Exciting 1979!

Chapter 434 Hong Kong's Number One Beauty Appears
Xu Jinjiang has already graduated from TVB's training program, and he ultimately did not sign a contract with TVB.

The main reason is that TVB doesn't value him, so he's currently working independently. Because of his height, he also does part-time modeling work, the kind where he wears clothes.

He also sings in nightclubs, and tries out for roles in film crews, even if it's just a minor part. He uses every means to make money.

He continued drawing, but only drew what he wanted to draw. He stopped drawing covers for "Madman Comics" because he knew his senior brother paid him more than the market rate and that he was slow to produce results, so he didn't want to make things difficult for him.

However, since they are fellow disciples, he still thinks of himself when there is good news. He guessed that Ming must need people and his senior brother recommended him. He wondered if he would have any lines or even a clear shot this time.

The two people opposite him were probably from the mainland. Xu Jinjiang, who was somewhat introverted, mentally prepared himself before asking, "Comrades, what kind of movie are we making?"

Zhang Yimou: "It's not a movie, it's a short film. Director Wei said it's only about ten minutes long."

Xu Jinjiang quickly sat down next to Zhang Yimou: "What story is it? How many characters are there?"

He wanted to do some research beforehand, but Zhang Yimou didn't know either: "Let the director tell you."

At this moment, Gong Ying came in. Everyone called her Sister Ying, and Xu Jinjiang stood up and called her sister-in-law.

"Um, Ah Jiang, why are you sitting outside? Where's Ah Long?"

"He's in a meeting with the screenwriters. I'm not looking for him. I'm waiting for Wei Ming here, Brother Ming."

"Oh, is he coming over later? I'll treat him to dinner then," Gong Ying said with a smile, while also asking how her sister was doing.

She didn't go into the office, but chatted with two friends from the mainland for a few more minutes before Wei Ming went upstairs.

Seeing his sister-in-law there, Wei Ming became a little nervous, because behind him appeared another woman, Li Zhi, who was panting heavily and carrying several gift boxes.

In order to spend more time with Wei Ming, she hitched a ride with him, saying she was coming to deliver goodies and new products to the madman's cartoonists.

This is also a long-standing tradition of Langning and the Madman. Cartoonists all like this Secretary Li very much, and many people regard her as the motivation for their comics.

Lizhi is now like a ripe peach, becoming more and more tempting, making Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning, two country bumpkins, stare with wide eyes.

They gave it the rating of "superb" from the perspective of appreciating beauty.

Wei Ming pretended not to understand Gong Ying's wariness of Li Zhi, chatted with her briefly, and also inquired about her pregnant mother-in-law.

"Eating? Sure, let's eat together after I finish talking with Ajiang."

After speaking, Wei Ming looked at Xu Jinjiang. He now had rather long hair and a thick, melancholic stubble on his chin. Although he was only in his early twenties, he already had the vicissitudes of a thirty-year-old man.

Wei Ming looked around and borrowed a pair of glasses from Huang Guoxing for him to wear. Well, it covered up some of that naiveté and gave him a bit of a refined scoundrel look.

Moreover, he was taller than her, which gave girls a natural sense of intimidation.

Wei Ming certainly hopes to use actors with good acting skills, but this is a short film, and he focuses more on showcasing the use of camera language; the subtlety of the performance is not so important.

Moreover, actresses are considered more important than actors.

“Okay, you’re the one,” Wei Ming said to Xu Jinjiang. “Jiang, can you reserve your schedule for me for the next two weeks?”

"Of course, of course no problem!"

Wei Ming: "Okay, you're the male lead in my new film."

"Huh, the male lead? Me?" Xu Jinjiang looked incredulous.

He thought the leading men were all handsome guys like Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau. He never expected that a rough man like himself could be the leading man, even though it was just a short film. But it was directed by Wei Ming!

"That's right, it's the male lead. Don't shave your beard for the next few days, you'll need to style it later."

The male lead has been decided; we'll find a female lead this afternoon.

"Old Zhang, let me see the photos you took."

Zhang Yimou laughed and said, "It was washed out overnight last night."

"Is the money we gave you before enough?" he asked.

"Enough is enough."

Wei Ming nodded and continued looking at the photos: "This one won't do, the two buildings are too close... This one won't do either, it's too far... This one, the signs are too sparse... This one?"

He stared at the photo in his hand, which looked somewhat familiar: "Is this Chungking Mansions?"

“Yes, Director, you know this place too?” Feng Xiaoning said. “This place is quite visually appealing with its colorful decorations.”

Wei Ming nodded. This place is known as the "Kowloon Walled City of Ethnic Minorities," a place where many ethnic groups live together, including Indians, Filipinos, Thais, Vietnamese, and some people who have just come from the mainland, because housing here is indeed cheap.

This location doesn't quite fit Wei Ming's first requirement for the shooting scene, but it actually fits the second scene quite well.

This short film has only three main scenes. Originally, he was thinking of filming the second scene in Kowloon Walled City, but the Kowloon Walled City was indeed more dangerous than Chungking Mansions.

Wei Ming put the photos of Chungking Mansions aside and continued looking at them.

"Hey, is this Wedding Invitation Street?"

“This place seems to be called Lidong Street,” Zhang Yimou said.

“Yes, it’s also called Wedding Invitation Street.” Wei Ming looked at it and thought that the distance of the road and the style of the buildings were quite suitable. This was taken by Zhang Yimou and his team at night, with the signs all turned on, making it look very cyberpunk.

Wei Ming put the photo aside again and finally decided that these were the two.

The third scene is footbridges, which are everywhere in Hong Kong; you can just choose one randomly.

"Well done, I'm very satisfied with the scene."

A short while later, Liu Rulong came out after finishing his meeting.

"How did the audition go?" he asked.

Wei Ming patted Xu Jinjiang and said, "Ah Jiang is the chosen male lead I've been searching for!"

"What about the pay?" He knew his junior would be embarrassed to mention it, so he brought it up.

Xu Jinjiang hurriedly said, "No need, no need, just provide meals. It's already a great honor for me to be cast as the male lead."

Wei Ming waved his hand: "How can I not take a paycheck? A-Jiang, how much do you usually earn in a month?"

Xu Jinjiang calculated: "It's not very stable. On good days, it can be five thousand, and on bad days, it's only three thousand."

Wei Ming: "Then I'll give you ten thousand."

"Ah? This, this is too much." Xu Jinjiang was a little embarrassed; it far exceeded his expectations.

Wei Ming said, "Actually, you not only have to be the male lead, but also the art assistant for this teacher Feng Xiaoning. I will tell you about the art style I want later."

Ah Long then asked, "What about the female lead? Do you have someone in mind?"

Wei Ming: "I'll go to Qingniao this afternoon and ask Aunt Xia Meng to help me contact Ye Tong."

I mainly wanted to ask about her schedule and salary. After all, she's an award-winning actress now, so I was worried about whether it would exceed the budget.

Wei Ming's budget was HK$100,000 to complete the bid, but he still needed to rent equipment, hire lighting technicians, makeup artists, and cover rent.

Next, Ah Long and his wife invited Wei Ming to dinner, and Xu Jinjiang, Lao Zhang, and Lao Feng also came along.

As for Lizhi, she's sensible; she took a taxi to go shopping by herself. She can invite Wei Ming to go shopping separately in the future.

They drove two cars; Xu Jinjiang and Wei Ming were in one car, and he also inquired about his classmate Liang Jiahui in the car.

"Is Ahui doing well in Yanjing with Director Li Hanxiang?"

“Great, that’s wonderful. He lives surrounded by women every day,” Wei Ming said enviously. “You don’t know, do you? He’s the male lead in that movie now, playing the Xianfeng Emperor.”

"Huh? The male lead!" Xu Jinjiang was surprised again. "I thought he was going to do odd jobs, but I didn't expect to meet a benefactor like me."

"Haha, he initially thought he was just doing odd jobs, so I guess Director Li forced him into this role. Now he's filming with one of the most popular actresses in mainland China."

Is it Chen Chong or Liu Xiaoqing?

"Liu Xiaoqing, wow, you do know those two."

Xu Jinjiang chuckled and said, "The last movie I watched before coming to Hong Kong was 'Little Flower.' Liu Xiaoqing was very good, but I prefer Chen Chong."

Wei Ming thought to himself, "You like it, but Cheng Long likes it too."

Speaking of Jackie Chan, Wei Ming asked, "Has Jackie Chan's 'A' project been completed?"

"No, he's still in the hospital right now."

"Ah, tell me in detail," Wei Ming thought to himself, "I hope I didn't almost become paralyzed again."

"I saw on the news that he broke two ribs while filming a scene where he fell from the clock tower. He won't be able to film for a while."

Well, it was a bit lighter than Wei Ming had expected. This scene in the original timeline is very famous, and the story behind it is also terrifying. Because he landed on his head and neck, he suffered a severe neck sprain and a broken nose, almost becoming paralyzed or even losing his life. It was the first time Jackie Chan risked his life to film a movie, and the film was put on hold for a long time.

Filming resumed later, and after two takes by professionals and the Jackie Chan Stunt Team's Mars, Jackie Chan was still not satisfied. In the end, he took over the shot himself.

Wei Ming said, "Let's go visit him this afternoon."

When they arrived at the restaurant, the six of them sat down, and Gong Ying took the opportunity to ask him how he and his sister were doing.

"Ah Long and I are already married, you two should hurry up too."

Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning already knew that this was Gong Xue's younger sister. The two buried their heads in their food, pretending not to hear anything. This Hong Kong Grand Hotel is really delicious.

However, their hearts were in turmoil. Although there had been rumors circulating before, this was confirmed by a relative.
Wei Ming: "Your sister and I went back to Shanghai a while ago and stayed for a few days. We even had a meal with your uncle and aunt."

Hearing that the two had already met each other's parents, Gong Ying was very pleased, as things were finally moving forward. "So how did my sister introduce you?" Gong Ying asked with a smile.

Wei Ming: "Just say that you are a good friend who happens to be in Shanghai and invited me to try your mother's cooking."

Gong Ying sighed, "Why can't my sister just speak her mind? She's too concerned about maintaining a good image."

Gong Xue always told her sister that she didn't want to go public. She wanted people to know her as Gong Xue, not as Wei Ming's wife, so Gong Ying couldn't help but complain about her sister.

Wei Ming: "After all, she's in the prime of her career. She just won two awards and was looking forward to making a movie that has nothing to do with me to prove herself. Oh, and she's going to be making a new film for Shanghai Film Studio next..."

As the conversation went on, the topic shifted from the Shanghai Film Studio's new film "Under the Bridge" to Wei Ming's short film "The Witness".

Xu Jinjiang finally understood what the film was about: he killed someone, a woman saw it, he chased after her, caught up with her, but was killed instead.

It doesn't sound very interesting, but Teacher Wei's main goal is to prove to the Beijing Film Studio that he can be a director, so as long as he succeeds in making it, that should be enough.

Wei Ming pointed out that the female lead's identity was a dancer: "So I also need a nightclub hidden in a residential building, the kind that's not very formal. Ah Jiang, can you find one in Chungking Mansions?"

"Ming, I usually sing in legitimate nightclubs. I'm not sure about the illegitimate ones, but I can help you find one."

“Alright,” Wei Ming said with a smile, “Go check out Chungking Mansions later.”

After finishing their meal, Ah Long went to pay the bill.

“Ah Ying, your sister and I have an idea,” he called Gong Ying aside, “When we visited your home this time, your uncle, aunt, older brother, sister-in-law, and Xiao Qi lived in that 40-square-meter house, which was really cramped. There was no separate kitchen either. Every time your sister came home, Xiao Qi had to squeeze in with his parents. He’s a big boy now, so it’s not very convenient for him. That’s why I was thinking of buying an apartment for your uncle and aunt.”

"Brother-in-law!" Gong Ying immediately changed her address, as she had had enough of living in that small house.

Wei Ming: "Let me finish. I've also inquired about it. There's a new Wannan Overseas Chinese Village in Xuhui recently. A batch was built in 80, and this batch will be completed soon. But it's a new house, and only genuine overseas Chinese can buy it with foreign exchange. So I thought I'd pay for it and buy one for the elderly couple in your name. It will be convenient for you sisters to stay when you go back to visit relatives. I've calculated that it should be able to get one for a few tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars."

"This isn't appropriate. How can I spend your money in my name?" Gong Ying calculated the money she had on hand. Actually, she could afford it if she gritted her teeth, but she and A Long were planning to save up to buy a property in Hong Kong. A Long said that property prices would drop soon.

Wei Ming waved his hand: "This amount of money is nothing to me. Can't we just tell them after my relationship with your sister is made public?"

At this moment, Gong Ying felt that her second sister had really found a good man. Who said that young men were unreliable? Both of them had found reliable men.

Just then, Ah Long came over and said, "What are you saying?"

Wei Ming made the final decision: "It's settled then. You two can go home and discuss it further."

“Well, if you’ve decided, then I’ll go back to the mainland with you this time to visit relatives,” Gong Ying said.

Actually, Wei Ming hadn't mentioned it to Sister Xue yet, but he knew she would be worried about the money, since her monthly salary was only a few dozen yuan and her knowledge was far inferior to Gong Ying's.

I was originally going to visit Xia Meng in the afternoon, but now I've changed it to visiting the injured Cheng Long. His hospital address is in the newspaper.

"The three of you can wait for me nearby and get to know each other." Wei Ming went up to visit alone.

However, ordinary movie fans and paparazzi cannot get close to Jackie Chan. His Jackie Chan Stunt Team, who had nothing else to do, kept a close watch on him inside and outside the hospital.

Wei Ming got in simply by scanning his face. The Jackie Chan Stunt Team members didn't have any particular feelings about Wei Ming; injuries are commonplace in the stunt business.

However, there was one woman who had a lot of complaints about Wei Ming. If he hadn't written the script and designed so many dangerous stunts, how could Ah Long have gotten injured? According to the stuntmen on set, if he had been off by even a little bit and landed on his head, he might have been killed.

If the person dies, what will happen to the baby in her womb?

In the past, when Jackie Chan was injured, his parents and brothers took care of him. This was the first time he allowed a woman to take care of him, simply because Lin Fengjiao was pregnant with his child. His brothers were guarding against paparazzi downstairs because they were worried that she would be photographed.

Jackie Chan was very enthusiastic. Despite having broken ribs and an arm in a sling, he was in good spirits: "Ah Ming, you actually came to Hong Kong? What a pity, I can't entertain you right now."

Lin Fengjiao was carrying the fruit basket that Wei Ming had given her. Cheng Long ordered, "Wash the fruit for the guests."

"No need, sister-in-law."

Hearing Wei Ming call him that, Lin Fengjiao suddenly realized that Wei Ming was actually a pretty good person, much better than the brothers in Jackie Chan's stunt team.

When Jackie Chan learned that Joan Lin was pregnant, his first thought was to consult with his brothers. Their advice was: give her some money to give birth abroad, and you don't need to worry about it; just continue making movies.

Then Lin Fengjiao said: I don't need you to worry about me. I just need the child to know who his father is. I will raise him myself.

This immediately softened the tough guy Cheng Long, and when he was injured while filming, Lin Fengjiao took care of him tirelessly. Only then did he gain recognition of her status within their small circle.

Lin Fengjiao went to wash the fruit, and Cheng Long asked, "How can you be so sure of her identity?"

"You can't hide your belly anymore," Wei Ming laughed. Lin Fengjiao estimated that in a few months she would give birth to what would be the most disastrous work of Jackie Chan's life.

Cheng Long lowered his voice again: "That Lin Chong from America..."

"Chen Chong".

"Oh, right, right, you have to keep this to yourself. I only found out later that Fengjiao was already pregnant at that time."

"Don't worry, sister-in-law won't mind," Wei Ming said with a mischievous smile. "I'll bring it up when I'm old and writing my memoirs."

Of course, it's possible that Chen Chong wrote it first.

Jackie Chan laughed it off. Actually, he didn't care that much about it; everyone knows what kind of person he is.

However, he didn't know who Wei Ming was or what Wei Ming was doing in Hong Kong.

"I came to Hong Kong to film a short film. I heard you were injured, so I came to see you. It looks like you'll be able to start filming again next month."

“No need for next month, this minor injury will heal in half a month,” Cheng Long said. “But you mentioned shooting a short film, are you the screenwriter?”

"director."

"what!"

Wei Ming patiently explained the whole story again, but Cheng Long wasn't surprised: "Being a director is very simple: action, fighting, cut, that's it."

Jackie Chan is not only an actor; at the age of 25, he directed and starred in works such as "The Fearless Hyena" and "The Young Master".

After exchanging some directing tips, Wei Ming got up to take his leave.

Jackie Chan then asked, "Do you need any help? I'm not filming right now, so you can use all these brothers."

Wei Ming waved his hand: "I appreciate the good intentions, but it's just a short film with two or three characters. There's no need for such a big production."

Afterwards, Lin Fengjiao escorted Wei Ming out of the ward for her boyfriend, keeping a smile on her face the whole time. Calling him "sister-in-law" made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

After leaving the hospital, I checked the time. It would be a bit late to visit Qingniao, and it would seem like I was trying to freeload.

So Wei Ming took three crew members to Chungking Mansions to scout locations.

Located in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of ​​Kowloon, it is a building consisting of five blocks, which later became famous because of Wong Kar-wai's "Chungking Express".

There were indeed many different races. Wei Ming even saw quite a few black people here, as well as streetwalkers with distinctly Southeast Asian features. He heard that they were very popular with Europeans and Americans.

Wei Ming smiled and said, "Let's eat first. We can try Thai food."

Zhang Yimou asked, "Does Thai food include noodles?"

Wei Ming looked at Xu Jinjiang, who had already become familiar with the two Shaanxi men, and laughed, "Of course we have it. We have fried Thai noodles, as well as thin rice noodles and wide rice noodles."

The main selling point here is low prices and cheap prices. Wei Ming, being a picky eater, chose the Thai restaurant with the biggest signboard that looked the most professional.

After ordering, Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning began to look around. This was the first time they had ever seen such exotic scenery; they had only seen something similar in the movie "The Peacock Princess."

This movie, which was released at the beginning of the year, stars two superstars, Tang Guoqiang and Li Xiuming, and is a rare "domestic special effects blockbuster" of this era.

As he looked at it, Zhang Yimou suddenly froze. It was so beautiful!

Zhang Yimou is a master photographer who is good at discovering beauty. He saw a woman leading two girls in. The younger girl was so beautiful, but she was a little too young. Feeling that it was inappropriate to look at her like that, Zhang Yimou hurriedly and hastily looked away.

At the same time, I was thinking, how can there be so many beautiful girls in such a small place as Hong Kong? Ah Min before, Miss Li Zhi today, and that little girl just now, they all seem to be prettier than the most beautiful girl in the film academy. It's so strange!

Just as Old Zhang looked away, Wei Ming also noticed the mother and her two daughters, and he focused his attention on the little girl.

She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, tall, with a cool and aloof demeanor, and impeccable features.

She should only be 12 years old in real life. Wei Ming remembers that Li Jiaxin was born in the 70s.

But it's none of his business. He already has Amin, and he doesn't know how she and Xiaohong are getting along.

At this moment, Li Jiaxin was arguing with her mother: "You said we were going to eat French food, how did it turn into Thai food?"

She had the right to complain, because the meal was paid for with her own money and it was to celebrate the second advertisement she had ever landed.

Because she was cute as a child, she filmed an advertisement when she was three years old.

Ms. Li, who is raising two daughters on her own, said, "This restaurant is also very delicious. You can't usually find this kind of food here. French food is expensive and not cost-effective. We can do a lot of things with the money we save."

"for example."

“For example, I’ll send you to a better secondary school.” Li’s mother has already chosen Maryknoll Convent School, a famous girls’ school in Hong Kong. This girls’ school has produced many outstanding talents, such as Rosamund Kwan, Priscilla Chan, Sandy Lam, Jessica Hsuan, Leung Wing-ki, and Cheung Hiu-wai.

"Alright, let's go." After finishing their meal, Wei Ming led his brothers out to scout locations.

There are already many informal nightclubs here, the kind hidden in residential areas, that offer exciting shows.

This made Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaoning, two honest and simple men, very uncomfortable. The malignant tumor of capitalism was really big and round!

However, Wei Ming thought it was great. The smoky atmosphere was perfect for filming. He told the owner that they could film there during the day. Although the money wasn't much, it wouldn't interfere with their business.

As soon as the four of them came out, they saw the Li family, a mother and her two daughters, coming upstairs. It turned out they also lived in this building.
……

(This is a guaranteed minimum for today, and there will be more tonight, please vote with your monthly tickets!)
(End of this chapter)