Wen was now playing Qin Shi Huang in the film.

He and Cheng Dieyi could hardly have been more different.

“At first, I was actually planning to turn it down…” Leslie Cheung naturally joined the conversation.

As the two of them talked, they instantly became the center of attention.

All the earlier tension faded away.

The two opposing camps, which had been on the verge of open conflict, became harmonious again.

Not bad.

At this point, the opening round of this battle between dragons and tigers could be considered more or less complete.

The major players on both sides had met and negotiated, and then their subordinates had made their entrance.

It had almost felt like a display of forces.

They could have ended things there.

But when one wishes for stillness, the wind refuses to cease.

Xu Qing had hardly said a word yet.

“What were you all talking about just now?”

Someone told her, “We were discussing whether The Emperor’s Shadow might break one hundred million at the box office.”

The moment she heard that, she grabbed Sister Hong’s arm.

“Did you hear that? Our film might break one hundred million!”

Sister Hong was instantly put in an awkward position.

“Mm-hmm. I hope your film does wonderfully at the box office.”

That was all she could say.

Xu Qing was delighted. But courtesy demanded that she say something nice to Sister Hong in return.

“Your film is coming out soon too, isn’t it? These three are the leads from Hear Me, right? They have such tremendous potential.”

There was nothing technically wrong with those words.

But for her side, it was “breaking one hundred million,” while for Sister Hong’s side, it was merely “having potential.”

Who would feel good hearing that?

Sister Hong was doing her best to maintain a pleasant expression. Fortunately, she noticed the look Ma Xun gave her.

Whatever happened, she had to endure it for now.

“Let me introduce everyone. These are the new talents my company is pushing with all its strength: Hao Lei, Gao Yuanyuan, and Chen Kun…”

Sister Hong had turned the situation to her advantage and introduced the newcomers.

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And surprisingly, it worked.

Jiang Wen and the other major stars really did offer them a few words of praise.

Besides, the three had just appeared on the red carpet, so they were practically guaranteed to make the newspapers the next day.

Seventeen-Year-Olds Don’t Cry had already aired as well.

The red-carpet debut of Hao Lei, Gao Yuanyuan, and Chen Kun had been a tremendous success.

Ma Xun nodded.

In truth, after directing that reversal just moments earlier, he had once again withdrawn into the background.

There was no need for him to say much. He could simply watch them perform.

And now…

With so many famous stars gathered around, it was impossible not to pay a little extra attention to Xu Qing.

As far as her appearance went, Ma Xun had only four words for her:

Plump, polished, and radiant.

She really was heavier than she would be later in life.

That woman was strange. In her forties and fifties, she seemed to regain her youth, becoming considerably slimmer than she had been when young—and even more alluring.

Most astonishing of all, after weathering so many years of life’s storms, her most impressive assets had remained completely unaffected.

A scene from the film involuntarily surfaced in Ma Xun’s mind.

She really was daring.

Even the courtesan of Qin could command such a grand spectacle?

That line had certainly taken nerve to write.

But when it came to human relationships and worldly affairs, Xu Qing was like a child.

Clearly, she was the kind of princess who had been protected far too well.

It would have been stranger if she had never been deceived.

Of course, Ma Xun now understood why Sister Hong was angry.

Anyone would be furious after hearing Xu Qing say something like that.

At that moment, someone reminded them, “The premiere is about to begin.”

As soon as they heard that, everyone stopped talking and headed toward the screening hall.

Ma Xun followed naturally. Sister Hong was sensible enough not to speak with him.

Hao Lei, Gao Yuanyuan, and the others had also been given their instructions.

And then came the grand premiere of the historical epic The Emperor’s Shadow.

The audience was extremely enthusiastic.

Long Five and the creative teams behind New Shanghai Bund and Hear Me were there to lend their support as well.

Ma Xun sat quietly in his seat.

He felt something difficult to describe:

Watching him raise a tower.

Watching him entertain his guests.

…

“No matter what, get even for me!”

Sister Hong had done little more than a simple publicity appearance in Yangcheng.

Before leaving, she had tossed Ma Xun those words.

Ma Xun had not even answered her.

Because not long after Sister Hong left—

The Emperor’s Shadow ran into trouble.

Two days later, Director Zhou Xiaowen was still asleep in his hotel room when someone came knocking.

“Zhou Xiaowen?”

“That’s me. What is it?”

“Come with us.”

“What?”

The director was taken to the local police station.

And then came the accusation:

“History is not for you to fabricate and distort as you please!”

The words came down on him like a barrage, leaving Zhou Xiaowen utterly stunned.

One hundred million?

Two hundred million?

As The Emperor’s Shadow was pulled from theaters nationwide, all of it—

vanished like smoke and scattered like dust.

At least, that was how it looked to Ma Xun…

Wait.

Something was wrong with the details.

He had watched the tower collapse.

But this collapse had come far too soon.