Exciting 1979!

Chapter 383 Box Office Explosion Again, Wei Ming's Scheme to Earn from Run Run Shaw (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
"Gangdan, Bas, Guolai!" Old Wei waved to the two giant pandas while holding a basket of apples, and then made them perform eating apples in front of the tourists.

He deliberately took an odd number of apples, giving one to each of them, until there was one left. Then, with a wicked grin, he placed it between the two bears and asked, "Who's going to eat the last one?"

Steel Egg snatched it away quickly, then handed it to Bass, nudged it in her face, and let Bass's sister eat it.

The tourists and spectators outside immediately burst into laughter. They'd seen sycophants before, but this was the first time they'd ever seen someone sycophant over a bear.

Although it was Monday, there were still quite a few tourists coming to see the two baby pandas. Even the original pandas at the Beijing Zoo were neglected. This was partly because Gangdan and his wife were good at creating entertaining scenes, and partly because there were fewer and fewer days left to see them.

The newspapers had already reported that the two young bears that had just arrived at Beijing Zoo were intended to be given to our compatriots in Hong Kong as a way of thanking them for their donations to the disaster-stricken areas of Sichuan.

Today, the departure date was finally set, and Xu Shufen ran over to tell Old Wei, "Director, Director..."

Old Wei said nervously, "Why did you blurt out my ambitions?"

Xu Shufen caught her breath: "The principal is looking for you!"

Old Wei arrived at the kindergarten director's office, the one he wanted to replace. He had just received a call from the Hong Kong office: "Comrade Jiefang, tell your family that you need to prepare to leave for Hong Kong!"

Actually, there's hardly anyone left in the house now. After the couple left, all that's left is their daughter and a pair of cats and dogs.

After get off work, the couple made a special trip to Peking University to tell their daughter about it.

"Stay at school until your brother comes back. Don't go home. It's not safe for you to travel back and forth alone."

Wei Hong felt utterly miserable, realizing she had become a left-behind child. Fortunately, her parents had left her enough pocket money and food coupons.

Then they called Xiaomei and asked him and Biaozi to bring Yinxing and the police chief some food and water when they passed by the courtyard on their way to the store each day.

"Is that all?" Old Wei asked.

Xu Shufen: "How about I make some stinky tofu to take with me? Mom said Dad used to love her tofu the most. Fresh tofu doesn't keep well, and I don't have the tools, so I'll just make some stinky tofu. Mom taught me how to make it."

Old Wei: Why does Mom tell you everything?
"Alright, alright, you handle it. I'll tell Ping An again that I don't know when I'll be back from this trip."

~
It's Monday now, the fourth day since the release of "Seven Days of Wrong Wedding," and the promotional campaign is starting to pick up.

First, there's the "Film Biweekly," which Wei Ming didn't arrange.

After watching the movie, Shu Qi immediately contacted Ye Tong to take a series of photos of her, making her the cover girl for the second issue of "Film Biweekly" this month. Moreover, within the magazine, he and several key members, including Luo Ka and Shi Qi, also wrote articles to comment on this biggest surprise in the December film market.

Luo Ka commented that Tam Ka-ming's "Seven Days of Wrongly Married Love" "retains the author's perspective, but is dressed in commercial sugar coating."

Shek Kei said that "The Wrong Seven Days of Love" infused the realistic spirit of the New Wave into popular comedy, reflecting the hidden anxieties under Hong Kong's economic boom.

In addition to commenting on the content of "Seven Days of Wrongful Love", founder and editor-in-chief Shu Qi also praised the performance of newcomer Ye Tong, saying that she perfectly blended the shrewishness and vulnerability of a wronged woman, and that she would surely have unlimited potential in the future.

Film Biweekly was an important platform for the Hong Kong New Wave cinema, advocating for and providing theoretical support for the New Wave. It was not keen on celebrity gossip, so its sales were not high. However, people in the film industry, especially those with certain artistic pursuits, would buy it without fail, and it had an extremely high reputation among a niche group.

For example, Wang Jing went to see "The Wrong Wedding Night" after reading "Film Biweekly"; at that time, he and Shu Qi had not yet become enemies.

In fact, Wang Jing also has an artistic heart, but he is realistic enough to know that those things cannot bring him wealth and fame, so he doesn't make them himself. However, he will support some art film directors when he has the means in the future.

The 26-year-old graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has been writing screenplays for five years. This year, he made his directorial debut with "The King of Gamblers," a film that grossed HK$500 million and entered the top ten at the annual box office. As a result, Shaw Brothers immediately gave him another film, "The King of Thieves," starring Tse Siu-gung.

Having achieved commercial success in his early twenties, coupled with his father Wang Tianlin's position at TVB, Wang Jing's path in the film and television industry can be described as smooth sailing.

After watching "Seven Days of Wrong Love," and considering his own evaluation combined with the audience's reaction, he knew that his film "The King of Gamblers" was going to have to drop in the box office rankings. In addition, with the new work of the big boss Hung Chin-po coming up, he felt that he was afraid he would fall out of the top ten.

And it's so strange, isn't today Monday? Why are there so many kids who look like students at the movie theater?
Sigh, I really wish there was a movie that could be so successful. After he got home, he started thinking about a new movie script, also in the urban romantic comedy genre, and the male lead he was thinking of was someone like Kenny Bee.

Representative figures of the New Wave, such as Tsui Hark, Yim Ho, and Cheung Kwok-ming, all watched the film. Ann Hui did not watch it because he was in Hainan.

Although some felt it lacked a New Wave feel and incorporated too many commercial elements, everyone agreed that the film's box office performance would be excellent and its public reception would be positive.

So how much has the box office actually reached?
Over the phone, Xia Meng told Wei Ming, "The total for the three days is about 310 million!"

You can recoup your costs around 310 million, and then it's all profit!
This result is the same as the opening weekend box office of "Heroes Since Ancient Times", and the public's word-of-mouth is excellent. Urban, emotional and light comedy are now selling better than action movies. It may really make another 10 million yuan at the box office.

In addition, Xia Meng has confirmed her trip to Hainan to visit the set of "Boat People": "I'm thinking of going the day after tomorrow, do you want to come with me?"

Because Lao Wei wasn't sure when he would come to Hong Kong, Wei Ming declined the offer and decided to wait to welcome his parents.

In addition, he has to go on a date with Amin after school, but his friends in Hong Kong know that Wei Ming is here, so he has another appointment at noon, where the Wynners are treating him to lunch.

Upon arriving at the destination, Wei Ming first congratulated Brother B and Chen You on the box office success, and then congratulated Alan on winning the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor.

Who would have thought that he, a superstar in the music industry, would be the first Hong Kong actor to win the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor?

Tan Yonglin asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Will the mainland authorities have any complaints about my role in this film?"

The film for which he just won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor is called "If I Were Real".

Moreover, this movie is very interesting. The core story is based on Gogol's "The Government Inspector," and it was adapted into a stage play by Sha Yexin and other playwrights from the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre based on a real case in Shanghai at the time. The original version was about impersonating a government inspector, while the latter is about impersonating a second-generation rich kid.

Because of its sharp satire and considerable controversy, the script was temporarily banned shortly after its publication.

Finally, this play was spotted by Taiwanese director Wang Tong, who brought in Hong Kong actor Tam Yung-lun to make it into a movie, which won three awards at the recently concluded Golden Horse Awards: Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Wei Ming only saw the movie online later. Although the movie's sweep of the Golden Horse Awards must have had political factors, since it is a satirical film about mainland China, his review is still very much worth watching.

In response to Tan Yonglin's concerns, Wei Ming reassured him, "Don't worry, the original play has a lot of support from official figures in mainland China. Even if there are criticisms, they will only be directed at the director. Since you have made contributions to fundraising, they certainly won't target you."

Hearing him say that, Tam Yung-lun felt relieved. Hong Kong's future was still uncertain, and as a small-time artist, he didn't want to offend anyone.

Leaving aside those high-risk topics, Tam Yung-lun talked about the upcoming Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards: "You should be able to participate then, I can't even imagine how many of the ten songs you'll get."

"When is it going to be held?" he asked.

"Early January, I guess."

Wei Ming shrugged: "I guess I won't be able to see it. I'm going back at the end of the month, but I hope you all win awards."

He muttered to himself, "And Amin too."

At that moment, Zhou Huimin, who was in the classroom, saw that some of her classmates were holding the newly published "Madman's Comics," and that several boys were passing it around and whispering excitedly.

She exclaimed in surprise, "It's earlier than usual!" It's usually the 15th.

So at noon, Vivian Chow also rushed to the bookstore to buy a copy. Apart from "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky," she liked most of the comics.

Then she saw the promotional comic in the middle with color illustrations. She quickly closed it and thought of the awkwardness she felt when she and Amin watched the movie that day. Thinking of this, her legs felt hot again.

She also overheard the boy in front of her admiring the paintings while discussing with his deskmate, "How about we go see these after school?"

"Okay, okay~" The two of them were acting like thieves, their eyes shining with excitement.

The artistry of this set of paintings is indeed very high. Zhou Huimin gave it an objective evaluation from an aesthetic point of view. Now let's look at the artist, "Liu Ruyan".

Liu Ruyan? Amin understood; it must be A Long's alternate identity.

~
"Injustice! Slander! It has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

When Ah Long and Ah Ying were having lunch in the office, Ah Ying also saw the paintings and then said resentfully, "Do you think I'm too young?"

Ah Long was stunned: "Ah Ying, you're four years older than me."

“I mean here!” She pointed to the chest of the half-naked woman in the comic, then to her own chest, and she also believed that it was drawn by Liu Rulong.

Then Ah Long cried out that he was wronged, and in the end he had no choice but to sell Ah Ming out. After all, it wasn't a big deal, and as long as Ah Min was kept in the dark, there wouldn't be any major problems.

However, after learning the truth, Gong Ying began to wonder if Wei Ming thought her sister was too young, and also, this comic book character didn't resemble the movie's female lead at all, especially in terms of figure. Then, the more she looked at her, the more she resembled an old friend.

~
"Yes, it's me!"

Lizhi, who had no boss to serve, bought a copy of "Madman Comics" to pass the time, and that's when she came across the comic "Liu Ruyan".

She felt that the short-haired sexy woman in the comic was just like herself; her face wasn't the same, but her figure was a perfect match.

If I'm not mistaken, this Liu Ruyan must be Wei Ming. So that's why he was drawing a comic strip of himself in the kitchen that day.

Lizhi felt shy, angry, and happy all at the same time. She realized that she was quite attractive to Teacher Wei.

Bored and lonely, she dialed Wei Ming's hotel number, but unfortunately, Mr. Wei wasn't there. But no problem, she could deliver it herself!

The hotel name and room number are already provided, and Ms. Lingling even left the car for herself.

~
By this time, Wei Ming's lunch break with the Wynners had ended. They had mainly talked about which great songs had emerged last year and expressed their headaches over the organizers of the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards.

Last year, the music scene was already thriving, and Wei Ming further boosted it, resulting in more than ten well-received songs.

Then Wei Ming had a flash of inspiration and immediately drove to Uncle Shao's office at TVB after they parted ways. The Hong Kong Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards are organized by RTHK and co-organized by the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (Hong Kong Branch), and the Hong Kong Record Merchants Association. At that time, it was the most authoritative music award in Hong Kong. It started in 1978 (awarded in 1979), and the next month will be the fourth edition.

Tam Yung-lun won the Top Ten Chinese Songs award for the first time in the previous competition with the Cantonese version of "Flower in the Water" written for him by Wei Ming, which established his status as a leading figure among the new generation of singers.

Upon arriving at TVB in Wutaishan, Wei Ming first contacted Lai Siu-tin, who had already switched to Capital Artists Records and was now composing music for TVB dramas.

"Looking for Boss Shao? I'll ask Manager Fang for you."

Through a charity concert that caused a sensation throughout Hong Kong and even became famous worldwide, Wei Ming could not say that he had become a guest of honor among Hong Kong's richest people, but he had at least gained some influence. When Mr. Shao was about to go off work to meet Ms. Fang, he immediately postponed the meeting upon hearing that Wei Ming was visiting.

"What brings you here, Mr. Wei?"

Wei Ming smiled and said, "I'll give Old Master Shao some advice."

Run Run Shaw laughed and said, "Is there really such a good thing?"

Wei Ming: "Of course, there were also some ideas about exchanging benefits."

"Tell me about it." As long as it's not like they're directly taking money from his own pocket, Boss Shao is fine. He was injured from donating money last time.

Wei Mingdao: "I know that you have many businesses under your name, including Shaw Brothers Films, Shaw Cinemas, TVB and Capital Artists Records. However, Capital Artists Records has limited influence and only plays a supporting role to the two film and television companies, which is a pity. I had dinner with my colleagues in the music industry today and learned that the sales of records in the Hong Kong music industry have increased by 30% this year. Capital Artists Records can actually achieve great things."

You don't even need to tell me. Run Run Shaw poached Lai Siu-tin and brought Cheung Kwok-yung along, all with the intention of making a name for himself and getting a piece of the music scene's sweet pie.

However, the current tactics are still the conventional ones, which have some effect, but not significant.

"Tell me your brilliant ideas."

"It's not a clever idea, it's a grand strategy. A combination of moves could take over half of the Hong Kong music scene."

Shaw became more serious and polite: "Please go ahead."

Wei Ming's combination of moves is called the Top Ten Hit Songs + New Talent Singing Competition.

The former can influence the music industry's judging standards through awards, thereby elevating the status and prestige of their own singers; the latter can discover and cultivate their own singers.

The first New Talent Singer Competition was originally scheduled to be held next summer. Wei Ming said that the plan should be released soon. The New Talent Singer Competition will not only benefit Capital Artists, but also boost TVB's ratings.

The Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards were two years later. By then, we had some singers under our management, and we wanted to compete with the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards, while also helping to promote the singers in our own company.

Wei Ming explained the judging system of the Top Ten Hits and the rules of the New Talent Singer Competition that he knew from his previous life. It wasn't too advanced for this era, but if Wei Ming hadn't broken the ice, the Top Ten Hits would have had to wait at least two more years, and Huaxing Records wouldn't even have a singer management business yet.

With this combination of strategies, at its peak, Capital Artists was able to rival PolyGram, making them the two most powerful record companies in Hong Kong.

Shaw listened intently and even asked his secretary to refill Wei Ming's tea. Wei Ming's words made sense, because there were too many good songs last year, and it was impossible to award them all to Wei Ming's songs. The Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards would inevitably create many hidden gems.

If TVB were to create a Top Ten Jade Solid Gold Songs list after the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs, it would definitely gain the support of the music industry and instantly make the company famous.

"What do you want?" Shaw asked after listening. "To have your work given special consideration during the awards ceremony?"

Wei Ming shook his head: "As long as the selection follows the principle of fairness, I don't care how many awards I win. My new film, 'Seven Days of Wrong Love,' is currently competing with Shaw Brothers' 'The Red Powder of the Jianghu'..."

When this is mentioned, Run Run Shaw gets angry. His film was released a day earlier than "Seven Days of Love," and the other film has already grossed three million, while his own film has not even grossed one million yet. It has also become a laughing stock because of the martial arts comedy scenes in "Seven Days of Love."

"The Red Powder Stirs the Jianghu" was already considered a pretty good film for Shaw Brothers. Fortunately, the company controlled costs well during filming, otherwise they would have closed down long ago.

"What, you want Shaw Brothers cinemas to show 'Seven Days of Wrong Love'?"

Wei Ming's eyes lit up: "Really?!"

"Of course not."

"Okay, actually I wanted TVB to help with the promotion." Wei Ming told the truth. TVB can reach at least half of the citizens in Hong Kong. It's a pity that we haven't been able to take advantage of it before because of competition.

As for Rediffusion, Brother Xu Xiaoming is not a high-level executive, and Rediffusion is wholly foreign-owned, so it's not easy for him to have a say.

After thinking for a moment, Run Run Shaw finally nodded. He asked Wei Ming to explain his needs in detail and also asked him to put his ideas for the Top Ten Hits and the New Talent Singer Competition on paper and hand them over to him tomorrow. He had to rush to his date, and Mona Fong was getting impatient.

Wei Ming: It's like he's on a date with everyone; even his Amin is getting impatient.

However, Wei Ming still had to help Amin with her homework for tonight's date. Amin didn't want to talk about homework, which was such a downer, but when she was rummaging through her bag, she found the test paper from last time.

Seeing that Amin's math score was so low, Wei Ming was shocked and decided to tutor her.

"Then can you help me with this question? I don't quite understand it."

Then the two stared at each other blankly at a math problem from the third year of middle school.

"Well, I'm more into humanities, so I'll take a look at the Chinese and English homework instead."

Amin: "That's fine, that's fine too."

At this moment, Wei Ming missed his beloved younger sister, Xiao Hong, very much.

After dropping Amin off at home, Wei Ming returned to the hotel and was immediately stopped by the receptionist: "Mr. Wei, there's a phone call for you."

"who?"

"They're from the hospital. They said one of your friends was in a car accident and they're asking if you could come over."

"Oh, when did that happen?"

"It's been more than two hours. Here is her name and the hospital address."

Wei Ming looked and exclaimed, "Hey, it's Li Zhi!"

He was incredibly grateful for his wise decision not to let Xiaoli drive.

Fortunately, Lizhi's injuries were not too serious. Her face and chest were not disfigured, and she only suffered a slight head concussion. If it weren't for waiting for Wei Ming to come and visit her, she would have been able to go home long ago.

"I was innocent too. If I hadn't dodged an old lady crossing the road, I wouldn't have hit the traffic light. Luckily, she was alright."

Wei Ming glanced at the red high heels under the hospital bed: "How many times have I told you, don't wear high heels or slippers while driving. Being vain is a killer."

Lizhi thought to herself, "Isn't it just to show off to you?"

He then asked, "How's the car?"

"The insurance company sent someone to tow it away; hopefully it will be fixed before the boss returns."

Wei Ming: "It's a good thing you have insurance, otherwise you would have worked for nothing this year. Can you get off the bus? I'll take you home."

Lizhi: "Oh dear, it seems we can't leave."

Wei Ming: "Then stay here. I'll call your dad over."

"It doesn't seem like I can't walk at all. Could you help me?" she said pitifully.

Wei Ming sighed: "Carry your own high heels."

After sending Lizhi back, she went a step further and said that she was scared to be alone at night and hoped that Teacher Wei could stay with her for the night.

Wei Ming pulled out a box of classic American horror movies from the videotapes: "If you're scared, watch this to toughen up. You can also practice your English at the same time. I have a lot of work to do tonight."

After saying that, Wei Ming decisively left.

The apartment building where Wei Ming lived wasn't very tall. When Wei Ming went downstairs, he saw Li Zhi leaning on the balcony looking down at him, and he could even see tears glistening in her eyes.

Then Wei Ming opened the car door, took out his schoolbag, and a few minutes later he went upstairs and entered the house.

"Why are you crying? I said I had a lot of work to do, not that I was leaving." He shook his backpack, indicating that he was going downstairs to get his things.

Lizhi wiped away her tears: "I... I have a headache. Don't worry, I definitely won't bother you. I won't turn the sound on when I watch the movie."

She also pointed to the videotape "The Exorcist".

Wei Ming nodded, then went into his aunt's room to start writing.

He was actually about to leave, but when he saw Lizhi crying and thought about how she was bullied when she ventured into the Hong Kong entertainment industry alone, he finally softened.

She was, after all, just a pitiful girl who was unloved by her parents. She might resort to some petty tricks to get a better life, but her crimes did not warrant death.

The plans for the Top Ten Hits and the New Talent Singer Competition were easy to write, so Wei Ming simply copied them without even thinking to write out the rules for something like The Voice of China beforehand, which was a bit of a waste of his talents.

After finishing these, Wei Ming started writing a comic script, the one for Huang Guoxing, and at the same time, he began thinking about what to write for Niu Lao.

Around nine o'clock, a woman's scream suddenly came from outside.
……

(Bonus chapter for 2000 and 3000 monthly votes in April! Guaranteed update tonight~ Also, the old man has air conditioning now!)
(End of this chapter)