Exciting 1979!

Chapter 387 A Million Yuan Book, Wei Ming Returns to Beijing
Faced with Wei Ming's request for a sports car, Wei Lingling calmly replied, "Young comrade, don't be extravagant and dissolute. You should guard against arrogance and impetuosity. You want a sports car? Do you want a private jet?"

"That's a bit too much."

At this moment, Xu Shufen began to serve the dishes, wearing a gold bracelet on her wrist given to her by her stepmother-in-law. Lin Ni smiled and invited her children and grandchildren to eat.

Old Wei and Xu Shufen are spending the night here. Tomorrow will be a tough battle, while Wei Ming is preparing to return to the hotel.

After going downstairs, Wei Lingling pointed to a Mercedes-Benz: "Want to try out my new Mercedes-Benz?"

"How much did it cost?"

"Not expensive, HK$200,000."

Wei Ming patted the front of the car: "Extravagant and dissolute."

Once in the car, Wei Ming realized, "How did I become the driver?"

Wei Lingling sat in the passenger seat: "Let's go for a spin and come back. I have something to tell you."

In the car, Wei Lingling said, "I found an animated film in the United States that is very suitable for making blind boxes. We have already reached an agreement. It is called 'The Smurfs'."

"The Smurfs?"

"Yes, it's a new animation that just came out this year. It was originally from Belgium, but then the American company Hanna-Barbera took a liking to it and remade it into an American TV animation. I got the toy distribution rights from them."

Wei Ming, the singer of The Smurfs, is quite familiar with the song. He will enter the mainland market in a few years and has been popular for many years. His song is also deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Moreover, this show was very popular in the United States, won an Emmy Award, and its ratings were comparable to those of the later Transformers animated series.

“Hong Kong has its history cat, Japan has Arale, and America has the Smurfs. The blind box business is bound to succeed!” Wei Ming affirmed.

“I’ve already acquired the copyright for Old Master Q from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and blind box vending machines are under development,” Wei Lingling said ambitiously. “Transformers will be on the production line in about six months, and then it will be distributed globally. I also plan to make Qin’s Moon figurines. This comic is currently one of the top three most popular in Hong Kong, and the characters are famous for being beautiful, so it has a higher premium.”

Seeing the toy factory's rapid growth, Wei Ming was happy for his aunt, but he had some concerns: "With so many businesses operating at the same time, including greeting cards, can your factory handle it all?"

Wei Lingling said, "That definitely won't work. We will first acquire a toy factory in Hong Kong to supplement our production capacity, but that will still be far from enough. The business of the Langning factory will be more than ten times what it is now in the future."

"So what's your solution?" Wei Ming could tell that she seemed to have an idea.

Wei Lingling looked at her nephew and said, "I thought about this issue when I went to the Canton Fair in Guangzhou last time. I want to build a factory on the mainland. Land and labor are cheap there, which can reduce our costs even further."

"Great! I support it!" It's so difficult for the mainland to attract investment these days. In fact, the mainland is begging for foreign funds. The policies are great, and it's a win-win situation for everyone.

Wei Lingling: "But now there is a very real problem: Langning Factory is a Taiwanese-funded company."

"Uh……"

Forgot about that? Mainland China welcomes investment from Hong Kong and Macau, but not so much from Taiwan. However, if we're talking about American capital originating from Taiwan...

He and his aunt exchanged a glance, and Wei Lingling said, "You thought of that too, right?"

Wei Ming asked, "Has Grandpa decided to give you the toy factory?"

Wei Lingling looked at Xiaoming: "It's for the two of us."

Wei Ming didn't show much surprise on his face. After all, his great-grandfather had no descendants. He parked the car on the side of the road and the two chatted slowly.

"What do you mean?"

Wei Lingling said, "Literally speaking, you previously only had a licensing agreement for Transformers, but later it can become a deep partnership, with full development of comics and animation. Also, Kuangren Comics and your other works will be given priority in cooperating with Langning Toy Factory. If it's inconvenient for you personally, you can register it under DreamWorks' name, and we'll split the toy factory 50/50."

"Grandpa is very generous."

Wei Lingling: "It's also because of your abilities that Langning Factory was able to make a living. Originally, Langning Factory was worthless, but it is now because of you. The idea of ​​a musical greeting card made Langning Factory earn tens of millions in a short period of time. Even if there are imitators, as long as we move the production line to the mainland, the imitators from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe and the United States will not be able to compete with us. We can live off this business for several more years."

Wei Ming shook hands with Wei Lingling: "Then it's a pleasure to cooperate. I'm not a stingy person. Here's the deal: I'll give you and Melinda 5% of DreamWorks' shares each. I'll talk to her about it later, and you can draft the contract."

Previously, Wei Ming had been giving these two part-time workers high bonuses, as they were helping him out. Now, however, it's a cause that everyone is working together for.

Wei Lingling laughed and pinched her nephew's cheek: "Langning Factory gives you 50%, you give me 5%, and you still say you're generous."

“Of course I’m generous,” Wei Ming argued, his face flushed. “Don’t think that DreamWorks is just a copyright operation by me now. In the future, it will be a media behemoth, an entertainment empire. And when it comes to distributing shares in the future, they will take mine first. I don’t even know how much I will be left in the end.”

"Alright, alright, I know you're generous. Do you have any other good ideas? Tell your aunt."

Wei Ming: "I think the video game industry has great potential. Also, I saw a snack-grabbing machine in Japan. Do you think we could turn it into a claw machine? Claw machines are much more fun than just buying plush toys..."

Wei Ming told his aunt about his research trip to Japan. He said that many industries in Japan could actually be done in Hong Kong, but Hong Kong's market is too small. However, with the addition of Taiwan and Southeast Asia, it's still manageable. Moreover, the mainland will open up to Hong Kong sooner or later, and the prospects then are incredibly bright.

Wei Ming's car was still parked downstairs; they had to go back to get it.

On the way, Wei Lingling told him, "After the greeting card matter here is settled, I plan to go to Guangzhou to discuss opening a factory. Then I also want to go to Shanghai Animation Film Studio to discuss OEM production of the Transformers animation. I asked Hanna-Barbera, the company that produced The Smurfs, but their costs are too high and their conditions are too demanding. You have to come with me. In mainland China, connections are very important. You have connections at Shanghai Animation Film Studio."

“I’ve already written the story, so I’ll find someone to draw a comic book version first.” Wei Mingdao said that this was a real headache, since there were no comic book artists in Hong Kong who could draw science fiction.

Although Transformers doesn't rely heavily on science fiction principles, the main characters are all linear, except when they transform into cars, which presents a slight curve. This is a significant challenge for Hong Kong comic artists' drawing habits.

The next day was Christmas Day, and Ah Long and Ah Ying also asked Uncle Jiefang to buy tickets for Ocean Park so they could see Steel Egg Bass's debut. After they met, Wei Ming also talked to Ah Long about this.

"Autobots fighting? Even if they're beaten to a pulp, they won't bleed, right?"

Wei Ming nodded.

Ah Long said, "What do you think about letting Niu Lao draw it?"

Wei Ming's immediate reaction was: ???
He could hardly imagine the scene. Optimus Prime said to Megatron, "Earth is under my protection! Let's fight one-on-one if you dare!"

Bumblebee said, "The most important thing in this world is loyalty, ruthlessness, and having many brothers."

Red Spider grinned wickedly: "I'm furious right now!"

“Is this reliable?”

Ah Long: "You told me about Transformers. It's a battle comic, right? The most important thing is the visual impact. Actually, they're all still young, their styles haven't been fixed, and they're quite malleable. Cowman just seems very street-smart because he grew up in an environment full of thugs. But he also really likes cars."

Wei Ming: "Then let him give it a try. Anyway, comics are just a transition between toys and animation. We don't expect them to be a big hit. My aunt has the concept art and storyline."

Once outside Ocean Park, it was a sea of ​​people. You could see two giant panda balloons floating at the entrance from afar. Today's theme was Christmas and pandas.

Moreover, there was no parking available, so Wei Ming decisively parked his car further away and walked a few more steps. He didn't know if Ocean Park had limited the number of visitors today.

As soon as you enter the compound, people remind you not to rush to the panda enclosure all at once, but to split up and visit other attractions first, as there are long queues outside the panda enclosure.

Ah Long thought it made sense, so he and Gong Ying went up the mountain to do other things first.

Wei Ming didn't go with them; he waited for Amin at the door, but unexpectedly, his aunt and Lizhi saw him first.

They also came to see the giant pandas. Actually, Lizhi had seen them in Shanghai, but Lingling always wanted to see them, so she accompanied her.

"Teacher Wei."

Wei Ming: "Your head is fine now."

Lizhi touched her short hair: "It's okay, thank you for your concern."

Wei Lingling: Are you waiting for someone?

"Okay, let's wait for Amin."

Upon hearing this, Lizhi's expression darkened slightly.

Wei Lingling said, "Then let's go in first and see the killer whales."

Wei Ming waited for Amin, but not only Amin, but also Zhou's mother and stepmother; the three women came as a group.

However, the stepmother was a good wingman, and took the initiative to pull Zhou's mother to the aquarium, leaving Amin and Wei Ming to queue up for the panda pavilion.

This time, they moved forward with the queue just like ordinary people, and along the way, they could see staff members wearing panda costumes interacting with the people in line.

The procession will also pass by the windows of the cultural and creative shops. The park has already filled the shelves with panda plush toys and other Steel Egg Bass derivative products, and there are even Bass clip stickers. They are not cheap, but that does not stop the tourists' enthusiasm for buying.

Wei Ming bought a panda plush toy and a panda headband, and Amin looked adorable wearing them.

About an hour later, they finally got inside. There were photos and descriptions of the two giant pandas at the entrance.

Steel Egg: Male, two years old, record: once captured by humans for stealing sheep.

Bass, female, one and a half years old, feat: once got stuck in a car door.

Upon seeing these introductions, the audience smiled knowingly, their annoyance from queuing vanished, and they felt much better before even seeing the two little ones.

When Wei Ming and Amin came in, the two of them were eating bamboo shoots. Their movements were so skillful that it made one's mouth water.

Because of their natural advantages, they don't need any special training. Bears are the ones who need to ride bicycles to please the audience. Two giant pandas can be incredibly cute just by sitting together digging bamboo shoots.

Steel Egg, in particular, eats very quickly. After finishing his own, he looks at the one in Bass's hand, wanting to eat it but too embarrassed. In the end, the way he holds two peeled leaves to his mouth makes the tourists laugh so hard.

As more and more people poured in, Wei Ming and Amin were squeezed out in less than half an hour. There were also cultural and creative shops at the exit, and many tourists who did not buy at the entrance bought things here.

When they came out, Ah Long and Gong Ying were already getting ready for lunch.

Gong Ying, visiting for the first time, was deeply impressed; this was much more fun than the Shanghai World Expo. "I really want my parents to experience this place too," Gong Ying remarked, looking out the window at the bustling scene.

Ah Long grasped Ah Ying's hand: "We can invite them over once the policies are relaxed a bit."

Gong Ying nodded: "Mom and Dad may be having some difficulties, but if Second Sister wants to come, A-Ming should be able to help."

Ah Long sighed, even if he had a way, he wouldn't dare.

As the two were eating, Gong Ying suddenly saw a familiar figure. The figure was so outstanding that she remembered it so vividly.

Then another woman appeared behind her; she had a great presence and was very beautiful. The two were clearly together.

Gong Ying pointed over there, showing it to Ah Long.

Liu Rulong: "That's Ah Ming's aunt, Wei Lingling. We have a business relationship. Should we say hello?"

Gong Ying asked, "Do you know the person next to her?"

"That's her assistant, Lizhi, your fellow Shanghainese."

Gong Ying: "You know Wei Ming too, right?"

"She's her aunt's assistant, of course I know her, what's wrong?" Ah Long felt a little uneasy, thinking, "My brother, could this one be one too?!"

Gong Ying said seriously, "It's nothing, let's eat."

~
Having just visited Ocean Park recently, and with so many people and long queues everywhere, Amin and Weiming decided to leave the park after seeing the two pandas.

It doesn't matter where you go to have fun. Other places are crowded too, but at least not this exaggerated. The influence of Christmas and pandas is just too exaggerated.

Wei Ming was leaving tomorrow, so he drove up the mountain to enjoy the breeze and handed over the Cantonese version of "The Insects Fly," titled "A Pair," to Amin.

The one that goes, "The moon shines brightly, accompanied by many stars; look at the sky full of tearful stars, pairs by day, pairs by night, fireflies in pairs..."

Amin laughed and said, "If I sing a few more songs, I could release an entire album."

Wei Ming still has a few songs for her, including some he recently wrote, but he plans to release them slowly so that every time they meet there will be a surprise, and every time they part there will be something to remember him by.

"You're currently famous for your songs but not for yourself. I wonder if you'll have a chance to be selected for the Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs and Top Ten Jade Solid Gold Songs this time."

Amin linked arms with Wei Ming: "I'll let you know when the results are out, but should I go if they invite me?"

Wei Ming placed Amin's hand on her heart: "Follow your heart."

Although Wei Ming didn't touch her directly, with Amin's hand in between, Amin's heart still pounded wildly, as if it were about to burst out of her body.

~
The final box office result for "Seven Days of Wrong Love" is still unclear, but "The Prodigal Son," which Hung Chin-po has high hopes for, is unlikely to break ten million.

There are only two possible outcomes for "Seven Days of Wrong Love": second or third place in the annual film season. The first place, "Modern Bodyguard," with its HK$1700 million, is out of reach. But in any case, the second or third place will be Wei Ming's work. Wei Ming's screenwriting ability has been widely recognized in the Hong Kong film industry and has even been mythologized.

So when Wei Ming returned to the hotel after dropping Amin off, the front desk noted down two phone numbers for him: one from film moguls Run Run Shaw and Raymond Chow, and the other from Huang Baiming, who came to visit in person.

Wei Ming sat down in the main hall to chat with this scholar, Zhu.

"I've long admired Mr. Wei's name. I was there at his previous charity concert, and it was truly amazing." Huang Baiming flashed his signature smile.

"Mr. Huang, you flatter me. I have long admired you. In just two short years since Cinema City rose to prominence, so many classics have been created by you. You are truly amazing."

"Unlike Mr. Wei, both of his scripts have grossed over ten million at the box office. What's most impressive is that he was able to tell Hong Kong stories so movingly. I've read them more than once."

Wei Ming laughed: "It's pointless for the two of us to flatter each other like this. Mr. Huang, please just say what you have to say."

Huang Baiming pushed up his glasses: "I'd like to represent Cinema City to ask you for a script. The price is negotiable."

He didn't mention Wei Ming's past experience of being ridiculed by Mai Jia, and he believed that Wei Ming wasn't that petty.

Wei Ming doesn't really care about a nobody like Mai Jia; the person I truly care about is you, Huang Baiming.

"I'm sorry, I haven't had time to write scripts lately. Even if I do write one or two occasionally, I'll prioritize Qingniao."

“Oh, that’s a real pity. Well…” Huang Baiming’s glasses glistened for a moment. “If we don’t need you to write the script, we’d like to adapt one of your stories.”

So that was his real purpose.

Wei Ming asked with a smile, "Could it be 'Happy Ghost'? Many people say the male lead looks like Mr. Huang."

Huang Baiming laughed and said, "Indeed, some people say that. I wonder what Wei Yi thinks."

Wei Ming shook his head: "I'm afraid that won't work."

This outcome was within Huang Baiming's expectations. He politely said, "It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."

Wei Ming said, "I make deals based on who you are. If it's Mr. Huang's own company that wants to buy, I'll buy without hesitation. But if it's Cinema City, which is led by Karl Maka, I'd rather it rot in my hands."

Huang Baiming said helplessly, "But I am from Cinema City, and that cannot be changed."

Wei Ming: "You own less than 10% of the shares, yet you're doing just as much as the other two. I don't know what motivates you to do this."

Huang Baiming shook his head with a wry smile: "Wei Sheng, don't try to sow discord. We've been working together very well."

Of course, the company is still in its early stages, and both Mak Ka and Shih Tien are capable of directing and acting, while he can only write scripts, so his feelings are not yet obvious. When Huang Boming realizes that he is the one who is struggling to keep the company afloat, he may start to reflect on what he is doing.

After seeing Huang Baiming off, Wei Ming called Run Run Shaw and Raymond Chow back, not really expecting them to answer.

It was getting late, and they were getting on in years, so they accepted all the calls.

Run Run Shaw wanted to ask Wei Ming if he was interested in working at Shaw Brothers Studio. He promised to make Wei Ming the vice president, giving him full control over production.

This is an attempt to get Wei Ming to revive the Shao family and reverse its decline, but Wei Ming definitely won't agree to that.

If I had that time and energy, I would have just set up my own business. I don't need your million-dollar annual salary, so I politely declined.

Raymond Chow simply wanted to commission a script for Jackie Chan, with each script costing one million Hong Kong dollars.

As expected of Boss Zou, who has successfully launched two international superstars, he is incredibly generous. With Wei Ming's current net worth, a million-dollar manuscript fee is nothing.

Cinema City certainly couldn't offer that price. Nowadays, a movie script in Hong Kong costs only tens of thousands of dollars, and even tens of thousands are rare. Shaw Brothers couldn't afford it. He wanted Wei Ming to manage Shaw Brothers' film studio, which also meant he was hoping to get the script for free.

However, even a million dollars wouldn't be as much as the movie "Seven Days of Wrong Love," which could earn over a million dollars just from the Hong Kong market. So Wei Ming wasn't particularly tempted.

Seeing that Wei Ming was being somewhat perfunctory, Raymond Chow said, "One million, and we can also sign a betting agreement. If the box office in this city exceeds that of 'Young Master,' which is 1102 million Hong Kong dollars, I will give you another 5% of the box office. But if the box office is less than ten million, the one million royalties will only be one hundred thousand."

Jackie Chan is currently on the rise, and Raymond Chow only hopes that he can improve with each film and build a good reputation. He does not accept a decline in popularity due to the quality of his works. Besides, what does Hong Kong box office mean? Jackie Chan's films sell well throughout Asia.

"Aren't you afraid that because of me, the film won't be able to be released in Taiwan?"

Raymond Chow: "Your comics can appear in Taiwan, so what am I afraid of? At worst, I'll use a pseudonym. Yes, I'll use Wei Kuangren. What does Wei Kuangren's script have to do with Wei Ming?"

Wei Ming thought for a moment: "Are there any requirements?"

Raymond Chow said, "The company has shown him a lot of scripts recently, but he is not very satisfied with any of them. He said he thinks they are old-fashioned. He probably doesn't want to make traditional kung fu kid movies anymore. Also, Ah Long has been talking about you a lot lately, so please take this transitional work seriously."

Wei Ming said, "Don't worry, Ah Long is also my friend. I'm only doing this because of him. I'll have my lawyer come over and sign the contract with you later, and we'll hand over the book after the New Year."

"Is a month enough? Don't be so perfunctory. If the quality isn't up to standard, I don't need it," Raymond Chow said worriedly. This is a script worth 100 million yuan. Are you sure you don't want to write it for a year?
"If you don't want it, I'll invest in the film myself, and I'm sure I'll make a fortune."

It's a transformative work, that's easy.

~
The next day, Wei Ming first called his aunt to talk about the contract, and then drove to pick up Li Hanxiang. On the way, they chatted about Mr. Shao's suggestion that he take over the Shaw Brothers.

Li Hanxiang slapped his thigh in regret: "He must have made a huge decision to let an outsider like you take over the company. Why didn't you agree? If you had, the two of us could have worked together to create even greater success!"

Wei Ming: "Save it. My roots are in the mainland. How can I keep drifting in Hong Kong? If I'm cut off from my cultural soil, I'll wither away."

Li Hanxiang immediately took out his notebook. He had to write this down and add it to his column, "Thirty Years in Detail."

The car was then parked at the Holiland Central store, where the two had a hamburger breakfast. Wei Ming left the car with Lao Gui and then took a taxi to the airport.

on the plane.

"This is roughly the selection of the main actors. Once we get to Beijing, we can go to the Beijing Film Studio and the Beijing Film Academy to check out the actors," Wei Ming explained regarding the actor selection.

Li Hanxiang: "Let's sign the contract with China Film Group today, and go to Beijing Film Studio and Beijing Film Academy tomorrow. There's no rush."

The mainland side is in a hurry because Li Hanxiang is essentially coming to give away money. The investment for the two films was obtained by him from Macau's He Xian, and this money will be mainly spent in the mainland.

Who is Ho Yin? He's the Shadow Governor of Macau! However, he and the gambling king Ho are not from the same family. The gambling king is just a subordinate in front of him.

It's impressive that Li Hanxiang has such connections; he can easily spend millions, but he also believes he can earn it back.

Although his recent films haven't been very successful at the Hong Kong box office, he feels that Shaw Brothers' stingy approach has limited his potential. This time, he has ample funds, rich locations in mainland China, and excellent actors, so he's determined to turn things around!

This flight went directly to Yanjing. Before exiting the station, Wei Ming made a special trip to see the mural of a nude woman. Hmm, it's not covered up now. It seems there's a chance for his aunt to build a factory in the mainland!
……

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(End of this chapter)