Exciting 1979!

Chapter 382 Taking Over Redeemer, Investing in Journey to the West

Jin Yong wasn't very interested in science fiction, but he was very interested in Wei Ming's science fiction.

Ming Pao also serialized the Wesley series in the 1960s and 70s, but they haven't collaborated for a long time.

Aside from the fact that Ni Kuang's prices were too high, the main reason was that the Wesley series lacked sophistication and was not worthy of Ming Pao, which enjoyed a high reputation among the elite at the time.

While Wei Ming's Jurassic Park series may not be as imaginative as Wesley's, the core idea that "there's always a way out" elevates the depth of this adventure and thriller story, significantly boosting Ming Pao's sales. I've heard that many foreigners enjoy reading it, which explains its overseas success. Unfortunately, Ming Pao is a secondhand product.

Now that Jin Yong has heard that Wei Ming is looking for a platform to launch his new science fiction work, he is naturally looking forward to it.

"I wonder how it compares to Jurassic Park?"

"It's not as entertaining, but it's definitely far more profound."

Perfect, this is the kind of work Ming Pao needs!

Then Wei Ming turned back to talking about comic book adaptations: "Cha Sheng, what if 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' is well-received, but the sequel 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' is bought by someone else? Wouldn't we be doing all the work for someone else?"

Jin Yong smiled slightly. "Young man, are you trying to play tricks on me?" He waved his hand and said, "To resolve your worries, I'll also hand over The Return of the Condor Heroes and Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber to Madman Comics."

He felt that Wei Ming was going too far if he said anything more.

Wei Ming stopped there: "Alright, the first Chinese edition of my new book will be published in Ming Pao."

"Chinese version?"

"Yes, it's an English novel, but I will translate the Chinese version myself."

"An English novel? You?"

Jin Yong found it incredible and his curiosity about such a novel intensified. However, Wei Ming said that it was still being written and that he would be notified as soon as it was completed.

Wei Ming glanced at his watch: "Then I'll be going now. I have some friends waiting for me downstairs. I'll have Ah Long come over to sign the contract later."

When they arrived at the car downstairs, exactly 28 minutes had passed, and Amin was staring longingly out the car window.

I got bored after sitting in the car for a few minutes, and then kept waiting for Amin to appear.

After Wei Ming got into the car, she asked with a smile, "How did the talk go?"

"Very successful, Jin Yong is very sensible."

The car started and headed straight for Ocean Park.

Ocean Park Hong Kong is located in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. It covers a large area and is divided into two parts: the upper part and the lower part. You can travel between them by cable car.

At this point, Japan's Disneyland is still under construction, and Hong Kong Disneyland is nowhere to be seen. Therefore, Ocean Park is Hong Kong's most hardcore amusement park, which not only has killer whales, but will also soon have a pair of giant pandas.

When Wei Ming and Zhou Huimin entered, they could already see huge promotional posters. The pandas were cartoon versions, because they didn't know what the pandas coming to Hong Kong would look like, and there was no definite opening time.

However, this single promotional poster alone led to a 10% year-on-year increase in Ocean Park's visitor numbers.

The entrance fee here isn't expensive; it's HK$20 for adults, which covers most areas. Only some rides on the mountain require an extra charge. So Ocean Park is currently operating at a loss, but it receives continuous subsidies from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is incredibly wealthy, and almost all of Hong Kong's richest people are members of the club.

Wei Ming and Amin didn't rush to the panda pavilion. They took their time exploring like any other couple, first visiting the renowned aquarium in Asia, which is among the top in Asia in terms of scale and variety of fish.

This kind of modern aquarium doesn't exist in mainland China yet, but Wei Ming had been to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, so this place didn't seem too bad to him.

This was Amin's second visit. Her mother had brought her here once when she had just started making money in business, but she still found it all new and exciting. She had never seen many of the fish before, and she would ask Amin to take a picture of her every now and then.

"Wow, these little fish are so cute! Their colors are so vibrant, and they look so innocent."

“Nemo,” Wei Ming blurted out.

"What?" Amin turned to look at him.

"It's nothing, I just casually gave this clownfish a name," Wei Ming said with a smile.

Upon hearing this explanation, Amin pointed to a larger clownfish nearby: "And this one?"

"Marin".

"And this one?" Just then, another Blue Tang Kingfish came over.

"What a coincidence!" Wei Ming laughed. "Dolly, I guess."

At this point, the aquarium staff began to introduce some fish species and characteristics to the visitors. Wei Ming hurriedly pulled Amin over to listen. These aquatic creatures were not native to Hong Kong and were even rare in Asia.

These marine creatures are truly amazing. One of Wei Ming's biggest regrets in his previous life was not learning to dive, because he was too old to take the risk when he wanted to learn. He must try it this time.

"Hello, uncle, can you take a picture of us?" Amin then selected a passerby.

Wei Ming and Amin each took a lot of photos. When they were about to leave the aquarium, Amin stopped a lonely old man and asked her to take a photo with him.

The old man was still wearing a mask and looked very introverted, but he still agreed when he saw Wei Ming.

I heard there are dolphin and sea lion shows at this time, and you can also see the killer whale "Hawei".

Wei Ming and Amin bought a bottle of drink and ran over, and Amin insisted on only buying one cup, with only one straw, so they had no choice but to share it.

After watching the show, the morning was over. The two of them had a seafood meal at a restaurant in the park. They didn't know if it was for Ocean Park employees or just staff meals, but the fish on their plate looked like the same kind that the dolphins had just eaten.

The restaurant was situated on high ground, and they noticed a construction site that had been fenced off. Wei Ming asked a restaurant staff member and was told that it was the Asian Animal World, which was being built with the panda pavilion at its core.

The reason this aquarium was launched was because of the two giant pandas. In order to keep the two distinguished guests from Sichuan from being too lonely, they planned to purchase some more Asian animals.

Wei Ming and Amin exchanged a glance, and after finishing their meal, they immediately went over to check on things.

Then they were stopped: "Sorry, this area is under construction and not open yet."

Wei Ming took off his sunglasses: "I am the representative from the mainland, here to inspect the construction progress of the panda pavilion."

Although he didn't have a work permit, the employee standing at the door happened to know Wei Ming and was a fan of his. He could indeed represent the mainland, after all, the two giant pandas originated from him.

Just as the man was about to put the two inside, someone suddenly called out from behind, "Little Wei, Mr. Wei!"

When Wei Ming turned around, he saw the old man who had been taking photos for them at the aquarium. The old man had pulled his mask down a little, and Wei Ming immediately recognized him.

"Boss Qiu?"

He quickly shushed them and pulled his mask up again.

Standing in front of Wei Ming was Qiu Degen, the 57-year-old owner of Lai Yuen. Before Ocean Park, his Lai Yuen amusement park was the first choice for Hong Kong citizens to visit. However, as Ocean Park's facilities and projects have been continuously updated, the number of people visiting Lai Yuen has decreased significantly.

Hearing that the giant pandas at Ocean Park were coming soon, Qiu Degeng wanted to come and see them, but he did so discreetly to avoid media attention.

Wei Ming and Boss Qiu became acquainted through a charity concert, where Wei Ming donated over 300 million yuan.

Wei Ming asked him in a low voice, "Are you here to scout out enemy positions? Why are you, the boss, doing this personally?"

"I also wanted to see for myself how far Ocean Park has developed." Speaking of this, Mr. Qiu sighed a bit, feeling that Lai Yuen was no longer competitive with Ocean Park. It was only more convenient and closer for tourists from northern Hong Kong.

Wei Ming asked, "Would you like to go inside and see the panda enclosure?"

"Can I come in too?"

“Okay.” With Wei Ming’s words, the two became three.

It seems that the construction here is basically complete. Because pandas are afraid of the heat, it is a closed building with the temperature regulated by air conditioning. The interior completely recreates the landscape of the Sichuan mountains, full of wild charm.

Wei Ming said to Zhou Huimin, "I'll take you to Sichuan to see real wild giant pandas sometime."

"Mmm." Amin nodded vigorously, linking her arm with Wei Ming's.

These dog foods couldn't hurt Qiu Degen at all. He had been observing the pandas' living quarters, and it was truly sophisticated!
"Hey, what do you guys do?"

Suddenly, Wei Ming heard a familiar Sichuan accent. As he got closer, the person immediately recognized him.

"Oh, Teacher Wei, you're here!"

This guy, Brother Niu, was sent by the Chengdu Zoo to assist the Ocean Park in building its panda pavilion. Because the other party is very wealthy, it is obvious that the panda pavilion here is more luxurious than those in Sichuan and Beijing, and it cost much more money.

Wei Ming asked, "When can the pandas move in?"

“I’ve heard that Hong Kong people love celebrating Christmas, and everyone is willing to go out and have fun on that day. I think it’s perfectly feasible to exhibit and launch the event on Christmas Day,” said Brother Niu.

Wei Ming: "It'll be less than half a month. Are you sure it's okay?"

“No problem,” Brother Niu said. “I was just about to discuss it with the head of their kindergarten, and we can ask the people in Yanjing to make preparations.”

Vivian Chow, standing to the side, was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! With Ah Ming taking me, I can get up close and personal with the giant pandas!"

Qiu Degen sighed softly, wondering how long Liyuan and Songcheng could hold on once the giant pandas arrived.

In fact, he had already ventured into the real estate and banking industries, and recently even considered venturing into the television industry. Lai Yuen is a somewhat peripheral industry in his portfolio, but he has a deep emotional attachment to it.

After leaving the panda enclosure, Chiu Te-ken took off his mask: "I believe that if Ocean Park were self-sufficient, Lai Yuen would still have a fighting chance. Unfortunately, it is backed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and doesn't care about profits or losses at all."

The key point is that he is also a member of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Wei Ming said meaningfully, "When the times roll by, they don't even say hello. People always prefer new things. Like movies, which used to be a very important form of entertainment, but then television was invented."

Wei Ming said this on purpose to please Qiu Degen, and sure enough, Qiu Degen was very surprised and delighted to hear this insight.

"You're also optimistic about the television industry?" Wei Ming said, "Of course. The number of television sets in mainland China is increasing exponentially, and the market demand is huge. Recently, CCTV even introduced RTV's 'The Legend of Huo Yuanjia,' which is scheduled to premiere after the New Year."

When Chiu Te-ken heard Wei Ming mention RTV, he was even more surprised, because he wanted to take over RTV. Now there are only two television stations left in Hong Kong, TVB and RTV, and he has already started to contact the Australian consortium behind RTV.

Although his children were not very supportive of him entering a new field at nearly sixty years old, he, who came from a film industry, still loved the entertainment industry.

Moreover, he felt that if he controlled a television station, he would control a major publicity channel, which might revitalize Liyuan and at least allow Songcheng to be used when filming period dramas.

So Chiu Te-ken talked to Wei Ming about the prospects of the television industry. Wei Ming even made the judgment that Shaw Brothers would eventually give up Shaw Brothers Studio and completely shift its focus to television. Hearing this, Vivian Chow pouted. This old man was delaying her from dating!

"TVB is currently the dominant television station with a clear advantage. To compete with TVB, the quality of the dramas is very important. Nowadays, the mainland also attaches great importance to the production of dramas. CCTV just announced an investment of tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars to produce 'Journey to the West.' I am grateful to CCTV for valuing me and making me a chief consultant."

"Wow, that's incredible!" Qiu Degen exclaimed.

Firstly, I was impressed that Wei Ming was able to become the chief advisor at such a young age, truly deserving of being a leading figure of the new generation in the mainland literary world.

Another thing is the shock of the investment amount. 3 million RMB is roughly equivalent to 10 million HKD at the official exchange rate. Wei Ming was not exaggerating. However, the production cost of TV dramas in Hong Kong is very low. A million HKD is already considered a high-quality production. In most cases, a few hundred thousand HKD is enough to shoot a TV series.

Wei Ming shook his head: "Ten million Hong Kong dollars sounds like a lot, but even if the plot of Journey to the West is condensed, it will still be more than thirty episodes. Moreover, the production in mainland China is meticulous and cannot be done in a single studio. I have discussed with the director that we are planning to use the best actors in the country and shoot on location throughout the country and even abroad. Ten million Hong Kong dollars may not be enough."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Degen hesitated to speak, while Wei Ming also stopped short of saying anything.

"Mr. Qiu, my friend and I are planning to go up the mountain for a stroll."

Chiu Te-ken: "Oh, you guys go have fun, having fun is the most important thing."

Before parting ways, Wei Ming also asked for Qiu Degen's business card.

"It was a pleasure chatting with Mr. Qiu. I hope to have the opportunity to learn from you again."

Qiu Degen smiled and said, "I feel the same way. So, where is your business card?"

Wei Ming didn't have a business card, so he left him a note with his hotel and contact information: "If you can't get through, you can call this number. Madman Comics is my business."

A mainland Chinese man with businesses in Hong Kong—what a young talent!

Qiu Degen had finished shopping and was about to go home. Watching the young couple's backs, only two things were on his mind: RTV and Journey to the West.

Wei Ming and Amin played a lot of paid rides at the amusement park on the mountain, such as the drop tower and roller coaster, and there were quite a lot of people playing them.

Amin said, "When I came here with my mother before, I didn't play either because my mother was afraid to play. Luckily, you came with me this time."

Wei Ming sighed, "Happy times are always short-lived. If we leave now, it will be almost dark by the time we get home."

"Then let's have some food before going home," Amin said, wanting to go home later.

“You…” Wei Ming tapped the girl’s forehead.

Since she was so proactive, Wei Ming couldn't bear to disappoint her, so the two of them drove to the nearby Jumbo Seafood Restaurant to eat seafood.

Ten years ago, the Jumbo Floating Restaurant was destroyed by fire. It was later rebuilt by Stanley Ho and Cheng Yu-tung and is known as the Pearl of the Sea in Hong Kong.

Wei Ming had been here before. It was a large ship that could accommodate more than 2,000 people and had an area of ​​over 4,000 square meters. It was also the world's largest floating restaurant, built in the style of a traditional Chinese palace, so there were "dragon" elements everywhere, making it look extremely luxurious.

The decor is luxurious, and the ingredients are equally extravagant, featuring rare ingredients from all over the world. Even Wei Ming can't be too capricious when ordering food.

Amin is more sensible. She pays attention to the cost-effectiveness when ordering food. When she sees Wei Ming spending money extravagantly, she will advise him that it is unnecessary, as she has also come from a poor background.

But when we finished our meal and went to pay the bill, we were told that it had already been paid.

Amin sighed: "I should have ordered more."

Wei Ming insisted on finding out who paid the bill, and in the end, he went upstairs alone to the Golden Palace Hall to toast the eldest son of the Dong family, the shipping magnate.

Young Master Dong laughed and said, "Seeing that you have a beautiful woman with you, I didn't go over to bother you."

"Young Master Dong is too considerate." Wei Ming quickly thanked him. If Langning Toy Factory's foreign trade business grows, he'll have to tell his aunt whether they should consider the Dong family's ship.

After the meal, it was past nine o'clock when we got home. Neither Zhou's mother nor the old ghost Lin Ni across the street had gone to sleep.

Ah Min returned to her home, and Wei Ming went upstairs to check on Lao Gui, telling him about Panda and Lao Wei's upcoming arrival in Hong Kong.

Old Gui stood up: "They're finally coming! I'll go rent a place tomorrow!" He made sure his son lived in a decent place.

The happiest person was Lin Ni, who could finally live in a big house. If it weren't for Lao Gui, she wouldn't have been able to stay in this kind of place for even a day.

As soon as Wei Ming left, Lin Ni quickly called Zhou's mother to express her regret: "Afen, we won't be able to play with you anymore. We're moving out."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou's mother said to her daughter, "Perfect timing, let's rent a place tomorrow, Sunday."

Where should we rent?

Zhou's mother said, "Let's rent a place closer to the school, so we won't be neighbors with that Wei guy anymore."

~
Wei Ming called Aunt Xia Meng as soon as he got back to the hotel; it would be impolite to call any later.

Xia Meng laughed and said, "I've been waiting for your call. I thought you weren't curious about the movie's performance."

Wei Ming asked, "So what was the box office on the first day?"

Xia Meng: "The performance was quite good. On the first day, we earned about 80, and with today's earnings, it's almost two million!"

They might break even tomorrow, which made Xia Meng very happy.

Wei Ming asked, "How does this result compare to 'Heroes Have Always Emerged from Among the Young'?"

"The average box office per screening is not as high as 'The Young Ones'. This screening is on a larger scale, but the daily box office is about the same. In addition, Golden Harvest will stop showing our film in ten days. In the end, it should be able to reach several million."

After splitting the profits and deducting costs, Wei Ming and Xia Meng each earned nearly a million Hong Kong dollars.

It wasn't that he looked down on the nearly one million Hong Kong dollars in profit, but compared to the film's previous success, Wei Ming was definitely not satisfied. Besides, wouldn't it be more impressive to have two films gross over ten million at the box office?

However, the promotion for "Madman Comics" won't start until Monday, so we'll have to wait. After hanging up the phone, Wei Ming opened his notebook and wrote something for a while.

The next day, Wei Ming was woken up early by a phone call from Amin. She asked him to come and rent a house with everyone, and that Lao Gui's car was still with him.

"Okay, coming, coming."

I was originally planning to visit Li Hanxiang, but I'll have to postpone it.

When the car arrived, all four people were already downstairs. Old Gui took the passenger seat, and the three women sat in the back.

Because Zhou's mother had already thoroughly researched the various properties in the Central and Western District, renting a house went smoothly. She chose a property that was very close to Amin School and Holiland.

It just so happens that there are two companies in the same building that are renting out their properties, one with two bedrooms and the other with three bedrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs.

The old man rented the three-bedroom apartment, and the Zhou mother and daughter rented a two-bedroom apartment, saying they wanted to stay far away, but they ended up living even closer to the man surnamed Wei.

Amin loves her new home. In her previous home, there was almost no empty space left after her piano was placed there. Although this place is also a two-bedroom apartment, it is twice as spacious.

Wei Ming: "To celebrate the upcoming housewarming, let's eat out for lunch. Let Lao Gui treat us!"

Old Gui laughed heartily: "Good, good, good, let's invite your aunt too, let her get acquainted with the place."

Lin Ni: "No need, she's already back in Taiwan, and then she'll fly directly to the United States. It would be good if she could come back by Christmas."

Wei Ming thought to himself, "Wouldn't Li Zhi be having a great time, getting paid for nothing and not having to serve anyone?"

Old Ghost sighed, "Then we can only wait for her to come back before she can reunite with her brother and sister-in-law."

There were still some procedures to go through, so Wei Ming let the adults handle them while he and Amin went shopping again, leaving the car for them to use.

After having dinner and dropping Amin off at home, Wei Ming regained control of the car and headed straight to Kuangren Comics. Sure enough, A Long was still there, with a few assistants around, drawing and teaching at the same time.

Upon seeing Wei Ming arrive, A Long said, "That's all for today. You can go home now. Think about it carefully when you get home."

After the assistants left, Ah Long took out a magazine: "The sample issue of December 12 will be officially released tomorrow."

Wei Ming flipped through the pages and saw that the promotional poster for "Seven Days of Wrong Love" was prominently displayed on the middle color page, along with the release date and theaters.

“Not bad,” Wei Ming put away the comic. “Oh, I have some ideas for the story I promised Huang Guoxing. Here you go before I leave.”

Ah Long: "Then mine..."

Wei Ming: "Let's get in line, next year, definitely next year."

The next day, Lao Gui and Zhou's mother prepared to move, but since they had hired a moving company, they didn't need Wei Ming, so he went to find Li Hanxiang instead.

This guy has already finished filming "Wu Song," and he even used a real tiger. However, he still owes Shaw Brothers several film contracts, but he doesn't plan to wait any longer.

"Xiao Wei, when are you going back to Yanjing? I'll go back with you, and we can sign a contract with Beijing Film Studio."

“Great, now I have company.” Wei Ming wanted to talk to him about the casting of “The Empress Dowager”.

Li Hanxiang then said, "Also, you don't need to worry about the male lead, Emperor Xianfeng. I already have a suitable candidate here."

"Oh, I wonder which actor has caught your eye?" Wei Ming asked knowingly.

“He’s not quite an actor yet, just a newcomer,” Old Li said, his eyes gleaming, “but I believe he can do a good job. He was born for this!”

……

(Today's guaranteed minimum)
(End of this chapter)