Exciting 1979!

Chapter 305 Madman's Comics and Investing in Bluebird

A few days ago, Lizhi watched "Heroes from Ancient Times". She thought it was a mainland Chinese film, but the quality of the film far exceeded her expectations. She felt it was better than most Hong Kong films.

The box office results were also very impressive. The key was that the male and female leads and Zhao Debiao became very popular as a result, and Lizhi saw them in newspapers and on television more than once.

Especially Zhao Debiao, whose title has recently been dubbed "China's Superman" by Hong Kong media after the release of "Superman 2," while Li Ka-shing has just been dubbed "Hong Kong's Superman" by the media. It seems that Zhao Debiao is more impressive.

When Lizhi saw that mainlanders could also become famous in the Hong Kong film and television industry, she felt that she was quite good-looking, tall, fair-skinned, and big-breasted, no less than the young wife in the movie. Her father was also an actor, so she thought she would also try her hand in the murky waters of the entertainment industry.

She didn't dare to go to big companies like Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, but she happened to have seen a film by Cinema City before, and thought that it would be easier to get by in a small company, so she went to them and offered her services.

As a result, he was ridiculed by the bald man, who said he was too unsophisticated, his clothes were inappropriate, and his makeup made him look like a chicken. He added that their movies were all urban fashion films, and how could a pheasant be paired with a phoenix?

Lizhi didn't voice the other person's sarcastic remark about her being unsophisticated, but Wei Ming could probably guess it. After all, she was a girl who had just come to Hong Kong from the mainland, so her fashion sense naturally couldn't keep up with these Hong Kong women.

So later, after much painful reflection, Lizhi returned to Shanghai to study English diligently, took the TOEFL, and went to San Francisco to study. A few years later, she returned to Hong Kong as the Miss Asia champion. However, once she entered the Hong Kong entertainment industry, she still couldn't escape being bullied and pranked because of her mainland Chinese background. At that time, she longed to find a powerful backer.

At that time, all Lizhi wanted was a decent job so that she could establish herself in Hong Kong.

Wei Ming asked, "You don't like working in a supermarket?"

"do not like."

"What about the fast food restaurant?" Wei Ming couldn't help but want to help her. In mainland China, people are divided into "Beijingers" and "Hong Kongers," but in Hong Kong, everyone is a fellow mainlander.

"what?"

Wei Ming: "I've invested in a fast food restaurant in Hong Kong, and we're about to open a new branch. We really need a young and energetic girl like you."

Lizhi looked at Wei Ming with some surprise. Wasn't he just a writer with some fame in mainland China, and at most, some fame in Hong Kong now? How come he had a shop in Hong Kong? And was he even opening a branch? He sounded very successful.

"You don't like physical labor?" Wei Ming noticed her dazed expression and assumed she wasn't interested. He added, "I'm currently acquiring a local comic book publisher in Hong Kong. I should have results soon. We do need clerical or receptionist staff. Are you interested in that?"

Lizhi: What? He has more than one company in Hong Kong! Where does he get so much money?

There was no time to think about it anymore; Lizhi felt she should seize this opportunity: "I..."

However, just as she was about to accept the office job, Wei Ming rejected it himself: "No, no, the comic book department is full of young otaku, most of whom are still single. If you go there, they probably won't be able to concentrate on their work."

With that kind of despicable physique, he might even cause his fellow disciples to turn against each other, ultimately leading to a bloody street fight.

Lizhi chuckled. She could tell whether he was praising her beauty or implying that the talented man had good taste and that the bald man was blind.

Lizhi asked, "Are you serious? You really have a company in Hong Kong?"

Wei Ming: "It's very simple to start a company in Hong Kong. The important thing is whether you can make money. Here, leave your contact information. I have a relative who needs an assistant or something similar. I can ask around for you."

He felt that his aunt didn't have anyone to carry her bags or run errands, which was unworthy of her status, while the still relatively simple and honest Lizhi might be a suitable candidate.

Lizhi is growing up alongside her aunt who studied abroad, and she'll likely be transformed very soon.

Of course, this requires Wei Lingling's consent.

Although Lizhi still had doubts, it was just a way to contact someone. She took out a pen and paper and gave them to Wei Ming, then asked, "What about yours?"

Wei Ming left her the phone number for the Great Wall dormitory: "I'll use this phone for now. Also, did you bring any photos...?"

Biaozi and Wu Jing, who were on the other side of the street, squatted by the roadside watching the two. Biaozi asked, "Jingzi, do you know what Brother Ming is doing?"

Kyoko: "Isn't this about helping others?"

Biaozi chuckled: "You don't know anything."

Wu Jing thought to himself: I really don't know anything about football. Does Teacher Wei know anything about it?
As the two were talking, someone suddenly stood in front of them. He looked quite unusual. Biaozi stood up and was a head taller and twice as wide as the other person.

The other party seemed to recognize Biaozi: "Excuse me, are you Mr. Zhao Debiao? My name is Xu Ke, and I'm a director at Cinema City. Are you here to audition for our company?"

Xu Ke looked at Zhao Debiao with great satisfaction. He was truly a born villain, exuding a strong sense of oppression!

At this moment, Wei Ming, who had just seen Li Zhi off, came over and said, "Director Xu Ke, hello. I am Wei Ming. I have a script that I would like your company to take a look at."

"Which mainland writer? The one who wrote 'The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes'?"

"it's me."

Xu Ke was more interested in Biao Zi than Wei Ming, but he was more polite and courteous to Wei Ming, after all, Wei Ming was a talented man, recognized even by the Hong Kong literary world.

Xu Ke invited the three of them inside, and Wei Ming's script was handed directly to the bald-headed Karl Maka. After all, it was a small startup company, and Wei Ming's previous scripts had only reached the level of manager or senior executive at Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest.

"A Seven-Day Mistake in Love?" Karl Maka glanced at the synopsis and the beginning, somewhat surprised. These supposedly upright Northerners could actually write a story about marital infidelity? Are they really that open-minded?
Wei Ming saw Tsui Hark and his wife at Cinema City, as well as Tsang Chi-wai with his hoarse voice. He had just been entrusted with an important task by the company and took over the directorship of "Aces Go Places".

Despite Tsang Chi-wai's appearance, this movie holds a record that will last forever: it holds the record for the highest number of viewers in Hong Kong film history, reaching 286 million, which is 54% of Hong Kong's population at the time.

Although some films have since surpassed this one at the box office, these have primarily relied on increases in ticket prices, much like how no Hollywood film has managed to surpass "Gone with the Wind."

"Mr. Wei, our boss invites you." Shi Nansheng, the head butler of Cinema City, came out to invite Wei Ming to meet with Mai Jia.

Although Karl Maka often uses Shandong-style dubbing in Mandarin versions of his films, he actually has no connection to Shandong. He is from Guangdong and first immigrated to Hong Kong with his family, and later moved to the United States, where he completed his studies at New York University.

An art student who has returned from overseas studies may have the confidence to laugh at a girl from mainland China, but when facing Wei Ming, whether it is her clothes, hairstyle, or even her demeanor, Mai Jia feels ashamed and finds it hard to believe that this person is from mainland China.

“Wei Sheng’s script is very interesting, but the style doesn’t quite fit with our Cinema City. Our company doesn’t have any directors who are good at this type of work.”

Wei Ming wasn't particularly disappointed; Cinema City now only makes the most profitable and cost-effective films.

Then Karl Maka added, "So Cinema City can only contribute a maximum of HK$10,000, and that's only because of the box office success of 'Heroes from Ancient Times'."

Okay, so it turns out it was to lower the price. But Wei Ming didn't really want to sell; he just wanted to understand the market situation. After comparing prices from three different vendors, he already had a good idea of ​​what to expect.

Screenwriting is considered a very high-paying profession in mainland China; 1500 yuan is equivalent to dozens of times the average monthly salary.

However, screenwriters in Hong Kong are in a different league. A screenplay only earns a few times the average monthly salary, while well-known screenwriters might earn more than ten times the average salary. For example, Ni Kuang's screenplays earn far more money than his novels.

However, Hong Kong film scripts are relatively easy to write. Quick writers can finish a script in a few days, unlike in mainland China, where it is common to spend a year writing a script. Whether it is good or not is another matter. Hong Kong scripts are meticulously crafted and often involve experiencing life firsthand.

"I'm sorry, ten thousand doesn't meet my price range. Goodbye." Wei Ming stood up and said.

"Friend, don't be too greedy. This amount of money is enough for you to live a carefree life in mainland China. I've heard that the richest people in mainland China are those with 10,000 yuan. Your script is worth more than someone else's entire life's work."

Wei Ming laughed: "Mainlanders always fantasize about how good life is for Hong Kong people, but I have also seen many people living on the poverty line during my few days here. Hong Kong people are also used to fantasizing about how miserable life is for mainlanders, but I can sell hundreds of thousands or millions of copies of one of my songs."

"How much? How much did you say?" The bald man's eyes widened. Despite the bright future of Cinema City, he couldn't even earn a million dollars from a single movie salary plus company dividends. In fact, he hadn't made that much money since he started the business.

These mainland bumpkins really do spout nonsense without thinking, reminiscent of the old days when sows could outperform elephants and yield tens of thousands of kilograms per mu.

Wei Ming smiled and shook his head, not wanting to explain further: "Writing scripts in Hong Kong really isn't cost-effective. See you later." After saying that, Wei Ming got up and left, not giving the bald man a chance to react. He would give the script to Aunt Xia Meng later. Unless it was to promote someone, there was really no need to write scripts in the future. In the mainland, just like in Hong Kong, you can't earn much money writing scripts, and you can't do it for the long term or retire there.

Wei Ming went out, and Mai Jia snorted, "He doesn't know what's good for him, and he can't even brag properly!"

Mai Jia was truly angered by Wei Ming. He was always the one giving the mainlanders attitude, but today, because of Wei Ming's renowned talent, he treated him with great courtesy. Unexpectedly, he was humiliated.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Suddenly, he picked up the phone and dialed a familiar entertainment reporter.

"Hey, Ah Gou, do you know about the really popular song 'Heroes Have Always Been Born Young'? Let me tell you..."

Today, Biaozi and Xiao Wujing followed him around like servants. Wei Ming found a high-class restaurant to treat them to dinner, which included lobster and abalone, rare delicacies that are not available on the mainland.

But when he saw the price, Biaozi hesitated.

"Ming-ge, this is way too expensive!"

Although Wu Jing was illiterate, he could read the prices and they were indeed very expensive. The cheapest dish was equivalent to a large banquet in Beijing.

Wei Ming smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just received a sum of money, and this meal is just a drop in the ocean."

"What money? Did Aunt Xia Meng give you a red envelope?"

Wei Ming: "The Americans sent me a red envelope, a big one."

After finishing their meal, Wei Ming packed some leftovers for Ah Long to try as well.

The next day, Wei Ming went to Qingniao Film Company early in the morning to find Aunt Xia Meng.

Xia Meng made an "eight" gesture, meaning that the movie's box office had exceeded eight million.

"Great Wall Film Company is helping us contact overseas film distributors, which will bring in another sum of money. I never expected to achieve such great success as a film producer for the first time. It's all thanks to you. Knowing that you're leaving soon, I've prepared red envelopes for you, A Biao, A Jing, and A Yan who couldn't come. Please give them to them for me."

Wei Ming accepted the red envelope. It wasn't thin, and each envelope had a name on it. Yanzi's envelope was particularly thick.

"Isn't she pregnant? And she got pregnant on set. She started filming before the baby was even born, so of course he'll be in it too." Aunt Xia Meng winked mischievously, and Wei Ming understood immediately.

He asked, "The company's next movie is 'Boat People,' Auntie, do you think it will still be profitable?"

"I was indeed worried about the box office performance of this movie before, but I don't care now. What I made before will definitely be enough to cover the losses, but this is a movie that I really wanted to make." Xia Meng still has a lot of artistic aspirations.

Wei Ming thought of his past life. Although he made a fortune by making melodramatic short dramas, he couldn't help but invest in realistic works with great ideas when the film and television industry was in a downturn. He hoped that there would be more works to restore the reputation of domestic films.

Wei Ming said, "I have another script here, it's probably the kind of popular film that can make money, Auntie, do you want it?"

"Oh? You have a new work again. Let me take a look." Xia Meng reached out her hand directly.

Wei Ming handed over the prepared script: "Just to clarify, the plot is a bit bolder than that of left-wing films."

The original version starred Cecilia Yip and Kenny Bee, and included some explicit scenes. Of course, even if it didn't show nudity, it still violated public order and morality.

Although Xia Meng comes from a left-wing film industry, Bluebird is her private property and, strictly speaking, not a left-wing film company. She has more freedom than Great Wall and Phoenix.

Having been warned, Xia Meng continued reading with a sense of taboo anticipation. The story was about a married woman whose wealthy husband ran away from home due to debts. The government sent the male protagonist to live in her house to monitor her and prevent her from escaping as well.

The female protagonist initially disliked the intruder, but the male protagonist was gentle and tolerant, and most importantly, he was handsome and dashing.

One day, the villa was robbed, which fueled their feelings for each other, and they eventually broke free from moral constraints. However, just as their relationship was rapidly blossoming, the female protagonist's husband returned...

This love story also performed quite well at the box office, becoming Shaw Brothers' first film to reach the 10 million mark and ranking among the top ten highest-grossing films of the year.

Moreover, this story template could easily be used to make another "China's Bodyguard," achieving two goals at once.

Xia Meng occasionally showed a look of surprise while reading. She thought the film was not vulgar at all; she felt that the story was just the right amount of artistic.

"Ah Ming, I never expected you could write a Hong Kong story so well. How did you do it?"

“I have a pen pal in Hong Kong, and we’ve been corresponding for almost two years. Hong Kong is not unfamiliar to me.” Half of the medal belongs to Amin.

"But this is your first time in Hong Kong, after all. A genius is a genius!"

"You accepted the notebook?"

“I’ll take it. After we finish filming ‘Boat People,’ we’ll film this one,” Xia Meng said. “This film doesn’t need to be shot on location in mainland China, nor does it need to be a co-production. I’ll give you the payment according to Hong Kong’s rules, HK$10,000… HK$20,000. You should be worth that much now.”

Surprisingly, after asking three of the largest film companies, the one that offered the highest price was Xia Meng from Qingniao.

While personal relationships certainly played a role, Wei Ming remained grateful.

“I’ve seen other film companies often working on several films at the same time. Auntie, you can be bolder too.” This script has already been read by many people, and if we don’t film it soon, things might change.

Xia Meng smiled and said, "We are a small company, and I prefer to play it safe. Our own company only accounts for half of the investment in the film at most. The other part usually needs to seek external funds to share the risk. The funds for 'Boat People' are all in place, but although your new script has a low cost, it will take time to raise funds."

“It’s just an investment, what do you think of me?” Wei Ming asked.

"You can consider royalties as an investment, that's fine, but it's far from enough."

Wei Ming: "It's not just about royalties; if the shortfall is several hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars, I can still afford it."

"What?! You're that rich?!" Xia Meng was shocked.

Wei Ming humbly replied, "I'm a little bit richer than most people imagine."

He didn't have that much money originally; the investment in Holiland and the acquisition of "Xi Bao" would probably have used it all up. But shortly after arriving in Hong Kong, the American company MCA paid him his first share of record sales and a portion of the licensing fees. It wasn't much, just $10, and Li Aiguo's share had already been deducted.

Wei Ming's depleted wallet immediately became full again. That's the power of a hit song, and $10 is just the beginning!
Because the cost was unknown and the detailed investment amount still needed to be discussed, just as Wei Ming was about to leave, A Long called Qingniao again.

"Ah Ming, Sister Lingling called and said that the 'Good News' deal is all done. She's negotiated everything and is just waiting for your money." Ah Long really was talking to himself.

"Okay, I'll pick you up and take you to her."

With no other works to show for it, only some equipment and apprentices left, Wei Ming didn't use the income from that song, "Good News," which was very cheap.

Wei Ming took A Long to sign a contract with Shangguan Xiaobao and Shangguan Xiaowei that same day.

From then on, the comic book publishing house belonged to Wei Ming. Because there were no works available for the time being, "Good News" would be suspended for a period of time. When it resumed publication, it would change from a newspaper to a magazine, and the name "Good News" could be dropped.

Wei Ming prepared a new name for it: "Madman's Comics".

"Madman's Comics", Editor-in-Chief: Wei Kuangren!

(End of this chapter)