Exciting 1979!

Chapter 307 Amin's Pink Memories
First love, what a beautiful word. Just thinking about it makes your mouth water.

The song was originally composed by Japanese musician Takazo Murashita, and a year later, lyrics were written by the renowned lyricist Cheng Kwok-kong, and it was sung by Lam Chi-mei.

This song not only became a hit in Hong Kong at the time, giving Lam Chi-mei the ability to compete with a host of divas, but it has also remained popular for decades, and people never tire of listening to it. There are male versions and female versions, as well as regular and upbeat versions, depending on the arranger's skill.

Now that Amin had made her choice, Wei Ming took out a stack of papers from his bag and then pulled out one of them.

"Here, here you go."

Zhou Huimin accepted the book with both hands and began to read it carefully.

"I have no experience with love / I discovered it for the first time today / I met him from afar / The joy was so fresh..."

When Zhou Huimin saw the lyrics, she couldn't help but feel happy. She thought Ah Ming was writing about his own first love, but it seemed to be written from a girl's perspective.

Her heart started pounding even faster. He was writing about me! He was writing about me!
"I couldn't sleep all night / His image appeared in my mind / I asked why I met him / His beautiful impression was like my first love / I silently gazed / Silently gazed / His gaze was like lightning / That instant contact had already made me dizzy..."

This was exactly how Zhou Huimin felt when she first saw Wei Ming. She tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep.

Thin, too thin!
Amin blushed and continued watching, until she reached the chorus.

"I long to see him every minute / I wait silently without complaint / I yearn to see him every minute / I'd be happy for days if I bumped into him on the street..."

Zhou Huimin, who had been silently reading the song, hummed it softly, and her mood soared along with the song.

Amin isn't the kind of singer with exceptional talent; her voice is ordinary, and her vocal power is average. Compared to other singers of her generation, she isn't particularly outstanding. However, her timbre is still very beautiful and has a high degree of recognizability. If she chooses the right song and it matches her image, the effect will definitely be greater than the sum of its parts.

The song "First Love" is definitely the most suitable type of song for Amin. Lin Zhimei's image is average, but as soon as this song was released, it quickly became a classic that was sung on the streets and alleys. It had a huge influence among students and was even called the "spokesperson for girls' feelings" by the media. Decades later, it is still a hit on Douyin.

If Amin were to sing this song, Wei Ming believes the song's influence would only be greater, since Amin is a girl who evokes the image of first love at first sight.

However, during the audition, Amin discovered that her abilities were not yet up to par with the song.

This song is great; it's just that I'm not good enough.

At this moment, Wei Ming's attention was drawn to the singer on stage, because the song being sung was the Mandarin song "Liuliu De Ta" by Zhang Mingmin.

Amin said to Wei Ming, "The reason we met here is because Brother Zhang has always wanted to get to know you and personally thank you for those songs."

Wei Ming greatly admires Mr. Zhang Mingmin's character, and there's nothing wrong with getting to know him.

He said, "But it doesn't seem to be helping much. He's still singing in nightclubs."

"How could that be? He comes to sing every Saturday because he's an old friend of the owner of this karaoke bar. He's already a very famous Mandarin singer."

"I see."

Because they had a lot of contact, Zhang Mingmin on stage spotted Zhou Huimin at a glance and immediately spotted the handsome guy next to her.

At first, I thought it was just kids dating, but he didn't look like someone Amin's age at all. Although he looked decent, he was obviously a seasoned womanizer and didn't seem like a good person.

After finishing the song, seeing Vivian Chow waving at him again, Cheung Ming-man immediately went over.

"Amin, who is this?"

"Brother Zhang, this is A-Ming."

"What, A-Ming!" Zhang Mingmin was overjoyed. Looking at Wei Ming again, she found him to be handsome and upright.

“I’ll call you Brother Zhang too, just like Amin. Hello, Brother Zhang, I’m Wei Ming.”

"Wei Ming?" Upon hearing A Ming's real name, Zhang Mingmin felt as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Vivian Chow laughed and said, "Does this sound familiar? Here's a hint: 'Heroes have always emerged from among the young.'"

Zhang Mingmin: "Oh, I remember now!"

He had just read a newspaper article today criticizing mainland writer Wei Ming for boasting without paying taxes, and it seemed to be related to bald-headed Karl Maka.

"So you can write novels, screenplays, and even compose lyrics and music?!" Zhang Mingmin exclaimed in surprise at Wei Ming's versatility.

"That's not all, he can also draw and play basketball!"

Amin's desire to show off was impossible to hide, and Zhang Mingmin couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Although he knew he might be in the way at the moment, there was something he had wanted to do for a long time.

“Amin, can I treat you to a meal? Amin, come too. My career has changed because of you.”

Wei Ming and Amin exchanged a glance, and then Wei Ming readily agreed.

They found a Shandong cuisine restaurant near the karaoke bar. Zhang Mingmin also learned that Wei Mingming was about to leave Hong Kong, and said with a smile, "It's a good thing that Amin brought you here today, otherwise it would have been a pity."

“How could that be? I’ll be coming to Hong Kong often in the future,” Wei Ming said.

Zhang Mingmin glanced at Zhou Huimin again, looking as if he had just realized something. This is the power of love!
During the meeting, Zhang Mingmin also mentioned the news about Wei Ming in the tabloids. He said, "Is there some misunderstanding here? I know some friends in the media who can help clarify this."

"I said it, so there's no need to clarify it," Wei Ming said calmly.

Zhou Huimin, however, could not remain calm: "Those tabloid reporters are like frogs in a well, they have no idea how amazing Amin is, everything he said is true!"

Zhang Mingmin's eyes widened in disbelief. It was actually true! A million dollars for a single song!
Wei Ming smiled and waved his hand: "Amin, if you can talk, then talk more."

Amin couldn't stop chattering: "Brother Zhang, you should know what the most popular song in the world is right now, right?"

Zhang Mingmin blurted out: "Naturally, it's the British newcomer singer who sang Sarah Brightman's 'Moonlight Shadow' in memory of John Lennon. This album sold like hotcakes even in Hong Kong."

Vivian Chow was very satisfied with the answer: "Then who wrote the lyrics and music for this song?"

Zhang Mingmin recalled: "It seems his name was Mr. Why?"

"This Mr. Wei is not only a songwriter, but also the author of many best-selling children's novels, such as 'The Legend of the Heavenly Book' and 'The Lion King.' He is known as the King of Fairy Tales in mainland China, and this is just a clone of Amin."

After saying that, Amin acted arrogantly as if he were the one who said it, while Zhang Mingmin was dumbfounded. So the original author of the hit song that dominated the Billboard charts for three weeks was actually a mainland Chinese musician?!
While it's unclear how much money Western musicians make, a song with such global popularity bringing in millions of Hong Kong dollars for the songwriter is definitely an underestimate.

While Zhang Mingmin was in a daze, Amin delivered another blow: "Tomorrow Amin is leaving Hong Kong, actually to England, because Sarah Brightman's boss wants to adapt Amin's fairy tales into a musical. He is already a writer with a huge influence in the West."

Zhou Huimin was very proud, not only because Amin had achieved great success, but also because Amin had not hidden anything from her about these things.

Zhang Mingmin had no doubts because he trusted Wei Ming's character. So at first, he thought it was just a misunderstanding caused by a misrepresentation. Now it seems that Wei Ming is really capable.

He had originally wanted to commission a song from Wei Ming, but now he was too embarrassed to bring it up. Writing a song in Hong Kong only costs a few dollars, while collaborating with the Western music scene, even if it's not a blockbuster, is still far more lucrative than what Hong Kong music can offer.

So Zhang Mingmin then mainly talked to Wei Ming about the creative ideas and release process of the song, putting the matter of commissioning the song out of his mind.

However, Wei Ming did mention that he had recently written several songs about maternal love for his screenplay "Mom, Love Me Again," and that Zhang Mingmin could sing one of them.

It was that song, "Mother in the Candlelight." Although it's more suited to female voices, and movie theme songs are often sung by mainland female singers, Yu Quan's version left a deep impression on Wei Ming.

So he wrote out the lyrics on the spot and changed the word "daughter" in the original lyrics to "child".

Savoring the lyrics and listening to Wei Ming sing a few lines, Zhang Mingmin immediately fell in love with the song. Parental love is an eternal theme in literary and artistic works.

Although everyone is friends and the meal was very satisfying, the record company should still pay the royalties due. After all, this song is not unique to Wei Ming; he wrote the lyrics and Gu Jianfen composed the music. It can be considered that Wei Ming helped Teacher Gu earn some foreign exchange.

Zhang Mingmin was extremely excited and was preparing to talk to the company. This was the new work of a musician who had successfully entered the European and American markets, so he needed to get more money!
The three parted ways outside the restaurant, with Zhang Mingmin waving goodbye to Wei Ming's van.

In the car, Vivian Chow hummed "First Love" with the lyrics "No experience in love, only today did I discover it for the first time," her tone cheerful and light, as if she were already deeply immersed in first love.

Wei Ming would occasionally correct her and enjoy Amin's live performance; her sweet voice was indeed very endearing and made him want to fall in love.

When they were almost home, Amin asked a question: "Who are you planning to sell the other songs to? Do you need me to ask PolyGram for you? After all, I'm quite familiar with Alan."

Wei Ming replied, "What do you mean by selling them? They were all written for you, of course I'm keeping them for you. When you're capable of mastering these songs, I'll give them to you to sing."

"parking."

"what?"

“Please pull over to the side of the road,” Zhou Huimin emphasized.

Wei Ming reluctantly stopped the car on the side of the road, wondering why the little girl had suddenly gotten out.

Zhou Huimin unbuckled her seatbelt. Who said she was getting out of the car? She asked Wei Ming to stop the car so she could give him a hug.

The hug caught Wei Ming off guard. Zhou Huimin swayed her slender waist and embraced him from the passenger seat, whispering in his ear, "Thank you, Brother Ming."

Wei Ming, unsure what to do with his hands, chuckled and said, "You're welcome." Amin sat up straight again, smoothing her hair as if to hide her flushed face; thankfully, it was still dark.

During the final leg of the journey, Zhou Huimin told Wei Ming about her ideals.

"Actually, I really want to become a singer. I used to listen to music programs on the radio every day, and I would copy down any good songs in my notebook. But my mom would definitely not let me debut."

When the family was poor, they wouldn't have agreed, let alone now that the family's conditions have greatly improved. Zhou's mother is even more looking forward to her daughter's academic success.

Wei Mingguang was so busy writing songs for Amin that he didn't really consider that she was still young. Not only did Zhou's mother disagree, but he also disagreed with little Amin entering the entertainment industry.

But this song must be released as soon as possible, otherwise it will clash with the one released in 83.

"Have it!"

Wei Ming had a sudden inspiration: "Isn't Holiland going to open a new store? The new store is aimed at teenagers and white-collar workers. You can record this song and use it as the theme song for the new store."

"Fast food restaurants have theme songs?"

"Of course, milk tea shops can have them too." (This is a playful, somewhat suggestive phrase, implying a sweet and loving relationship.)

And so it was decided happily. As for the other four songs written by Wei Ming, Wei Ming will keep them for now and bring them out for Amin to sing whenever she needs them.

When Amin returned home, she was still humming the song "First Love" with obvious joy, which was overheard by her mother who had just finished taking a shower.

"Whose song is this? I've never heard it before," Zhou's mother asked, drying her hair.

"Does it sound good, Mommy?" Amin asked.

"It's alright." For an elderly person to give this evaluation of a song about first love is already quite high.

Vivian Chow proudly declared, "This is my song."

"What? Your song? You wrote it?"

“The song Ah Ming wrote for me, Mom, I have to be honest with you, my pen pal Ah Ming has come to Hong Kong, and we have already met.”

"What?!" Zhou's mother's voice suddenly rose, and even the old ghost in the next building could vaguely hear it.

~
Having been in Hong Kong for half a month, Wei Ming is about to embark on a new journey. After two years of rebirth, he is finally going to step out of the country for the first time.

What was supposed to be a solitary trip has now been joined by his aunt, Wei Lingling, and his dear aunt even upgraded him to a cabin class.

As the plane took off, skimming over Kowloon Walled City, Wei Lingling's personal assistant, Lizhi, was helping her decorate her new home.

This is a two-bedroom apartment in an upscale residential complex within a ten-minute drive of the Langning Toy Factory. One of the rooms belongs to Lizhi and is sunny.

Lizhi was overjoyed. Finally, she didn't have to squeeze into that pigeon coop with her father, stepmother, and younger brother anymore. Lingling always had a high standard of living. The living room in the new house was even bigger than the entire house in her father's house. She used to sleep in the living room.

Moreover, Lizhi has basically figured out Lingling's identity. The Langning factory, which she sees as a behemoth, is just a testing ground for Lingling. She can't imagine how rich her family is. And Wei Ming seems to be the grandson of this overseas family!
My God, he was hiding it so well!
~
At the same time, Liu Rulong joined Kuangren Comics as acting editor-in-chief. He outlined a two-month plan, and the revamped magazine would be available at the end of August when all students in Hong Kong returned to school.

During these two months, "Qin's Moon" will continue to be drawn. As the initial main work, Ah Long's old work "Heroes Have Always Been Born Young" can also be launched in Hong Kong while it is still popular. "Storm Riders" will also begin preparations, with Ma Wing-shing as the lead writer. It will be launched as a surprise weapon.

Besides the first part of "Storm Riders" which has a relatively complete script, Wei Ming has many ideas that he didn't have time to elaborate on, which requires the company's screenwriters and comic artists to expand on them.

For example, regarding humorous adaptations of the Four Great Classical Novels, Wei Ming suggested "Sha Wujing's Diary," wrote the first chapter, and could expand upon it in the following style.

There is another similar show called "If History Were a Bunch of Cats," which uses cats of various colors and breeds to portray historical figures and stories, aiming to provide a cute and engaging way to popularize history.

There's also "Happy Ghost," which is a story outline. The main focus is on a down-on-his-luck scholar who becomes a ghost and several beautiful young women who help and redeem each other.

Wei Ming also provided a cartoon image of Zhu Xiucai from Happy Ghost, which many people in the company felt resembled Huang Baiming from Cinema City.

All of these ideas go against the traditional style of Hong Kong comics and are Wei Ming's efforts to enrich the themes and styles of Hong Kong comics.

Finally, we'll have a more traditional, violent action comic. This story is called "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky." At this time, the original Japanese manga hadn't been released yet, and the story wasn't long, so Wei Ming used it to let his apprentices practice.

However, they don't intend to make 18+ comics, but rather comics for all ages. So, violence is allowed, but it can't be too gory. The focus should be on highlighting Riki-Oh's immense strength. The level of explicitness found in the original comics and Hong Kong film versions should be avoided.

Wei Ming made a comment at the bottom of this work: When creating the male protagonist, you can imitate the image of Zhao Debiao.

~
At this time, Biaozi had not left Hong Kong; he had taken on a job and was shooting an advertisement.

Xia Meng and her husband's garment factory also makes menswear, specifically cool jackets. Since De Biao is currently very popular in Hong Kong, Xia Meng's husband, Lin Baocheng, suggested that De Biao shoot an advertisement, which would then be broadcast on television and Kowloon Motor Bus.

So Biaozi decided to wait for Ming and A Long to return to Beijing together. Since he wasn't leaving, Xiao Wujing would naturally have to stay with them.

Biao Zi has achieved both fame and fortune in Hong Kong. After filming the menswear advertisement that day, a clothing factory owner suddenly contacted Biao Zi through Xia Meng and her husband.

He wanted to ask Mr. Biao if he would accept men's underwear advertisements, and that the endorsement fee was negotiable.

Biaozi was struggling with his decision when Zhen Zidan, standing to the side, looked on with envy, her eyes reddening.

"Go ahead and take it! What's wrong with an underwear ad? They're wearing clothes too. They didn't contact me, otherwise I definitely would have taken it!"

~
Holiland has confirmed a new store location in Central, Hong Kong Island. It's a good location, but it's relatively expensive.

When Zhou's mother came over to take a look, Lao Gui was supervising the renovation at the time. Zhou's mother mentioned the advertising jingle to him.

"Amin, that's a thoughtful idea. Record the song and let me hear it later." Old Gui smiled. This rascal has some talent; his gift is unconventional. A song will surely make Amin overjoyed.

Mrs. Zhou said worriedly, "Agui, do you think that Amin has some bad intentions towards my Amin? He gave Amin such a love song. I asked him clearly, and he's over twenty years old, while my Amin is only in the second year of junior high school."

"Won't he be in his final year of high school when school starts? Besides, he's not even in his twenties, he's only twenty years old," the old man argued, defending his grandson.

"That's still a six-year age difference!" Zhou's mother said worriedly, then suddenly realized, "How do you know he's twenty? By the way, who exactly are you to him?"

Amin first became a pen pal by writing letters for Agui.

Old Ghost chuckled: "Ah Fen, if what you're worried about really happens, then you'd better call me Uncle from now on~"

~
On the first day after Amin left, Amin went to Zhang Mingmin again, hoping to get help.

"So Amin also wrote a song for you, but you felt you couldn't handle it, so you wanted to learn vocal music from me."

Amin cupped her hands and said, "Brother Zhang, please accept me as your apprentice!"

Zhang Mingmin was resolute in his refusal. He had called me "uncle" before, and now he wants to become my apprentice. This is simply outrageous! I'm only in my twenties, how can I be that old!
Zhang Mingmin said, "If you really want to learn vocal music systematically, you might as well go directly to my teacher."

"your teacher?"

"I have studied with many teachers to learn to sing, but this one is the most capable. I am able to stand out in so many singing competitions without Teacher Dai's guidance."

Zhang Mingmin planned to recommend Zhou Huimin to his teacher, Dai Sicong.

At this time, Dai Sicong was not yet the Hong Kong music godfather who had mentored a host of music stars such as Wang Fei, Li Ming, Xie Tingfeng, and Chen Xiaodong. At this time, his most famous disciple was Zhang Mingmin. Relying on this rising star in the Mandarin music scene, Dai Sicong secretly raised the price of his vocal lessons.

However, the recommendations from his beloved student are definitely less reliable than those from Dai Sicong, and he can also provide targeted training based on individual characteristics. Even famous singers weren't able to sing exceptionally well from the start.

After hearing Zhang Mingmin's praise of Teacher Dai, Amin was very tempted. Moreover, the cost could be reimbursed by Holiland. She had only taken vocal lessons during the summer vacation to sing the theme song well for them. If they didn't pay, who would?

Of course, having mastered vocal music, Vivian Chow couldn't possibly only sing one song, "First Love."

She will also sing "Red Bean," "The Flying Insects," "A Girl's Prayer," and "Pink Memories," which A-Ming wrote for her.

Among them, "Red Bean" and "The Flying Insects" are both in Cantonese and Mandarin, "A Girl's Prayer" is a Cantonese song, and "Pink Memories" is a Mandarin song.

Wei Ming really squeezed Lin Xi's money pretty hard, except for "Pink Memories" which wasn't his work.

Besides "First Love", Zhou Huimin is most interested in "Pink Memories". Could it be that her companionship these past few days has left Ah Ming with pink memories?
Whether that's true or not, in Amin's memory, the moments she spent with Amin were rosy. This summer, Amin became her little secret and she wrote about it in her diary, hoping to meet him in her dreams tonight.

~
Just as Wei Ming's flight landed in London, a film that was not well-known beforehand was quietly released in mainland China at the end of June, ahead of "Heroes Have Always Been Born Young".

This is a rare film that tells the everyday stories of families in rural northern China, including mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters-in-law, and sisters-in-law.

The film is titled "Joyful Reunion," starring Zhu Lin and Zhu Shimao, and produced by Shanghai Film Studio.

The participation of Zhu Shimao, the male lead in "The Herdsman," is arguably the biggest selling point of the film. When the film information was released, it attracted some of Zhu's fans.

After finishing her acting training class today, Zhu Lin quickly rode her bike to the Beijing Film Studio.

"Xiaoxue, let's go see my movie!"

(End of this chapter)