Chapter 59: Incarnation of Reflecting Snow (Seventh Seventh)

Black Ke driving a car to fly across the Yellow River.

Of course, Ma Xun remembered this incident very well.

It was truly a monumental event.

Furthermore, the timing was set for precisely June of this very year.

It was meant as a generous tribute to celebrate the return.

However...

This matter was by no means simple!

Ma Xun was a time traveler, and he knew that the stunt would succeed.

To be completely honest, anyone who had witnessed the process of that flight across the Yellow River back then understood one thing clearly.

If they were to try it again, success was by no means guaranteed!

It was way too fucking thrilling!

Black Ke was already a top-tier stunt master, but during his two experimental test flights beforehand, the distance achieved was still insufficient.

Those foreigners had actually just been bluffing.

Once they inspected the site in person, they immediately got cold feet.

In this era, Red Bull had not yet ventured into extreme sports.

Death meant just that—death.

In fact, over the past few years, there had been quite a few similar extreme challenges.

For instance, rafting down the Yellow River, and Black Ke's previous successful flight across the Great Wall.

To be entirely honest, while these feats might seem small, they truly brought glory and pride to us Chinese people!

Those foreigners were really so fucking cheap and despicable!

Coming all the way to our territory to pull off extreme challenges.

Fuck!

Who couldn't see right through what you bastards were trying to imply?

Wasn't it just an attempt to suggest that we Chinese are inferior to you?

In reality, the genes of the Chinese people are the absolute best.

We are the most thoroughly evolved.

Things like perfume—those were invented by you foreigners.

They were purely meant to mask the stench emanating from your own bodies!

And when it came to intelligence,

China ranked number one!

That guy named James Watson, a Nobel Prize laureate,

spent his entire life studying DNA, and in the end, he had to admit that the Chinese people are the most exceptional!

Watson was quite a racist sort, always claiming that Black people were inferior... and eventually, his Nobel Prize was even rescinded.

Yet, returning to the matter immediately at hand...

"You must have already mentioned this to your older brother."

Ma Xun's single sentence caused Bai Xiaohang's expression to shift.

Nevertheless, he nodded honestly.

The implication was crystal clear.

Bai Daqing undoubtedly felt that this matter was completely unviable!

On one hand, the risks involved in this flight were simply too astronomical.

On the other hand, Bai Daqing certainly felt there was no profit to be made.

This undertaking was genuinely difficult to manage.

Failure would naturally yield no profit.

Yet even if it succeeded, the financial returns would still be minimal.

At this point, Ma Xun had basically figured the entire situation out.

However, Bai Xiaohang spoke up once more.

"My older brother already chewed me out thoroughly. He said this whole affair is purely a nuisance to him.

But I don't see it that way.

Anyway, I feel that this endeavor is deeply meaningful.

Besides, aren't we about to witness the return very soon...

I won't elaborate too much on these grand matters.

I'll just put it to you straight.

You can go around and ask about me, Bai Xiaohang; I'm not someone who easily lowers his head to others.

Yet for the sake of this matter, I am willing to beg the two of you.

Especially you, Brother Ma. I know your mind is sharp, and you have endless ideas and resourceful means.

If this undertaking is successfully carried out,

all past grievances between us will be completely wiped clean!

Furthermore, whatever you two want me to do in the future, it'll just take a single word from you!"

Hearing these words...

Ma Xun felt at that moment as though the tall and handsome man before him

had ruthlessly smashed his own dignity straight into the ground.

Smashed it into countless shattered pieces!

And all of this was done purely to win glory for us Chinese people.

Before Ma Xun could even respond, that rascal Sun Donghai chimed in abruptly.

"This has nothing to do with me! Bai Xiaohang, Brother Ma is the main man here for this affair. From now on, just listening to Brother Ma settles everything."

Good grief, he went straight to calling him Brother Ma.

Ma Xun shot the guy a sidelong glance, silently cursing him for selling him out.

Sun Donghai shrank back, not daring to meet his gaze.

Bai Xiaohang immediately seized the opportunity, "Brother Ma! From now on, I take your orders!"

Ma Xun smiled and shook his head.

"You two."

As soon as these words left his mouth, both Bai Xiaohang and Sun Donghai understood.

There was a chance!

Ma Xun dropped the act as well.

"First of all, I need to establish some basic principles.

This matter may look simple on the surface, but in reality, it is extremely difficult to handle.

Take Blackie for instance; right now, he's definitely stuck on funding, am I right?"

Prompted by this question, Bai Xiaohang nodded immediately.

Don't let the brief duration of that single flight fool you; in reality, all the preparatory work required a baseline of at least ten million yuan!

Ma Xun continued, "Therefore, we have to raise money. Without funds, this endeavor has no chance.

At the same time, we cannot profit from this money. If we take any of the funds for ourselves, people will be pointing fingers at our spines later on."

His words won him frequent nods of agreement from the other two.

That was precisely the logic. The reason Bai Daqing refused to help his younger brother was because he had foreseen this critical hurdle.

If the flight actually succeeded, the entire country would know about it.

Who would have the shamelessness to take money from an affair like this?

Blackie was putting his life on the line.

If they didn't give the money to Blackie, could any Chinese person sleep easy with a clear conscience?

Yet here arose the problem!

Without any profit, who the fuck would do this in this day and age!

Ma Xun had to make these stakes explicitly clear.

"I'll speak plainly, and don't scold me for it. We can't make a profit, yet we still have to make a profit! Because if we don't gain anything, no one will work with us!

So, what we will earn is 'connections'!"

Connections? Social capital, you mean?

Once spoken, it was easily understood. But whose connections, whose social capital?

Only then did Ma Xun lay out his method.

"You two will mobilize all your connections, go find CCTV, and whether you end up rolling around on the ground outside the CCTV building or resort to whatever other means,

there is only one guiding principle: blow this matter up to the heavens!

Get to know more people inside CCTV—build relationships and networks.

Simply put, force CCTV into reporting on this event!"

Goodness gracious, this method had some real substance to it.

Sun Donghai and Bai Xiaohang listened and felt it sounded promising, though their minds remained somewhat hazy.

"If we do it this way, what kind of outcome is this supposed to be?"

Ma Xun provided the answer directly, "This is called moral kidnapping! If you at CCTV refuse to help us publicize this, then you are bastards!"

At these words, both Sun Donghai and Bai Xiaohang burst out laughing.

Yet upon careful reflection...

"It could actually work!" Bai Xiaohang had already chewed over the logic.

Sun Donghai was even more amusing; the rascal directly added a tactical layer.

"If CCTV ignores us, we'll just go find other television stations and expose CCTV!"

My word!
Specializing in turning things completely upside down!

Even Ma Xun couldn't help laughing, though he quickly forced a serious expression once more.

"This is the only method I have to break through CCTV.

Once that happens, sponsorships and advertisements will follow!

With advertisements, the funding issue is resolved.

However, let's get the ugly talk out of the way first.

What if Blackie doesn't succeed?"

Right, whose responsibility would that be?

Bai Xiaohang stood up abruptly, his attitude exceptionally resolute.

"If he doesn't make it, I'll shoulder the blame entirely! And wherever Blackie falls from, I'll jump off right after him!"

Having said that, he nodded to Ma Xun and Sun Donghai, and then strode away.

Sun Donghai remained silent for a moment before squeezing out a comment.

"This reckless fool has some real backbone."

Ma Xun said nothing, merely raising his glass.

Bai Xiaohang was indeed reckless, but at times, that recklessness carried a touch of endearing charm.

They clinked their glasses and drank.

After that, everyone went back to their respective tasks.

...

Ma Xun returned to the hotel.

He was feeling slightly intoxicated.

He had done all he possibly could up to this point.

As for what the future held,

even as a time traveler, he had no bottom line of certainty.

That flight by Blackie carried risks that were simply too high.

Yet sometimes, things in life were just like that.

Even knowing the risks existed, one still had to press forward.

And Ma Xun had managed to extract tangible value from an event where generating profit seemed virtually impossible.

He had done his absolute best.

As for Bai Xiaohang,

in the original timeline, this fellow had already died, but now, his involvement had dragged Bai Daqing into the picture as well.

For the foreseeable future, Ma Xun would still need to rely on them to raise funds.

Forget it, it was better to think about other things.

Now that the rebroadcast rights for *My Fair Princess* were secured... he needed to plan things out properly for the future.

To reap a massive financial harvest!

He stepped into the elevator and returned to his room.

And then...

"Your Highness~"

Ma Xun truly hadn't expected to lay eyes upon Michelle Yim the moment he opened the door.

Furthermore, Michelle Yim at this moment bore no resemblance to her usual self whatsoever!

She was dressed in a magnificent, gold-and-red phoenix-embroidered palatial gown, with a vibrant crimson bodice visible underneath.

Her makeup was rich and vivid, her long hair cascading like a waterfall.

She bowed respectfully toward her 'Your Highness'.

She was unmistakably Yingxue from *The Legend of the Red Fire Lion*.

How could Ma Xun fail to understand the implication?

With a swift close of the door, he strode forward a few paces and reached out to pull the beauty up into his embrace.

"A-Xue, have you finally come around?"

His words carried a hint of playful flirtation.

Hearing this, Michelle Yim's pretty face blushed slightly.

"Your Highness~ What are you saying?"

"Do you still not understand what I'm saying?"

Ma Xun pressed his advantage step by step, while A-Xue retreated in kind.

Until she had nowhere left to retreat, having backed right up against the edge of the table.

Ma Xun reached out and wrapped his arm around her slender, willow-like waist.

"Your Highness~ This humble one merely wished to come and celebrate."

Michelle Yim perfectly embodied the art of reluctant compliance at that moment.

Stirred by her allure, a fire ignited within Ma Xun.

The colder and more aloof a beauty was, the more her feigned resistance made one want to...

"Celebrate what? What is there to celebrate?"

"Naturally, our resounding victory."

Michelle Yim's reasoning was entirely sound.

Yet Ma Xun chuckled and said, "We're nowhere near that yet; the profits we ought to claim haven't even been tucked into our pockets."

"I came precisely to speak of this with Your Highness, to set your mind at ease. Ho Sau-kung now completely trusts Your Highness. After this ordeal, she understands that Your Highness is her greatest and most reliable helper."

"Great? You haven't yet witnessed just how large this helper of mine is, have you?"

Ma Xun's remark brought an even deeper flush to Michelle Yim's face.

Yet when her hand reached out... was it really that impressive?

It had to be said that Ma Xun was also a man of considerable patience.

However, this Taiwanese beauty—though her speech lacked the exaggerated babyish lisp of someone like Chiling—

still possessed a charm that reached an entirely different tier compared to mainland beauties.

Even without deliberately trying, she was utterly captivating.

The fact that Ma Xun had managed to hold out until now was already a remarkable feat of self-control.

Besides, hadn't she delivered herself right to his doorstep?

And dressed in such an explicit outfit, no less.

"Your Highness, I thought you cared more about grand affairs."

This gentle grievance only served to heighten the romantic tension.

With a soft laugh, Ma Xun made his move without hesitation.

The bodice gave way, leaving A-Xue blushing and shy.

"Is an affair like this small?"

He truly was a master of sweet talk.

Michelle Yim giggled softly, "Your Highness, won't you let A-Xue serve you properly?"

How could Ma Xun fail to understand?

And how could he pass up the chance to indulge?

He strode over and stretched out lazily across the grand hotel bed.

With both hands resting behind his head.

Michelle Yim offered a sweet, charming smile, but she was in no particular rush as she approached.

First, she lowered her graceful body, and then...

Her soft lips parted the buttons of his upper garment.

There was a wonderful surprise waiting inside!

Regret instantly flooded Ma Xun's mind.

If I'd known it would come to this, I wouldn't have held back for a single second!

Still, it wasn't too late.

Tonight, the night was long.

There was no need to rush...

Already twenty thousand words written, I have truly reached my limit.

Please forgive me; let's say I'll strive for the same volume of updates tomorrow as well.

I'm off to get some sleep, and thank you all for your support!

So far, the performance metrics are quite good. Thank you, thank you!