Exciting 1979!

Chapter 304 Recognizing a Younger Aunt, Picking Up a Beauty

"Ah Ming, the person the old man asked us to find is named Wei Lingling, and she also has the surname Wei?" Ah Long asked from the passenger seat.

"According to seniority, I should call her aunt. She is a top student from Stanford University with double bachelor's degrees in law and management. Finding her is the right person."

"Wow, that's amazing! But can they really help us?" Ah Long asked again.

"Then let's help each other out."

Old Ghost had mentioned that she had taken over a toy factory in Hong Kong, marking the beginning of her gradual takeover of the Wei family's business. However, the factory wasn't doing very well, and Wei Ming could provide some assistance in that regard.

Ah Long added, "I thought about it last night. If we can get the good news, I'll stay here for a few days. We'll go back to Beijing together after you come back from London. I can also familiarize myself with the business and sort out my ideas during these few days."

"Alright, let Biaozi take Wu Jing back first. I bet he's been missing his wife for a while now." Wei Ming smiled.

"And you, do you miss home?" Ah Long asked more subtly. Biaozi only has one wife, but you have two older sisters.

Wei Ming stubbornly replied, "I'm so happy here, I don't miss Shu at all."

Hidden behind, Amin couldn't help but wonder if Amin was so engrossed in his pleasure that he didn't want to leave.

"I remember you have a pen pal in Hong Kong, the one who used to send you magazines. Did you meet him when you came to Hong Kong this time?" Ah Long suddenly changed the subject during their casual conversation.

At the very back, Amin's heart began to race. She had initially wanted to jump out, but then she pulled back, wanting to hear what Amin had to say about her.

Wei Ming: "Yes, I have met her. She has been accompanying me on my field trip for the past two days. We have eaten a lot of Hong Kong delicacies, seen a lot of scenery, and experienced a lot of local customs."

Amin: Hmph, at least you have a conscience.

"No wonder she's so happy she doesn't want to go home. How old is she?" Ah Long asked with a smile.

"Fourteen."

Fourteen years old? Doesn't look like it. Ah Long suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Making such a joke about a fourteen-year-old girl, even if Ah Ming is a lecher, he can't have any thoughts about a girl younger than Wei Hong, can he? Would he even be a human being?

“You’re lucky, you have a little sister to accompany you on your field trip. I think I only have Ah Jiang for field trips, and he’s not always available. He also has to attend wireless training classes.”

“My pen pal isn’t available whenever I call her; she has to go to school, and final exams are coming up soon.”

Amin: Nonsense, when have I ever not been available whenever you call? It's you who won't let me accompany you.

Ah Long laughed and said, "Maybe not. Perhaps your pen pal really is available whenever you call."

Wei Ming was taken aback: "What kind of lame joke is that?"

Ah Long: "Why don't you try calling her? What if she's like Cao Cao?"

Wei Ming shook his head with a wry smile, but still called out perfunctorily twice, "Amin, Amin."

Amin realized she had been discovered, so she sat up from under the third row of seats and called out, "Amin is here!"

"what!"

The van on the road suddenly started swerving and zigzagging, traveling quite a distance before returning to normal and stopping on the side of the road before entering the undersea tunnel.

On the bus, Zhou Huimin had moved from the third row to the second row behind Wei Ming. She said apologetically, "Ah Ming, don't be angry. I just wanted to give you a surprise. I didn't mean to scare you."

The little girl's pitiful appearance was so deceptive that Ah Long softened and quickly tried to excuse her: "Ah Ming, please forgive her. It's understandable that the little girl is a bit naughty."

"I haven't even said anything to you yet. You saw her get on the bus and didn't even tell me. Aren't you afraid we'll run into bad guys?" Wei Ming said, his initial shock subsiding.

Ah Long pushed up his glasses: "Wearing a school uniform, and being a girl, it shouldn't be that serious."

He saw it upstairs when Wei Ming and Lao Gui were whispering to each other. A girl in a school uniform walked around the car once and then disappeared. He only realized she was behind him after the car had driven a while.

Moreover, Ah Long had heard about the existence of Zhou's mother and Zhou Huimin from his father, and also knew that the little girl surnamed Zhou was Wei Ming's pen pal. So after some probing, he guessed that the little girl who secretly got on the bus must be Ah Ming's pen pal. And he was right. Drawing comics also requires logic.

Wei Ming: "Then we need to go to the Peninsula Hotel, what are you going to do?"

“I can go with you, and I can even give you directions, okay?” Zhou Huimin’s hand had already reached for Wei Ming’s arm. She rarely acted coquettishly growing up, but at this moment, she did it naturally and effortlessly.

Being a mature woman and being a little girl are completely different experiences.

Wei Ming restarted the car: "Have you been to the Peninsula Hotel?"

“No, but our school organized a trip to the Hong Kong Space Museum. The Peninsula Hotel is right across from the Space Museum, both on Salisbury Road,” Amin replied.

The Hong Kong Space Museum opened last year, while the Peninsula Hotel has stood in Hong Kong for more than half a century. It belongs to the renowned Kadoorie family, and successful people in Hong Kong's entertainment industry love to have afternoon tea there.

After passing through the undersea tunnel, we drove all the way to the Peninsula Hotel. The limousines parked outside were all Rolls-Royces. As expected of Hong Kong's most luxurious hotel, Wei Ming's van was too embarrassed to park next to them.

Upon entering the lobby, Ah Long and Ah Min were both stunned; the lobby was truly extravagant!
Wei Ming was relatively calm, after all, he had lived there in his previous life.

He gave the receptionist Wei Lingling's name and quickly made a phone call.

Wei Lingling, who had just finished showering, heard that her nephew had come to her door and told the receptionist, "Have him come up in ten minutes."

The receptionist then relayed Wei Lingling's message, and they waited briefly in the lobby.

When the time came, Wei Ming was about to take the two upstairs when the receptionist said...

"Only Mr. Wei Ming is allowed to go up."

Wei Ming didn't insist: "Then you can have some morning tea over there."

This was a real challenge for Ah Long, as he was not good at interacting with girls, especially those other than his girlfriend.

So Amin guided the conversation throughout. She already knew his name was Along in the car, and he was an NPC who often appeared in Amin's letters. Now she also learned that Brother Along was actually Uncle Bin's son!
Turns out we're all on the same side!

"Brother Long, you haven't been to Uncle Bin's workplace yet, have you?"

"Yes, I've been there. My friends and I have eaten at McDonald's before."

Vivian Chow: "..."

~
I rang the doorbell, and soon a newly dressed woman opened the door. She looked to be about twenty-two or twenty-three years old and was still damp with sweat.

This was the first time Wei Ming had ever seen such a young aunt. She was truly beautiful, no less than a celebrity. More importantly, she was well-read and had an elegant demeanor. Although she wasn't wearing glasses, she gave off the feeling of a top student and had a strong presence.

Unfortunately, the misunderstanding between her and Lao Gui was not resolved until the old man passed away, and she never got to see her own brother.

"Auntie, it's me, Xiaoming!" Since there were no outsiders present, Wei Ming called out in a disgusting yet affectionate manner.

Wei Lingling was caught off guard by his affectionate call and couldn't help but take two steps back.

"Stop, stop, stop." Seeing Wei Ming's emotional expression, tall and upright figure, and handsome and pleasing face, Wei Lingling, who was originally going to give Wei Ming a cold shoulder, almost gave him a hug. Although she eventually held back, her attitude softened a lot.

She began to reflect on herself. It was Wei Senhao who had wronged her and her daughter, so why should she make things difficult for her own nephew, who was her blood relative? Besides, he had even written a song that she really liked.

Having figured this out, Wei Lingling smiled warmly: "Xiaoming, sit down. How old are you?"

Wei Lingling asked about Wei Ming's current situation like an elder.

"I'm 20 years old this year."

"Excuse me, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Auntie, you're being too presumptuous."

Wei Lingling laughed. This kid was interesting; he wasn't as rigid as she had imagined mainlanders to be.

"I originally wanted to talk to you about the old villas in Shanghai, but I didn't expect you to come to me on your own initiative. What do you want to see me about?"

Wei Mingdao said, "It's like this. I know you studied law and management. I'm preparing to acquire a comic book publishing house in Hong Kong and would like to ask you for help with the valuation and contract."

Wei Lingling didn't ask what the purpose of acquiring that thing was, but said, "The law I studied may be different from that in Hong Kong, but I have a senior classmate who is a licensed lawyer in Hong Kong. I can introduce you to her. As for the valuation, I can help you."

"That's great! I'm a complete novice in this area, so I feel much more at ease with you here!"

Wei Lingling said, "After you finish these things, you have to come back to Shanghai with me."

"That might not work. I need to go to England first."

What are you going to England for?

Wei Ming briefly discussed the licensing of the musical "The Lion King".

"Why don't you just delegate this small matter to your editor?" Wei Lingling implied that it wasn't worth making the trip alone.

Wei Ming said, "This is no small matter. The musical version of 'The Lion King' has great potential, and I must protect my rights."

To put it simply, The Lion King's box office revenue is on par with The Phantom of the Opera, belonging to the pinnacle of this genre.

Because it is very attractive to children, and the ticket price is not low, and it has been popular for decades, the cumulative box office has reached 80 billion US dollars, which is much higher than the combined global box office of the animated and live-action versions of "The Lion King". The box office in New York Broadway alone has exceeded 10 billion US dollars.

Seeing that Wei Lingling didn't take it seriously, Wei Ming added, "Besides, my editor is my ex-girlfriend, and I plan to take this opportunity to meet her."

Hearing this, Wei Lingling, who always considered herself one of the most distant relatives, finally perked up.

"Ex-girlfriend? You have an ex-girlfriend? She's in the UK? Is she a British Chinese? Are you planning to get back together?"

Wei Ming answered selectively, "She's a British girl. We met when we were studying at Peking University. Auntie, why don't you come to London with me? I'm afraid some foreigners will rip me off. You're studying law, so the Anglo-American legal system should be similar. You could treat it as a graduation trip." Wei Lingling crossed her legs and said, "You little rascal, you want me to work for you for free? You're dreaming."

She didn't say whether she agreed or disagreed, but Wei Ming genuinely wanted to bring her along. This aunt was quite skilled in her field, and even if they hired a local lawyer, it would be safer to have her oversee things.

Wei Ming had come prepared, having already figured out how to get Wei Lingling onto his side on the way.

“I heard from Grandpa that your great-uncle entrusted you with managing a poorly managed toy factory in Hong Kong.”

"That's true. It's not that the business is poorly managed. It's just that the competition in the Hong Kong toy industry is too fierce, so we can't rank highly. But we can still make a profit."

Despite its small size, Hong Kong is now known as the "world's toy factory." In 72, it surpassed Japan to become the world's number one exporter.

“I know a little about toys, Auntie. If you help me, I’ll help you too.”

Wei Lingling laughed: "I really don't need that. I have my own way. I will use my connections in the United States to get orders from some toy manufacturers there."

Wei Ming laughed: "It's just OEM manufacturing."

Wei Lingling heard the mockery in her nephew's tone, so she raised her voice: "What's wrong with doing OEM? Cai Zhiming from Hong Kong became the toy king of Hong Kong by doing OEM."

The Cai Zhiming she mentioned is indeed very impressive. His company became famous in less than ten years by manufacturing Snoopy toys. Later, he even acquired an American toy company, expanding his business empire to the whole world. At the height of his family's prosperity, his net worth was nearly 10 billion US dollars.

Wei Mingdao said, "Cai Zhiming is indeed impressive, but I admire another Hong Kong toy godfather, Mr. Lin Liang, even more."

Since Wei Lingling knew she was going to take over the toy factory, she naturally had some understanding of the landscape of the Hong Kong toy industry.

Lin Liang is also very famous. He first sold four yellow ducks that he independently developed to the world. The famous little yellow ducks that are now very popular are also his.

Wei Ming continued, "OEM manufacturing is certainly no problem, it's one way out. But if you can independently develop toys, everything upstream and downstream of the toy industry will belong to you. You can even make movies and animations for your toys. Animations affect toy sales, and toys affect the popularity of movies and TV shows."

"Do you really know a lot about toys?" Wei Lingling said, somewhat unconvinced after eating a grape.

Instead of answering the question directly, Wei Ming asked, "Auntie, do you know anything about figurines?"

"Handicrafts?" This term sounds a bit unfamiliar.

“This is a concept that originated in Japan,” Wei Mingdao said. “It can be traced back to Space Battleship Yamato, which launched character models. Mobile Suit Gundam, which was released a couple of years ago, further developed this concept, and the release of the mecha models sparked a buying frenzy.”

The concept of figurines was still relatively new, but it was later popularized by the Japanese, who drained the pockets of anime fans. Wei Ming mentioned this to Wei Lingling, saying that if she could become the first figurine manufacturer in Hong Kong, she would be able to make a fortune.

Wei Lingling took it seriously and planned to do some thorough research later.

However, it sounds like this toy isn't very fun to play with and is more about satisfying the collecting desires of hardcore fans, which means this market segment is destined to be small.

After all, there aren't that many die-hard fans, nor are there that many anime works that can cultivate die-hard fans.

But Wei Lingling had to say, "You've given me a clue. Okay, I can go to London with you."

“Great! We can discuss how toys and animation can benefit each other along the way. I’m going to make animation, and you’re going to make toys.”

If a hit comic is released on our end, my aunt's toy factory can produce corresponding figurines and matching weapons. It's likely to be a promising business opportunity. For example, we could try a pilot project with "Qin's Moon," which features many attractive characters and cool weapons.

Wei Lingling chuckled: "I'm just practicing at the toy factory; I won't stay here for long."

Her uncle wanted to inherit his business in Taiwan, while her aunt wanted her to go to San Francisco to help her manage the business. She was destined for greatness.

Wei Ming said, "But if you can make this toy factory bigger and stronger, both Grandpa and Grandma will definitely be very happy, after all, this toy factory is called Langning."

Wei Lingling's heart trembled. Wei Lang and Wei Ning, her two cousins ​​who died in the war.

Yes, my uncle named this toy factory "Langning," which must have been a deep and heartfelt expression of his love for it.

“I’ll definitely do my best. You don’t need to remind me. Have you eaten yet? I’ll treat you. Go see my senior this afternoon,” Wei Lingling said.

"I haven't eaten yet. My two friends are downstairs having tea, let's join them."

As he went downstairs, he introduced Ah Long and Ah Min beforehand, explaining that they were both the children of Lao Gui's business partner.

"Actually, his fast food and toys can be combined. For example, children can buy a certain meal and get some inexpensive plastic dolls as a gift. But the premise is that his stores must be big and numerous enough, otherwise the sales volume will be too low and it won't be interesting."

Wei Ming gave Wei Lingling another idea, which he remembered was what McDonald's did in later generations.

McDonald's actually launched this marketing tactic two years ago, but Wei Lingling was unaware of it. Firstly, she rarely eats Western fast food, and secondly, she doesn't have any children around her, as these toys are only available in children's meals.

"I didn't expect you to have so many clever ideas," Wei Lingling said with a smile. "Looking at it this way, I should support him in opening Holiland stores all over the world."

Wei Ming felt that the possibility was unlikely, and calmly said, "Actually, if your toy is loud enough, you can cooperate directly with McDonald's."

Wei Lingling nodded and looked at Wei Ming approvingly: "Have you ever thought about studying in the United States? You're so smart, and you have works and fame. I can help you get recommendation letters, like going to Berklee to study music."

Wei Ming smiled and waved his hand: "Keep the recommendation letter for your niece. She has good grades. I'll pass. I need to finish my correspondence courses at Peking University first."

As they were talking, they arrived at the tea room in the lobby on the first floor. Amin and Along had already finished their drinks and were chatting about Wei Ming's embarrassing moments in middle school.

Ah Long spoke slowly, finally waiting for Wei Ming to return. The next thing to talk about was what happened after Ah Ming went to Beijing, and then Zhu Lin and Gong Xue would probably not be able to keep it from them anymore.

Wei Ming directly instructed the waiter to formally order the meal, stating that today's meal would be on his aunt's tab.

"Have we met somewhere before?" Zhou Huimin looked at Wei Lingling and felt that she looked familiar.

Wei Lingling still remembered Zhou Huimin, but she didn't want her embarrassing crying incident to be brought up again, so she denied it outright: "No, I have an average face."

"No, Auntie, you're so beautiful!" Zhou Huimin said sincerely. Compared to this mature older sister, she even felt ashamed of herself.

"What did you call me?" Wei Lingling was taken aback.

Zhou Huimin shrank her neck: "Ah Ming calls you aunt, and since I'm friends with him, I call you aunt too."

Wei Lingling glanced at Wei Ming, who looked completely at ease. Although her nephew was a bit old, the two of them looked quite well-matched.

However, he hasn't yet decided whether he'll get back together with his British ex-girlfriend during this trip to London.
Or is he trying to get back together with her while keeping the young Hong Kong girl on the hook?

Hmph, just like his grandfather!
Wei Lingling had a good impression of the well-behaved and beautiful Zhou Huimin and readily accepted her title of "aunt." However, when she saw that Liu Rulong also wanted to call her "aunt," she stopped him.

“Let’s each talk our own thing. You can just call me sister.”

Ah Long happily agreed, feeling like he was being treated like an elder.

After finishing his meal, Wei Ming said to Amin, "We need to see a lawyer, so..."

"Don't worry, I'll take the bus back to school by myself." Amin was in a good mood after having a delicious meal at the hotel and meeting her aunt again.

Wei Ming: "Well, what about tomorrow? Do you still want to come with us?"

"Tomorrow won't work, the final exams start tomorrow," Amin said.

"What?! Final exams tomorrow, and you still dared to get on our bus today!" Wei Ming was shocked.

Zhou Huimin sensed that Wei Ming was about to lose his temper, so she quickly got up and left: "Oh dear, I'll do my best on the exam, I'm leaving now."

Wei Lingling called out to her, "Let the hotel's chauffeur take you back. I'll go with their car."

Then she regretted it. You mean a minivan?
Despite her initial disdain, Wei Lingling still introduced the two boys to her senior and began to learn about the "Good News" program.

Wei Ming gave her so many ideas that would benefit the toy factory, and Wei Lingling was also very concerned about her nephew's affairs. The next day, she started working on Wei Ming's matter, avoiding Lao Gui. The aunt and nephew got along very well.

Wei Ming didn't need to do anything himself anymore; his aunt told him to just wait for news. Besides, Amin couldn't accompany him, so Wei Ming simply drove around by himself.

He visited Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, two of Hong Kong's leading film companies, and presented each with a script, wanting to know how much it could fetch.

When he went there, he brought Biaozi and Wu Jing with him and revealed his identity as Wei Ming, the screenwriter and author of "Heroes Have Always Been Born Young".

This movie is a dark horse this year, with a solid script and sharp marketing, which the heads of both companies are naturally aware of.

However, Shaw Brothers, adhering to its consistent tradition of frugality, was only willing to offer HK$5000, less than what Li Hanxiang gave.

Old Li gave him 15,000 yuan for two scripts, and they weren't even fully written; they started writing from a half-finished product.

Golden Harvest, on the other hand, was much more generous, offering HK$10,000.

Wei Ming's scripts are subject to income restrictions in mainland China, so they can only fetch a maximum of 1500 RMB. Golden Harvest's prices are quite reasonable.

But Wei Ming didn't sell it to them immediately. He wanted to see how much a script he was worth now that he had some fame.

After inquiring with both Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, Wei Ming ultimately went to Cinema City, which had only recently been established.

Although Cinema City has only been established for a short time, its film "The Happy Ghost" performed well this year, ranking second only to "The Young Heroes". Moreover, it has "Chasing Girls" and "The Wise Guy" waiting to be released this year, both of which are among the top ten films of the year. It can be said that it is a hidden dragon just waiting to take off.

At 22 Kent Road, Kowloon City, Wei Ming and his group had just arrived when a girl rushed out angrily and, as if aiming at him, bumped right into Wei Ming.

Biaozi can't even bump into a double door that's so wide, and Wu Jing, who's so small, doesn't bump into him, but he bumps into me?!
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I..." Lizhi, who was almost crying, apologized hastily, only recognizing him when she looked up.

"Wei Ming?!"

Wei Ming, who wasn't hurt by the impact, laughed and said, "Miss Lizhi, what a coincidence, are you here at Cinema City on business?"

Lizhi glanced at the Cinema City office building, wiped her eyes, and said, "I think you'd better not go in. These people look down on us mainlanders!"

(End of this chapter)