Chapter 58: Love at First Sight? Bingbing's Sudden Turn of Fortune

The project of the My Fair Princess talent scouting can be said to have concluded for Ma Xun.

Of course, it could also be said to have concluded for everyone else.

As soon as the recording wrapped up, Ma Xun noticed that Young Master Ping was already in talks with He Xiuqiong.

It was certain that this Young Master Ping also understood he had lost thoroughly.

If he was smart, he would calmly negotiate the subsequent distribution of profits.

Old Master Ping should still be able to hold a nominal title and take a cut of the money, but he shouldn't harbor any other illusions.

Given the current outcome of this talent search, the Ping family truly had zero possibility of a comeback.

Even if they intended to overturn these results, they would need to find the right people to back them.

Big-Eyed Thief was essentially playing on her home turf here at Hunan TV.

Did Young Master Ping possess the capability to oust this character?

In fact, Ma Xun had wanted to get rid of Big-Eyed Thief the most, but he hadn't found a way either.

Therefore, the only person who could possibly replace her was Charlie Ye.

Let us not forget, this was arranged by Ma Xun.

Ma Xun had determined this long ago, knowing the Ping family had no way to replace Charlie Ye.

At present, Charlie Ye's star power was indeed not at the absolute top tier.

However, having starred in films such as Shaolin Popey and Wrath of the Legend, her pulling power in mainland China was actually enormous.

One could say that in the mainland, she easily rivaled the top actresses from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

There was a piece of dark humor in this as well, because the person she truly had to thank for her immensely high popularity in the mainland was the pirated VCD market.

Moreover, precisely because Charlie Ye was not a top-tier actress in terms of strict ranking, her starring in a television drama was completely feasible!

Conversely, top-tier actresses who outranked Charlie Ye would never condescend to star in a TV series, not even a Chiung Yao melodrama.

And actresses whose star power fell short of Charlie Ye could simply not compare to her in popularity.

So, who on earth could the Ping family find?

The Ping family themselves were never all that formidable a clan, and in recent years they had mainly relied on Chiung Yao anyway.

Ma Xun had foreseen this early on, and he had designated Charlie Ye as his trump card from the very beginning.

Once this card was played, the Ping family had no possible counter.

Of course, Ma Xun admitted that Charlie Ye was not a flawless Xia Ziwei.

This time, Ma Xun had not considered the casting purely from the perspective of the character itself.

Compared to Ziwei, Charlie Ye had one issue: she was a bit too old.

Yet everything else was genuinely fine. Her acting skills were solid, and her looks were flawless.

At this time, Charlie Ye still retained her youthful, tender charm. Dressed in de-aging costumes for films, she could effortlessly portray a young maiden while acting alongside top-tier handsome stars like Takeshi Kaneshiro.

Those legs, that face, and especially her ethereal, delicate, and fragile demeanor—they were simply peerless.

Furthermore, landing the role of Ziwei would be immensely beneficial to Charlie Ye.

Wasn't what she wanted most to break free from the control of the Bamboo Union Gang?

Once this drama aired, that goal would essentially be achieved.

In addition, Ma Xun held a hidden ace up his sleeve.

As mentioned before, Chiung Yao actually looked down upon Charlie Ye.

Now that He Xiuqiong had cast Charlie Ye, what did that signify?

A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law feud?

Hehe, he could just sit back and watch the show.

Ma Xun had secured a definitive victory this time.

As for how the subsequent series would be filmed, he didn't need to concern himself with it; filming wouldn't start until the second half of the year anyway.

It would broadcast next year.

In any case, as long as this show was filmed according to the original trajectory, nothing could possibly go wrong.

Ma Xun could just sit back and reap the rewards.

As for other matters...

"Brother!"

"You..."

"Look over there."

"What?"

"Your little girl!"

"What little girl, cut the crap and stop talking nonsense! Let's go!"

"Haha..."

The sudden appearance of Sun Donghai really put Ma Xun in a somewhat awkward position.

As for the girl he was pointing at, it was naturally Fan Bingbing.

Actually, Ma Xun had seen her earlier.

Bingbing and her mother had returned home empty-handed this time.

In this talent search for My Fair Princess, Bingbing had indeed failed to succeed.

However, Bingbing had also gained something.

She had grown; she had witnessed many things.

In the future... well, she had actually caught sight of Ma Xun as well.

She wanted to say something, but with her mother standing right there, she thought better of it.

Watching Ma Xun walk away, she simply let him go.

If she failed this time, there would be a next time; either way, she had plunged headfirst into this entertainment industry now.

Bingbing and her mother prepared to return to their hometown.

They would rest up first before pondering their next steps.

To her surprise, just as she was planning to hail a taxi and leave, someone called out to her.

"Miss Fan."

"Oh, Miss Ye."

Bingbing never expected the caller to be Charlie Ye.

This truly gave her a huge shock.

As for Bingbing's mother, her theatrical reaction was even more pronounced.

"Oh my, Miss Ye! You're such a big star, truly so pretty..."

Once Bingbing's mother opened the floodgates of conversation, she practically rooted Charlie Ye to the spot.

Charlie Ye was naturally somewhat introverted by nature, and this sudden onslaught left her a bit...

Fortunately, Bingbing caught on.

"Mom, say a little less." The girl had indeed grown; she even dared to scold her mother outright.

Yet, Bingbing's mother didn't mind this time; she really had been overly enthusiastic.

"I'm sorry, Miss Ye."

Charlie Ye offered a smile, finally finding the opportunity to state her purpose. "It's nothing, really nothing. Well, I actually wanted to talk to Bingbing about something."

"Oh, what might that be?"

Bingbing was somewhat bewildered.

Charlie Ye took her hand and smiled, "Bingbing, you are really so pretty."

"Ah, this..." Was this really what she wanted to talk about?

Bingbing's face flushed red instantly.

Truth be told, Charlie Ye really knew how to charm people.

With Bingbing being so green at the moment, how could she possibly be a match for her?

Seeing her reaction, Charlie Ye grew even more fond of her. "The moment I saw you, I felt a special affinity. How about this, let's become sworn sisters."

This... just like that?

"I, I..." Bingbing was completely dumbfounded.

Then Charlie Ye spoke the truth, "Actually, I see great potential in you. This talent search was mainly to select a few major roles, but a television drama always has many supporting characters. I've read the script; Xia Ziwei has a maid, right? The two of them are as close as sisters, so..."

"Jin Su! I, I... Thank you, Sister!"

Bingbing's reaction was fast enough this time.

She offered her thanks right on the spot.

Hearing this, Charlie Ye laughed happily. "That's precisely what I meant. Later on, I'll introduce you to Sister He Xiuqiong."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Bingbing never imagined that the situation would take such a dramatic and favorable turn!

"Oh my! Miss Ye, thank you so much!"

Bingbing's mother was also overjoyed beyond measure.

The two of them had already looked into this character Jin Su beforehand.

It was an important role, after all.

Wasn't this Charlie Ye a veritable benefactor for their mother and daughter?

They simply had to express their utmost gratitude.

As for the circumstances behind this...

Charlie Ye had undoubtedly acted entirely on her own initiative.

Yet, she had her reasons.

The Sixth Prince seemed to have spent a considerable amount of time gazing at this young girl...

As expected of the Sixth Prince's hawk, his eyesight was truly exceptional.

...

Ma Xun had no inkling of what Charlie Ye had done.

After leaving the television station, he found a place to grab a bite to eat with Sun Donghai.

At a time like this... to avoid suspicion, inviting Station Director Ouyang and Kang Jianmin was out of the question.

Since the two brothers were dining alone, they naturally had some important matters to discuss.

"Buddy, how did Heung Wah-keung agree to handle the matter regarding Li Tingyi?"

Ma Xun intended to inquire about the details.

After all, he was quite curious about how Sun Donghai had managed to pull it off.

To his surprise, the fellow immediately began pouring out a torrent of grievances.

"Damn it! The personal sacrifice I made this time was not small at all."

"What kind of sacrifice? What did you sacrifice?" Ma Xun's curiosity was piqued even further.

Sun Donghai slapped his thigh, "Don't even mention it! When I first brought up Li Tingyi, Heung Wah-keung shook his head at first. But I figured I couldn't let my brother down, so I told him: 'She's filmed movies with Big Brother Long before, but I've never tasted what a Dragon Girl is really like...' "

What the hell!

"Alright! Alright, cut it out right there!"

Ma Xun simply couldn't bear to listen any further.

Sun Donghai burst out laughing heartily, showing not an ounce of shame.

"I'm not lying, and she really is a Dragon Girl after all. I heard Big Brother Long is quite the player, so I just figured I was learning from a senior."

Ma Xun couldn't help but massage his temples. "Fine, fine, I get it, I understand completely. Buddy, you're truly something else."

Sun Donghai grew even more delighted.

Still, they couldn't just talk business without eating.

Eating and drinking was the proper way to go about things.

However, right as the two of them were eating and drinking, Sun Donghai brought up another matter.

"Brother."
"What is it?"
"Guess who I ran into in Hong Kong?"
"How the hell am I supposed to know who you ran into? Sun Donghai, if you have something to say, spit it out. Stop beating around the bush."

Ma Xun said this primarily because he had seen right through Sun Donghai.

The fellow definitely had something extraordinary to share.

"That person, he..."

Sun Donghai looked a bit embarrassed, but right at that moment, someone approached their table.

As soon as this person arrived, they blocked out a large portion of the light.

Ma Xun guessed it almost instantly. "Bai Xiaohang? You ran into him?"

Sun Donghai offered an awkward smile, looking slightly sheepish.

Bai Xiaohang didn't hesitate and sat straight down.

"It's me. This time I'm the one who needs to talk about something. As for Sun Donghai... thanks a lot."

Good grief, this fellow was truly a bit straightforward in his ways.

Yet Ma Xun understood completely now.

Sun Donghai had run into Bai Xiaohang in Hong Kong, and Bai Xiaohang likely had a matter he hoped the two of them could assist with.

It was entirely certain:

This matter was definitely not easy to handle!

If it were easy, Sun Donghai wouldn't have had to resort to such personal measures.

Therefore...

"Spit it out. What is it?"

Hearing Ma Xun ask so directly, Bai Xiaohang let out a soft laugh.

"You know how I usually like to ride motorcycles? Well, riding motorcycles sometimes makes it easy to bump into fellow enthusiasts."

"Bikers, I get it."

"Right, I ran into one in Hong Kong. This guy is a total badass, and you guys should know him too. It's Blackie Ko! His stunt-driving is top-tier, and he's a master on a bike."

"Oh." Ma Xun nodded. "Cut to the chase. Tell me what this is all about."

Bai Xiaohang dragged out his words so much that even he found it annoying, but the matter genuinely wasn't easy to broach.

"Well, Blackie Ko has a plan for this year. He heard earlier that some foreigner wanted to fly across the Yellow River on a motorcycle.

Damn it! How could we let a foreigner do that?!

Blackie Ko intends to beat the foreigner to it and fly across the Yellow River first!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun exclaimed, "Whoa!"

He remembered now—this was truly a monumental event!