Exciting 1979!

Chapter 287 Going in the opposite direction from Li Zhi

Dai Tielang is 51 years old this year. He was born in Singapore and moved to Shanghai with his family when he was 10 years old.

His main position at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio was animation design, and he served as the animation designer for films such as "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother", "The Shepherd's Flute" and "After School".

Apart from directing a short film early in his career, he actually started working as a director at Shanghai Animation Film Studio two years ago with "The Hen Moves House," and last year he made another film, "My Friend Little Dolphin," though he wasn't particularly famous.

His newly completed work, "Nine-Colored Deer," has not yet been broadcast. Only after this work is broadcast will his abilities be fully recognized.

You can tell from the themes of his three works that he loves small animals and new gadgets. Even at his age, he often buys remote-controlled toy cars, taking them apart and putting them back together, just like a child.

So after considering all the directors in the studio, Te Wei chose him.

Upon entering the factory manager's office, Te Wei didn't immediately get down to business. Instead, he asked Dai Tielang, "Little Dai, do you have a cat at home?"

"No, but I have a dog. Traditional domestic cats aren't as well-trained as dogs, and our house is too small for it to roam freely. But the cats downstairs and I are quite familiar with each other."

As he talked about cats and dogs, Dai Tielang went on and on. This playful old man with a childlike heart was sure to be fond of animals.

Hearing this, Te Wei felt relieved and asked, "Do you know 'Black Cat Detective'?"

"That Black Cat Sheriff, whose eyes are as wide as copper bells and shoot out lightning-like shrewdness." Dai Tielang sat opposite Factory Director Tewei, his spirits lifted.

"Where did you get these words from?" Te Wei chuckled.

“I didn’t do it. In last month’s Children’s Literature magazine, One-Ear wrote a song praising the sheriff in order to undermine the sheriff’s will by flattering him.”

It turns out that Dai Tielang is also a fan of Wei's books, reading every issue. When talking about Black Cat Detective, he was very knowledgeable: "If you ask me, One-Ear's trick is too brilliant. Moreover, with the reform and opening up, the power of officials is getting bigger and bigger, and we need to be wary in our real life. But I have to say, the song composed by One-Ear is really good."

But since there was no sheet music, Dai Tielang could only read it aloud. After hearing this, Te Wei laughed and said, "Since you like 'Black Cat Detective' so much, then this project will be handed over to you."

"Oh, are we going to film Black Cat Detective?"

“And it’s a TV animation series, one you proposed before,” Te Wei said seriously.

Because of his experience living abroad and his current connections overseas, Dai Tielang has a very international perspective. He believes that the Shanghai Animation Film Studio needs to produce some series of animations, like Disney in the United States and Osamu Tezuka in Japan, otherwise the domestic television animation sector will be dominated by foreign animations.

Unfortunately, the television program hadn't had enough influence before, and Dai Tielang was a nobody, so the factory hadn't approved it.

After a recent meeting and communication with higher authorities, the factory leadership finally decided to produce a series of animations to enrich the television content.

However, the project team had limited manpower and funding, and the investment was less than that of other short film projects of the same length, so there were not many veteran directors willing to take on the project.

Te Wei didn't hide anything and frankly explained the situation to Dai Tielang: "After all, this is the first time we've done something like this, and we need to proceed cautiously. You can only recruit people from those who are currently free."

"How long does each episode take to film, and how many episodes are there in total?" Dai Tielang asked two key questions.

Te Wei: "Each episode should be no longer than 20 minutes. Let's try making two episodes first. If the response is good, we'll continue making them."

Dai Tielang estimated that the illustrations in the children's literature magazine could be used with slight modifications, and he also knew Liu Rulong, one of the designers of these illustrations.

"Give me a year, and I'll lead the team to film these two episodes within a year."

“Okay, then it’s one year!” Te Wei added, “Also, Wei is in Shanghai. If you want to meet him, I can contact him.”

“Oh really? I really want to meet him. I haven’t been able to run into him the last few times,” Dai Tielang said with a smile.

He was also very enthusiastic about researching the latest technologies, often paying out of his own pocket to subscribe to foreign science and technology magazines. He was very interested in the highly sci-fi elements that Wei Shenme created in his novels.

~
Last night, Wei Ming took advantage of Zhu Lin and sent her back to the Shanghai Film Studio, but she came looking for him early this morning.

"We're not filming today, I'm so bored."

"Then we can go out and have some fun. I'll show you around Shanghai."

"It won't affect your creative work, will it?" Sister Lin said in a teasy tone, though it's unclear where she learned that from.

"It won't affect anything, let's keep going."

Once outside, Zhu Lin suggested, "I heard there's a new movie coming out, let's go see one this morning."

"Okay." Wei Ming had also been wanting to find someone to watch a movie with for a while.

However, once inside the movie theater, Zhu Lin pointed to the poster for "Midnight" and said, "Look at this, it's a work by Mr. Mao Dun."

Uh……

Okay, Wei Ming pretended to have nothing to hide, bought a ticket and went in. Even though it was a weekday morning, there were still quite a lot of people, with an occupancy rate of over 50%.

The play mainly focuses on two middle-aged men, and Gong Xue's role is not very large; she plays a female factory worker.

"Hey, isn't this Gong Xue? She even acted in this drama?" Zhu Lin whispered in Wei Ming's ear.

"Yeah, I haven't heard of it either." Wei Ming's heart started racing.

Zhu Lin smiled gently and continued watching the movie.

She watched it quite intently, while Wei Ming watched it critically. The director of this film was Sang Hu, whose status at the Shanghai Film Studio was equivalent to that of the four great directors at the Beijing Film Studio.

From an entertainment perspective, Sang Hu's "Midnight" slightly outperformed Shui Hua's "The Mourning," but it was also limited by the era and didn't quite suit Wei Ming's taste.

However, when the movie ended and they walked out of the theater, Wei Ming and Zhu Lin heard many male audience members praising Gong Xue's beauty, as if they had come to see the movie specifically because of Gong Xue herself.

It seems that Sister Xue already has a group of loyal fans who admire her looks.

Zhu Lin complained, "Shanghai Film Studio treats Gong Xue so well, giving her so many roles to play, and audiences in Shanghai like her even more. Why does she insist on going to Beijing Film Studio? Can Beijing Film Studio provide such strong support?"

The key issue is that they've invaded our own territory and are now at our gates!

Wei Ming flagged down a toad-shaped car and laughed, "I don't think it will have much of an impact. Shanghai Film Studio will still look for her if there are suitable roles. I met Director Xie Jin the other day, and he wanted Gong Xue to act in his new film 'Qiu Jin'."

"Ah!" Zhu Lin couldn't help but feel a little envious. The Shanghai Film Studio really spoiled her.

Besides, she and Qiu Jin didn't seem to be a good match.

In fact, Zhu Lin's height and heroic spirit are more suitable for the role of Qiu Jin than Gong Xue's. However, because this is a movie that is destined to be difficult to succeed, Wei Ming did not recommend her. After "Happy Family", Sister Lin's career will definitely be on the fast track. Wei Ming has his own plans for her career.

Next, a taxi took them to the Bund, where Wei Ming gave them a brief introduction, and they had lunch at the Peace Hotel.

Although it's not very cost-effective, Sister Lin hasn't tried it yet, so there's no need to worry about it too much.

In the afternoon, they strolled around Jingyuan again. When they felt they still had some energy left, they decided to go home and use their last bit of energy on enjoyable exercise.

"Your yoga poses aren't correct; you'll need to practice more."

Zhu Lin was so embarrassed that she couldn't speak. Who would let someone practice yoga without clothes on?

And do you really want to practice yoga?
Wei Ming found himself becoming bolder and bolder. Today, he even took Sister Lin to the second floor, but they stayed in the same room that Xiao Hong used to live in.

Today, Zhu Lin spent a very fulfilling day with Wei Ming, and the next day they will officially begin filming.

The next day, Wei Ming sped up his work and completed a 50,000-word manuscript, which he then sent to the editorial department of Harvest magazine.

As soon as he entered, he heard the editors congratulating him on winning the first prize in the first National Excellent Novella Competition.

With the publication of People's Literature in April, the news had spread throughout the country. It was not unexpected that Wei Ming won the award. In 79 and 80, he was the most popular and prolific novella writer.

The only suspense lies in which work will win the award, and whether it will be the top prize or the runner-up prize.

Furthermore, this issue of People's Literature also published an article by Wei Ming mourning Mr. Mao Dun, and revealed that Mr. Mao Dun wrote a preface for his novel.

This is the most enviable thing. The discussion this news sparked within the industry even surpassed that of the novel "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes" itself.

This is the last article written by the leading figure in the Chinese literary world before his death, and it was written during his serious illness.

On a superficial level, this is an old-timer intentionally nurturing a new talent; on a deeper level, did Mr. Mao Dun mean that this young man will become the leading figure in the literary world in the future?

This is very intriguing.

Wei Ming didn't want his colleagues to overthink things or even spread rumors, so he simply wrote an article to disclose the matter and tell the truth to prevent others from creating derivative works.

Wei Ming exchanged a few humble words with the congratulatory editors, then went over to Editor Li to discuss revising the content.

That part was considered passed. Then Li Xiaolin talked about the preface.

“My father thought that article was exceptionally well written and planned to release it when the full version of ‘The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes’ was published.”

"I'll leave it to Mr. Ba, I have no objection." Wei Ming had already seen it and wasn't in a hurry. It was just that everyone else in the industry wanted to see it first, but it would probably have to wait until the second half of the year.

Finally, Editor Li didn't forget to relay the phone number of Te Wei, the director of the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

"He invited you to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio to discuss some business."

Wei Ming guessed that things were looking up regarding "Black Cat Detective." Originally, they weren't going to film this year, but they were going to film it next year anyway. They just moved it up a year, so there shouldn't be much resistance.

That afternoon, Wei Ming went to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio and met with director Dai Tielang.

The two hit it off immediately and came up with the same ideas for the adaptation.

Speaking of Wei Ming's version of "Black Cat Detective", it imitated the animated version more than the novel version, especially the format of one short science popularization, which was also summarized and created by Dai Tielang himself.

He himself is very fond of new things and the latest technology, and many of the advanced technologies in the animated version were added by him.

His contribution as director and head screenwriter to "Black Cat Detective" is enormous.

So when director Te Wei habitually asked Wei Ming to write the script, Wei Ming pushed the scriptwriting work to director Dai Tielang, believing that director Dai's work would be no worse than his own.

The key is that I don't lack that little bit of money now. The two episodes of the script, together, would only cost a thousand or so yuan at most. Let Director Dai, who is struggling financially, earn that money.

However, Wei Ming requested to have the final say on the script, and if any settings or plot points conflicted with the later arrangements in his novel, he would also propose modifications.

After reaching an agreement, Dai Tielang could begin adapting the script. This was not a difficult task; he started by revising the first and second chapters of the novel.

After returning home, Wei Ming continued revising his manuscript and writing his novel. Two days had passed; Sister Lin was probably busy filming and hadn't had time to come see him.

So on the third day, Wei Ming went to the Shanghai Film Studio to visit the set.

"Old Mao, I've come to visit you on set. How are you doing? Are you settling in alright?" Wei Ming's arrival made Zhu Shimao feel flattered and yet also anxious. Why was Wei Ming being so hot and cold towards him? I'm easily going to catch a cold if he keeps acting like this.

After greeting Zhu Shimao, Wei Ming waved to Sister Lin.

With that wave of his hand, Zhu Lin knew that his innocence for the day was in jeopardy.

Later, since the filming was to continue, Wei Ming went to Director Xie, who then informed him of something.

You know about the Golden Rooster Awards, right?

Yes, I know it. It's the hen that always lays double-yolk eggs.

Xie Jin: "This is an award that was just established this year. The Hundred Flowers Awards are a popular award, while the Golden Rooster Awards are an expert award. This year, it will be held together with the Hundred Flowers Awards, next month, in Hangzhou. The crew of 'The Herdsman' has received several important nominations, including yours as the screenwriter. If you have time, please come to Hangzhou with me then."

"Were the male and female leads nominated?" he asked.

Xie Jin nodded.

Wei Ming smiled and agreed: "I love Hangzhou. There's a saying that goes, 'Above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou.' Hangzhou's cuisine is the best in the world, and the West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce is so delicious."

Xie Jin shook his head, giving him an expression that said, "Young man, you're still too young."

After taking Zhu Lin away from the Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Wei Ming took her to stroll along Nanjing Road and even went into the Friendship Store in Shanghai to spend some foreign exchange coupons before finally going home to have some fun.

Wei Ming's days in Shanghai are numbered, so he cherishes every moment of happiness. Zhu Lin always tries her best to please him, but the young man is just too young and always has inexhaustible energy.

Sometimes Zhu Lin would even think, if Gong Xue were here... Oh dear, what am I thinking? She blushed for no reason and cursed herself for having a problem with her thoughts, a really big problem.

At the end of April, Wei Ming finished writing "Jurassic Park" and mailed it to Brother Wan of Sichuan Science Fiction World. At the same time, he completed the revision of the last chapter of "The Right Path in the World" and passed the review of editor Li Xiaolin.

Yesterday, Wei Ming said goodbye to Sister Lin in a way that adults do. Today, he casually carried his backpack and headed straight to the airport. Since he's not short of money, he naturally prefers the comfort of flying.

He flies because it's comfortable and he can afford it.

Some people fly for safety reasons. After all, it's too dangerous for a girl with a stunning appearance and figure to travel alone for a day and a night in a sleeper train.

Losing things is a small matter, but losing your virginity is something you can never get back.

Lizhi, who is 20 years old this year (by Chinese reckoning) and a little over a month younger than Wei Ming, chose airplanes as her mode of transportation for safety reasons.

Not long ago, her father finally persuaded her stepmother to let her go to Hong Kong to live with them, otherwise it would be too difficult for her to find a job in Shanghai, where there are hundreds of thousands of unemployed people.

So she used the money her father gave her to ask her grandmother to pull some strings and buy her a plane ticket to Guangzhou, and entered the waiting hall of Hongqiao Airport for the first time.

Although the passengers on the plane were all successful people and foreign friends, and many people were looking at her, Lizhi was not ashamed. She even puffed out her chest because she had the right to be proud.

Some silly women at school always felt ashamed of having a large penis, but Lizhi knew that men liked it and that it was clearly an advantage, so she never hunched over or hid her advantage.

Especially as the weather gets warmer, it's the perfect time to showcase your strengths.

Even as Wei Ming was engrossed in reading the latest issue of "Story Club" featuring interesting spy stories from Shanghai, his eyes kept glancing in one direction.

Wei Ming looked at Lei first, and then he saw his face.

This girl looks familiar; I feel like I've seen her somewhere before.

He saw Lizhi, and Lizhi saw him too. Among the countless gazes directed at them, only this person was the most handsome.

She instantly remembered the man who bought the house with Gong Xue at the Bai family home that day!

So, amidst the eager gazes of many men who longed for her to sit next to them, Lizhi decisively sat down next to Wei Ming.

She even struck up a conversation with him: "Do you remember me?"

Wei Ming shook his head.

Lizhi: "Once I was playing at a classmate's house, and then you suddenly showed up with a lady, wanting to buy their house."

"Oh, I remember now." No wonder those breasts looked so familiar.

“My name is Lizhi,” the girl said, extending her hand directly, and then asked, “Did you buy the house later?”

Wei Ming didn't answer the later questions; her first words, "My name is Lizhi," kept echoing in his mind.

Right, that’s right!
Actually, he felt that she looked familiar when he first met her, and now he realized that she was Ah Jie's second wife!
I've seen her movies, but her current style is a bit outdated. However, she has a good foundation—tall, big, and fair-skinned, with an above-average face. No wonder she won Miss Asia, and no wonder Ah Jie looks prematurely aged.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Lizhi interrupted Wei Ming's rambling thoughts.

Wei Ming: "I think your name is really nice, you're naturally beautiful."

Lizhi, who was praised for her beauty, chuckled and said, "It's not the beauty of beauty, it's the wisdom of wisdom."

"So she's both beautiful and smart," Wei Ming instinctively said, offering a few words of flattery, which made Li Zhi's heart flutter and her face turn red.

Lizhi didn't bring up the topic of houses again, but instead asked, "Are you also going to Guangzhou?"

"No, I'm going to Yanjing. My home is in Yanjing. It seems we're not on the same flight."

Lizhi immediately had a thought: the second and third generations of the Red Family?
Then Wei Ming asked, "You must be from Shanghai, right? How do you get to Guangzhou?"

"It's not Guangzhou, it's actually Hong Kong. My dad lives in Hong Kong." Lizhi's words were also meant to flatter herself, since Hong Kong is now a paradise on earth that the mainland envies, and she would be considered a Hong Konger in the future.

Wei Ming had a general understanding of Li Zhi's life experiences: she first went to Hong Kong to work, and later returned to the mainland to study hard and then went abroad to study.

Then she returned to Hong Kong with a completely new look, entered the entertainment industry through the Miss Asia pageant, and also came into the sights of Macau tycoons.

Later, her hopes of marrying into a wealthy family were dashed, but Ah Jie managed to have everything he wanted in the end and finally won the heart of the beauty.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "What a coincidence, I'm also going to Hong Kong in June."

"Ah!" Lizhi covered her mouth. This person has a lot of influence; he can actually go to Hong Kong.

"What are you going to Hong Kong for?" she asked.

"I was invited."

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, using her newly learned Cantonese.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Wei Ming. I write novels. Have you heard of me?"

How could I not have heard of that guy who made my grandma spend over ten yuan on medicinal wine!

Wei Ming: "I wrote a screenplay that was shown in Hong Kong, so I was invited to come and have some fun."

It turned out he was just a writer. Lizhi was a little disappointed because she had heard about this legendary writer's experiences from her friends. In fact, his family was from the countryside and had nothing to do with any revolutionary family. She was disappointed.

Others would probably be more enthusiastic if they heard that Wei Ming was a famous writer, but Li Zhi was rather indifferent after learning Wei Ming's identity. After all, how much money can a writer earn? Even a well-known writer from the mainland can't compare to an ordinary worker in Hong Kong.

The profession of writer has always been associated with "poverty", but Lizhi was unwilling to live a life of poverty.

She even suspected that the house Bai Mingzhu owned might have actually been bought by Gong Xue, and that Gong Xue's family might have some overseas connections.

Wei Ming could clearly sense that Li Zhi's enthusiasm was waning, but he didn't care. He already had two beautiful lovers, and although they were both older than Li Zhi, he wasn't interested in her at all.

After Lizhi remained silent, Wei Ming picked up the magazine and continued reading.

Wei Ming's flight was scheduled to take off first, so he got up, took his luggage, and said goodbye to Li Zhi.

Seeing Wei Ming stand up, tall, long-legged, and charismatic, Lizhi felt a little regretful. She realized that although the writer had no power or influence, he was good-looking and famous. She had been too opportunistic just now.

So she asked with a smile, "Comrade Wei Ming, what's the name of your script? I'll buy a ticket to support it in Hong Kong."

Wei Ming told her, "Heroes have always emerged from among the young."

"Okay, got it, goodbye."

Lizhi's flight was an hour after Wei Ming left. She was worried about being late, so she arrived too early.

After Lizhi flew to Guangzhou, her father was already waiting for her at the Guangzhou airport. The two of them then immediately set off for Hong Kong.

On the way, her father told Lizhi that he only worked in a theater, with a limited salary and a cramped place to live. For the time being, he could only sleep in the living room, and she needed to find a job to support herself.

They had only seen each other when they were children, and had seen each other less often since they grew up. Lizhi was not surprised by her father's indifference; she was already mentally prepared to support herself in Hong Kong.

Who knows, I might easily earn more than the most famous young writers in mainland China.

Meanwhile, at Hong Kong Bluebird Film Company, Xu Anhua met Ms. Xia Meng.

Xia Meng had been waiting for Xu Anhua for a long time, starting last year.

She has a script called "Boat People" and has always wanted Ann Hui, the most famous female director of the Hong Kong New Wave, to direct it.

However, Ann Hui was busy filming "The Story of Woo Viet" starring Chow Yun-fat and Cherie Chung before, but now that the movie is being released, Ann Hui has finally found some free time.

After reading the script, she said she really liked the story, but had one question: "This script requires filming in Vietnam, but there's still a war going on there, right?"

"Yes, so we need a filming location with a climate similar to Vietnam. I don't know if you dare to go to Hainan, the mainland's Hainan."

With a simple smile, Xu Anhua, who has short hair, said: "I don't really care. It just depends on whether the actors dare to do it. So when can we start filming?"

Xia Meng smiled and said, "We are a small company. We will have to wait until our last movie is released and we get our share of the profits. It will be released in June. Before that, Director Xu can do some preliminary preparations."

After seeing Xu Anhua off, Xia Meng looked at the newly made poster for "Heroes Have Always Been Born Young" and wondered if this film could really make money.

……

(Today's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)