Exciting 1979!

Chapter 326 Tomorrow Will Be Better, Chinese People Around the World Unite

The next morning, Wei Ming finished breakfast at the hotel and went downstairs to prepare for a busy day.

Then he saw Tam Yung-Lin waiting for him in the lobby.

"Alan, did you come to see me about something?"

Tan Yonglin said, "Ah Ming, didn't you say before that you wanted to compile all the songs you wrote for us?"

Wei Ming: "I'm actually hesitant too, since this might affect your album sales."

Tam Yung-lun was very moved: "There might be some issues, but you've already given us the song to use for free, so how could we possibly complain about these things? Besides, this is all for charity."

"Do Brother B and Ah Rong think the same way?"

"Yes, and PolyGram is willing to take on this project and donate its profits to the disaster area."

Wei Ming hurriedly said, "You PolyGram aren't trying to squeeze me dry, are you? Let me tell you beforehand, after this job, I might not want to write songs for a year or two. I feel like throwing up whenever I see sheet music now."

He could roughly guess why PolyGram was so eager to work with him. A musician like Wei Ming, who could write quickly and well and was proficient in both lyrics and music, was perfect for exploitation. But writing so many songs in one go this time was also a kind of torture for Wei Ming himself. Writing lyrics was easy, but composing music was not.

"No, no, our general manager just admires what you've done and hopes to get to know you," Tan Yonglin said with a grin.

"Zheng Donghan?"

"Yes, how about we meet up?"

Wei Ming: "Okay, lead the way." Several singers participating in this concert are from PolyGram, so I should go over and thank them.

However, Wei Ming was still puzzled as to why Tan Yonglin had made this trip in person, since he knew his hotel's phone number.

As he left the hotel, he revealed, "Ah Ming, you actually wrote 'Only Time' too! Do you know how shocked I was when I heard that song? It was absolutely amazing—pure, mysterious, and soul-stirring!"

"You knew I wrote it?" Wei Ming asked in surprise.

"Uncle Dong told me, it seems someone from headquarters told him, so he's very curious about you."

Wei Ming thought to himself, "Could it be that they came here for 'Only Time'?"

He laughed and said, "You like it so much? Then you can use this song at your wedding too."

Tan Yonglin agreed verbally, but in his heart he thought, "You don't know, do you? I'm actually married, but it's a secret marriage."

Wei Mingxin thought to himself, "You don't know, do you? Actually, I know you're already married. I'm talking about your second wife."

It doesn't mean second marriage, it means polygamy, otherwise they wouldn't get along so well.

Tan Yonglin drove in front, and Wei Ming followed behind as they arrived at PolyGram.

By this time, PolyGram had firmly established itself as Hong Kong's number one record company. In addition to its abundance of talented musicians, the technical support from headquarters was also crucial, and of course, this was inseparable from Cheng Tung-han's management style.

Wei Ming couldn't see any resemblance to Zheng Zhongji in Zheng Donghan's face; the child didn't look like his father at all.

Zheng Donghan is very capable. At the age of 24, he was already the general manager of PolyGram Hong Kong and successfully helped Teresa Teng enter the world's second largest market, Japan.

What he admired most about Wei Ming was that he was able to thrive in the world's largest market, the United States.

At this time, left-wing newspapers had not yet begun to publicize that Wei Ming was the creator of "Only Time." Zheng Donghan learned about it from PolyGram's London headquarters.

The London headquarters information was obtained from The Times.

The Times published an interview with Diana the day before the wedding, the day after the prince's wedding.

The report mentioned and thanked David and Elizabeth Emmanuel, who designed her wedding dress, and Mr. Why, who wrote "Only Time" for her wedding.

Fearing they might not know Mr. Why, he recommended two of his books, "Jumanji" and "The Lion King," saying that people his age also read them and learned courage from them.

"It's a pity that this outstanding artist from faraway China couldn't come to the wedding to hear this song he composed in person because he was raising funds for the disaster-stricken people in his homeland."

Given the amount of space allotted to Mr. Why in the report, any reader who sees it will likely become curious about him, his two books, and why a Chinese person like him can write such excellent English songs.

If Weibo existed in the UK at this time, Mr. Why would probably have already topped the trending topics list.

Zheng Donghan was also curious, especially since his company had collaborated with him last year but had no idea that this person was so capable.

So after receiving orders from headquarters to contact Mr. Why and secure the rights to "Only Time," he quickly asked Tan Yonglin, who had the most contact with Wei Ming, to invite him over and agreed to help with the album's release.

Unfortunately, after exchanging pleasantries, Wei Ming bluntly stated that *Only Time* now belongs to MCA.

It's not surprising that Zheng Donghan is involved. After all, Wei Ming's first English song collaboration was with them, and it became a hit. Unless MCA cheated him out of his money, they will most likely continue the collaboration. MCA isn't stupid.

"It's alright. I just regret that I was blind before and failed to recognize Amin's value."

Wei Ming was afraid that Zheng Donghan would say something like raise the price or continue writing songs for our company, but Zheng Donghan didn't say anything like that.

He then asked, "Wei Sheng, didn't you say that as long as a singer is willing to participate in a concert, you will write a new song for him for free, and it will be tailor-made for him?"

Wei Ming was taken aback, wondering if this guy was having his company's artists exploit him in this way.

"Mr. Zheng, here's the thing: the concert has limited time, and we also need to arrange a fundraising segment, so the number of singers is actually sufficient."

There are about fifteen or sixteen singers confirmed so far, and each of them will have two songs, which means there will be more than 30 songs in total. The schedule is very full.

Jung Dong-han: "Can't we add another one? I heard there's no band for this concert yet."

Indeed, no band was reunited. The Wynners were unable to reunite because Peng Jianxin and Ye Zhiqiang were not interested, thus Beyond retained one of their representative works.

“A band? Are there any bands in Hong Kong now?” Wei Ming asked.

“Not a current band, but an old one,” Zheng Donghan stood up, took off his glasses, and said excitedly, “Could you write a song for our Playboy Band? Even though we’re middle-aged, we can still rock!”

~
New Art City.

Huang Baiming was reading the newspaper, the entertainment section. One of the articles was about Qingniao Film Company's new film "Seven Days of Wrong Love," which was in preparation for filming. The director was Patrick Tam, and the main cast included Kenny Bee, Anthony Chan, and a newcomer named Ye Tong. It looked quite promising.

Just then, Teddy Robin walked in.

"I know who wrote that song!"

What song is it?

"It's Princess Diana's red carpet song," Teddy Robin said. They watched the Crown Prince's wedding together and even gave the song that nickname.

However, Huang Baiming wasn't particularly talented in music and wasn't interested in it either, so he casually asked, "Oh, who wrote it?"

"Mr. Why, that's Wei Ming from mainland China!"

"Ah!" Huang Baiming was also taken aback. "Does this guy have connections everywhere?"

"The key is that the work is good!" Teddy Robin said. "I could never write this one song in my entire life."

Seeing how highly he praised the kid, Huang Baiming pushed up his glasses and said, "I heard that he promised to give a free, custom-made song to anyone who attends his charity concert. Aren't you tempted?"

Little Teddy Robin turned around, jumped onto the sofa, and sat down: "Even you know that?"

“McKa just managed to persuade Sam Hui a few days ago,” Wong Pak-ming laughed. “That kid made him lose face.”

Teddy Robin: "Then we just shouldn't let him know."

~
With left-wing newspapers gaining momentum, the news that Wei Ming's new song "Only Time" was chosen by the British royal family for the Crown Prince's wedding has been widely circulated in Hong Kong.

Later, neutral newspapers such as Ming Pao and right-leaning newspapers like Oriental Daily News also began to report on the matter, although Oriental Daily News discussed it in a somewhat sarcastic manner.

Wei Ming's fame soared once again, and the sales of Ming Pao, Ta Kung Pao, and Wen Wei Po, which serialized "The Legend of the Heavenly Book," also skyrocketed.

Along with this strange story, news of his charity concert also spread. Hong Kong citizens are showing increasing interest in the concert, but it is still unclear which singers will be performing and where to buy tickets.

~
"Oh right, where do we buy tickets?" Huang Guoxing from Kuangren Comics asked, puzzled. They also wanted to go to the concert; they heard that the boss had written dozens of new songs.

“Yes, I want to go too. I’ve been writing for so long, I want to relax a bit,” said Feng Zhiming, the youngest member.

At this moment, the company's second boss, Liu Rulong, came in from outside, holding a bunch of tickets in his hand.

"I have heard everyone's voice. The tickets are here now. As long as you finish your work before 8 pm on August 8th, you can go to the concert."

"what!"

"Great!"

"Long live the boss!"

"Long live Brother Long!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. Ah Long then added, "But this is a charity concert. The tickets are for disaster relief. It's not appropriate to give out tickets for free."

"How much is a ticket?" Niu Lao asked.

"100."

"What? One hundred!" The group from the mainland were the first to be outraged. How could it be so expensive? That was equivalent to their monthly salary on the mainland.

Actually, this price is already considered cheap in the Hong Kong concert market. This is because it is a charity event and the venue is outdoors, so such a low price was set.

However, even at such a low price, it is still not cheap for young comic book apprentices.

Ah Long laughed: "Just kidding. Ah Ming has already paid for the tickets."

"Damn, Boss Long, you can joke too!" someone exclaimed, then quickly shrank into the crowd.

Liu Rulong: "Alright, I'll keep the tickets for now. Ah Ming will pay for the tickets, and I'll cover the late-night snacks after the concert."

The scene erupted in cheers once again, and Ah Long gradually grasped the skills of managing a company.

At this time, concert tickets had not yet been officially sold, so Wei Ming bought a batch of tickets at the original price and gave them away.

I gave some to Madman Comics, Langning Toy Factory, Qingniao Film Company, Yuan Family Troupe, Holiland Fast Food Restaurant, and oh, I also gave some to Xu Jinjiang so he could give them to his classmates or friends.

Xu Jinjiang was worried that the tickets wouldn't sell, and couldn't help but feel a little concerned about Amin's concert. In the office, Song Duanwu, Zhao Liuyi, and others were also somewhat worried, fearing that the tickets might not sell out.

They are prepared to mobilize all their own people in Hong Kong to buy votes, and they are determined not to let this fall through. Those right-wing forces are waiting to see them make a fool of themselves.

August 5th is the official ticket sales day!
On August 4th, Wei Ming met the singer from Taiwan at a hotel.
His name is Peter Chen. He was born in 43 in Chengdu, the hometown of his mother. His father was an air force officer.

Later, due to the war, he and his parents came to Taiwan and lived in a military dependents' village.

When he was young, Peter Chen also formed a band with a man named Tao Dawei, who had a son named Tao Jiji.

Although Peter Chen was not very famous in later generations, he was very well-known at this time. His song "A Tearful Smile" was sung in the streets and alleys of Taiwan, and his song "Alibaba" was also very popular.

However, he is both a singer and a composer, and often writes songs for others, such as Fei Yuqing's "A Cut Plum Blossom" and "Several Times the Setting Sun is Red", Liu Wenzheng's "Late" and "A Love Story", etc. This is also an important reason why he is not so well-known, as the classics have been sung by others.

Later, when cross-strait relations were opened up in 88, Peter Chen immediately returned to his hometown and then focused his work on the mainland.

At this time, he was also concerned about the mainland. He had learned about the Sichuan floods from foreign newspapers long ago and was very worried about them. He even made some suggestions that the people of Taiwan should donate money to the mainland.

However, few responded. The Taiwanese people had already learned their lesson. They had donated during those three years, but little of it was used; the rest ended up in Chiang Kai-shek's pocket.

However, his suggestion caught the attention of Grandpa Wei, who then pointed him in the right direction: go to Hong Kong, and I'll take care of the rest.

Upon their first meeting, Peter Chen said, “I have great respect for Mr. Wei Ming’s talent. I have heard your Mandarin songs and these two English songs, especially your recent red carpet hit, which is something that I cannot match. But I am also a musician, so I will not accept your song, otherwise I will have a hard time explaining it when I return to Taiwan.”

Wei Ming laughed heartily, almost pulling out his copy of "A Spray of Plum Blossoms".

"Alright then, thank you for your generous help, Mr. Chen." Wei Ming grasped Peter Chen's hand tightly.

Peter Chen said, "However, I would like to ask Mr. Wei for a small favor."

"You say."

Peter Chen: "When I came to Taiwan, my maternal grandmother and younger brother stayed on the mainland. We lost contact for more than 30 years. I don't know if my grandmother is still alive or if my brother survived the flood. So after the flood recedes, could you help me find them?"

Wei Ming simply said, "It is my duty to do so."

Upon hearing Wei Ming's resounding promise, Peter Chen handed him a piece of paper with an address and the names of his grandmother and younger brother on it.

Afterwards, Peter Chen accompanied Wei Ming to a rehearsal venue for the first formal rehearsal, where Zhou Huimin and her choir classmates were also present.

When they heard a series of new songs that they had never heard before, Peter Chen, Vivian Chow, and her classmates were all shocked.

Wow, so many excellent songs were all written by Amin alone! It's simply a miracle!
Although Peter Chen's strengths lie in Mandarin and English songs, you can still tell the quality of his work. These songs are almost comparable to the most classic tracks of these singers, and even surpass their previous best songs.

Even if he started writing from the time of the flood, it's only been a month. In just one month, he's written a whole room full of classics. No wonder the British princess praised him so highly. I wonder when the Taiwanese music scene will produce such a figure.

On this day, Ming Pao, Shin Pao, Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong Economic Journal, as well as TVB and RTV announced the names and lineup of the charity concert.

"Tomorrow Will Be Better" Charity Concert!

Performing guests:

Playboy Band, Paula Tsui, Roman Tam, Michael Kwan, George Lam, Liza Wang, Alan Tam, Kenny Bee, Anthony Chan, Cheung Ming-man, Danny Chan, Johnny Yip, Hugo Cheung, Tsui Siu-ming, Carol Cheng, and many more.

There was an uproar. Was it really that luxurious?!

This isn't even the whole story yet. Sarah Brightman was a surprise guest, so she wasn't mentioned, and Peter Chen didn't mention her either, in order to keep a low profile.

After the cast was announced, Karl Maka of Cinema City couldn't find Teddy Robin.

Huang Baiming, Xu Ke, and a few others planned to secretly buy a ticket to go and see the show. It was only 100 yuan, while a concert by Xu Xiaofeng or Guan Zhengjie usually costs two or three hundred yuan. This was an absolute steal.

The only regret for fans is that this concert mainly featured new songs that Wei Ming wrote for these singers. As longtime fans of these singers, who wants to hear your new songs? We want to hear the classics!
8 month 5 number.

Several of Hong Kong's wealthiest families have received invitations to the "Tomorrow Will Be Better" concert: the Fok family, the Li family, the Cheng family, the Hui family, the Bao family, and the Ho family.

Hong Kong citizens purchased tickets at three ticket outlets located on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories.

Excluding those purchased by Wei Ming and Xinhua News Agency, approximately 20,000 tickets were sold.

At the ticket office in Kowloon, Xu Jinjiang went to queue up early in the morning.

He distributed all the free tickets to his classmates, and even gave the one he had prepared for himself to Liang Jiahui, saying he was going with a girl and needed two tickets.

So Xu Jinjiang decided to buy another copy for himself to support his friend.

However, I didn't expect there to be so many people in line. Are they worried that they won't be able to sell them?
Wei Ming: I was worried you wouldn't be able to buy them, so I gave them to you!

"Hey, could you please not cut in line?" Xu Jinjiang whispered, noticing the people queuing ahead of him.

The other person snorted at him and showed off the tattoo on his arm. Xu Jinjiang shrank back and said, "I'm fine."

As he retreated, Xu Jinjiang sensed that the line ahead was getting longer and longer, and he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, when it was his turn, they said...

"Gone."

"How could it be gone? It was only a small amount." Xu Jinjiang couldn't accept it.

"Today's tickets are all gone, but more will be released tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? I'm not free tomorrow."

The ticket seller said, "Then you should check the ticket outlets in the New Territories; they might still have some."

Xu Jinjiang immediately rushed to the ticket office in the New Territories, but the tickets there were also sold out.

Unfortunately, Xu Jinjiang turned to Liang Jiahui again.

"Ahui, that, that ticket..."

"Thank you. I've already given her the ticket, and my girlfriend really likes it." Liang Jiahui patted Xu Jinjiang on the shoulder, his face full of sincerity.

Xu Jinjiang hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Um, you don't mind if I go to the concert with your girlfriend, do you?"

Liang Jiahui didn't say anything, just gave Xu Jinjiang a look, and he backed down: "Never mind then, I'll think of another way."

~
Xinhua News Agency.

They received the statistics by noon: all 5000 tickets for the first day had been sold out, and the three ticket outlets reported that there weren't enough to go around. So the newspapers immediately started to hype it up.

They decided to stop releasing 5000 tickets per day and instead release the remaining 15,000 tickets the next day.

Even so, all the tickets were sold out by August 6th, but Xu Jinjiang managed to buy one thanks to the availability of tickets.

After he bought his ticket, many scalpers had already appeared outside the ticket office, trying to sell their tickets at high prices. When Xu Jinjiang left, he heard a bid of 300 yuan.

It turns out I underestimated Amin; this guy's got some skills.

August 7th, The Peninsula Hotel.

Newly crowned global superstar Sarah Brightman has quietly checked into this place.

A month later, her work once again topped the global music market, as if she were a celestial being descended to earth.

Just now, "Only Time" debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100!
It reached number one in its first week on the charts, and the global music scene was in an uproar.

For Sarah's safety during her first visit to China, she brought a bodyguard with her.

"Melinda, are you sure you don't want to share a room with me? You said you'd be my bodyguard, but bodyguards don't stay in the next room," Sarah said playfully, though she actually understood the logic.

Melinda rolled her eyes: "Hurry up and pack your bags. Let's go out and get something to eat. The food in Hong Kong is pretty good."

She often transited through Hong Kong when she returned to the UK, so she was quite familiar with the city.

~
Rehearsal room.

Having just finished the final rehearsal, Wei Ming said to all the participants, "It was perfect. Thank you all for taking so much time to participate in this concert. I'll leave tomorrow to you all."

After he finished speaking, he bowed, and the whole audience burst into enthusiastic applause, especially Amin, whose hands were red from clapping.

However, when she suggested going out to dinner with Ah Ming after the event, he refused.

“Amin, Sarah is in Hong Kong today. I need to pick her up. Let’s do it another day.”

"I really like her, so you have to get me an autographed cassette tape!"

"Leave it to me." Wei Ming pounded his chest.

A few hours later, on the large bed in the Peninsula Hotel, Wei Ming, still groggy from their lovemaking, said, "I'll have Sarah get some autographed cassette tapes later. She's still quite popular in Hong Kong; we can give them away."

Melinda punched him lightly: "You still have the nerve to say that? I told you to greet her first, but you had to be in such a hurry."

"You don't understand, I've been under a lot of pressure lately. I've set a goal for myself: to raise 1000 million yuan for disaster relief during this concert."

He was under a lot of pressure and hadn't had sex for two weeks, so he desperately needed to release it.

Melinda gently stroked it: "How much is it now?"

"Right now, it's all about ticket sales. We've made two million, but we still have to deduct the costs."

Many people don't need payment, but they do need to pay for the venue.

The remaining shortfall of over 800 million depends on whether those wealthy individuals will take on the challenge.

8 month 8 number.

Wei Ming didn't linger over the Peninsula Hotel's Simmons mattresses and Melinda's soft fragrance; he arrived at the scene early in the morning, where a huge banner fluttered in the air.

"Tomorrow will be better, Chinese people all over the world are united!"

~
(Bonus chapter for 8000 and 9000 monthly votes in January)

(End of this chapter)