Exciting 1979!

Chapter 355 Nan Gongxue and Bei Zhulin are tied up
Melinda doesn't know about Wei Hong's problems either. I'm just your brother's ex-girlfriend, editor, business partner, and bed partner, not his wife.

However, Melinda subtly inquired about Wei Ming's romantic relationships in China.

"My brother, my brother has always been single."

Seeing her so confident, Melinda laughed: "I haven't gotten particularly close to any one woman."

Wei Hong's eyes darted around: "It's not that there isn't, but that girl is younger than me, so it shouldn't be the kind of relationship you're thinking of."

“Zhou Huimin?” Melinda asked directly.

"You know her too!"

Melinda smiled and said, "I saw her in Hong Kong. She's a very pretty young girl."

"He's only 14 years old." Wei Hong's implication was that he posed no threat to Sister Mei. She had a more traditional mindset and believed that love should be committed to one person for life, so she hoped that her brother and Melinda could rekindle their relationship.

But Melinda knew they couldn't go back. She asked, "You should know a Chinese actress named Gong Xue, and another one named Zhu Lin."

"Of course, they're super famous now!"

Wei Hong had a lot to say about this: "Especially Sister Gong Xue, she recently starred in my brother's new movie and she's become incredibly popular. I think she should be considered the most popular female star in mainland China right now!"

Wei Hong deduced this from the popularity of "Mom, Love Me Again" before she went abroad.

It has been a week since it was released. "Mom, Love Me Again" has swept across major and medium-sized cities across the country with the highest number of copies printed this year. Even daytime screenings are now sold out. For a time, the whole country was filled with cries of love and filial piety.

People seem to have a masochistic tendency, rushing into movie theaters just to have a good cry. Each theater has posted a reminder to bring a handkerchief.

Previously, Gong Xue was only considered a second-tier popular actress, but after this incident, she was completely promoted to a first-tier popular actress.

Gong Xue woke up in her house in Tuanjiehu this morning. She had a good dream last night, dreaming about the little rascal, but Sister Lin was also there, how embarrassing.

There was a script by her bedside, which the Shanghai Film Studio had brought to her yesterday. It was a period drama called "Love in the Brush," which tells a story from the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties period.

She had never filmed a period drama before, but she was quite interested in it. Moreover, the script was well-written, and it was directed by a female director, so she thought she would give it a try.

She was unsure whether the Beijing Film Studio would agree to her returning to her "parents' home." She herself was hesitant. Returning to Shanghai to film would certainly allow her to be with her parents, but what about Xiao Wei? With Sister Lin gone to the Northeast, wouldn't he be left alone?

If Zhu Lin were in Yanjing, Gong Xue probably wouldn't hesitate and would have agreed immediately.

I feel my mindset is also changing. Before, I was worried that Sister Lin would snatch the bad boy away from me. Now, my sisters and I are working together to keep him and not let the foreigner have him.

After getting up, Gong Xue first washed up and did her skincare routine, using only international big brands. Wei Ming had spent a lot of money at the Friendship Store for this. At first, she felt sorry for him, but after knowing the foreign exchange balance in Wei Ming's bank account, she stopped trying to persuade him to stop.

After getting ready, Gong Xue took the script and prepared to ride her bike to the Beijing Film Studio. Now she dares not take public transportation, and she doesn't even dare to go to crowded places. Once, she was recognized even while wearing a mask.

In the building next door, Yanzi was breastfeeding her baby while eating. The table was full of nutrition, with fish, meat and eggs. Biaozi had even managed to get her some fresh milk.

“Hey honey, look at this news headline.”

Yanzi glanced at it: "Gong Xue in the South and Zhu Lin in the North: Two Film Beauties with Both Acting Skills and Beauty".

"This is... 'Hundred Flowers Film Studio'!"

Although "Baihua Film Forum" was a local newspaper in Henan and had nothing to do with "Popular Cinema" magazine or the Hundred Flowers Awards, it had a high circulation and could be bought all over the country. The newspaper provided a relatively accurate schedule of screenings, as well as movie plot introductions and reviews, and was considered the most authoritative "movie guide" of the time.

Huang Qiuyan put down her chopsticks and picked up the newspaper to read. In addition to the article, there were also photos of two female stars for comparison, and they were indeed both very beautiful.

She not only conformed to the aesthetics of the times but also slightly surpassed them. She was a beauty who could lead the aesthetics of the times and could be called the best of her generation. Liu Xiaoqing, Chen Chong and Zhang Yu, who were popular before, could not compare to her in terms of looks alone.

Biaozi held his wife's hand and said, "If it weren't for the delay caused by marrying me, with the popularity of 'Heroes Have Always Emerged from the Young,' you might have become the most outstanding person in the world."

The films "Heroes Have Always Been Born Young" and "Joyful Reunion" were released one after the other, and both garnered similar box office and audience numbers nationwide, amounting to hundreds of millions of yuan.

Moreover, Huang Qiuyan, the female lead, possessed both beauty and action skills, and initially enjoyed great popularity, being dubbed "the queen of martial arts" and "a contemporary heroine" by the media.

Unfortunately, due to marriage and pregnancy, she didn't receive the necessary support and rarely appeared in public, so people gradually stopped mentioning her.

Yanzi chuckled and kissed her daughter's chubby face: "Those things are all superficial, nothing is as important as my daughter."

Biaozi laughed, "That's true."

Yanzi added, "Besides, Sister Lin is so elegant and beautiful, let's have her represent the North."

Just as Yanzi was about to put down the newspaper, she suddenly saw the author's name.

"Is the author of this article, Liu Zhenyun, the same Liu Zhenyun we know?"

"Old Liu?" Biaozi noticed then. "Hey, it's probably him. But he used to write reviews, I didn't expect him to start commenting on movie stars this time."

Liu Zhenyun: Actually, I was also guided by a master.

At Peking University, Liu Zhenyun had already seen his article, through a junior student. These freshmen of the Class of '81 were truly ignorant and incompetent, paying more attention to celebrities than to academics.

The saying "Gong Xue in the South and Zhu Lin in the North" has gained widespread recognition in society. Even freshmen at Peking University approached Liu Zhenyun to say that their senior had insightful views.

Liu Zhenyun initially just wanted to write a film review of "Mom, Love Me Again" to earn some money. He and his girlfriend were deeply moved by the movie. However, when he talked to Wei Ming about it, he brought up this topic.

"When these two reach the pinnacle of Chinese cinema, and decades from now, when a generation of film fans are reminiscing about their glory, and you're the first to suggest this idea, don't you feel honored?"

Wei Ming suppressed his impulse and gave the honor to Lao Liu, after all, they were brothers. Of course, the main reason was the principle of avoiding family members.

With Liu Zhenyun setting the precedent, many articles discussing "Gong Xue in the South and Zhu Lin in the North" immediately emerged in China, and Zhu Lin, whose popularity had declined, was brought back into the news frequently.

This is the power of bundled marketing. Wei Ming had wanted to bundle the two of them together for a long time, and the release of "Mom, Love Me Again" was the perfect opportunity.

They are equally popular, similar in age, one from the south and one from the north, and their achievements are also similar. Once they are paired together, they are easily recognized by the public, and then it is difficult for them to separate.

In the future, when Zhu Lin has a hit new work, she can give back to Gong Xue. If the two of them attend an awards ceremony together, their star power will completely overshadow all other female stars.

This is why 1+1 is greater than 2!

Wei Ming has a good relationship with the media. Let the China Youth Daily give a final verdict later, and this couple will be locked in.

Liu Xiaoqing was looking at the newspaper and feeling worried. She really wanted to tie herself to the list, like Gong Xue in the south, Zhu Lin in the north, and Xiaoqing in the west. She was from the west, and "The Mysterious Buddha" was quite popular, ranking among the top in terms of viewership that year.

However, the difference between east and west, north and south is that Shanghai is already east enough. In fact, Gong Xue should be called East Gong Xue, and we should find another one south of the Yangtze River to be more suitable.

She was just worrying about who to choose from, when Gong Xue arrived on his bicycle.

Liu Xiaoqing quickly greeted Gong Xue with a smile. Wei Ming had visited the Beijing Film Studio once before going abroad and hinted that he had a good chance of being chosen as the Empress Dowager Cixi, so Liu Xiaoqing and Gong Xue became even closer.

She also showed her the newspaper with the headline "Southern Gong Xue, Northern Zhu Lin".

Gong Xue knew that Wei Ming was behind it all as soon as he saw that the author was Liu Zhenyun. He was both happy and a little embarrassed.

She doesn't have the concept of "hype" in her mind right now, but she also feels that it's not good, as if there are only two actresses like them in such a big country as China.

"These newspapers are just rambling nonsense." Gong Xue glanced at them briefly and put them aside, continuing to read the script of "Love in the Pen." She hadn't finished reading it yesterday, and she was gesturing as she read.

The female lead in this drama has scenes where she practices calligraphy. If she wants to take the role, she'll need to learn from Xiao Wei first.

~
Frankfurt.

In the afternoon, Wei Ming continued to stay at the China booth. In order to attract publishers from all over the world, Wei Ming brought not only Black Cat Detective dolls, but also writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones.

Soon, the fragrance of ink filled Hall 6, attracting many people who came to smell it. Wei Ming's ink was a fine calligraphy and painting ink purchased from Rongbaozhai, with a rich color and subtle fragrance, and it was quite expensive.

Wei Ming was engrossed in writing calligraphy, while Mike and others introduced him to the subject.

To attract attention, Wei Ming wrote in the Mi style, which he found beautiful and visually appealing. He had even asked Lao Wei to get a copy of Mi Fu's "Tiaoxi Poetry Scroll" from the Palace Museum for him to practice.

Upon hearing that it was Mr. Why, many publishers became interested. And when they heard that it was about Confucius's Analects, those with some knowledge of Eastern culture were already familiar with it, and they gathered around to discuss it.

“It’s beautifully written. What does it mean?” asked a bearded man from the Middle East.

Mike replied in Arabic, "It says 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.'" He then explained its meaning. The bearded man listened and nodded frequently, clearly enjoying the idea of ​​three people walking together.

He asked, "Can I have this calligraphy? I'm a university student."

As soon as he finished speaking, those guys who couldn't tell whether they were publishers or ordinary tourists also offered to give him a painting.

Wei Ming cannot yet be considered a calligrapher, at least not in this field, but obviously he can't just give it away for free.

Deputy Director Liu explained with a smile: "Everyone who completes a transaction can receive one as a souvenir."

Although the book fair had only been open for half a day, several transactions, both large and small, had already been completed, and someone had taken the calligraphy piece away based on the contract.

Of course, some publishers are not interested in these calligraphic works and are unaware of their potential for appreciation.

Confucius is one of the most famous Chinese cultural figures abroad, as are other great figures. Therefore, Wei Ming also wrote some quotes and poems by these great figures, which attracted many publishers from East Germany, the Soviet Union, and France.

Wei Ming saw Ms. Wei Linlang again. Seeing that she was interested in his calligraphy, Wei Ming offered to give her a piece of calligraphy, this time for free.

"I don't want these, please write one for me again."

"What should we write?" Wei Ping'an asked from the side.

Wei Linlang looked at Wei Ping'an and said to Wei Ming, "If life were only as beautiful as our first meeting, why would the autumn wind bring sorrow to the painted fan?"

Uncle Ping An blushed immediately and sighed softly. They had just had lunch together, and Wei Ping An had talked about his happy married life with both a son and a daughter, while Wei Linlang was still single.

Wei Ming smiled and did as he was told, blowing the ink dry and handing it to Wei Linlang: "Auntie, please keep this safe."

Wei Linlang: "I'll frame it and hang it in my study later."

Then Wei Linlang said to Mike, "This, this, and this, I'd like to talk about the German version licensing."

She was referring to "Ferocious Animals," "The Book of Wonders," and "The Right Path of Humanity is Full of Vicissitudes," which are considered the essence of Wei Ming's works. In addition, she also obtained the German licenses for the two picture books "The Lion King" from Macmillan.

The Chinese version wasn't chosen because the picture book was so successful that she was too lazy to find someone to redraw it.

Although Wei Ming will receive a smaller share this way, the money will go directly to DreamWorks' account, unlike other companies that require domestic transfers. In that case, Wei Ming will only receive RMB at the official exchange rate.

Wei Ming didn't care too much. The country was short of foreign exchange, and the fact that his books were popular abroad and could earn foreign exchange was a reflection of his value.

He once said that fame is a protective layer, and international reputation is like a golden body protecting him!
However, it wasn't so easy for Wei Linlang to get those books. The most competitive licenses at the book fair were for German and English, because there were the most publishers for those two languages.

Mr. Why is renowned, especially for his children's literature, which is considered one of the best-selling and most globally recognized works in recent years.

Just now at Macmillan, Wei Linlang went through a lot of competition to finally secure two picture books in collaboration with a West German publisher.

Faced with competition from more than a dozen German publishers, she eventually compromised and did not acquire the entire "Animal Ferocity" series, but only "The Shepherd's Spring," which, although short, was enough for a pocket book.

We live in the age of pocket books, a small book that you can easily pull out and read anytime, anywhere.

In addition, she also secured the rights to "The Legend of the Heavenly Book" and collaborated with West German publishing giant Bertelsmann to secure the rights to "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes".

In addition, Bertelsmann also acquired the German translation rights for Wei Ming's "Black Cat Detective" series and "Jurassic Park".

Bertelsmann is not only a German but also a global media giant; it later acquired Random House in the United States.

“Linlang, you don’t need to worry about it affecting your work just because I bought all my nephew’s books,” Wei Ping’an said.

Wei Linlang laughed: "I've known about Mr. Why for a long time. I was looking forward to seeing his work before I came here. I just didn't expect him to be your nephew. Don't flatter yourself."

"Oh, is it so."

"Didn't you just see? Even Bertelsmann isn't giving up on 'The Road to Prosperity'. Although I haven't finished reading the book yet, the title 'China Past' is too attractive to foreigners who are eager to learn about the ancient country of the East. Our country's publishing house and Bertelsmann will definitely select the best sinologists to translate this book."

Because it's a large book, it might take several years to complete the translation. Small publishers generally don't dare to touch it. When the Chinese side sells the translation rights for this book, they will also consider the publisher's influence. Small publishers are generally not considered at this time.

"In fact, this novel is based on the story of three generations of our Wei family and the nation over several decades, which is truly moving and inspiring."

"Oh, would you like to come to my hotel tonight and tell me your story and that of your family?"

Wei Ping'an said seriously, "Linlang, don't do this. I have a family."

Wei Linlang smiled and said, "I'm suddenly quite interested in the laser typesetting equipment you're selling. The National Publishing House also has a need for it."

"Then, let's have dinner together tonight and talk about it in detail."

Wei Ming didn't just bury himself in writing calligraphy; he would stop every now and then to chat with the publisher.

Thanks to English as an international language, he can communicate freely with most publishers. Moreover, Wei Ming has a wide range of knowledge and even has a basic understanding of some small countries. As a result, his booth has always maintained a high level of popularity.

At that moment, a man and a woman approached. The man was white, and the woman had an Asian appearance. They spoke English.

The man said, "There are lanterns hanging over there; that should be the Taiwan booth. Let's go take a look."

The woman took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I can already smell the ink!"

The man said, "So many people. It seems that Taiwanese literature is very popular around the world."

The woman said smugly, "Recently, Sanmao's influence has been growing, and of course, it could also be Eileen Chang."

However, upon closer inspection, the woman first noticed a strip of Xuan paper hanging up, on which were written the beautiful characters: "If Heaven had feelings, it too would grow old; the vicissitudes of life are the true path of humanity." She immediately realized she had gone to the wrong place.

The publisher of this book could not possibly be a Taiwanese publisher. In previous years, Jin Yong's novels were banned in Taiwan for a ridiculous reason: because Mao Zedong's poem contained the line "Genghis Khan, the proud son of heaven, only knew how to bend his bow and shoot eagles," Jin Yong's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" was considered to be promoting Mao's poem.

Jin Yong's novels were only unbanned in Taiwan in the last two years and were published by Yuanjing Publishing House. However, Mao's poems and articles could not be openly published in Taiwan. Not long ago, a guy who wrote martial arts novels was imprisoned for hiding works by Mao and Lu Xun.

"Yingtai, what's wrong? There are fewer people over there. Let's go see what Chinese books they have," German Bern asked his girlfriend. The two met in the United States and were planning to get married after returning to Germany to meet each other's parents.

Long Yingtai said, "No need to go there, this isn't our booth. Let's look again."

Although he wrote and stopped intermittently, Wei Ming still sent out dozens of calligraphy works and wrote hundreds of characters with a brush, until his hand was sore and numb.

At this moment, Wei Hong also ran over from Hall 5. Hearing that her brother had written so much calligraphy, she said with heartache, "How much ink must have been used up!"

Wei Ming was taken aback. "Is this the right thing to do?"
Wei Hong then asked, "Brother, won't all those calligraphy pieces you've written and given away depreciate in value?"

Wei Ming: "These are all early works, nothing to mention. Everyone I know in Beijing has a few of these at home. Once my skills improve, I'll have to limit the number. Help me out, let's have something nice to eat tonight. Everyone's worked hard, it's my treat!"

To stop Director Liu from suggesting eating dumplings, Wei Ming directly treated everyone to a German meal.

Although these people were not very familiar with Wei Ming, most of them had heard of Wei Ming's traditional virtue of being hospitable, and they all cheered him on. Among them, there were also those who harbored the idea of ​​seizing land from the rich and redistributing it to the poor.

In just one day, Wei Ming probably earned tens of thousands!

Liu Gao knew, however, that several hundred thousand wouldn't be enough; Mr. Why's popularity far exceeded his expectations.

The best performing example is the licensing of German translations. First of all, we should thank the leading publishing companies in East and West Germany for their competition for his works, which inspired other German publishers to follow suit.

Ultimately, Wei Ming's "Animal Ferocity" was sold in its entirety, as were "The Legend of the Heavenly Book," "Black Cat Detective," "Jurassic Park," "The Right Path of the World is Full of Vicissitudes," and "The Battle of Qin Terracotta Warriors."

Even "In the Heat of the Sun," which wasn't published as a standalone book, was bought by someone.

That alone has already brought in nearly $100,000, and there will be royalties after publication.

In addition, some copies were sold in English, Japanese, and some less common languages. Surprisingly, "The Myth of Qin" sold very well, with four or five copyrights sold.

This is probably thanks to the immense fame of the Terracotta Army and Qin Shi Huang, and the fact that the author, Wei Ming, personally explained the plot. Those French women were completely captivated by Wei Ming and the romantic three-life love story, and they wanted to sign the contract on the spot, almost getting into a fight.

In just one day, Wei Ming earned over 30 foreign exchange for the country! That's more than half of his total income for the day!
After returning, Wei Ming will be able to exchange for at least a million RMB. Director Liu is worried for him, wondering how he will spend it all!

Besides, McMillan must have gained a lot too, but that's not my concern.

It's no exaggeration to say that Wei Ming has sparked a Mr. Why craze in Germany. I have to write a telegram tonight to report this good news!
A great victory! A great victory on the first day!
……

(This is the last day, please vote with your monthly tickets!)
(End of this chapter)