Exciting 1979!

Chapter 379 The Beginning of a Toy Empire

Of course, you take off your clothes to change clothes; who would be busy in the kitchen dressed like that?

However, she could have changed in her room.

"Oh dear, I forgot we have a male guest at home today." Lizhi took off her coat, unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, and then put her hands on her chest, realizing with a shy expression.

Wei Ming's comment: They still need to practice.

She then went into the room and changed into a loose and thin set of home clothes. When she saw Wei Ming looking at her, she blinked and said, "It's usually just me and President Lingling at home, and we both dress very casually."

You don't need to remove the equipment inside, do you? It wobbles around when you walk, are you afraid I can't handle it?

However, she felt much better once she put on the apron, as it restrained her.

The current situation is that Wei Ming knows she's seducing him, and she is indeed very attractive to him. When Melinda isn't around, Wei Ming rarely sees any competitors whose physiques are comparable to hers.

Out of a sense of responsibility to his lover, he didn't want to fall for her trap, but he also wanted to see what kind of delicious food was on the hook.

As Lizhi was washing the abalone, Wei Ming stood behind her and asked, "How do you plan to cook this abalone?"

How about braised?

Wei Ming: "What about oysters?"

"Add glass noodles and steam."

Wei Ming: "Do you need my help?"

"No need, I can handle it by myself. I can probably do it," Lizhi said confidently.

Wei Ming: "Then I'll go outside."

Seeing that Wei Ming had actually left, Li Zhi pouted, somewhat disappointed. She really wanted him to stand behind her and give her pointers.

The two of them were very close just now, and I could feel his intense and fiery masculine aura. It would have been even better if they could have been perfectly aligned.

While Lizhi was cooking abalone in the kitchen, Wei Ming took out his notebook and began to conceive a promotional poster for "Seven Days of Wrongly ...

This is a somewhat taboo story. A wealthy husband runs away due to debts, leaving his wife behind who is under government surveillance. The protagonist, Li Du, is ordered to watch over the wealthy wife, Nai Dong. After seven days, the two, who initially repelled each other, gradually develop feelings for each other and end up together.

However, seven days later, the wealthy husband returned, and the wife chose to continue living with him. For the male protagonist, those seven days felt like a dream.

Although Wei Ming didn't like the ending, he didn't change it. After all, judging from the box office results, Hong Kong audiences liked it, so there must be a reason why they liked it. Wei Ming was just in it for the money; he had invested half of the money in the film.

First, it must not spoil anything, but it also needs to be captivating.

Wei Ming thought for a moment and decided to paint two pictures to show the changes in the relationship between the male and female protagonists.

The first picture shows their first day together. The male protagonist, dressed in a police uniform, couldn't even get into the house. The female protagonist, in a villa, was wearing a nightgown that showed off her figure and was guarding the house with a golf club, looking both worried and scared.

The second picture is seven days later, with the male protagonist lying naked on the bed, and the female protagonist also looking languid after the act. Her pajamas are even more sexy and revealing than in the first picture, making them look like a family.

However, there was a wedding photo on the bedside table, showing the woman and another man.

Anyone in the know will immediately understand: Oh, it's green!
The stark contrast between the first and second images will raise questions for the reader: what happened during those six days, and what is their relationship?

Moreover, to capture that sexual allure, Kenny Bee, being tall and imposing, made a great sacrifice in the film, and you can see he has a fantastic physique. But Cecilia Yip is not quite there; she looks dry and lackluster. So, the female lead in Wei Ming's painting has Cecilia Yip's face and a figure comparable to Li Zhi.

So be it, it's false advertising. Women are naturally good at creating a false sense of prosperity by forcing things together. It's rare to see someone as genuinely substantial as Xiaoli.

After finalizing the plan, Wei Ming glanced at Li Zhi, who was working nimbly in the kitchen. She had already taken off her stockings, which could be seen from the open bedroom door, and tossed them on the bed, along with her large bra.

Wei Ming hasn't used an animation pen in a long time since drawing the characters from "Calabash Brothers," but thankfully his skills haven't been lost.

About an hour later, the first comic was finished, and just as he was about to start drawing the second one, the door opened.

"Xiaoli, I'm back." Wei Lingling came in and started taking off her clothes.

Wei Ming quickly stood up: "Auntie, I'm here."

"Oh, I guessed it." Wei Lingling took off her coat and hung it up, then changed into slippers and sat down next to Wei Ming. "What are you doing? Stealing Xiaoli's drawing?"

Short hair, big breasts—who else could it be but Xiao Li!
Lizhi, who was in the kitchen, twitched her ears and smiled slightly. She had noticed Wei Ming staring at her as she wrote and drew. Ha, men.

Wei Ming: "No, I'm drawing promotional comics for 'Seven Days of Wrongly Affectionate Couple'."

Lizhi: "Hmph, men!"

"President Lingling, dinner is ready!" Lizhi turned around and carried the plates to the table, and Wei Ming went over to help.

It seems Wei Lingling isn't planning to let Wei Ming leave. She even poured him a glass of red wine: "I didn't expect that before the Transformers were even made, History Cat would be such a great success. I'd like to toast you."

Wei Ming: "I can't hold my liquor, so let's just have a little. Actually, the fact that your toys are selling well is also a form of publicity for our comics. After all, many children don't actually have the opportunity to read Madman comics, but they will buy the toys, which in turn increases the influence of the comics."

Wei Lingling nodded, and Wei Ming added, "But I heard that the plastic version doesn't sell very well."

Wei Lingling: "Yes, but it's not difficult for us. We can release them slowly through Holiland. That's how we released the stockpiled toys before."

The original story is that a few years later, McDonald's "Happy Meal" pioneered this practice of giving small toys to children, which became the inspiration for many European and American children's collecting culture. Now it has become Holiland's innovation.

Wei Ming shook his head: "But Holiland has too few stores, so the turnover will definitely be slow. I do have a plan that can help you sell these historical cats quickly."

"What's the plan?"

Wei Ming smiled slightly: "Old Ghost has made a lot of money betting on horses recently, you've heard about it, right?"

“I know. Although I don’t like him gambling, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has a lot of influence in Hong Kong. The best-selling tabloids always have a page dedicated to horse racing, and there are also 30 professional horse racing newspapers. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has influenced people from all walks of life in Hong Kong.”

Wei Ming snapped his fingers: "Hong Kong people have a strong gambling instinct, which can be exploited. I'm going to tell you about a sales model called blind boxes, which is worth at least 100 million!"

"Blind boxes? One hundred million?" Wei Lingling laughed. "You're willing to tell me one hundred million?"

Wei Ming picked up a piece of Li Zhi's abalone: ​​"You're my aunt, so don't even mention a hundred million, I wouldn't care even if it were a billion, anyway, I'm not involved in any real business."

Moreover, even if they don't say it themselves, they'll eventually be invented by ordinary people.

Wei Lingling smiled, then instructed Lizhi, "Take notes."

Lizhi even had a notebook and pen inside her apron; she's always ready to study!

Wei Ming said: "Normally when we buy things, we buy what we need directly. The purpose is clear, and the result is naturally unique. But blind boxes are different. Take the Historical Cat series as an example. Different historical cats are put into a box and you are told that what is sold here is a historical cat, but it is not certain which one it is. The key is the hidden version."

"Hidden model?"

Those who have collected Little Raccoon Instant Noodles Water Margin cards should be familiar with the hidden editions, as some characters are simply impossible to find.

"For example, in the History Cats series, the number of other cats is about the same, but the number of Qin Shi Huang cats is rare, and they are large and exquisitely made. Do you think that users who like this toy will spend more money to find this one and complete the set, and that money will be much more than buying a normal set?"

Wei Lingling's first reaction after hearing this was, "What a despicable trick!"
But then I thought, this is Hong Kong, where everyone from the oldest to the youngest loves gambling. Maybe they just enjoy the thrill of opening the box. Besides, this little toy is much cheaper than betting on horse races or going to Macau.

Enjoy the thrill and fun of horse racing with minimal expense!
So this strategy contains great wisdom, and it might actually generate a value of 100 million yuan. But the key is to make users feel an irresistible urge to buy, which requires publicity and hype. Wei Lingling is also a professional in this regard.

“However, the Hong Kong market is too small. Even if every child buys one of these toys, it only costs a few dollars,” Wei Lingling said. “If the mainland could completely open up the market, it would be incredibly profitable!”

Wei Mingdao said, "Isn't there also the one from Taiwan? Thanks to you, 'Madman Comics' has already entered the Taiwanese market. I heard the response has been good, and they're going to reprint it. The Historical Cat blind box toys can totally be dumped into the Taiwanese market."

Lizhi quickly wrote it down, saying, "That's absolutely right! This adds another 20 million to the developed regional market!"

Wei Lingling nodded, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. “Taiwan is small. Your business model is indeed very novel, but it cannot be patented. Once it appears, as long as it works well, it will immediately attract competitors to follow suit. We may only be able to get the first taste of the soup, or even only be able to eat other people’s leftovers in many markets.”

Wei Ming nodded: "So, do you have any good ideas?"

Wei Lingling excitedly said, "I've thought of two things. First, we can make blind box vending machines and use these machines to create patent barriers."

"It's a way."

"Another strategy is to launch blind box toys of this model simultaneously in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even Japan and the United States to quickly seize the market."

"You're not thinking of combining Transformers with blind boxes, are you?"

Wei Lingling laughed and said, "No need for that. Transformers has core competitiveness and doesn't need to use such methods. Blind boxes are suitable for toys with poor market competitiveness. I have more confidence in Transformers. However, Transformers' marketing also requires a lot of funds. I can use blind boxes to make money to support Transformers' global marketing."

"If you want to launch blind boxes in multiple markets at the same time, that itself requires a lot of financial support."

Wei Lingling said, "Let's ask the head office for the money. I'll put together a plan tonight, and you can help me refine it and think about what else needs to be added."

Wei Ming thought for a moment: "Selling historical cat toys in Hong Kong and Taiwan is no problem, but what about blind box toys overseas?"

This stumped Wei Lingling. She scratched her head: "Japan sells Ultraman?"

"Putting aside whether the licensing fee is expensive or not, their toys are already selling very well, so why would they let you get involved? This model is suitable for original characters that haven't had any best-selling toys before, but still have enough popularity."

Wei Lingling: "Then you help me think of something."

Wei Ming thought about it seriously: "The most popular new manga in Japan right now are 'Urusei Yatsura' and 'Dr. Slump,' both of which are still being serialized. Moreover, 'Dr. Slump' has also been made into a TV anime. You should be more familiar with the United States, right?"

Wei Lingling took Lizhi's notebook and said, "I think I need to go back to Taiwan first, and then go to the United States. Blind boxes are interesting."

Wei Ming: "Before you go back to Taiwan, you can make a batch and let the old man see it, so that it will be more intuitive."

"Hmm, Xiaoming, I had a great chat with you today. You young people are so quick-witted. Don't leave tonight. You can sleep in Xiaoli's room and let her sleep with me."

Upon hearing that Wei Ming wanted to sleep in her bed, Li Zhi said shyly, "President Lingling~"

"What, you don't want to? Then you can sleep in the same room with him?" Wei Lingling looked at this woman who was saying one thing but meaning another. She lowered her head and obediently slept in the same room with Wei Lingling.

Wei Ming finished drawing both promotional comics tonight and plans to hand them over to A Long tomorrow.

The next morning, Wei Ming woke up early and heard the sound of a phone call. When he went out to look, he saw that it was Wei Lingling, who was probably talking to her uncle.

“Okay, okay, I’ll go back to Taipei as soon as possible and give you a detailed report… Wei Ming?” Wei Lingling glanced at the young man beside her. “He’s right here with me. Do you want to chat with him for a bit? He’s the one who suggested these ideas to me.”

Wei Ming took two steps forward, looking at the microphone with some trepidation.

After a moment of silence, the other person said, "No, we both have special identities. It's not good for him to talk to us directly. What if he's someone who can't lie? Let's wait until he's completely unfrozen before we talk about it."

Wei Ming smiled slightly, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

Wei Lingling laughed too: "He can't lie? If he couldn't lie, he wouldn't have so many girlfriends."

Wei Ming coughed twice, "Why are you ruining my reputation?"

Lizhi, who was peering through the kitchen doorway, overheard everything. What did she mean? Did Wei Ming have many girlfriends? Would he mind having one more?
After hanging up the phone, Wei Lingling said, "Xiaoli, you don't need to prepare anything for me. I'll go to the factory first and get the blind box boxes ready now."

Wei Ming: "A square, auspicious, and festive cardboard box will suffice."

"I know."

Next, only Wei Ming and Li Zhi ate breakfast together, with Li Zhi busy serving Wei Ming food.

However, when it was time to leave, Wei Ming suppressed his curiosity about the fishhook and said to her, "You don't need to come with me today. I don't trust you to drive anyway, so just stay home and rest."

"I don't need to rest, at least I can help you carry your bag."

Wei Ming said helplessly, "I need to go to Kowloon Walled City. If a woman like you goes there, I'm afraid I'll get implicated."

"Ah, Kowloon Walled City, Teacher Wei, what are you doing in a place like that?!" Li Zhi covered her mouth, somewhat worried. It seemed she had heard about the chaos and madness there.

Wei Ming calmly replied, "It's for collecting folk songs."

To be honest, in order to write his new English book, Wei Ming wanted to visit the legendary Kowloon Walled City and take some photos.

I heard that this place, which is only 6.5 acres in size, is home to 30,000 to 40,000 people and has the highest crime rate in Hong Kong.

Wei Ming didn't dare go alone, so he went to Madman Comics to give them his advertising comics to help promote the movie in the next issue of the magazine.

Of course, there's no problem with that. Not only is Wei Ming's advertising minimal and very appealing, but even if he really wanted to run a hard ad, there would be no objection, after all, he's a big boss.

After finishing this matter, Wei Ming said, "Ah Long, I want to go to Kowloon Walled City. Do you want to come with me?"

Ah Long asked in surprise, "Why go to a place like that, where all sorts of people mingle? And isn't your new movie premiering today?"

"Going on field trips won't interfere with watching movies."

"Alright, but I've never been there before either. Let's find someone we know to show us the way." Then Liu Rulong called Niu Lao over.

Niu Lao's real name is Wen Qiming. He got the nickname "Niu Lao" because his neighbors thought his voice was as deep and dull as an ox when he was a child. He is Shangguan Xiaobao's disciple and is the same age as Wei Ming and Liu Rulong.

"What's up, Boss Long?" Niu Lao put down his paintbrush.

He had a tuft of dyed yellow hair, a fake gold chain around his neck, and a cigarette in his hand all the time. He looked like a delinquent youth, which fit Wei Ming's stereotype of the author of "Young and Dangerous".

Moreover, Niu Lao had previously studied martial arts, free fighting, karate, etc., so he was very good at writing fighting comics like "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky". However, the popularity of this comic did not rank in the top three, which frustrated him a bit.

Today, the two bosses asked him to take them to Kowloon Walled City. He knows this place well; he lived there when he was a child.

“Mr. Ming, let me tell you, Kowloon Walled City isn’t as scary as people say. My former neighbors were all talented people, and they were all very nice to talk to,” Niu Lao said in a deep voice. He was about to take out a cigarette and light it, but seeing the two bosses’ refined manners, he held back.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "That Niu Lao, you must be doing quite well in there, right?"

"Of course."

Wei Ming: "So if I take some photos, no one will beat us up, right?"

"Let's see who dares!"

Wei Ming felt relieved after hearing his words. Then he chatted with Niu Lao about the creation of "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky". He really liked the story and was confident that he could draw it well, but unfortunately, Boss Long restricted him too much and did not allow him to draw it too bloody.

“We’re primarily targeting teenagers, so going too far would easily get us reported, and being reported is terrifying,” Wei Ming remarked. “But this story isn’t very long. I’ll write you a new one after I finish drawing it.”

Of course, it's definitely not "Young and Dangerous". If possible, Wei Ming hopes that there will never be a work like "Young and Dangerous" in the world. Wei Ming doesn't know how much influence this work had on Hong Kong youth, but it had a huge impact on mainland China.

What did that guy just say? "Of course. I'd like to see who dares!"

As soon as he arrived, he was surrounded by a group of thugs.

"Damn it, you dare come back, Niu Lao!"

……

(It's so hot today, and the old lady doesn't have air conditioning~)

(End of this chapter)