Chapter 36: Going the Extra Mile, Can "Heard" Break Ten Million?

"What do we do now?"

"What else can we do? We have to go bail them out!"

Even if it was the work of the Chen brothers, Ma Xun still had to go. One had to keep up appearances, after all.

However, Bai Xiaohang found himself in an awkward position. He had no reason to go. It wasn't that he was afraid of the police station—that place was practically his second home—but this specific incident had nothing to do with him. Bai Xiaohang might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he wasn't a complete idiot.

"Then I'm not going."

"Aren't you going to keep an eye on us?" Ma Xun teased him.

"The cops are already watching. They don't need me." With that, he turned and left.

Ma Xun didn't try to stop him and instead headed toward the nightclub. He figured the nightclub owner had probably been taken in as well, and he needed to find out which precinct they were being held at. Unexpectedly, he ran head-on into a long-legged beauty.

Although it was deep into the night, the moonlight was bright enough for Ma Xun to see her clearly. There was no helping it; she was simply too striking. Tall and statuesque, she was wrapped in a wool coat, with only half her face visible, yet it was impossible not to recognize her.

Joey Wong.

Their meeting was a pure coincidence, leaving both of them momentarily stunned. Clearly, they had noticed each other back at the nightclub earlier. Ma Xun decided to break the silence first.

"Aren't you going to bail someone out?"

His words were loaded. He didn't explicitly say he knew who she was, but the implication was clear. Furthermore, he signaled that he knew about her relationship with a certain someone. In fact, their relationship with Lin Jianyue hadn't been made public yet. Most people's memories were still stuck on news of her breakup with her ex-boyfriend surnamed Qin, even though that was years ago.

Of course, there had been rumors for a long time about Lin Jianyue’s frantic pursuit of her, but those were just minor gossip. From a public perception standpoint, many people didn't want a goddess like Joey Wong to be caught by a notorious rich kid. But even Joey Wong was just a woman. The Lin family was incredibly wealthy, and Lin Jianyue, with his silver tongue, had promised to divorce his wife and marry her.

At this moment, Joey Wong was truly torn by Ma Xun's words. After a while, she smiled and said, "You must be the 'big shot' from the North that Mr. Lin mentioned."

The way she referred to him as "Mr. Lin" was quite clever.

"That's right." Ma Xun first acknowledged being a "big shot," then smiled and said, "I understand your concerns, but this is an opportunity."

Joey Wong was stunned. She clearly understood what Ma Xun meant. If she went to bail out Lin Jianyue, the result would be obvious: their relationship would be exposed. However, once exposed, it would test whether Lin Jianyue was truly planning to divorce and marry her. The key was that Lin Jianyue had no reason to blame her—she was, after all, helping him. This was a fantastic opportunity!

Ma Xun could see that she was tempted, so he added, "It’s not a big deal for Hong Kong people to cause trouble on the mainland. You haven't forgotten about the Yulin incident, have you?"

At the mention of Yulin, Joey Wong snapped out of her daze and nodded at Ma Xun. Ma Xun said nothing more and walked off with a smile. It was better if they didn't go to bail them out together.

But what had happened in Yulin? That was a scandal that could never be scrubbed clean. In 1992, Wong Kar-wai and Jeffrey Lau had brought a large group of Hong Kong and Taiwanese stars to Yulin, a place perfect for filming due to its diverse and beautiful landscapes. But Wong Kar-wai was notoriously slow. To avoid losing money, they used the gaps in filming to shoot a comedy on the side. That was how *Ashes of Time* and *The Eagle Shooting Heroes* came to be. *Ashes of Time* was the original plan, but *The Eagle Shooting Heroes* was released a year earlier.

Wong Kar-wai was truly sluggish. But that sluggishness led to more than just an extra movie; the cast and crew couldn't contain themselves and went to solicit prostitutes, getting caught red-handed. The incident wasn't widely known at the time because the mainland media didn't report much on it, but it had been written into the Yulin County Annals—in great detail. Not everyone was caught, of course; Leslie Cheung had been focused on acting and stayed out of trouble.

That scandal was crystal clear. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were nailed to the pillar of historical shame—it was in the county annals, after all. Back then, the mainland was very tolerant of visitors from Hong Kong. If this had happened a dozen years later, it would have resulted in a total ban, regardless of whether they were superstars or famous directors. Since it had only been a few years, Joey Wong certainly hadn't forgotten. Ma Xun mentioning it helped her make up her mind.

*Well, in the spirit of helping someone to the end, should I give her another hand?*

***

At a certain precinct:

"Damn it! It must have been those two scumbags who set us up!"

"Damn them! Just wait until we get out!"

Ma Xun arrived and paid the bail. The "case" wasn't actually that serious, but it was still an official record. When Ma Xun appeared, the group acted as if they had seen a savior, all while continuing to curse. It was obvious the Chen brothers were behind it. Ma Xun's act of bailing them out was essentially a way to gauge the momentum of this power struggle.

Soon after, Joey Wong appeared. She remained as elegant as ever, saying little. She simply sat there, her long legs in black silk stockings drawing glances from everyone, her purpose clear: to bail someone out.

But then...

"Wow! Ms. Joey Wong, can you tell us why you are at the police station?"

"Is this related to Mr. Lin Jianyue?"

"There are other celebrities here too..."

When Ma Xun, Sun Donghai, and Lung Wu left the station, the media swarmed them. Joey Wong and Lin Jianyue were surrounded.

"Let's go! We have to vent our frustration!"

Over the next ten days, Guangzhou was a whirlwind of activity. The power struggle between the two sides was intense.

"Breaking news! The romance between famous star Joey Wong and ATV heir Lin Jianyue has been exposed!"

"There were rumors before, but Lin Jianyue already has a wife and children!"

"He said he would divorce... the latest scoop from Hong Kong!"

"Is it marriage after divorce, or has the beauty been deceived?"

The fight between Lung Wu and the Chen brothers was fierce, but the outcome was clear. The Chen brothers were nouveau riche, no match for a veteran underworld figure like Lung Wu. If they weren't on the mainland, the Chen brothers would have had no capital to fight him at all. But even on the mainland, the proximity to Hong Kong meant that the local gangsters could easily cross over.

The result was soon clear: the Chen brothers were soundly defeated. With no other options, they had to invite senior figures to mediate, settling the matter over wine and tea. But that’s a story for another time.

What was interesting was that their intense fighting wasn't as popular as the gossip. The scandal between Joey Wong and Lin Jianyue had exploded. In fact, there had been rumors for a long time, but now that they had been caught at a police station, the story caught fire—not just in Hong Kong, but even more so on the mainland.

As for the mastermind behind it all, Ma Xun had returned to Beijing. He had real work to do, while Sun Donghai was busy having the time of his life. *Forget him.*

*Let’s see how my film 'Hear Me' is doing.*

Not long after Ma Xun returned to his courtyard, someone knocked on his door.

"Sister Hong, you..."

It was Sister Hong. Before he could finish his sentence, she leaped into his arms. "Ma Xun! I missed you so much!" She hugged him, peppering his face with kisses. Ma Xun understood her excitement and carried her inside.

"How’s the movie doing?"

Even inside, Sister Hong didn't stop. Ma Xun finally managed to find a gap to speak, but Sister Hong had a simple answer: "Are you really planning to chat right now?"

Fair enough. Ma Xun threw her onto the bed and dove in.

...

"I really didn't expect it to be this good!"

"How good?"

"We've already hit over 3 million in the Northeast and over 2 million in Shanghai."

"Oh, that's only 5 million total."

"Oh, you! Is that little? And I’ve just rushed back to Beijing."

"Is there more good news?"

"You have no idea! So many theater owners here in Beijing are begging for copies. I have total confidence!"

"I see... no wonder."

Ma Xun and Sister Hong had another deep exchange. Still glistening with sweat, they couldn't help but talk about *Hear Me*. Sister Hong was thrilled; she hadn't expected her directorial debut to achieve such excellent results. The box office had already surpassed 5 million, and crucially, the market in Beijing seemed to have a void.

Of course! Ma Xun had known this would happen. With Lung Wu and the Chen brothers fighting, most of the film copies were tied up in Guangzhou. Now, Beijing, the Northeast, and Shanghai were experiencing a market vacuum. Cinemas needed films to survive, and since *Hear Me* was practically the only choice for new releases, it suddenly had the advantage in theater scheduling.

"Ma Xun, what do you think the final box office will be? Around 8 million?"

"You, why are you being so small-minded? Aim for at least ten million!"

Ma Xun gave her a playful swat, and Sister Hong reacted by wrapping herself around him even tighter, like a beautiful snake.