Exciting 1979!

Chapter 402 From Hong Kong to Los Angeles
Wei Ming was driving, Lin Zhengyi was sitting in the back, and Old Liu was in the passenger seat holding Wei Ming's backpack when he noticed a small gadget peeking out of the side pocket.

"What is this? It's a Japanese product."

"Just think of it as a small tape recorder for listening to music. Give it a try," Wei Ming said. It was his Walkman, which he always carried with him when he went out; it was easier than reading on the go.

Good habits are often forced out by real-world circumstances. Who would read a book if they could listen to music? Who would listen to music if they could watch short videos?

Wei Ming pointed it out, and then Lao Liu, wearing headphones, heard the sound: "Why is it all in foreign languages? It doesn't sound good."

Lin Zhengyi, who was behind him, said, "It must be for the purpose of knowing oneself and one's enemy, right?"

Wei Ming laughed and said, "Brother Yifu is right. When we go to the United States to participate in the awards, we should learn about the music styles there. Master, rummage through your bag. There are some from Taiwan and Hong Kong."

"Hey, Teresa Teng, you've got some nerve!" With that, Master Liu tore off the cassette cover, put it in, and started listening, occasionally offering a comment.

Upon hearing Teresa Teng's name, Lin Zhengyi paused slightly. When they arrived at the airport and were waiting for their flight, he noticed that Wei Ming wasn't using the Walkman either, so he took the initiative to suggest it.

"Teacher Wei, may I listen to your Walkman?"

"Oh, please go ahead." Wei Ming picked up a newspaper and started reading. He saw news about how the movie "Shaolin Temple" had become a nationwide hit and boosted the popularity of Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, as well as reports about director Yang Jie and her team.

Lin Zhengyi heard Teresa Teng's familiar voice again. It sounded like a new song; he had never heard it before.

He had even met Teresa Teng; when Teresa Teng visited Kinmen to entertain the troops, the two shook hands.

His wife also loves Teresa Teng's songs, and listening to her voice makes him miss his family even more.

Once we get to America, things will be fine. I can't go back, and my wife and children can't come over, but it won't be a problem in America. I can stay for a while and then bring them back to Yanjing.

"Brother Yifu, your accent sounds like you're from Fujian."

Before boarding, Lin Yifu returned the Walkman to Wei Ming, and Wei Ming chatted with him.

"Well, I guess so. I really like your song 'Only by Fighting Will You Win'." He offered to help Wei Ming with his luggage, since he saw Wei Ming as a weak scholar while he himself came from a military background. He saw himself as a non-professional bodyguard protecting Teacher Wei.

If economics doesn't work, I'm also somewhat skilled in martial arts and firearms.

The two were seated next to each other. The plane would first fly to Shanghai, make a short stop, then fly to Hong Kong, where they would need to change planes and have a longer stopover, before flying directly to Los Angeles.

Having learned the exact time in advance, Wei Ming sent a telegram to Ah Long, asking him to tell his parents that they could meet at the Holiland store at the airport.

On the plane, Wei Ming began to talk to Lao Lin about the development of the mainland economy. He had read Wei Ming's "In the Heat of the Sun," in which Wei Ming predicted the emergence of a dual-track system and a privileged class at the end of the novel.

Lin Zhengyi, however, was more optimistic than Wei Ming, a native of mainland China, and therefore held the opposite opinion, believing that the authorities would handle the situation well.

However, the two agree on the overall trend of China's economic development, both being optimistic that the mainland will usher in an era of rapid improvement in material living standards after the reform and opening up.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, a group of people disembarked, and then some others came on, including a few foreigners.

In the afternoon, the plane landed at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong. Wei Ming and Lin Zhengyi got off the plane, after a five-hour layover.

Wei Ming said to Lin Zhengyi, "My parents work in Hong Kong. We're going to meet them later. Where are you going?"

"Are your parents in Hong Kong?"

Wei Ming: "My dad was a temporary worker at the Beijing Zoo. He and my mother were seconded to Hong Kong to deliver giant pandas. After we finished delivering them, we also had to help take care of them for a while."

"Oh, so where are you going to meet?" he asked very responsibly.

"There's a Holiland fast food restaurant right in the waiting hall of the airport. It's owned by my friend. Would you like to come and try it?"

Lin Zhengyi smiled and shook his head: "I just ate, I'm not hungry, I'll wait for you in the waiting area."

The two entered the waiting hall, and Lin Zhengyi chose a seat with a view of Holiland store and watched Wei Ming go in.

When Wei Ming went in, he found Zhou Huimin sitting in a corner by the window, with a few snacks and a stack of textbooks and homework on the table.

He walked up to Amin with a look of surprise: "Ah Long told you I was here?"

"You've finally arrived!" Amin was so excited she almost jumped up. She shook her head. "My aunt and uncle told me, but they have to go to work this afternoon, so I came early."

"How early is it?"

"I arrived at noon, since it's the weekend and I don't have to go to class anyway." Wei Ming ruffled the little girl's curly hair.

Wei Ming: "I'm leaving in four and a half hours."

"What a pity, I really wanted to go to America with you, but I have class tomorrow."

“You can’t skip class either,” Wei Ming pointed out the window. “Don’t look out. Just know that. Because of the importance attached to this, the government has sent bodyguards from Zhongnanhai to protect me. It’s not convenient for you to come along.”

"Wow, are all the bodyguards in Zhongnanhai masters like Li Lianjie?!"

"Oh, you know about Li Lianjie? I thought you were going to talk about Cheng Long."

"Li Lianjie is really popular now. His movie 'Shaolin Temple' has grossed 1500 million yuan. Almost all my classmates have seen it!"

As for Jackie Chan's "Dragon Lord," it is still striving to reach 1000 million. Golden Harvest has given its cinemas a strict order: Jackie Chan's films must not fall below 1000 million.

Wei Ming chuckled and said, "Little Li is indeed very suitable to play a bodyguard in Zhongnanhai, but he is still a bit green. Let's not talk about him. Tell me what's been happening at your school lately. I'll see if we can write it into 'Happy Ghost'."

"The biggest news is that everyone is playing with blind boxes! And it's not just our school, other schools have also seen a blind box craze. I bet Aunt Ling is making a fortune!"

"I wonder if she'll come over later. I'd really like to hear her report on how much money she's made," Wei Ming said. But it seems like blind boxes could actually be combined with Zhu Xiucai's ghostly abilities; there's potential in that.

"Does Auntie need to report to her nephew how much she earns?" Amin chuckled.

"Of course I have to report it. I own half of the shares in that toy factory."

"what!?"

"Shh, I'm only telling you this."

Amin quickly covered her mouth, feeling a sense of happiness from being trusted by her sweetheart.

A little while later, Lao Wei and Xu Shufen arrived. Amin took the initiative to sit next to Wei Ming, facing Lao Wei and his wife, and even ordered food for them.

I miss my son when I can't see him, but as you can see, he's not that special. After all, he's such a worry-free son.

Wei Ming mainly inquired about when they would return to their hometown in Beijing.

Xu Shufen, who always followed her husband's lead, complained somewhat, "Your father is now a bit too happy to leave home; he's been blinded by capitalism."

Wei Ming asked in surprise, "Dad, you don't want to go back?"

"Who said I don't want to? I just can't bear to part with your grandpa, Steel Egg, and Bass." Of course, I'm also a little reluctant to part with a society where money can buy most goods, the ease of driving around town at will, and the rich cultural and entertainment life—all of which are incomparable to those in the mainland.

Of course, there are downsides as well. Because I don't speak Cantonese very well, sometimes the waiters are not very nice when I eat or shop. But overall, they are much more polite than the sales clerks in state-run stores and restaurants.

Wei Ming said, "Actually, when Xiao Hong graduates next year, I will definitely go to study abroad with her. At that time, it won't really matter whether you go back home or not, since there won't be the two of us at home."

"Oh, is Xiaohong going to study abroad next year? Isn't she only a junior in college next year?"

"You don't know how fast she learns. She'll definitely graduate early and go abroad to study. Three years is enough."

Moreover, Wei Ming's correspondence course will end at the end of this year, and he can naturally go to the United States to improve his academic qualifications, avoiding the storm of 83, which is the best of both worlds.

Hearing her son's words, Xu Shufen's desire to go home lessened somewhat. Of course, it would be even better if Ocean Park could allow them to return to the mainland during holidays, even if they had to pay for their own airfare. Zhou Huimin, on the other hand, had her happiness written all over her face. Ah Ming was in the United States, and it was much more convenient for him to come to Hong Kong or for her to go to the United States than for him to be on the mainland.

After chatting with Wei Ming for over an hour, Old Wei tugged at Xu Shufen, who was still reminding her son to keep warm in America. Only then did Xu Shufen realize that the two of them seemed to be getting in her way.

"Alright, your mother and I are going to Causeway Bay for a date. You guys are busy, you guys are busy."

The elderly couple quickly left, leaving the two little ones alone, but they didn't have much time to themselves before Ah Long arrived.

He came mainly to report the good news about the sales of the "Qin's Moon" single volume to Wei Ming, and he also brought a set with him.

"Great, it's even better than the serialized version. Amin, do you have one? I'll give it to you, plus my and Ah Long's joint signature."

Amin said, "I need an autograph, but not the comic book. I've already bought it. You can keep it as a souvenir."

Ah Long added, "And how's the script that Jackie Chan wanted coming along? I think he's in a real hurry; he not only came to the company to see me in person, but also called me twice."

"Oh, I just finished writing it. You can give it to him."

With a local box office of 100 million plus 5%, Wei Ming put in a lot of effort, even adding illustrations to some key action scenes, such as bicycle street fighting, clock tower falling, and slide escape. These are more than a level above Jackie Chan's previous films in terms of thrills and excitement, making it easier for Jackie Chan to find the direction for his life-risking stunts.

That's right, this movie is "Project A," which is the starting point for Jackie Chan's film transformation and an important cornerstone for the worldwide popularity of Jackie Chan's films.

Language and culture may create barriers, but physical gestures are universal. Some say that after the advent of sound films, the world will never again produce an internationally renowned superstar like Charlie Chaplin, because of language barriers and the inability to understand each other's dialogue. Even with dubbed films, cultural barriers still exist.

Later came Jackie Chan, who became a global sensation. Chaplin relied on comedy, while Jackie Chan combined comedy and action, which was equally successful.

Later, Hollywood conquered the world and successfully dominated the global film market. At that time, becoming a Hollywood star meant becoming an international star.

Hollywood was a place Wei Ming really wanted to visit during his trip to the United States. At that time, Hollywood's dominance in the world was not particularly strong. Last year, only one "007" film entered the top ten of Hong Kong's annual box office. This year, with the explosion of local Hong Kong films, it is estimated that there will be no one.

"Brother Long, do you want me to order you a family bucket?" Amin asked.

"Oh, no need, I've already eaten before coming," Ah Long replied with a smile. Suddenly, he realized that Ah Min was trying to get rid of him, and he seemed to have missed their date.

It was already dark, and there was only a little over an hour left before Wei Ming left.

"I bet Cheng Long is getting impatient. I'll send it over to him now. See you later." Ah Long left with an embarrassed smile.

"So what should we do next?" Wei Ming smiled at Amin. It wasn't right for him to keep hogging the seats, even if it was his own business.

Amin pointed outside: "We can go and browse the duty-free shops."

Wei Ming: "Okay, buy some food. You take some back with you, and I'll take some with me. In case the food in America is bad, we can manage."

However, before leaving, he ordered a family bucket. Although Lin Zhengyi had eaten on the plane, it had been a long time since that meal, so this was ordered for him.

After they went outside, Wei Ming handed the family bucket to Lin Zhengyi: "Have something to eat first, my friend and I are going to browse around the duty-free shop."

"Teacher Wei, you're too kind." Lin Zhengyi accepted the offer somewhat embarrassedly, then reminded him to keep track of the time.

An hour later, Wei Ming and the reluctant Amin parted ways at the airport exit, each carrying a bag of snacks. Amin kept turning back every three steps, wishing she could sprout wings and fly to Los Angeles with Amin.

She only thought about it, but some people actually did it.

On the very night Wei Ming left, Cheng Long received the script for "Project A". The script seemed very new to him, as it was a story featuring the Hong Kong Marine Police as the main characters.

For a long time, the Hong Kong Police Force had a very poor reputation. Since the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), its reputation has improved, but it is still not considered particularly approachable or respectable.

What he really wanted was a modern action comedy like "Aces Go Places," which seems to appeal to Hong Kong audiences these days.

Wei Ming's script is set in the Republican era. Although it is no longer the kung fu kid template and is completely different from the gangster films of the past, he is still worried that the audience will not buy it and will think it is old-fashioned.

However, when Cheng Long saw the illustration that Wei Ming had inserted into the script, his passion surged. He wanted to film this scene, and he wanted to do it in one take, personally performing the scene.

Although it looks extremely dangerous at first glance, isn't this what a kung fu superstar is all about? If the audience doesn't exclaim "Holy crap, he's risking his life!" after watching it, what's the difference between him and a salted fish?
With this idea in mind, the rest of the plot unfolds seamlessly and is incredibly satisfying. Moreover, the two important characters in the script are clearly based on Hung Chin-bo and Yuen Biao. Teacher Wei seems to want the three brothers to join forces!

To be precise, this script was written for Golden Harvest, and Golden Harvest bought it at a price far exceeding the market value.

So the next morning, Jackie Chan took the script and went to Golden Harvest to meet with Mr. Zou.

If Cinema City wasn't taken seriously by Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers last year, it is now absolutely qualified to be considered one of the three giants alongside them.

Although Mr. Zou can make a fortune overseas through Jackie Chan's films and even has spare money to invest in international blockbusters, the Hong Kong market can't be too bad. This time, the box office of "Dragon Lord" was really quite poor.

So when Jackie Chan presented Wei Ming's new script, Raymond Chow immediately had several senior executives review it, and the final conclusion was that this script was exactly what they wanted.

Because of their age, they are inevitably a bit conservative and dare not take risks, especially for their precious son Jackie Chan. His previous works were all about kung fu kids in the Republican era, and they were worried that fans at home and abroad would not be used to it if he suddenly switched to modern films.

What's ingenious about Wei Ming's script is that the content and characters are novel, but the era is old, so it is both innovative and retains tradition.

Crucially, there were also illustrations. They weren't professionals at filming action movies and didn't know what kind of dangers they would face while filming those movies, but they had 100% faith in Jackie Chan's ability to do it. It would be impolite to give you so much money and then say you couldn't do it.

“Okay, okay!” Raymond Chow said to Jackie Chan, “Where’s Wei Ming? Let’s invite him over and discuss how to film this movie.”

Jackie Chan: "He's already gone to the United States, you forgot, it's the Grammy Awards."

"Oh, he was just passing through Hong Kong."

"Yes, I didn't even see him. He had a friend deliver it to me."

Raymond Chow: "Alright, let's leave him for now. I think Zhuo Yifei in this script is a nimble fat guy, so why don't we let Hong Jinbao play him? It'll definitely be more interesting if you brothers team up."

He did this to give Cheng Long an extra layer of insurance.

Jackie Chan had no objections, after all, he was still the main protagonist.

He Guanchang said, "Why don't we just let Sanmao direct this film? After all, he has a lot of experience."

“Boss Zou, Godfather, I still want to direct this time!” Jackie Chan suddenly said. Of course, he knew that his senior brother was experienced and his action design experience far surpassed his own, but the two of them were not completely the same. He hoped that Jackie Chan’s work would be pure and completely in his own style.

Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho exchanged a glance. "Dragon Lord" was directed by Jackie Chan himself, and compared to their expectations, the film could not be considered a success because it was too meticulous and the filming progress was slow.

Raymond Chow said, "How about this, if Wei Ming agrees to let you direct, then this film will be returned to you."

"Okay, I'll go find him right now!" Having received Boss Zou's promise, Cheng Long immediately took action.

"Where are you going? Didn't you say he went to America?"

Jackie Chan: "Yes, I'm going to the United States to see him. I'll buy the ticket now."

~
Wei Ming was unaware that Cheng Long had followed him from Hong Kong to Los Angeles.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Wei Ming's friend, Comrade Li Aiguo, was waiting at the airport to pick them up.

Since there was no Chinese consulate in Los Angeles at that time, Wei Ming and Lin Zhengyi went along with the host's arrangements and let Li Aiguo arrange their hotel.

Although they were both from Peking University, Lin Zhengyi was so low-key at school that he was almost invisible, so Li Aiguo had no impression of him at all and initially thought he was Wei Ming's bodyguard.

"With your current fame and wealth, you could easily afford a bodyguard. My goodness, your album 'Only Time' has sold nearly ten million copies, a record that will go down in history!"

Wei Ming put his arm around Li Aiguo's shoulder and said, "I think my new song also has a chance, so which singer did you approach?"

……

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