Exciting 1979!

Chapter 266 Major Studios: Please, let us make the film!
The next day, Dai Jinhua's eyes were red when she went to class. She even dreamed that night about a life-and-death separation between herself and her son, who she didn't know came from, and it was so touching.

However, she still gave Wei Ming's new work a low score, feeling that the story was too cliché and lacked depth.

Wei Ming hasn't published a serious work in a year. If his highly anticipated historical novel turns out to be just another frivolous and superficial piece, it will undoubtedly be a great loss to the literary world.

Many literary critics share this view, feeling that Wei Ming's talent is being wasted on writing such popular scripts. They have raised questions in newspapers and magazines, earnestly advising Wei Ming not to go astray.

However, this is reflected in the market...

"Give me a copy of 'Flower City,' the one with the 'Mom Loves Me Again' issue!"

"Do you still have 'Flower City' magazine? Reserve a copy for me!"

"I want 'Flower City,' I heard there's a script by Wei Ming in this issue..."

"Boss, I'm going first. I need to go to the post office to subscribe to a magazine, yes, 'Huacheng'."

Long queues formed again at the newsstands outside Peking University. The old man at the newsstand recalled that apart from the publication of the final chapter of "Wasted Years" in "Harvest" last month, it seemed that only today had such a lively scene.

The quality of this issue of "Huacheng" is indeed not high enough. Generally, the biggest selling point of literary magazines like this is the novels published in them.

Many readers only read novels and don't read other things like essays, literary reviews, or screenplays. However, the quality of the novels in this issue is mediocre, so the first print run is only a conservative 45 copies.

Of course, 45 is still better than "Contemporary" and "October", but it is not as good as "Harvest", which is an old lady.

However, the editorial department of "Huacheng" magazine soon received replies from all parties, and the shipping speed far exceeded their expectations. So they held a brief meeting and then announced an additional printing!

Another 20 copies!

Thanks to the general increase in literacy rates, even people without high literary aspirations still have a need to read. There are many rumors about how touching "Mom, Love Me Again" is, and it is well worth reading. Once you read it, you will not be able to hold back your tears.

As a result, many older uncles and aunts subscribed to "Huacheng" magazine, wanting to prove that they were different from ordinary people, and then they all fell for the scam.

Wei Ming's influence has also extended into the middle-aged and elderly population.

Young people might be able to hold out, but older people are really tough on, they can take them down one by one, they're the best at dealing with stubborn people.

Especially for mothers with children, after reading this, even if their children are naughty, they will instantly feel an overwhelming surge of maternal love and be willing to fulfill any request from their children. This state can last for at least three days.

As a result, the following saying has become popular among children:

Poor grades? No problem, there's "Mom, Love Me Again"!
Trouble got into? No worries, there's "Mom, Love Me Again"!
Your parents have been called in? Don't worry, there's "Mom, Love Me Again"!
Lü Xiaoyan didn't read this novel on Xizi's recommendation. Instead, she came home from get off work and saw her husband silently shedding tears, only then realizing that Xiaoming had published a new work.

Wei Ping'an wiped away his tears sheepishly: "I miss Xizi's grandma."

He was told from a young age that he was a posthumous child. Although his aunt and uncle treated him very well, his closest relative was still his own mother.

That taciturn woman, whose eyes seemed to hold countless secrets, possessed a delicate gentleness rarely seen in rural women. Whenever Wei Ping'an thought of her, he felt the regret of wanting to care for his parents but being unable to because they were no longer there. Therefore, he was the one who could best understand this unforgettable mother-son bond.

"I declare this to be my favorite work by Xiaoming. I really want to see this script made into a film," Wei Ping'an said.

With such a high evaluation from him, Lü Xiaoyan insisted on seeing it.

So Wei Ping'an spent the whole night comforting Lü Xiaoyan, who was experiencing intense emotional turmoil, telling her: No one can separate you and Xizi and Lele.

The next day, when she saw that Xizi was not eating properly and was playing while eating, which was also affecting Lele's meal, Lü Xiaoyan, who would usually be furious, gently persuaded him and even fed him with a spoon, showing her overflowing maternal love.

This terrified Xizi.

"Mom, please don't do this, I'm scared." Xizi was extremely wary. Whoever you are, get off my mother!

Lü Xiaoyan snapped: "Eat it or don't, it's up to you!"

Xizi breathed a sigh of relief. That's more like it!
He doesn't want his mom to love him again; he'd rather his mom hit him again so he can feel at ease.

After sending Xile to kindergarten, Lü Xiaoyan had another thought: if the script were adapted, would Xizi have another role to play?
……

Many insightful people can see that "Mom, Love Me Again" is mediocre as a literary work, but it has immense potential as a film.

Because film is a more down-to-earth art form than literature, a novel is considered remarkable if it has a million readers. But in China at that time, a film could easily have hundreds of millions of viewers. They didn't need profound theories; they just wanted to see things that they liked.

And maternal love is undoubtedly the theme that can touch a wide audience.

In the first week after the publication of this issue of "Huacheng" magazine, the Pearl River Film Studio contacted the editorial department.

At that time, there were seventeen feature film studios across the country that could produce so-called narrative films, rather than documentary or newsreels.

Last year, these 17 factories produced 65 feature films, averaging more than three films per factory.

Of course, not all film studios are the same; Beijing Film Studio and Shanghai Film Studio naturally receive more quotas.

The film studios in Guangdong are located in the Pearl River Delta, and are considered relatively strong in the second tier. Last year, they produced five feature films.

Unfortunately, there were no works that had a particularly large impact.

After seeing the script for "Mom, Love Me Again," Wang Weiyi, the director of the Pearl River Film Studio, realized the potential of the work and immediately went to Guangzhou to ask Su Chen for the adaptation rights in person. He also wanted to direct it himself.

Wang Weiyi is also a famous director. The movie "A Man's World" starring Hou Yaowen is his work, and he also wrote the screenplay for Pan Changjiang's absurd movie "Three Women Divorcing Their Husbands". Both of these works are frequent features on the movie channel.

Su Chen shrugged at the veteran filmmaker, saying, "This is a work by the famous writer Wei Ming. How could we possibly decide who gets to direct it?"

Wang Weiyi said, "Where is he now? I'll write him a letter."

~
When the Pearl River Film Studio wrote a letter, the Emei Film Studio in Sichuan was even more determined. They sent their director, Han Sanping, to Beijing to talk to Wei Ming.

After all, Han Sanping had some connections with Wei Ming, and the story's prototype was set in Sichuan. The factory also promised that if Han Sanping could secure the project, he would be given the director's position. He had never been a full-fledged director before, so Han Sanping's enthusiasm was immediately aroused. He bought a hard-seat ticket and headed straight for Beijing.

However, he didn't know that Wei Ming was in Shanghai at the moment, frantically revising the manuscript.

Being in Shanghai, the Shanghai Film Studio naturally had the advantage of being close by.

Before leaving get off work, Deputy Factory Director Shi Fangyu stopped Zhu Hongsheng, an editor in the factory's literature department: "Xiao Zhu, isn't Wei Ming, the writer from Peking University, in our Shanghai?"

Zhu Hongsheng's father-in-law is named Li Yaotang, and his wife is named Li Xiaolin, who is Wei Ming's editor. He had mentioned to his colleagues that Wei Ming was revising manuscripts for "Harvest" magazine.

"Yes, they're still at the Writers' Association guesthouse."

Shi Fangyu was overjoyed: "Then go to the guesthouse right away and discuss the filming with him. We want this script!"

As he spoke, he handed over the "Huacheng" magazine, letting Zhu Hongsheng glance at the article "Mom, Love Me Again".

After reading it, Zhu Hongsheng immediately agreed. However, when he arrived at the guesthouse, the staff said that the writer Wei had gone out with Gong Xue, an actress from the Shanghai Film Studio.

"She's not one of our actresses yet," Zhu Hongsheng corrected, then turned away helplessly and headed to the editorial office of Harvest, much to the delight of Editor Li. "That rascal, he actually knew to pick me up after get off work!"

“I didn’t come here specifically to pick you up,” Zhu Hongsheng said honestly. “I came to see Wei Ming to discuss the film adaptation of ‘Mom, Love Me Again.’ You know this film, right?”

"Of course I know!" Li Xiaolin was furious when she talked about it. "This was written during our revision period, but it was submitted to 'Huacheng' magazine in the end!"

Zhu Hongsheng laughed and said, "Our factory director has taken a liking to it, and the public response has been very good. He wants to take it over and make it into a movie."

Li Xiaolin sighed, "Xiao Wei has become a hot commodity again. I don't care about your affairs, but he can't go anywhere or do anything until the first part of 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes' is finished!"

~
Right now, Wei Ming and Gong Xue are having dinner at Dexing Restaurant, a century-old local Shanghainese restaurant.

After returning from Yanjing, the two began to visit famous restaurants in Shanghai, which also provided Wei Ming with a wealth of material for his essays.

During the meal, Wei Ming mentioned the movie adaptation of "Mom, Love Me Again".

"Why hasn't Shanghai Film Studio responded yet? Beijing Film Studio even called me long-distance today to ask about making the movie."

The Beijing Film Studio initially called the Overseas Chinese Apartment, where Xu Shufen told them that Wei Ming was revising the manuscript in Shanghai. Jiang Huaiyan was worried that the Shanghai Film Studio was acting too quickly, so he quickly had Liang Xiaosheng make a long-distance call to the guesthouse to express the Beijing Film Studio's sincerity in wanting to cooperate with Wei Ming again.

Wei Ming glossed over the matter because he wanted to keep it with the Shanghai Film Studio and use it as a basis to request that the Shanghai Film Studio give Sister Xue a permanent position.

Gong Xue was surprised and asked, "You mean, you want Shanghai Film Studio to make it?"

"Yes, I'll just say that I chose to cooperate with Shanghai Film Studio because of you, and maybe your staffing problem can be solved."

Gong Xue was a little embarrassed. She looked at Wei Ming and said, "Then, for my sake, could you cooperate with Beijing Film Studio?"

"what?"

Gong Xue hadn't mentioned wanting to stay at the Beijing Film Studio to Wei Ming because the matter hadn't been finalized yet, and Director Wang Yang said they would have to hold another meeting to discuss it.

But now Gong Xue had no choice but to speak up: "Our unit is undergoing restructuring, and I have already told the leaders that I want to specialize in film, so after the wedding I went to the Beijing Film Studio, hoping they would accept me."

Wei Ming was startled. Sister Lin also wanted to stay at the Beijing Film Studio, and because of her excellent performance in "Regret for the Past," she was very likely to succeed.

"Director Wang didn't agree, did he?" he asked.

Gong Xue nodded: "They said they would hold a meeting to consider it."

Gong Xue is indeed very talented, and "Good Things Take Time" received good reviews. However, Beijing Film Studio already has three outstanding actresses, and they also want to keep Zhu Lin and Fang Shu. But there are only a few film quotas each year. With so many high-value and high-level actresses suddenly appearing, where will they find enough roles and housing? There will likely be too many wolves and not enough meat, causing dissatisfaction among veteran employees like Liu Xiaoqing.

However, Zhu Lin and Gong Xue both have one advantage: they can avoid using their employer's housing quota.

Forget it, let them stay at Beijing Film Studio if they want. He's not comfortable leaving Sister Xue alone in Shanghai, and Shanghai will be in chaos in a couple of years anyway.

Wei Ming sighed, "Alright then, let's give it to Beijing Film Studio. With this cooperation, it's reasonable for Beijing Film Studio to keep you, but..."

"Just what?"

Wei Ming gently held her hand: "It's just that you'll have to separate from your family, which will be tough on you."

Gong Xue's nose tingled with emotion: "Then you'll have to be nicer to me from now on."

If it weren't for the fact that it was a public place, Wei Mingzhen would have liked to hug her and kiss her.

But there will be plenty of opportunities after dinner.

The renovation of the old villa on Huating Road is more than 50% complete. The interior of the house is almost finished, and now the courtyard is being renovated.

Gong Xue heard from his father that they were also planning to buy two cherry blossom trees to transplant over.

This way you can enjoy cherries and see cherry blossoms.

Later, Wei Ming first sent Gong Xue back to the Shanghai Film Studio, and then returned to the guesthouse. The young lady at the front desk told him that an editor from the Shanghai Film Studio was looking for him.

When Gong Xue returned to the Shanghai Film Studio the next day, he was summoned by Deputy Director Shi.

"Xiao Gong, I heard you're quite familiar with the writer Wei Ming. The factory has recently taken a liking to his new script, 'Mom, Love Me Again.' Could you invite him out so we can sit down and have a chat?" Shi Fangyu said.

Shi Fangyu thought this would be a piece of cake, but he didn't expect the problem to come from Gong Xue.

Gong Xue felt very embarrassed. The Shanghai Film Studio had treated her well, letting her act in so many plays, but now she was going to abandon the Shanghai Film Studio for her lover, and even pushed the script to the Beijing Film Studio.

"I'm sorry, Director Shi, I actually heard Wei Ming mention this script, but Beijing Film Studio has already contacted him, and they have basically agreed on this matter."

They had already rehearsed their lines yesterday, saying that the Beijing Film Studio came first and that they should talk about the order of arrival.

Gong Xue thought that once he became famous, he would definitely agree to any request the Shanghai Film Studio might have.

Shi Fangyu murmured, "The Beijing Film Studio is so far away, yet they acted so quickly."

However, he was not giving up and still hoped to arrange a meeting with Wei Ming through Gong Xue, to which Gong Xue had no choice but to agree.

Wei Ming had already sent a telegram back to the Beijing Film Studio, but he didn't say that he would film it there. He only said that he would return to Beijing next week and they could talk about it then.

However, Beijing Film Studio felt it was imperative to obtain Wei Ming's permission immediately to ensure that the greater good was in their hands.

Because they could already feel the presence of competition, since on this day, a colleague from Emei Film Studio, Han Sanping, came to the Beijing Film Studio's guesthouse, saying he had come to Beijing to find Wei Ming and seek help from his brother unit.

27-year-old Han Sanping came to the Beijing Film Studio, which he had been loyal to, for the first time.

However, the Beijing Film Studio was dishonest; instead of telling him that Wei Ming was in Shanghai, they secretly bought Liang Xiaosheng a ticket to Shanghai.

Jiang Huaiyan ordered him that if Wei Ming agreed to cooperate, the factory should transfer the script royalties to Wei Ming, and Liang Xiaosheng should start the editing and revision of the script directly in Shanghai, making sure to win over Da Yi.

The Beijing Film Studio was in such a hurry because it had been criticized.

The reason for this was that a few months ago, both the August First Film Studio and the Beijing Film Studio had their eyes on Zhou Keqin's novel "Xu Mao and His Daughters" and had successively started adaptation work, but the August First Film Studio was cooperating with the original author.

Not long ago, the Film Bureau of the Ministry of Culture held a film production coordination meeting, but the two film studios, which were once like brothers, refused to give in to each other.

The August First Film Studio felt that since they had reached an agreement with the author first, they should be the ones to make the film, while the Beijing Film Studio felt that the August First Film Studio should only make war films and that they were not good at making rural-themed films.

However, since the original author sided with the August First Film Studio, the Beijing Film Studio was in the wrong and was criticized. But in order to ensure that all three actresses could have roles to play, the project was ultimately launched.

This situation is rare in China. After all, the film was planned, and it would be a waste of national resources for two studios to make the same story.

Having already done something like this once, the Beijing Film Studio certainly couldn't do it again, so this time their determination to take down Wei Ming was extremely firm.

When Han Sanping realized that the Beijing Film Studio couldn't offer any help, he went to Zhao Debiao, with whom he had worked on the same film. He had Zhao Debiao's address.

He found the large courtyard where Biao's mother lived.

"Biaozi, that kid's really made something of himself. He's a big boss now and doesn't live here anymore. You can go to his workplace if you want to find him."

Then, with the help of the sullen neighbors, they found Oriental Plaza in Xidan, where they not only found Biaozi and Yanzi, but also happened to run into Wei Jiefang, who was delivering food.

After seeing off his uncle and his family, Lao Wei and his mother started providing meals for Xintiandi. They would cook extra meals for themselves every day, such as steamed buns, noodles, and fried pancakes. With his grandmother's help, it was a very easy job.

Xintiandi pays according to market prices, and the couple can make at least a hundred yuan profit a month, which is enough to support themselves.

Old Wei was in charge of purchasing and delivering meals. He would cook two meals a day, and after that, he could wander around the streets, playing with cats and dogs, having a great time.

When Biaozi heard that Han Sanping was looking for Wei Ming, he said, "He's not in Yanjing. He went back to Shanghai a long time ago."

"Back to Shanghai?"

"Yes, he's revising a manuscript for Harvest. Director Han, what do you need him for?" Huang Qiuyan asked.

Han Sanping said dejectedly, "I came here on behalf of Emei Film Studio to ask for a script, specifically the one he recently wrote called 'Mom, Love Me Once Again'."

Old Wei, who was serving food to the staff, chimed in: "Why are you only arriving now? The Beijing Film Studio contacted him about this a couple of days ago, and when I told them I was in Shanghai, they immediately sent a telegram."

"Ah, Beijing Film Studio?"

At this point, Han Sanping understood that the Beijing Film Studio was their competitor, and they knew that Wei Ming was in Shanghai but didn't tell him.

Hmph, Beijing Film Studio, huh? Fortune changes every thirty years, don't underestimate a young man's potential!

Han Sanping knew that Emei Film Studio had no advantage over Beijing Film Studio, and that Wei Ming had moved the story's setting from the Sichuan-Chongqing region to the Yangtze River Delta, thus eliminating Emei Film Studio's only local advantage.

Forget it, let's just consider this a publicly funded trip.

Old Wei laughed and said, "Young man, don't be discouraged. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Here are two extra steamed buns. Have them to tide you over."

"Thank you, Uncle Wei," Han Sanping said affectionately; his mother was also from Hebei.

Biaozi put his arm around his shoulder and said, "I'll call Wu Jing over tonight, and our crew can get together. I'll let my brother show some hospitality."

Hearing Biaozi's boastful tone, Han Sanping finally had the mood to take a closer look at this trendy clothing and accessories store, especially the business license posted on the wall.

"Biaozi, I remember seeing you in the People's Daily. I didn't know you were so capable!"

"Me? What skills do I have? I'm just lucky to have met the right person."

~
In fact, besides Emei Film Studio, Xi'an Film Studio also became interested in "Mom, Love Me Again".

Just then, several key leaders of Xi'an Film Studio raised objections to the "Ancient and Modern Battle: Qin Terracotta Warriors" project and simply advised Wu Tianming: "The investment in 'Ancient and Modern Battle: Qin Terracotta Warriors' is too large, and the filming difficulty is unprecedented. Why don't you consider 'Mom, Love Me Again' instead, since you know Wei Ming anyway?"

At this time, Wu Tianming had already received Wei Ming's reply. He insisted, "The investment is large, but it is not insurmountable. We are promoting Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors, so the cultural heritage protection department should be able to provide some assistance and reduce the investment. In addition, we can also cooperate with Hong Kong film companies, just like the Beijing Film Studio's 'Heroes Have Been Born Since Ancient Times'."

The factory manager thought for a moment: "But we have no experience in co-producing films."

“Yes, why don’t we see the reaction to ‘Heroes Have Always Been Born Young’ first? I heard that ‘The Mysterious Buddha’ produced by Emei Film Studio was also banned from being shown because it was said to be too entertaining,” another deputy director said.

Wu Tianming shook his head. The older generation was too conservative. He decided to go to Beijing after finishing the post-production of "Niu and Niu Er". In addition to continuing to discuss the adaptation with Wei Ming, he also wanted to contact China Film Group to co-produce with a Hong Kong company. He didn't believe that Hong Kong people weren't curious about the Terracotta Warriors.

~
That evening, Wei Ming went to meet Factory Director Shi Fangyu. Besides Gong Xue, editor Zhu Hongsheng was also there.

Today, Wei Ming delivered tens of thousands of words of revised manuscript to Editor Li, and already knew the identity of this Editor Zhu. He even affectionately called him "brother-in-law," which made Director Shi feel even more secure.

The last one to arrive late was rising star Guo Kaimin.

Factory Director Shi directly said, "Teacher Wei, what do you think? Xiao Guo is one of the most popular male actors today. I'll let him play the male lead and Xiao Gong play the female lead. We can talk about 'Mom, Love Me Again'."

In order to snatch this project from Beijing Film Studio, Director Shi brought out his strongest lineup. Although Gong Xue was not as popular as Zhang Yu, given Wei Ming's relationship with Gong Xue, it was definitely more reliable to give the female lead to Gong Xue.

However, when the bewildered Guo Kaimin realized that they were talking about "Mom, Love Me Again," he immediately asked, "Are you asking me to play mother and son with Gong Xue? That's not appropriate."

Gong Xue's expression changed. What kind of mother-son relationship is this? Do I look that old?

Factory Director Shi said sternly, "Xiao Guo, what nonsense are you talking about? I asked you to play Hu Zhiliang, Xiao Hulu's father."

"Ah, I definitely can't play this role. My mom and my boyfriend both hate this character so much after reading the script. I can't do it." Guo Kaimin is also a bit concerned about his image now. He'll definitely get criticized if he plays this kind of scumbag role.

At this moment, Wei Ming spoke up: "Since Comrade Guo Kaimin has said so, then let's not make things difficult for him. Director Shi, Brother-in-law Zhu, this meal is on me. You've made a wasted trip."

(End of this chapter)