Exciting 1979!

Chapter 331 The job is done, and the whole of Hong Kong is awake all night.
Before the chorus began, Xia Meng and her husband were the first to respond, donating a check for HK$20.

Jin Yong didn't know how much they donated, but after seeing it, he quickly gave them a 100 million yuan note, which must have been more than that.

However, not many other people responded. After all, donating now only makes you show your face, and the public doesn't know how much you donated, so it's not cool at all. If you want to donate, you should have done it before. Now, you might as well just listen to music.

Backstage, Wei Ming, wearing headphones, was engrossed in writing, occasionally picking up her guitar to play a few notes. No one bothered her except Melinda, who stayed by her side.

Vivian Chow wished she could be the one protecting him, but it was time for her to step in.

Liza Wang pointed to the large characters on the banner above: "Tomorrow will be better, Chinese people around the world are united."

"The Mandarin song is called 'Tomorrow Will Be Better,' which also expresses Amin's best wishes for Sichuan, China, and world peace."

She stepped aside, and at that moment a tall, slender girl wearing the St. Stephen's Church school uniform walked onto the stage first.

The camera focused on her slightly nervous face, and many viewers in front of the TV, especially young viewers, exclaimed, "So beautiful!"

She has that "good girl" vibe, which might not appeal to all boys, but parents would appreciate it.

When Zhou's mother and Lao Gui saw Amin, they immediately stood up excitedly to cheer her on. Other celebrities have enthusiastic fans, but Amin's appearance was calm and composed. Her own family had to support her.

However, Vivian Chow didn't notice them. She was focused on listening to the intro, counting the beats, and then singing in the right place. It was a Mandarin song.

"Gently awaken your sleeping soul, slowly open your eyes~"

The little girl's voice was very clear. After she finished singing this line, someone else followed up. It was Zhang Mingmin: "Look at the busy world, is it still spinning around in loneliness?"

Jenny Tseng: "The spring breeze is oblivious to romance, yet it stirs the heart of a young man."

Roman Tam: "Let the tear stains on yesterday's face dry with the wind of memory."

Tan Yonglin: "Look up and search for the wings of the sky, and you will see the traces of migratory birds."

Zhang Guorong: "Bringing news that famine and relentless war still exist in the distance."

Danny Chan: "The snow falls on the Shu Mountains, igniting the heart of a young man."

Kenny Bee: "Let true feelings melt into musical notes, to express distant blessings."

Chorus: "Sing out your passion, stretch out your hands, let me embrace your dreams, let me have your sincere face."

At this time, the star singers came on stage one after another, while Vivian Chow, who sang the first line, had already stepped back and stood at the back with her classmates to provide harmonies.

Although it is a Mandarin song, the lyrics are not difficult to understand, and the audience can basically understand them. Even very young children who cannot understand the lyrics still find the melody quite pleasant.

As he listened to this song, when the donation box came to him, Jackie Chan felt his pockets. He didn't have much money on him, so he simply put his newly bought Rolex in the box, which was also a way of extending his own hands.

Seeing that his junior apprentices had already expressed their gratitude, Sammo Hung also emptied his pockets of cash, displaying the demeanor of a true big brother.

Watching Sammo Hung and his companion's actions on TV, Lau Kar-leung thought to himself, "Luckily, Wei Ming invited me, but I didn't go, otherwise I would have lost money again. But this song is really something."

This song is quite long, a full five and a half minutes. Other singers took turns on stage, each singing a line, creating a grand spectacle for the music scene.

Thanks to the quality of the song and the wonderful performances by many talented singers, audience members in the VIP seats began to donate money.

As a Taiwanese singer, Peter Chen felt this most deeply. He wished the song could be released in Taiwan and that all the singers in Taiwan could be gathered together to record a version, which would surely be a great comfort to people.

This song has also changed the perspective of many young people in Hong Kong who usually only listen to Cantonese songs and are generally resistant to Mandarin songs.

When Anita Mui was 18, she would watch TV with her older brother, sister, and mother. Every time a new song came out, they would copy down the lyrics and think about going to Lai Yuen to perform the next day.

Because her father went to sea to work on a ship when she was four years old and never came back, she and her mother and her five children struggled to make a living. Anita Mui started performing on stage with her sister to earn money when she was a few years old, mainly at Lai Yuen Amusement Park, and she sang mostly Cantonese songs.

However, the Mandarin and Hokkien songs written by Wei Ming tonight also left a deep impression on her, especially the last song, "Tomorrow Will Be Better," which was very impressive in terms of lyrics, melody, and the arrangement of a group of stars singing together.

Looking at her somewhat cramped living space, she clasped her hands together and said, "Tomorrow will definitely be better, and I will definitely become a great singer!"

~
Vivian Chow wished she could sing this song a little longer. If a song could last for twenty minutes or so, it would give Ah Ming backstage more time to write songs. But in the end, she still had to finish singing it.

"Let me have your true face (your true face), let our smiles be filled with youthful pride (youthful pride), let us look forward to a better tomorrow~"

The stars in front and the choir behind them worked together seamlessly to complete the final performance. As the last line of lyrics ended, the group of fourteen or fifteen-year-old boys and girls excitedly held hands.

At first, they were worried that they had been scammed. Who would have thought that they would participate in such a great event, which would be something they could talk about with great pride when they reminisced about their entire high school life on graduation day.

This is so cool!

Meanwhile, Lai Siu-tin and Carol Cheng, who were in charge of fundraising, met up. After exchanging glances, they came to a pleasant surprise: they raised over ten million dollars in just a short time!

On stage, Liza Wang continued to stall for time, solemnly introducing the choir as coming from St. Stephen's Church Secondary School, and thanking them for their cooperation.

As she was speaking, Wei Ming walked out from behind carrying a guitar, and the audience immediately erupted in thunderous shouts and applause. Before she could see this, Liza Wang turned around and saw Wei Ming confidently walking up to her.

At this moment, this big boy is absolutely captivating!
Even if what he made was something like "I am a spinach, spinach, spinach, spinach, spinach," everyone should be able to forgive him, right?

Liza Wang: "Ah Ming, have you finished writing a song yet?"

Wei Ming nodded: "But I haven't memorized the lyrics yet. Could you hold the lyrics up for me later, sister?"

Liza Wang: "Of course, no problem."

Wei Ming handed her a piece of paper covered in scribbles.

The older sister said, "Would you like to tell everyone how I came up with the idea to create such a song?"

Wei Mingdao: "I know that Sister Jenny Tseng has a song called 'Pearl of the Orient,' which is very beautiful. I think the four words 'Pearl of the Orient' are just the right words to describe Hong Kong, so I also call this song 'Pearl of the Orient,' but it is a Mandarin song."

No one was too demanding of him in this regard, after all, he is from mainland China and could only write Mandarin songs in a short period of time.

Their requirements weren't high; if it was half as good as "Tomorrow Will Be Better," they would consider it acceptable.

I don't know if Wei Ming is half as good as "Tomorrow Will Be Better", but it is the most suitable choice for this moment and this situation.

Liza Wang held up the lyrics: "Let's begin now."

Wei Ming: "Thank you for your help, Sister."

This was a performance without accompaniment; Wei Ming had to sing and play the guitar himself.

Behind them, everyone, including Vivian Chow, looked expectantly at Wei Ming on stage. This was a song that no one knew, full of uncertainty.

Wei Ming began, his fingers starting to strum. No one knew how good his singing was, but his guitar playing was already quite accomplished, not inferior to most of the musicians present.

After talking for a while, Wei Ming finally spoke under the watchful eyes of everyone.

"The little river meanders southward, flowing to Hong Kong for a visit."

Hmm, the melody is good, but the singing skills are indeed a bit lacking. No wonder she doesn't compete with other singers for jobs; indeed, no one is 100% perfect or omnipotent.

"Pearl of the Orient, my love, is your charm still as romantic as ever?"

Comparing Hong Kong to one's lover is a relatively uncommon way of writing, and it sounds fresh to many.

"The harbor is crescent-shaped, the night is deep and the lights are shining. The Pearl of the Orient has not slept all night, keeping its promise through the changing times."

The lyrics became increasingly emotional, and as someone born and raised in Hong Kong, and having lived there for most of my life, this sense of familiarity was particularly strong.

Next, “Let the sea breeze blow for five thousand years, every tear seems to speak of your dignity, let the tide accompany me to bless you, please don’t forget my forever yellow face.”

When this part was sung, the camera focused on the faces of many VIPs in the audience, and everyone was deeply moved.

Carol Cheng, who was holding a donation box and listening to music, was suddenly called over. It was Lin Jianyue's father, Lin Baixin, the boss of Lai Sun Group.

Lim Por-yen came to Hong Kong in his twenties and lived there for more than forty years. He also experienced the painful experience of Hong Kong being invaded by Japan. It was a period without dignity, a period he would never forget and never want to relive.

He handed Carol Cheng a check, and when she looked at it, it was 300 million!
"The boat curves into the harbor, looking back at the vast ocean, the Pearl of the Orient embraces me, letting me warm your desolate bosom..."

Wei Ming's singing style wasn't particularly sophisticated; it was just a plain voice. However, his sincere performance touched every Hong Kong person present.

Subsequently, Walter Kwok, who had not contributed a single penny before, also donated two million.

Then Pansy Ho also took out a large sum of pocket money, and Julian Hui saw it and quickly donated another sum.

Even Tan Yonglin and others who participated in the performance backstage were so moved by the song "Pearl of the Orient" that they wanted to reach for their wallets.

More and more people are generously donating to charity, to this gentle and sincere song, and to the Pearl of the Orient.

Wei Ming originally thought he would need to look at the lyrics, but once he started singing, he hardly looked at the lyrics at all. He even started playing the guitar, singing, and moving around on stage, and his emotions became more and more intense.

After singing the last two lines, "Please don't forget my face that will never turn yellow, please don't forget my face that will never turn yellow~", Wei Ming closed his eyes, strummed his guitar, and slowly brought the performance to a close.

After the song ended, the exhausted audience poured their last bit of energy into their hands and began to clap enthusiastically.

Hong Kong people sing about Hong Kong with songs like "Under the Lion Rock" and Jenny Tseng's "Pearl of the Orient." Today, Wei Ming uses his "Pearl of the Orient" to sing about Hong Kong from another perspective. Hong Kong is like a lover with a long history, who has suffered a lot, but is still gentle. This is how outsiders see Hong Kong.

The three hosts returned to the stage, and all the singers, choirs, dancers, and musicians who participated in the performance also took to the stage.

Liza Wang: "Well then, that concludes today's performance. Ah Ming will give this show a perfect ending. Thank you everyone, thank you to everyone tonight. Next, we will tally the donations and details for this charity performance and publish them in newspapers such as Ming Pao and Ta Kung Pao. Goodbye."

The audience waved to each other on and off the stage, and both the organizers and the audience had a great time. The ticket was only 100 yuan, but it felt like a 10,000 yuan experience. It was worth it, so worth it!

However, as the audience began to leave in an orderly manner, they saw the donation box that had been standing at the entrance when they entered.

Why do I feel like I've taken advantage of the organizers?

The first audience member to step out suddenly had this idea, and then, almost without thinking, stuffed the few hundred yuan in change he had into the purse strings. Seeing the first person do this, the audience members behind him also prepared their change in advance, some even preparing a bundle of banknotes, at least several thousand yuan.

A concert of this caliber deserves a much higher reward.

The same thing happened at several other entrances and exits, where lines that should have been clearing out quickly became slow again because of the money donations.

While queuing, Liang Jiahui and his girlfriend Li Dianxin spotted a familiar face; they were in two separate queues, almost touching.

Li Hanxiang, who was about to take out his money, also saw them.

"Dad~" Li Dianxin let go of Liang Jiahui's arm and then introduced Liang Jiahui, who was starting a magazine.

Li Hanxiang asked, "What magazine?"

Liang Jiahui said, "La Bouche, a fashion magazine."

"They even use foreign languages; I've never even heard of them."

“A small magazine, a small magazine,” Liang Jiahui said somewhat nervously in front of the famous director. “In addition, I am also studying acting in the TVB training class.”

“Studying acting, huh?” Li Hanxiang began to seriously examine this young man whose eyes weren’t big and who wasn’t particularly handsome.

On the other side, Liu Dehua, Qi Meizhen, Lian Jin, and other classmates were excitedly discussing as they lined up to leave.

Then they saw Xu Jinjiang in the parallel line.

Liu Dehua was puzzled: "Ajiang, why isn't your seat with ours? We thought you weren't here."

Xu Jinjiang scratched his head: "Oh, the tickets aren't consecutive numbers."

Qi Meizhen said gratefully, "Thank you so much for the ticket. If I had the chance to come to the event but could only watch it on TV, I would definitely regret it for the rest of my life."

Carrie Ng also said, "Yes, this is definitely the most unforgettable concert experience of my life!"

Xu Jinjiang chuckled sheepishly, "I'm glad everyone likes it. I told you my friend is really amazing."

A friend of a friend is a friend, and he had already accepted Wei Ming as his friend.

Wei Ming simply idolized him.

At the exit, several young people from the wireless training class took out money and put it into the donation box, with the smallest donation being one hundred.

Then everyone looked at Xu Jinjiang, who had his hands in his pockets and remained expressionless.

Xu Jinjiang was taken aback before he realized the meaning behind that look.

What do you mean? I donated when I came in, and now I only have enough money left for my return trip.

However, he couldn't stand the "no way" looks from everyone, so he reluctantly donated his travel expenses as well.

Fortunately, Xu Jinjiang ran into his senior brother Liu Rulong after leaving the house. This was a true fellow disciple, and he didn't mind telling A-Long about his embarrassing experiences.

Uncle Liu Bin laughed and said, "Ajiang, just come with our car. Uncle will take you home later."

"Thank you, Uncle Bin."

You're welcome. Have your parents moved to Hong Kong too?

"No, I'm still working as a doctor in Guangzhou. I came here on my own to make a living."

"awesome."

Old Ghost, who was standing to the side, said to Zhou's mother, who was looking back, "Don't worry, Amin will take Amin back. The performers won't be able to get out for a while."

Zhou's mother nodded helplessly: "Then let's go first."

~
Backstage.

First, everyone took a group photo. Then, those who were interested could take photos in small groups. People most wanted Wei Ming to take their photos, and Wei Ming asked them to make sure to print an extra copy for them, as it would be a very meaningful souvenir.

Then Wei Ming, as the initiator, saw the singers off one by one. He stayed until the end, and Melinda and Sarah also left first.

However, Zhou Huimin, who could have taken the school bus with her classmates, chose to stay and accompany Wei Ming.

Zhang Guorong, still confused, asked Tan Yonglin, "What's their relationship?"

Kenny Bee also asked curiously, "Wasn't that red-haired beauty supposed to be Melinda, Ah Ming's ex-girlfriend? He even wrote that song specifically for her."

Tan Yonglin pushed them, saying, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Let's go, let's go."

In the end, besides Zhou Huimin, there were only Wei Ming and the officials.

The branch manager warmly shook Wei Ming's hand and said excitedly, "Comrade Wei, heroes have always emerged from among the young!"

"President Wang, you flatter me. If it weren't for the support of the country, why would so many wealthy people grace us with their presence here, and why would they be willing to donate so generously to charity? Ultimately, it is the strength of the country that matters, and they also hope to receive the support and recognition of the country."

"You're too modest, too modest." Then President Wang invited Wei Mingming to come to the club tomorrow, firstly to tally the results of the charity performance, and secondly to introduce him to a few people from China Resources and Bank of China.

Although Wei Ming is just an ordinary person, he did a really good job today. He is so outstanding. Such a young man deserves to be nurtured. He is definitely a pillar of the country!
Wei Ming nodded in agreement and watched President Wang and the others leave. Before leaving, they glanced at the little girl Zhou Huimin, who was about to doze off.

After finishing these finishing touches, it was already midnight. Wei Ming hurried over and called out, "Amin, it's time to go home."

"Oh." Zhou Huimin stood up, but she seemed to be overworked today, and her body swayed slightly. Wei Ming quickly supported her.

"Thank you for your hard work today."

Amin: "What hardship I've endured is nothing. You're the one who's really suffering, Amin. We raised over 100 million, right?"

"Yes, more than one hundred million."

"Does that mean we can save a lot of people?"

“Yes, this money will free millions of people from hunger and post-disaster plagues, and give them the confidence to rebuild their homes,” Wei Ming said firmly. From the beginning, Wei Ming had told the branch office that this money must be “used for its designated purpose,” otherwise it would chill the hearts of the people of Hong Kong.

However, they hadn't expected so many at first, so it seems they'll have to reiterate it tomorrow.

In fact, Wei Ming hadn't expected it to reach this extent. This concert was indeed meticulously planned by him, with the first step being Robert Kuok.

When it was confirmed that Fujian businessman Robert Kuok would be coming, Wei Ming changed the Mandarin song he originally planned to give Zhang Mingmin to the Hokkien song "You'll Only Win If You Fight Hard".

Because he knew that Robert Kuok himself really liked this song, and that he was also a Malaysian Chinese businessman who often said, "Three parts destiny, seven parts hard work, you only win if you fight."

Therefore, this was a targeted move to cater to their preferences, all for the sake of a successful start.

I just didn't expect it to become so popular, reaching 500 million. Then the songs that followed were also songs that could stir the emotions of tycoons, so the amount kept increasing.

Of course, the rich kids weren't spared either, so the young singers catered to their tastes.

Unexpectedly, Stanley Ho provided an unexpected boost, directly bringing the single donation amount to tens of millions.

Then, with each hit song becoming a massive success, the amount of donations continued to rise.

The last few tycoons seemed to be vying for the title of the most generous donor in this charity performance that was destined to go down in history, and ultimately raised more than 100 million dollars, almost causing a fight between the two shipping magnates.

Sure enough, no matter how good Wei Ming's plans and schemes were, they couldn't overcome "God's help".

As Wei Ming reviewed the situation, he took Amin's hand and led her out. She was a little dizzy from being too excited, and if he didn't hold her hand, she might stumble.

It got a bit chilly here in the evening, and Amin was still wearing the school's uniform short skirt. Wei Ming gentlemanly took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Amin happily reached into the pocket of her leather jacket and touched something.

She took it out in the car and saw it was a small square piece in a plastic package.

Something had just flashed through her mind when Wei Ming quickly snatched it away: "Come on, you can close your eyes and rest for a bit. I'll call you when we get there."

Amin pouted. She understood. It was a modern industrial product designed to prevent human pregnancy. Amin and Melinda had indeed rekindled their old flame, hadn't they?

Or is it just a temporary release?

If it's only the latter, I still have a chance.

After the car drove away from the stadium, Amin, who had his eyes closed, suddenly said, "Amin, it's too late."

"Don't worry, I'll personally escort you upstairs."

Amin said cautiously, "I mean, how about I stay at a hotel with you tonight? You can book me a room. I've never stayed in a hotel before. Or we can just make do without a room."

"Screech!" Wei Ming slammed the car to the side of the road.

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

Amin didn't dare to look up at her, but her tone was firm: "I know, it's too late, I don't want to wake Mom."

Wei Ming smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mom definitely won't be able to sleep if her daughter doesn't come home."

Zhou Huimin finally raised her head and looked at Wei Ming: "What if it's not for that reason? What if I just want to be with you..."

Wei Ming flicked her forehead, making a crisp sound inside the car, silencing Amin's next words.

Amin grimaced and covered her head, while Wei Ming restarted the car and changed the route.
(ps: The playlist and donation amounts are as follows ↓)
(End of this chapter)