Chapter Thirty-Nine: Frosty

"Silent love is even more moving!"

"A film called *Hear Me* has ignited the end of 1996!"

"Why do young people love this *Hear Me* so much?"

It’s a hit!

A true, bona fide hit!

It’s not just the dark-horse performance at the box office; it has also drawn a flurry of media coverage. Some newspapers have written that the film caught the tailwind of CCTV’s success, as all three leads cut their teeth on the hit drama *Seventeen Don't Cry*.

In particular, the lead actress, Hao Lei, delivered a performance that was authentic and natural, with a youthful, radiant appearance that perfectly embodied the quintessential high school girl. Then there’s the supporting actress, Gao Yuanyuan; pure and lovely, her acting might have been raw, but that very rawness is exactly what drew attention. As for the lead actor, Chen Kun, he is devastatingly handsome.

With the three of them already familiar faces from a major campus drama, followed by the release of a feature film, its success was inevitable.

Other papers have praised the plot of the film, noting that the themes of family, love, and sisterhood were all captured beautifully. It may seem understated on the surface, but the details are filled with warmth. Of course, there were some negative reviews, but the positive feedback overwhelmingly dominated.

One could simply say: *Hear Me* has achieved a double harvest of box office success and critical acclaim!

But sometimes, being a hit is not necessarily a good thing.

...

"Ma Xun! What are you busy with?"

Sister Hong arrived at the small courtyard again, but this time, she didn't bother knocking on the door ring. She was clearly fuming.

Ma Xun smiled, pulled her into the house, and poured her a cup of hot tea.

"Who bullied you?"

Sister Hong held the cup with both hands, the winter chill instantly dispelled. Even before taking a sip, she felt a warmth in her heart. Her anger naturally subsided, but the matter still had to be addressed.

"Going to the South, we've hit a wall."

Ma Xun understood immediately and said with a smile, "Our film has become famous, so those bosses are bound to be cautious."

"Why?" Sister Hong was a bit confused.

Ma Xun had actually prepared for this early on. "Once you're famous, pirates will target you. And once pirated copies appear, our box office drawing power will certainly be no match for *New Shanghai Beach*."

It was a fair point. Before, *Hear Me* had so little fame that the bootleggers didn't even bother with it. Now that it was a hit, the pirates would definitely be on it. And once the bootlegs were out, since our film relied on newcomers—could Chen Kun compare to Andy Lau? Could Hao Lei overshadow Ning Jing? Cinema owners aren't fools; they would certainly have their concerns.

*Hear Me* had been making its fortune in silence, but it couldn't stay quiet anymore.

"Then what about our box office?"

"Didn't you think 8 million would be great before?"

"That was then, this is now~"

Sister Hong’s words wore her greed plainly on her face. Fortunately, Ma Xun was mentally prepared. Given the current state of the mainland film market, a romance like *Hear Me* would find it very difficult to see significant growth after crossing the 10 million mark.

Ma Xun said seriously, "I estimate we might hit 15 million in the end. But even that is a huge success, and it’ll look good for you."

He was actually being quite generous with that estimate. Sister Hong felt genuinely pleased. Nowadays, when she went out, people were already calling her Director Chen. It was only a tiny step away from being called "The Great Director Chen."

"You, you just know how to say exactly what I want to hear."

This sentence was proof enough that Sister Hong was in a good mood. But there was another important issue.

"The Beijing Film Studio wants to withhold our payments."

This was no small matter!

Ma Xun smiled, "Is this enough to stump my great Director Chen?"

He decided to use the title early. Sister Hong was thrilled, but she still had to get to the point. "You know how it is. State-owned enterprises aren't having an easy time right now, and the Beijing Film Studio is no exception. I have an inside source telling me the money is going to be difficult to get."

Ma Xun couldn't help but furrow his brows. To make a movie these days, you have to buy a "studio label." They had collaborated with the Beijing Film Studio for this project, and the film was shot in Beijing. Moreover, Sister Hong had quite a few acquaintances there. Back in the day, she had acted in the film versions of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* and *Dream of the Red Chamber*. At that time, her status wasn't much higher than an extra's. In the film version of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Lin Daiyu was played by Tao Huimin, Xue Baochai by Fu Yiwei, Wang Xifeng by Liu Xiaoqing, and even Shi Xiangyun was played by Ma Xiaoqing. Sister Hong was, at best, a minor maid.

But let's not dwell on those painful memories. The domestic film market had been sluggish for years, and the Beijing Film Studio was only surviving on state funding. Now that a film had made a big profit, they were bound to stir up trouble.

So, what should they do?

"Sister Hong, the method is actually very simple. Since the problem stems from interests, let's use 'interests' to solve it."

"Oh? How?"

"Our *Hear Me* only made ten million or so at the box office. While profitable, it's not a 'big interest.' So, just give them a bigger 'interest,' and that will settle it."

"A bigger interest? Why would I give that to them!"

Sister Hong's retort sounded logical, but it made Ma Xun chuckle. His handsome face clearly expressed: *I don't understand!*

Ma Xun had to teach her step by step. It made sense; Sister Hong was a lady from a distinguished family, and she was a complete novice when it came to business.

"I took a trip to the South, and I heard about many Hong Kong projects. Some lack funding, others are looking to head north for collaboration."

This was the current reality; many in the industry could see that Hong Kong filmmakers were having a hard time. Sister Hong nodded repeatedly, begging Ma Xun to continue.

"You just tell the leaders at the Beijing Film Studio that *Hear Me* is just an appetizer, and that there are many Hong Kong projects I can help bring over."

Sister Hong understood everything in an instant!

"But the money that is owed to me must be paid. Use that money as capital to lure the Hong Kong projects; the studio leaders will definitely agree to that."

"Great idea!"

There was a 'detail' in the conversation between Ma Xun and Sister Hong: units like the Beijing Film Studio had a different profit model than theirs. Simply put, as long as there was capital invested in a film, they would make a profit before the film even premiered, regardless of whether it made money or lost money!

Many leaders these days were very keen on "attracting investment," which was essentially the same thing. Sister Hong understood and was delighted. Furthermore, she immediately thought of a big fish.

"There's a project called *The Soong Sisters*. If they want to film it well, they have to come to the mainland."

Ma Xun secretly thought to himself: *Impressive.*

"This project's waters are too deep. I'm afraid you can't handle it?" That sounded... strangely familiar.

*The Soong Sisters* was rumored to have an investment of over 40 million. They definitely planned to move north, as they couldn't film it all in Hong Kong. If Sister Hong acted as the bridge, this project could happen. But the investment was too large.

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

Ma Xun actually did. He mentioned a film title: "I heard there's a project called *The Mad Phoenix*. The investment shouldn't be large, making it easier to manage."

In truth, Ma Xun mentioned this film primarily because he intended to handle the copyright. The film could be shot in Hong Kong, but it involved historical shifts that would clearly be better filmed on the mainland.

Sister Hong was overjoyed after hearing this. "Then I'll try both."

*Good heavens*, she was worried she couldn't handle one, yet she wanted to try both. Ma Xun was just about to speak when Sister Hong grabbed his hands and pulled him toward her.

*Is this... also asking Ma Xun to try both?*

What else could Ma Xun say?

...

Sister Hong used Ma Xun's method, and it worked like a charm. The Beijing Film Studio settled several payments quite readily. Sister Hong then headed south to "attract investment."

In Beijing, Ma Xun wasn't idle either. Gao Yuanyuan was very obedient. She had made up her mind to apply to the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama. However, the art exams weren't that simple. She had enrolled in a class taught by a well-known teacher in the industry. Anyone who has navigated the domestic entertainment scene in later years knows that if you aren't a child star or someone incredibly gifted, you'd better sign up for an art exam prep agency. Otherwise, there's no hope at all.

Art exam training would become an industry in the future. In 1996, this industry didn't exist yet, but there were "teachers"—actually professors from art schools who ran their own "training classes." The tuition wasn't cheap, either. These were the predecessors to the art exam training agencies of later years.

But Gao Yuanyuan said she wasn't learning much. Ma Xun decided to come and see for himself whether the teacher was incompetent or if their Yuanyuan was just too slow.

Unexpectedly, as he arrived outside the small building where the training class was held, he saw someone special.

She was the kind of beautiful girl you would notice instantly in a crowd. Tall and slender, with a delicate, melon-shaped face, large eyes, and a high, straight nose.

Bingbing Fan.

Ma Xun really didn't expect to run into her here. But it was normal, as she would also be taking the art exams next year. This whole area was full of such training classes.

So, Ma Xun took a few extra looks. A high school version of Bingbing—pure and lovely—was indeed a sight to behold.

"Sir, is there something you need?" Bingbing noticed him.

Ma Xun immediately said:

"If I told you I could make you a star, would you believe me?"