Chapter 53: Dawn's Shy Grace (Seeking First Subscription)

Even though she was already in the car, Li Xiaoran still felt she had acted on impulse.

Fortunately, there was only a lingering sense of apprehension.

She was still a young woman of twenty.

And still an innocent virgin.

Well... this couldn't be said out loud; how embarrassing.

Li Xiaoran's twenty years had been strictly supervised.

Her father was usually very strict with her.

Later, she entered a dance academy, where the supervision became even more airtight.

There were strict regulations on how much food she could eat every day.

She had truly grown sick of such a life.

The crucial point was that her dancing career had also reached its end.

A major reason was her physical development...

Who had ever seen anyone dance while carrying two giant globes?

A classmate once joked with her, "Oh my, you're even more impressive than Chen Kuo-han."

At first, Li Xiaoran didn't understand the joke at all.

Until one day when she went to the arcade and saw what Chen Kuo-han looked like...

That fat and bulky guy was just lugging around a huge iron ball!

When she got back, she got into a fierce argument with her classmate.

Yet, when she wanted to quit dancing, her father refused!

"I've supported you for so many years, and this is the result!?"

Li Xiaoran offered ten thousand explanations and ten thousand apologies.

It was useless!

She was now in a state of a severed relationship with her family.

With no other choice, she had to rely on herself.

She started looking for work at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio.

Initially, she was quite confident; after all, both her figure and her face were good enough for her to be an actress.

She never expected...

Take her current situation, for instance: she could no longer afford her rent.

She had previously filmed a Hong Kong television series. At first, they made big promises.

When it finally aired, she had to search for a long time just to find her name in the credits.

No!

This simply couldn't go on like this!

She placed great importance on the auditions for *Princess Returning Pearl*.

That was a Chiung Yao drama.

If she could only act in it, if she could catch the eye of Aunt Chiung Yao, then...

Unexpectedly, she was the very first one to be eliminated.

And now, she had gotten into Ma Xun's car.

I have no regrets!

Absolutely no regrets!

Li Xiaoran's heart fluttered with anxiety.

Although Ma Xun was driving, he could see it all clearly.

He decided to test her.

Ma Xun's hand suddenly reached out toward the passenger side near Li Xiaoran.

The girl suddenly flinched.

A conditioned reflex?

At that split second, Li Xiaoran's heart raced wildly.

As for Ma Xun's hand... it was actually just reaching to adjust the sun visor for her.

"Little sister, do you take me for the kind of guy who wants to drop his pants the moment he sees a pretty girl?"

Ma Xun's remark was extremely sharp.

Li Xiaoran blushed instantly. "Of course not."

Ma Xun laughed heartily and withdrew his hand.

"I understand your psychological state, but I also need to make it clear so you don't misunderstand what 'becoming my person' means."

"Um..."

Li Xiaoran was still somewhat naive, having left the dance academy not long ago.

"First of all, if I truly needed women, I already have a few around me.

Secondly, you don't know me very well yet.

Furthermore, we need to get the ugly truths out of the way first.

I have no way of instantly casting you in a Zhang Yimou film or making you the female lead in some major production.

I build people up step by step, steadily, and I think that's the best way.

If you can't accept this approach, you can get out of the car right now.

Lastly, I won't force you. You can rest assured on that point."

Having said all this, Ma Xun refocused entirely on driving.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoran shook her head. "I won't get out of the car!"

"Really?"

"Of course really!" Li Xiaoran's gaze was filled with absolute determination.

Yet Ma Xun smiled and asked, "What if my hand just now had been touching your leg?"

Good grief!

This sentence left Li Xiaoran completely speechless.

In truth, that action with the sun visor earlier was just a small test.

However, Ma Xun wanted to use it to make Li Xiaoran understand her current state.

You aren't prepared at all!

Continuing to drive, Ma Xun said, "Weren't you just dropped from the auditions?"

"Ah? Could it be..." A nameless spark of hope ignited within Li Xiaoran.

"Don't get any wild ideas. I can't get you a female lead role, but I can guarantee you a part in this show."

"Really?"

Even just playing a supporting role would be wonderful.

This was a Chiung Yao production!

Li Xiaoran was overjoyed.

Hearing her response, Ma Xun couldn't help but tease, "Look at how unworldly you are—just a supporting role and you're this happy?"

"Well, isn't it... At any rate, it's better than where I was before."

What Li Xiaoran said made sense.

Ma Xun smiled and shook his head. "Very well. Your answer shows that you can keep a steady head. Listen to me, start from the supporting roles and go step by step."

"Mm." Li Xiaoran agreed.

Actually, that was precisely how she felt: as long as it was better than before, it was fine.

As long as her name wouldn't be so damn hard to find anymore, that was enough.

Yet, there was still one more matter to address... Before she could bring it up, Ma Xun asked first.

"Little sister, we've been driving around for quite a while now. Where is your home address?"

Indeed, gasoline wasn't cheap.

Li Xiaoran's face turned beet red, but she had her own reasons.

"Um, well..."

"What is it? Speak your mind."

"It's just, it's just..." Li Xiaoran was terribly embarrassed, but she forced it out anyway. "Do you have a place to stay? I, right now..."

She lacked the courage to finish the sentence.

Hearing this, Ma Xun burst into laughter and couldn't resist a playful jab, "So your determination to get in my car was because you wanted me to provide room and board."

Li Xiaoran was too ashamed to lift her head.

Ma Xun was genuinely surprised.

Wasn't this girl a local from Beijing?

Why was she still renting a place?

Recalling past memories, Ma Xun remembered that in an interview years later, Li Xiaoran had indeed mentioned this period of her life.

She couldn't even afford the rent, living a drifting and unsettled existence.

To be honest, when Ma Xun first watched that interview, he thought she was just making up stories.

Why would a Beijing native need to rent an apartment? But now...

"You can stay at my place. What I said earlier went too far."

"Thank you," Li Xiaoran murmured in a tiny voice.

Ma Xun said no more.

He felt as though he had just picked up a stray cat.

Would this stray cat suddenly transform into a beauty and repay his kindness?

Damn it!

What was he thinking?

...

Deep in the quiet of the night.

Ma Xun was still hard at work.

"Sister Hong, do you know about a production called *Tai Chi Master*?"

"Huh? This... never heard of it."

"No way, this is a Sil-Metropole project."

"Really? But I've been going to the Beijing Film Studio lately and haven't caught wind of anything like that at all."

"Ah, the Beijing Film Studio... you shouldn't be going there."

"Then where should I go?"

"You should go to the Beijing Sport University."

"Huh? Over there... I seem to have heard there are quite a few guys with eight-pack abs."

"My dear Sister Hong, you're really getting bolder by the day."

"Look at you talking like that. It's all because of you."

"Let's talk business first. This project has real potential."

"You mean Sil-Metropole went to the Sport University to scout students again? Are they planning to replicate *The Shaolin Temple*?"

"Possibly, but this time it's a TV series."

"Oh, I see..."

Sister Hong was quite professional after all.

The moment Ma Xun mentioned Sil-Metropole, she immediately thought of *The Shaolin Temple*.

Actually, there was a very interesting fact here.

Many people remained unaware of the true background of Sil-Metropole.

While it was based in Hong Kong, the company was actually wholly funded from the mainland.

*The Shaolin Temple* made it famous overnight, followed by several other fine films.

Yet in recent years, their fortunes had waned.

Ma Xun remembered very clearly that although *Tai Chi Master* did not bear the Sil-Metropole name, its production team was almost entirely identical.

The leading figure was Teacher Zhang Xinyan.

He was also the creator of *The Shaolin Temple*.

So, how should Ma Xun handle this now?

"10 million?"

Upon hearing this figure, Sister Hong froze in astonishment.

"Yes, exactly 10 million."

Ma Xun was extremely confident.

"How could Sil-Metropole make a TV series that costs less than 10 million? Why would they sell it?"

"Rest assured, they will definitely sell it, because that 10 million is just the fee for acquiring the mainland copyright, and after all, they are Sil-Metropole."

"Oh!! I get it. Sil-Metropole definitely plans to broadcast this show in Hong Kong, so they're bound to sell the mainland rights!"

"Sister Hong, you're getting sharper by the minute. I estimate Teacher Zhang's production cost is roughly around 10 million."

"Right! That's the logic! But this 10 million..."

"Sister Hong, how could you forget? Our company has artists under contract."

"Understood! The salaries for Yuanyuan and the others..."

"I'll cover that, but about this 10 million, do you understand?"

"You don't intend to pay it all?"

"Am I that kind of person? But the artists' salaries can also be counted as part of our investment and kept separate from that 10 million. That way, it's fine if our capital arrives a bit later, right? The actors' salaries alone amount to two or three million. Besides, I have a new newcomer to assign to you."

"Another pretty little sister?"

"Look at you saying that. We're talking about serious business here."

"Pfft! Your serious business is nothing more than flirting with girls."

"Sister Hong, are you jealous?"

"Not at all! I've got this figured out, you can rest easy."

"Good."

Ma Xun's tactic could be described as a classic maneuver in the contemporary business world!

The cost of *Tai Chi Master* was roughly 10 million, and now he was proposing to Sister Hong that they acquire the mainland copyright for 10 million.

Sil-Metropole was currently facing heavy financial pressure and would almost certainly agree.

Because the show was originally intended for broadcast in Hong Kong.

In fact, once the deal was struck, Sil-Metropole could even record a profit on their books.

However, Ma Xun wouldn't hand over the cash right away.

No one did business that way these days.

He would use the salaries of his agency's artists and a deferred installment payment plan.

Paying it off gradually.

Sil-Metropole could log this money as accounts receivable.

Once Ma Xun secured product placement advertising agents, or simply went to that Bai Daqing,

he would completely lock down *Tai Chi Master*.

And how much money did Ma Xun actually spend?

Zero!?

Well, not quite. He was a good boss.

He never delayed his employees' wages.

In truth, this way of doing business wasn't invented by Ma Xun.

Plenty of people were pulling strings and acting as middlemen nowadays.

In fact, Ma Xun had absolute confidence in securing *Tai Chi Master*.

Zhang Xinyan and his team were currently casting actresses, and Sil-Metropole was indeed strapped for cash.

Wu Jing had previously filmed *Tai Chi Boxer*, but that film premiered in Hong Kong first and bombed miserably.

Its mainland release was in 1999, which came after *Tai Chi Master*.

Actually, it was precisely because *Tai Chi Master* became a hit that *Tai Chi Boxer* found an audience.

Now that *Tai Chi Master* had the chance to air in the mainland first, Sil-Metropole would undoubtedly be thrilled.

Having finished his call with Sister Hong, Ma Xun was naturally in high spirits.

He could just sit back and reap the rewards.

Countless martial arts film scenes and combat forms flashed through his mind instinctively.

Lightning Five-Strokes... wait, no, that's wrong!

Kasaya Subduing Demon Technique, Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, Dragon Claw Hand...

Unexpectedly, the stray cat really did transform... Oh wait.

It was Li Xiaoran, appearing as fresh and delicate as a flower.

"Brother Ma."

"You..."

She was wearing very little.

And right at that moment, she reached out and slipped off her thin shoulder strap...

Goodness!

Only then did Ma Xun realize he had still underestimated her.

What Xiaoran?

Right now, she was pure radiance!

"I said before, I..."

Before Ma Xun could finish, Li Xiaoran walked right up to him.

"You didn't force me, I just hope you'll... go easy."

With that, she radiated boundless shyness.

Easy?

Just you wait... Take this!

Dragon Claw Hand!

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